Blog

Saint Joseph’s Day Cream Puffs

March 10, 2010 | Print

About this time every year my friend Mike mentions his yearning for Zeppole di San Giuseppe, or Saint Joseph’s Day Cream Puffs (Saint Joseph’s Day is March 19). This year, I did some research and came up with my own version. It’s not exactly traditional, as I did not replace any of the butter with lard and I added almond extract. I figured it didn’t matter, as I’m not Italian. And anyway, according to tradition, each household comes up with their own version anyway. Peering over at the liquor cabinet, maybe adding Amaretto could be another option next time.

The recipe is now posted on the PastureLand website. Check it out and whip up a batch this weekend or next to celebrate this Italian Feast day

Posted in Desserts, General Blog, Recipes | Leave a comment

Intrigue Chocolates Co.

March 8, 2010 | Print

I was reading my Saint John’s University Alumni Magazine recently. In it was an article featuring several undergraduate alumni who are now in the food and beverage business in one way or another. One entrepreneur featured was Aaron Barthel of Intrigue Chocolates Co., a native of Minnesota, now living and working in Seattle, Washington.

Being a fellow Johnnie, and a chocoholic, of course I had to write and say hello. He was very gracious and sent me a box of his truffles, crafted in the French tradition as his website says.

Arriving in the mail was a lovely silver tin of 12 truffles including two each of Ruby Port, Saint Basil, Jamaican HOT chocolate, Pomegranate, Clove, and Tannenbaum. All were enjoyable, but I especially liked the Saint Basil with it’s sweet, clean taste of late summer, the Pomegranate which was tart and crisp and the Jamaican HOT chocolate with its sweet taste of honey and spicy hot finish.

Check out Aaron’s website at Intrigue Chocolates Co.

Posted in General Blog, Ingredients | Leave a comment

Seven – Sushi Ultralounge and Skybar

March 1, 2010 | Print

It was a long day at the Twin Cities Food & Wine Experience a couple of weekend ago. By that Sunday afternoon we were dragging our tails, when we happened to meet Nick, the Director of Sales and Marketing for Seven. We mentioned that we had never been to Seven before. As an excellent Marketing Director should, he mentioned that there was a $30 All-You-Can-Eat Sushi menu on Sunday evenings.

Knowing full well that there was no way I was going to cook that evening, we called Joe to ask if he wanted to join us somewhere for dinner that evening. Well, wouldn’t you know, he had a hankering for sushi. We got Nick on the phone who called us back tout de suite with a reservation and a recommendation that Jenny be our server.

We arrived about 7:30 pm and climbed three flights of stairs to the Sushi Ultra-lounge. The décor was stylish, and it wasn’t noisy, other than the person unloading the dishwasher. Jenny was a blast from her Esquivel glasses to her overwhelming enthusiasm about everything — including her Hello Kitty card holder. And, her service was superb!

While perusing the menu, I started with a Pomegranate and Ginger Martini then moved on to a Peach Cosmo. For $30 apiece got ourselves seven large plates of sushi and gorged ourselves silly. But, try as we might, we just couldn’t finish it all. Highly recommended is the Seven roll: tempura shrimp, cucumber, and tuna with Japanese mayo and unagi sauce.

The only complaint I have would be the music. One could actually hear it, since it was not crowded and/or noisy as mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, like so many restaurants, they were playing funk. Maybe its just me, but in this case, Ohio Players and James Brown do not blend well with tai and unagi in my gastronomic opinion. It’s a tiny issue compared to all the positives.

We are actually contemplating calling Nick back to ask for a standing reservation on Sunday evenings — at least once a month. It’s wonderful sushi, beautiful surroundings and a great value. And, what is also great is the fact that there’s complimentary valet parking. Seven is located at 700 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis MN.

Posted in General Blog, Restaurant Reviews | Leave a comment

Roasted Butternut Squash with Quinoa Salad

February 28, 2010 | Print

I take the train to and from work so I’m generally reading the latest issue of Food & Wine or Bon Appetit during those 40 minutes each day. I discovered the following recipe by Michael Symon from the March 201o issue of F&W. Of course, I adapted it immediately as I didn’t have a Delicata Squash. I also wanted to give it a little zing, so I minced a dried red chili and added that as well.

Quinoa is definitely a superfood: a grain-like seed, it’s a “complete” protein containing all eight essential amino acids. Another plus is that it cooks much more quickly than most grains.

Instead of stuffing the salad into the squash, I diced the squash, roasted it and tossed it in with the other ingredients.

1 Butternut squash (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded and cut into ¾ inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup quinoa
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 Pink Lady apple, finely diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch dice
¼ red bell pepper, roasted and cut into ½ inch dice
1 large shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 ounces arugula (2 cups)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss squash with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the squash on a baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring 2 cups of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the quinoa, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the raisins and simmer, covered, until the water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and let cool.

4. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and honey with the remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

5. Add the dressing to the quinoa along with the apple, carrot, bell pepper, shallot, garlic, ginger, mint, and parsley and toss well. Add the arugula and toss gently. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

The quinoa can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature and add the arugula just before serving.

