Taste-Full Blog

AHHHH, The French!

I have to make a dessert for an upcoming event.  To make matters more complicated my dessert needs to be French and easily portable.  My normal French “go to” desserts of crème brûlée or tarte tatin don’t fit the bill.  I have decided on cookies – no standard chocolate chip, oatmeal or peanut butter will do – I need to make French cookies.  So I do what I always do when faced with a culinary dilemma, I call Laura Romito.  But since she is a bit under the weather, I do the next best thing – especially in matters French – I consult Julia Child.  I have the bible – Mastering the Art of French Cooking, vol. 1 & 2, but today I am consulting another favorite – Julia Child: The Way to Cook.  If you don’t have this cookbook, I highly recommend it.

I experimented with several types of cookies, much to the delight of my husband – the consummate taster.  I think that I have decided on the cookie that Marcel Proust dipped in his tea and made famous in his novel, Remembrance of Things Past.  The tasting of this cookie inspires the entire novel.  Here’s what he said of this delightful little cookie:

She sent out for one of those short, plump little cakes called petites madeleines, which look as though they had been moulded in the fluted scallop of a pilgrim’s shell. And soon, mechanically, weary after a dull day with the prospect of a depressing morrow, I raised to my lips a spoonful of the tea in which I had soaked a morsel of the cake. No sooner had the warm liquid, and the crumbs with it, touched my palate than a shudder ran through my whole body, and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary changes that were taking place…at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory…

Okay, I realize that this is a bit much about a little cookie, but made well and with a cup of tea or espresso, this cookie is a winner.  It’s not just Proust and  me that think so, Starbucks sells a little package of 2 madeleines just next to the gift cards and mints, in every location.  You have probably had one.  If not, I suggest that you try them or better yet, make them.  They are pretty easy.

 

The only drawback is that you do need a special pan (Sur la Table and Williams Sonoma carry them) to get the lovely scalloped shape.  But, you can also use a muffin or mini muffin pan – they won’t look like the traditional madeleines, but they will taste like them.  Here’s Julia’s recipe:

 

MADELEINES à la Julia

2 large eggs gently beaten (in a 2 cup measuring cup)

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour (plus 1 Tlbs extra for preparing the molds

5 ounces (1 ¼ stick) melted

Pinch of salt

Grated rind of ½ a lemon (some use lime)

A few drops of lemon juice

A few drops of pure vanilla extract (don’t use imitation – in ANYTHING!)

 

Preheat oven to 375*

Butter and flour Madeleine mould or muffin tin

Beat eggs, sugar in a large bowl (blend).

Add vanilla, zest and salt.

Blend in flour and then slowly add COOLED melted butter in a stream

At this point you are ready to bake.  It is best if you cover the batter with plastic wrap directly on the surface and put in the fridge for 1 hour (or up to 3 days).

Spoon about 1 TLB of batter into buttered/floured pan.  Cook for about 10-14 minutes or just until golden brown.  Dust cookies with powdered sugar.

Make a cup of tea and enjoy!

(Madeleines will keep for a few days in an airtight container.)

 

As if one cookie wasn’t enough, I also tried Palmiers (Palm Leaves or Elephant Ears)  Palmiers are delicious – who doesn’t like puff pastry loaded with butter and sprinkled with sugar.  They are not that hard to make, but Julia goes on for about 1 ½ pages about how to fold them just right with diagrams and photos.  I soon became annoyed with all the precise folding and discovered that they were not that hard to make if you just fold the open dough to the middle and fold inward.

BASIC PALMIERE

1 package of puff pastry (you can make your own if you are inspired)

1 cup granulated sugar

Pastry brush and water or an egg

 

Let dough cool so that you can unfold it flat.

From the right and left sides, roll the dough towards the center 

Keep rolling until the 2 sides meet. 

 

At this point you might want to put the dough (wrapped in plastic in the fridge for a few minutes to firm it up.

 

Slice the rolled dough into ¼ inch slices and place on a baking sheet (I would line the baking sheet with a silicone baking pad or parchment paper)

Brush with water (or a beaten egg) and sprinkle with sugar (you can also sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, but I just use plain sugar)

Bake at 375* for about 12 minutes (keep your eye on them)

You can flip them and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes, but it is not necessary.

• If you have little bits of Palmier dough left over you can cut them into small pieces, sprinkle with sugar and bake.  Since they are not really cookies, they “don’t count” and have NO calories!!!

 

If you feel like making origami pastry from scratch with all the silly folds, Julia is your woman!

(HALL OF SHAME – I have been to France many times and have eaten delicious Palmiers, but the best one I ever had was – wait for it – at Disney’s Epcot Center – Paris.  I am so ashamed to admit this, but it was really good.)

