Small Dishes

SMALL DISHES HAS MOVED

2009-07-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

Madison Magazine has a revamped website and my blog Small Dishes can now be found there - the new address is: http://www.madisonmagazine.com/Blogs/Small-Dishes/

Food in Time

2009-07-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

I was just watching NBC Nightly News and Brian Williams asked the question, "Where were you when Apollo 11 landed on the moon?" I do remember, and of course, it involves food. I was just finishing up dinner with friends in a Greek restaurant in London. They had hooked up a black and white TV in the dining room and everyone was intently watching, especially the owner. This was a neighborhood place we habited frequently. When the landing craft touched down on the surface of the moon a big cheer went up and shortly thereafter the owner brought everyone ice cream adorned with little paper American flags, and as always, mint-flavored Turkish Delight. The owner refused to let us pay for dinner! The moon walk that came later I didn't see live because of the time difference. But I remember the headlines of the London papers the next day, "One Small Step ..." Anytime the subject of the moon landing comes up or I see Turkish Delight, I always think about this restaurant and that evening.

A Bite of History

2009-07-19T18:54:00.000-07:00

Not many restaurants function successfully as culinary museums, serving historically accurate menus and recipes. As much as we tend to romanticize the past, today I would find much of what people once ate bland and boring. But, as we all know, food is only part of the experience of dining out. There is that indefinable element called ambiance that some restaurants seem to inexplicably have while others don’t. It never hurts if a place has a past, legends and lore, whether fact or fiction. An eatery with a history also speaks to the quality of their food—you can only get by for so long with smoke and mirrors.

I hear frequently that people are staying closer to home because of the economy. Whether this is true or not, I think we tend to overlook what is our own backyard, dismiss it as commonplace. So I’ve picked a handful of destinations that will not only feed you well, but also have a tale to tell.

Birchwood

Stout’s Is land Lodge. In1903, lumber baron Frank D. Stout built a family summer home on his private island in Red Cedar Lake. The rustic lodge and cabins were constructed from local logs. Unfortunately, the log bark became invested with bugs. This necessitated the rebuilding of the structures using cedar logs from Idaho in 1915. Over the years, new outbuilding were added, and on the mainland, the Big Farm and Tagalong Golf Course—modeled after Scotland’s famous St. Andrews. Today the intimate resort houses guests in two lodges and several cabins. The dining room with its view of the lake features a seasonal menu built around local specialties, using local ingredients. The dining room is open to the public for lunch and dinner but reservations are required.

Hubertus

Fox and Hounds. As a kid, I remember thumbing through the pages of Holiday, the then prestigious travel magazine whose recommendations were coveted. The restaurant in Wisconsin to always make their list was the Fox and Hounds. It began as a one-room cabin in 1845. It was restored by Ray Wolf 90 years later to use as his headquarters for the many fox hunts he orchestrated. After a bar was installed on the lower level, he decided to open it up to the public as a restaurant in 1934. Rooms were added and it became an ever more popular dining spot, culminating with Life magazine designating it as one of America’s 40 Best Roadside Inns. In 1963, Roy died and shortly thereafter the restaurant was purchased by Karl Ratzsch’s, Milwaukee’s renowned German restaurant. Today, the Fox and Hounds is owned by Thomas Masters, his brother, Will Masters, and Jim Constantineau whose relationship with the property began when they first worked there 30 years ago, parking patron’s cars. The menu is what you would expect of this Wisconsin dowager. Little seems to change here, least of all its refined, clubby atmosphere.

Kohler

The American Club. In 1918, Walter J. Kohler erected a large Tudor-style dormitory to house immigrant workers who came to work at the Kohler Company. Son of an immigrant himself, he hoped that by naming it The American Club, combined with an emphasis on high standards and patriotism, it would inspire the new arrivals to love their new country. Almost seventy years later, renovated, restored and expanded, the landmark became arguably the state’s premier resort, including a spa and two championship golf courses. Legend has it that the American Club is haunted. Some claim to have seen the ghost of a woman in room 209, site of a suicide many years ago. Others have watched the ghost of a man exiting room 315, once the scene of a murder. The complex features several dining rooms and cafes, the most acclaimed being the formal Immigrant Restaurant and Winery.

Lake Delton

Ishnala. Originally a rustic summer home perched high above Mirror Lake, following World War II Madison’s Hoffman Brothers (Hoffman House) purchased the property and shaped it into a supper club. It’s always been strictly a rite of summer since it has no heating system. Its quirky décor of log walls, stuffed animal heads and fake teepees and totems contribute to its dated charm. Its name in Ho Chung translates to “by itself alone” but it’s always crowded during the season, especially on weekends, and they don’t take reservations for parties of less than eight. Trust me, the scenery and a tall drink from the Tiki Bar will soothe the wait.

The Del-Bar. It’s hard to believe that this place was once a humble log cabin, a little roadhouse halfway between Wisconsin Dells and Baraboo, whose claim to fame was fried steaks. With no restaurant experience and little money, Jimmy and Alice Wimmer bought the place in 1943. The Del-Bar was remodeled and enlarged several times, gradually replacing its rustic look with architect James Dresser’s Frank-Lloyd-Wright-inspired prairie style. However, the original dining room—now called the Garden Room—is still there. The Wimmer family continues to run the iconic supper club today. If you simply want a martini and steak, properly prepared, the Del-Bar seldom disappoints.

Madison

Smoky’s Club. It seems steakhouses have once again become trendy, but there’s nothing retro here about the big slabs of meat served un-sauced and sizzling. The biggest change at the restaurant in over 50 years was the recent cigarette ban, taking the smoke out of Smoky’s Club. Leonard “Smoky” Schmock and his wife Janet started the place in 1953. Year by year, as the steakhouse prospered, more and more memorabilia was hung from the walls and ceiling, everything from stuffed muskies and bears to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. There’s story that goes with each piece of accumulated stuff—just ask. Don’t ask for crème brûlée for dessert, but instead, one of their specialty ice cream drinks like a grasshopper or brandy Alexander.

Manitowish Waters

Little Bohemia Lodge. Like many flatlanders, some of the country’s most notorious gangsters—Al Capone, Baby Face Nelson and John Dillinger—would head to the North Woods each summer. The Bohemia Lodge became instantly famous in 1931 after the F.B.I. botched a raid there while trying to apprehend John Dillinger and his gang, all of whom escaped. The owner left the bullet holes in the windows and walls so that the people who then flocked there wouldn’t be disappointed. Later, after becoming a popular supper club, Clark Gable and other celebrities often would water and dine here. The recent release of the movie Public Enemy has put the lodge back in the crosshairs since it was the location for several scenes. Next month, the owners will start Dillinger tours of the property. However, since the 1920s most have come for the hearty food, breakfast, lunch or dinner. Now you can sit in the same chair where Johnny Depp recently sat, trying to choose between Eggs Dillinger, Sweet Lady in Red Salad or Baby Face Steak Sandwich.

Milwaukee

Karl Ratzch’s. Most of Milwaukee’s signature German heritage has slipped away. Not so at Karl Ratzch’s, sought out for its old-word cooking since it opened as Hermann’s Café back in 1904. Today, it indubitably is one of the country’s best German restaurants. As you might expect, the setting is all dark wood paneling and hewn beams, tall ceramic steins and starched white linen. The menu bulges with hefty classics like sauerbraten and wiener schnitzel and a roast duck as good as you will find anywhere in the state. The service bespeaks another era and is no small part of the dining experience here. It’s hard to imagine a Milwaukee with Karl Ratzch’s.

Watt’s Tea Room. Growing-up, I remember going with my mother to the tea room at Block’s Department Store, on shopping trips to Indianapolis. I looked forward to the Choo Choo Special (one of the few times I would order off the children’s menu). I don’t remember what it was but it was served in a ceramic locomotive. (They also put little paper umbrellas in the pink lemonade.) Watt’s is one of the few tea rooms to survive, most done in by the demise of department stores and fascination with fastfood. Located on the second floor of George Watt & Son, a family-run business for 139 years and one the country’s leading retail purveyors of china, the tea room is an ever popular ladies-lunch spot. The olive-nut sandwiches on freshly baked bread and sunshine cake are local legends. Little changes here, least of all the decorum or recipes.

Mukwonago

Heaven City. The stately mansion on the shores of the Fox River has a sordid past. Once a bordello, stories of gangsters and ghosts abound. It’s not uncommon for guests to say they heard voices, laughter and footsteps with no one in sight … or saw knobs turn and doors open by themselves. It’s a fun and funky place and very romantic as well. For many years, the restaurant has enjoyed a reputation as one of the area’s finest. The menu is eclectic and a combination of American and Continental favorites, prepared with quality ingredients. For a real taste of nostalgia, enjoy one of their special dishes on Thursday prepared and flambéed tableside.

Nashotah

Red Circle Inn. It can claim bragging rights as the state’s oldest restaurant. In 1847, Francis Schraudenbach, a Bavarian immigrant, established it as a stage coach inn along the plank road that connected Milwaukee and Watertown. Originally named the Nashotah Inn, with its many fine fireplaces, its reputation grew as a snug and cozy stopover. In 1889, the place took on new life, purchased by the dapper Fred Pabst, owner of Milwaukee’s Pabst Brewing Company. He changed the name to the Red Circle Inn, a reference to an important part of the Pabst logo. In 1917 the inn was destroyed by fire but rebuilt in 1921. The inn passed from Pabst to the Pulaski family and then to Aad Groenevelt, founder of Provimi veal. For the past 16 years Norm and Martha Eckstaedt have owned and managed the Red Circle Inn. The menu reminds me of the finer, big city restaurants my father would take me to in the 60s: escargots, onion soup au gratin, beef Wellington, roast duckling Montmorency, veal scaloppini … as well as the usual choice of steaks and chops but served with béarnaise or au poivre sauce.

Washington Island

The Washington Hotel. Over 100 years ago Captain Ben Johnson built the hotel to accommodate other ship captains who plied the Great Lakes. The rambling wood structure was restored in 2003, and beside the much praised dining room, is home to a culinary school and bakery. The operation is committed to sustainable agriculture and serving the best seasonal, locally grown food. The hotel fathered Death Door Sprits, vodka and gin made from wheat grown on Washington Island—named for the infamous strait of water separating the island from Door County peninsula. For a taste right here in Madison, visit the Washington Hotel Coffee Room, which features baked goods flown in from the hotel daily.

The Real Deal is Almost Here

2009-07-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

Twice a year, Madison Magazine hosts Restaurant Week, a chance to go to some of the city’s best restaurants and sample some of their best food ... Five days, three set three-course menus for $25. Many also offer special wine pairings at discounted prices. If you’ve ever been, you’ve probably already made your reservations. If you haven’t, don’t be disappointed--it won't be back until January--call today! Many of the participating restaurants are fully booked by the time Restaurant Week begins, July 26. Most restaurants post their menus on their websites.

Restaurant Week, July 26 – 31, Restaurants:

Blue Marlin
Blue Spoon Café
Bluphies Restaurant and Vodkatorium
Borcach Irish Pub
Café Continental
Capitol Chophouse
Captain Bill’s
The Continental Fitchburg
The Dardanelles Restaurant
Dayton Street Grille
Eldorado Grill
Flemings Prime Steakhouse
Fresco
Frida Mexican Grill
Harvest
Inka Heritage
Johnny Delmonico’s
Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse
La Brioche True Foods
Le Chardonnay
Liliana’s Restaurant
Lombardino’s
Mariner’s Inn
Ocean Grill
Osteria Papavero
Quivey’s Grove
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
Samba Brazilian Grill
Zander’s Capitol Grill

Burger Bliss

2009-07-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board has a great new website, Cheese & Burger Society, with 30 recipes for Wisconsin-themed cheeseburgers. You can also become a fan on Facebook.

Rib Bit

2009-06-27T15:19:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say I’ve eaten and cooked ribs for as long as I can remember but it wouldn’t be true. I did grow up with hickory pit barbecue but for the most part it was pork, mutton or ocaissionally beef sandwiches. Barbecued pork ribs, though universally popular now, seem to have evolved west of the Mississippi rather than in the South.

My first encounter with this American culinary icon was in someone’s backyard. It was more bones than meat (and meat that was dry and stringy at best), drowned in ketchupy sauce and charred black over charcoal. I’m afraid I wasn’t anxious to try them again for sometime. The occasion would be at Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous in Memphis. Their baby back ribs were grilled over charcoal but perfectly cooked and seasoned with a dry rub rather than sauced. I progressed to spareribs, slowly smoked, sampling them at legendary BBQ havens like Arthur Bryant’s and Gate’s in Kansas City and Sonny Bryan’s in Dallas.

As with most things I develop a taste for, I decided that I can make it myself. After much bone sucking, some research and a hell of a lot of experimentation, I’ve come up with what are for me the perfect spareribs—until I come up with something better.

It didn’t take me long to figure out I much preferred barbecued—slow smoking over a hardwood fire—as opposed to grilled—quickly broiled over high heat—ribs. Unfortunately, I’ve never had the space or resources to build a genuine pit in my backyard. Fortunately, about the same time I became a serious fan of Q, the home smoker came along. I’ve owned three to date and all have been the bullet-shaped type with a charcoal fire source and water pan. Chucks of water-soaked hardwood are place directly on the fire to produce smoke. The food placed on racks in the upper portion of the smoker cooks at a temperature range of 200-250 degrees. Today, you can buy several different types of smokers that range in price from about $100 to $3,500. Locally, The Bruce Company, Menards and Home Depot all sell smokers. An accessory I would consider is rib racks which allow you to maximize space in the smoker. Smokers come with basic instructions but I wouldn’t rely too much on the recipes included. A good reference book is Paul Kirk’s Championship Barbecue which will tell you everything you need to know about smoking or grilling just about anything, plus hundreds of interesting recipes and tips. But, I’ll be honest. It takes a lot of trial and error to get it right.

You can use any hardwood for smoking; hickory and mesquite are the most readily available. Many professional barbecue chefs swear by oak because of its exceptionally slow burn. Fruitwoods like apple and cherry are also popular but don’t impart fruit flavor to the barbecue.

All ribs are not created equal. Spareribs come from the belly of the pig, and are usually between 11 and 13 inches long. St. Louis-style spareribs are trimmed and have the brisket bone removed, forming a nice rectangular shape. Kansas City-style ribs are trimmed even further, down to a square. Baby back ribs come from the loin and are leaner and meatier than spareribs. “Country-style ribs” are not ribs at all but a blade cut from the end of the loin, a sort of fatty pork chop.

Both spareribs and baby back ribs have their attributes but I gravitate toward the later. Like most red meat prior to smoking, ribs benefit from a rub. This blend of spices, sugar and salt is actually sprinkled over the surface of the meat but not rubbed in per se. After shaking off the excess the rib racks are sealed in 2-gallon plastic bags and refrigerated overnight. This actually functions as a kind of cure, similar to the original process for making ham. I personally think a rub works much better on ribs than a marinade.

The ribs should be cooked over smoke at 225 degrees for about 4 hours—smoking too long will result in an unpleasant tasting, creosote layer on the meat. Then each rack should be wrapped and sealed first in plastic wrap and then in heavy duty foil. The wrapped racks are returned to the smoker—200 degrees is ideal—for another 2 hours. No the plastic wrap won’t melt! When you serve the ribs, the meat will be fall-off-the-bone tender.

I like my ribs dry with sauce served on the side. If you prefer them wet, they’ll be much more successful if you sauce them at the end. After 4 hours of smoke, wrap and return the racks to the smoker for 1 more hour. Remove the foil and plastic wrap, cut the racks in half and brush the surface of the meat with barbecue sauce. Glaze the half racks over a hot charcoal fire, turning frequently and brushing with sauce, for 10 minutes or so.

If you want to cut corners, my advice is go out for ribs instead. Here are my Best of Madison places to enjoy barbecued ribs.

Eldorado Grill. The restaurant added barbecue to the menu a while back and the dry-rubbed and smoked baby back ribs are exemplary, served with their homemade molasses-based sauce.

Smoky Jon’s #1 BBQ. This is the closest Madison has to a genuine BBQ joint and lays claim to Wisconsin’s largest wood-burning rotisserie pit. For more than 27 years Smoky Jon has piled up awards for his ribs, seasonings and sauce, earning him the title as “Madison's All-Time BBQ King.”

Fat Jack’s Barbecue. Madison’s longest running venue for smoky meat treats, they feature both tender spareribs and baby back ribs served with their own unique spicy sauce. All-you-can-eat sparerib special on Wednesday night.

Papa Bear’s Barbecue. St. Louis style ribs and rib tips along with traditional sides to carry-out.

Famous Dave’s BBQ. It’s a chain to be sure and (one that began in Minneapolis no less) but consistently earns praise and awards for its hickory-smoked spareribs that are finished with their Rich & Sassy® BBQ sauce over an open flame.

Arthur Bryant’s Rib Rub
1 cup salt
2/3 cup paprika
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon ground celery seed
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder

Mix all the ingredients. Generously sprinkle both sides of the ribs with the rub and massage it in. Let ribs sit at least 12 hours, refrigerated, before cooking. This recipe flavors 12 slabs of ribs.

The Rest of the Story

2009-06-22T17:05:00.001-07:00

What's Cookin' on Father's Day

2009-06-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

MENU

June 21, 2009

Father's Day & The First Day of Summer

Pan Fried Vidalia Onion Dip
with Black Pepper Potato Chips

P-Towners

Hickory-Smoked Beef Brisket
with Grapefruit Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

Texas-style Potato Salad

Blue Cheese Cole Slaw

Jalapeño Corn Bread

Peach Blueberry Pie
with Vanilla Ice Cream

Peach Blueberry Pie

Pastry for a double crust 9-inch pie

3 to 3 ½ pounds ripe peaches
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup light-brown sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons instant tapicoa
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream

Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry and chill for 1 hours.

Using a paring knife, cut an "X" in the bottom of each peach. Drop the peaches into a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Remove to a bowl. When they are cool enough to handle, slip off the skins. Cut the peaches into ¾-inch slices and place in a large bowl. Toss with the lemon juice to prevent discoloring.

Add the blueberries, vanilla, brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, tapioca and the flour; toss well.

Lightly brush the bottom crust all over with the egg white; spoon in the filling and dot with the butter.

Cut the top crust into strips ¾-inch wide and make a lattice cover over the filling. Trim the overhang to 1 inch. Moisten the edges of the crusts where they meet with a little water, then press them together lightly and turn them under. Crimp the edges decoratively. Chill for 1 hour.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Brush the lattice crust and the rim with the cream. Sprinkle the surface with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake until it is golden and the juices are bubbling, about 30 to 40 minutes. If the top is getting too brown, tent the pie with foil after about 30 minutes. Let the pie cool on a wire rack before serving.

Makes 1 9-inch pie.

BLTs

2009-06-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

I only eat them in the summer. It’s a simple and classic sandwich but demands the best ingredients to be successful: vine-ripened tomatoes—preferably home grown; crispy, smoked bacon; and crunchy head lettuce leaves stacked between freshly toasted bread with plenty of quality mayo.

I only eat them in the summer because of the tomatoes. For me, tomatoes are the fruition of the season. To be sure, those hard, green things sold in winter have improved in recent years. But the perfect bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich is naught but shear fantasy without a flawless tomato—red and ripe, firm but juicy and properly acidic.

It’s not that I don’t care about the other ingredients. Thickly sliced, applewood-smoked bacon is my favorite but other varieties will suffice so long as probably cooked—tomatoes are soft, so the bacon shouldn’t be. I prefer head lettuce to field greens—it holds up better on the sandwich. Toasted home-style bread—white or whole wheat—is preferable to the squishy, mass produced stuff. I also don’t like French bread that’s so hard it breaks your jaw. The mayonnaise doesn’t have to be homemade but real (no brand endorsement implied). You can, however, easily obtain all of these ingredients all year long.

I grew up eating bacon and lettuce tomato sandwiches. My mother made them, of course, but I didn’t like the Miracle Whip she used instead of mayonnaise. Since she didn’t much care for meat, she made a much more successful vegetarian version, substituting peanut butter for the bacon. It sounds like a weird combination, but I still occasionally put one together just for nostalgia sake and have to admit I always enjoy it. The sandwich was standard fare at luncheonettes which every drug stores and dime store had. I can still remembers sitting at the serpentine counter, chubby legs dangling in the great void between stool and floor, slurping a Green River phosphate and nibbling on a BLT. It was a time when a sandwich was more likely made on toast rather than a bun … and a wrap was only an article of clothing.

The bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich today is most often something consumed at home, but there are several restaurants here that take the art form seriously. Here is my list of Best of Madison BLTs:

Classic BLT: The Old Fashioned. You won’t find it on the regular menu but only as a daily special when Heirloom tomatoes are in season. The best tomatoes ever matched with fine, hickory-smoked bacon from Bavaria Sausage on toasted country bread.

Foodie’s BLT: Marigold Kitchen. Scrap the lettuce and substitute arugula plus some whipped cream and pepper jelly on their signature rosemary bread.

Fishy BLT: Bluephies. So they call it a crab sandwich but it’s really a BLT with crab, guacamole and chipotle aioli. Yum!

Vegetarian BLT: Monty’s Blue Plate. Marinated and grilled tempeh strips with lettuce, tomato and cumin-chipotle mayo served on toasted jalapeño-cheddar cheese bread. Where’s the meat? Who cares?

Best Club Sandwich: Nick’s. One of Madison’s oldest diners piles up a traditional club, a double-decker BLT with the addition of sliced home-style roasted turkey.

Gin and IT

2009-06-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

That’s what they call it in England—gin and Indian tonic. It may be an utterly British drink but it came of age in this country. As a student abroad, I remember looking forward to a trip to the pub for my first authentic gin and tonic. I was handed a smallish wine glass with a squirt of gin and a miniature bottle of Schweppes and told to help myself to ice and lemon laid out on the bar. I wasn’t told not to take more than a cube or two but gleaned that from the glare I got.

My interest in this drink was piqued as a youngster, making frequent trips with my family to Gabe’s Restaurant in Owensboro, Kentucky. The place is most remembered for its revolving, bigger-than-life statue of its owner, Gabe, and his mantra “Hi neighbor, it’s a wonderful world!” Back in the 1950s, Gabe’s had a beautifully lithographed menu. Down its side danced tempting illustrations of colorful cocktails, including a gin and tonic in a tall, sweaty glass garnished with an improbably green lime slice. This wouldn’t be the last time a picture lead to my downfall, but one of the few instances where I wasn’t disappointed.

Coming of age and finally being able to imbibe this libation that I’d lusted after for so long, I was surprised that I actually liked it. My mother had already prejudiced me against gin (or had at least tried). In her opinion, it was not something that nice people drank. My own experience was that the only bad gin was cheap gin.

Gin and tonic came about as an attempt to make bitter quinine—which the British in colonial India took copiously to avoid malaria—more palatable. What could be better than to disguise it with good English gin? Eventually, carbonated water and sugar were added and the beverage bottled. Today’s tonic water only contains a small amount of quinine, added to properly produce the distinctive bitter flavor enjoyed the world over. Ineffective as a malaria prophylactic, bottled tonic water is sometime recommended as a treatment for nocturnal cramps.
Back in the l960s when black lights were all the rage, I recall ordering a gin and tonic in a bar with psychedelic décor and being shocked that my G and T was fluorescent! This was not the result of some drug-induced hallucination: The quinine in tonic water causes it to fluoresce under ultra violet light.

