Perfect Foods

[sallow]

While I won't say these are perfect, I cannot pass these up.

The way green pepper combines with beef, be it in pepper steak, an Italian beef, corned beef hash or stuffed peppers / stuffed pepper soup, is a joy. The green pepper may be the perfect food, it has that soft crunchy thing.

Watermelon is also soft crunchy, with salt and lime or tabasco.

Hummus, if it is sufficiently creamy with lots of tahini.

A double baked potato with lots of garlic butter (I mean choke a horse amount of garlic butter) and sour cream, a la Merichka's.

As it has been stated, a garden tomato picked off the vine still hot from the sun.

Occasionally I will have a Big Mac attack and only a Big Mac will do.

 

[mingc]

MSG

 

[woodsroad]

Reminder:
This isn’t about favorite foods.
It’s about perfect foods.
Foods that, for you, transcend this mortal coil.

 

[warren]

I'm forced to submit my homemade French Vanilla, hitting 22% butterfat, iced cream.

 

[lukifer]

Chocolate peanut butter banana oatmeal.

A nice fat steak cooked with salt, garlic and malt vinegar served with shredded sharp provolone melted on top and then topped with a layer of pesto.

Salmon filet covered in melted bone marrow.

Beef liver.

Proper homemade beans on hash. (Bacon, yellow onion, beans, tomato sauce, tomato paste, minced garlic, salt and pepper served over homemade hashbrowns.

Pickled onions...for some reason I also do not understand.

 

[autumnfog]

Pata negra ham.
Tomato salad with balsamico.

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

Food : garlic.
Seasoning: salt.
Protein: beef.
Meal: sandwich/burger.
Convince: pizza.
Appetizer: Buffalo wings.
Bread: white Italian.
Salad: Caesar.
Soup: French onion.
Breakfast: Omelet.
Condiment: hot sauce.
Dessert: ice cream.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

Reese's cups.

 

[huntertrw]

German chocolate cake!
Biscuits and gravy.
Persimmon pudding.

 

[Uguccione]

Here it is, the perfect food!

 

[Uguccione]

....followed closely by this...

 

[JOHN72]

It would be something like, Spanish gastronomy. In the south, Gazpacho Andaluz, migas with semolina flour, with garnish, barbecued sardines, Paella, fish and seafood broth, Galician broth, fabada Asturiana, Galicia steak, of course pata negra ham, of acorn, chestnuts, mixture of both. Desserts, Greek yogurt with apricot jam, homemade egg flan, or pudding.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Ten freshly steamed White Castle hamburgers from a White Castle location (not from the frozen food section in a supermarket). Mmmmm.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Veal Cordon Bleu
Boston Cream Pie
Shrimp de Jonghe (with Gulf shrimp only)
Cold Maine Lobster
Moussaka

I've eaten at many Greek restaurants in the States but until our trip end of May had never tried Moussaka. The first London area restaurant we chose to visit was Andy's Greek Taverna in Camden. One of the dishes we ordered was Moussaka - it was amazing and this photo doesn't come close to doing it justice.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I love all kinds of snacks sweet or salty - sitting here thinking of things I enjoy with or for meals that I think are "perfect" and just what comes to mind:

1. Chili - homemade, love experimenting but my favorite recipe is in another thread somewhere on here.
2. My mom's homemade ice cream - she hasn't been able to make it for years, but my wife has the recipe and comes pretty close (or maybe she gets it exactly and it's just not "mom's", lol).
3. Homemade bread - just got into baking bread the last few years - crusty artisan loaf and challah are my favorites (maybe I just mess them up less often).
4. Lasagne - maybe this explains my joy at discovering Moussaka because of the layering. Love it homemade and as much as I'll try and experiment at Italian restaurants with different dishes, I'm usually ordering lasagne because I like to see how it measures up and it's my litmus test, lol.
5. Freshly made drop doughnuts slathered in sugar and cinnamon. They are crap when not fresh, haha, but just out of the oil and rolled and rolled in the good stuff it's battle conditions when they hit the table.

 

[BlueMaxx]

A perfectly ripened fresh peach.

 

[wolflarsen]

Atomic Buffalo Turd smoked over cherry wood

 

[AroEnglish]

Every now and again, I come across a comestible that can only be described as "perfect". Perfect, for me, is a food item that brings a sense of elation and satisfaction unparalleled by any other experience. Not orgasmic, per se, but damn, it hits the spot like nothing else. As with tobacco, everyone has a different definition of what perfect is, but I'm curious to see what does it for you. Let's restrict this to single items, not meals. While I've had several exceedingly exceptional meals out in my lifetime (most recently at Maize in Perkasie, PA, and previously at Apteka in Pittsburgh), this is really about singular food items. And your list, if truthful, should be short. Not everything can be perfect, or nothing would be perfect.
This can be high brow or low, doesn't matter.

My List of Perfect Foods

• York Peppermint Patties (The King of Perfect Foods)
• Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (Prior to the recent utterly pedestrian, cheapening downgrade)
• Tonic Water (I prefer Schweppes, but there are several great ones out there)
• Lemon Bars (My daughter's version is best, but other homemade ones will suffice if I'm forced)
• Lemon/Limeade (not too much sugar)

You?

What happened to Reese's?

My favorite version of Reese's are those ones that come in shapes depending on the season (Christmas tree, pumpkin, etc.). I like how the proportions are weighted to the peanut butter filling. Second favorite is the chocolate chips they make for baking and third is Reese's Pieces.

 

[Hillcrest]

Foods that, for you, transcend this mortal coil.

Many, many years ago I ate dinner at The Guards steakhouse in Georgetown, D.C. while waiting to catch a redeye back east. I ordered the roast duckling salad, steak Dianne with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans, chocolate layer cake with vanilla ice cream along with 2 Bourbons and coffee. At the time I thought it would have been a perfect 'last meal'. It transcended something ... and I remember it to this day. The waiter was excellent too...he timed everything perfectly. It was one of the finest meals I have ever had outside the home.

Second to that would be anything a friend of mine makes. She grew up on a farm in Romania and makes everything from scratch. Everything she makes is delicious ...seriously.

I realize this may not meet your criteria exactly ... I think you meant a food that is perfect every time for each person.

 

[burleybreath]

What immediately comes to mind: Texas barbecued beef brisket, barbecued in Texas, eaten in Texas, with ranch beans, an IPA, and coleslaw for extra oomph. Yee-haw!