Expensive foods that are worth every penny...what do you indulge in?

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I try to buy only organic local meat, and buy duck eggs from a local guy who drives into town once he has enough orders, and I buy unpasteurised milk and butter.

But my main splurge is on truffles... oil, salt, grated, mixed with brie, veined in pecorino, on crisps/chips... if it's an ingredient I will buy it.




What rums are your favourite? I only coped with lockdown because I knew we had a good stash of rums and stouts. I am partial to zacapa xo, and the Nicaraguan Rum flor de caña, anything over their 12 is good. I lived there for a year back in 2006 and the price used to be 21 usd for their top tier 25 year old. It has shot up in price since then.

We don't have the greatest selection of rums here but i like to try different Cuban/ Carribian rums
The exchange rate is terrible and booze is taxed alot here
I don't really know what im doing, i just look at the top shelf and pick one that takes my fancy
but would never go back to Captain Morgan or Malibu even when im making Christmas cake ! I make Christmas cake with the Cuban Havana club (not Bacardi) and its the one i like in my coffee and hot chocolate but otherwise i like to sip a rum straight
my father in law was particularly found of Appleton estate

Presently i have half a bottle of plantation pineapple rum but it cost $100 so im trying to keep it and not squander it
Id like to find a nice spiced rum, i found kraken a bit too rough

Last time Bruce Springsteen came here i went down to christchurch to stay with my sister and we went out to dinner with a friend off my Bruce Springsteen forum, unbeknownst to us till after we had eatten dinner it was a rum bar and had NZ's biggest selection of rums
It was heaven
I only hope with covid the place is still there next time im down that way

 

[LisaRN]

My husband likes steak so I will buy him cuts of prime rib or Filet Mignon. I like Argentina shrimp and crab cakes.

 

[DauphineMucha]

I’m dreaming of fresh baby corn right now!!!

Has anyone tried dishes made with huitlacoche. I really want to try the real thing!

 

[Bayek]

small for a lobster roll in maine, but a true maine lobster roll is nothing but lobster, if you want something on it, ask for CT style which is melted butter on it, most places and trucks have different styles.. recently moved away from maine and there is no better lobster in the world.

This thread could not have come at a better time! I love seafood, and would pay pretty much any price to get good seafood. Here in Ca, we have some yummy Dungeness crab restaurants and a family of 4 could spend over $120 to share a couple of steamed crabs and a Korean seafood soup. I would gladly pay that price. Chinese lobster is also $50+ a pop, and worth every penny. Last night my daughter and I waited over 1 hour under scorching sun to try Maine lobster rolls from a famous food truck.....this is what we got for a $16.75 roll (the size of a street taco) with no sides, no dressing and no drink! Totally not worth it!

 

[Bayek]

i'm sort of a mundane american, Boars Head Cold Cuts, don't like any other, they are expensive, don't buy cold cuts much as I used to but when I do, its Boar's Head.

Best olive oil I can afford, also balsamic vinegar, i cook with ghiradelli chocolate. best milk i can find. fresh salmon. grey goose, i like sapphire gin best, hendricks too.

Best beef i can find, but we are not big meat eaters.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I buy the "good butter", usually the french butter from TJs or Kerrygold. If I buy red meat it's usually filet, if it's ground I do buy organic/grass fed, same for chicken and eggs. I don't think we buy anything super high end but if we go out for a meal I seek out places that make things FRESH. Fresh pasta with real truffle is def an indulgence I look forward to.

 

[voce]

Heck, if butter counts, I would say Earth Balance. It's so much healthier than butter (is at least half unsaturated fats) and works very well for baking and cooking.

 

[kipari]

Cheese cheese and cheese for dh. Raw milk, organic, farmer's market.
Standard item here in France, but still $$$

Sourdough rye bread for me. Not expensive, but organic rye flour is hard to get and I make from scratch with my own homemade starter. So it's a lot of work

Just three ingredients: rye flour, water, salt.