Gin and tonic is traditionally a tall drink, properly made in a Collins glass with lots of ice. In recent years—especially around here—order a gin and tonic and it’s most likely to show up in an on-the-rocks glass. What’s so wrong with that is the resulting gin to tonic ratio. I prefer a gin and tonic made with an old-style gin such as Tanqueray or Plymouth rather than Bombay Sapphire or Citadelle which are better suited for a martini. For me a fresh lime wedge—and not too stingy—is an essential garnish. In the UK they would much more likely use lemon which works in a pinch.

Regardless of how you like your gin and tonic, it will always taste better enjoyed out of doors. Here is my list of Best of Madison places to sip a gin and tonic this summer.

The Continental Fitchburg. The atmosphere on the patio here is always that of a big backyard party—but without paper plates and plastic cups.

Genna’s Cocktail Lounge. It always has a buzz on and is the place to meet after work for the 4:30-6:30 happy hour.

The Edgewater Pier. This place has been shouting “This is Madison!” forever, and though the actual pier is not as long as it once was the vista is bigger than ever.

Fresco. “Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes … I’m on top of the world looking down on creation.”—The Carpenters.

Harvest. On the Square but as close as you’ll get here to a café on the Rue de la Paix.

Bettylou Cruises. A view of the water is serene, but a view from the water is uniquely refreshing.

The Great Dane Pub, Downtown. It may be a brewery but the big dog’s courtyard is a first-class venue for a cocktail.

Ishnala. WISCONSIN SUMMER, filmed on location in IMAX starring Mirror Lake and a cast of thousands.

MORE Pimm's

2009-05-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

You can also enjoy a Pimm's Cup at these Madison establishments:

Genna's Cocktail Lounge
The Bayou
Shamrock Bar
Opus Lounge
Greenbush Bar
The Old Fashioned
Sardine
Local Tavern
Madison Club
Lombardino's
Harvest

It’s Pimm’s Time

2009-05-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

Something the British Isles and Wisconsin have in common is that the arrival of summer can be more a state of mind than the actual weather outside. In England the season officially begins with the first utterance of “Make mine a Pimm’s.” For many in the UK, Pimm’s is the drink of choice at summer events such as Wimbledon (15,000 served each day during the tournament), the Henley Regatta and Glyndebourne. For me, that first idyllic day when I conclude that warm weather is really here to stay (or at least am so flushed with spring fever that I can overlook that it really might snow again) has to be toasted with Pimm’s.

Whenever the subject of Pimm’s comes up inevitably someone asks “What is it?” Even many Pimm’s fans have no idea. Like Chartreuse, Galliano and other proprietary brands its exact formula is a well-guarded secret. Most often, “Pimm’s” specifically refers to Pimm’s No. 1, a gin-based beverage with a 25% alcohol content and flavored with citrus, bitters and quinine.

Its inventor, James Pimm, ran an oyster house in London in the 1840s and started selling his libation there as a tonic. By 1851 he had come up with two more varieties. In addition to the original—now dubbed Pimm’s No. 1, he added Scotch whiskey-based Pimm’s No. 2 and brandy-based Pimm’s No. 3. With the commercial bottling, of Pimm’s, its popularity spread across the British Empire. Like gin and tonic—no doubt because of its quinine content—it was especially fashionable in warm climates such as India. In the 1960s two more varieties were added to the line—rye whiskey-based Pimm’s No. 5 and vodka-based Pimm’s No. 6. Today, only the original and most popular No. 1 and vodka-based No. 6 remain in production. Recently, however, a new Winter Pimm’s based on the old brandy-based No. 3 was introduced.
The best known use for Pimm’s is in a Pimm’s Cup which in England is always made with Pimm’s No. 1, lemonade and most often garnished with an orange slice, cucumber and mint. The lemonade referred to here is not the American kind made from juiced fresh lemons, sugar and water. In England and most of Europe, “lemonade” refers to a sparkling lemon-flavored soda similar to 7up but without the lime flavoring. Whites is the big brand in the UK and I’ve never found it here but you can purchase sparkling lemonade imported from France which is virtually identical— Lorina is a popular brand and available a Jenifer Street Market and other places around town. Otherwise, you can substitute 7up. A British barman will often add a measure of gin to beef up the drink’s modest alcohol content.

Rarely are the ingredients for a Pimm’s Cup actually measured out. The ratio of Pimm’s No. 1 to mixer is a matter of personal taste. The finished drink ought to resemble the color of iced tea, weak or strong.

There is some contention about the proper garnish of a Pimm’s Cup. Cucumber—either a slice or spear—is a must, however. Supposedly, the drink was originally garnished with borage, a green herb that has a cucumber-like flavor. In addition to the standard orange and mint, some espouse the more fruit the better, adding strawberries, lemons, limes and apples to the mix.

In this country, Pimm’s Cups are often concocted using ginger ale but the English would call this drink a Pimm’s Ginger (and garnished with lemon and mint). The Pimm’s Cup is a specialty of the Napoleon House, an old and historic bar in New Orleans. Their version is made with Pimm’s No. 1, American-style lemonade, 7up and garnished with a cucumber slice. In Madison, stop by the Capitol Chophouse to enjoy a Pimm’s Cup in the bar or on the terrace.

No Roquefort Is Leaving Me Blue

2009-05-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

George W.’s parting shot as President was to impose a 300% tariff on Roquefort cheese. This action was in retaliation to the European Union banning the import of hormone-fed beef. The E.U. has much stricter food regulations than the U.S. and is a stickler when it comes to additives, preservatives or genetic modification. Personally, I think their erring on the side of caution is a good thing and would like to see more of it here.

The end result of this tariff—which also affects the price of Irish oatmeal, French truffles and Italian sparkling water—means bye-bye Roquefort! Suppliers that still have it in stock are demanding as much as $70 a pound for the stinky stuff.

For me, Roquefort once was the only game in town. The thought of substituting blue cheese was about as appealing as buying store-brand ketchup instead of Heinz or Double Cola instead of Coke. How things have changed. I can’t even remember the last time I ate Roquefort cheese. Quite honestly, for me the threat of high-priced Pellegrino is of much greater concern. There are just too many excellent domestic blue cheeses to choose from today.

In fact, Roquefort is nothing more than a kind of blue cheese. Like many other varieties—Gorgonzola, Stilton, Maytag, etc.—Roquefort is named after where it was made. What all blue cheese has is common is Penicillium culture which produce the characteristic blue veins or spots, crumbly texture and distinctive salty flavor. Blue cheese can be made from cow’s milk, sheep’s milk or goat’s milk.

There are many fine American cheesemakers in Oregon, California, Iowa and— of course— Wisconsin now producing artisan (handmade) cheeses. Wisconsin produces the most blue-veined cheese and it seems to grow in popularity every year. You can find fine blues at Fromagination, Whole Foods, Willy Street Coop, farmers’ markets and other shops that feature artisan cheese.

It’s an odd year (literally) so there will be no Cheese Days in Monroe (next in 2010), but the 21st Annual Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival goes on as usual in Little Chute, June 5 - 7.

Here if my Best of Madison list of Wisconsin Blue Cheese:

Montforte Gorgonzola, Wisconsin Farmers Union. This organization of dairy farmers decided to open its own cheese factory in Montfort and their gorgonzola won top honors at the 2006 American Cheese Society completion.

Buttermilk Blue, Roth Käse. Roth Käse makes many excellent European-style cheeses including two blue types. The Buttermilk Blue is made from raw milk and perfect for blue cheese dressing or dip. They also make Bleu Affinée which is aged longer (6 months instead of 2) and much denser in texture.
Ba Ba Blue, Carr Valley Cheese. Located in LaValle, Carr Valley is one of my favorite cheesemakers. They continually come up with some of the most imaginative and successful new cheeses around. Ba Ba Blue—obviously made from sheep’s milk—is a Roquefort-style, award-winning blue cheese. Carr Valley also makes Billy Blue—obviously made from goats milk—porcelain white in color, it’s milder and crumblier than Ba Ba Blue.

Hook’s Blue, Hook's Cheese. Tony and Juile Hook have built their reputation on the very best cheddar and blue cheese to be found anywhere. Varieties of blue include Hook’s Blue (original), Blue Paradise, Tilston Point and Gorgonzola. The original is a Danish-style blue aged for over a year and just hard to beat, either in cooking or standing alone.

Dunbarton Blue, Roelli Cheese. Several kinds of blue cheese are available from the factory and store in Shullsburg but their newest and best is an innovative Stilton-style blue cheddar. With fruit it’s the ideal dessert cheese.

Blue Cheese Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
¾ cup buttermilk or Greek-style plain yogurt
2 teaspoons snipped fresh chives
½ teaspoon finely minced garlic (optional)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Dash of cayenne
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
4 ounces blue cheese, coarsely crumbled by hand
In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients except the blue cheese with a whisk. When smooth, stir in the blue cheese. Store covered in the refrigerator.

The dressing's flavor will greatly improve if made several hours ahead of time or the night before. (It will keep for several days, cover, in the refrigerator.)

Makes about 2 cups.

Brats!

2009-05-01T06:04:00.001-07:00

Unless you’re from the Flatlands or beyond, you know I’m talking about brats as in bratwurst and not some troublesome children. Without a doubt, brats are Wisconsin’s unofficial state sandwich. I admit I’m somewhat perplexed that our State Legislature has not bequeathed it this special status since we do have an official state grain (corn), official state beverage (milk) and even an official state soil (Antigo silt loam). Regardless, for me the official brat season has begun. That is, as soon as it’s warm enough to grill outside. I realize that brands me as a transplanted Sconnie since true Wisconsinites grill out all year long, come sub-zero temps or blizzards.

I have many friends who used to live here and when I go to visit they always want me to bring brats (no easy task). True, you can buy bratwurst in other places but is always somehow a little wrong. I remember buying Farmer John brand brats in L.A. that were made out of chicken, looked like white wienies and were tasteless. I’ve eaten “authentic” bratwurst in Germany—
Boiled!—and found it as appealing as blood sausage.

When my family moved to Madison not surprisingly someone one lunchtime asked my dad out for a brat. His reply was that he never drank before 5. However, it didn’t take long for any of us to embrace this unique bit of Wisconsin culinary heritage.

You’ll find three basic varieties of bratwurst in Wisconsin and each has its fans and detractors. The traditional German-style sausage is very white and contains veal. More common is the Sheboygan-style brat that is more reddish in color and contains a combination of beef and pork. Finally, there is smoked bratwurst, full-cooked, that tastes and looks a lot like Polish sausage.

A trend in food marketing today, whether ice cream, potato chips or bratwurst, seems to be lots of flavors— the more exotic the better. Hence brats with cheese, garlic, jalapeño peppers and Italian and Cajun spices all seemingly have found fans.

Whatever type of bratwurst you like, in Wisconsin at some point it has to be grilled. For many, pre-steaming (never boiling)—in beer or a mixture of beer, onions, peppercorns, sometime sauerkraut and maybe even butter—is a must. Often after grilling, the brats are returned to this savory marinade. Others prefer that their brats go directly from package to grill, especially if they are the smoked variety.

The proper topping of a brat is a source of contention. Those in Sheboygan, the self-proclaimed brat capital of the world, obviously think they know more about this specialty than anyone else and demand “da works:” ketchup, mustard, pickle relish and chopped onion but no sauerkraut. Elsewhere, ketchup on a brat is considered an abomination, sauerkraut desirable and horseradish a must.

Everyone agrees that you never serve a brat on a hot dog roll, but rather a brat bun—a larger, chewier roll you’ll be hard pressed to find south of Beloit. At one time the roll had to be buttered but not so much nowadays.
Brats are preferably eaten out-of-doors, whether at a backyard cookout or sporting event tailgate. They are washed down with beer (a/k/a bratwash) or soda but never white wine. In days past German or American-style potato salad was a popular side dish but today has been supplanted by potato chips or French fries (at a restaurant).

Madison is home to the World’s Largest Brat Fest held each year on Memorial Day weekend. It began in 1983 in the parking lot of Sentry Hilldale and originally was held twice a year (on Labor Day weekend as well). It grew bigger every year. In 2005 this fundraiser for local charities moved to Willow Island at the Alliant Energy Center. Last year, 191,712 brats were consumed, setting a new world record.

Sheboygan holds its annual Brat Days July 30 through August 1. A highlight since 1953 is the brat eating contest on the final day. Last year’s champion, Mike Fitzgerald of Menasha, downed 22½ sausages.

Here’s my best of the wurst, Best of Madison brats.

Best Restaurant Brat. The Old Fashioned features a double bratwurst from Sheboygan's award-winning Miesfeld Market, grilled over a wood fire and served on a buttered roll from Sheboygan’s Highway bakery with raw onions, pickles and brown mustard. This is the brat of your dreams.

Best Brat Icon. State Street Brats has been around longer than I have and was an inevitable stop as a grade schooler after a bowling outing or movie matinee. Back then it was called the Brathaus and ironically was housed in a minimalist, 1950s, cinder block building that was later given a makeover worthy of Disney. The place is an assembly line to be sure, but in 73 years they’ve learned to do a few things right. Most importantly, the brats are grilled over an open flame.

Best Bar Brat. The brat at the Stadium Sports Bar probably come closest to the one you make at home. It’s a big, plump sausage from Klemant’s—1/3rd of a pound—nicely charred on the outside and juicy on the inside.

Best Bratwurst to Grill at Home. Many local butcher shops make their own bratwurst on premises and nearly all are superior to what you’ll buy prepackaged. I’ll give the nod, though, to Ken’s Meats and Deli in Monona that makes a first class Sheboygan-style brat.

Best Supermarket Brats. Based in the brat epicenter of Sheboygan, Johnsonville is the largest manufacturer of brats in the world. They make over a dozen different varieties that are sold fresh and frozen at most area supermarkets. In spite of all that, they make a consistently good product.

Wisconsin Potato Salad

5 pounds boiled new potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
Dill pickle vinegar (juice from the jar)
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¾ cup mayonnaise
¾ cup sour cream
½ cup yellow mustard
1 cup finely chopped dill pickles
¼ cup chopped green onion tops
¼ cup sliced radishes
3 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

In a large mixing bowl, toss diced warm potatoes with a tablespoon or so dill pickle vinegar. Gently fold in the chopped egg. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In another mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream and mustard. Add to the potato mixture along with the dill pickles, chopped green onions, radishes and fresh dill. Gently fold together to combine.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly (can be made a day ahead of time). Serve chilled.

Serves 8.

Doo-Dah Day!

2009-04-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

Derby Day is about more than just a horse race. It’s a celebration of a State, its cultural and especially its food. I’m not discounting the Kentucky Derby as a major sporting event that attracts worldwide attention. But for many a lot of the whoopla that has grown up around it is more captivating than the race itself (which after all, only lasts a couple of minutes).

It is unique among sport for its festivity and tradition. I suppose the Super Bowl comes closest but it’s just so much beer and guacamole by comparison. It’s Janet Jackson vs. The Queen. Cheap silly hats vs. expensive silly hats. Indoors in February vs. outdoors in May.

In most places, Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of summer. In Kentucky, this transition takes place on Derby Day, the first Saturday in May. It is the green light to wear white or seersucker; put on patent leather or spectator shoes. It is the safe date to plant a garden without further fear of frost.

As a child and already aspiring cook, I remember looking forward to the Sunday Courier-Journal the weekend before the Derby. In that issue complete with color rotogravure, Food Editor Cissy Gregg would wow me with what the perfect Derby Day hostess would be making that year.

Mere mention of the Kentucky Derby to most people brings to mind mint juleps. On the day of the race they flow like water at Churchill Downs—almost 120,000 mint juleps are imbibed each year. To be sure some locals serve them on this occasion as well—with a wink and a nod. Any other day of the year and you’ll be hard pressed to find someone in the Bluegrass State sipping one of these syrupy libations. Bourbon is revered in Kentucky but most often drunk neat or with a bit of branch. The popularity of mint juleps goes back to the days when river boats steamed the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Then a favorite morning eyeopener among Southern planters, today it’s more prevalent in New Orleans than Louisville. Personally I’d rather have a mojito any day.

A better use of bourbon is in bourbon balls: cream-filled chocolates flavored with whisky and pecans. First concocted in 1936 by Ruth Booe of Frankfort, today the confection is omnipresent especially at Derby time. You can order bourbon balls made from the original recipe from Rebecca Ruth Candy. (I love their candy but they have one of the worse logos I’ve ever seen.) There is another type of bourbon ball often made at home. The easy, no-cook recipe includes crushed vanilla wafers, chopped pecans, cocoa and powdered sugar.

Before the Colonel and his chicken, Kentucky’s culinary claim to fame was country hams. Similar to hams produced in Virginia and other parts of the region, they are dry-cured, aged and more akin to prosciutto than that wet pink stuff they sell at the supermarket. Unlike prosciutto, country ham is cooked: soaked, baked or boiled and glazed. Most often it is served at room temperature; sliced paper thin. In Kentucky country ham is bound to show up at most festive get-togethers from Thanksgiving until Derby Day.

Celebrating the Derby has inspired a few original culinary creations, too. Probably the first was Benedictine spread or dip, named for Louisville catering company owner Miss Jennie C. Benedict. At the turn of the last century, tea parties were more popular than buffets and Miss Benedict’s dainty little green sandwiches were all the rage. Still popular today, it more often appears as a dip (thinned with sour cream) than as a sandwich filling.

Grits are something only a true Southerner can love (or an Italian who calls them polenta). Cheese grits on the other hand, whether cooked on top the stove or baked in a casserole, are a whole lot more appealing. I can’t claim that cheese grits were first served in conjunction with the Derby but they have become a prerequisite for many Derby Day breakfasts and brunches. I first heard Phyllis George, a former Miss America and then wife of Kentucky Governor John Young Brown, tout their charm in the late 1970s. This is one of the few incidences where I can unequivocally endorse the opinion of a beauty pageant contestant.

Best known if not loved is a chocolate chip and walnut dessert called Derby-Pie®. Created in 1954 by the Kern family, “Derby Pie” became so popular that Kern’s Kitchen, the bakery that makes the pie, trademarked it in 1968. Since then they’ve sued the likes of PBS, Bon Appétit and Nestlé for the unauthorized use of the name. The result is you’ll find a whole lot of pies at Louisville restaurants that seem to be so much the same thing with a lot of different names—Run for the Roses Pie, Churchill Downs Pie, Triple Crown Pie, etc.—but if you want a Derby-Pie® you’ll have to order one from Kern’s.

Over the years, my Kentucky heritage has been the brunt of a few jokes—more than a few coming from me. Regardless, on May 2 at 4 p.m. you won’t need Twitter to know what I’m doing. As on each first Saturday in May in most of the years I can remember I’ll be in front of the TV. I’ll watch the crowd stand, the horses parade out of the paddock and hear the band play one of the few songs I know all the words to. For that moment, whatever the weather, the sun will shine bright.

Benedictine Dip

1 large cucumber, peeled
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons grated onion
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Dash green food coloring (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Grate cucumber and drain in a fine mesh sieve. Combine cucumber, cream cheese, onion, salt, sour cream, mayonnaise and food coloring (if used) in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl and stir in chopped dill. Taste for seasoning. Serve with crudités or potato chips.

Makes about 1½ cups.

First Saturday in May Pie

1 9-inch fully baked pie shell, cooled

1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
6 ounces chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped or broken walnuts
2 tablespoons bourbon

Whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, melted butter, flour and
eggs, using a whisk. When the mixture is smooth, stir in the chocolate chips, walnuts and bourbon

Pour the filling into the baked pie shell and bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated 350-degree oven.

Cool completely on a rack and serve at room temperature with whipped cream.

Makes 1 9-inch pie.

Strawberry Pie Duet

2009-04-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of cookbooks and some are relatively old. Once, looking for strawberry pie recipes I realized all the recipes prior to the 1960s call for a filling of strawberries and sugar baked in a pastry crust. In other words, there weren’t any recipes for fresh strawberry pie or strawberry rhubarb pie. Your rarely encounter the old version of strawberry pie any more and for good reason. It’s as about as appealing as a pop tart.

Strawberries are my favorite fruit and both fresh strawberry pie and strawberry rhubarb pie best pies. One of the thinks I don’t like about living in Wisconsin is strawberry season which doesn’t come until summer. At worse the berries can be watery or hard knots, depending upon the weather. In all fairness, I will say last summer was an exception and the berries were near perfect. Unfortunately, most of the strawberries I consume any more are from California—out of necessity rather than choice. Growing up in Kentucky strawberries arrived in April. They were smaller and sweeter than the ones from California and red all the way through. Sometime I almost convince myself that this is just another case of nostalgia tainting my memory. That is until I head south and savor a locally grown spring strawberry. I has no equal.

In fairness, California strawberries seem to have improved in flavor and I will hope that this year’s Wisconsin crop is a good one. Regardless, I will keep on making strawberry pies.

Thinking back, most of the first strawberry pies I enjoyed—which were glazed fresh berries in a baked short pastry crust topped with whipped cream—were at small restaurants and coffee shops, not at home. It was a treat that I always looked forward to when dining out. I remember being on family trips and taking detours just to have strawberry pie at the Cadillac Motel Restaurant. Seemingly Big Boy had a lot to do with popularizing fresh strawberry pie. As most of us know, Big Boy began in California and was all about hamburgers but fresh strawberry pie became their signature dessert. The original restaurant, Bob’s Big Boy franchised the name regionally. Growing up in Kentucky they were known as Frisch’s Big Boy; when I moved to Wisconsin, they became Marc’s Big Boy. Some like Shoney’s Big Boy went on to became large chains.

I never remember my grandmother, who was a good cook, making strawberry pie but ironically the recipe I most often use today is basically the one she clipped from the Nashville newspaper. I’ve included it at the end (the original recipe included strawberry-flavored Jell-O instead of unflavored gelatin). I’ve also successfully made strawberry pie glazes using only cornstarch as a thickener. Unfortunately nowadays fresh strawberry pie is too often fabricated with a ready made product that is artificially flavored and colored to the max. (I’ve seen strawberry pies that I swear were radioactive.) The other travesty is to top the pie with Cool Whip. That’s too bad since it’s an easy pie to make without the neon colored glop or fake whipped cream.

I don’t remember enjoying strawberry rhubarb pie before I moved to Wisconsin. Rhubarb pie has been around seemingly forever. Whoever finally figured out the obvious to add strawberries for sweetness was a culinary genius. I can think of very few flavors that compliment other like strawberry and rhubarb. I’ve tried various ratios of fruit and different types of thickeners over the years and have included my favorite recipe. My best advice is ‘don’t use frozen fruit!’ It’s a juicy enough pie as is without exasperating the situation.

I’m pretty persnickety about pies, especially pie pastry and tend to me hypercritical of restaurant pies. However, the Norske Nook in Osseo make some very fine pies, including fresh strawberry and strawberry rhubarb—both worth the trip alone.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

1 baked 9-inch pie shell, made with short pie pastry

¼ cup water
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
2 quarts picked-over strawberries, hulled
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt

Whipped cream

Put the water in a glass measuring cup or small bowl and sprinkle with the gelatin. Let soften 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, take 3 cups of the smaller and/or less attractive strawberries and purée in the food processor or blender with the sugar and cornstarch. Pour the strawberry mixture into a saucepan, add the lemon juice and salt, and set over low heat. Stirring constantly, cook the mixture until it comes to a boil. Continue to cook and stir until the purée is thick and transparent. Stir in the softened gelatin and immediately remove from the heat. Let cool.

Slice the remaining strawberries in half and add to the cooled purée. Gently fold together and pour into the baked and cooled pie shell. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the top.

Chill the pie for at least 2 hours and serve chilled with whipped cream.

