A few Saturdays ago, it was luxury wrapped in frivolity – not unlike a bacon wrapped scallop. Driving fast down I-90 towards Chicago, modern art, the JW Marriott, the best friend and a downtown dinner, I was in a little Ellie Heaven.  It was pretty nice that luxury was on a budget- points at the Marriott, Groupon to the Contemporary art museum was finally topped off with a decadent flourless chocolate cake- on the house for the birthday girls.

Laying in our stupid nice beds at the Marriott (the bathroom mirror has a TV inside of it) we consulted our dinner options and, craving Italian ended up at 312 in the theater district. You won’t find it on Metromix’s hot new restaurants, but you will find a rich interior of dark wood and jazz music, you’ll find kind staff and a bad ass grilled octopus with kale (if there is a cephalopod on the menu, I’m ordering it.)

We sat directly behind the maître’d  stand on low backed stools,- two girls working on wine bottle number two (Paco and Lola Albarino) and ogling the small dishes as fast, leathery hands julienned vegetables and tenderized duck breast.  As we put in our order for Barbabietole (roasted beet, baby greens, hazel nuts, ricotta salata in a blood orange vinaigrette) and the Rigatoni Bolognese with three meats, I pointed unobtrusively at the prep area and said to Katie “Oh yeah, what is THAT?” The waiter looked at me and said, “it is for you.” I guess I’m not that subtle. A surprise to no one.

This is the beauty of the chef’s table. It vaults dining into a common experience and a theatrical event- you’re the audience by also the participants, your reactions are critical to the outcome of the meal, a chose your own adventure of courses. If you search for a definition of a chef’s table, you’ll find lots of information on expensive prix-fixe menus, VIP only areas and hard-to-come-by reservations. This is in a sense true, many of Chicago’s finest restaurants have this- Trotters and Spiaggia to name two; and Schwa is one big chef’s table. But sometimes if is as humble as a few stools and a bit of extra space. I have to think the tradition stems from eating with your family after you’ve cooked and from our intrinsic love of food. The chef’s table is dance, acting, flattery, sex, capitalism and dinner.

The waiter put the two small plates in front of Katie and I, soft potato gnocchi with rabbit ragu and thyme. It was pretty fantastic. And, because the day had called for it, somehow one of the line cooks could just tell we needed a scallop. The truffle essence and mushrooms just kicked it over the top.

Here was the menu

Matt’s Famous Pulled Pork

Peach and mozzarella flat bread with torn basil and balsamic reduction

Potato Salad with dill and capers

Kale and Arugula salad with peas, and feta

South Carolina Coconut Cake

All the different sauces we could find to dress it up.

I borrowed the photo from Epicurious- I ate sandwich far to quickly

The meal was a success- but we learned a lesson everyone already knew- you simply cannot rush a slow cooking meat. It will not listen and is more stubborn that you are. The recipe for the pulled pork is blindingly easy and derives its goodness form time spent in the crockpot, awesome seasoning, and a little love. We also started a fire in the oven, but that story is for another time.

Take one pork shoulder about weight dependent on the size of the crockpot and season meat with a generous handful of salt, pepper, dried rosemary and thyme.  Slice one white onion horizontally to make rings and place half the rings on the bottom of the crock pot. Add ½ cup of apple cider vinegar and ½ cup or one half bottle of darker beer. Drink the other half of the beer. Place the meat on top of the onions and cover. Cook, cook more, then cook more. You are shooting for 8 hours of cook time for the meat to be moist and very tender.

When it starts to fall off the bone when poke at it with a fork, remove it from the pot and “pull it” with two forks moving in opposing directions. Then the fun begins, add in your BBQ sauce of choice, a few dashes of Worchester sauce and the best spicy mustard you have. Let your guests add their own hot sauces to taste- no sense lighting mouths on fire, only hearts. 

Oysters

Music

Po’Boys

Oysters

Art

See, now my top five is a top six, though I opted out of the hurricane. Yay for drinking beer on the streets and wondering for hours!! And yes oysters are on there twice. In most other cities and definitely in the Midwest oysters are reserved a special spot on the menu, but in the Big Easy, they are right there in the appetizer section next to the meat pies, crab cakes and fried alligator. Yes, pretty much heaven for me.