Fun with Puff Pastry

Nearly anything wrapped in pastry and baked is called “en croute” in French.  Doesn’t “en croute” sound better than “in puffed pastry”?  It makes whatever you make sound better.  God, I love the French!

 

• Savory version – Since “en croute” makes everything taste better and sound better the possibilities are endless.  Next time you have to make an appetizer, don’t make Pesto and cheese in puff pastry, make Palmieres au fromage et pistou!

                                                   


           

When you first lay out the dough spread with pesto and crumbled goat cheese (feta or Montrachet), a bit of chopped garlic and perhaps some onions.  Then roll up, cut and bake (omit sugar).  This is an easy and delicious appetizer.

You can put almost anything in puff pastry and it will taste good!  Try sun dried tomatoes, chopped pancetta, tapenade, a few chopped anchovies. When doing appetizers with lots of other ingredients spread on the pastry, you may want to cut them a bit thicker before baking.  

 

Oh my, I have digressed from my French cookies.  Sorry about that, I just get going and who knows where I may end up.  But isn’t that truly the fun of cooking?  I love to experiment and I hope you do too. Be sure to try the savory Palmieres next time you need to wow a crowd!  Since I am channeling Julia today... Bon appétit!! 

 

Veni, vidi, feci pasta!

BEWARE the Ides of March!

So in honor of Julius Caesar here is a classic recipe for Caesar salad – although it has nothing to do with Julius, it was either that or a Little Caesar’s Pizza.  Actually Caesar Salad was first made by Caesar Cardini in San Diego.  The original recipe did not employ crushed anchovies, but add them if you like.

    

Beware the Ides of March Caesar Salad  (couldn’t resist George Clooney with the “Caesar” haircut!!) 

24 leaves of romaine lettuce

2 Tbs regular olive oil (you will heat this)

4 Tbs great olive oil (this is for drizzling on the salad and here’s where you should use your very best extra virgin, pure and wonderful olive oil)

1 large fresh, crushed garlic clove

1Coddled or raw egg yolk

A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 cups homemade croutons

Juice of one lemon

Originally the salad was made with whole romaine hearts that were not torn.  So let’s be authentic…Buy romaine hearts and separate leaves, and arrange 6-8 on a large plate.

Flavor the crouton by mincing/crushing garlic.  If you use a knife to crush the garlic, add a bit of salt and olive oil to make a paste.  Place garlic mash in a frying pan with another tablespoon of olive oil and warm over medium heat.  Toss in the croutons and stir them around for a couple of minutes.  Set aside

Coddle the egg (place in boiling water, then simmer for one minute) remove.

In the original version you cracked the yolk right over the lettuce, but since this freaks some people out here’s the alternative:

Drizzle 4 tablespoons of olive oil, a dash of salt and freshly ground pepper, a shot of lemon juice, and the Worcestershire sauce in a bowl with the egg.  Whip up the mixture and drizzle over the romaine leaves, add croutons.  YUM!

 ________________________________________________________________

Since Julius Caesar lived in Rome I thought I’d tell you about Fridge Pasta.  There is nothing better or easier than Fridge Pasta.  I invented this dish when living overseas. With all the traveling back and forth to the states I would find myself in my apartment on the other side of the world wide awake at 3:00 am (it was noon back in the states).  Of course, I would be starving and since I had just arrived there was nothing to eat in my house.  So I invented fridge pasta.

People always have dried pasta in their pantry and I always have good olives and artichoke hearts in my fridge.  So here is the “recipe” for fridge pasta.  So simple it’s funny, so good you’ll make it again.

     

 Fridge Pasta  

Pasta

Calamata or oil cured olives (the ones from the deli counter, not the ones you can stick on your fingers and look silly)

Artichoke Hearts

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Parmigiano-Reggiano

 

Cook pasta

Heat up 3 TLBS of olive oil (or butter) in a pan.  Toss the olives and artichoke hearts in the hot oil and let them sizzle away while the pasta is cooking.

There is no real sauce, just the oil, olives and artichoke hearts that have been seared.  Oh my, this is so good.  Combine the olives and artichoke hearts with the pasta, (the oil too).  Top with grated, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a dash of salt and pepper, and have at it.

 ________________________________________________________________

I realize this is no culinary extravaganza, but I am here to tell you it is really good.  If you don’t like olives or artichoke hearts, open up your fridge, there is bound to be something that would be really good over pasta.

Veni, vidi, feci pasta. (I came, I saw, I made pasta!)

 

Alright enough about Caesar…Since St. Patrick’s Day is Thursday here’s a recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage.  Honestly, I like my corned beef between two pieces of rye, with Russian dressing, Cole slaw and Swiss cheese (preferably at Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, where it called Sherman’s Sure Choice or a #13). It’s like the United Nations of sandwiches – Here’s how they describe it:

#13 Sherman’s Sure Choice
Zingerman’s corned beef, Switzerland Swiss cheese, coleslaw & Russian dressing on Jewish rye bread.
$12.99 / $15.50

Don’t be shocked by the price; if you haven’t tried it, you’re missing out on a great thing.

