Cook the same thing over and over until you are known for it.
Bon
Appetit!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Bobtail Ice Cream
Maybe
I’m not one to ask since I made the best ice cream ever last weekend.
Bi-Rite’s
recipe for Vanilla Ice Cream will make every future ice cream indulgence an AT
HOME experience.
Bon
Appetit!
Frog N Snail
The
chef who succeeded Grant Achatz at Trio , Dale
Levitski, had his eye on the fall and took total advantage of what was
available – in fact he was still changing the menu when I arrived at 10 AM. That’s
a sign of a seasonal chef at his best.
Lucky
for me the Curried Lamb Benedict (zucchini bread, spring vegetable salad, poached egg, and foie gras
hollandaise) was
still on the menu. This was not only a brilliant combination of flavors but was
the best Benedict I’ve had in Chicago….and I’ve had a lot of great Benedict.
The
petite side salad was also an impressive preparation of beets, cauliflower and
white raisins.
I’m
not a big fan of zucchini bread but this base layer won me over. The lamb was
incredibly rich and tender and the undersized amount of hollandaise (yes, I
wondered where the hollandaise was) was the perfect top off.
The
foodies around me – and they were all talking food - got interesting dishes as
well so my goal is to take the entire neighborhood back and share.
That’s
one quick way to knock off the entire menu in just one seating.
Bon
Appetit!
Foie Gras
Hollandaise
2
egg yolks
2
teaspoons rice vinegar3 tablespoons raw foie gras
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon white truffle oil
Salt and pepper
Puree the foie gras and butter in a blender or food processor
until smooth.
Wisk the eggs yolks and rice vinegar in a double boiler or a bowl
placed over boiling water until aerated. Quickly begin mixing in the foie gras
and butter mixture bit by bit, whisking constantly.
When all the “foie gras butter” has been incorporated, whisk in
the white truffle oil.
Season the foie gras hollandaise with salt and pepper to taste.
Molly's Cupcakes
Small batch cupcakes with out-of-the-ordinary center fillings topped and the best buttercream frosting ever.
This one was christened pancakes and bacon.
The hint of infused maple syrup took this cupcake over the top.
For once, it’s not all about the frosting.
Bon Appetit!
Caesar's - Home of the Killer Margarita
But with a totally mixed bag of reviews what do I know except that if you have a few killer Margaritas you wouldn’t care about anything else.
3166 N Clark St
Bon Appetit!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Minnesota State Fair – PLAN B
I took a detour from my original list of what to eat at the fair. With the exception of Pork shank, every new item on my Must-Eat List was chosen strictly by the visual.
Visuals always get me in
trouble, especially when it comes to food.
I could not give up the conventional
fair-feasts of funnel cake and cheese curds nor could I resist anything that
looked or smelled even half way amazing. Unfortunately that was just about
everything.
I was at the mercy of every
aroma and in the case of the pork chop- on -a -stick, I gave into the
temptation even though I swore I would not eat anything on a stick. At this
point, I had already thrown my healthy eating plan out the window and there was
no turning back.
Have you ever had a day of
sheer indulgence? This was my day.
Did I feel guilty? Never. You
see, I haven’t done this since I was 16 years old. I was making up for lost
time.
The mere mention of Bridgeman’s
Ice Cream – Minnesota’s best that I grew up on - and I was off to a good start.
I had to fight the crowds
and the lines got so long but like everyone else I waited. Everything I tried
was worth waiting for.
In no particular order of
preference, I had a bite (or two) of:
Cheese
Cruds
Deep
Fried Pickles
Carmelicious
Ice Cream
Chocolate
Covered Bacon
Funnel
Cake
Sweet Martha’s
Cookies
Cream
Puffs
Pork
Chop On A Stick
Chicken
Wings
Ragin' Ankles
I told my sister before the
fair that my goal was to photograph more than I ate.
Food promises are meant to
be broken.
Bon Appetit!
Hanging On To Summer
I’ve
already admitted to being an ice cream snob. I grew up on great ice cream and
can’t eat anything that isn’t made using top quality, farm-fresh, locally
sourced ingredients.
