Die hard with a cheese steak

(Regular Guy Grub, by Buddy Hurlock) When it comes to naming my favorite actor, it comes down to two, and of course it's 1980s action heroes Harrison Ford and Bruce Willis.

Upon hearing about Roman Pantry in Carneys Point, N.J., and Willis' opinion that it has "the best cheese steak on the planet," I had to go. Who am I to doubt John McClane?

This was a good steak. I get mine with cheese and no onions, and their $5.95 small cheese steak, on a 10-inch roll is a good deal (the large, $10.25, comes on roll nearly twice the size).

Was it the best steak I ever had? The roll was perfect, the steak was plentiful and they didn't skimp on the cheese, but in the cheese steak debate of "chopped" vs. "not chopped," I am in the not-chopped camp (the steaks here are chopped). But this stop is very good lunch option on your way to the Jersey shore, and not that far off the path. Get on 295 North after traversing the Delaware Memorial Bridge and go up to Exit 4, taking Route 48 West a short distance. Roman Pantry (447 Harding Highway, (856) 299-5257) is on your right almost as soon as you leave 295. To continue on to the shore, take Route 48 East to its merge with Route 40 East.

With seating for about 10, near posters from several of Willis' hit movies, the Roman Pantry is also a deli and a small market. On my next stop there, I plan to try either their deep dish pizza or the hot dog wrap, which at quick glance looked like a fried hot dog inside baked bread. Now, if you don't mind, I have a tall building, an airport, a city and the world's computers to save. Wish me luck.

Sweety Pie: Part III

I had one single 9-inch pie crust left from Hockessin pastry chef Liz Marden's pie crust recipe (recipes all coming Wednesday along with a pie article and pie tips!) and I wanted to test another pie recipe.

So right now I'm baking Miss Patty's berry pie with crumb topping.

Well, the recipe is actually an adaption of Miss Viola's blueberry pie with crumb topping from the cookbook "Sweety Pies" (Taunton Press, 2007.) Yeah! No rolling out a top crust.

"Miss Patty" - that would be me - used a mix of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries instead of just blueberries. (That's butter dotting the top of the pie filling - right before I put the crumb topping on. Photo below is what it looked like right before I popped it into the oven.)

Pie's almost done. My cat Big Boy keeps raising his nose in the air. (Hmmm, a cat that likes pie? A possible children's book? Or maybe the Big Boy still smells the salmon I cooked earlier tonight? Well, to me, the house smells like pie, not fish. And, to quote Martha, that's a good thing.)

I'm having pie for breakfast; so if it's great - and it looks good - I may change the recipe.

UPDATE: Pie is the breakfast of champions. This is damn good pie. I'm tweaking the recipe; I think using three different kinds of berries is the way to go.

Chef, is that poison in my salad?

News Journal editor Justin Williams just alerted me to this tasty morsel from the Associated Press.

Read and enjoy:

LONDON (AP) - A British celebrity chef says he's sorry for mistakenly recommending a deadly plant as a tasty salad ingredient.

Anthony Worrall Thompson says he meant to suggest using the weed fat hen, a member of the spinach family whose leaves are edible. He instead told Healthy and Organic Living magazine for its July edition that henbane could be used in salads.

Henbane, whose name means "killer of hens," is a toxic plant that can cause hallucinations, drowsiness and disorientation if ingested. (SEE PHOTO ABOVE AND - DON'T EAT IT.)

Large doses can kill.

The magazine issued a correction Monday on its Web site.

Worrall Thompson told reporters he's sorry for the mix-up, which he called "a bit embarrassing."

(You think??? I'm pretty certain this is one chef who WON'T be getting a Food Network deal anytime soon. We don't welcome killer chefs with open arms on this side of the pond.)

Pie: Part III

We ate the pie Friday night and it was wonderful. The peaches and blackberries were sweet and crust was flaky. One small problem: the bottom crust could have been cooked a little longer. (I used a ceramic pan, but I'm going back to my usual glass pie pan.) The recipe will run this Wednesday.

I always get excited and tend to pull a pie out of the oven too early. Yet again.

But I did some research on pie making and "The Joy of Cooking" says the top of the pie should be almost as brown as a hazelnut shell before it's removed from the oven. That's one way to ensure the crust is baked through - and the top has the ideal caramelization.

If the top starts getting too brown, you tent it with a sheet of aluminum foil.

Ron Silver and Jen Bervin, authors of "Bubby's Homemade Pies" (Wiley, 2007) offer great advice: Let the pie, NOT the clock, tell you when the pie is done.

Don't worry if your pie takes longer to bake than a recipe you are following.

Chanticleer, a real pleasure

I don't always write about food.

In Sunday's Life section, I had a story about Chanticleer in Wayne, Pa. This is a beautiful 35-acre "pleasure garden" that's worth the 40 or so minute drive from Wilmington. It's a Main Line Eden. (Across the road from Chanticleer is the former Montgomery Scott property. It was owned by Hope Montgomery Scott, she was the inspiration for the Tracy Lord character (Katharine Hepburn) in "The Philadelphia Story." Old money.

Here's the story.

What's really cool: On Friday evenings through Labor Day, until 8 p.m., you can bring some wine and food and have a picnic on the grounds. Can't do that at Longwood Gardens. You can even sit on the seats on the terrace of Chanticleer's "main house." There are chairs all around the grounds - some hidden in little nooks and crannies - where you can sit and enjoy nature.