I purchased by plane ticket in a very you’re-only-young-once mental state in the middle of a stressful work day. Great choice. The party on Bourbon Street is widely known as the most ridiculous party in the US, where boobs are almost as plentiful as the drinks and everyone is out all night. Well, everyone is truly out all night, but I saw no breasts and really truly only like bourbon for the dancing (which helped me return with zero voice to speak of).

The real greatness of the city lies off this main street, where art galleries and oyster filled restaurants line the sidewalks- I could look at weird art and eat oysters all day long, 6 days a week. 7 would be overkill.

Now the oyster. The first thing to know is they are regional, like the grapes for wine or a stinky cheese, they pick up the flavor of their surroundings called the terroir. The Louisiana oysters from the gulf coast are large and thick shelled; they cover the vast public fisheries lining the coast, which makes for easy shucking and cheaper eating. Here is something cool, unlike most other oysters, these guys never have to go dormant due to cooler water temps and therefore don’t change drastically in flavor over the year. I found them less subtle in flavor than their New England brethren, but meaty and delicious in their own right. And of course in a land where I have to believe well over half are consumed in dressed Po’Boy sandwiches with spicy mayo, lettuce and tomato, they are perfect.

I ate oysters three different ways when I visited the city:

Chargrilled at Acme, the famous French Quarter mainstay, est. 1910 – these are a garlic-butter-seafood lover’s dream come true. Topped with a cheese, green onion and creole mix, they are left to bubble on a grill until warm, goooooing all over and toasty brown. For the Midwesterners, I’m pretty positive this will work in our ovens (if you happen to come by some raw oysters like me…read on…) Try this recipes snatched up from a Louisiana Web site I give it the legit-ness stamp of approval.

Thanks to Lindsay for this photo (tough to get in such low light!)

Fried Oyster Po’Boy- Acme, Felix’s and Jonnhy’s Po’Boys- Yes I ate three of them. Some were what they call the Peacemaker meaning there is also fried shrimp inside. I do believe these could bring harmony between enemies.  Always remember, what a Po’Boy needs is more remoulade sauce, chipotle hot sauce and a few bucks in his pocket.

Thanks to FoodiFoto for the image, click for link!

Remoulade Sauce for Fried Everything (adapted from Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients

·         ½ cup mayonnaise

·         ½ teaspoon capers , drained and rinsed

·         ½ teaspoon Creole Stone Ground Mustard

·         1small clove garlic , chopped coarse

·         1 ½ teaspoons sweet pickle relish

·         1 tbsp finely chopped green onion

·         1 teaspoon hot sauce (I like the smokiness of a chipotle variety)

·         1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

·         1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

Pulse all ingredients except salt and pepper in food processor until all mixed and mashed, but not totally smooth, roughly  ten 1-second pulses. Season with your salt and pepper to taste. Eat on everything.

Oysters on the half shell- My favorite, so I had them with every meal. In New Orleans, I didn’t find mignonette sauce, but rather a healthy dose of horseradish to mix into ketchup (so basically  cocktail sauce to your specifications) and lemon. Perfection.

What a tour of the shell I have had. If you want to learn more about the oyster and take the “What kind of oyster eater are you” test at the OysterGuide.com.  I am every kind- the Wild One, the Sweet Tooth, The Brine Hound etc. Lastly, check back in a few posts—I have 48 live oysters ready to be shipped to my house at a moment’s notice- looks like I have to learn how to shuck them!

It has been a while since I’ve written. But what has happened in those months that doesn’t happen every year? We had thanksgiving and Christmas with all the mashed potatoes and polishes sauce that comes with each holiday. I’ve cooked a bit, learned more about beer but in this new year, I now have something to put to paper.

This sandwich. With beautiful fresh baguette or a little potbellied battered, these breads are true art, Louve worthy art. And the fillings! oh oh the glorious cured meats that taste of smoke and spices and earth; the cheeses that evoke memories i didn’t even know I had–  I must have created them from my former life as a farm girl in Savoie. Of maybe my future life…..

Just after Labor Day, the cool curtain of autumn has once again gently descended upon the Midwest. It smells like fall; the sun’s heat still beads the sweat on runner’s foreheads but the air is crisp and laced with the urge to apple pick. Dialogue

Fall also makes me want to write as darker afternoons take me inside earlier. All summer I endeavored to play outside as much as possible- leaving little time for blogging. But it seems that I owe one more roof top post. Save the best for last? Definitely the indulgent and celebratory feast of the series.