Best if made the same day it is served.

Makes 1 9-inch pie.

Deep-dish Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Enough pie pastry for 3 9-inch crusts

4 tablespoons instant tapioca
1½ tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups rhubarb, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
3 cups hulled strawberries, sliced
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter cut in small bits
1 lightly beaten egg

Process the tapioca, flour and salt in a small food processor or spice grinder until fine. Combine with the rhubarb, strawberries and sugar. Let stand 15 minutes.

Spread filling in a 10-inch thoroughly chilled 10-inch pie shell, top with the butter and then cover with a lattice crust. Chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brush the pie with the lattice (not the edge) with the beaten egg. Bake in the center of the preheated 400-degree oven for 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake 40 minutes longer.

Serve the same day as made.

Makes 1 10-inch pie.

Morel Dilemma

2009-04-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

It’s a little early to be writing about morels, but their anticipation is no small part of their pleasure. And, it’s perhaps disingenuous to imply there is any dilemma other than will I or won’t I pay the high price they command (and I already know that I will). I could of course, go out and hunt for them myself just like I could go to France to find truffles for free. Unlikely.

I discovered this delicacy when my family moved to central Indiana. Our neighbors invited us to go with them mushroom hunting. Obviously my parents at first reacted with horror, envisioning a slow and painful death for all us and questioned the sanity of our newly made friends. After much reassurance and some ridicule we were initiated into this annual ritual.

The popular way to prepare morels in Indiana like in much of the Midwest is dip them in an egg wash, roll them in crushed crackers and pan fry until golden brown. Prepared this way they are usually eaten as an appetizer or a main dish. For breakfast, light beaten eggs are sometime added, and scrambled with the mushrooms.

Morels are very popular in France and used both in their fresh and dried state. They classically appear in sauces and soups made with cream and egg dishes. The English prize all wild mushrooms and none more than the morel, the first mushroom of the season.

Springtime in Wisconsin and warm days in May send shroomers scurrying. Just as with deer hunting in the fall, the season for morel gathering is short but nonetheless anticipated by devotes. If you have ever foraged for them or savored their grandeur, then perhaps you will appreciate why they cost so much.

Morels and wild mushrooms in general are much more popular in Europe where they are collected, commercially sold and universally consumed. As we all know by now, eating just any old fungus that pops up out of the ground can be dangerous if not deadly. Hence, many people are afraid to consume any wild mushroom. The morel has a distinctive appearance that makes it easy to identify and tastes so good that many of us are willing to throw caution to the wind.

There are three American morel species: Morchella semilibera or the half-free morel, Morchella elata or the black morel and Morchella esculenta the yellow or white morel. The black and yellow morels are the most popular and their names are misleading since they can range in color from light gray to dark gray; from light tan to dark brown. The shape of the cap can also vary from tall and slender to short and squat but should always be honeycombed and pitted.

If want to try your hand at mushroom hunting and are a novice, go with an experienced hunter who can show you what a good morel looks like. Be forewarned: Shroomers like to keep their prime harvesting grounds closely guarded secrets. Morels can grow singularly or in patches. A particular spot can be bountiful for many years and then mysteriously grow fallow. Most mushroom hunters have theories about where you will and won’t find morels and are more than eager to share their S.W.A.T.S. (Scientific Wild Ass Theories).

In fact, morels are found in a variety of habitats in almost every state in the country. Most often, they grow in moist, sandy-soil especially around dying or dead elm trees and in old fruit orchards. They usually appear in May after the first spring flowers—the flowering of trillium is supposedly a harbinger of the morel. The total growing season lasts two to three weeks, though occasionally when weather conditions are perfect, morels reappear in the fall.

Whether you decide to forage for yourself or fork out big bucks, here are some suggestions to help you enjoy your stash. If you’ve never eaten morels or wild mushrooms before, eat a small amount and wait 24 hours before eating more. Some people are allergic to all mushrooms, even cultivated mushrooms. Never eat morels raw as they are hard to digest and don’t taste good. Store unwashed morels in a paper bag in the refrigerator. For longer keeping, mushroom can be frozen but need to be cooked first. They can also be dried—most successfully using an electric dehydrator. Dried morels need to be reconstituted in liquid for about 10 minutes, drained and pressed dry before using.

Obviously, morels needed to be cleaned before cooking but there are two schools of thoughts on the best way to do this. Begin my brushing off any loose surface dirt clinging to the stems. Slit the mushroom in half from top to bottom (it is hollow inside). For some, thoroughly rinsing under cold running water is sufficient. Others prefer to soak the mushrooms in a salt water bath—the salt kills any insects that might reside in the surface cavities. Don’t use too much salt since it will affect the delicate flavor of the mushrooms. Once they are washed, they need to be drained on paper toweling before cooking.
For me the coming of spring always meant asparagus, strawberries and morels. Thanks to modern horticulture and transportation asparagus and strawberries are now available year round. Attempts to commercially cultivate morels so far haven’t been very successful. That definitely makes them and spring a little more special.

Here are my Best of Madison where to find morels (S.W.A.T.S. not included).

Several restaurants regularly feature dishes with morel mushrooms and they include Harvest, L’Etoile and La Chardonay.

Fresh morels are available at the Dane County Farmers’ Market (which begins April 18) and many local farmers’ markets, as well as Whole Foods, Willy Street Co-op and Jenifer Street Market in season. Dried morels are sold at many larger groceries and specialty markets.

Muscoda holds its Annual Morel Festival this year on May 16 - 17.

The Meister Cheese Company in Muscoda makes Great Midwest Wild Morel & Leek Jack which is sold at several stores locally or may be ordered online from the factory.

Angry Cookie Maker

2009-04-16T05:14:00.000-07:00

Seemingly I posted a cookie picture that is the property of Marcia Flanigan ... I apologize and was not aware that it was her property. It has been removed. She contacted me on Facebook. Here is her message:

"You used my image of my cookie on your blog, you did not have my permission, remove immediately, I plan to pursue every option to have some recognition you are using images which do not belong to you. The image belongs exclusively to TheBestcookie.com and you had to have gone to my site to remove. I am not familiar with Madison magazine but will be contacting them this morning." Marcia Flanigan.

Advocate for the Avocado

2009-04-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

Avocado,
What makes you think you’re so holy?
You’re gonna be guacamole before too long.
--Weird Al Yankovic

Native to Central and South America, there are more than 500 varieties of avocados that grow in subtropical areas around the world. Their size varies from that of a small pear to a large coconut. The skin can be smooth or rough, and range in color when ripe from yellowish green to purplish black. The color of the flesh varies from buttery yellow to neon green. Like bananas, avocados are climacteric fruit, which means they matures on the tree but ripen after they are picked.

They got their name from the Spanish explorers who couldn't pronounce the Aztec word “ahuacatl” (which meant “testicle” due to the fruit’s shape). The Spanish renamed them “aguacate”, from which the word guacamole was derived.

The most common variety available in the U.S. is the Hass avocado and it’s the only species that is grown year-round. It has a pebbley, dark green skin that blackens as it matures. All Hass avocados descend from a single tree planted by California mail carrier Rudolph Hass in 1935. The patented tree survived until 2002.

I much prefer Hass avocado not just for their flavor and color but because you can easily tell when they’re ripe. Too often I’ve purchased smooth-skin varieties that felt ripe but when cut open were discolored and rotten.
My first encounter with the then exotic fruit was in the 1950s. My grandmother would bring them back from Florida and always referred to them as “avocado pears.” Seemingly, there was only one form of preparation: sliced on top of a lettuce leaf and doused with Kraft Catalina dressing. I didn’t like them and never gave them a second thought until after I graduated from college.

I was living in Chicago and there were many wonderful Mexican restaurants in our neighborhood, a cuisine was just learning to appreciate. It was inevitable that guacamole would end up on my plate and low and behold it did, I tasted it and it was good. I soon learned to like avocados in other ways.

In California, they like to add a little mayo to guacamole and it makes a great topping for burgers. Once in a North African restaurant I had something that that looked a lot like guacamole but was flavored with ground almonds and rose water. The most unusual preparation I’ve encountered (and like) is guacamole ice cream—it has a sublime texture and beautiful color. (Here is Alton Brown’s recipe if you want to give it a try.) I love avocados in Cobb and seafood salads. I generally don’t like them cooked though I once had a soufflé in Paris flavored with avocado and Chartreuse that was delicious.

After all is said and done, guacamole—the dip—remains the most popular use for avocados. Supposedly, over 53 million pounds of guacamole are eaten every Super Bowl Sunday, enough to cover the playing football field 20 feet deep. Personally, I like my guacamole more chopped than pureed and I’ve included a favorite recipe at the end. I don’t ever like guacamole or anything else made from avocados that aren’t ripe. Finally, one of the great kitchen myths of all time is that putting the avocado pit in the guacamole will prevent it from turning dark. Store guacamole packed (no air pockets) in a covered, air tight container just large enough to hold its contents. Second best is to lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly over the surface of the guacamole. Either way, keep refrigerated until serving.

Here is my list of Best of Madison avocados:

Best Place to Buy Ripe Avocados. It seems like when you need a ripe avocado you can never find one. I’ve had my best luck at the Willy Street Co-op and Jenifer Street Market.

Best Restaurant Guacamole. I probably like the guac at La Mestiza best because it tastes most like mine.

Best Store-Bought Guacamole. At one time, the stuff you bought was insipid but a lot of guacamole packed in plastic pouches nowadays, though not as good as homemade, isn’t half bad. I think Trader Joe's Avocado’s Number brand is the best. It also comes in a variety flavored with salsa verde.

Best Use of Avocado on a Sandwich. Marigold Kitchen makes a different and unusually tasty fish sandwich with grilled tilapia, lettuce, tomato, red onion and avocado; finished off with a little queso fresco and a drizzle of chipotle lime dressing.

Best Guac Burger. The Cabana Room at Samba Brazilian Steak House makes a traditional guacamole burger that is also topped with cheddar and salsa. Their Cabana burger comes topped with avocado slices.

Best Salad with Avocados. This beautiful and complex salad at Sardine composed of arugula, red grapefruit and avocado comes with a citrus vinaigrette and garnish of spiced pumpkin seeds.
Best Avocado Appetizer (Not Guacamole). Not that common in this neck of the woods, Causa Limena is one of Peru’s best known dishes and available at Inka Heritage. Mashed potatoes flavored with hot yellow spicy yellow peppers and lime juice are layered with avocado and your choice of shredded chicken or shrimp and served with salsa golf (mayonnaise and ketchup).

Best Exotic Use of Avocado. The mango duck roll at Restaurant Muramoto was on the menu the first time I ate there back when it had just opened on King Street. It’s still featured at their new location and for good reason. Shinji’s sushi creation is a roll of duck, mango and avocado served with a soy sauce reduction.

Guacamole

Half a small onion, peeled
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 fully ripe Haas avocado, cut in half and seeded
Wedge of fresh lime
½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
2 tablespoons fresh salsa (optional)

Using a food processor. Cut the onion half in 2 pieces and place in the work bowl. Coarsely chop the onion by turning the food processor on and off. With the motor running, drop the garlic through the feed tube and process until chopped. Turn off the food processor. Without scraping down the sides of the bowl, add the flesh from the avocado. (Be sure to scrape close to the skin, including the dark green outside of the fruit to give the guacamole a nice color). Add the juice from the lime, salt and the salsa, if used.

Finely chop the guacamole by turning the food processor on and off. Don't over process; the guacamole should not be homogenized. Scrape the guacamole into a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Using a blender or making by hand. Roughly purée the avocado in the blender or mash with a fork. Scrape out into a serving dish. Finely chop by hand the onion, garlic, tomato and pepper. Stir the chopped vegetables into the avocado along with the lime juice, salt and salsa.

Makes about 1½ cups.

Variation: Guacamole for Hamburgers and Sandwiches. Substitute 1 tablespoon mayonnaise for the salsa and process until completely smooth

Spring Into Lombardino's

2009-04-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

Lombardino's starts their new spring menu tonight! I can't wait to go and give it a test drive. They also have a couple of special wine tastings this month:

Thursday, April 9th, During Regular Service Falesco Wine Tasting

Samantha Malsch of Winebow import company will be with us during service for a wine sampling of three delicious wines. We will be featuring the Bianco, Sangiovese & Merlot from the Umbrian producer, Falesco. Falesco was founded in 1979 by brothers Riccardo and Renzo Cotarella, two of Italy's most acclaimed winemakers. Falesco's philosophy is to strike a balance between the uniqueness and tradition of native varietals and the versatility of ‘international' grapes. The result is a complete portfolio of wines that consumers and critics alike have recognized as both extreme values and “Best of Class” offerings.

Thursday, April 23rd, During Regular Service Caldora Wine Tasting

Michael Pare of Capitol Husting will be with us during service for a wine sampling of three delicious wines. We will be featuring the Trebbiano, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo & their single vineyard selection "Yume" from the Abruzzo producer, Caldora. Caldora is one of the largest cooperative wineries in the Abruzzo. With an updated winery facility coupled to an avant-garde vineyard management system, the essence of Caldora is captured in every bottle: maximum fruit expression in a top quality, reasonably priced wine that everyone can enjoy.

Call 608 238-1922 for reservations.

Any Day

2009-04-04T17:27:00.000-07:00

Bali Ha'i may call you,

Any night, any day,

In your heart, you'll hear it call you:

"Come away...Come away."

--Oscar Hamerstein II, South Pacific

It’s April and I’ve been thinking about spring a lot, even though it’s suppose to snow 3 to 4 inches tomorrow. Each year about the same time Daylight Savings Time rolls around I reset my food clock as well. By then I’m so tired of root vegetables, soups and stews and tasteless tomatoes that I could go on a diet. For whatever reason, this year I’m fixated on the South Pacific—not so much the musical as the place. Perhaps it’s because I first visited the most beautiful place in the world, Tahiti, this time of year. I’ve always found tropical Tahiti and Hawaii so much more appealing than the Caribbean and I’m sure the musical South Pacific and the whole culture that grew out of it did have something to do with that.

The Broadway play premiered on April 7, 1949. The story was loosely based on James Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Tales of the South Pacific. Both captured all that was exotic and wonderful about this part of the world, discovered by so many soldiers and sailors stationed there during World War II. An appetite for anything and everything Polynesian took off in the 1950s. The Mai Tai, crab Rangoon and Rumaki all became part of our food vocabulary. Amazingly, one man came gave us these and many more recipes that we now think of as the quintessence of Polynesian cuisine but are not.

In 1932, a San Francisco hotel waiter, Victor Bergeron, opened a bar in Oakland called Hinky Dink’s. Eventually, Bergeron became “The Trader,” and Hinky Dink’s, “Trader Vic’s” and one of the most popular restaurants in the Bay Area. The place had a South Pacific theme, featuring tropical drinks and a fanciful menu. Trader Vic never let authenticity get in the way of creativity or success. By the late 50s, Trader Vic’s operated 25 restaurants worldwide and is still going strong today.
One of Bergeron’s most successful creations was the Mai Tai. So the story goes, The Trader was in the mood to create a new drink and started with a bottle of 17-year-old J. Wray Nephew rum from Jamaica. He added fresh lime juice, Curaçao liqueur, rock candy syrup and some French orgeat—an almond-flavored syrup. After garnishing the drink with a lime shell and fresh mint, he handed the concoction to a friend who was visiting from Tahiti. As soon as she tasted it she exclaimed "Mai Tai - Roa Ae!"—Tahitian for "Out of This World” or “The Best". So the Mai Tai came to be. That is unless you believe Donn Beach.

Beach, born Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt in New Orleans was a competitor of Victor Bergeron, also capitalizing on the Polynesian craze sweeping the country. A former bootlegger, Gantt opened a Hollywood bar in 1934 with a tropical decor called Don the Beachcomber. The original tiki bar soon became a popular watering hole for celebrities. A couple of years later, now legally having changed his name to Donn Beach, he opened a restaurant across the street. There appeared the first pu pu platter, and in 1939, the Zombie, a potent rum drink. Several other Beachcomber locations followed. After World War II, Beach relocated to Hawaii. Beach claimed to have invented over 80 drinks, including the Mai Tai.

Trader Vic, however, insisted to the day he died, “I originated the Mai Tai. Anybody who says I didn’t create this drink is a stinker.” Regardless of who you believe, the Mai Tai made correctly is a great cocktail. The problem is, more often than not it is poorly concocted, too often from a bottled mix. A good Mai Tai needs quality rum and fresh lime juice. I prefer Cointreau to The Trader’s orange Curaçao and real grenadine to rock candy syrup.

I say “real” grenadine because most of what is sold as grenadine syrup today is artificially colored and flavored. The real thing is made from pomegranates, and if you can find it, inevitably imported from France. But it’s easy to make. Just combine two parts of sugar to one part of pomegranate juice and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Store the cooled syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

A Mai Tai has to have orgeat (pronounced ohr-zha). This sweet almond syrup is available at better liquor stores. Forget the paper umbrella or flower and instead garnish you Mai Tai with fresh fruit and mint. Here is my favorite version of the Mai Tai derived from the original Trader Vic’s recipe and another allegedly from Don the Beachcomber. Since I’m sure you’ll want a pu pu to go along with your drink, also a recipe for crab Rangoon.

Any day it has to be spring … really spring.

Mai Tai

1 ounce dark Jamaican rum
1 ounce white rum
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
¼ ounce Cointreau
1 splash grenadine
1 splash orgeat

Shake all the ingredients with cracked ice and strain into a large old fashioned glass filled with ice. Garnish with a cherry, a fresh pineapple spear and mint.

Makes 1 drink.

Don the Beachcomber Mai Tai

1½ ounces Myer's Jamaican rum
1 ounce Havana Club Añejo Blanco Cuban rum (substitute white rum)
¾ ounces fresh lime juice
1 ounce fresh grapefruit juice
¼ ounce Falernum*
½ ounce Cointreau
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 dash Pernod
1 cup cracked ice

Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake moderately for one minute. Pour into an old fashion glass. Garnish with sprigs of fresh mint and a spear of fresh pineapple.

Make 1 drink.

*Falernum was a syrup (flavored with limes, ginger and spices) once made in this country by the Sazerac Company of New Orleans. Sazerac discontinued this product but it can now be purchased from Fee Brothers.

Crab Rangoon

Filling:
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
6 ounces crabmeat

In a bowl blend together the cream cheese, bread crumbs and Worcestershire until smooth. Stir in the lobster.

The filling can be made several hours ahead of time. Keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. The won ton wrapper should be filled right before frying.

2 dozen won ton wrappers (defrosted, if frozen)
Peanut oil for deep frying
Sweet-and-Sour Dipping Sauce

Preheat the oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees.

Place heaping teaspoons of the crab meat filling in the center of each won ton wrappers. Lightly moisten the edges of the wrapper, using a pastry brush dipped in water. Fold in half diagonally to make a triangle.

Fry the Rangoon in the hot oil four at a time for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve warm with Sweet-and-Sour Dipping Sauce.

Makes 2 dozen appetizers.

Waffling

2009-03-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

I love waffles. That is, I love good waffles which exclude ones that come frozen, are made from a mix or taste like cleated pancakes. Waffles should be light, golden brown and crispy. Waffles are easy to make so I’m not sure why the alternatives to homemade have become so universal. Perhaps it’s for the lack of a waffle iron. This must have been one of the first electric appliances, though waffles were around long before it advent. Its origins go back to the Middle Ages. In fact, they were universally sold outside of churches on saint's days and at other special religious celebrations. Competition among the waffle sellers became so fierce that King Charles IX of France had to rule that waffle vendors stay at least six feet from one another at all times.

The first hinged waffle iron for use on top of a stove was patented in the U.S. in 1869. But waffles didn’t really become popular until the invention of the electric waffle maker in 1926 by Charles M. Cole. In the decade that followed, waffles became the rage, diners specializing in the delicacy sprung up everywhere and almost no home was without a waffle iron. What we now call the Belgian waffle—a thicker variety with deeper indentations—was introduced at the 1964 New York World's Fair. Covered with fresh strawberries and mounds of whipped cream it was an instant hit.
Most of the waffle irons sold today are of the Belgian type, many with a nonstick surface but it’s still possible to find the older, traditional waffle maker (both new and used) which produce a larger and thinner waffle.

In the United States, waffles are most often eaten warm at breakfast or brunch. Many soul food restaurants—especially in the Harlem are of New York—serve waffles with fried chicken. The Pennsylvania Dutch commonly used a plain waffle as the base for stewed chicken. In the Netherland, Belgium Sweden and Italy variations of the waffle are popular as a dessert or confection.

The Waffle House chain has more than 1,000 restaurants in 24 states and claims to have sold more than 500 million waffles. Several restaurants in Madison still do waffles right.

Here is my list of “Best of Madison” waffles, all are the Belgian variety. If you like old style, you’re stuck making them at home and I’ve included my two favorite recipes at the end.

The Old Fashioned serves your basic waffles but it comes with pure Wisconsin maple syrup, Grand Marnier-flavored whipped cream and powdered sugar. You can also add a fresh fruit topping (extra) if you like.

Café Continental makes malted waffles with a choice of several toppings including a New Orleansesque bananas Foster variety.

Sardine has two different waffles, one is topped with an apple compote and crème fraiche. The other is an unusual buckwheat waffle that comes with whipped orange-cinnamon butter and, sliced banana. Both come with maple syrup.

BrasserieV has a waffle topped with blueberries, bananas, whipped cream and real maple syrup.

Pancake Café offers several waffles served with syrup, fruit toppings or pecans but the most unique is the one with bacon baked inside. This is the only place on the list where you can get your waffle fix every day of the week (the other restaurants only serve brunch on the weekend).

Buttermilk Waffles

Classic waffles and easy to make the recipe comes from Tennessee. You can cut in half if you want to make a smaller portion and leftover batter will keep covered in the refrigerator for a week (it may discolor but just stir well before cooking).

1½ cups flour (preferably, pastry flour but all-purpose will work)
½ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
2/3 cup corn oil
2 eggs
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Butter
Maple syrup

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Add the milk, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.

Preheat a waffle iron.

Do not use non-stick spray on the waffle iron; the oil in the batter will allow the waffle to release easily. Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles. Serve immediately with butter and syrup.

Makes 8 large waffles.

Raised Waffles

These waffles are the best. They require a little extra effort (you have to start the night before) but are well worth it. Light and crispy, they are better made in a traditional waffle iron rather than the Belgian style.

½ teaspoon sugar
½ cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
2 cups whole milk
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon baking soda

Dissolve the ½ teaspoon sugar in the warm water; add yeast, dissolve and let proof for 8 to 10 minutes.

Heat the milk and butter over low heat until the butter melts. Cool to lukewarm.

Combine milk butter mixture with salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, flour and proofed yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed to combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Cover bowl and let stand overnight at room temperature.

Preheat a waffle iron.

Add eggs and baking soda to batter and combine well using a whisk. Batter may be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for several days.

Use about ½ cup batter (it will be thin). Let the batter set up (about 30 seconds) before lowering the waffle iron lid. Cook until golden brown (about 5 minutes).

Makes 8 large waffles.

BREAKING DISHES!

2009-03-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

CLOUD 9 GRILLE is CLOSED as of today ... they "hope" to reopen in early summer. I just dined there last night to write a piece on them for the June issue. Food was good and the place was packed.