Delish!


Fish fresh from the trawler.
We're in the beach apt atm and there's a fish market a couple of km away where the fishermen sell directly.
It's the only place I know where they have to ask you to wait a couple of hours doe some species, because the fish is too fresh otherwise!

 

[OoohShiny]

going to try that this w/e, looks right up my partner's alley - not too sweet + whiskey! =D

Let us know what you think! I've only had it a couple of times in Scotland - it's not common in England, unfortunately!

 

[JPie]

I tried their olive oil, it is absolutely great! They have balsamic vinegar on their site but they don't state how long was it aged (or maybe I missed the info) https://www.barianioliveoil.com/product/balsamic-vinegar.

They have two versions, regular which is on their site, and a 12-year aged that’s at their farmers market stand but not on their site. The aged is less acidic and more sweet. I love it in a caprese salad

In general, I always try to buy local.

High-quality foods I'm willing to spend on:

Uni
Pasture-raised eggs
Grass-fed beef
Grass-fed cow's milk
Organic produce
Artisan chocolate
FINE CHEESES! yum!!

I heard that reducing the purple uni population in California is vital to the health of our kelp forests. I am ready to do my part! Who knew conservation could be so delicioa

My husband likes steak so I will buy him cuts of prime rib or Filet Mignon. I like Argentina shrimp and crab cakes.

A good steak can’t be beat!

I’m dreaming of fresh baby corn right now!!!

Has anyone tried dishes made with huitlacoche. I really want to try the real thing!

I’ve never even heard of huitlacoche! Learned something new

i'm sort of a mundane american, Boars Head Cold Cuts, don't like any other, they are expensive, don't buy cold cuts much as I used to but when I do, its Boar's Head.

Best olive oil I can afford, also balsamic vinegar, i cook with ghiradelli chocolate. best milk i can find. fresh salmon. grey goose, i like sapphire gin best, hendricks too.

Best beef i can find, but we are not big meat eaters.

Love gin! I’m a Tanquerey gal myself, though my favorite is St. George Botanivore.

I buy the "good butter", usually the french butter from TJs or Kerrygold. If I buy red meat it's usually filet, if it's ground I do buy organic/grass fed, same for chicken and eggs. I don't think we buy anything super high end but if we go out for a meal I seek out places that make things FRESH. Fresh pasta with real truffle is def an indulgence I look forward to.

There’s an Italian restaurant in my neighborhood that does a white truffle week every year. It’s amazing how a few shavings make a very simple pasta dish taste heavenly.

Cheese cheese and cheese for dh. Raw milk, organic, farmer's market.
Standard item here in France, but still $$$

Sourdough rye bread for me. Not expensive, but organic rye flour is hard to get and I make from scratch with my own homemade starter. So it's a lot of work

Just three ingredients: rye flour, water, salt.

Delish!


Fish fresh from the trawler.
We're in the beach apt atm and there's a fish market a couple of km away where the fishermen sell directly.
It's the only place I know where they have to ask you to wait a couple of hours doe some species, because the fish is too fresh otherwise!

I didn’t think a fish could be too fresh!

 

[WhatAboutTheCats]

I LOVE duck eggs! I buy them whenever I can for my mom to make Chinese salted duck eggs. They can be made with chicken eggs, but duck eggs are so much better!

Strangely enough, I don’t think I’ve ever had chinese salted duck eggs. I’ll certainly look for it. But I do enjoy the thousand year duck (?) eggs in congee!

 

[WhatAboutTheCats]

Same! My mom was frugal but not when it came to our health and making sure she bought good food for us. And as much as she occasionally criticizes me for spending (too much in her opinion) money on certain things she never once criticizes me for spending too much on food. So there you go. Of course she is a typical Jewish momma/grandmother when it comes to food and food equals love in the Jewish religion and in many other faiths and ethnicities too. I know Italian mommas are very similar re food.