Six Cheese Tasting at Fromagination

Nothing makes people happier (in Wisconsin at least) than a truly excellent meat and cheese board. We nailed it in mid July over looking Milwaukee’s Lake Michigan. The first thing of course is the cheese.  I like three or five cheeses on the board, depending on the size of your party. Let’s go with three here, because the final rooftop gathering was an intimate affair. I wish I had a usable picture…but the food was devoured!

I start with a hard cheese, an sarveccio for example and it gets me every time. It is best with fresh baked baguette- look for the “take and bake” variety at any halfway decent grocery store. Then, I move to something creamy, maybe the Fromager d’Affinois from France if I want a creamy ka-powie to my arteries and a little bite of heaven for my tongue. It is a cows milk cheese that undergoes ultrafiltration which removes the excess water from the milk and concentrates the flavor. This I like to eat with a sturdy , like a cracker from La Panzanella. They are envelope sized and thin, breakable to any size and have the best cracker flavor I’ve had to date. They will set you back a few bones, but it is worth it.  Lastly, I want something vegetal like a slightly aged goats milk gouda. It’s meat is so perfectly white and its flavor delicate and complex. I like it with a few dried cherries to complement. 

Alongside the cheeses, my favorite summer accompaniment has to be a fresh garden radish. Serve with a little salted butter and that baguette you’ve just baked and you’re a tried and true gourmand.  The sharp freshness of the radish with cut through the fat in the cheese leaving your mouth happily refreshed and ready to try the next variety.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, why not have small artisan salami? I love to patronize local haunts like Fromagination in Madison, Vinic Wine in Evanston, or Broaders in Minneapolis, but when I want something tasty, reliable and in the price range, I hit Trader Joes. With red and white wine soaked versions, I can save my money for the cheese!

Finally, because it is Wisconsin (I know this makes four cheeses)  a perfect cheddar- Hooks aged 7 years is one of my favorites. Looking to fall, serve this with a slice of tart apple (particularly satisfying if you go out and pick it yourself . Oh and I can’t help myself, speaking of tree produced fruits, at your early October dinner party, swap dessert out for firm ripe pears, a good stilton or maybe the Dunbarton Blue (see the picture!) from Roelli Cheese in Shullsburg WI and some local Wisconsin honey.  Choose a variety that isn’t too sharp- opt for wildflower or clover- to accent and enhance the cheese and fruit, not overwhelm it. (Blues are also lovely with dried figs).

My goodness, I love cheese and Autumn! I can’t wait for apple hunting, hayrides and my second annual pumpkin carving party. 

Out Saturday night menu began with the copious amount of mint discovered in a Wyatt’s backyard. If you’re 25, pretty much the first thing that comes to mind when we think of mint is a mojito, followed by the beach, surfing and consequently beautiful beach bods.  Well there really aren’t beaches to speak of in Madison but it is berry season! The exquisite and sparkly blackberry drinks are the essesnce of summer, and the center piece of this meal, served with a delicious side of fajitas of course. 

Made in a large pitcher, this cocktail was a crowd pleaser, individualized for each drinker with 3 plump berries and a sprig of mint. This recipe makes enough for 6 if most people drink two. Said another way, this makes enough for 12, but what fun is that?

Blackberry Mojitos for a Crowd

Recipe

1/3 cup packed mint, plus 6-12 springs for garnish

1 ½ cups blackberries plus more for garnish

500 mL of light rum (you pick your own portions, depending on how boozy you want this)

2 bottles of club soda

Juice of two limes

½ cup simple syrup

Crushed Ice

Muddle mint in the bottom of a heavy glass with a muddler or a wooden spoon. Muddling releases the essential oils trapped in the flesh of the mint leaves; you want to bruise them, not cut them. However, you want to mash the heck of out of the blackberries and ¼ cup of the rum in another glass. You’re goal is to extract as much juice as you can. Strain blackberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on solids to get every last bit of flavor.

Combine blackberry juice, rum, club soda, lime juice and muddled mint in jar. In each glass, add about 1/3 cup of crushed ice and pour in mojito! Garnish with three blackberries and a sprig of mint.