Say Cheese

2009-03-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

A new organization—Wisconsin Cheese Originals—has been formed to promote farmstead, artisan and specialty cheesemakers in the state. During the past decade, Wisconsin has become home to more than 60 of these new cheesemakers who have chosen to start or move their business here because of our reputation in the industry. Many have gone on to win national and international awards for their products. The organization plans to host an annual Wisconsin Originals Cheese Festival, this year to be held November 6 – 7 at Monona Terrace in Madison

Bandung Bargun

2009-03-06T17:09:00.000-08:00

I love Bandung. Despite its strip mall location, stepping through the door is like a quick trip to Amsterdam. Despite being Madison’s only Indonesian restaurant, the food is always fresh and way out shines much of the genre, too often heavy on meat and over cooked.

For 5 bucks, tax included, they are featuring a pad Thai dinner special with you choice of tofu, chicken or beef ($2 more for shrimp). I always opt for the tofu since it more traditional. Bandung's preparation of the classic rice noodle dish is a little sweeter than the Thai version—more like a barbecue sauce. For $1 extra you can add an order (2) lumpia, Indonesian-style egg rolls.

There are some restrictions. This special price (a $4.95 savings) is only available on Thursday and you need to preorder by 2 p.m. that day—either call 255-6910 or email bandungrestaurant@gmail.com. Cash or check only and pick-up or delivery between 5 and 6 p.m. I can live with that.

Muffuletta on My Mind

2009-03-03T16:33:00.000-08:00

A week ago I was in New Orleans celebrating Mardi Gras. Any time I go to New Orleans I have to have a muffuletta, preferably from the Mecca for all aficionados of this sandwich, Central Grocery. If you don’t know what it is, it is a round sandwich of ham, salami, Provolone and Swiss cheese with olive salad. The olive salad is what sets it apart from a submarine or hoagie.

Its roots are in the large Italian-American community that inhabited the French Quarter in the early part of the 20th Century. What makes it special is you really can’t get a real muffuletta outside of New Orleans. Why is that? The distinctive flat, round bread the sandwich is made on, not surprisingly called a muffuletta loaf. Unlike traditional Italian or French bread, it’s more chewy than crispy. Inevitably when you find a muffuletta elsewhere it’s made on French Bread, and more often than not, will break your jaw when you bite into it.

Sometimes I just gotta have one and have experimented with a lot of substitutes for the bread. The best I’ve come up with is focaccia—texture’s better but the shape is all wrong. Or, I will use what they call a “rustic loaf” of French breach—thinner and flatter. I also use Kaiser rolls to make mini muffies, cutting them into quarters for finger food. Regardless, the finished sandwich needs to be wrapped in foil, a weight put on top and allowed to stand for a couple of hours before serving

In New Orleans the muffuletta is made with “Italian ham”—not prosciutto but a local product of boiled ham with a spice rub. If you make your own, boiled ham will work just fine. And, don’t go upscale with imported, expensive salami. The muffuletta is simple fare at its best.

You can buy olive salad in N.O. but not here so I’ve included a recipe. Traditionally, the sandwich is served cold but there are a handful of restaurants including the Napoleon House that serve a toasted version: unorthodox but not heresy.

The combination of flavors is a classic and Emeril has a great recipe for a muffuletta salad and Jim Schiavo of The Continental and I came up with our own recipe for a muffuletta pizza which is on the menu there.

What to eat with a muffuletta? Zapp’s Potato Chips (preferably the jalapeño flavored variety), of course (which they often have at Jenifer Street Market).

BTW Central Grocery ships their sandwiches via FedEx.

Central Grocery Olive Salad Recipe

1 gallon large pimento stuffed green olives, slightly crushed, well drained and chopped
1 quart jar pickled cauliflower, drained and sliced
2 small jars capers, drained
1 whole stalk celery, sliced diagonally
4 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced diagonally
1 small jar celery seeds
1 small jar oregano
1 large head fresh garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 jar pepperoncini, drained (small salad peppers) left whole
1 pound large Greek black olives, chopped
1 jar cocktail onions, drained

Combine all the ingredients.

Makes a lot.

Olive Salad (Smaller Recipe)

1¼-inch slice of medium red onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup picked Italian vegetables
¼ cup green pimento-stuffed olives
¼ cup pitted Calamata olives
¼ cup pitted Greek olives
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
6 sprigs Italian parsley
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put the onion in the food processor and turn the machine on and off until it is evenly chopped. With the motor running, drop the garlic through the feed tube and process until finely chopped.

Add the pickled vegetables, olives, olive oil, oregano, parsley and black pepper to the food processor. Turn the machine on and off just until the mixture is nicely chopped.

Transfer to a covered container and chill overnight. The olive salad will keep several weeks covered in the refrigerator.

Makes a reasonable amount.

Special Meals & Deals at The Chophouse

2009-03-01T15:13:00.000-08:00

Capitol Chophouse Chef Tony Lemens now offers a nightly set menu of three courses. These dinners highlight fine, locally produced meats, dairy products and vegetables. Last week’s menu began with a frisseé salad with country pâté, pickled shallots and crostini. The entrée was seared duck breast in a bourbon au jus served with sweet potatoes and bacon. For dessert, profiteroles filled with espresso ice cream; slathered with dark chocolates sauce. The cost was $45. Not cheap but a good value—you could easily pay more for a lot less.

A real deal is “Wine Not Wednesday” when on Wednesday all bottles of wine are 25% off. Returning with the Farmer’s Market will be the “Saturday Amuse” when all entrees come with a taste of the Dane County Farmer’s Market, depending upon what’s in season.

I have to say, Capitol Chophouse seems to only improve with age and seems to have found its groove.

BREAKING DISHES!

2009-02-19T10:21:00.000-08:00

Cafe Continental, once Madison's favorite spot for lunch downtown (until they quit doing lunch) is open for lunch again!

It's All About the Beer

2009-02-16T14:27:00.000-08:00

Beer dinners seem to be the rage. There are two coming up that sound great.

Sardine will host a family-style beer dinner, Mondy March 1. Mix and mingle at 5:30 p.m., dinner served at 5:15 p.m. It includes appetizers, French country dinner and dessert for $40 per person (reservations required). You need to call Sardine for the menu details and to make reservations: 441-1600

The other is a joint effort by Chef Robert Miller of The Old Fashioned and Chef Derek Rowe of Harvest--a Wisconsin Craft Beer Dinner--on March 8 at 6 p.m. at Harvest (tickets required). The dinner will feature 5 beer creations of Brewmaster Kevin Eichelberger, Red Eye Brewing Company, Wausau (who will be on hand for the dinner). Price for the 4-course menu with beer is $55. Call Harvest to purchase tickets: 255-6075. Here is the menu:

Event Menu:

Course #1: Curried mussels with coriander, frisee and citrus

Beer: Bloom

Course #2: Duck confit wwith North African spices

Beer: Thrust

Course #3: Slow roasted pork shoulder with fig molasses and hazelnuts

Beer: Scarlet 7

Course #4: Date almond cake with malted chocolate

Beer: Veruca Stout

Then, moving over to The Old Fashioned to enjoy "IMPERIUM"--a quadrupel dry-hopped double rye IPA. This limited release, super-premium beer will showcase Kevin's ability to masterfully blend unique ingredients, his unusual brewing techiniques and innovation.

The Best Chococolate Chip Cookie

2009-02-14T16:36:00.000-08:00

I know what most people think about on Valentine’s Day. I think about chocolate chip cookies, all warm and gooey, warm from the oven. It was love at first bite. My grandmother use to bring them every time she came to visit. My mother didn’t made cookies—much too tedious—and only bought Chips Ahoy (which I ate).

The chocolate chip cookie was result of the most serendipitous and profitable culinary accident in history. Actually, laziness was at the root of its origins. In 1930, Ruth Wakefield and her husband had purchased a restaurant located in a circa 1709 Massachusetts toll house. Ruth was committed to serving traditional New England meals but got tired of grinding up chocolate bars to make “Butter Drop Do” cookies. So she decided to chop the chocolate instead, assuming it would melt during baking. Obviously, it didn’t and the Toll House cookie was born and it was an instant hit.

Ruth approached Nestlés and they came to an agreement: They got to print the recipe on their packages and she got a lifetime supply of their chocolate. The sales of Nestlés semisweet chocolate skyrocketed and the company started including a small chopper with each bar. In 1939 they introduced small pieces of chocolate dubbed morsels which the public embraced as chocikate chips.

From the beginning, everyone has been trying to improve on the chocolate chip cookie. Probably the first e-mail hoax I ever received was in 1994. It was reputedly a recipe for chocolate chip cookies from Neiman Marcus for which a customer had unwittingly paid $250. Ironically, Neiman Marcus didn’t even make chocolate cookies at that time. (They do now!) The recipe is okay, but they’re not my favorite—the secret is a ground up Hershey bar.

Admittedly, everyone has his or her own idea about the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Recipes that call for a larger proportion of butter to flour produce thin, lumpy cookie and those with more flour produce a more cakelike cookie. If you like your cookies soft and chewy, bake them for a shorter period of time. If you like them crisp, obviously the converse applies. Always bake your cooked on thin, bright metal cookie sheets lined with baking parchment—if use dark metal/coated pans you’ll need to reduce the baking temperature.

The longer you leave the cookies on the baking sheets after taking them out of oven and transferring to cooling racks, the crisper the bottoms will be. If you prefer a very firm cookie substitute ½ cup semolina for an equal amount of flour.

Always chill the dough for about an hour before baking—it will give them a nicer shape.
Regardless of your favorite, the best are always homemade. Here is my favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie

2½ cups all-purpose unbleached flour 1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted (optional)

Preheat oven 325 degrees.

Combine the flour, soda and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Cream the butter, brown sugar and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla to combine.

Using the mixer at low speed, gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips and pecans (if used) until well combined.

Drop golf ball-size balls of dough two inches apart onto baking sheets lined with baking parchment.

Bake for 16 to 19 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for a minute or so, then remove to a wire rack and cool.

Makes approximately 24 4-inch cookies

Okay, so you don’t have time to make chocolate chip cookies but gotta have one right now. Some of my favorite store-bought options are no longer with us, but here are the Best of Madison already baked chocolate chip cookies.

Bakery:

1. La Brioche Bakery

2. Whole Foods

Packaged:

The Natural (La Campagne Bakery), Meqon

Boxed:

Dancing Deer Bakery

Dining Out on Valentine's Day

2009-02-08T09:53:00.000-08:00

There is no shortage of restaurants to choose from whether you are looking for love, in love, lovelorn or loveless. Pick the place. Set the mood. Pay the bill. Here’s my list. They rate on the Romance Meter from the truly torrid to not so hot.

Magnus if you’re going to pop the question

Lombardino’s if you actually look forward to Valentines Day

Restaurant Muramoto if you just got back from your Maui vacation

Samba if you’re worried there might be drama (the servers are armed)

Tornado if it’s all about the meat and bigger is better

Harvest if food is really your one-and-only

Liliana’s if the kids are home with the babysitter

Kennedy Manor Dining Room if you’re having an affair

Sardine if it’s your first date

Capitol Chophouse if you’re alone—eat at the bar and make a new friend

Café Continental if you’re gay

Fleming’s if your first three marriages failed

Del Bar if you begin every sentence “I remember when …”

Johnny Delmonico’s if you were suppose to go to Chicago but didn’t

The Icon if Overture is your next stop

Osteria Papavero if you’re single and with you best friend

Quivey’s Grove if you’re taking out your mom

Le Chardonay if you’re an afterboomer

Kushi Muramoto is you’re a twentysomething

Porto Bella if you’re just there to grope under the table

Madison Club if it’s really just an excuse to talk business

Kabul if you are a college student

Café Montmartre if you are a graduate student

Bon Appetit if you’re a confirmed eastside eccentric

La Rocca if 101 Dalmations is your favorite moive

Michael’s Frozen Custard if you like heart-shaped, “Be Mine” candies that taste like chalk

Ella’s Deli if Elmo is your heartthrob

Esquire Club if your squeeze drinks brandy old fashioned sweets and actually says “you betcha”

The Elk’s Club if you like to dine at 5

Himal Chuli if you’re broke and your girlfriend is a vegetarian

Quaker Steak & Lube if you’d rather be watching NASCAR

Essen Haus if you have a beer belly fetish and polka music turns you on

Gail Abrosius Chocolates if you’re skipping dinner and going straight to number one

Mickey’s if you’re just trying to hook up

Madison Marriot West room service if your date gets paid by the hour

Old Country Buffet if you’re trying to break up

Falbo’s Pizza if you think Valintine’s Day is stupid, a delivered pizza and your TiVo suit you just fine (but check out the delivery boy)

Fish Fry Road Trip

2009-01-26T17:23:00.000-08:00

The tradition of the Friday night fish fry is unique to the upper Midwest. Its roots are in the Lenten season when many Catholic churches use to host fish dinners on meatless Fridays. Some still do.

During prohibition taverns obviously declined and those that survived switched to serving food. Traditionally Friday was payday and the fried fish special became a successful lure for customers with cash in their pockets. Going out for fish on Friday soon became popular all year long, not just because it was Lent. As a matter of fact, today Lutherans are more likely to go out for fish on Friday than Catholics.

Prohibition ended but by then the nation was caught up in the Great Depression and the restaurant business languished. Thus began the tradition of the all-you-can eat, Friday night fish fry at a ridiculously low price … and inevitably a long wait at the bar where the real money was made.

Locally caught perch and walleye were originally the most likely ingredient for this weekly ritual since they were cheap and plentiful. But in the 60s their prices started to rapidly increase as their availability decreased. Restaurants began substituting cheaper ocean varieties, especially cod. Today, lake fish have returned to many menus—perch, walleye and bluegill—but imported from Canada.

There is an omnipresent debate about whether the fish should be breaded or battered. Some insist that the fish has to be pan fried, but it’s more likely to be deep fried since this is a quicker and cheaper method of preparation. Everyone has his or her opinion about who has the best fish fry in Madison. I know I have mine. But, I’ll leave those discussions for another time.

Fish Fry in Wisconsin has weathered bad times before but is clearly here to stay. Next Friday, let’s go out for fish … let’s go out of town.

Ding-A-Ling Supper Club
County Road H
Hanover
(608) 879-9209
This is a classic supper club just west of Janesville long renown for its Friday fish fry. The specialty here is beer-battered cod or perch. They also have something called “plain cod”—the skin browned but not breaded. The dinner includes the anticipated pick of potatoes including homemade potato pancakes (the side of choice among southeastern Wisconsin fish fry aficionados). The Ding-A-Ling is but a little shoebox stuck out in the middle of nowhere, yet it packs them in every Friday (and they do take reservations which are highly recommended).

Glarner Stube
518 1st Street
New Glarus
(608) 527-2216
The journey down State Highway 69 to New Glarus is as charming as the Swiss-styled village itself. The Glarner Stube is small; the bar and dining room usually packed and the kitchen hustling to keep up. They don’t take reservations on the weekends. Like everything else, the fish fry is excellent—deep-fried lake perch or cod or baked cod. The proverbial cole slaw is superior … better yet, you can opt for their famous roesti—Swiss fried potatoes—for just a little extra.

Lake House Inn
1612 E. Hotel Drive
Edgerton
(608) 884-4544
This place can be a little hard to find … part of its appeal. A historic old resort on Lake Kegonsa, the rambling old hotel is unpretentious if not just a tad shabby. Big draws are the crackling fireplace in winter and the screened-in veranda in summer. There’s plenty of room to wait in the cavernous bar (and wait you will on Friday without a reservation). The fish fry is all you can eat and comes with a more-than-respectable cole slaw and choice of potato including the au gratins, favored by the locals.

Norm’s Hideaway Bar & Grill
N150 Danielson Road
Edgerton
(608) 884-4823
If you’re hankering for Up North atmosphere and lakeside dining, Norm’s isn’t so far away. Located on the shores of Lake Koshkonong the rustic restaurant is a favored destination for outside dining in summer and Friday fish fry all year long. Come Friday night, variety is the name of the game here: beer-battered cod; blue gill; smelt; fried, baked or broiled walleye; catfish with hush puppies; a half-pound of shrimp; or even Fiesta Cod, poached with roasted garlic salsa. If you’re there on Monday, be sure and try the deep-fried lobster.

Owl’s Club
5847 E. County Road N
Milton
(608) 868-3413
Despite its name, the Owl’s Club in Milton is pure Wisconsin tavern with prices to match. A small salad bar that boasts homemade potato salad and cole slaw is included with the fish fry. The choice of fish is impressive: fried perch and walleye, beer-battered cod and not-so-common-around-here catfish. Both the potato pancakes and hashbrowns with cheese make fine side dishes. A long-running, lively, local watering hole and popular venue for bands, it’s probably not the best choice if you’re looking for a quiet evening.

Polonez Restaurant

4016 S. Packard Avenue

St. Francis

(414) 482-0080
Going to a Polish restaurant for fish fry may seem odd to some, but get over it. Polish American décor and menu specialties with unpronounceable names aside, their Friday night fish fry is All-Wisconsin, offering either deep-fried lake perch or cod or baked cod. All come with cole slaw and a choice of potato—fried, tots, mashed or potato pancakes—wafer thin and absolutely worth the trip alone. It’s not all you can eat but if you’re still hungry order a couple more of those fantastic potato pancakes available à la carte.

Quindt's Town Lounge
441 South Boulevard
Baraboo
(608) 356-6950
Owners Mick and Virginia Quindt work hard to assure all their guests leave satisfied. Perhaps that’s why the Friday night fish fry on average attracts 500 or more diners each week? Tables can be hard to come by but well worth the wait. It’s not that they offer anything out of the ordinary, just that it’s ordinarily well done—deep-fried, beer-battered cod, either two or three pieces. It comes with the expected choice of potatoes but consider forgoing the cole slaw en lieu of the signature house salad with wasabi dressing for only a buck more.

Del-Bar
800 Wisconsin Dells Parkway
Lake Delton
(866) 888-1861

This is probably cheating, but I’m going to add it to my list any way. Originally the Del-Bar got its name because it was located between the Dells and Baraboo. You won’t find a fish fry special, but the pan-fried walleye is very special—as good as you’ll ever get anywhere (likewise, the spinach salad with bacon dressing and hashbrowns). The restaurant began in the 1930s as a humble roadside bar. In 1943 it was purchased by Jim and Alice Wimmer and evolved and matured into a restaurant that is all about the good life in Wisconsin. The Wimmer family continues to run the Del-Bar today and it’s a welcomed oasis among the tawdry desert so much of Wisconsin Dells has come to be.

On 2 2 for 22 at Cafe Soleil

2009-01-26T15:44:00.000-08:00

Starting February 10, Cafe Soleil at L'Etoile will feature themed, homestyle dinners the second Tuesday of each month for $22. To reserve seats, call 251-0500. Tables are available between 6 -7 pm. Seating is limited. Local beers and wines by the glass will be available.

February 10 - BBQ Pork Night:
Willow Creek Farm Pork served with Hook’s Cheddar Mac & Cheese, Coleslaw, and Sweet Cornbread. Ruth Lefeber’s Blueberry Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream

March 10 - St. Paddy’s Day Classics:
Fountain Prairie Farm Corned Beef with Cabbage and Boiled Potatoes. Chocolate Spice Cake with Guinness Ice Cream

April 7 - Southern Fried Chicken:
Jordandal Farm Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Coleslaw and Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits. Pecan Pie à la mode

May 12th Rustic Italian:
Fresh-made Pasta with Chef Tory’s Sunday Gravy, Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread. Tiramisu

Fromagination Celebrates February with Wisconsin Fondue Events

2009-01-20T16:39:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for a new lunch spot or dinner destination, consider sharing warm fondue with new and old friends at a unique communal farmhouse table inside Fromagination, Wisconsin's premier artisan cheese shop on the Capitol Square in downtown Madison.

During the month of February, Fromagination will serve a fondue lunch every Wednesday, with seating times at 11 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. Space is limited, so advance reservations are encouraged. Price is $15 per person. The meal features Wisconsin Roth Käse cheese fondue, French baguettes, Nueskes summer sausage and cornichons. Fondue will be shared at the communal table in earthenware pots over small burners.

Fromagination is also hosting two special fondue dinners with Wisconsin cheesemakers. On Feb. 13, Mike and Carol Gingrich, makers of the award-winning Pleasant Ridge Reserve, and Wisconsin cheesemaker Felix Thalhammer of Capri Cheese will join diners for a traditional fondue dinner. Another dinner will take place Feb. 27. Price is $35 per person and each event begins at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are required.

In addition, if you would rather host a fondue party at home, Fromagination is renting and retailing fondue pots this winter and will supply you with everything you need, including the shop's signature fondue mix, cornichons, meats and a French baguette.

In-store events at Fromagination during February include:

Feb. 7: Meet Cheesemaker Bruce Workman, Edelweiss Creamery. This is your chance to meet the only Big Wheel Swiss cheesemaker in North America! Workman is a certified Master Cheesemaker in seven varieties of cheese, and is renowned for creating Old World Emmentaler in 180-pound wheels. Time: 11 am. – 2 p.m. No charge.

Feb. 13: Meet Cheesemaker Mike Gingrich, Uplands Cheese. Mike and Carol Gingrich of Uplands Cheese will sample their Pleasant Ridge Reserve, a farmstead cheese crafted in the style and tradition of mountain cheeses in the alpine regions of France. Swiss Cellars, an important and distributor of quality Swiss wines, beer and eaux-de-vie in North America will also be on hand. Time: 3 – 6 p.m. No charge.

Feb 14: Meet Cheesemaker Brenda Jensen, Hidden Springs Creamery. Jensen crafts award-winning fresh and cave-aged sheep's milk cheeses, and, in a special treat for Fromagination shoppers, will offer chocolate-dipped flavored sheep's milk truffles. Time: 11 am. – 2 p.m. No charge.

Feb. 21: Roth Käse USA Fondue Mix. One of Wisconsin's premier cheesemakers, Roth Käse has won more than 100 awards since its start in 1991. Sample this company's signature fondue mix. Time: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. No charge.

Fromagination is located at 12 S. Carroll Street on the Capitol Square in downtown Madison. Winter shop hours are Monday thru Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on classes, events, catering opportunities and gift ideas for artisan cheeses and perfect companions, visit http://www.fromagination.com/ or call 608-255-2430.

Absolut Madison?

2009-01-17T12:33:00.000-08:00

Last year Absolut vodka came out with a Limited Edition called Absolut New Orleans. Only 35,000 cases of the mango and black pepper flavored vodka was made and 100% of the sales was donate to charities associated with Katrina relief. Absolut New Orleans was a big hit, especially with me—I still have a couple of bottles squirreled away that I’m saving for a hurricane. I concocted my own cocktail with the edition of X-Rated Fusion and Cointreau and it was on the drink menu at the Capitol Chophouse for several months.

This summer, Absolut came out with its second Limited Edition vodka honoring a city: Absolut Los Angeles. Flavored with acai, acerola cherry, pomegranate and blueberry inspired by L.A.'s healthy lifestyles and fitness culture. A portion of the sales were donated to Green Way LA.

Now, Absolut is asking you to nominate the next city to be honored with it’s only Limited Edition Vodka … not only the city but what it should taste like it. I’m thinking, Absolut Madison! Very fruity, a few nuts, a hint of tofu and definitely served over ice? This is the beginning of my campaign to them to pick Madison. Please go and vote for Madison and its flavor HERE.

Also, become of member of the group Absolut Madison! on Facebook.

Until they introduce Absolut Madison! … here is something to drink while we wait.

Absolut Madison Cosmo

3 parts Absolut Citron
1 part cranberry juice cocktail
1 part pure cranberry juice (unsweetened)
1 part Cointreau
Fresh lime juice to taste

Shake over ice and pour in a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

It’s Carnival Time!