I’ve
been researching ice cream recipes since my recent trip to San Francisco. Both Humphry
Slocombe and Bi Rite have inspired me to cook ice cream rather than take the
easy way out and always use cold ingredients.
The
recipe below is for Bi-Rite’s vanilla and was in the August issue of Better Homes and Gardens. Honestly, I haven’t looked at the magazine for
years but was really impressed with the recipes in the August issue.
It’s
my first time cooking ice cream and I was not sure how long to leave it on the
stove but like everything else, I took a leap of faith to bring it to the next
level.
Stay
tuned and Bon Appetit!
1 whole vanilla bean
1 3/4 cups heavy cream 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
In heavy saucepan stir together
cream, milk, half the sugar, and the salt. With a small knife split the vanilla
bean lengthwise and scrape seeds from bean. Add seeds and split bean to pan.
Heat over medium-high heat. When mixture just begins to bubble around edges,
remove from heat; cover. Let seeds and split bean soak for 30 minutes to infuse
the liquid. Remove and discard vanilla bean.
Place egg yolks in a medium
heatproof bowl and whisk just enough to break up yolks. Whisk in remaining
sugar until smooth. (The sugar dilutes the eggs a bit and prevents them from
scrambling when the hot cream is added.) Set aside. Uncover cream mixture and
heat over medium-high heat until almost simmering. Reduce heat to medium.
Using a ladle, carefully scoop out
about 1/2 cup of the hot cream; whisking constantly, pour into yolks. Repeat.
(This step, known as tempering, gradually heats the yolks to reduce the risk of
overcooking.) Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, slowly pour yolk mixture
into hot cream in saucepan. Continue to cook on medium, stirring constantly in
a figure eight to cover entire bottom of pan. Pay close attention as the
consistency can change quickly. Cook until mixture goes from the consistency of
heavy cream to that of a thin puree, but no thicker. You'll notice the mixture
thickening slightly and feel a little more resistance as you stir.
(NOTE: See, it doesn’t exactly tell you how long to cook it.
I read in a Humphry Slocombe
recipe that it should be 2-3 minutes so that’s what I did. The path on the
spoon did hold but I also read a recipe that said it should be cooked to a certain
temperature. More later)
To test the readiness of the
custard, remove the spoon from the saucepan and drag your finger across it. If
the base coats the back of the spoon and the path made by your finger holds for
a second or two, it's ready. Remove the pan from heat and immediately pour
through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup or small bowl.
Set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice
water and stir frequently with a clean spatula until cool. Remove and cover
with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours until completely cold.
Stir in vanilla extract just before churning and freezing the ice cream.
Variation Cinnamon and
Snickerdoodles:Stir in crumbled cinnamon-sugar cookies and a hefty sprinkle of
cinnamon. If you like, top with sauteed apples or a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Variation Lavender and Honey:Stir
snipped fresh or dried lavender and honey into the finished ice cream. For a
more intense flavor-before making the ice cream base, add 1/4 cup honey and 2
tablespoons dried lavender with the vanilla bean.
Variation Strawberry and Balsamic
Vinegar:Before stirring strawberries into the ice cream, chop and cook the
berries with a little sugar to remove excess water. Cool, puree, then stir into
ice cream with a few dashes of balsamic vinegar.
Variation Double Chocolate:Before
heating the cream, stir together 1/4 cup of Dutch process cocoa powder with
half the sugar. Whisk in a little of the cream to make a paste. Then whisk in
the remaining cream, the milk, and salt.
Variation Blueberry-Lemon Ice Cream
PieTo create an ice cream pie in sundae form, start with a sweet blueberry
sauce made by cooking the berries with sugar and a squeeze of lemon until
thickened. Pour over the ice cream and finish with crumbled gingersnaps or
graham crackers.
Variation Citrus Olive Oil and Sea
SaltDrizzle ice cream with bergamot olive oil (a citrus fruit that gives Earl
Grey tea its hint of orange flavor), Meyer lemon, or orange-flavored olive oil
will add the same citrusy brightness. Top it all off with a dollop of whipped
cream and crunchy coarse sea salt flakes.
