the last bite :: main site

The Sugar House

2012-01-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

listening to:

'Bistro Fada' & 'Si tu vois ma mere' from Midnight in Paris soundtrack

then go buy the whole soundtrack :)

I mentioned The Sugar House a few posts ago in the 'Detroit's alive' post, but that was before I experienced its glory. Hard to say more than-Fabulous! We went there last weekend, braving the "blizzard" which turned out to be 2-3 inches. Let's just say it's a good thing that we're 45 minutes away from the craft cocktail bar on Michigan Avenue in D-town Otherwise it would become a habit more than a treat.

Here's the facebook status from Sugar House last week. Keepin' it real-

The Sugar House

The Sugar House now opens at 5pm SEVEN DAYS A WEEK! We'll sleep when we're dead, damnit, you people need your drinks!

If you have a vimeo account, check out this short movie ad for The Sugar House. If you don't have a vimeo account, time to get one...

Sugar House Detroit from The Work on Vimeo.

food is art.

2012-01-24T17:12:00.000-05:00

what i'm listening to?

the new Ingrid Michaelson album released today, of course

Whether or not you like beets (quartered, roasted at 425 with generous kosher salt and olive oil for 45 min-how could you not?), you have to admit that food is art. These photos are just quick hipstamatic shots, but the color on these is phenomenal. Tonight they'll get mixed with pasta, baby swiss chard and a light goat cheese bechamel.

chicago revisited

2012-01-15T23:18:00.001-05:00

I know I've hit Chicago before on tLB, but this weekend has been a culinary adventure once again. This city doesn't fail the stomach or tongue. The waistline, yes.

Saturday's appetites were saved, by late hotel breakfasts and no lunch - for
Dinner: the Girl and the Goat. Although I'm behind on this season's Top Chef, I watched religiously when Stephanie Izard was on. If my memory serves me correctly, the producers did not spotlight her talents from the beginning. So it felt like she came out of nowhere on the second half of that season to be the only woman victor to date. But then, it's all about the editing and marketing, isn't it?

I'm always hesitant to laud a chef who is famous, just for their fame. I don't like to be a conformist. But when there is true genius, it's hard to hold out on the compliments. Every dish we had at the Girl and the Goat was fabulous. Not a term I'd use lightly. They were sauced well & seasoned well. Each dish had a harmonious combination of flavors, temperatures, and textures. Nothing was thrown in just to add components or be complicated. Favorites were: fried oyster over a spoonful of egg salad topped with fried caper & the chickpea fritters. So darn smooth inside, like velvety hummus, but shaped and cut like a cousin of fried polenta - but so so smooth. It sat on a bed of eggplant-fresh tomato caponata over a small slice of fresh mozzarella. The adventurous among us tried a salad of fried duck tongue with arugula and citrus, which "unfortunately tasted very good" (according to the 12 year old). She wanted to hate this. Goat rillette empanadas, braised pork shank, sugo (goat ragu over papperdelle), kohlrabi salad, ham frites (ham powder on fries - yes), blue prawns over peanut spaghetti squash, roasted green beans with fish sauce viniagrette (I can still taste this one - a wonderful mouthful). Clearly we ordered more food than we needed to, but when you're only in town a few times a year - serious decisions have to be made.

Lunch: Frank and Dawg's on Clybourn. We all enjoyed this casual lunch spot - with not so casual dogs and sausages. "Five star menu on a bun". Take a minute to go to this link and look at the dawg options. Unreal. Everyone tried something different, and everything was so creative and well done. Bayou Dog, Da Ringer, Peking Duck, and Roaring Buffalo were our choices. What would you choose?

Dinner: Cafe Ba Ba DaReeba. Classic tapas, authentically prepared. We sampled almost everything (sensing a theme?) I'll leave you with this. Although my kids are good eaters - in general - they are still kids. So while the 12 and 9 year old will eat anything, the 6 and 4 year olds are a little slower to warm up to things that look unusual. In these sort of situations, where my goal is to get a wonderful meal for myself, I'll cater to them more than I would back at a restaurant in Ann Arbor, or certainly in my home kitchen. So my little man enjoyed braised short rib, but didn't love the look of the empanada. No prob - it meant more for the rest of the table. As we were slowing down, starting to get that glazed look and worrying how many things are yet to come, the little guy wants more serrano ham. And I'm wondering, should we order nine dollars worth of pork to keep this kid quiet? Yes, yes we should. He pounded it down, like a Man vs Food competition. It made a mom proud.

leftovers

2011-12-15T13:36:00.000-05:00

It just makes you cringe, doesn't it? That's not what you want to hear when you walk in the door.

Truth be told, I'm not a fan of leftovers. Of course if I make a whole tray of lasagna then I don't mind having it for two meals in a row. But I'd much prefer to take the left over food and make something new with it.

Many food publications have "what to do with your turkey" issues, so it's nothing ingenious to advise making something new out of the basics.

I'm WAY behind on the Thanksgiving leftover bandwagon, but I made a fabulous curried turkey salad that I've been meaning to share. I'm guessing that you don't have any thanksgiving turkey leftovers. If you do, please throw them out. Start from scratch.

CURRIED TURKEY SALAD
Roast a breast of turkey per instructions on the package. Roughly chop four cups of turkey breast. Dice one apple (your favorite variety), two celery stalks and 6 scallions. Grate one half of a red onion. (I use my box grater for onions on salads.) Mix together.

Add one cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt, and 1/4 cup dijon mustard. (or this Moroccan mustard, if you were lucky enough to snag a jar before Zingerman's sold out) Mix to combine. Add one tablespoon of your favorite curry powder. I used a sweet blend. (Pantry low on spices? Check out Penzey's) Season with salt and pepper. Taste. If you want it spicier, add more curry or hot sauce.

Mix sauce with turkey mixture. Top with 1/2 cup sliced almonds. Serve on lettuce or on tandoori naan.

kelly's popcorn

2011-12-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

I stopped buying microwave popcorn once I heard about this development a few years ago. The biggest danger exists to those working in factories creating the magical bags o' popcorn, but why take the risk? Right? (I realize that I'm revealing my true hippie self in this declaration. --- as if you didn't already know, after everything that you've read on tLB)

In addition to the health concerns about the process, I don't really like the chemically smell and taste. So I ask you these important questions. What's it about, if it's not about taste? And why butter flavor when you can use real butter?

I used to only make it on the stove which is a whole production because it requires babysitting the pot. (not easily done during a commercial or restroom break)

BUT :: Kelly reminded me of this. You can POP corn in a plain lunch bag?!! I can hardly call it a recipe, but here's the lowdown.

Put 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels in a brown lunch bag. Fold over the top two or three times. Run microwave for three minutes - or until you hear the kernels popping every two or three seconds. If you're in the mood to make it decadent, pour a couple tablespoons of melted butter over the top.

The best part is that you won't feel guilty in the morning. Unless you also drank that bottle of cabernet...

pumpkin on the brain

2011-12-08T13:07:00.000-05:00

what's playing in the kitchen?

besides Handel's Messiah?... which is stuck on repeat on my mental turntable

She & Him - Holiday

Zooey Deschanel's voice can put anyone in the mood

Spiced PUMPKIN BREAD -A favorite in my house

Farmer Johns favorite pumpkin bread

Paula Deen's always good for something with cream cheese - (a hit at Christmas advent)

Pumpkin Cheesecake
drizzled with  
Nigella Lawson's sticky toffee sauce 
and cinnamon whipped cream 

Spiced Pumpkin cream cheese

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1. In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and syrup til creamy.

2. Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat til smooth.

3. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Pumpkin lattes anyone?

PUMPKIN SYRUP

Boil:

one cup Pumpkin Puree
one cup Granulated Sugar
1 cup Water
2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
½ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
¼ teaspoons Ground Cloves
one teaspoon vanilla

It will be delicious as is. OR strain out spices through a coffee filter for syrup with a smoother texture. Otherwise pour into a bottle, and keep refrigerated. Add to coffee or pour over ice cream.

Pumpkin soup baked in a pumpkin

(you can find many different recipes for this online, including from Julia Child. Or this one from Ruth Riehl)

Here's my version.

Empty out one small pumpkin - 4-5 pound size. Cut top off and keep it whole like a lid. Scrape out the membrane and seeds. Fill 1/2 way to the top with half and half. Add 4 oz fresh goat cheese to cream and 1/2-1 cup grated asiago (or use any other grated hard cheese that you like). Add one finely grated garlic clove and freshly grated 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg into the cream. Add one teaspoon thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Top with cleaned lid of pumpkin. Place on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 350degrees for 45 minutes.

Try Roasting some for a salad:

Spiced Pumpkin Lentil & Goat Cheese Salad

Detroit lives!

2011-11-23T21:59:00.000-05:00

Underground Detroit

local goodies
Treat dreams

fancy libations
THE SUGAR HOUSE

a southeast michigan restaurant gets national press:
in Clarkston, Union Woodshop
I have not yet eaten at this establishment, but I get excited when I see Michigan companies in national publications.

a new favorite & easy salad

2011-11-21T22:30:00.000-05:00

Raw Kale.

I know you probably think this is crazy from the start, but trust me. Raw Kale is the new romaine. ;)

Thai Peanut Kale Salad

Thinly slice (even, julienne) two heads of latin kale

( -the flat leafed kale. it would also work with curly, but the texture is better with "cavelo nero")

Add two large carrots, shredded and 1 cup shredded red cabbage

(I had a bag of pre-shredded, although I generally advise against prepared veggies.

This one makes adding extra fiber to your salads so very much easier .)

Combine one cup Annie Chung's Thai peanut sauce (or a different brand that you trust) with 1/4 cup cider vinegar. Pour over veggies. Top with 1/2 cup chopped peanuts.