LOL, in my family, we’re always trying to shove more food into each other. The older relatives, especially, are always trying to force another bite of food into everyone.

 

[canuk-gal]

Cheese cheese and cheese for dh. Raw milk, organic, farmer's market.
Standard item here in France, but still $$$

Sourdough rye bread for me. Not expensive, but organic rye flour is hard to get and I make from scratch with my own homemade starter. So it's a lot of work

Just three ingredients: rye flour, water, salt.

Delish!


Fish fresh from the trawler.
We're in the beach apt atm and there's a fish market a couple of km away where the fishermen sell directly.
It's the only place I know where they have to ask you to wait a couple of hours doe some species, because the fish is too fresh otherwise!

Fresh fish? The beach??? Sourdough rye??? NOW I am officially jeali!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[asscherisme]

I am obsessed with sushi. If I could afford to, I would eat it several times a week.

Also, good cheese and good chocolate.

 

[JPie]

I am obsessed with sushi. If I could afford to, I would eat it several times a week.

Also, good cheese and good chocolate.

My name is Jpie, and I’m a sushi addict too!

 

[kipari]

Fresh fish? The beach??? Sourdough rye??? NOW I am officially jeali!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come on over!!!

 

[missy]

You know what goes really well with fresh fish? Grilled onions and sweet potatoes and oh they smell so good right now. I can never get enough sweet potatoes. Yummm.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

@missy the doggo enjoys roasted orange sweet potatoes and the little boy enjoys roasted white sweet potatoes.

Cold roasted sweet potato is such a handy carb addition to his lunch box!

***

I thought of another thing I splurge on! Duck breasts! I used to deal with whole ducks but it's so quick and easy to make duck noodles with nicely portioned duck breasts.

 

[missy]

@missy the doggo enjoys roasted orange sweet potatoes and the little boy enjoys roasted white sweet potatoes.

Cold roasted sweet potato is such a handy carb addition to his lunch box!

***

I thought of another thing I splurge on! Duck breasts! I used to deal with whole ducks but it's so quick and easy to make duck noodles with nicely portioned duck breasts.

I love my carbs.

 

[lovedogs]

Local honey from a farmers type market that is in an orange grove. The orange honey is amazing and makes the normal store bought stuff taste terrible. Fresh bakery bread. It molds more quickly than the stuff from the supermarket but its worth it since its fresh, soft, and not loaded with preservatives.

Fresh fruit from the same market as above.


And sushi. Expensive at restaurants but worth going to the good places.

 

[JPie]

@missy the doggo enjoys roasted orange sweet potatoes and the little boy enjoys roasted white sweet potatoes.

Cold roasted sweet potato is such a handy carb addition to his lunch box!

***

I thought of another thing I splurge on! Duck breasts! I used to deal with whole ducks but it's so quick and easy to make duck noodles with nicely portioned duck breasts.

I love duck breasts too. My butcher cures and smokes them so all I do is crisp up the skin to render the fat a little, slice, and eat!

I only make things from scratch if I can do it just as well or better myself.

Local honey from a farmers type market that is in an orange grove. The orange honey is amazing and makes the normal store bought stuff taste terrible. Fresh bakery bread. It molds more quickly than the stuff from the supermarket but its worth it since its fresh, soft, and not loaded with preservatives.

Fresh fruit from the same market as above.


And sushi. Expensive at restaurants but worth going to the good places.

Ooh yeah, “cheap” and “sushi” don’t usually go well together!

 

[kipari]

You know what goes really well with fresh fish? Grilled onions and sweet potatoes and oh they smell so good right now. I can never get enough sweet potatoes. Yummm.

I'll be over with 3 kg of soles shortly!

 

[missy]

I'll be over with 3 kg of soles shortly!