I digress, back to corned beef and cabbage…

 Corned Beef and Cabbage

4 lb corned brisket of beef

3 large carrots - cut into large chunks

6 to 8 small onions (or equivalent, cut into quarters)

1 teaspoon dry English mustard (if you don’t have dry use Coleman’s in a jar

Large sprig fresh thyme and some parsley stalks, tied together

1 cabbage

Salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Place the brisket into a saucepan with the carrots, onions, mustard and the herbs. Cover with cold water, and bring gently to a boil. Simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage (you know, the yucky ones), cut in quarters and add to the pot. Cook for an additional 1 to 2 hours or until the meat and vegetables are soft and tender.

Remove everything and place on a platter, covered with foil.  Reduce the cooking liquid.  Slice the corned beef and serve on a platter with the veggies.  Pour reduced liquid over the meat and veggies.

Be sure to make nice mashed potatoes and serve.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

 

It Cures What Ails You!

Full disclosure – I have a terrible cold.  For the past week or so I have been eating chicken soup in various manifestations and drinking tea with honey, lemon and a dash of cognac (at night).  For some reason when I am sick I like 7-UP.  I don’t keep it in my house, but when I get that funny feeling that I am getting a cold, I run out and get a six-pack.  I think my grandmother gave me 7-UP when I was sick as a kid, so I feel that it is some kind of miracle drug.  I think we all have these little home remedies that are probably not medically sound, but that make us feel better.  Chicken soup is a classic cold remedy and I have been eating it all week (of course, accompanied by saltine crackers.)

Even the Mayo Clinic does not dispel the myth of Chicken soup stating on their website:  “Generations of parents have spooned chicken soup into their sick children. Chicken soup may be soothing because of its possible anti-inflammatory and mucus-thinning effects.”

A hot liquid is so soothing when you are not feeling well.  Perhaps because we were given it as kids there is a comfort element in sipping soup while in your bathrobe on the couch.

I must admit, I always keep a can of good old fashioned Campbell’s chicken soup in my pantry.  It’s not as good as home made, but good to keep on hand.  You never know when you might need it.

I am also a big fan of the Costco Chicken.  Seriously, you can’t make a yummy chicken cheaper.  I get one every couple of weeks and freeze the carcass.  I then make chicken stock from the collected bones and stuff (I suppose the technical term is scraps – but you know what I mean).

It’s really easy, plus the smell of chicken stock simmering is heavenly!

Easy Chicken Stock

Place frozen (or fresh if you have them) chicken carcass in a stock pot.  (I usually break them up by hand or use a chef’s knife)

Add 1 quartered onion, 1carrot and 1 celery stalk roughly chopped, and 4 cloves of garlic (I give them a quick smash) for each chicken – this is not an exact science.

Add 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper and enough water to cover the chickens by an inch or so. (You can also add parsley stems and a bay leaf if you have them)

Fire up the stove and bring to a boil.

When you reach a boil, turn down stove and simmer (loosely covered) for about 1 hour or 1 ½ hours.  If the water evaporates, add more to cover. You may have to skim the surface periodically.

Let cool and then strain through a colander.  Degrease.  The best way to degrease is to put the strained stock in the fridge.  The fat will rise to the top and you can just lift it off.

***Important Note*** When your stock cools in the fridge and you go back to it hours later it may look like chicken stock jello!  This is good.  You have made a perfect stock!  The first time I made stock and I discovered this jello I was sure I messed up and threw it away.  I told Laura about my mistake and she laughed and told me I had made the stock correctly and threw away perfectly wonderful batch!!!

At this point your stock is ready to go.  You can freeze it for later use.  I used to use plastic ware bowls, but now I use my Foodsaver!

This stock is perfect for all kinds of recipes.  You can also freeze some of the stock in an ice cube tray for use when cooking.  This is great when you only need a bit of stock and don’t want to open an entire can.

 Sick Soup 

This simple soup is my go to when I am sick.  My grandmother and mother made it for me when I was sick as a kid and now my friends make it when they are sick.  It’s really easy, but wonderful when you have a cold.  I like mine really lemony and very hot.

8 oz chicken stock

Juice of 1 or 2 lemons (depending on your taste – I like 2 or more)

1 egg yolk

Vermicelli noodles broken up

Cook noodles in stock.  Strain noodles over another sauce pan – not down the drain.

Beat egg yolk in a cereal sized bowl and temper it (add a few TBLS of the hot – but not boiling broth to the yolk while stirring).  Do this a few times and then pour yolk into soup. You are essentially heating up the eggs so when they hit the hot soup they don’t cook and turn into scrambled egg yolks.