Sometimes I would go to the trouble of making my own peanut dressing. In this case I needed a quick salad and remembered that I had an open bottle of this in the fridge. I literally threw this together for lunch today, and it was a huge hit. It's a wonderful way to get your family to eat fresh raw veggies.

a thanksgiving to-do list

2011-11-20T21:55:00.001-05:00

An interesting appetizer idea:
Baked pumpkin fondue

Or a calorie free apertif?:
Food porn daily

Find more recipes here:
A turkey-free Thanksgiving from Saveur
A saveur Thanksgiving
An ultimate Thanksgiving from Food and Wine

Need something to read while you're digesting?:
http://www.realtimefarms.com/ -- find a restaurant serving local foods from local farmers

Or need something to get fired up about besides the family who is driving you insane?:
McDonald's Cruelty to chickens
Think about this one next time you order an egg mcmuffin. Mcdonald's is the largest egg producer in the world. They've set the bar pretty pretty low.
OR
your turkeys are pumped with hormones
OR
a secret farm bill in the works: read Bittman's opinion

Need to lighten the mood after all that? :
My drunk kitchen videos on YouTube
:here's a funny note about hygiene. wash your f#@$ing hands.:

A non-eating food activity for the weekend:
Food-for-thought-exhibit-at-the-gallery-project

Planning ahead a bit:
Detroit Holiday Food Bazaar
Friday, Dec. 9, 2011, 5pm-11pm, corner of Napoleon & Market St (adjacent to Eastern Market)

Ode to Mrs P

2011-10-31T16:15:00.003-04:00

My best friend in college was lucky enough to have a mom who was a home-ec teacher. Actually it turned out to be lucky for me too. On the weekends, we would make the 30 mile trek from Wellesley to Whitinsville. Getting off the campus would have been good enough. We were starving for family love and a home cooked meal. Mrs P. would feed us the way only a home-ec teacher can; like a domestic goddess who has made a career out of teaching others to provide comfort. She is the kind of woman that you meet in your young adulthood who you can model your own motherhood after.

I'm grateful for many memories with Kim's family, not only food related. But being sisters in our Italian blood (and sarcasm, among other things), Kim and I shared that strong connection between food and family memories.

There are so many recipes that I could post from Mrs P. But one that always sticks out in my mind is the sugar cookies. Everyone makes cut-out sugar cookies for Christmas, but Mrs P. made them all year round. My strongest memory is in the above form: orange pumpkins. (The above were frosted by my children last night.) Sometimes we would enjoy them out at the house, and other times they were delivered to us in ziploc bags, like the drugs that other students had delivered. We had cookies. My priorities haven't changed much.

These cookies are meant to be soft and frankly not that sweet. Just enough to be called a cookie. But then the frosting takes care of that. It's a perfect balance.

In 2008, ten years after I had graduated, I emailed her for this recipe. She signed the letter

          Have fun making the cookies and building fun memories.
                    Love, Mrs. P

Even though you don't have her smile and hugs to remember, you won't be disappointed by these.

ROLLED COOKIES

courtesy of Mrs P

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup shortening

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

3 ½ cup flour

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp vanilla

Cream together butter,shortening, and sugar in large bowl. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, cream of tartar and soda in mediumbowl. Add to creamed mixture andstir well. Batter will be stiff. Chill dough at least 3 hours or overnight.Work dough half at a time (leave other half in refrigerator) by rolling out to¼” thick and cutting with cookie cutter. Bake on ungreased sheet in a 400* ovenfor 6-8 minutes, time will depend on size of cookies. Arrange similar sizecookies on same sheet; do not bake large and small cookies on the same sheet asthe small ones will burn before the large ones are done.

FROSTING

1 stick butter

4 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3-4 tbl milk (add more ifnecessary)

Mix until smooth.

get smoked!

2011-10-30T22:43:00.000-04:00

People of Ann Arbor,
We are luck to have such an establishment in our midst. Get over there and show your support. Artisan sausage and jerky at BIERCAMP on State Street in Ann Arbor (next to produce station). Everything we've sampled has been fantastic, brisket, BBQ smoke sticks, hot dogs.

Follow them on Facebook to get an regular update on what's in the case waiting for you to pick it up. Both hot and cold products are available.

Here's today's example:

Biercamp
Just Made:
-Danish Sausage
-Polish Sausage
-Biercamp Classic Brats
-MI Asparagus Vidalia Onion Cheddar Brats
-Original & Cheddar Ring Bologna

· · Reshare · 9 hours ago ·

a Mona Lisa smile

2011-10-29T22:35:00.000-04:00

We have a new family member, due to a trip to the Manchester animal yard. Her name is Mona Lisa, a Nubian dairy goat. Because we don't really have the facilities, she's living over at Cornman Farms.

The vet think that she's needs to get pregnant to rejuvenate her milk production, so we're letting her dry up for now before we breed her. In the spring we'll begin the experiment of making dairy products, yogurt, and cheese out of Mona Lisa's milk. And you will be privy to the inside track.


our first milking of ML - still learning the moves.

what to do with 200 Cornman Farm sweet red peppers

2011-10-27T20:40:00.001-04:00

A mayday call from Cornman ::

"We're pulling up pepper plants, and they're full of red ones! Come and get 'em!"

One week later, I finally get enough time to deal with them.

just picked

cleaned

greased

broil

charred

steamed under foil and a cloth

cooled

bagged

whole, roasted & ready for the freezer

for Andy

2011-10-06T13:13:00.000-04:00

We're just a couple weeks out of tomato season. If you HAD to, you could probably find a yummy one somewhere in town - maybe lingering in your garden. It just might take some searching.

And sometimes you crave tomato dishes even if it's not tomato season. For us Michiganders, that's about 11 months out of the year.

Last weekend I had to bring a potluck dish to a party, and I had not left myself enough time for something wildly creative. I did, however, have a few pounds of end-of-season tomatoes ripening on my kitchen counter. So like a good Italian girl, I threw together a panzanella, or bread salad. In the peak of tomato season, all you need is rustic italian bread, perfect tomatoes, olive oil and salt.

But because I knew my tomatoes were a little weak, I added a few other flavor punches.

End of Season Panzanella

Warm 1/4 cup olive oil in a large fry pan. Toast both sides of six pieces of thick italian bread in pan until dark brown. Dice bread into one inch cubes. Sprinkle toasted cubes liberally with kosher salt while still hot. Set aside to cool.

Roughly chop 8-10 medium sized tomatoes that have been hulled.

Add the following to the tomatoes in a large bowl:

One half red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons salt-cured capers, rinsed
4 thinly sliced radishes
one cup of oil cured sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped (add the oil in too!)
1 1/2 cups julienned basil, spinach, or spring mix (use anything leafy and green you have in the fridge)
One large ball of mozzarella, diced

Add 3-4 tbs olive oil and 2 tbs balsamic vinegar to veg mixture. Season with salt, to taste 1-2 teaspoons, and one teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Taste. Add more salt and pepper, if desired. Toss gently until combined.

Add cooled toasted bread cubes to vegetable mixture. Depending on juices of tomatoes and other vegetables, more olive oil and vinegar might be needed. Taste to determine whether you need more seasoning.

food politics shananigans

2011-10-03T11:20:00.000-04:00

Gross.
Chicken Industry Gets Bailout!
I have an idea. Let it crash and burn so we can start growing and eating healthy birds again. Goverment subsidies of corrupt food industries make me lose my appetite.

To combat your frustration, try one of these healthy recipes
New York Times Recipes for Health

bees for tots

2011-10-02T08:55:00.000-04:00

Last week I participated in a Cornman farms presentation to school children about farming. Funny to be known that day as the Bee lady, since it has only been the second year of my apiary hobby.

My station:

I had a blast teaching first graders about why bees are essential for farmers. Brought me back to my teaching days. general facts about bees, beekeeping, harvesting honey and beeswax. My bee station was one of five stops. The others were pigs, chickens, composting, gardening. The first graders of Dexter got fifteen minutes at each of our stands. Other schools, private and public, elementary, high and college, have participated in this program of Kelly and Alex Young out at Cornman farms.

What a joy to be part of this. I'm so lucky to call these people my friends. Their passion for teaching the community about real food is so important to me and so obviously part of how they direct their lives. It's wonderfully refreshing.

chili rellenos in pictures

2011-10-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

For exact measurements, check out Rick Bayless's recipe for chili rellenos.  (skip to the bottom for cheese stuffed version)

saute one onion and one link crumbled chorizo for 10 minutes until onions begin to brown. add tomatoes and cinnamon. puree.

broil-roast poblano peppers that have been rubbed with olive oil and salt

stuff with mixed cheese

dip in batter made mostly of egg white, stabilized with yolks

deep fr

serve in sauce, with side of rice.

mucho delicioso. way more than this picture shows.

Blackberry Farm = Heaven

2011-09-30T10:32:00.001-04:00

I have a backlog of several posts, but I didn't want to forget about this one.

(click on the pics to see them in full screen)

My generous husband sent me away without children for a long weekend, to where ever I wanted to go. After hearing only a little bit about Blackberry Farm, I knew I wanted to visit one day. A perfect opportunity.

even the spider webs are perfect here

It was breathtaking, splendid, and certainly relaxing. This resort was filled with activities, and non activities.

my sis

Perfection in many ways. Every corner of the property seemed like it had been patiently pieced together with an artist's eye. On the other hand, it was laid back and well... ideal.

However, best of all was the food at this glorious heaven on earth.
Many dishes we had were unrivaled. It was almost UNbelievable that such a place existed.

watermelon beet soup with lime cream. swimming around are diced pieces of pickled watermelon rind, watermelon and beet.

deep fried black-eyed peas, as a garnish to a roasted squash dish. left us speechless, and begging for more.

eating in "the Barn" for dinner. too dark for great food photos.

plate designed by Farmer John. sketches from the farm.

a memorable seed saving talk & tour with Farmer John


the star of saturday's picnic lunch - appalachian crostini


pinot noir with lunch ~ on vacation

views like this abound

walking along the river

final sunrise. until next time.

a pictoral tour of Pond Hill Farm, Harbor Springs, Michigan

2011-08-29T09:06:00.001-04:00

a pantry that well exceeds my dreams.

grilled vegetable wrap with peanut kale slaw

If they ever can't find me down here, chances are I'm hiding out with the folks at Pond Hill...

the farmstead :: this week's developments

2011-08-14T21:25:00.000-04:00

18 eggs today!

i look forward to this for all of the other 11 months

2011-08-09T21:44:00.001-04:00

slow roasting local cherry and pear tomatoes

75 minutes at 300 convection

+ olive oil, kosher salt, thyme
(click on each pic to enlarge & wallow in the glory of summer)

pizza night at Zegliano's

2011-08-08T21:40:00.000-04:00

a classic pepperoni for the kids

mexican pizza - before and after the magical wood fired grill

need some food links for a rainy summer day?