2009-01-11T07:32:00.000-08:00

The coming of carnival each year is a time I anticipate more than Christmas. Perhaps because it happens right after the holidays, in the dead of winter when there isn’t a whole lot else going on.
For some carnival is synonymous with Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday and refers to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. This year, Mardi Gras falls on February 24. The date can occur on any Tuesday between February 3 and March 9 and is always 47 days preceding Easter. So, like Easter the date changes from year to year.

Carnival comes from the Latin carnivale and loosely translated means farewell to flesh. It is the season of merriment preceding its single-day culmination, Mardi Gras. In New Orleans, Carnival begins every year on January 6, the Twelfth Night or Feast of the Epiphany and ends at midnight on Fat Tuesday.

Dozens of carnival clubs in New Orleans celebrate the season by hosting numerous balls, social events and parades. These carnival clubs called krewes are chartered as nonprofit entities and financed by dues and fund-raising projects throughout the year. They take their name from the Mystick Krewe of Comus, New Orleans’ first carnival club established in 1857. Madison has its very own krewe, the Krewe of M adison.

The food most associated with the carnival season is the king cake. In France the king cake or gâteau de roi was a rich brioche or puff pastry served on the eve of Twelfth Night. Baked inside was a bean or coin to represent the Christ child. Whoever got the bean was crowned king with a paper crown.

In New Orleans, king cake is a round or oval coffee cake and almost always comes from a bakery or grocery. It is gaudily decorated with lots of green, purple and gold sugar to represent a jeweled crown. Recently, the filled king cake—cream cheese being the filling of choice—has become favored. Whatever the variety, all contain a small, plastic baby hidden inside. The person who finds the baby has the dubious distinction of buying the next king cake … and in Louisiana during carnival, life is an endless parade of king cakes.

You can actually buy a king cake in Madison at Scott’s Pastry Shoppe in Middleton or Bab’s French Quarter Café (though you do need to order it in advance). You can also have one shipped by overnight air from numerous bakeries in New Orleans (Manny Randazzo’s and Gambino’s are popular with locals). The idea of making your own king cake in New Orleans would be akin to making your own bread in Paris. However, here is a recipe. You can find the prerequisite purple, green and gold—the official colors of Mardi Gras—sugar crystals at Vanilla Bean (6805 Odana Road).

There is always a lot of eating and drinking—especially drinking—going on in New Orleans but even more so during carnival. Beside the many balls and parities, parades are an important part of the celebration. Two local snacks inevitably show up along the parade route: Popeye Fried Chicken and Frito Pie—a bag of corn chips split open and filled with chili and topped with cheese.

If none of this puts you in the carnival mood, perhaps the following will. Laissez le bon temps rouler!

Hurricane

Pat O’Brien’s bar in the French Quarter invented the Hurricane in the 1940s, naming it after its glass that’s shaped like a hurricane lamp. Supposedly, a local distributor forced the bar to buy cases of rum before they would sell them other liquor that they actually wanted. Pat O’Brien concocted the now famous drink which he actually gave away to sailors and soldiers who frequented the bar during World War II.

2 ounces light rum
2 ounces dark rum
3 ounces frozen Hawaiian Punch® concentrate (defrosted but not reconstituted)
1 ounce fresh orange juice
½ ounce fresh lime juice

Garnish:
Orange slice and cherry

Shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a hurricane glass. Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice.

Make 1 drink.

Best of Madison Best of 2008

2009-01-01T14:32:00.000-08:00

Here is what I think were some of the successes—and a few failures—on the food front during the past year. No doubt the economy will have a major impact upon what we do and don’t eat in 2009. But truth be told, restaurants come and go and tastes change regardless. I read that the sales of the likes of Spam and boxed macaroni and cheese are booming—also alcoholic beverages. I won’t predict how this will all work out but I am confident people will still want to dine out, splurge now and then and have a good time.

Best New Restaurant: Samba Brazilian Grill. Whatever you think about the food, the concept is big and bold. It began with the salvation of a historic downtown building, once home to the Madison Women’s Club. The renovation and restoration resulted in a stunning space for two dining venues, the Cabana Room downstairs and the Grill upstairs. The food is fittingly dramatic with a Latin disposition.

Best Restaurant Makeover: The Continental. The physical transformation from a onetime suburban French restaurant gone Spanish with very tired décor came first. The end result mimicked the popular downtown Café Continental. But it wasn’t until this past year when Jim Schiavo exclusively took over running The Continental that it developed its own personality. It is a much welcomed addition to the growing Fitchburg neighborhood.

Best New Place for Foodies: Fromagination. At first, another place to buy cheese in Wisconsin seemed like overkill. But Fromagination doesn’t cater to out-of-town visitors looking for a souvenir to take back home. It’s a destination for fans of artisan fromage, even attracting the attention of the food writers at the New York Times. If you don’t like the smelly stuff, there are enough other interesting comestibles in the shop to tempt even a tepid gourmet.

Best Improved with Age: Capitol Chophouse. For the most part I’ve always avoided dining in hotels. It became a sort of dining purgatory I suffered when I once traveled too frequently because of my job. Hotel food and ambiance always seemed as transient and anonymous as my fellow diners. The Capitol Chophouse at the Hilton has steadily carved out a niche for itself and become a comfortable and popular destination for locals. In no small part I credit this achievement to its friendly and competent staff and solid cooking which only seems to get better.
Best New Food: Açai. More is better seems to be the mantra of our culture. Recently antioxidants became “in”, hence the new found popularity of pomegranates. Açai
berries come from a type of palm that grows in the Amazon and have almost twice the antioxidant power of pomegranates. A horde of açai-based beverages were already on the market when Oprah proclaimed the fruit a weight loss miracle (a claim not supported by personal experience). Needless to say, açai is suddenly appearing in anything and everything. Health benefits aside, I like its taste, often described as a combination of chocolate and raspberry or blueberry. This is great new food just waiting to be taken advantage of.

Best Food Hype: Designer Salt. First it came two ways, plain or iodized. Then along comes kosher salt which was better to cook with and sea salt which was better for you. Now there is salt in various granulations and states of refinement, in every color and hue, and from points of origin with unpronounceable names. But $9.50 for a quarter cup of Peruvian pink salt? I’ll pass.

Best New Ideas That Went Belly Up. MOCO Market. Sucre and Willy Street Coop II (at Metropolitan Place). They all seemed like good ideas at the time but for whatever reason were not meant to be.

Best Trend: Themed Dinners. I don’t know who started these but there are several restaurants that regularly do them well. Lombardino’s, Harvest, Le Chardonnay and Sardine all produce fixed-price menus (often with wine options) that focus on a particular specialty or seasonal ingredient. Inevitably a good value, these special dinners are always an opportunity to enjoy some inspired cooking. Most restaurant post information about these events on their websites.

Best Not Kept Secret: Mickey’s Tavern. Anyone with any experience dining out knows that a sign posturing “Good Food” is usually a bad omen. Mickey’s has just such a sign. This scruffy sauce parlor has been around forever with a reputation for just about everything but good food. That is, until Jane Capito (Wild Iris, Lazy Jane’s) came on the scene. As promised the food is not only good but comes with a complimentary side of creativity à la mode. The Mickey Burger, World’s Greatest Sandwich, Sexy Fries and nightly specials are as engaging and eccentric as the place itself.

Best Surprise. Dayton Street Grille. There have been several restaurants in this same space at The Concourse Hotel, all in-house operations that never clicked with the outside public. History can be a curse in the restaurant business but Chef Charles Lazzareschi seemingly is the exorcist this dining room needed. Quite honestly, I wasn’t aware that anything had even changed at The Concourse until I judged the finals of the Dueling Chef Competition at the Madison Food and Wine Show last October. I was blown away by the culinary skill of Chef Lazzareschi who went on to win the contest and has brought a lot of positive attention to Dayton Street Grille.

Best Deal: Indian Lunch Buffet. I’ve previously expressed my opinion about buffets but where else could you get so much food with so much flavor for under ten bucks and no mashed potatoes or congealed salads in sight?

Best New Local Product: Potter’s Crackers. Nancy and Peter Potter, mother and son, combined their experience of running a bakery and a degree in food science to produce an all-organic snack that tastes terrific. Their various flavored crackers are available in specialty food stores and many restaurants around town (a complete list is on their website).

Best Cocktail: Vesper Martini. In case you’re not a James Bond fan, the libation originated in the 1953 novel Casino Royale and immediately became a hit. After the release of the Casino Royale movie in 2006, the drink is enjoying a comeback. Agent 007 says he named the cocktail after Vesper (his romantic interest), because once he tasted it, it was all he wanted to drink. The recipe: “Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?"

Best Cookbook: The Spice Merchant’s Daughter … Recipes and Simple Spice Blends for the American Kitchen, by Christina Arokiasamy (Clarkson N Potter). Cookbook collectors (and I’m one) fall in many categories. Most evolve from an interest in how-to books to concentrate on a particular genre. (I buy anything and everything that has to do with New Orleans.) However, something different is always a find. This is small book with a big bang. The intoxicating spice blends and recipes explore the cooking of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia and titillate both imagination and palette.

Best Gone and Forgotten: Trans Fat. As municipalities and states scurried to enact its ban, for all practical purposes trans fat has largely disappeared due to its own deservedly bad rap sheet. Once prevalent in everything from fried foods to baked goods and even peanut butter, all were quickly reformulated and now tout “No Trans Fat” on their labels.

Worst Hangover: Whole Foods’ Hole. The ambitious plan for a much expanded Whole Foods market behind Hilldale has been put on hold. Unfortunately, this decision came after construction had already begun and left us with a scarred landscape to look at for who knows how long.

Best New Years’ Resolution: Don’t Buy Bottled Water! At least in throwaway bottles. It’s expensive in many ways and just dumb. Admittedly, I’m a rehabbed Evian junkie but got a water filter and getting along just fine.

Soup’s On

2008-12-26T08:41:00.000-08:00

After the holidays, I crave food not so fuzzy but it’s still winter and I want something hearty … preferably something that will perk up my jaded palate. ‘Tis the season for soup. Lots of places make a good soup of the day to be sure—both Café Soleil and Marigold Kitchen immediately come to mine—but sometime I’m not in the mood to take potluck … certainly not up for a bowl of cream of tomato. Fortunately, there are restaurants in Madison that have soup specialties of the house—so good they’re on the menu every day or at least on a regular basis. Here are my top 10, Best of Madison Soups.

Africana Restaurant: Egusi
This is about as exotic as it gets. Egusi are fat- and protein-rich seeds used to thicken soup in Africa. Africana’s recipe comes from Nigeria and is a pleasantly hot beef and tomato stock with spinach, smoked fish and all kinds of mysterious seasonings. It’s served with a choice of meat and rice or fufu (pounded yams or plantain).

Bandung: Sayur Lodeh
My vegetarian friends—especially those new to town—are always asking me where they should eat. Bandung is definitely at the top of my list. Sayur Lodeh is an improbable combination of ingredients—tempe, tofu, napa cabbage, baby corn, bamboo shoots and jalapeno—all successfully coming together in coconut milk broth. It’s so sublime that even carnivores (like me) will be contemplating seconds. Fortunately, it’s available in dinner-size portion.

Capitol Chophouse: Brown Ale Onion Soup
Nothing is more enticing than a bowl of French onion soup with its raft of melting Swiss cheese floating in a bowl of robust beef stock and aromatic onions. At the Chophouse, the marriage of brown ale with an excellent onion soup is a match made in heaven.

Eldorado Grill: KW’s Texas Chile
Not to be confused with its wimpy Midwestern cousin, this is the real deal made with chunks of beef rather than hamburger. It packs a punch, zipped up with a happy consortium of New Mexican, ancho, pasilla and Oaxacan chile peppers. Chili (the soup) actually originated more than 100 years ago in San Antonio (not Mexico) where women known as Chili Queens sold the spicy stew from carts on the street.

Lombardino’s: Ribollita (Winter menu)
Ribollita means “twice cooked” in Italian and this bean soup is a traditional Tuscan dish. When I had the pleasure of discovering this soup at Lombardino’s, it was so wonderful that I begged co-owner Marcia O’Halloran for the recipe. (Okay, I didn’t have to beg but would have gladly done so and more.) White beans are slowly cooked with smoked pork and bacon. Then chicken stock, onions, lacinato kale, Roma tomatoes, carrots, zucchini and fresh herbs go in the pot. The end result is slightly thickened bean soup with a rich smoky flavor which is served over crisp crotons and finished with a drizzle of fine olive oil.

Restaurant Magnus: Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
This soup, like its setting is sophisticated, stylish and smooth. The stick-to-your-ribs qualities of butternut squash and sweet potatoes are pure comfort food, but the addition of a fennel apple relish and pasilla pepper oil is what gives it personality. The soup is available on the restaurant’s Tapas Menu.

La Mestiza: Sopa Azteca
Tortilla soup includes just about everything I like about Mexican food. La Mestiza’s version is a rich chicken broth spiced with smoky pasilla chile and comes with all the prerequisite garnishes: crunchy tortilla strips, crumbled queso fresco, chopped avocado and cream aria. ¡Muy bueno!

The Old Fashioned: Green Bay Chili
This beloved Wisconsin specialty is actually a thick sauce made from beef and beans, distinctively spiced and served over spaghetti on a plate rather than in a bowl. You then add your choice of toppings—grated cheese, chopped onions and/or sour cream. The concept came to Green Bay from Cincinnati where chili parlors that specialize in this peculiar product proliferate. The photo is of a “Four-Way”—chili with the works—at Cincy’s Skyline Chili.

Sa-Bai Thong Thai Cuisine: Tom Ka (Gai)
I fell in love with Thai food in Los Angeles and immediately fell in love with this wonderfully complex concoction. For the first time, I could really appreciate tofu. With a base of coconut milk, Tom Ka Gai is seasoned with chili paste, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galanga (blue ginger) and other herbs and spices. You add your choice of chicken, shrimp, squid or tofu.

Wah Kee Chinese Noodle Restaurant: Hot and Sour Tong Mein
This first time I tasted this classic Chinese potage was the first time I had a kind of soup not made by Campbell. Forget chicken soup, this is the perfect remedy to cure a cold and literally sensational. Like most of their noodle dishes, Wah Kee’s Hot and Sour Tong Mein is exemplarily.

2008 Restaurant Obits

2008-12-24T11:24:00.000-08:00

Cleveland’s Diner
CoCoLiQuot
Café Zoma
Caspian Cafe
Fork & Spoon Café
James Street Dining Co
Mad Dog's Chicago-style Eatery
Mekong
Mystic Grill
Ovations
Papa Phil’s
Pel’meni
Peppermill Grill
State Bar & Grill
Sucre

The View from My Window

2008-12-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

July ...

... December

All I Want (and Don’t Want) for Christmas

2008-12-14T13:53:00.000-08:00

I feel a little bit like Maria Von Trapp because I’m going to write about a few of my favorite (and least favorite) things. That is, what I like and I don’t like to eat and drink around the Christmas holiday. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and any similarity to conventional wisdom is purely coincidental.

Winners

1. Standing Rib Roast. I can’t imagine having anything else for Christmas dinner; nothing is more magnificent or delicious. I know a lot of people like to have the ribs removed from their roast but don’t. Sure, it will make it easier to carve but the ribs form a natural cooking rack, lend flavor to the meat and make for a spectacular presentation. The only downside is expense, and because of the waste (bone and fat), you’ll need to figure about a pound per person. Personally, I like my rib roast sliced into neat, relatively thin slices—sometime called an English cut—rather than big slabs as it’s most often served in American restaurants. Everything you need to know about cooking perfect roast beef the first time and every time can be found in Julia Child & Company (Alfred A. Knopf, 1978). The only other thing you’ll need is a good instant-read or digital meat thermometer.

2. Yorkshire Pudding. It’s the perfect side with roast beef since it soaks up all the juices. This beloved English specialty is similar to an American popover but flavored with the drippings from the beef. Traditionally it’s baked in the roasting pan but some prefer using individual round molds. It couldn’t be easier to whip up ahead of time and bakes while the roast sits. The secret is to blend the batter in a blender or food processor, let it stand for 30 minutes or so, and then pour the batter into a hot pan: it will rise dramatically, be crispy brown on the outside and moist on the inside with a hollow center. A contemporary variation of sorts is a savory bread pudding like Emeril Lagasse’s Exotic Mushroom Bread Pudding, a personal favorite.

3. Country Ham. If you don’t already know what it is, forget all your preconceived notions about ham. Country ham’s only similarity to that wet, pink stuff they sell at the grocery store is both start out as a hog. These hams are dry cured, sometime smoked and then hung to age for one to two years. The end product is akin to prosciutto. A difference is that prosciutto is served raw. Country ham is soaked, then boiled and/or baked, trimmed of skin and fat and finally glazed or covered in bread crumbs. Like prosciutto, country ham is served sliced paper thin, either chilled or at room temperature. These types of hams are made throughout the southern states with various nuances in taste depending on the breed of the pig, what it is fed and how it is cured. Virginia and Kentucky are probably best known for their country hams. By the 1960s the making of this American specialty had become almost a lost art because of the time, labor and expertise involved. Discovered by some of the country’s best chefs, there is now a renaissance of production. Whole ham’s are expensive and a lot of work to prepare. If you do decide to try your hand, they nearly always come with good directions for preparation. If you’ve never tried country ham before, I would suggest you start by ordering some already cooked and sliced ham. My favorite country ham comes from Finchville Farms in Finchville, Kentucky. They offer an extensive selection of quality country ham and ham products for sale on their website and shipped to your door.

4. Roast Goose. I know … you’re expecting a Christmas goose joke … but seriously, it’s delicious and something different. It’s the Christmas dinner entrée of choice among Europeans and they’re no slackers when it comes to appreciating good food. If you’ve never cooked a goose before and try to cook it as you would a turkey or roasting chicken, the end result will be tough and greasy. The secret is to add liquid, or in other words, technically braise the goose rather than roast it. The result will be an attractive crispy skin with juicy and succulent dark meat. Julia Childs outlines the basic technique in The Way to Cook (Alfred A. Knopf, 1989). Almost as good as the goose is potatoes cooked in its fat.

5. Plum Pudding. Today this dessert conjures up images of Ye Olde England and Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. Plum pudding was once popular in this country, before the advent of reliable ovens and home baking since it was steamed on top of the stove. Actually, in England it’s usually called “Christmas pudding” and is an indispensable part of celebrating the holiday. It’s easy to make but takes a long time to cook—about 8 hours—and really needs to be made months in advance so it can mellow, regularly doused with a heavy pour of good spirits. Brought to the table flamed with cognac or rum, all round and rolly-poly and topped with its traditional decoration of a sprig of holly, it epitomizes everything that is magic about Christmas. “God bless us everyone!”

6. Scottish Smoked Salmon. Forget about lox and that stuff they sell at the supermarket, this is the real deal. The secret is cold smoking at about 80 degrees which does not cook the fish, resulting in a delicate texture and buttery taste. (In Great Britain, salmon and other fish that are smoked by the more conventional hot fire method are referred to as “kippered”). In all fairness, similar excellent smoked salmon is also produced by the same technique in Ireland and Norway. It can be difficult to find authentic Scottish smoked salmon but you can order it, shipped by air.

7. Champagne. It’s not just for New Years any more. Besides, I’m just looking for an excuse to bring out the bubbly. Cheers!

8. Rosettes. Think Norwegian food and I think lutefisk and lefsa and I say ‘No thanks.’ But rosettes are dispensation for any of the country’s culinary sins. More a pastry than a cookie this fried and sugared confection is ethereally intoxicating. They do require some special equipment to make: a rosette iron (available at Orange Tree Imports on Monroe Street) and a deep fryer. A fall back is Schubert's Cafe Bakery, 128 E. Main Street in Mount Horeb.

9. Tamales. My first encounter with this Mexican Christmas Eve tradition was in San Diego. I love homemade tamales and good ones can be hard to come by in this neck of the woods. They are easy to make and my favorite filling is a combination of pork and potatoes served with salsa verde.
10. Artillery Punch. I’ve made it but never tasted it; therein is the attraction ... and it’s such a wonderfully bizarre potion. It comes to mind each holiday season because in the 1950s when I was in the 3rd grade my parents mixed up a big batch in a wash tub in the basement—and I helped. (It would be the highlight of their Pink and Chartreuse Christmas Party that year.) Unfortunately, I went to school and during show and tell shared both the recipe and how I got to stir in the gin—unfortunately, since my teacher was a teetotaler and henceforth branded me a delinquent and my parents degenerate. Fortunately, we moved out of state shortly thereafter. Recipe follows.

Losers

1. Eggnog. If the raw eggs won’t kill you, the fat and cholesterol will. I’d rather eat my dessert than drink it any day. Most of all, eggnog is a waste of good liquor—leave it out and it’s insipid … and, all that nutmeg? Nutmeg poisoning can cause disorientation, a sense of impending doom and hyperactivity.

2. Candy Canes. They're okay as Christmas decorations but lousy candy. For anyone beyond the age of 10, peppermint is only suited as a flavor for toothpaste or mouthwash. Not to mention, after a kid has sucked on one of these things all day, it’s got a point sharp enough to poke your eye out.

3. Pumpkin Pie. I love pumpkin pie … at Thanksgiving. Less homespun and more bling is the order of the day for Christmas.

4. Buffets. Contrary to popular belief the word is not French for “all you can eat”. In France a buffet a can be a place where you purchase food of dubious quality. The difference between a buffet and a potluck is you not only have to serve yourself but furnish some of the food as well. I have to be honest: I never liked either but least of all at this time of year. I cannot pinpoint exactly when this hatred began. For some reason they always take me back to grade school, standing in line in front of a dour faced woman wearing a hairnet who is about to slop a large dollop of cream-style corn into my compartmentalized plate. A cocktail party is just dandy for grazing … picking and choosing tidbits from a big spread. Dinner, however, should have a coordinated menu; be served in courses; eaten seated in a chair at a table.

5. Fruit Cake. I actually like real fruit cake but it has to be homemade from quality ingredients and allowed to mellow for many months, regularly slathered with lots of top shelf booze. What you’re more likely to get is the deserved brunt of so many jokes: dried out pound cake full of colorful candied fruit that tastes like a cut-up garden hose. I have a friend who has been using a fruit cake as a doorstop ever since I can remember.

6. Christmas Cookies. As good as they can be in their own right, so many of so many different kinds arriving a time of year already saturated with glut is overkill. You can’t avoid them. They show up at work, at parties and as gifts from well-intentioned neighbors and friends. Plain or fancy, cut out in cute shapes or dropped as mysterious blobs, drenched in powdered sugar or sprinkled with dragees (those little silver and gold balls that break your teeth), the worse are those that have been stored together in the same container so that they all taste like tutti frutti.

7. Disposable Tableware. Granted you can’t eat them but a lot of stuff you do this time of year is served on or in disposables. Why not just dispose of them all together? Even before it was environmentally responsible, I have always loathed paper plates, plastic cutlery and acrylic “glassware.” Not only are they aesthetically insulting—even mores so adorned with snowmen and reindeers—they make everything taste worse. Furthermore, it’s a sure bet that anyone who cuts corners in the dining room will do the same in the kitchen. I don’t expect my argument to gain much traction, but my hat goes off to Al Gore!

8. White Zinfandel. Driving or not, friends don’t let friends drink this plonk. It’s been my experience, that those that fancy it would just as soon have pink lemonade anyway. For some reason this wine shows up a lot around the holidays, perhaps because of its merry rose hue but I think more likely the consequence of a re-gift.

