Sunday, November 28, 2010

Cafe Lurcat - Minneapolis

This charming café, located at 1642 Harmon Place in Minneapolis, is in the Loring Park area of Minneapolis. This neighborhood is both diverse and unique and reminds me a lot of many of the neighborhoods in Chicago. It is an adult community made up of professionals, retired homeowners seeking the benefits of living in the city and an increasing population of eastern European immigrants.

Café Lurcat is owned by D'Amico & Partners, one of the nation's foremost restaurant and catering developers who happens to own and manage 25 restaurants in Minneapolis and Florida.

Not only does the café have an impressive bar area, it served up some of the best appetizers I’ve had in a long time. Definitely not your run of the mill bar food.

From the Beef Short Rib, Sticky Rice and Pickled Carrot Lettuce Wraps to the Duck Pot Stickers with Kumquat Soy Sauce, everything was amazing.

My favorite was the one that my friend Joanne suggested - the roasted cauliflower. The cauliflower was cut thin, brushed with clarified butter then roasted to perfection.

I tried making it at home this week and it was really wonderful. I served it with a shaker of parmesan cheese but I also love it plain – which is the way that it was served at Café Lurcat.

Bon Appetit.

Roasted Cauliflower

Cut a head of cauliflower into thin sheets.

Brush with clarified butter.

Roast at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, or until the cauliflower is browned and caramelized.

Bon Appetit!

Clarified Butter:

Melt the butter slowly. Let it sit to separate. Skim off the foam that rises to the top, and pour the butter off of the milk solids, which have settled to the bottom.

A stick of butter will produce about 6 tablespoons of clarified butter.