2011-08-06T10:37:00.000-04:00

EAT your heart out!

Babble's Top 100 Food Mom Blogs

Saveur's Best Blogs

http://cookingmesoftly.it/

http://sunday-suppers.com/

http://www.frenchcuisse.com/

http://charcuteroulette.com/

a sandwich link

2011-08-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

check out this serious eats link to 'a sandwich a day'. they don't all include recipes but sometimes all you need is an idea.

this. makes me very sad

2011-08-04T16:46:00.000-04:00

Healthy Food Is Privilege Of The Rich, Study Shows

how can I help?

gleaning

check out the latest perennial plate -"gleaning in california"

gleaning in MI ?

ummmm..... are you feeding this to your kids????!??!

2011-08-02T14:01:00.003-04:00

http://www.vbs.tv/blog/raw-mcnugget

eating New Jersey

2011-07-07T11:00:00.076-04:00

I'm embarrassed to admit that we took a trip to Hoboken not for the best 'saus'eech sang'uich' possible, but to the famed and overrated Carlo's bakery. Maybe it's unfair to call it overrated. We didn't actually taste any goods of the Cake Boss. (Check out an episode or two at TLC).


my sister, dad, kids and I at Sinatra Park in Hoboken

When we finally found ourselves on the main drag in Hoboken, we discovered that there were already two or three hours worth of people who beat us to the bakery. I knew there was a possibility of a long line. AND I knew that my patience would not last more than 30 minutes of waiting for a cupcake with four hot and squirmy kids. Upon seeing the line, there was no discussion that we would wait.

The night before I did a little Chowhound and UrbanSpoon research to find lunch spots, in the event that Carlo's was too crowded.

On the top of our list were the Taco Truck and Fiore Deli. My sister and I would have probably chosen TTT if left to make our own decision. But since my dad's vote counts like three to our two, we settled on Fiore, what he was more comfortable with.

It was gloriously old school, like we had stepped back in time.

they knew once we tasted, we'd be hooked

The sandwich of the day was "sausage in red gravy". I told you it was old school! So we chose our bread out of the case, and handed it to the guys to make our sandwiches. They took the bread in the back and stuffed it full with their famous house-made mozzarella, then brought it back to where we could see and proceeded to top the mozz with the most flavorful red gravy and sausage.

After surveying the glorious sloppiness, we decided that our original plan of eating in the car was no longer viable. So we drove back to North Jersey and enjoyed the sandwiches at the dining room table.

In the end I'm glad that we didn't have cupcakes for lunch. This sang'uich was far superior to anything sweet.

ha!

2011-07-06T00:26:00.000-04:00

Top Ten Signs of a Bad Cook

'Startled Cub'

2011-06-17T08:48:00.005-04:00

We have a trap on the premises, people. Installed by the Fabulous people at Michigan's DNR. Right next to infamous 'startled cub' honeybee hives.

I hope this bear cannot read.

This morning the trap had triggered so we peeked in it, couldn't see anything, called the ph number to notify the authorities. It was a raccoon. A raccoon who feasted on molasses and bacon and doughnuts. A very very smart raccoon.

Will keep you posted in the event that my honey thief returns.

okay, i guess it wasn't a joke after all.

2011-06-14T16:26:00.002-04:00

Look who I just saw in my backyard.

sweet as...

2011-06-14T12:27:00.001-04:00

Ladies and Gents, we have honey in the hives. After last year's poor performance, I decided to give it another go. And we've been coasting along for about a month.

But this is how I found the hives this morning...

Toppled & tumbled, but luckily not destroyed. I don't know if I'm overreacting, but just last night I read on Annarbor.com that there were two separate black bear sightings only three miles from my house. Could this be? a bear? I don't know what did this, but something else wanted honey.

So this morning, I put my sexy white suit on - and walked out there, only to find that nothing was broken only disassembled. And to my surprise, honey. Honey is in the frames. I scraped three square inches off one foundation to find

I was giggling as I walked back to the house, tasting it all the way.

It's straining off in the kitchen now. Beautiful and Delicious!

sometimes even a yankee...

2011-06-03T06:53:00.000-04:00

Sometimes even a Yankee craves hush.puppies and cornmeal breaded fish. Lake perch in this case from Bayport Fish Company. It is supposedly never frozen - taken right from Saginaw bay which leads into Lake Huron. I picked it up on Wednesday at the Ann Arbor Farmers' Market. Sometimes this seller is also available at the Lunasa online farmers' market.

This fish was flaky and wonderfully mild. First dusted with seasoned flour, bathed in tabasco spiked buttermilk, then shaken in a bag of cornmeal and salt. Fried in two inches of peanut oil. The breading was a perfect compliment to the fish. Sometimes a thick batter can mask the delicate (or purposely hide the disappointing) smells and taste of seafood. This fish, however, needed very little breading.

The little man swiping a filet off the platter while I was trying to take a photo.

He was very pleased with himself.

Homemade tartar sauce, hot sauce, a fresh tomato and spinach salad, and an Alabama Fizz made this meal very complete. Tomatoes courtesy of Carpenter's Greenhouse and Organic Produce, one of my favorite guys at the f.market, who already has delicious tomatoes thriving.

Thanks to Donald Link for the fabulous recipe for hushpuppies. We are northerners, but these were the best we had ever tasted.

What a day!

2011-06-01T16:22:00.001-04:00

This is the Michigan that I love.

A2 farmers market

Lunch on the patio :: caprese salad

Garden's waking up

2011-05-19T05:43:00.000-04:00

photos from a Middle.eastern food adventure

2011-05-18T08:27:00.010-04:00

Yesterday was filled with a tour of Dearborn's finest Middle.eastern food joints on West Warren Ave. Per 'sky full of bacon' blog (Scroll down to his April 25th entry)

Grocery and dinner take out at

New Yasmeen

a thing of beauty

(I forget the name of this but it was good. maybe it was - 'knafeh'.
shredded filo-like pastry encasing a tart fluffy cheese, topped with a very floral rose water honey)

Sweets at Shatila bakery

Lunch at Assayad Restaurant

moist and fluffy falafels with tahini, kafta and chicken kababs.

what's playing in the kitchen: Ronnie Dunn, We all Bleed Red

Birthday dinner on cornman farms

2011-05-17T09:24:00.004-04:00

Lucky, lucky girl am I.

grrr...

Crab morel risotto (drizzled with veal Demi glacé and curry oil)

Roasted tomato and asparagus salad.

A perfect perfect perfect meal...

Ann Arbor gets street food!

2011-05-16T08:00:00.066-04:00

Mark's carts

Last week I took a trip down to Washington street, near the intersection with Ashley, behind one of my favorite stores in all of Michigan, Downtown Home and Garden. Street food carts, all the rage around the country, have finally reached Ann Arbor. If you haven't heard about this yet, A2ites, Mark's carts is a new food courtyard downtown that serves a variety of ethnic foods.

For this first time around we order from EAT, an Ann Arbor catering partnership with roots in the old Jefferson Market. Last week we lunched on three different styles of sliders, a sloppy youssef (joe) moroccan style with a cucumber raita, pork confit with mustard gremolata, and korean bbq beef (without the kimchi for the little guy). They were all different and wonderfully full flavored. I loved getting the opportunity to try the different flavors, and I love the distinct flavor profiles all done clearly and well. This is the way I love to attack my cooking projects, with a shout out to the edible flavor and texture icons of a culture.

I'm ruminating on the possibility of running one of these carts myself. It's like a restaurant without all of the front of the house details. I could do it; I'd love to attack this project. But I'd have to start from square one which is a bit daunting. I don't have a current catering business to work out of. So for now, I'll start by sampling the other stands. And maybe one day...

Saveur takes on Spring

2011-05-15T20:22:00.007-04:00

I get excited when new things pop up from the ground and into the market; fiddlehead ferns, asparagus, crab, salmon, rhubarb, morels. As soon as they appear I snatch them up and start to have fun back in the kitchen.

Found this link today to choosing and preparing fresh spring produce. Enjoy!

Saveur tips for spring produce

what's playing in the kitchen: Mumford & Sons, Roll away your stone

LUNASA

2011-05-11T10:25:00.005-04:00

Ann Arbor people, do you know about Lunasa? What's Lunasa, you ask? Here's an excerpt from their website, www.lunasa.us.

Lunasa provides one-stop shopping for local  products. With an online store-front, a twice-a-month in-person pickup,  and a choice of two southeast Michigan locations in Ann Arbor and  Garden City, Lunasa makes shopping local easy. Simply by becoming a  member of Lunasa, you can be sure that the items you purchase are  produced in Michigan by people who live in Michigan. 

So, it's a farmer's market, but you reserve your stuff online the week before. Ordering window is Thursday-Saturday for a pickup on the following Tuesday, bi-monthly. You can pay on the site directly with a credit card, or you can use your paypal account.

You do have to buy a $40 membership, but don't let this dissuade you. Think of it a donation for farmers and small producers who can't or don't care to break into a larger venue. It is such a cool opportunity that we have to buy from local sources.