Gosh, it is morning as I’m writing this, but I secretly want this refreshing beverage right. When you’re on a plane you’re allowed a cocktail at normally unacceptable times, right?

Teasing, of course! The mojito was absolutely designed for a hot afternoon, which makes quite a bit of sense- it is pretty hot in cuba! The original mojito was muddled with yerbabuena springs, a special kind of mint and first made for Sir Francis Drake in the 19^th Century. Now it is made for me, in my kitchen and great bars all around the world. Culinary globalization has its upsides.

PS: Yerbabuena  means “good herb” and can mean all sorts of slightly different plant, depending which small town you’ve been exploring.

Night One Menu:

Grilled Lemon Cumin Chicken

Salt and Pepper Corn

Arugula Salad with Sunchokes, Roasted Yellow Beets in a Basil Vinaigrette

Beer, Wine and G&T’s

Nothing better than watching the sunset and your male friends puzzle over coals that refuse to light! (Three heads and a little estrogen in the situation get us straight.)   No, I am  teasing, everyone and everything turned out perfectly.

Matt and Alex achieved the illusive: a perfect caramel-y skin on the chicken without drying the meat in the slightest. Atop the cumin/cayenne/thyme marinade, a fresh squeeze of lemon cut through the spicy heat like a blast from an edible watergun.

Personally the salad was my favorite.  Sunchokes are a crunchy sweet discovery that will become a staple on my table.  More than anything though  Madison in the summer with friends greatly missed is what makes life good. Oh, and a really good gin, that makes life really, extra good. Here is the first in a series of recipes for roof top fun.

Grilled Chicken with Cumin, Thyme and Lemon

Serves 4

4 bone-in-skin-on-yum- Chicken Breasts

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 teaspoons chili pepper (cayenne is fine)

1 teaspoon salt to taste

2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme if you have it. (sounds weird I know but it is good)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoons pepper

2 cloves minced garlic

1/3 cups olive oil

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice  plus an extra lemon for later

Mix all dry ingredients and fresh thyme in a small bowl. Make sure it smells delicious. Grab a large gallon bag and add spice mix, chopped garlic, olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Moosh it around to mix and add chicken breasts. Allow to marinate for at least an hour. The longer the better, but who really can marinate chicken for 3 hours and not get hungry?

Prepare the coals in a chimney starter (judge the coals on the size of your grill, 60-70). When they get started, pour them onto one side of the grate and allow them to turn grayish white. Place chicken, skin side up partially over the coals. Allow to cool, flipping half way through for 30 minutes. If the marinade starts to burn, move to the non coal side.

When the chicken ready, squeeze the juice of one lemon over the top. Let the breasts sit for 5 minutes before cutting through the skin.

While the beauty hard yet eludes me, with my new network of people in Madison with actual homes that sport burgeoning backyards I’ve found a radish source. The first delivery occurred last week and I was so excited I bypassed the washing stage in favor of a quick dust off on my shirt and ended up with a mouthful of earth - which was the best earth I have ever tasted. The radish belongs to the Raphanus genus, meaning “quick appearing” and it is true, all of a sudden radish season is upon us with the speed and bounty of an edible lottery. The radishes from Andrea’s garden are large and full of flavor, like any radish they pack a spicy punch, but these are almost creamy in a clean, refreshing way. Delicious. A gardener’s triumph.

I started cooking right way, with the first bag, I ate many plain, some with butter and salt a la the French, a few slices on a avocado sandwich, rustic potato salad and finally a giant salad.

Perhaps you have a friend with radishes too, or maybe your own, or I bet you can find a great farmers market near you. Eat some radishes. These poor gems are too often relegated to the sad side of the crudités plate at lunch.

Summer salad with Radishes, Snap Peas, and Feta in a Lemon Dill Dressing

Serves 2-4 (depends on the lettuce head)

This salad is easy peasy, but you’ll impress the pants off your taste buds. The feta and dill unify divergent (but complementary) smooth butter lettuce, sassy radish and sweet green pea creating a lovely bowl of happiness.