Posted in General Blog, Main Courses, Recipes, Salads | Leave a comment

Spicy Beef Satay at the Twin Cities Food & Wine Experience

February 23, 2010 | Print

The Twin Cities Food & Wine Experience was this past weekend at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It was great to see so many local, independent vendors this year specializing in artisan foods. A couple of owners with whom I was able to chat for a moment included Janan Juliff from The Cake Diva and Karen Loomis from Extra Dough. The Cake Diva was offering samples of a delicious chocolate butter-cream cake and tangy tangerine macarons. Extra Dough was serving slices of dense Chocolate Cherry Amaretto Cake and one of their signature nuts, candied walnuts.

Of course, I’m always delighted to taste any wine that Kevin McKinney from MVP Wines is pouring. It may have something to do with the fact that they are all from Provence, but more importantly they are all absolutely outstanding, especially the rosés.

For the Local Chef’s Challenge, I assisted Rick Kimmes, Executive Chef at The Oceanaire Seafood Room, and Jack Riebel, Executive Chef at The Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant. We used wonderful local ingredients from places like Six Rivers and PastureLand Cooperatives.

Rick got knocked out in the first round, but Jack made it all the way to the winner’s circle with his Lamb Carpaccio with Shaved Parmesan and Lingonberry sauce and a Stuffed Chicken Breast with Whole Wheat Saffron Couscous and Ancho Chilies. I know it was more complicated, but we were each responsible for one piece of the whole, so I couldn’t give a full description if my life depended on it. If Jack reads this, maybe he can remember all the details.* All I know is that assisting these fine chefs was an honor and it was amazing how fast 45 minutes can go by.

*Addendum: For Chef Riebel’s final showdown with Chef Fratzke he prepared a lamb carpaccio brushed with a lingonberry and chipotle gastrique with whole lingonberries on top and garnished with micro-arugula, parmesan cheese, pine nuts and apple.

And it wasn’t the chicken at all as I had stated above, that was the previous round for which I assisted. For the final entrée, he chose barramundi which he seared, skin-on, and topped with a dressing made of lingonberry jam, roasted peppers, five different herbs, and ancho chiles. The fish was served alongside a saffron whole-wheat couscous atop a kumquat and cumin reduction, which also included tangerines, shallots, butter, and grapefruit. A lingonberry jam vinaigrette was drizzled around the plate as well.

I was also nabbed at the last minute on Sunday to teach a food and beer pairing class with Mike from Summit Brewery. Unfortunately, the scheduled chef was laid up with pneumonia. On the fly, I came up with a recipe, texted a grocery list to a volunteer who happened to be at Lunds and had a scrumptious beef satay with a spicy peanut sauce to everyone within an hour. I called it “Impromptu Entertaining”. We tasted the satay with four of the Summit Brewery beers. It was a whirlwind, but I think the Red Lager paired the best with the spicy notes of the satay. Here’s the recipe:

Beef Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Yield: 24 one ounce portions

Sauce
Yield: Makes about 1 cup

1/2 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 small shallot, chopped fine
1/2 inch peeled ginger root chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup rice white vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon sriracha or to taste

Heat oil in a saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Cook shallots and ginger, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garlic and continue stirring about 30 seconds.
Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer, stirring. Simmer sauce, stirring, until combined, about 4 to 5 minutes and cool to room temperature.
Sauce may be made up to 3 days ahead and chilled, covered. If sauce is too thick after chilling, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water until sauce reaches desired consistency.
Serve sauce with grilled beef satay. Any remaining can be tossed as part of a spinach salad.

Marinade
Skewers
1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak, 1 1/2 inches thick
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped fine
1 medium shallot, peeled and chopped fine
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 scallions, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sriracha
1/4 cup soy sauce
Juice of one small lime
1 teaspoon honey

Garnish
1/2 cup salted peanuts
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 cup cilantro leaves

Cover skewers in water and soak for at least one hour.
Cut steak across the grain into strips. Place in bowl and toss with remaining ingredients. Let marinate for at least ½ hour a room temperature or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Thread steak on skewers without overlapping.
Cook satay on indoor or outdoor grill until medium rare turning once or twice.
Serve warm or room temperature with a bowl of peanut sauce as part of a buffet, garnishing platter with peanuts, cilantro leaves and sesame seeds.

Posted in Appetizers, Recipes | Leave a comment

Morel Mushrooms and Raw Milk Cheddar, They’re great in a Frittata!

February 15, 2010 | Print

Last spring, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to go morel hunting. I didn’t find any, but friends of mine did and they gladly shared their treasure with me. I dried most of the mushrooms using a dehydrator and luckily, I still had a few left in the pantry.

I reconstituted a ½ ounce of the dried morels and added them to some button mushrooms and other goodies to create a delicious vegetarian frittata. It’s on the PastureLand website. Here’s the link.

Posted in Main Courses, Recipes | Leave a comment

Macarons, take 4 or is it take 5?

February 6, 2010 | Print

Kevin, Jen, and I got together recently for another round of macaron recipe testing. Kevin has now dubbed us “Team Macaron – South Minneapolis.” Prior to our big baking day, I had received an email from an online dessert magazine. Low and behold, it included a YouTube clip of two French pastry chefs making macarons.