Pick up is on the south side of Jackson Road, between Zeeb and Parker Road. (There's also a Garden City pickup location.) After checking in, you walk around to each vendor picking up the merchandise that you reserved. You also can purchase anything extra that they brought with them. This was helpful for me the first time, because I needed to see some of the products before I bought them. I came away with pasta from Al Dente, tea leaves from Iceni, ice cream from Mooville Dairy, carrots from Ferris Farms, scones from Westwind Milling, cocoa powder from Mondo Chocolates, and brazilian cheese bread (gluten free) from Deer Tracks Farms.

What drew me into this initially was the wide variety of products, fresh foods (veg, fruit, meats, fish...), shelf stable items (flours, cake mixes, tea, coffee...), & beauty. Check out the producers and categories online. You'll be impressed. And please consider joining Lunasa, and meeting me there in two weeks to pick up your produce. Don't miss out on this exciting Ann Arbor marketplace, just because it's a little bit out of the way!

Congrats, my friend.

2011-05-09T20:37:00.000-04:00

Alex Young wins James Beard awards Best Chef Great Lakes 2011!

They finally came to their senses, my friend! Wishing we were there with you tonight!

Ahhh NYC

2011-05-08T12:53:00.005-04:00

I love my rural paradise. Really, I'm grateful for the green land and the fresh air and the slow(er) pace. But sometimes there's a disconnect between my inner metropolitan vibe and the space around me. After growing up in semi-urban New Jersey, I struggled with the transition to the Midwest. I've grown to love it -- it's now how I define myself. Yet, as any immigrant knows, there's always a deep part of your heart that cannot abandon the roots which grounded and shaped you from the start.

I'm lamenting as I am finishing up a surprise birthday weekend in Manhattan (without children; props to the husband!)... I'm not wanting to return to the routine & the hustle and bustle of my life. You should understand something about the anxiety of my days if the streets of Manhattan are calm in comparison.

Allow me to reminisce as I jostle around in a yellow cab on the way back to LaGuardia.

Le Bernardin. Friday night.
Eric Ripert is Poseidon. Every morsel of his is otherworldly.
The tuna carpaccio draped over foie gras and toast -- I will never forget this.

Green market at Union square. Saturday morning.
Makes Ann Arbor's farmer market look malnourished. I shouldn't covet what I don't have, but the bank of gourmet farmers and producers is clearly more abundant here than back home. Feeling the need to support some seller, but not needing fresh produce, we share a cup of raspberry cider.

ABCkitchen. Saturday brunch.
Ramp and goat cheese toast. Spring pea soup. Frites tossed with herbs and sliced garlic aside a mushroom panini. Wild mushroom pizza. Authentic farm to table in the middle of the city chaos.

Del Posto. Saturday dinner.
Mario Batali dresses up the rustic regional Italian flavors in the setting of an elegant 1920-30s dining room. It's Mario in a tuxedo. Highlights of the evening are seeing the Man himself, orange clogs and all. My father, declaring there's nothing to lose at 67, shouts out to him even though he clearly is not in the frame of mind to talk to the common people. Instead we are offered a kitchen tour by the chef de cuisine. An amazing way to end a birthday meal.

Bouchon bakery. Sunday morning.
Raspberry almond Croissants for breakfast and TKOs -Thomas Keller Oreos- for the little ones back home.

Eataly. Sunday late morning.
More Mario. An Italian marketplace in Madison Square Park. Although I wish I could shop there every week, I realize that between Zingerman's, Plum market, Morgan and York, and Cantoro's in Livonia, I can have this all back home. That doesn't stop me from buying loaves of bread and jars of capers to bring home for my babies.

Yep, those are all mushrooms..

(finally) street food. Sat and sunday mornings. Jefferson market. Madison square market (running from 5/6-6/1) pizza, shaved ice with homemade cherry syrup. And last but not least, a gyro at Columbus circle for Saturday lunch. Heaven.

Location:W 32nd St,New York,United States

2011-05-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is an old post on a cool blog. but hey, if you've never read it before it's new to you.

THINGS TO EAT BEFORE YOU DIE @ the travelers' lunchbox

"Perennial plate" could not be better.

2011-05-04T19:26:00.000-04:00

Episode 39: Frozen Eggs

for Sonali

2011-04-28T19:44:00.001-04:00

Kale Chips:

Roughly chop two large heads of kale, cavalo nero or curly kale. Toss with two tablespoons of olive oil. Add one tablespoon of kosher salt and as much freshly ground black pepper as you think you can handle. I like them spicy! (Sometimes when I'm in the mood, I also add a palmful of sesame seeds to the mix.)

Roast at 400 degrees for 6 minutes. Open oven and toss lightly. Might need 2-4 additional minutes of baking depending on your oven and the kale. You are looking for it to be crispy, but it can easily burn if you are not careful. Stay in the kitchen and check every one-two minutes. Remove from the oven. Let sit on the counter to cool before storing in an airproof container. Although we've never had any left over.

* I have also read that you can bake them at a lower temperature for a longer time. If you'd prefer that method which has a lower babysitting need, look around online for the timing.

Alinea

2011-04-17T23:03:00.001-04:00

As expected, a full review of Alinea would be too much. 22 courses of pure joy, fun and anticipation. Some courses were one bite; such as the truffle explosion, a single ravioli on a spoon filled with the most intense truffle flavor ever. Instructed by the waiter to close our mouths while chewing, lest we lose the filling on the table.

This course was a lemongrass infusion, refreshing, floral, aromatic. Most of all creative.

Some courses were more substantial. Rabbit three ways was comprised of a dish with three compartments, each a different interpretation of the same main ingredients. Least favorite for us was the dish we assumed to be a tasting from Achatz's new place, Next. He is premiering with a Parisian menu from 1906. Not that it wasn't delicious, it just felt out of place, and didn't flow with the remainder of the meal.

I'll leave you with dessert. Only at Alinea would the chefs come to your table and grafitti a (nitrogen) ice cream sundae. Not only that, but when they poured some of the sauces onto the table, they came out as squares as you can see below. Confounded by this we tried to sneak some secrets out of the waiter to no avail. We were most certainly too full to eat this dessert, but after toasting to excess, we were not about to hold back.

A masterpiece.

Revisited

2011-04-06T11:38:00.001-04:00

Dear Mama,

Every day that passes I miss you more and more because you have missed more and more of our lives. And although in some sense the intense pain has subsided slightly, your absence looms larger than ever.

This weekend we are headed to Chicago for a distraction from our daily routine. Making this trip special is our reservation at Alinea, a world renown restaurant known for incorporating the mind along with all five senses to interpret a dish. It is a once in a lifetime experience, one that I wish I could share with you. I don't want to be an obnoxious blogger/poser at Alinea. So although I might try to snap one picture of one of the 22 courses, I will write more of an emotional review than a blow-by-blow.

I know that you wouldn't want me to be silent forever. So I dedicate these writings to you, my muse.

With undying love,
Allison

if food is love, then

2010-12-22T13:05:00.002-05:00

My mother passed away on the day before Thanksgiving...

Not exactly food related news. But as you foodies and friends know well, food is love around here. So if my heart is broken, I suppose that should affect my cooking. Even so, I have been surprised how very little desire I've had to cook (not less desire to eat, mind you). Typically all of my creativity, my love, my person flows through creating meals and delicacies. But I'm stopped up. I'm numb, and I have no desire to cook.

Although I realize this pain will lessen with time, the Linda-shaped hole will never go away.
She was one of a kind.
She taught me to love.

So I guess that means, she taught me food.

murphy's law of cooking part 237

2010-11-03T14:15:00.001-04:00

1. you are making a cake with a seven minute marshmallow frosting,

AND

2. you have an almost three year old who is technically potty trained, but is still having issues getting to the toilet in time for no. 2

THEN
1. you will hear "I have to go! I have to go!" right when your syrup is at 240 degrees (2 degrees from when you need to pour it into the egg whites), and shortly before your egg whites are almost fully beaten, destroying both components, causing you to have to start again.

kale, revisited

2010-11-01T22:26:00.000-04:00

Kale. I love it. This is not the first time I've sung it's praises on TLB. I realize there are those of you who don't enjoy it and those who roll your eyes and those who think that I might even be faking how much I enjoy it. But I'd venture to guess that you nay-sayers have never had kale prepared by someone who loves it. We're not simply talking about old fashioned braised southern greens. There are so many ways to prepare it, and I'm always reminded by the fall abundance in the farmers' markets just how much you can do with it.

Fried Kale with eggs

Heat two tablespoons olive oil and add two grated garlic cloves and one teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Saute for 30-60 seconds or until garlic is fragrant. Do not let the garlic get brown because it will be in the pan for another 15 minutes and will have plenty of time to get yummy. Add two heads of kale, chopped roughly, in small pieces. Saute kale over medium heat- watching that it doesn't burn before it's fully cooked. It will go through a few different phases, softening and then starting to crisp up around the edges. When it starts to get crispy, sprinkle it with the following 1/4 cup pine nuts, 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese and 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs. You could use store bought, but not only do the fresh taste better, in this recipe the chunkiness of the crumbs add a great additional texture. Lightly toss around the bread crumbs and cheese with the kale. You don't need to go crazy stirring here, just make sure that each bit of kale is graced by pine nuts, bread crumbs and cheese.

Continue to saute on medium heat for another 2-3 minutes or until the pine nuts begin to brown. When the cheese has melted in, spread the kale around the pan, creating four divots in which you will be able to crack and fry an egg. Cook the egg to your favorite consistency. Salt and pepper the egg as desired. You won't need a lot of extra salt on the kale itself because of the other seasonings. So taste it first to make sure you don't overdo it.

Although this picture is not great, it will give you an idea of how I served it. Frying the eggs in the kale worked out so well. It was last minute impulse decision, but the crispy kale pieces nestled into the eggs. Yummmm... We were all fighting over the crsipy bits in the pan when this was done. I served it with Nigella's salami pasta. But it would be also great alone, split this into two portions with some good bread on the side to dip into the yolk.