 

[TooPatient]

I'm gearing up for grilled cheese season. A few years ago my Kroger used to do Friday evening samples of hot foods and one night I hit the jackpot--sourdough bread, raclette and smoked gouda, and raspberry rose preserves. OMG it was to die for, so I bought all the ingredients and made the same thing at home, on my grill. Even better. Now I like to make variations of that in the winter, using gruyere, raclette, havarti, etc. No "regular" cheese will do. I am officially a grilled cheese snob.

Oh, and coat the bread with Kerrygold butter. Also worth every penny.

I did a toasted cheese sandwich (boy do I wish I had taken the time to grill it properly!) using an aged white cheddar and Green Goddess Gouda on a delicious, crusty sourdough the other day. Just a drizzle of a good balsamic with a slice of fresh tomato... So good!

 

[TooPatient]

Hi,

I like Lox. Costco has a good price, so not very expensive. But my understanding is that smoked foods are not healthy for you. I love cheeses-all kinds. So I do buy what I like.

What an interesting topic. I'm learning.

Annette

Wait... Smoked foods aren't good for you!?! Would love to hear more so I know if I should quit smoking so many of our meals.

 

[TooPatient]

Someone from this group mentioned Luxardo cherries. So good!

I love fresh watermelon, peaches, apricots, cherries (Bing and Rainier) but only really fresh. I drive over the mountains to get them from small farms or produce stands where they are fresh picked that day. One place actually lets me walk through their garden and point at what I would like and they pick it fresh while I watch. Loaded the car up with several bags of cucumber, zucchini, peppers, and other delicious veggies one day. Not $$$ to buy, but takes a tank or more of gas plus a lunch & coffee stop.

We get delivery from a local dairy farm with butter, heavy cream, eggs, and whatever they have from a couple of local bakeries.

Not exactly food, but I have discovered cooking wood. We use it instead of charcoal to grill now. It is kiln dried in Georgia. Delivery is $30/box plus whatever the price for the type of wood I am ordering. Well worth the $$$ as it makes some of the best grilled and smoked foods I have ever had!

 

[JPie]

Someone from this group mentioned Luxardo cherries. So good!

I love fresh watermelon, peaches, apricots, cherries (Bing and Rainier) but only really fresh. I drive over the mountains to get them from small farms or produce stands where they are fresh picked that day. One place actually lets me walk through their garden and point at what I would like and they pick it fresh while I watch. Loaded the car up with several bags of cucumber, zucchini, peppers, and other delicious veggies one day. Not $$$ to buy, but takes a tank or more of gas plus a lunch & coffee stop.

We get delivery from a local dairy farm with butter, heavy cream, eggs, and whatever they have from a couple of local bakeries.

Not exactly food, but I have discovered cooking wood. We use it instead of charcoal to grill now. It is kiln dried in Georgia. Delivery is $30/box plus whatever the price for the type of wood I am ordering. Well worth the $$$ as it makes some of the best grilled and smoked foods I have ever had!

Someday, when I have the right space for it, I’d love to get a smoker!

 

[TooPatient]

Someday, when I have the right space for it, I’d love to get a smoker!

The one I have holds a lot and has a small footprint. It is heavier than their basic model. Been using it for three years now without any cover or protection from the outdoors. I would love to one day have a full sized all wood smoker, but this hold decent sized wood chunks and actually does a pretty good job.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dyna-Glo-Vertical-Wide-Body-Propane-Gas-Smoker-DGW1904BDP-D/206289003

 

[Karl_K]

10 year+(15 or 20 when available) aged white cheddar with yellow being second.
Real maple syrup with a twist I like the less outragous B grade better than the pricier A grade.

 

[Karl_K]

$55 for .25lb. Way to much for my budget but would love to try it.

Cheddar Vintage 1997 Quarter Pound 23 Years Old

Cheddar Vintage 1997 Quarter Pound 23 Years Old Do you seek the exceptional? This 20 Year Old Cheddar isn't just cheese - it's a work of art. This limited edition cheese is not to be missed. It's smooth, sharp, and bursting with flavor. Spread throughout

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