9. Christmas Tree Peeps. Okay, the silly little yellow marshmallow chickens that have been around at Easter since who knows when are kind of cool just because they are so tacky. Capitalizing on their kitschy popularity by concocting a version for Christmas (and Halloween and every other holiday) is blatant commercialism at it crassest. Besides, what are you suppose to do with them? Put them in your Christmas basket?

10. Green Bean Casserole. Comfort food? Nursery food? I don’t think so. From the start this recipe was a devious conspiracy by corporate food giant Campbell’s to sell more of their products. I mean, really, who ever bought those canned French fried onion rings before? With no apologies to Paula Dean, any recipe that begins with “add a couple of cans of condensed soup,” is not for me, least of all to celebrate a special occasion.

1954 Artillery Punch

6 cups strong black tea
1 liter bourbon
1 750-ml bottle cabernet sauvignon
3 cups dark Jamaican rum
1½ cups gin
1½ cups brandy
3 ounces Benedictine
3 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
1½ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup grenadine

Mix all the ingredients and let stand 2 hours or more to mellow. Pour over a block of ice in a large punch bowl.

Serves 12.

A Nice Holiday Tradition

2008-12-11T09:17:00.000-08:00

The Madison Concourse Hotel Holds 9th Annual Children's Holiday Party

Along with the NFL Alumi Madison Chapter they will hold their annual Children's Holiday Party on December 18 from 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. at the hotel, 1 W. Dayton Street in downtown Madison.

The hotel will invite over 300 Madison area children from the Boys and Girls Club, Bayview Neighborhood and other children's organizations to attend the private party.

Activities include cookie decorating, crafts, a visit from Bucky Badger, games, treats and a chance to have a photo taken with Santa and the Grinch. The Concourse hopes this is an opportunity for these children to experience traditional holiday activities that they would otherwise not be able to afford. For more information contact Anne Pond, Marketing Manger for The Madison Concourse Hotel, 608.294.3008 or apond@concoursehotel.com.

Tomato Sandwiches and Fried Pies

2008-12-06T13:47:00.000-08:00

THIS PAST WEEK WAS FILLED WITH LOSS, leaving me feeling empty. My only sibling and older sister passed away. People seem to always ask if it was an unexpected death. I’m not sure if it matters. When anyone you have known all your life leaves you it’s difficult to comprehend. Sorrow aside, it’s always an occasion for remembering.

Obviously food is a big part of my life and much of my adulthood shared with my sister involved eating or cooking. Until she left home, her favorite food was a tomato sandwich with Miracle Whip and Velveeta. Even at age 8 Miracle Whip and Velveeta weren’t in my food pyramid.

As a child my sister’s taste in food was predictable for her age. However, her interest in fashion and style was another matter. She taught me the meaning of the word flair if not flamboyant. I remember in sixth grade when she colored her hair chartreuse using Rit fabric dye.

Her given name, Betty Curd, was embarrassing to her—suitable for a cocker spaniel but not for her. After moving to Madison in the late 50s, she attended Edgewood High School. One day, our dad doing his duty transported a couple of the nuns who were Betty’s teachers to the dentist. In the car, they kept espousing how much they enjoyed having Penelope in their classes. Our father assumed they had the wrong parent confused with the wrong student. But, when her first report card arrived, it was for Penelope Curd. This would not be the last time she would change her name. Several years ago, she finally settled on Chyrelle Chasen, suggested by a shaman in Sedona, Arizona. To her eternal chagrin, I will always remember her as Betty.

Growing up, we seldom agreed upon anything. She liked vanilla Cokes (gross) and I liked Grapette. She wanted to watch Dobby Gillis (boring) and I loved Lucy. She swooned over Elvis (weird) and I memorized lyrics from show tunes. She was her father’s girl and I was my mother’s boy.

Married, she and her husband bought an old farm house in Stoughton which they renovated, doing all the work themselves. I’m sure the first arrival of her family, especially our mother and her white gloves, was a traumatic event. Our mother had low expectations since her daughter had never demonstrated—to her disapproval— any interest or skills related to homemaking. Unfortunately, lack of expectations never quelled our mother’s propensity for criticism.

Our mother’s taste ran to split-level ranch complete with wall-to-wall carpet even in the bathroom, but she could not deny her daughter’s spectacular success in transforming this once disheveled hovel. Nor, when Betty served the first dinner, fondue—cheese, beef and chocolate. This was our first encounter with this dip-into-the-pot meal; its unfamiliarity seemed to make it all the more enjoyable. Ironically, fondue would become one of our mother’s favorites, long after Betty and I had forsaken it as passé.

This was an era when my sister made bread and wine, butchered meat and canned everything; when most yearned for one of the new microwave ovens. That’s not to imply she wasn’t interested in different ways of doing things. Her large vegetable garden evolved into one of the area’s first commercial organic farms. She gave me my first Cuisnart and my favorite cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Childs.

In 1972, I moved to Madison to attend graduate school. For a year or so I lived with my sister in Stoughton. I had always liked to eat, but when I spent my junior year of college in Europe, it inspired me to learn how to cook. Betty was more than willing to let me to show off what I had learned. From the beginning I was determined to be the world’s best pie maker. In my family, pies were ever present and the ability to make pastry the hallmark of a good cook. My sister liked pie as much as I did and encouraged me.

Our Kentucky grandmother was a fabulous cook and famous for her pies, biscuits and fried chicken. She also made fried pies—biscuit dough filled with cooked and pureed dried apricots, then pan fried. It sounds simple enough but biscuit dough properly made is hard to handle and frying … if the temperature isn’t just right the pies will turn out greasy and inedible. Betty loved fried pies and craved them: She hadn’t savored one since our grandmother had died.

Biscuit making was a new experience and fried pies a challenge especially since our grandmother left no written recipes. I cannot begin to tell you how many batches of fried pies I made, none just quite right, before my sister later confessed that in fact they had all been delicious.

About this same time, we decided we wanted to open a restaurant in a large Victorian house then for sale. We both were enticed by the restaurant business… something about the sparkle of glassware … the clink of cutlery … a room full of ohhing and ahhing happy diners. We would be the hosts of a glorious dinner party every night of the week! Well. In a rare moment of judiciousness we agreed we would both attend restaurant management classes at MATC before taking the plunge.

Disillusionment quickly followed. Accepting that running a restaurant was hard work and that we lacked the motive to be successful—knowing how to run a business and make a profit—was our damnation (or salvation, depending upon your point of view). Nonetheless, we turned to Plan B: Catering. Betty was much impressed and influenced by James Beard who began his career in food as a caterer with virtually no professional training or experience.

We started hosting afternoon teas … making miniature cream puffs stuffed with crabmeat, frilly sandwiches filled with smoked salmon and pretty petit fours. Oh, how we both loved to make petit fours! My sister had a talent for confectionary that I couldn’t and still can’t master. She could throw the ingredients for batch of candy into a saucepan and leave it unattended on the stove overnight. Next morning: Voilà! She would have a batch of perfect fudge. She especially liked to make fondant, the finicky icing used to cover petit fours that I couldn’t make if my life depended upon it. But, since I got to make the cake and do the decorating we were both very happy. Unfortunately, the demand for teas in Stoughton was limited to say the least.

Though we both went our separate ways, when we would get together food always dominated the conversation: restaurants, recipes and reminiscence. Our last happy time together was when we went to lunch at The Old Fashioned, enjoying a double order of nostalgia. It will be impossible to go there ever again and not think of her. Nor eat barbecue, fried chicken or country ham. Though I haven’t done so in many years, I think it might be time to make some fried pies.

Missing in New Orleans

2008-12-06T13:35:00.000-08:00

Another shock and another loss came later in the week. My friend Mary Erpenbach sent me an email to let me know the Maison de Ville and Audubon Cottages—a boutique hotel in New Orleans—had closed on Monday. This was the perfect place to stay in the French Quarter, an historic hostelry where fittingly Tennessee Williams once lived. It’s where he completed A Streetcar Named Desire. Dick Cavett interviewed him for his TV show in its dreamy courtyard complete with gurgling fountain, lush foliage and lazy banana trees. Originally the place was built as a residence in the late 18th Century. It was the home of Amedée Peychaud, the pharmacist who concocted the bitters named after him, an essential ingredient in the Sazerac cocktail.

The hotel also nurtured a wonderful little restaurant called the Bistro at the Maison de Ville. The ambiance of this cozy room was as much Left Bank Paris as French Quarter New Orleans. The late John Neal and Susan Spicer, both acclaimed chefs , got their start in the kitchen here. Its amiable maitre d’ Patrick Van Hoornebeek made all his guests feel welcome and is a local legend. On a good night, the food here was second to none and that’s saying a lot in this town with so many great restaurants.

Most of all I loved the Audubon Cottages located a couple of blocks away from the main hotel. Seven sequestered cottages, each with its own private courtyard, encircle a central patio and swimming pool. Every time I came here I always anticipated opening the gate … walking down the long passage with its canopy of jacaranda trees … entering this hidden bijou of a place. It never lost its magic.

Most of all I loved the Audubon Cottages because they were the venue for my 50th birthday party, a grand celebration with more than 50 of my friends the weekend before Mardi Gras. I stayed in Cottage Number 1 that year with my friend Mike Verveer. It was where John James Audubon had lived in 1821 and 1822 while he worked on his Birds of America series. The cottages and courtyards were the epicenter of that weekend culminating in a jazz funeral parade from there to breakfast at Brennans.

I returned year after year—usually for Mardi Gras—so many times that it felt like coming home. It was an oasis from the frenzy of Carnival that is enticing but sometime overwhelming. I liked it because very little ever changed, least of all the kind people who worked there. In the aftermath of Katrina I was gladdened to learn all the employees had weathered the storm and happier still when the hotel finally reopened. Yet, It now appears Katrina has claimed yet another victim.

Whenever I think of “The City That Care Forgot” I cannot forget the Maison de Ville.

“In New Orleans I have noticed that people are happiest when they are going to funerals, making money, taking care of the dead, or putting on masks at Mardi Gras so nobody knows who they are.” –Walker Percy, Lancelot

Absolut Madison!

2008-11-28T09:12:00.000-08:00

Last year Absolut Vodka came out with a Limited Edition called Absolut New Orleans. Only 35,000 cases of the mango and black pepper flavored vodka were made and 100% of the sales were donated to charities associated with Katrina relief. Absolut New Orleans was a big hit, especially with me—I still have a couple of bottles squirreled away that I’m saving for a hurricane. I concocted my own cocktail with the addition of X-Rated Fusion and Cointreau and it was on the drink menu at the Capitol Chophouse for several months, "Dan's New Orleans."

This summer, Absolut came out with its second Limited Edition vodka honoring a city: Absolut Los Angeles. Flavored with acai, acerola cherry, pomegranate and blueberry and inspired by L.A.'s healthy lifestyles and fitness culture. A portion of the sales were donated to Green Way LA.

Now, Absolut wants you to nominate the next city to be honored with a Limited Edition Vodka … not only the city but what it should taste like it. I’m thinking, Absolut Madison! Very fruity, a few nuts, a hint of tofu and definitely served over ice? This is the beginning of my campaign to get them to pick Madison. Please go and vote for Madison and its flavor HERE. Also, become of member of Absolut Madison on Facebook.

Not Home for the Holidays

2008-11-22T16:05:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Not surprisingly since it’s the only holiday where the main focus is exclusively food. Most of us have our own traditions as to what we eat ... how and where we spend the day. Since many restaurants close for Thanksgiving, here is a list of places in Madison who will be open and serving traditional fare next Thursday.

Capitol Chophouse is serving a Thanksgiving Day Buffet from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The menu is online. For reservations call 255-0165.

Dayton Street Grille (at the Concourse) will serve their Thanksgiving Buffet between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The menu is online. Reservations can be made by calling 294-3031.

Orpheum Lobby Restaurant will be open Thursday, November 27th for a Thanksgiving Buffet from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dinner will include all the holiday classics: turkey, ham, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberries, salads and more. Call 255-6005 ext. 2 for a reservation.

Quivey’s Grove features a Special Holiday Menu, serve in the Stone House with a complimentary appetizer buffet in the Stable Grill. They are open Thanksgiving between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Please call 273-4900 to make your reservations.

Samba Brazilian Grill is featuring a Thanksgiving Feast, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., all you can eat for $25. Call 257-1111 for reservations.

The Edgewater features Twin Buffets on Thanksgiving, Breakfast 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. and Dinner noon until 8 p.m. More information is on their website. For reservations call 661-6582.

Traditional Pumpkin Pie

This is my favorite recipe for pumpkin pie (it’s a whole lot better than the one on the can label). In the past, I have started with fresh pumpkin. If you do, it’s important that you use a pie pumpkin not a jack-o-lantern. It’s a messy process and a lot of work and I’ve found the end result no better than using what comes out of a can. In fact, sometime, the color of fresh pumpkin can be anemic, depending upon the variety You can substitute cream for the evaporated milk but I think the later makes for a better texture (cream can be too dense).

1 partially baked 10-inch pie shell

¾ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Steen’s syrup or molasses
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground cloves
16-ounce can pumpkin
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
12-ounce can evaporated milk
2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)

Whipped cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Gradually combine the brown sugar, sugar, flour, molasses and spices. Stir in the pumpkin. Combine the eggs, milk and brandy, rum or bourbon and fold into the pumpkin mixture.
Carefully pour the filling into the prepared pie shell and set in the preheated 375-degree oven.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the center is just set. Cool on a rack.

Serve the pie at room temperature with whipped cream.

Serves 8.

The Gumbo Wars

2008-11-20T05:05:00.000-08:00

Several years ago a to-be-left-unnamed food critic for a to be-left-unnamed weekly publication oood and ahhhed over the gumbo at a local restaurant (now long closed). The problem wasn’t that I’d eaten this gumbo and thought it awful (they had burnt the roux) but rather the assertion in his review that “real gumbo contains okra.” Thus began a back and forth posturing in print about who knew what he was talking about. To the delight and entertainment of my friends, this exchange was more than a little snarky and became known as The Gumbo Wars.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that the origin of the word gumbo comes from the Bantu (Angolan) word (ki)ngombo, meaning okra but all gumbo does not contain okra. Okra is used as a thickener but so is filé, also called gumbo filé, a spice made from dried and ground sassafras and thyme leaves. Rarely are the two used together in the same recipe, but many varieties contain neither. What all gumbo does have in common is a roux—flour browned in fat. Depending upon the type of gumbo, the roux can vary from the color of peanut butter to dark chocolate. This hearty more –stew-than-soup can and does contain just about anything—seafood, smoked sausage and ham, meat and game. Another common ingredient is what’s referred to as the Creole or Cajun trinity—chopped onions, green pepper and celery. A popular variation is called gumbo z’herbes (green gumbo) and traditionally served on Good Friday. Legend has it that you’ll make as many new friends as the number of different greens you use in your recipe. One thing that never goes in real gumbo is rice: it’s always served ladled over boiled rice

Gumbo is a staple along the Gulf Coast but prevalent throughout the South. Eating gumbo is popular all year long but especially during cold weather and in Louisiana a dish always served on Christmas Eve. African Americans, Native Americans, French and Spanish Creoles have added their influence to this meal in a pot.

Gumbo is slow food at its best. Around here, if you want a good bowl of the real thing you’ll have to make it yourself. Even at a restaurant in New Orleans finding good gumbo is not as easy as you might think. For a long time, it was something made and enjoyed at home so why order it when you went out? To be sure it might make the menu of a local diner or a venerable institution like Galatoire’s or Antoine’s. For a time, many of the newer, upscale restaurants looked upon it as too pedestrian. However, restaurateurs like Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse have helped make the dish more popular than ever. One of my favorite “new” gumbos is served at Mr. B’s Bistro, run by a branch of the renowned Brennan family. It’s called Gumbo Ya Ya (their recipe is on their web page)—“gumbo ya ya” is a Cajun expression that means everyone talking at once.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I like to cook, but I avoided making gumbo for a long time because it can be a very tedious process browning the roux. The procedure requires constant stirring and vigilance. If you burn the roux it will bitter and inedible and you have to start over. I’m not much for short cuts but a few years ago, reading Gourmet magazine (January, 1997) I came across how to make roux in the microwave. I was skeptical until I tried it—I’m skeptical about anything to do with the microwave—but it’s truly amazing! You really can teach old cooks new tricks.

Mr. B’s Gumbo Ya-Ya

Adapted from the recipe from B’s Bistro in New Orleans, my version serves 8 to 10 (the original recipe makes 24 cups). It also takes advantage of making the roux in the microwave.

1/3 cup vegetable oil (I use grapeseed or peanut oil)

½ cup bread flour

1 red bell peppers, chopped

1 green bell peppers, chopped

1 medium onions, chopped 1 celery stalk, chopped

8 cups rich chicken stock

8 cups water

1 tablespoons Creole seasoning

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 bay leave (preferably fresh)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 pound andouille sausage, cut into ¼-inch slices

1 whole roasted chicken breast, skinned, boned and coarsely chopped

Tabasco to taste

Boiled rice

Garnish:

Chopped green onions

In a 1-quart microwave-safe measuring cup blend together well the oil and bread flour. Microwave uncovered at high power for 2-minutes. Remove and stir thoroughly. Repeat this procedure twice. This may require some experimentation at first, depending on the power of your microwave. It’s important to thoroughly stir the flour mixture until it’s absolutely smooth each time before returning to the microwave. Continue to microwave at 1 minute intervals, stirring well in between intervals, until you have a dark mahogany brown roux.

Transfer the roux to a stock pot set over low heat. Add the chopped bell peppers and stir constantly for about 30 seconds. Add the chopped onions and celery and stir constantly for another 30 seconds or so until the vegetables have softened. Slowly add the stock and water to the roux and vegetables, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add the Creole seasoning, black pepper, red pepper flakes, thyme, garlic, bay leaf, kosher salt and andouille and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer the gumbo, uncovered, for 45 minutes, skimming off any fat and stirring occasionally. Cool the gumbo to room temperature. The gumbo may be made several hours or the day before, but cover and refrigerate after two hours. Right before serving, make the rice. Add the chicken to the gumbo and reheat. Adjust seasoning with Tabasco or other hot sauce. Serve over rice garnished with green onions and hot sauce on the side.

New Nouveau Next Thursday

2008-11-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

Join Le Chardonnay next weekend to celebrate the release of the Nouveau Beaujolais 2008 with a wonderful five course dinner ...

First Course
Homemade petite French baguette with fleur du sel butter

Second Course
Grilled U-10 sea scallop with candied lemon and horseradish velouté
Ricotta cheese and asparagus quiche

Third Course
Steamed then chilled baby carrots, beets and potatoes dressed in lime and olive oil

Fourth Course
Roasted wild boar with braised cabbage and sweet potato chips
Ravioli of lobster and langoustine with a lemongrass and chervil velouté
Roasted duck with honey glazed onions and, minted peas and Madeira sauce
Risotto of cèpes with green onions, truffle oil and parmesan

Fifth Course
Red wine glazed pear with pumpkin custard and caramelized walnuts

$48
Call 608.268.0372 or email your reservation to lechardonnay@gmail.com

Another Pizza

2008-11-09T10:04:00.000-08:00

Isn’t there enough already? Thin crust, deep dish and stuffed. Believe it or not, there’s actually a pizza (to the best of my knowledge) you cannot get in Madison unless you make it yourself. It’s not something new, either, but has a long history in both this country and Italy. Pizza Rustic. Be forewarned. I’ve seen “pizza rustica” listed on many pizzeria menus but it was menuese for the toppings applied to a regular pizza.

So what is it? It a sort of deep dish, stuffed pizza to the extreme. A 3-inch or higher short pastry (no yeast) shell is filled with a combination of sausage, cured meats, cheese, eggs and sometimes spinach, then topped and sealed with more pastry. It’s the Italian cousin to the French pate en croute or English standing meat pie. It’s served at room temperature, cut into wedges.

Native to the Abruzzo region of Italy (just of east of Rome on the Adriatic), pizza rustica is especially popular at Easter. My first encounter came on Mulberry Street in New York’s Little Italy in the 1960s. I ordered it up sight unseen, thinking it was … pizza. Did I ever get a surprise but delicious one none the less. The most elaborate version I’ve ever seen was at a bakery in Bergamo, Italy—it had to be at least a foot high and beautifully layered with sliced meats and cheese.

Enough chatter. It’s off to the store to buy the ingredients.

Pizza Rustica

3 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 (12-ounce) bunches fresh spinach, stemmed, coarsely chopped (about 12 cups
1 tablespoons finely minced shallots
6 ounces brown mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed and sliced
4 large egg yolks, beaten to blend
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
1 large red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seed and chopped
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped

Pastry Dough (recipe follows)
1 large egg, beaten to blend

Position the rack on the bottom of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sausages and sauté until golden brown, breaking the sausage into pieces, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same frying pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach wilts and the juices evaporate, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool to room temperature. Squeeze the spinach to drain as much liquid as possible.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the minced scallions and stir for a minute or so. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until brown. Set aside and cool to room temperature.

Into a large bowl, add egg yolks and beat lightly. Stir in the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese. Add the sausage, the spinach, mushrooms, roasted red pepper and prosciutto to the mixture and stir to combine.

Roll out larger piece of dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 17-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch spring form pan. Trim the dough overhang to 1 inch. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dough-lined pan. Roll out the remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch round. Place the dough over the filling. Pinch the edges of the dough together to seal, and then crimp the dough edges decoratively. Brush the beaten 1 large egg over the entire pastry top. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan over the top. Bake on the bottom shelf until the crust is golden brown, about 1 hour.

Let stand 15 minutes. Release the pan sides and transfer the pizza to a platter. Cut into wedges and serve at room temperature.

Serves 8.

Pastry Dough:
3½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¼ cup solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, beaten to blend
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Blend the flour, the butter, the shortening and salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Blend in the eggs. With the machine running, add the water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough forms. Gather the dough into a ball. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, with 1 piece twice as large as the second piece. Flatten the dough pieces into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is firm enough to roll out, about 30 minutes.

Chicken Pie

2008-11-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

This is an annual and delicious tradition at Madison's Glenwood Moravian Community Church. As a fundraiser for the church, members of the congregation make and sell chicken pies, not to be confused with chicken pot pies. The difference? These are all-meat chicken encased in a flaky homemade crust with gravy for topping on the side. If you'd like to try one, please call 238-8709 by Friday, November 14 to reserve your pie. Pies can be picked up at the church (725 Gilmore Street) on Wednesday, November 19 between 1 and 6 p.m. The pies are frozen, baking instructions are included and the cost is $12 per pie.

The O Word

2008-11-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

No. I’m not going to voice my preference in the presidential race. As much as I am tempted to do so, this is a blog about food and I’m talking about oysters. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, few are indifferent about them. It’s that time of year that they become my personal obsession. There is an old maxim that you should only eat oysters during the “R” months—September through April. Probably the prohibition relates to the spawning season and the increased risk of bacteria during the summer months that poisons bivalves. Regardless, for me fall and winter is still the season to enjoy oysters.

There are basically five edible varieties. Belons originally came from Europe but are now farmed in North America. They are probably the most prized and expensive off all the varieties. Eastern oysters include Blue Points, Wellfleets and Malpaques and can be found all down the Eastern seaboard and in the Gulf of Mexico. There are many species native to the Pacific and they tend to be sweeter—and in my opinion—less complex in flavor than their Atlantic cousins. Kumamoto oysters originally came from Japan but are now commonly found up and down the West coast. They are very small and subtle in flavor. Olympic oysters are indigenous to the Pacific Northwest. Small but very prized, they’re rarely available in other parts of the country.