2010-10-14T14:00:00.030-04:00

Tomah-toes are dying out. We're into October and a few last fruits refuse to give up. At the farmers' market yesterday there were quarts of cherry tomah-toes, along with the fashionable green tomah-toes. For the most part, I'm done consuming these lovely things until next summer. The supermarket versions pale in comparison. I have some roasted, frozen, dehydrated, and canned --preserved for needy times. By the time I'm done with these this winter, I just might be willing to buy a clamshell of cherry tomatoes grown in a greenhouse. On second thought...

With yesterday's provisions, I made this tart that seems more complicated than it is (my favorite kind of dinner). Store-bought puff pastry makes this as simple as can be. Roll out puff pastry to stretch it a bit. In this case my pastry was round so I made it into a pie shape, but if yours is rectangular, work with that shape instead. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (convection if you have it). Combine one pint fresh ricotta cheese, three eggs, one half cup parmesan, one finely chopped shallot (if you have it; if not, substitute your favorite related onion), two tablespoons chopped parsley, one teaspoon kosher salt, and as much freshly ground pepper as you desire. Spread this filling in the center, leaving about two inches of pastry bare around the edge. Fold up this edge pressing together the overlapping edges lightly with your fingers. Bake for 30 minutes, or until puff pastry is fully cooked and filling is set. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

farmers' market wednesday

2010-10-13T13:42:00.001-04:00

Produce excites me. Beautiful produce brings a tear to my eye. This is why I love the farmers' market. Not only am I among all of this loveliness, but I am among others who love fresh fruits and vegetables so much that they dedicate most hours of their lives growing and selling it. Now, I realize that I'm a food dork, and you might not be quite as dorky as me, but come on! Look at the natural marketing of this chard. It doesn't need an ad campaign. Bright yellow stems scream to be bought and tossed with garlic, crushed red pepper and salt in a saute pan and served over fresh pasta with a coarse grating of ricotta salata.

mama's sick

2010-09-29T13:33:00.001-04:00

It's a terrible thing when the captain of the ship can't keep up. A cold doesn't keep me down; I can power through something even a tad worse. A fever of 102.5, however, grounds me. On the flip side, I never, I mean ever, sit on the couch in the middle of a weekday with my laptop. So while PBS is entertaining my little guy, I'm scanning around the internet and found a few new-to-me foodie sites.

Steamy kitchen

New asian cuisine

Fra'Mani

don't have a good butcher around you? mail-order some.

Kiss my spatula

(wow!) - check out that homemade pantry and music matches. a girl after my own heart.

The pioneer woman

The perfect pantry

Mea Culpa

2010-09-27T22:00:00.004-04:00

I'm sorry, dear readers, that I disappeared and disappointed. I would staunchly promise that it'll never happen again, but that would just be one more vow not maintainable. Getting four kids started successfully and happily into a new school year has gotten the better of me. It's not that I haven't been cooking. Oh no, my friend... There's been

ciabatta bread (sullivan street bakery recipe. no knead, 18 hour rise)
refrigerator rolls
farmer john's favorite pumpkin bread
kentucky chess pie
cauliflower gratin
paella style rice with chorizo
clover peach pies (fried hand pies courtesy Lee Bros)
red velvet cake (also Lee Bros-- birthday request)
blueberry crisp ice cream (that's right, blueberry ice cream base, swirled with blueberry jam and crisp topping)
jam, jam and more jam (cherry almond, peach, apricot, blueberry bay, raspberry rhubarb, tomato chili...)
sauced tomatoes (quarts and quarts worth)
pickles (beets, summer's peak, cucumbers, watermelon rind)
hot sauce
Jamie Oliver's farro with roasted veg **** this is awesome. please try it or some version of it
carrot sheet cake (silver palate)
applesauce (for now and later)
homemade yogurt (topped with above jams)
dried herbs (with a new dehydrator)
matzoh ball soup (with homemade stock from homegrown chickens)
not to mention, a whole greek night party - roasted beets with skordalia, stuffed peppers, spanokopita, lamb shanks and too much ouzo...

just to name a few.

I've also harvested my first honey, although it was less than I'd hoped for. (Will try again soon and post.) And also almost cleared my garden of it's goodies. Basil for pesto now waiting in the freezer. Swiss chard and eggplants still growing. Potatoes and carrots to harvest. Hens are laying -- three to four eggs per day. At some point I can expect more, but for now I'm happy enough with that harvest.

And as usual, Zingerman's roadhouse tasting dinners never disappoint, especially the wonderful harvest dinners. Fruits of Chef Alex's labors displayed on long buffets that make you wish for a larger plate.

Also this: just in!! Chef Alex's mac and cheese voted best comfort food in America by Food Network. Alton Brown's show, America's Best: Comfort Food just aired on September 20th, but I was at the taping on May 7th (and on the show for 3 seconds at the end as an unwavering fan) and managed to keep my mouth shut about it.

Tantre Farm is accepting forms for their fall and Thanksgiving shares. Even if you are not a regular CSA member you can sign up for this. I heartily recommend it. Contact info is on the website.

A month has past, and I've been terrible at updating this blog. It's all I can do not to pass out at night after I'm done with all that needs to be done. (cue - pathetic violin music.) So here's my lofty, but loose, promise, that I will be writing again more regularly to share with you the lovely things that are going on in my kitchen and in Ann Arbor.

herbed farmer's cheese

2010-08-23T09:21:00.001-04:00

A great nosher or lunchtime spread.

herbed farmer's cheese

makes 8 servings

time: 10 minutes (plus 30 minutes to rest)

adapted from Mark Bittman's The Minimalist Entertains

Puree one pound cold farmer's cheese (or fresh goat cheese or fresh cream cheese), 1/2 cup sour cream, and 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, one garlic clove in a food processor. (Alternatively mince the garlic and combine by hand with a whisk.) Taste and season with salt and pepper. Taste again.

Scrape into bowl and refrigerate until stiffened approx one hour. Serve with crackers, lightly toasted pita or vegetable sticks. (Also try tossing with pasta or stuffing into chicken breasts.)

found in a2 :: bella italia

2010-08-18T10:24:00.011-04:00

Bella Italia is not new for my family, but I thought I should give it a shout out for any locals. It's an awesome place for pizza, REAL pizza. It's a true New York/New Jersey style pizzeria, with pizza that tastes so good, you'd swear you were back home. The calzones are fabulous too!

Click on the link above to go to the website. You can call in an order and pick it up for dinner. It's located in the Colonade shopping plaza on Eisenhower Parkway.

the best buttermilk biscuits ever

2010-08-16T19:28:00.002-04:00

Try this recipe on Joy the Baker's blog. It's been on there for over a year. Apparently it's a family recipe, passed on by her dad.

And it was just perfect with a bowl of garden soup, fresh from my morning's harvest.

P.S. Every single recipe on her site is fabulous. Poke around a little bit while you're there.

watch out! he might bite!

2010-08-14T09:57:00.001-04:00

-seafood marinara for the gang-

When seafood is this fresh and tastes this good, all you need is a simple preparation. Shrimp and calamari poached in marinara sauce. Topped with chunks of fresh lobster.

T H E best lobster roll

2010-08-13T23:18:00.004-04:00

I hate being a tourist. It makes me cringe, and I'll often go to considerable lengths to fake like I belong. But the truth of it is, I can't help but be a tourist. I don't live everywhere.

This translates to food too. I generally avoid the touristy restaurants- the traps that serve crappy food.
So when I found out that vineyard natives call Grace Church's Friday evening lobster rolls the best on the island, I knew where I was going to be.

See those hard-working Episcopalians back in the kitchen? That's where the magic happens. (Note that above the window to the kitchen hang a few of the awards that Grace Church has won for said lobster rolls.)

Lobster is so perfect by itself. All you really need is a little mayo and white pepper for a perfect sandwich.

This is how they package it so that you can take the sandwiches home. Someone's thinking outside the box.

And I'm almost certain we were the only tourists there. ;)

-- Posting From My iPhone (which takes terribly crappy pictures)

Location:Camp St,Vineyard Haven,United States

on the vineyard :: catching our lunch

2010-08-12T15:41:00.004-04:00

happy happy yolky yolky:: the story of our first egg

2010-08-04T14:10:00.002-04:00

~ click on any of these pictures to see them in full screen ~

on the bookshelf

2010-07-31T16:07:00.007-04:00

This summer I've gotten into taking cookbooks out from the local library. There are so many good reasons for this. First off, I'm there once a week for the kids anyway. I do it for novels; why not cookbooks? Secondly, renewals make the books almost as good as mine. That is until one of you reads this and requests for me to have to return one of these.

Also, I've been known to buy a cookbook only to find one or two good recipes in it. Often, I just get the feeling of a book and am able to recreate the general idea for a recipe or series of dishes. It's not that I have a photographic memory and am making the exact recipe. The exposure to the photographs and the descriptive text leaves me with enough of a sense of what the author is going for. It's not that I never follow an exact recipe. I just tend to cook emotionally, not mathematically. This is why I particularly enjoyed Michael Ruhlman's RATIO. With the base of these formulas, your creativity can go wild.

The mother in me suggests that you check out your local library to see if they have any of these in stock. Your tax dollars at work. Otherwise peruse your local bookstore. Or if you have to, I find Amazon to be the easiest way to get books into my house. I've linked my blog with Amazon so that you can add them directly to your Amazon cart. Creepily easy. (The formatting for these book images won't align correctly, despite looking fine in the blog preview.)

Below are a few of this summer's choices. Keep tuned for this segment to return.

a poultry photo essay

2010-07-30T09:45:00.000-04:00

vegetarians beware.

(borrowing and driving a friend's pickup= my favorite part)

BLT with a kick

2010-07-29T10:36:00.001-04:00

Thank you, Tori, for the inspiration. An unopened container of Zingerman's pimento cheese was sitting in the fridge. Fresh luscious tomatoes from Tantre Farm graced the counter top. Bacon waiting in the freezer from The Pork Shop in Indiana. Zingerman's bakehouse white - sliced and ready to go. Dinner was already in my kitchen. Simply unassembled.

BLT (with pimento cheese instead of mayo)

I forgive you, garden.