Watching in earnest, we were struck by two distinct techniques, neither of which we had seen nor heard. The first was how long the whites were whipped: they were way past “stiff peaks.” The other was the manner in which the batter was mixed. It was not delicate, but rather with the use of a rubber bench scraper. According to the YouTube clip, one can go to town, mixing and folding the batter, though only until it drops off the scraper like lava. “Dropping like lava” is the most common analogy for how the batter should look.

We made four ½ sheet pans of the vanilla flavored ones, piping them out on silpats. They were allowed to “cure” for about ½ hour or until they formed a skin across the top. One pan went into a 300º F oven. Other batch was double panned, but the oven remained at 300º F. That was a big mistake.

A double pan should have been cooked at 375º F. They had a beautiful top and foot but were hollow inside. The batch cooked on the single jelly roll pan at 300º F turned out great: crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and not hollow. Could success finally be at our fingertips?

The chocolate ones we whipped up that day were not quite as successful. Jen believed it was because we actually under-folded the batter, meaning the batter was not as lava-like as we would have preferred. Hindsight is, of course, 20/20.

If the success was at our fingertips, it was only a fluke. On Monday, I made another batch of the vanilla. I didn’t fare well at all. I tried baking some at two different temperatures and came out with totally different results. The ones baked in the 300º F were hollow; the ones baked at 375º F had no bottoms whatsoever. I believe it is the folding technique that I have not perfected. The photographs are the ones from Sunday that actually worked.

We’re continue to strive for the perfect shell and using the recipe from Helen of Tartelette seems to be most reliable:

What you’ll need for the shells:
90 g egg whites (roughly 3 egg whites)
25 g to 50 g granulated sugar (2 tbsp to 1/4 cup)
200 g powdered sugar (1.5 cups + 2 tbsp)
110 g slivered, blanched, or sliced almonds (3/4 cup)

What to do:
Prep the eggs:
48 hrs in advance, separate the whites from the yolks and place the whites in a super clean bowl. Leave at room temp, uncovered or loosely covered with a towel at least 24 hrs. Refrigerate after that, if desired. You can use eggs that have been “aging” for up to 5 days.

Prepare the macarons:
Place the powdered sugar and almonds in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Sift a couple of time to remove bits and pieces. Regrind if necessary. You can also use a coffee grinder for the nuts.

Once your nuts and powdered sugar are mixed together, rub them in between your fingertips to break the bigger pieces.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, (think bubble bath foam) gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue (think shaving cream). Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry.

Add the nuts and powdered sugar to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10. Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate. If the tops flattens on its own, you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (Ateco #807 or #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit.

If using convection, preheat the oven to 280° F. If using regular electric or gas, preheat the oven to 300° F. When ready, bake for 18 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool.

Posted in Desserts, Recipes | Leave a comment

Add Some Spice!

February 2, 2010 | Print

Minneapolis’s own Sameh Wadi, co-owner and chef of Saffron Restaurant & Lounge, competed last summer in Iron Chef America. He was up against Morimoto (his choice) and the secret ingredient was Mackerel. The show aired Sunday, January 24. To celebrate, Sameh and his brother Saed hosted a party at the Hotel Minneapolis to watch the competition. I believe everyone who was there that night would agree: he was robbed! Regardless, it was a great night to congratulate a very talented, rising star and enjoy the cuisine inspired by their restaurant.

Chef Wadi has created a line of spice blends from his restaurant kitchen, including mixes influenced by North African, Middle Eastern, and Indian cuisines. Don’t get me wrong and don’t think I’ve gone soft, as I still fully embrace cooking from scratch. However, when one needs to prepare a quick dinner and doesn’t have time to toast, grind, and mix spices, these are a great alternative.

Not long ago, I was in that very predicament. I had a couple of chicken breasts in the fridge that needed to be cooked. By the time it took my indoor grill pan from Le Creuset to heat, I had rubbed the chicken with a little olive oil, salt, and some Ras El Hanout blend. While the chicken was cooking low and slow, I quickly prepared some couscous and sautéed some vegetables. Within half an hour, a delicious weeknight dinner was on the table and deserving of a glass of Riesling to enjoy with it.

I was in the same boat yet again not too long ago and knew that I had a couple dozen large shrimp in the freezer. Here’s the recipe.

24 Shrimp, 13-15 count
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1½ teaspoons Dry Harissa blend
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Heat a grill pan over medium flame. Using a paper towel, pat the shrimp dry. Toss them in a bowl with the oil, spices, and salt. Cook the shrimp about 3 minutes per side or just until no longer pink.

A green salad with grapes and avocado shared the plate with the shrimp, as did a small bowl of spicy cocktail sauce. Having a bottle of Hou Hou Shou sake in the refrigerator, I thought, “Hey, I wonder how sake would pair with the shrimp?” It was quite nice, actually, with its clean, sparkling character against the spices of the Dry Harissa.

If you don’t have time to make your own spice blend, be sure to check out the wonderful combinations from Iron Chef Contestant and restaurateur Sameh Wadi.

Posted in General Blog, Main Courses, Recipes | Leave a comment