Oysters are both harvested in the wild and farmed but you will rarely see the difference noted on a menu. The quality of an oyster should never be judged by its size since it can vary enormously from species to species. However, size does matter when you’re purchasing shucked oysters, most commonly used for stews (smaller oysters) and frying (larger oysters). Shucked oysters are commonly labeled—from smallest to largest— “standards”, “selects” and “extra selects”. Whether in the shell or shucked, oysters have a relatively long shelf life—about two weeks refrigerated. They should never be frozen as this will have a disastrous affect on their texture.

I have some definite prejudices about oysters. My favorites are Belons and Wellfleets. I’m generally not a fan of Pacific oysters, Quilcines being my least favorite. I prefer oysters served on the half shell or fried. Raw oysters are most commonly served in this country with cocktail sauce, a combination of ketchup or chili sauce with horseradish. My preference is fresh lemon and a good hot sauce like Tabasco. My favorite, though, is Panola (available at Brennan’s) which doesn’t pack as much heat as Tabasco but has wonderful flavor. In France (and increasingly here as well), raw oysters are served with mignonette, a simple sauce of quality vinegar, shallots, salt and pepper. The traditional accompaniment for fried oysters is cocktail or tartar sauce. My favorite is New Orleans-style Remoulade Sauce.

Certainly the most famous preparation is Oyster Rockefeller, invented at Antoine’s Restaurant in New Orleans in 1899. The inspiration for this dish was necessity. At the time there was a shortage of imported French snails, a popular menu item. Antoine’s proprietor Jules Alciatore reckoned that if escargot could be sauced and baked in their shells, so could the abundant local oysters. Jules named his creation Rockefeller in deference to the dish’s richness. Spinach is commonly listed as one of the essential ingredients of Oysters Rockefeller, however Antoine’s original recipe—a closely guarded secret to this day—contains no spinach.

Best of Madison for Oysters:

Liliana’s Restaurant in Fitchburg has a separate oyster menu, featuring a half-dozen or more varieties of freshly shucked oysters that change with availability.

Capitol Chophouse serves different varieties of raw oysters, shucked to order, as well as Oysters Rockefeller.

The Blue Marlin prepares both oysters on the half shell and Oysters Rockefeller.

Sardine’s oysters on the half shell come with a traditional French mignonette.

Fried Oysters

3 eggs
2 tablespoons cream
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
Fish-Fri (corn flour)
1 pint shucked oysters ("selects" or frying size)

Peanut oil for frying
Salt

Lemon wedges
Remoulade Sauce

In a small deep bowl beat together the eggs and cream to combine. Set aside. Combine the flour and Creole seasoning in a large plastic bag. Set aside. Put the Fish Fri in a large plastic bag. Set aside.

Drain the oysters. One at a time, shake the oysters in seasoned flour. Then dip in the egg wash, using a slotted spoon to make sure the entire surface of the oyster is covered. Draining off any excess egg, shake in the Fish Fri and transfer to a wax paper-lined baking sheet or platter.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 425 degrees (or the maximum temperature).

Add half the oysters to the fryer and immediately reduce the temperature to 375 degrees. Fry the oysters for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the fried oysters to a paper towel lined baking sheet and keep warm in the preheated 200-degree oven while frying the rest of the oysters.

Salt the oysters to taste and immediately serve with lemon wedges and Remoulade Sauce.

Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main course.

Remoulade Sauce

¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¾ cup light olive oil or other vegetable oil
½ cup chopped yellow onion
½ cup chopped green onions
¼ cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
3 tablespoons Creole mustard
3 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process for 30 seconds. Use immediately or store in a covered container in the refrigerator (will keep for several days).

Makes about 3 cups.

Fried Foods

2008-10-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

Frying food has been around literally forever; it appears in almost every culture’s culinary history. However, the concept of deep frying—where the food is completely submersed in hot fat—is not a European invention, a source of much of our cooking tradition. Some credit the Chinese for inventing deep frying. Whatever its origin, this practice was introduced to the American colonies in the South by African slaves. It only became a popular American staple with the growth of the restaurant industry and the commercial deep fryer in the 20th century.

Why do we crave fried foods so much? The technique produces an attractive end result that is flavorful due to the quick cooking and an appealing juxtaposition of textures: crisp on the outside, soft on the inside. Just about anything and everything can be and is fried—from dill pickles to candy bars. You can find fried foods at most restaurants but here is my list of Best of Madison for Fried Foods:

French Fries: The Old Fashioned. They got their name because they really are popular and state-of-the-art there (and in Belgium), though accompanied with mayonnaise instead of ketchup. The perfect French fry has a golden brown, crispy crust with a baked-potato-like inside which they have definitely got down pat at the OF.

Home fries: Marigold Kitchen. What’s a real American breakfast without American fries or home fries or whatever you call them? The ones at Marigold Kitchen live up to expectation have lots of browny bits and most of all, flavor, flavor, flavor!

Hash Browns: Tornado Steak House. Good hash browns are simple and cooked on a griddle. Good ones have a crusty brown exterior but are not mushy when you sink your teeth into them. Tornado does hash browns right and they are simply delicious.

Onion Rings: Tornado Steak House has wonderful battered onion rings. Unfortunately, they only come as a garni on your steak at dinner but are available in a full-size serving on the late night menu. By definition onion rings are round, something you could play horseshoes with. The worse are heavily breaded and the onion comes out with your first bite. Personally, I prefer lightly breaded onion strings and the Haystack Onion Strings at the Old Fashioned are close to perfect.

Fried Calamari: Lombardino’s. I’ve squirmed over fried calamari at way too many places, here and in Italy. None is finer than the flawless fried calamari at Lombardino’s: tender, crunchy and s’amore.

Friday Fish Fry: Orpheum. Come Friday, you can have your fish almost anywhere in Wisconsin. I like the Orpheum because it keeps the spirit of the original Wisconsin fish fry alive: Lake fish that’s all you can eat (and they don’t even look at you funny when you order thirds). The fish is blue gill but what counts is that it’s beer battered and nicely fried.

Fried Sweet Potato Chips: The Continental. Something different—I love fried sweet potatoes—and served with panache, a dipping béarnaise sauce.

Fried Cheese Curds: The Old Fashioned. Only in Wisconsin would this make the list of revered fried foods. It’s no surprise that the Queen of the Deep Fryer, the Old Fashioned, would proffer a cheese curd that is way more scrumptious than most.

Chicken Fried Steak: El Dorado Grill. It you grew up in Texas (which I didn’t) this is at the top of the food pyramid. None the less, I love chicken fried streak and on a good night El Dorado’s can’t be beat.

Fried Chicken: Still waiting. Really good fried chicken is seasoned and lightly dusted with floured (never battered) and pan fried to a uniform crispy golden brown. Unfortunately, most of the restaurant fried chicken around here is deep fried and the white meat tends to be dry and the dark meat sometime slimy. So, if you don’t want to satisfy your craving at the Colonel or the Sailor Man, Kipp’s on Monroe Street is probably the best game in town right now.

Doughnuts: Greenbush Bakery. They make some really great cake donuts (so long as you don’t read the nutritional information) and they’re kosher to boot. Unfortunately, I love raised, glazed donuts and find all those sampled locally lacking. I’m not usually big on fast food but sometime I do wish we had a Krispy Kreme or Dunkin’ Donut’. Supposedly after an absence of several years, Dunkin Donuts will soon return to Madtown. Rumors have been around so long about the coming of Krispy Kreme that they now qualify as an urban myth.

Good Food ... Good Cause

2008-10-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

Lombardino's will donate 10% of their sales from Tuesday night, October 28 to Madison's AIDS Network, the HIV/AIDS service provider for South Central Wisconsin

Dueling Chefs 2008 Finals

2008-10-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

Charles Lazzareschi of Dayton Street Grille vs. Andrew Lickel of Samba

As part of the Madison Food & Wine Show, pairs of chefs from some of the area’s leading restaurants go head-to-head, cooking in elimination heats. Patrick O’Halloran from Lombardino’s and Robert Von Rutenberg from the Nau-ti-Gal are emcees. Each chef has the same pantry of basic ingredients to work with and right before the competition begins the secret main ingredient is revealed. Each participant and his or her assistant then have 30 minutes to create two different dishes. Four judges then score the dishes on flavor, presentation and use of mystery ingredient. The winning chef proceeds to the next round.

The mystery ingredient for the championship round was American kobe flatiron streak. I was one of the judges along with Mayor Dave, Raphael Kadushin and someone selected from the audience. Here are the four dishes made for the final round of this culinary cookoff.

Robert and Patrick

Dish 1, Dayton Street Grille:

Dish 1, Samba:

Dish 2, Dayton Street Grille:

Dish 2, Samba:
And the winner is … Charles Lazzareschi of Datyon Street Grille.

Star Alumni

2008-10-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

Writing about “Chef of the Year” Derek Rowe of Harvest, I mentioned that his first job in a restaurant kitchen was at L’Etoile. Harvest owner Tammy Lax also once worked there as chef de cuisine and chief forager. Since 1976, countless L’Etoile’s employees—chefs, cooks and servers—have moved on to become stars in their own right. Some have found fame in the big city like Elka Gilmore who opened acclaimed restaurants in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Others stayed closer to home like Chef David Kasprzak and his wife Jane Sybers who run Dining Room 209 Main in Monticello. Eric Rupert now is corporate chef for the Sub-Zero Corporation here in Madison. Of course I’d be amiss if I didn’t mention Madison’s favorite bartender, Mary Ward, who now presides as Queen of Libations at The Chophouse and once worked at L’Etoile as well. Seemingly, wishes made at L’Etoile can be dreams come true.

7th Annual Madison Food & Wine Show
October 17 – 19 at the Alliant Energy Center

(Website)

It’s coming up this weekend (more information is on the website) and for the sixth year in a row, I’ll be one of the three judges for the final round of the Dueling Chef competition (Sunday, October 19 at 3 p.m.).

Shoofly Pie and Apple Pandowdy

2008-10-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

If you wanna do right by your appetite,

If you're fussy about your food,

Take a choo-choo today, head New England way,

And we'll put you in the happiest mood. with:

Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy

Makes your eyes light up,

Your tummy say "Howdy."

Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy

I never get enough of that wonderful stuff.

Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy makes the sun come out

When Heavens are cloudy,

Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy,

I never get enough of that wonderful stuff!

Mama! When you bake,

Mama! I don't want cake;

Mama! For my sake

Go to the oven and make some ever lovin' Sh,

Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy

Makes your eyes light up,

Your tummy say "Howdy,"

Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy

I never get enough of that wonderful stuff!
--Sammy Gallop

There aren’t a whole lot of love songs written about food but this is one of my favorites as well as the objects of its affection. Quite honestly, I wasn’t familiar with these lyrics popularized by Dinah Shore, Ella Fitgerald and Stan Kenton right after World War II … until the Two Fat Ladies came along,

This was one of the first shows I watched on the Cooking Channel and is still one of my favorites. Originally airing on the BBC (1996-1998) the Two Fat Ladies—Jennifer Patterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright, each eccentric and opinionated—had almost a cult-like following. It wasn’t just their acidic asides nor the recipes they gave out—often more suited to British tastes—that had me tuning in every week. The show had a Merchant-Ivory richness to it, filmed at many historic homes and sights around the U.K. The show was as much about how dishes came to be and evolved as much as how to properly prepare them.

I was use to the antics of these two big women, but thought it odd when Jennifer Patterson began one of the episode singing “Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy.” She went on to comment “I remember, as a teenager, hearing the song on the American Forces Network and always thought it sounded very jolly.” Hence her fondness for this dish that is thoroughly American to the core. (If you want to check out her recipe for Apple Pandowdy, it’s included in the cookbook Two Fat Ladies Obessions (Clarkson/Potter Publishers in the U.S). I don’t remember her having anything to say about Shoofly Pie but they’re both favorites of mine. Neither of these sweets were part of my culinary upbringing.

Shoofly pie is a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch dessert made from brown sugar, molasses, shortening, and spices. There are two versions: the more common "wet bottom"—a gooey molasses filling topped with a crumb layer, and the “dry bottom”—all mixed together and more cake-like. The pie supposedly got its name because when sat aside to cool the sweet ingredients attracted flies that the cook would diligently have to shoo away. I sampled my first piece at a truck stop near Lancaster, Pennsylvania and went home to find a recipe and have been making it ever since.

Apple pandowdy is an old and simple New England dessert of spiced apples sweetened with molasses and baked under a biscuit dough crust. One theory is it got its names because of it homely or dowdy appearance. Similar concoctions in other parts of the country are called cobblers, dumplings, duffs and grunts. What sets pandowdy apart is its broken-up crust. Traditionally, it is served crust down with apple mixture on top. I grew up with apple cobbler, crisp and brown Betty but discovered apple pandowdy only after whipping it up, inspired by Jennifer Paterson’s ditty.

Come fall, it’s time to make shoofly pie and apple pandowdy. What the two desserts have in common beside the song is molasses. Molasses is the byproduct of refining sugar, the syrupy liquid leftover. Depending on how many times it’s boiled, it’s marketed as mild, robust or blackstrap molasses. Mild molasses, the first boiling, is also marketed as refiner’s syrup or treacle. My favorite brand of robust molasses comes from a Louisiana company, Steen’s. They also make Steen’s Syrup (refiner’s syrup). Around here it’s hard to find but sometime shows up in gourmet food shops and you can order it directly from the company.

Shoofly Pie

This is a “Wet Bottom” version.

1 unbaked 9-inch pie pastry shell, chilled

Crumb Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
2/3 cup dark brown sugar

Blend together the topping ingredients in a blender or food processor to form coarse crumbs and set aside.

Filling:
1 cup Steen’s Syrup (or ¾ cup dark corn syrup plus ¼ cup molasses)
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten

Whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven 400 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine the Steen’s Syrup, boiling water and making soda. Mix well. Beat a little of the molasses mixture into the beaten egg, then add to the molasses mixture combining well. Stir 1 cup of the crumb topping into the filling.

Pour the filling into the chilled pie shell and top with the remaining crumbs.

Bake in the preheated 400-degree oven for 25 minutes. Cool on a rack to room temperature before serving. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Serves 8.

Apple Pandowdy

Sweet Biscuit Dough (recipe follows)

4 large pie apples (russets, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, etc.) peeled, cored and sliced

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

¼ cup molasses
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butterWhipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
A 9- to 10-inch cast iron skillet (or nonstick ovenproof skillet) preheated in the oven for about 5 minutes.

Roll out the Sweet Biscuit Dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough circle to a pizza pan or large baking sheet lined with wax paper or baking parchment and chill while making the apple filling.

In a large mixing bowl combine the apples with the lemon juice and molasses; toss to combine.

In a small bowl mix together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Add to the apple mixture and mix well.

Add the butter to the hot skillet. Carefully, using an oven mitt or hot pad, swirl the butter around the bottom of pan until melted. Spread the apple filling evenly in the skillet.

Carefully drape the chilled dough over the apple mixture. Using a sharp knife, trim the dough edge and cut four small slits near the center so the steam can escape while baking. Bake in the lower third of a preheated 400-degree oven for 30 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Use the edge of a metal spatula or turner to score the top crust into 1-inch squares. With the spatula or turner, gently press the crust down into the filling. Return the skillet to the 350-degree oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove to a rack and cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve crust side down (warm or a room temperature) with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Serves 6 to 8.

Sweet Biscuit Dough:

1 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cake flour

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces

2 tablespoons cold solid vegetable shortening (Crisco)

3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Put the flour, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir with a whisk to combine. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, work in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 2 tablespoons of ice water and work with your fingers until the water is incorporated and the dough comes together. Working as quickly and as little as possible, add just enough additional water if needed to form a smooth dough,. Shape the dough into a fat patty, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Can be made up to 2 days prior.)

Makes 1 10-inch pie crust

Eating Around the World in 7 Days…

2008-09-27T14:40:00.000-07:00

… Without Leaving Downtown Madison

DAY 1: MONDAY

Lunch, Costa Rica: Café Costa Rica
A Mango Man empañada (with Lizano salsa) and a mango smoothie.

Dinner, Japan: Kushi Bar Muramoto
Cosmos made with shochu, four assorted fried kushi (skip the quail egg) with the house hot sauce and a taco rice bowl.

DAY 2: TUESDAY

Lunch, Nepal: Himal Chuli
Momocha (vegetarian dumplings) served with ginger-tomato chutney.

Dinner, Greece: Plaka Taverna and Ouzeria
Taramosalata with pita, moussaka, a side salad and a shot of ouzo for dessert. Stini yamas!

DAY 3: WEDNESDAY

Lunch, Italy: Osteria, Papavero
Panzerotti (a fried calzone stuffed with tomato, fresh mozzarella and oregano) and a chinotto-flavored Pellegrino.

Dinner, Indonesia: Bandung
Rijsttafel for Two: Ten traditional dishes the likes of lumpia, gago gado and saté served with rice. Have a Heineken (since the “rice table” concept originated in Holland).

DAY 4: THURSDAY

Lunch, Ethiopia: Buraka
Misirwot – lentils, split peas and potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce eaten with injera (a spongy, sourdough sort of pancake).

Dinner, Spain: Icon
Tapas: cured Spanish meats and sausage with olives and Manchego, artichoke and fennel salad, potato and wild mushroom tortilla, beef empeñada, fried calamari. To drink, a bottle of Baron de Lay, Finca Monasterio. Flan with fresh berries to finish and off to Overture.

DAY 5: FRIDAY

Lunch, Afghanistan: Maza
An appetizer sampler plate – hummus, yogurt sauce, and cilantro chutney, pakowra (vegetable fritters) and bulani (fried potato dumplings). Maybe a bowl of soup, too.

Dinner, Ireland: Brocach
A Scotch egg and Guinness to start, then fish and chips … more Guinness (everything here is even better seated outside … or with more Guinness).

DAY 6: SATURDAY

Lunch, China: Wah Kee
Pot stickers with Albert’s special hot sauce (it’s not on the menu you got to ask for it) and Szechuan dam dam noodles in broth.

Dinner, Brazil, Samba Brazilian Grill
Caipirinhas (of course) then a trip to the exotic Brazilian-style 40-item salad bar before a parade of grilled meats carved tableside by your friendly gaucho server.

DAY 7: SUNDAY

Brunch, France: Sardine
Half a dozen oysters on the half shell followed by a warm duck confit salad with lardons and a poached egg, a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label and home for a nap.

Dinner, India: Maharani Indian Restaurant
A couple of samosas, lamb biryani, garlic naan and a Kingfisher. Tums perhaps?

Eat Your Way Through Sicily

2008-09-27T06:21:00.000-07:00

Monday, November 10th 2008

6:00 pm

Lombardino's

Sicilian Book Dinner

$5 off if you bring the book

Local writer Joan Peterson and her Sicilian co-author, Marcella Croce, have captured the essence of Sicilian cuisine to help travelers navigate this culinary landscape. We are celebrating their recently published culinary guidebook, "Eat Smart in Sicily" with a special 4-course Sicilian dinner paired with Sicilian wines.

Menu

Antipasti

Antipasti Misti Local lamb meatballs with lemon & rosemary, traditional eggplant caponata, & arancini

Pesce

Pan Seared Sable Fish With Sicilian braised greens and saffron sauce

Carne

Filet of Beef alla Marsala With wild mushrooms & bufala mozzarella

Dolci

Pine Nut Tart With marsala gelato & balsamic vinegar drizzle

Dinner is $55 and includes food, wine, tax and gratuity

Please contact us at 608.238.1922 for reservations (required)

My Indian Adventure

2008-09-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

Growing up, my experience with ethnic food was limited to say the least. There was the occasional trip to a Chinese restaurant for moo goo gai pan which despite its name was exceedingly bland. Pizza and tacos were becoming popular, too. But it wasn’t until 1969 when I was a college student in London that I walked into a restaurant and didn’t have a clue what anything on the menu was.

I wish I could take credit for this trip into the culinary twilight zone but cannot. It was an era of experimentation, psychedelic fashions and “anything goes” attitudes but when it came to food I was still digging PB and J. My roommate, who prior to our European semester abroad had never ventured far from the Indiana farm where he grew up, coerced me. Since arriving in London, we had all heard about how good, plentiful and cheap Indian food was. After a dreary winter in Germany and way too many schnitzels it wasn’t a hard sell.

We chose at random (and there were too many to choose from) a place around the corner on the High Street. At the last minute, we invited our other roommate. We had excluded him initially since he only ate steak and chips (in Germany he had only eaten only steak and spätzle). After a bout of lobbying on his part to get us to change our destination he tagged along whining all the way.

I have to admit, I had my own reservations after I entered a space more suited for an Amsterdam bordello than a London eatery. It was oddly decorated with red flocked wallpaper and there was an even more peculiar smell, not unpleasant but nevertheless aromatic and very foreign. Seated, we contemplated the extensive menu which for all practical purposes could have been written in Sanskrit. Once again my friend who had initiated our visit to the Indian restaurant took the lead and suggested that the waiter order for us … the two of us that is … my other friend ordered steak and chips. My first thought was a big bill and mentally begin to calculate the shillings and quid in my pocket.

The steak and chips arrived first: a charred little cinder along with a serving of greasy white fried potatoes and some radioactive green peas thrown on the plate. Accompanying this meager meal was his Coke served without ice in a glass half full and clouded by fingerprints.

Before I could form more prejudices a teaming platter of paper thin wafers made from lentil flour (papadums) were set before us along with sundry dishes of brightly colored condiments. One taste and I was a fan. But in their wake appeared samosas, pyramids of pastry filled with a savory potato mixture and deep fried to a golden brown. More and more small dishes gradually covered the table, each more exotic and engaging than the other. Just when I thought our banquet was complete out comes a whole chicken, bright red, cooked in a charcoal tandoor… and rice, basmati rice, fragrant and light. Then chunks of lamb braised in a satin-smooth sauce and flatbreads: garlic naan, chapatti and paratha … and more rice. Of course, at the end came the bill. Even though our friend’s steak and chips cost more than our Indian dinners, being satiated and happy generosity prevailed and we divided the check three ways.

Obviously many Indian meals followed in London and elsewhere. Out of college and living in Chicago I was surprised that at that time there were only two Indian restaurants in the entire city. One—Bengal Lancers—was in my neighborhood and not very good. I had come to realize that Indian food was part of English culture—a remnant of the Raj—and the chances of it becoming popular here seemed unlikely.

More than a decade later, now living in Madison, I heard an Indian restaurant was opening on Monroe Street—Mount Everest. I was excited and pleased by my initial visits. The place was a family affair and the kitchen bustled with skilled cooks and the dining room with amicable servers and happy guests. As too often is the case, it slowly declined. My last visit there a lone woman seemed to be staffing the cash register as well as preparing and serving the food. It mattered little since we were the only diners. I wondered if I had somehow imagined how good the food had been and why I had not noticed how tawdry the place was with its tacky Air India advertisements and photo murals of beaches and palm trees.