2010-07-28T15:32:00.009-04:00

I've been cursing my garden's lackluster performance this season. It seemed fine in the beginning, but just didn't take off the way I'd hoped and planned for. Even though I hear that other local amateur gardeners are suffering from the same blight, I was not satisfied. When I spend hours upon hours nursing tiny seeds in the basement in the middle of March, I expect a phenomenal bounty.

But this...

was my garden's peace offering this morning. And now, I forgive you, dear garden. Twas a lovely breakfast.

Looks like I'll have plenty of tomatoes, fennel, jalepenos, and potatoes. And there's always cucumbers. They're like the weeds of the vegetable garden. The plant just keeps giving even though you'd probably get sick if you ate that many.

basil

fennel

tomatoes

Found in A2 :: Great Plains Burger Company

2010-07-26T23:46:00.002-04:00

If you find yourself over on the east side of A2, you should definitely check out Great Plains Burger Co. on Plymouth road.
Food is quick and yummy. Good honest burgers, real fries, and Guernsey milk shakes.

(I'm a sucker for the boxes of fresh potatoes in the hallway.)

The meat tasted great - which is not something you can say about every fast burger. The website claims to procure beef from naturally raised Michigan cows. You're also given the option of turkey or black bean burger option, which people before and after me were also ordering. Everything is served on Zingerman's buns.

(options I chose this afternoon: blue cheese, sauteed onions and sauteed mushrooms)

If you've got a fussy kid, they have the hot dog and grilled cheese option. But with burgers like this, I'd push them to try the special.

--Posting From My iPhone

found in A2 :: zingerman's warehouse summer sale

2010-07-21T11:45:00.005-04:00

Ann Arborites ::warehouse has a summer sale during their slow season. I'm sorry I didn't report this earlier because there are only two weeks left. Every Friday you can head down to the location on 640 Phoenix Drive in Ann Arbor for the summer sale.

View Larger Map

Last week I got a great deal on iced coffee, bacon, comte, and olive oil that was nearly half off. The prices definitely make the drive worthwhile.

Also if you request to get put on their mailing list, you will receive an email earlier in the week with what they have on sale that Friday.

recipe review

2010-07-19T19:29:00.003-04:00

The Minimalist's parmesan crackers:
very tasty - but I didn't roll them thin enough so they could have and should have been crispier

Pavlova with Lemon Curd and Berries
awesome - perfect summer dessert

more later. summer with four kids and no babysitter makes for less blogging time, among other things.

sushi at home

2010-07-11T16:38:00.007-04:00

I would not call myself an expert on sushi by any standards. I enjoy it, but it's not something I've grew up eating. Every time I eat it, I enjoy it more and more. I guess you could say it's growing on me. But what I've discovered is that it is so simple to make at home. The kids love the hands-on experience, and we also each get to tailor make our favorite version. When making it at home, I haven't ventured into the raw fish category yet. Something about little hands playing with expensive raw fish makes me a little nervous. As you can see in the photos, we did have leftover cooked salmon that some chose to include. Others of us stuck to veggies alone.

As far as ingredients, you'll need nori, sticky rice (mixed with a few tablespoons of sushi rice vinegar). You can go traditional japanese, or american -- california (cucumber, avocado, crab), new york (salmon, cream cheese, capers). Or you can just let your imagination go crazy.

If you're interested in trying it at home, check out this website, Sushinow.com. There's a great section on rolling instructions. For us it seemed easier to put the nori on the outside, of course you can also flip it and put the rice outside. It's a fun family cooking night, and definitely not as hard as you think.

The Pork Shop

2010-07-04T09:40:00.011-04:00

A recent trip to visit my family prompted me to take the book Too Many Cooks off of my bookshelf even though I've already enjoyed it a few times. This book by Emily Franklin is subtitled "Kitchen Adventures with 1 mom, 4 kids, and 102 recipes"- so you can see, if you know me or have read my blog before, that the book would call out to me. The author and I could be best friends really, having many other similarities besides number of children. She resides outside of Boston where I've spent many of my years, before and after starting my family. She seems to treasure the individuality and creativity of her babies which you'd be surprised is not as common as you'd think. And little things like the fact that she makes trip specific music mixes for the car- family friendly but not dumbed down. Anecdotes from nursing fumbles show up throughout the book, like having to be told by her older kids that her milky breast is still exposed when about to go out of the house. This is real life with a big family. It's a funny read because she is able to see the humor in the mundane. Frankly this is the success to happy and fulfilling parenting. If this were a mothering blog, I'd wax on about that for paragraphs. But it's not. We're here for the food.

For two chapters of Too Many Cooks, Emily explains about a visit to Culver, Indiana. An uncanny similarity because I spend handfuls of weekends every year in that very town in the home of my in-laws.

After coming from the saturated food culture of the east coast, I'll admit that I was skeptic that the Midwest would be able to fill that big of a hole in my life. Turns out it has, plus some, but again it's all in what you make of it.

She provides a great example of that. When visiting friends in Culver, Emily and crew take the opportunity to seek out the local food gems of Marshall county. We often joke that our lakehouse is in the middle of nowhere, and in a lot of ways it is. I've learned that there is intrinsic value in that. But that does not mean that it is void of individual culture.

From the last bite :: main site

Hog growing is a good business around these parts - the land is plentiful and the terrior, rich. The Yankauskas family has been raising pigs for a generation, and you can see in the photos below from my visit that they are doing a thorough job of serving the community with fresh and local meat. After re-reading these chapters, I had to make a go of it myself.

From the last bite :: main site

Noticing this sign on a small country road, my mother-in-law and I drove down a long dirt driveway to The Pork Shop. It consists of a small room containing seven full sized freezers full to the brim of frozen processed pork - processed in a Indiana approved facility which actually has more stringent regulations than the USDA facility. Don't get me started about that bureaucratic nonsense.

Each freezer has a sheet of paper taped to the front listing the cuts available. Whatever we couldn't find ourselves, Mrs Yankauskas directs us to. She is exceedingly friendly and eager to tell us about her business when she sees that we are willing to hear her out. Not only that, but we are allowed to meet this little guy, only five days old.

We left with 100$ of pork which turned out to be almost 30 pounds! A bargain for sure, but that wasn't our goal. We were there for the local goods. So far we've tried the ground pork for Vietnamese pork balls (similar to this recipe) and grilled brats for lunch on the fourth. So far it's been wonderful. Definitely worth the excursion.

hummus and pita

2010-06-24T10:30:00.000-04:00

For me, the thing about cooking is that it never gets old. I try something new, and I'm honestly surprised that it works and that it tastes great. Then I realize that all this time I've been buying these items when I could have been making them myself. Each singular success is enough to keep me going, to keep looking through cookbooks for other projects or flavor combinations. So if you looked inside my fridge, you'd see that I now make many things from scratch instead of buying them already processed; pesto, tapenade, pie crust, mayonaisse, salad dressings, hummus, tortillas, ricotta cheese, lemonade, iced tea. Yes, it's more convenient to buy these things regularly, but it's much tastier and confidence boosting to realize that I am, and you are, able to do them yourself.

My latest project was pita bread, introduced to me as a home baking idea by a recent visit with Kate @ the Dinner Chronicles. Baking any kind of bread makes me nervous. Like I've said before, yeast is alive. It could overtake me or my children or my kitchen. I force myself to do it the way I'm told you're supposed to face your fears.

This recipe is wonderful because in the morning you can decide you're in the mood for pita and you can get it done by lunch. After making one batch for lunch, I put the rest of the balled dough into the fridge overnight. Last night I brought the dough up to room temperature and made the remainder with dinner.

Pita bread recipe at the Fresh Loaf

What's pita without hummus? I used recipe below at Saveur. Instead of boiling and soaking dried beans, I simply used two cans of chickpeas. It includes tahini - which you can omit if you don't have any in the pantry.

Hummus with Tahini at Saveur

final meal in DC

2010-06-19T21:14:00.006-04:00

Tapas and sangria make me happy. Giddy even.
Especially being fed by my baby.

Jose Andres is the man. This is not your run-of-the-mill tapas. Click the picture above to check out the menu.

Central : Michel Richard

2010-06-17T12:51:00.006-04:00

A family trip to DC is a wonderful excuse to get some good east coast grub. On a previous trip to DC my husband and I had hit Citronelle, the fancier sister restaurant of CENTRAL. I knew that I wanted to try to get to this one if the schedule allowed. Central's Michel Richard is a rare genius. As if an appetizer itself, a slideshow of pictures from his cookbook (read: food porn) flashes above the lounge seating.

Famous gougeres

Soft shell crab tempura

Shroomwich - tastes as good as the cookbook looks. Phenomenal.

The sauces of every dish are what bump them from great to stellar. Cheese sauce for the shroomwich, basil oil for the burrata salad, tartar for the crab topped with fresh pickled cucumber slices, ginger mayo for the fries. The layers and dimensions are outstanding and imaginative. Contemporary American comfort food at its best. This lunch is reason enough to get yourself to Washington, D.C. Or at least get a copy of Happy in the Kitchen (one of my favorites) and prepare to be amazed.

-- Posting From My iPhone

bourdain

2010-06-16T09:46:00.003-04:00

I have a weakness for the character that is Anthony Bourdain. I haven't yet read his new book, but this clip on Borders Media is a wonderful interview with the chef and author to celebrate the upcoming book. What I love most about this is that Tony has conversations with all of my favs over at Kerrytown, Bob at Sparrow, Tracklements, & Mike at Monahan's. Throw the farmer's market in there, and basically you have my Wednesday morning.

chocolate pie and a new hobby

2010-06-15T17:25:00.006-04:00

There are many other BETTER things I should be doing now instead of blogging. It's my five year old pixie's birthday today. Birthdays do not make themselves around here. Lasagna was requested, and is now baking away in the oven. Chocolate pie was also requested. This is a deviation from the typical cake, and I don't know exactly what the diva means by chocolate pie. So I'm risking it a little with an oreo crust (one whole package of newman oreos food processed with half of a stick of melted butter, baked for 10 min at 400 degrees) filled with Julia Child's MtAoFC chocolate mousse. It's delicious, but let's hope that it passes for her mental version of "chocolate pie".

