Passionfruit Butter

It isn’t often that I’m more or less trapped on the computer, except in cases of self-induced procrastination. In this case, it’s quite the opposite. I am ten minutes early: my Brown decision will be posted online in just a bit, and I’m waiting waiting waiting in utmost agony… So I decided to kill just a little bit of time by telling you about my dinner last night.

I had a shrimp quesadilla at Felipe’s. I for one have never really heard of shrimp quesadillas as a big specialty anywhere. Chicken? Yes. Cheese? Absolutely (praise be to God). But as I stood in line at Felipe’s last night, my carnal need for a crispy-melty-oozy quesadilla had a head-on collision with my utter craving for those flaky, lightly fried shrimp that they do so perfectly at Felipe’s.

I love spicy. I LOVE spicy. So as I stood in line, gazing through a thin panel of glass at the quesadilla that had just come out of some divine melting device and had been gloriously peeled open by one of the guys working there, I had to think quickly when I listed the condiments I wanted. The man who wielded the sour cream spatula barked suggestions (orders?) at me, as he is so prone to do (Felipe’s, being cheap and located near the Tulane campus, is inevitably packed on school nights). I responded with one word answers: no to the pico de gallo, no to the sour cream, YES YES YES to the salsa verde, sure to the lettuce (I can’t really defend that one), and yes to the cilantro.

My quesadilla was bliss. How could it not be? I just wished I hadn’t gone with both salsa verde and cilantro, as that seemed a bit redundant. They say that when it comes to cilantro, you either love it or you hate it, but I’m not so sure. I feel just okay about it. That said, I found it overbearing and far too abrasive in the quesadilla. It came with sliced red onions that I normally appreciate but which competed with all the other flavors in an unpleasant way. Next time, I know to stick with those gorgeous morsels of shrimpy goodness, fried in a light but dense batter, with little to distract me from the flavor other than melty cheese and silken, seductive guacamole.

Now it’s time to check. Wish me luck.