My, how things have changed. If my count is correct, our city now boasts 10 Indian restaurants, three Nepalese restaurants, an Indian grocery (many supermarkets and specialty foods stores like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Willy Street Co-op stock Indian food products as well) and a local weekly cooking show on NBC15, White Jasmine

Restaurants:

Campus Biryani and Kebab
1437 Regent Street
259-0786

Curry in the Box
3050 Cahill Main, Fitchburg
273-9100

Flavor of India
14 W. Mifflin Street
294-5555

India Darbar Restaurant
www.indiadarbar.com/
6119 Odana Road
274-1788

Maharaja Restaurant
1707 Thierer Road
246-8525

Maharaja West
6713 Odana Road
833-1824

Maharani
380 W. Washington Avenue
251-9999

Swagat Indian
www.swagatindianrestaurant.com/
707 N. Highpoint Road
836-9399

Taj Indian Restaurant
1256 S. Park Street
268-0774

Taste of India
2623 Monroe Street
218-9200

Nepalese:

Chautara
334 State Street
251-3626

Dobhan
2110 Atwood Avenue
242-4448

Himal Chuli
318 State Street
251-9225

Grocery:

India House
805-B S. Gammon Road
268-0240

A Good Reason to Enjoy Fine Wine

2008-09-18T15:38:00.002-07:00

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar Hosting Wine Tasting to Benefit Red Cross Flood Relief

All of the “Fleming’s 100” wines will be open for tasting on Sept. 20

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Madison is well known for offering its Fleming’s 100™ wines-by-the-glass. On Sept. 20, wine lovers may sample from the entire list and benefit charity at the same time.

Fleming’s (at 750 Midvale Blvd.) will host a Fleming’s 100™ wine tasting from noon until 3 p.m. on Sept. 20; tickets are $25 per person and appetizers will be served during the event. All proceeds from the tasting will go to the American Red Cross – Badger Chapter to benefit those affected by the recent flooding which inundated 30 counties in Wisconsin and affected thousands of families. At a cost of approximately $3 million, this is the largest Red Cross relief effort in Wisconsin history. Financial gifts have provided food, shelter, supplies, counseling and other emergency services, and ongoing support for the victims will continue as they rebuild their lives following this disaster.

“We’re delighted to share our Fleming’s 100™ with Madison and help our neighbors at the same time,” says Fleming’s wine manager Richard Chapman. “The Fleming’s 100™ is truly an honor roll of excellence from around the world. We’re certain it’s going to be a good time as well as benefit a good cause.”

Reservations are required for the event; please contact Fleming’s at 608-233-9550 to make reservations or for more details.

More than 70 percent of the wines featured on this year’s Fleming’s 100™ come from “green” wineries – wineries that practice sustainable farming and/or organic and biodynamic farming. A sustainable farm is environmentally responsible, economically feasible and embraces social equity. The goal of sustainable, organic and biodynamic agriculture is to avoid depleting the long-term health of the land for short-term gain. These practices include avoiding herbicides and pesticides and embracing natural, biologically-based farm management strategies. Additionally, the restaurant offers a by-the-bottle list including over 80 wines from vineyards in the United States and around the world that have limited availability.

For more information about Fleming’s, please contact: Sheri Rice Bentley, APR, at sheriricebentley@knupp-watson.com or 608-232-2300.

Opening Friday, September 19

2008-09-18T15:38:00.001-07:00

Closing Ishnala … Again

2008-09-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

Going to Ishnala, a supper club on Mirror Lake near Wisconsin Dells is the idyllic summer road trip. It would be difficult for even Disney to recreate its faux Wisconsin north woods setting and ambience. There’s really nothing remarkable about the menu or food but I don’t think that’s what draws the crowds here year after year. It’s not why I come.

Ishnala just celebrated its 55th anniversary. The first time I went there I was 10 and for whatever reason the place captured my imagination. It had been a summer home, purchased by the Hoffman brothers who ran one of Madison’s most famous restaurants, the Hoffman House. The Hoffmans had a flair for the dramatic and knew how to milk a theme. The original Hoffman House restaurant was on Wilson Street where the Essen Haus is today. They dubbed its candy-stripped bar the Gay 90’s Lounge and the rustic dining area The Paul Bunyon Room. Growing up, it was my favorite place to go out to eat … I could net my own live trout from a stream that flowed through the dinning room. My catch was whisked away to the kitchen and with amazing speed returned to me grilled on a plate. (I was always a little skeptical about how fast they did that—my dad made me clean a fish once.)

The Hoffman House was my favorite restaurant until I went to Ishnala. Granted, part of its attraction was the Dells itself. The place has always had a gaudy, sideshow aura that only a kid could love. The Hoffman brothers were blessed with a breathtaking location, a log lodge set on a cliff overlooking a lake as serene as its name. Live trees grow up through the floor and out the roof, each tagged with the name of one of the seven brothers. Décor is post-Davy Crocket with stuffed animal heads, cabin-style furnishings and lots of souvenir shop Indian artifacts. My friend Dick Wagner pointed out the tribe is always referenced as the Winnebago rather than the Ho-Chunk. But, Ishnala is all about nostalgia and not history.

Six years ago, I started coming here with a group of friends for the final night before the restaurant closed for the season. The original impetus was to celebrate Dick Wagner’s September birthday. Now, it’s become an annual ritual.
In most religions food is worshipped, shared, eaten or even tabooed. Likewise, food is at the heart of life’s celebrations. For me the trip to Ishnala is now an event, the official end of summer—not Labor Day. The menu (least of all the nightly special) changes little but never mind: I know I’m going to have prime rib. To do otherwise would be like Thanksgiving without Turkey. I know I will drink martinis (too many) and eat the Day-Glo yellow cheese spread that we make fun of as we ask for yet more and the pile of cellophane cracker wrappers stack up. I expect Ishnala to be the same every year. Any change is met with skepticism—like when they got rid of the bread basket and the curious cinnamon pinwheels.

I have a jaded pallet and when it comes to food I’m adventurous … have a need to always find something new. But my food rituals nourish another need, an emotional need: to strengthen my bond with friends.

I began the summer by writing ‘I’ve started out summer a little grumpy. The reason is I won’t be going to my beloved Provincetown this year.’ I end it feeling happier that I went to Ishnala.

More pictures from Ishnala are on my Facebook page:

Kushi Comes to Town

2008-09-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

Local Motion

2008-09-06T07:10:00.000-07:00

It wasn’t that long ago that come winter the produce section of the grocery store became a barren wasteland: little more than potatoes, root vegetables, head lettuce, citrus fruit and bananas. Everyone looked forward to asparagus and strawberries, the harbingers of spring and end of the long gulag for gastronomy.

For better or worse, science and technology have always worked to improve the quality, quantity and distribution of food. Obviously profit was the motivation which isn’t a bad thing in itself. To be able to buy tomatoes in winter that aren’t hard, anemically pink and actually tastes like something is progress. To add Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH) to milk for whatever reason is not.

The choices available to us at the modern super market today are staggering. Heretofore unknown species like kiwi fruit, red bananas and peppadews dramatically appeared. Rarely seen items like fava beans, baby carrots and radicchio became commonplace. And, asparagus and strawberries are now available year round. The efficiency and economy of modern transpiration has literally brought the entire world to our table.

But with all this progress an odd phenomena followed. Even at the height of the local growing season everything available at the super market is still shipped in from afar. For example, Wisconsin produces about 1.5 million bushels of apples each year but finding one is another matter. Today, native produce is rarely found outside of farmers’ market, upscale specialty stores or farm stands. There is no shortage of apple varieties at the mega markets but inevitably they hail from Washington, Oregon and even New Zealand.

Fortunately, more and more people are rediscovering local food. Food less traveled not only tastes better, may be better for you and certainly is better for the environment. An international “Slow Food” movement began in Italy in 1989. It was a reaction to the negative impact fast food and the disappearance of local food traditions was having on our quality of life. It was a rejection of the idea that people no longer cared about what they ate, where it came from and or how it tasted. It also recognized the impact of what we eat has on the rest of the world and our ecology. Today this organization boasts over 85,000 members in 132 countries, including right here in Madison.
My own mantra is homegrown first, whether shopping at the market or dining out at a restaurant. Madison is fortunate to have its own organization of homegrown restaurants, each unique in its own right, each owned and operated by someone right here in our community. Appropriately, they’re called Madison Originals:

Admiralty Room at the Edgewater
Avenue Bar
Bean Sprouts
Blue Marlin
Brasserie V
Brouxnellie's Diner
Bunky's Café
Captain Bill's
Club Tavern
Coachman's Golf Resort
The Continental Fitchburg
Dardanelles
Dayton Street Grille
Delaney's Charcoal Steaks
Ella's Deli and Ice Cream Parlor
Fork & Spoon Café @ RP's Pasta Co.
Harvest
Hawk's Bar & Grill
Ian's Pizza by the Slice
Imperial Garden West
JT Whitney's Pub & Brewery
L'Etoile
Liliana's Restaurant
Lombardino's Italian Restaurant
Mariner's Inn
Morels
Nau-Ti-Gal
Nitty Gritty
Old Fashioned
Old Feed Mill
Orpheum Lobby Restaurant
Quivey's Grove
Restaurant Muramoto
Samba Brazilian Grill
Smoky's Club
Taste of Asia
Tornado Club Steak House

In a Blue State

2008-08-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

Blueberries as big as the end of your thumb,

Real sky-blue, and heavy, and ready to drum

In the cavernous pail of the first one to come!

All ripe together, none of them green.

—Robert Frost

I love blueberries. Use to be they were only available fresh in the summer. That’s no longer true – they now ship them in from New Zealand during the winter, but summer is still the best time to enjoy them. Blueberries grow all over their native North America. There are basically two varieties: the lowbush or wild blueberries and the highbush or cultivated blueberries. Some species of huckleberries, especially in the South, are incorrectly called blueberries. Maine and Canada produce most of the wild variety and you can frequently find them frozen at the grocery (Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Woodman’s). Wild blueberries are smaller and intensely flavored and rarely sold fresh around here. (They can be ordered in season from G. M. Allen & Sons, Blue Hill, Maine.) Fortunately for us, our neighbor Michigan leads the country in the production of the cultivated variety and you can easily find them here, fresh and excellent. Blueberries grow in Wisconsin and start appearing around the middle of July (later in the month the farther north you go). You probably won’t see them at the supermarket, but they are available at Farmers’ Markets.

One of the things I like about blueberries is their versatility. Unlike strawberries and raspberries which I prefer raw, blueberries are just as good if not better cooked. They also freeze suitably and frozen blueberries work well in many baked goods and fillings. There is a difference of opinion about whether to defrost or not to defrost frozen blueberries before using. Defrosted berries tend to bleed and discolor cake and muffin batters but frozen berries may substantially increase the cooking time for a pie. Dried blueberries are very sweet and nice in scones and salads. Canned blueberries, however, are best left alone.

Blueberry pie is truly more All American than apple. (The English were making apple pies long before they step foot in North American and nary saw a blueberry till they did). The trouble with blueberry pie is it can be runny. Adding enough thickening – flour, cornstarch or tapioca – can make it plastic. Not too many summers ago I encountered at Connie’s Bakery in Provincetown what was for me the perfect solution: peach blueberry pie. The addition of peaches makes for a firmer filling as well as a novel change. It’s a winning combination of two fruits at the peak of their season that compliment each other like strawberry and rhubarb. Speaking of rhubarb … try adding it to blueberries for “blubarb” pie – quickly becoming one of my favorite summer treats.

Admittedly, making successful pies take some effort and practice ... and I abhor pies made with refrigerated or frozen ready made crusts! If you’re just not up to making a pie for whatever reason, try something more rustic. Blueberry buckle, crumble or crisp are easy to make, just as satisfying and equally delicious warm from the oven.

And … who would have thought something that tastes so good could be good for you? The U.S. Department of Agriculture determined that the antioxidant, pterostilbene, found in blueberries, plays an important role in reducing cholesterol. Antioxidants supposedly also help keep us young and healthy, fight cell-damaging free radicals and prevent various diseases. Regardless, I’d eat them any way.

Peach Blueberry Pie

Pie pastry for a double crust pie, chilled at least 1 hour

5 ripe medium-size peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 pint blueberries
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons instant tapioca, pulverized in a food processor or spice grinder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into bits
1 egg, beaten to combine

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Roll out half the pie pastry and use it to line a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the edge to about a ½-inch overhang and chill while preparing the filling.
Put the peaches and blueberries in a large mixing bowl and add the lemon zest and juice. Combine ¾ cup sugar, tapioca and salt and add to the fruit. Gently toss to combine and let stand while rolling out the pastry for the top crust.
Roll out the remaining pastry to a 10-inch round. Fill the chilled pastry-lined pie plate with the fruit mixture and dot the surface with butter bits. Lay the rolled-out pastry over the fruit filling. Trim, crimp the edges and make 4 holes in the top crust toward the center of the pie. Chill the pie for 1 hour, then place in the freezer for exactly 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Move the oven racks to the bottom third of the oven.
Place a baking sheet on the lower rack.

Brush the surface of the pie (not the crimped edge) with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Place in the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake another 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling up through the vents. Cool on a rack at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired.

6 to 8 Servings.

Muramoto III

2008-08-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

Kushi Bar Muramoto will open soon at 106 King Street (the former location of Restaurant Muramoto which moved down the street into bigger digs). If you're not hip to kushi it's a Japanese style of cooking where various kinds of meat and seafood are grilled or fried on skewers.

Simply Delicious

2008-08-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

I love to cook but in summer the less time spent in the kitchen the better. I look forward to the abundance of fresh produce and grilling outdoors. So much of what we eat this time of year actually benefits from less preparation. Here are a few of my favorite summer dishes.

Appetizers. Fresh figs wrapped with prosciutto. Blend together cream cheese and lox, spread on crackers and top with avocado. Cut leftover cold cheese pizza into bite size squares and serve with a squeeze of lemon juice. Chill very large boiled and shelled shrimp; serve cold with fresh lemon. Sprinkle large flour tortillas with grated pepper jack cheese and toast on the grill … serve in wedges with guacamole and salsa. Puree a handful of fresh raspberries with sugar to taste in a blender … strain into a pitcher, add raspberry vodka and lemonade.

Tomato Salads. The season is brief so now is the time to enjoy tomatoes that taste like tomatoes. Most people are familiar with the Italian classic Caprese salad – fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes and basil. Try substituting paper-thin slices of lemons for the mozzarella. For an American version switch blue cheese for the mozzarella and add sliced red onions. Stuff whole tomatoes with a mixture of tuna (preferably packed in olive oil), lemon juice, chopped parsley and capers. Or, substitute stale bread crumbs for the tuna and add some chopped basil and garlic. And -- as weird as is sounds -- toss seeded tomato wedges with peeled and sliced peaches, sweet onion rings and cilantro.

Other Salads. Combine cubes of feta cheese and seeded watermelon with mint, a little chopped Serrano chile, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Grill a steak, slice thinly and serve over chopped romaine with crumbled blue cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Taco salad: chopped greens, tomatoes, onions, avocados, cilantro and drained canned black beans tossed with tortilla chips, grated cheese, lime juice and topped with sour cream. Barely cook green beans, blanch and chill …at serving time toss with ripe tomato wedges and a vinaigrette made with lots of basil and garlic. Grill zucchini and summer squash; toss with minced garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and a little red wine vinegar and serve at room temperature.

Chicken. Marinate cubes of boneless chicken in Patak’s tandoori paste, yogurt and lemon juice …thread on skewers and grill. Make a paste in the food processor using a bunch of cilantro (stems and all), a couple of cloves of garlic, black pepper and some fish sauce … spread on boneless thighs and marinate for a couple of hours then grill and serve with Thai sweet and sour chili sauce.

Meat. Rub a flank steak with chili powder, grill until medium rare and serve sliced with chili pepper jelly. Grill a 2-inch thick t-bone streak, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and drizzle with the best extra virgin olive oil (serves 2 to 3 fabulously). Marinate flatiron steaks in Tabasco sauce over night … drain, pat dry with paper towels and grill. Rub lamb cubes in cinnamon, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, salt and black pepper … skewer and grill; serve with yogurt flavored with mint and garlic.

Fish. Make tacos with grilled and chopped mahi mahi seasoned with chili powder and cumin. Stuff pita bread with crabmeat mixed with mayo, chopped chives and fresh tarragon. Make ceviche from fresh sea scallops, minced red bell pepper, lime zest and lime juice. Tahitian-style poisson cru: cubed ahi tuna, 2 parts lime juice to 1 part coconut milk with chopped tomato, cucumbers and scallions.

Pasta. The all-time summer favorite …pasta and pesto: in the blender puree basil leaves, a little garlic, walnuts, parmesan and olive oil. Chop fresh tomatoes and sauté in butter, adding shredded basil right before serving over spaghetti. Sauté garlic, broccoli and shelled shrimp in olive oil and serve over linguine with shaved parmesan.

Desserts. Peel and slice fresh peaches or apricots, sauté in honey and serve over coffee ice cream. Sweetened to taste a pint of sour cream with brown sugar and flavor with a little vanilla and/or bourbon … use as a dip for fresh strawberries. Make peach shortcake using store-bought pound cake and whipped cream. Cut off the top of a milk carton, put in a bottle of lemoncello, fill with water and place in the freezer over night.

Or really simple, Fresco, L’Etoile, Harvest and Lombardino’s all have great summer menus featuring local farm products.

More Dogs on State Street

2008-08-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

Another restaurant specializing in Chicago-style hot dogs will open soon at 505 State Street (the space formerly occupied by Pelmeni, the Russian dumpling shop) will soon open: The Dawg House.

Key Lime Pie

2008-08-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

No doubt the simplicity of key lime pie contributed to its popularity. There is something inherently appealing about it, probably the contrast in texture between crumb crust and smooth filling; the juxtaposed flavors of sweet custard and tart lime juice. It’s become a restaurant cliché but more often than not what will be set before you came frozen from a wholesale food purveyor. Go figure since traditional key lime pie couldn’t be easier to concoct: a graham cracker crust with a filling made from eggs, sweetened condensed milk and lime juice and zest. (The Continental in Fitchburg serves a traditional key lime pie and Restaurant Magnus an exotic modern rendition, both homemade.)

Gale Borden, founder of the soon-to-be-famous Borden Milk Company developed sweetened condensed milk in 1856. Prior to the advent of refrigeration, milk was a difficult staple to have on hand, especially during warm weather. Borden figured out a process where he could take fresh milk, heat it, remove the water and sweetened it with sugar (to improve the taste). The end result was thick, sweet and when canned keep unrefrigerated for years. Originally, the product—marketed as Eagle Brand Milk—was diluted with water to make a palatable drink but also was used straight from the can as a coffee creamer.

Sweetened condensed milk became popular during the American Civil War when the government bought huge quantities and included it as part of the field rations. After iceboxes and then refrigerators became ubiquitous, the sales of condensed milk declined. In 1931, the Borden Company started offering $25 (a heap of money during the Depression) for original recipes that they would print on the label. Considering the nature of the product, many of these recipes were for desserts. One of these recipes, lemon icebox pie, became all the rage. Simple to make, it was also a novelty at the time since it wasn’t baked but instead the filling miraculously thickened in the icebox.

Today sweetened condensed milk and condensed milk are one and the same. The unsweetened version is now marketed as evaporated milk.

Nobody knows who made the first key lime pie but it’s definitely a Florida variation of lemon icebox pie, using the tart limes that use to grow in abundance in the Keys. Key limes (also called West Indian or Mexican limes) are small, seedy and yellowish when ripe. More common is the larger, seedless, dark green Persian lime (also called Tahitian or Bearss lime).

Today, even in Florida most key lime pies are made using Persian limes. In 1926 a hurricane wiped out most of the key lime trees in Southern Florida. When commercial growers replanted they opted for the heartier Persian variety. Ironically now you will find nary a key lime even in Key West unless it came from Texas or Mexico.

My first key lime pie experience was in 1957 at a famous deli in Sunny Isles Beach called Wolfie Cohen’s Rascal House. Sadly this Miami institution closed this past March. The Rascal House served all the classics that you’d expect to find at a Jewish delicatessen; all in copious portions. Most notable, though, was the key lime pie topped with a foot of meringue.

Originally, key lime pie was always crowned with meringue which today is usually replaced with whipped cream. Meringue after all takes some finesse by the cook to make and doesn’t hold up well – it’s prone to shrink and weep. I actually think whipped cream is an improvement on the original recipe since meringue tends to make this pie cloyingly sweet.

Rather than offer a recipe for traditional key lime pie since you can find them everywhere, here is my recipe for (uff da!) Wisconsin Lime Pie. We may not grow any limes but, we got dairy, you betcha!

Wisconsin Lime Pie

1 9-inch crumb crust, made from graham crackers or Nikki’s Key Lime Shortbread Cookies

1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup light cream (half-n-half)
1 cup sour cream
Combine the sugar, cornstarch, butter, lime zest and juice, and light cream in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened and smooth. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool completely.

Fold in the sour cream. Pour the mixture into the crumb crust, cover with plastic wrap and chill while making the Whipped Cream Topping.

Spread the Whipped Cream Topping over the pie and chill for 2 hours or until serving time. (It’s best if made the day it is to be served.)

Serves 6 to 8.

Whipped Cream Topping:
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons cold water
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the cold water in a small glass measuring cup and sprinkle with gelatin. Let the mixture soften for about 5 minutes.

In a chilled bowl beat the cream, confectioner's sugar and vanilla until it just holds its shape.

Melt the softened gelatin in the measuring cup in the microwave for 15 seconds and let cool slightly. Beating constantly, add the liquid gelatin to the whipped cream. Continue beating just until the gelatin is well combined.

The Italian Dinner

2008-08-06T17:35:00.000-07:00

When something is enjoyable it becomes meaningful and is repeated. We all have dining rituals like Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner or annual events marked with families, friends and food. I seem to have a lot more than most people I know. There use to be the Guy Fawkes Day Dinner, Bastille Day Picnic and the Keep Labor Day Boring Potluck There is the sometime Mardi Gras Breakfast at Brennan’s and Derby Day Party. Recently, Rib-o-rama has made the repertoire. One celebration, however, I have observed for two decades, nonstop without interruption: The Italian Dinner.

The date for this repast is not set. It occurs sometime in July or August and commemorates nothing. It came to pass in 1970 as I lusted for la dolce vita, something I’d discovered on my first trip to Italy the year before. Dinner was at 10 with course after course of exquisite food, fine wines and service as attentive as a doting aunt without her obtrusiveness. What’s more it all took place outside, on an enchanting piazza under a pizza pie moon.

So now each summer I mount the annual Italian Dinner. It’s been happening for so long that the dinner is older than many of the guests who have changed over the years as have the venues. In recent years it has taken place on Dick Wagner’s deck, overlooking his romantic gardens and Lake Monona. The menu is always different and Pan Italian (I love the food from all the regions of Italy). But one constant is the feast always begins with Bellini, a heavenly cocktail of white peach juice and prosecco – sparkling wine from the Veneto – first concocted by Harry’s Bar in Venice. It may be dining al fresco but there are no paper plates or plastic forks, but in the best Italian tradition, crisp starched linen, sparkling crystal and an abundance of cutlery. Antipasiti, pasta, pesche, i primi, i secondi, la verdure, insalata, il fromaggio, dolci e la frutta . . . the meal marches and the vino bottles pile up like lasagna. Yet, there’s always still room for a little glass of Amaro Averna or limoncello frozen in a block of ice and lots of sighs.

A cookout with bratwurst is nice but The Italian Dinner is amore.

So if your invitation to my 39th Italian Dinner got lost in the mail, I suggest you head over to Lombardino’s. The menu is seasonal, the food movingly Italian and the décor opera buffa.

Bellini Cocktail

Ripe white peaches
Peach schnapps
Chilled prosecco

Skin the peaches by dipping in simmering water for a few seconds and then placing under cold running water. Put the flesh in an electric juicer,

Put 2 tablespoons of peach juice and 2 tablespoons of peach schnapps in a tall glass and add prosecco. Stir and serve.