With all I have to do tonight, I would not simply blog about those normal happenings. I'm writing today to explain that I have started another hobby that I've been wanting to pick up... beekeeping. It fits right in with the rest of the menagerie, fits in metaphorically, but fits in about as far away from the house as possible.

looks like we lost one in transit -
but if there's only one dead stinger out of the 10,000 in there I think we've made out well

Thanks to Carl! With any luck, we should have honey in the fall!

friday's strawberry picking leads to ...

2010-06-13T14:42:00.006-04:00

saturday morning pancakes topped with sliced strawberries
&

strawberry rhubarb pie

old fashioned strawberry jam

strawberry vodka (to be consumed in a few days)

kale

2010-06-10T19:26:00.005-04:00

I love it in any form. I do. Around here we tend to cook it, for example, quickly sauteed with garlic over pasta, or gratined with parmesan and cream...or my favorite, kale chips (tossed with olive oil and kosher salt and baked at 400 for 15 minutes or until crispy). But I've recently come to discover that it is so enjoyable eaten raw in a salad. Plum market makes a wonderfully refreshing kale salad with raspberries, blackberries, mandarin oranges and a light citrus vinigrette. This is what turned me on to experimenting with kale in salads at home.

Tonight it was great, thinly julienned and tossed with pine nuts, pecorino romano, extra virgin olive oil, white vinegar, salt and pepper.

Found in a2 :: comet coffee

2010-06-08T12:53:00.002-04:00

THE best cappucino in town. Foam so smooth it'll give you goosebumps. This is not a mass marketed dumbed down coffee experience. Clearly the goal at Comet coffee is excellence, no, superiority. And they have achieved it.

Check them out in Nickels Arcade.

-- Posting From My iPhone

Found in a2 :: Tomukun noodle

2010-06-07T08:26:00.001-04:00

Dumplings

Hiyashi tempura soba

Pho deluxe

-- Posting From My iPhone

Taste of A2

2010-06-06T15:30:00.005-04:00

You have about 90 minutes left of this year's Taste of Ann Arbor. It's a blast, although a little crowded. Just hold on to the hands of your little ones very tightly. Seems like they could have used three blocks instead of two- maybe next year. Here are a few shots from today's lunch experience.

Tomato mozzarella salad from Gratzi

fried ravioli from Palio

Chocolate covered pancetta

Fish taco from Black Pearl

Scallop & shrimp skewer from Great Seafood Co

enjoyed but not pictured::

Shalimar samosa & paneer wrapped around baby corn
BW3 wings
Blue Nile spiced beef and mild chicken crepe, spiced iced tea
Dolce Vita chocolate strawberry
TeaHaus Black iced tea
Cupcake Station red velvet mini's

chickens update :: 14 weeks

2010-06-05T15:21:00.000-04:00

what's up doc?

garden update

2010-06-03T13:40:00.011-04:00

I know this really belongs in my 2010 garden chronicles, but I can't help myself. I'm not sure enough people click over there in the sideline. So I'll put it here too.

BED ONE

lettuce - 6 varities, spinach, leek, dill, hot pepper, arugula, green bean

BED TWO

rhubarb, carrot, artichoke, parsley, cucumber, blackberry

BED THREE

arugula, latin kale, eggplant, sweet miniature pepper, tomato (various kinds), thyme, garlic chive, rosemary, celery, mint

BED FOUR

corn, fennel, blueberry, radicchio, basil, raspberry

BED FIVE

asparagus, jalepeno, radish, zucchini, broccoli, swiss chard, rhubarb, lima bean, thyme

BED SIX

potato, bay, okra, sweet pea, watermelon (3 of four seedlings have died off), lemongrass, sweet pepper, nasturtium, tomatillo, garlic chive, beet (homegrown seedlings didn't make it), quinoa (this will be a first), pumpkin

the eternal question

2010-06-03T10:31:00.014-04:00

Everyone needs ideas for meals, whether you're a chef and want professional inspiration or are just trying to squeak by with basic knowledge.

Here's a list of some great online resources. Please leave a comment if you know of any others.

What the f**k should I make for dinner?
Yes, someone's answered this question for you... finally.

This week for dinner
Another blogger tackling menu issues...

Food on the table
for the type-A's...

Dinner Feed
a local Ann Arbor-ite answers the question with an RSS feed or twitter tweet

Supercook
want to work around one ingredient? search here.

FoodieView: weekly meal plan
want an entire week's worth of meals?

Dinner tonight @ Kitchen Daily
fabulous for you visual learners

Of course, there's always The Last Bite list of what's for dinner?.

food in the news

2010-06-02T11:30:00.000-04:00

for all of you organic nay-sayers

Research links pesticides with ADHD

honest BBQ :: Atlanta

2010-05-29T18:50:00.003-04:00

Swallow at the hollow
hits the spot

Chopped pork, beef w/ house made sauce
Cole slaw
Fried green tomatoes
Mac & cheese
Biscuits
Texas toast

Happy full bellies

-- Posting From My iPhone

piece montée

2010-05-27T10:37:00.003-04:00

The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a piece montée, or croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.

My version is simply a stacked profiterole, filled with coffee custard. I chose not to include the caramel because my oldest daughter just got orthodontics. So not only would I be torturing her to include the stuff, but I would assured even more bills from the crafty orthodontist.

Farmer's Market Wednesday

2010-05-26T16:36:00.006-04:00

i bought a composting mushroom kit -
will develop portabello style mushrooms outdoors in four months

someone's got a hothouse

black walnuts -
one cup pieces sold for 3$ with a cute footnote under the sign "these take a lot of hard work"

cooking live :: shrimp and grits

2010-05-24T17:16:00.007-04:00

Currently working on this::
Mom's taking the shrimp - baby girl doing the grits. clearly not a baby anymore :(

shrimp and grits - Deen style

Stay tuned...

all it needs is a little salt and hot sauce.
success!

Femivore's Unite!

2010-05-23T16:31:00.000-04:00

Yes, this article in the NYT is a couple months old, but that does not make it irrelevant. If you're anything like me, this will speak to you and about you.

The Femivore's Dilemna
Peggy Orenstein

I might start referring to myself as a radical homemaker. What do you think?

Farmer's Market Wednesday

2010-05-19T23:00:00.001-04:00

this week's sights from the A2 Farmer's Market (otherwise known as my therapy)

FOUND in A2

2010-05-17T15:18:00.007-04:00

I'd like to start a new running thread about food finds in Ann Arbor. For those locals who read, some of these will not be new to you even though they are to me. I often find that I've come upon a small treasure that I would love to share. The Last Bite provides me an excellent platform to do just that. I will try to include a picture in order to entice you. But as this week's post will show, that's not always possible if my camera is left at home. Or if someone in my house eats it first.

Found in A2 #1
Who are you Sweet Caroline? Your faux-reos haunt me. Sweet, old fashioned and even gritty (I mean this in a good way) icing in between two fabulously chocolatey wafers. If you have any left after a couple days, I think they even improved with time. This is how oreos tasted back in the 80s before they took the trans fat out.

Check them out at the counter of Sparrow Market in Kerrytown. Buy twice as many as you think you want. Just leave one for me.

salami and green olive stromboli

2010-05-16T12:07:00.001-04:00

It's such a simple thing really, a stromboli. Make yourself some pizza dough, or buy it, doesn't matter to me. Let it rise, stretch out a pizza's worth, fill it with dry toppings, in this case, mozzarella, parmesan (not ricotta or then it would be called a calzone), salami and chopped green olives. Roll it in on itself as you would a burrito. Place on a baking sheet seam side down, brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 25 minutes at 450degrees. Or until it looks like this...

Wait for them to cool before you tear into them. We usually serve these with a side of warmed up marinara and a simple salad.

Salami and green olives are just one of one million possible combinations. Look in your fridge & pantry and go crazy!

Yoplait goes greek!

2010-05-15T15:01:00.006-04:00

Have you noticed at your friendly local supermarket that Yoplait now does a greek version of their fabulous yogurt? Yoplait, through a program called Blog Spark, provided me with a free sample of their new product (in addition to a lovely prize pack designed to "nourish my inner greek goddess").

Look at this gorgeous stuff. It's a very typical greek yogurt, smooth, creamy and tangy, but thick enough to hold it's texture on a spoon. I chose the plain version to test. Yoplait also makes strawberry, blueberry, and honey vanilla, all which would compliment the natural flavor of the yogurt wonderfully.

Around here we're sprouting asparagus everywhere, and I'm not sick of it yet. No sir, I am not. Check back in a few weeks. But I've been looking for ways to use the locally picked hand-snapped stuff from my garden and the farmer's market.

Here's one great example, an afternoon snack or pre-dinner nibbler. Steam one pound of them in one cup of salted water and juice from half of a lemon. After 2-3 minutes, drain and shock them in ice water. Dry well before serving along side curry dip.

Curry dip (or sandwich spread)

ingredients ::
one 6 oz container Yoplait greek yogurt
two teaspoons curry powder
one half teaspoon turmeric
one teaspoon fine sea salt
three or four drops hot sauce (or more to taste)

directions ::
Combine ingredients. Allow to sit in refrigerator for one hour before serving.

Dip steamed veggies or tandori beef kabob. For a different application, spread on sandwich of sliced roasted chicken breast, sliced mango and sprouts.

** Yoplait & BlogSpark would love one of you to try this yogurt too. If you are interested in the free trial, let me know in a comment below which flavor Yoplait greek yogurt you would most like to try.

garden's alive

2010-05-14T15:09:00.000-04:00

sweet pea

red russian kale

blueberry flowers

garlic chives - these things grow like weeds!

today's my birthday?

2010-05-06T23:08:00.002-04:00

Sensing that there was no birthday cake in her future, she declared dinner to be waffle sundaes and proceeded to make herself quite a birthday dinner.