Variation Caramelized Banana Sundae.
Create a sundae with warm cooked bananas. Start by melting butter and brown
sugar in a skillet. Add a couple of split bananas; cook until caramelized. If
desired, add a little rum and cook and stir a few minutes. Spoon over ice
cream. Top with whipped cream and toasted chopped pecans.
A Degree of Separation
In my estimation, Big N
Little (860 N Orleans) and Bad Happy Poutine (939 N Orleans) are too close for
comfort.
Big N Little’s Soft Shell Poorboy sandwich is extravagance to the limit. Even a muzzled dog was sniffing for my leftovers. Totally logical that the line was out the door and Guy Fieri featured this place on Diner’s, Drive In’s and Dives.
I then wandered down the street to Bad Happy Poutine. An authentic Canadian from Hamilton calls it her own and puts out some of the best Poutine ever for the price. So glad I don’t have to travel to Canada to get good Poutine anymore. She’s threatening to do it with duck gravy soon so be sure to check back.
The surprise of the day – the shakes. I
love shakes and these two were ridiculous.
The Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake: peanut butter rubbed on the inside of the glass and chocolate, vanilla bean ice cream and milk perfectly blended and then to topped off with flaming marshmallows.
The Bad Happy Birthday Cake Shake had bits of yellow
layer cake and was topped off with sprinkles.
A great recipe cookbook for these amazing shakes is Milkshake Bar by Hannah Miles. 10+ recipes
to try so get ready for an overload next week.
Bon Appetit!
Woodland Hill Winery
This winery, located in Delano, MN., bottles 50,000+ a year, and is an award winner – winning eight medals at the 2010 International Cold Climate Wine Competition and the title of Minnesota’s best winery.
We
fell in love with the location and thought that it would be the ideal location
for a wedding. Mine maybe? Now all I have to do is find a groom.
We
were there for the Friday night happy hour. For $20 we got a tasting of 6 of
their best wines and all you can eat hors
d'oeuvres. The hors d’oeuvres were
wonderful, especially the cookies that were coated with some of the best
chocolate. I wouldn’t tell you exactly how many I ate.
Salud to the owners who have taken this winery and made
it a magical place to relax on a Friday night.
We enjoyed them as much as we did the wine.
Next Event: Annual Grape Crush: 9/15/2012.
Bon Appetit!
Lafayette Club Labor Day Fireworks
In fact, when the cooled residue hit us on the head, I
knew I was right in the middle of it all.
Happy Labor Day!
Midtown Global Market
920
East Lake Street, Minneapolis.
Stall after stall of fresh foods from around the world. Also,
the perfect place to source ingredients if you can’t find it at the
supermarket.
The Highlight: The Left Handed Cook and the Salty Tart
Bakery.
From H
and K Poutine (fries topped with Pork Belly curry, onions, Kimchi, Parm,
Cheddar, Soft Poached Egg and Chipotle Aioli) to the Chop (chopped Soft Shell
Crab, Avocado, Onions, Thai Mayo, Arugula and Patis Vinaigrette) the flavors at
the Left Handed Cook were amazing.
Michelle Gayer-Nicholson was named "Best Pastry
Chef" by the editors of Bon Appetit magazine, and was a finalist for the
James Beard Award for Best Pastry Chef in 2010. Her Salty Tart bakery is loaded
with sweet goodies including this sugar coated Brioche and triple rich chocolate
pie.
Bring
a map and your appetite. You’ll want to spend hours exploring this market.
Bon
Appetit!
Port Clinton Art Festival
Highland
Park – August 25
The
Port Clinton Art Festival has been recognized as one of the best juried art
festivals in the country. Some of the art is out of my budget so I always take
a photo to remember it. I have a volume.
The
Taste of Highland Park is celebrated at the same time and brings together some
of the best restaurants in Highland Park.
The
perfect festival meal? What
else but ribs and
Gelato.
Bon
Appetit!
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