1 head of butter lettuce, torn and washed thoroughly with one handful of arugula

1 radish bunch or 5 large radishes

1 large handful of fresh snap peas

¼ pound fresh feta (some of the best is packaged in water, it’s not gross, I promise)

1 tbsp finely chopped dill

1 tbsp lemon juice

1-2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar (if you want a richer, sweeter flavor use regular or aged balsamic)

3 tbsp high quality olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

For the dressing, combine lemon juice and vinegar in a mason jar with a lid and add a pinch of salt. (Salt will dissolve better in an acid alone than an acid-oil combination to create a more balanced dressing.  Shake mixture then add the olive oil, dill and a few grinds of pepper and shake to emulsify.

Find a big beautiful salad bowl next (I like blue for the color combo here) and toss in the greens. Clean and de-top the radishes and slice the long way across. Next, thinly slice each piece into half moon crescent and chop the pea pods in ½ inch pieces. This gives the diner something to sink her teeth into.  Add the veggies to the salad and crumble the feta over top. Shake the dressing jar one last time and dress the salad to your liking.

Nom Nom! Happy eating!

The meal was really lovely, but more than the bright and bracing flavor of the oysters, or the balance between sweet crab and garden fresh tomato, I was struck by how the meal made me think. Sipping my glass of cheap white wine, I realized that the taste was so good because I don’t drink wine much any more. And I’m not cooking the way I love to, spending hours in the kitchen just because it makes me happy. I miss inventing and making strange concoctions that sometimes work and sometimes don’t (beet terrine with herb gelatin? awful).  I am scared that in this new job, which affords me so many opportunities (restaurant exploration and work-wise)  that I might be losing a little bit of myself.

Now, this was pretty heady stuff for a glass of mediocre pinot gris (my studying oenophile self is angry that I liked it so much), but one never knows when your subconscious will decide to strike. So it’s time to get back to the kitchen, back to the bottle and back to what I love.

So here is my goal, two posts a week and cooking not just to eat, but to play, to learn and to dine.

All this said, the salmon with king crab salad and pear vinaigrette were really fantastic and deserve their time in the spot light. Enough pontificating Ellie.

Crab is a beautiful thing. Last week, I ate more crab than over the past 2 years. And I liked it. Next week i’m going to make Hearts of Palm Salad with Red Grapefruit and Dungeness Crab. Miss Erica Everage, you are responsible for my love of palm, looking forward to Dining in LA with you soon!

I had my first 3 Way this weekend…and yes, it was good for me.   

I have been traveling to Cincinnati Ohio for nearly 8 month now seems time to do a little experimenting: I finally decided to have a 3 way. Heck, I’m an open minded person, why not.

 Skyline Chili is to Cincinnati as Starbucks is to New York:  from any vantage point in the city, you can see two Skyline Chili “restaurants”. Ok that is a bit of an exaggeration, but only a little. The blue and red logos are everywhere: pasted across billboards, sponsoring little league teams or welcoming you into one of the 100+ culinary establishments.

So it isn’t really chili; it least as most of the country (me) think of it.  The recipe has to be the worst kept secret in food franchise history: no fewer than five people this weekend told me the two “secret ingredients”—“Chocolate and cinnamon” they would half whisper as if bequeathing me the keys to ultimate life enjoyment.  The odd ingredients and smoother texture place Skyline chili somewhere between diner style chili and Mexican mole– a truly unique taste.

 This little stunner in the picture above is the signature dish– The Three Way. (Some might say the cheese coney- chile+cheese+hotdog is the true classic, but I respectfully disagree based on my unofficial poll of locals.)

 There is a strict protocol when you have your first three way— and at no time does it involve girls or boobs. In fact despite the innuendo in its name, skyline might be the unsexiest food of all time. (Cincinnatians, you might disagree I guess….) Anyway, here are the rules.  

To eat:

1.       Remove a pinch of the cheese with your fingers before even lifting your fork.

2.       Don’t even think of swirling the pasta: cut and swoop.

3.       Add an oyster cracker for a needed texture change.

4.       Enjoy, really probably will like it more than you expect!

5.       Don’t get on a plane or any small enclosed area with lots of other people for at least 5 hours afterward.

 If you’re really into Skyline, or if you are in a situation where you need to impress a Cincinnati native (and gently coax them to alternate culinary habits) try making your own Cincinnati Style Chili. Bon Appétit, I love you.