Chanticleer - open Wednesdays through Sundays - also isn't as crowded as Longwood can be and the displays are amazing.

Check it out.

Photos by News Journal photographer Jennifer Corbett. The bottom photo is the "Teacup Garden." The rooster is Chanticleer's mascot.

Cheeseburger (not quite) in Paradise

Busy writing day today. So can't get to reader mail. But it will return next week. You ask, we answer. All dining/food/drink questions every Friday. (Usually.)

Instead, check out Chris Yasiejko's wonderfully written piece on Jake's Hamburgers.

But be warned: It will make you very, very hungry.

I'm a huge hamburger fan. In an Italian coffeehouse last year in Trieste - drinking the best cup of coffee I have ever had in my life (Hausbrandt brand) - I proudly defended the American hamburger after a new Italian friend dismissed all American food, especially the hamburger. She was very nice, but had the wrong idea that all hamburgers were basically flat, lifeless, juiceless McDonald burgers.

By the end of a passionate conversation - all conversations about food in Italy are filled with passion - I think I had her convinced that she needed to give a real burger a try.

Hungry eyes

We're really not crazy cat people here in The News Journal features department.

But all this talk about Prince Chunky, the 44-pound cat of Camden County, N.J., and my weight challenged kitty Big Boy, led to entertainment editor Peter Bothum's big reveal that he, too, has a cat that could stand to lose a few pounds.

The photo below is Wilkie, Peter's family's fluffy, buddy in all his chubby glory. (I don't feel so bad now about Big Boy and his, uh, weight issues.)

Pie: part II

Liz Marden and her pies were so inspiring, I made a peach and blackberry pie tonight to bring to a party tomorrow. I think it turned out pretty well and the house smells great!

Just one thing: Liz recommends using a ceramic pie dish instead of glass, mostly because she likes the presentation. I usually use glass so I can make sure the bottom crust browns.

Just say no to soggy crusts!

So I pulled out a pretty ceramic pie pan that I use mostly for decoration and used it tonight. The top looks good and this baked at 400 degrees for an hour. I guess I'll find out tomorrow if the bottom crust browned enough. I'm not an experienced enough pie maker to trust my instincts on this....

Pie recipes coming Wednesday....

That's Prince Chunky to you!

OK, so this has nothing at all to do with food. Unless, you look at the obesity side of the story.....

But I can't get enough of the Princess Chunky tale. Now, it turns out this oversize lub of kitty love (photo above) is actually Prince Chunky. (Well, his real name is Powder.)

Why does this story hit home for me? I have my own plus size white cat at home. His name is T.C., but mostly we just call him Big Boy. (He usually sits on the kitchen floor and watches me cook and twitches his whiskers when it smells good. He's a very cool cat.) I've already gotten a few calls and emails today from friends/family saying how much the 44-pound Prince Chunky reminds them of Big Boy. And that's not really a good thing.

Last time Big Boy was weighed at the vet, the scale hit 21 pounds. That's half the size of the Prince. But, well, I know, I know. We put Big Boy on a diet and he has lost some weight. But it's going to be a long road.

You try getting a 13-year-old very spoiled cat to change his eating habits.

Clifford Wright, pies and pickles.

What's shakin' food friends?

Been in a food frenzy lately - and loving it!

I had a long phone interview with Clifford A. Wright. He is one of my favorite cookbook authors. Wright's "A Mediterranean Feast" cookbook (William Morrow, 1999) is definitely shelf worthy. (If you love Paula Wolfert, you'll love Cliff's cookbooks.) He takes an academic approach to the culinary arts and his books are always so well-researched. I'm making his eggplant and yogurt dish, will take a photo and share the recipe soon. Here's his web site. Wright has written 11 cookbooks.

I spent part of yesterday morning hanging with the always fabulous Liz Marden at her dessert shop in Hockessin. Next Wednesday's main food story is about making fruit pies and Liz and her fellow pastry chef Tom Brown shared some great tips. Stay tuned.

Baking in the summer may sound bizarre, but fruit is just bursting with flavor. I bought some wonderful peaches recently in Sussex County and was so inspired, that tonight I'm going to bake a peach pie for a Friday night party. Well, that's the plan now. We'll see after work. Maybe I'll be buying one of Liz's beautiful lattice-topped pies.

Another story to come: Homemade pickles. Seriously. My neighbors (thanks Anthony and Virginia!) recently brought over a bunch of cucumbers they grew in their garden.

What to do? Then, I remembered I had been holding onto an Emeril Lagasse homemade pickle recipe for some time - no canning involved. But inside my bulging recipe folder, I came across another pickle recipe that I liked even better. This was my first attempt at pickles and I must say, I'm quite pleased with the results. They're much easier than you'd think.

I brought in a jar for Eric Ruth to try - he's loves pickles and honestly I was a little worried he was going to hate mine - but Eric gave them big thumbs up. Wahoo!

Stories and recipes coming soon.

Anyone else out there make their own pickles? Chefs? Home cooks? Let me know on the comments, or email at ptalorico@delawareonline.com or call me at 324-2861.

Pickled anything has been really hot in New York restaurants.