Cinco de Mayo

2010-05-05T19:35:00.017-04:00

After a vacation I typically have so much pent up culinary creativity from eating all of these amazing things but not making any myself. Often I can't help but come home and cook up a storm despite the piles of things that *really* need to be done.

Homemade tortillas, not so necessary, but fun, yes.

This is the chaos in my kitchen, not often pictured on this blog, yet often photographed. My ten year old commented tonight that she loved "this atmosphere." And yes, my darling, I do too. All six of us bouncing around in there making food, making family ... love. Well, you know what I mean.

Listening to one of our favorite Latin albums (open in a new tab for simultaneous music), we made homemade corn tortillas in honor of Cinco de Mayo. We have not a single drop of Mexican blood in us, but we had a blast. Dad, the mixologist, cranked out a few homemade margaritas for us parents, and the kids and I worked on the tortillas and fillings for fajitas.

These hand pressed tortillas were smaller than a traditional store bought number. Perfect for a two bite fajita.

Tortilla
two cups fine masa (yellow corn flour)
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Adobo powder

Combine in mixer for two minutes. Split into 16 even balls.

Press in tortilla press (available at a local latin market, or Amazon). In an ungreased pan, fry them until dark patches appear. Flip.

Fillings

grilled flank steak (marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, tequila, adobo powder
sauteed peppers and onion with roasted cumin seeds
queso fresco (or cheddar)
scallions
slivered serrano peppers
diced roma tomatoes
salsa and guacamole
lime crema (one cup sour cream, one tablespoon lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon lime zest, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt)

Want a bite?

New Orleans :: Days 3-4

2010-05-04T14:57:00.006-04:00

breakfast ::
still full from the night before.
fruit and a coffee suffices

lunch ::

Patois
This might be my restaurant heaven. I suppose there's no such thing as a perfect restaurant, but all around this was a fabulous place. I adored the ambiance in this out of the way gem. A subdued jazz guitar strummed in the background, gentle lighting, friendly staff, idyllic menu graced our Sunday brunch. It was certainly a far cry from the chaos of the Jazz Fest. We might have been the only tourists in the place. It's on Laurel Street, out past the Garden district, almost bordered by the Audobon Park, & close to Tulane.

P&J oyster salad with frisee and lardons

mussels swimming in a tomato wine broth topped with duck fat fries and Crystal aoli
With these as apps, we didn't really need entrees but hey, that's what vacation is for.

house cured pork belly, fried tomato, poached egg, cheddar on brioche

pulled pork, on a southern biscuit, topped with poached egg and crystal hollandaise. Served with the best collards I've had in a long time. Think there might have been some bacon in there.

dinner ::
Emeril's
Still full from lunch (at home we would have skipped dinner), but pushing forward...
This was all great, but coming from Patois I was not over-whelmed.

bacon salad. hah. three slices of emeril's bacon. sitting on top of pickled cabbage, topped with radish and daikon
barbeque shrimp with a rosemary biscuit
ribeye topped with cherry tomatoes and maytag blue, accompanied by three stellar onion rings
** banana cream pie and chocolate peanut butter mousse pie - best desserts we had in town.

breakfast::
cafe beignet
cafe au lait and (lesser, but not bad) beignet

lunch::
Deanie's (sent here by recommendation from my dear old dad)
barbequed shrimp sauced and crawfish po'boy

A non-eating food experience that is a don't miss ::
The Southern Food and Beverage Museum.
This is a phenomenal collection of narratives, photos, collectibles, and food/cocktail related antiques. The curator told me that after Katrina they took the abandoned Limited storefront at the end of the Riverwalk mall and converted it into this museum. After being on our feet all day, walking the city, hopelessly trying to walk some of our food into digestion, we were tired after being in this museum for an hour. But the information in here was very interesting, and I would definitely suggest starting out a day of sightseeing when they open one day. Don't miss the Spoiled exhibit by Tom Varisco about post-Katrina refrigerators left on the curb.

dinner ::
Cochon
**best dinner by far
Chef Donald Link has won awards for his creole restaurant Herbsaint, a few blocks from Cochon. In the introduction of his cookbook, Real Cajun, (that won the James Beard award last night for an American Cooking category, btw) he speaks to opening Cochon as an outlet to make and sell the real food that he grew up with. And this is what he has successfully done, present a menu full of creative versions of southern comfort food.

appetizers-

fried alligator tossed in a spicy garlic aoili with mint leaves. an awesome combination. you'd think the mint would be weird, but it wasn't. it was perfect.
fried cauliflower with spicy vinegar. never have to sell me on cauliflower, but if you are not a fan, this is the way to go.

entrees-

appetizer order of spicy grilled pork ribs with a watermelon pickle (*amazing**)
smoked beef brisket with horseradish potato salad (perfectly seasoned with a strong creole mustard kick)

After being so impressed by the sauces of Donald Link , I was looking for a way to bring some of him home with me. I noticed that his shop, Butcher, was still open around the corner. Actually we were informed when we entered that they had just closed, but I begged them to sell me four different sauces that they had in the shop, BBQ, creole mustard, housemade hot sauce, and grapefruit marmalade. I was happy that they agreed, not properly thinking ahead to my airport trip the next day. It did cross my mind this morning, as a matter of reducing carry-on weight, to put the jars in the suitcase, but I had brought some pretty fabulous dresses for the evenings out and was visualizing BBQ sauce down the front. So I opted to carry the suckers on, until later, when my dream was crushed by the surly TSA agent who informed me that the rule of no liquids also applied to me. Honestly I thought of opening them and offering her a taste, in order that she would let me through, but then I really didn't want to see handcuffs in my future. So valuable were these sauces, way more than their monetary value, that I decided to go back out of security, purchase a check-able suitcase, and a fleece blanket to absorb the bumps at 30,000 ft. I waited in the bag check line, AGAIN, and through security AGAIN, both which had lines 5 times longer and slower than the first time through. This says a lot if you know how much I detest the entire airport process. Honestly I just barely made it in time. With my kids along, I would have thrown them away. I've thrown other forgotten liquids before, but these I was not willing to part with. It is a modern spice trade tale, not too unlike the drama of Ferdinand Magellan, just wanting to bring flavor back home with him.

I think it goes without saying that this will be a week of salads and fruit and grapefruit juice and yogurt, except for Thursday's perpetual 29th birthday. I'll break the fast for that.

Wished I had a chance to taste Boucherie, Green Goddess and Crescent Pie and Sausage Co., but they'll remain an excuse for another visit to the Big Easy.

New Orleans :: Days 1-2

2010-04-30T20:33:00.011-04:00

drinks ::
Carousel Bar
Monteleone Cocktail

dinner ::
Cuvee
Many review books refer to this as a restaurant that could almost be called the best in town. And perhaps because of that expectation I was disappointed. The staff were friendly, and the menu was well planned, but it was lacking that extra umpphff that would have bumped it from 85% to 100%. But I'm a picky audience.

shrimp napoleon, with fried mirliton
(husband had) pork belly - after having michael symon's a few weeks ago, was not impressed.
duck confit leg, seared duck breast, drizzled with an oregano-lemon sauce (needed more of this intensity and acid on the plate), sat on a warm white bean and frisee salad
housemade praline ice cream (nice intensity- but again nothing to push it over the top)

breakfast ::
Cafe du Monde

cafe au lait
traditional beignet

lunch!!! ::
Jazz and Heritage Festival

(click on the link above, then the food tab at the bottom, then the 2010 Jazz Fest Food List. prepare to be amazed. and hungry)

shrimp and grits
sausage and chicken gumbo

boudin balls - with tabasco and creole mustard

crawfish beignets *** a clear favorite

cracklins (had to try them once - despite my love of pork that'll probably be enough for me. or maybe i just need to try another thinner warmer version.)

sweet iced tea
pralines

I wanted to keep trying other things, but between the heat and the crowds, I was feeling a little bit queasy, so I had to stop. Or it would have been ugly.

dinner ::
Commander's Palace

Divine.

artichoke salad
spring vegetable tart - layers of seasonal vegetables, soft brie-like cheese, puff pastry, surrounded by a savory tomato based sauce
creole bread pudding souffle - more like a bread pudding topped with a delicious meringue, drizzled with a whiskey cream sauce.

Cornman Farms :: Yolks extraordinaire

2010-04-29T18:22:00.009-04:00

A gift of Cornman farms eggs directed dinner this evening. Once I cracked the beauties I knew that they had to be the centerpiece of our meal. As often happens, a last minute throw together becomes a new favorite. The technique and flavor of this is similar to a carbonara dish, but without the guanciale or bacon. You could certainly add the pork, but in this case it might mask the delicacy of spring asparagus.

Ingredients:

Six gorgeous eggs yolks. Saved the egg whites in a ball jar for another time.
One pound pasta, boiled in salted water.
Hand snapped fresh asparagus from Plum Market, blanched in the last two minutes of the boiling pasta.
2 cups of reserved pasta water
One-two cups grated parmigiano reggiano. (start with one. add more to taste)
Two tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper.

Assembly:

Place yolks in large serving bowl. Pour drained pasta and asparagus on top of the yolks. Immediately toss. Toss again. Keep tossing, so that the yolks slowly coat the pasta. As you're tossing, slowly add 1/2 cup hot pasta water, watching the yolks then become a creamy yellow sauce instead of scrambled egg yolks. I admit that the timing and touch of this is a little bit difficult. You might have to add another 1/2 cup or more, and you will certainly need to use some gourmet intuition. Just put on your chef hat. Once you've noticed a sauce-like texture, it's time to add the parmigiano and black pepper. And toss gently until combined.

brilliant

2010-04-29T18:19:00.002-04:00

A meal without cheese
is like a beautiful woman
who lacks an eye.

~Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.

they're baaaaaack!

2010-04-28T17:06:00.017-04:00

The thing about morels is that they're much prettier raw than cooked. That is, if you consider this ugly mug a thing of beauty.

Final preparation - a cream sauce drizzled over roasted chicken.