**I usually keep the noodles and broth separate.  Sometimes if you pop them in with the soup and go back later, the noodles have absorbed the liquid.  It’s a bummer, but makes for yummy lemony noodles!

Add noodles, make tea, curl up on the couch and watch mindless tv.

The stock is easy to make and so delicious.  If you make it ahead of time and freeze it, it’s just as easy as opening a can of broth – but tastes so much better.

Of course you can use the basic stock to make classic chicken soup.  Traditional things to add:  small diced carrots & celery; chopped chicken; noodles; rice; garlic; leeks or garbanzo beans.  Kidney Beans are also a wonderful addition.

 Ginger Chicken Soup

4 cups chicken stock (homemade is the best, but canned works as well)

1 TBLS finely grated fresh ginger

2 TBLS each of finely chopped parsley and chives

Bring stock to a boil and add ginger, parsley and chives

Simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes.

The ginger is really good for settling your stomach.  If your throat is really sore you can strain the soup.

I hope you are not sick and that no one in your home is sick.  If they are remember, chicken soup is not only good for the soul, but for the body as well.

 

Sweezey Time

It’s still amazing to me that men make up the larger percentage of professional cooks in the world. Women have been preparing nourishment for their families and friends since the beginning of time. Even if we gals haven’t always had to hunt the food ourselves, we know what to do with it when we get it!

I spent this past weekend with a group of my favorite women at a cottage on Sweezey Lake near Chelsea, MI. When we visit this tranquil spot in the winter, we spend much of our time inside, reading, watching classic movies, playing games, and of course, cooking. We cook to nourish one another and we cook for fun. We work hard on the cooking, but it doesn’t ever feel like work. We share all the duties, and take turns with the various parts of the meals. Each cook prepares her favorite recipes, always striving to share a beautiful part of herself.

This weekend I was struck by how much we operated like a professional kitchen. We used local, seasonal ingredients, we cooked dishes appropriate for winter in Michigan, and we used all our leftovers to create the next day’s “special”.  This is “Restaurant, 101” behavior at its best. But unlike a professional kitchen, we cook at this cottage for people whose faces we see, whose stories we know, and whose hearts we want to touch. Now, I know good professional cooks want to impress and please their clients, but it’s not quite the same thing.

The food was delicious and the conversation scintillating. We laughed really hard and enjoyed each other’s stories, all while sharing our culinary expertise. It wasn’t fancy, but it was delicious and comforting. We even watched movies about food (if you haven’t seen “A Good Year” with Russell Crowe, you should check it out – it’s more about wine than food, but good nonetheless!).

When the weekend drew to a close we all left with little bits and pieces of the menus we had prepared. A bit of braised chicken, a half loaf of crusty bread, some medallions of rich local cheese, a square of lasagna, all to share with our families back home. We go home and extend the gifts we created to give to one another – gifts made from the roots of an ancient need to tighten our bonds and nurture people we care for. If restaurants operated like this, I might still work in one.

Have a great week everyone!

p.s. While I would love to have come up with recipes to share this week that are related to this posting, I didn’t. I just got home from a long weekend away! Anyway, I’ve included a couple seasonal favorites. Enjoy!

Download Balsamic Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Crisp Pancetta Crust

Download Creamed Cabbage

 

THE JOY OF COOKING

On Tuesday afternoons I have the honor of teaching a very special cooking class. At the Maccomb-Oakland Regional Center, folks of all ages gather to participate in art classes, photography lessons, and other social events. I’ve been the cooking instructor there for the last four years, and of all my many “jobs”, this has been one of the most rewarding.

You see, this isn’t your typical cooking class. The students here are not drinking wine and having a girls’ night out, or working on team building for their high-powered jobs (these types of groups have made up the majority of my past cooking class experiences – and they’re not bad!! Just different…).

All the clients at the MORC have special challenges that effect how they get through life. Some have physical issues that keep them wheel chair bound, others have struggled with mental illness, and still others are just developmentally different from their peers. Some can use a knife, open a can, and use a stove, and these simple tasks fill my students with joy. Many, many cannot do these things, but still find cooking fills them with joy.

So teaching these amazing folks has required some creativity on my part – of course we want the students to learn new skills, but that always must be tempered with safety, and everyone MUST leave each class feeling successful. At first, I thought it would be hard. Hard for me. How ridiculous!

As often happens in a teaching experience, the “students” have done much of the teaching. I have learned patience and kindness from them, acceptance of and even utter obliviousness to differences between people, and above all, I have become so much more grateful for my abilities and gifts. No feeling of superiority here – just a realization of how easy it is for me to get around in life. I never leave a class without feeling uplifted.

So to all the aspiring chefs out there who get frustrated when the soufflé falls or the chicken is dry, a bit of perspective. We are so blessed with the excess and availability of food in our amazing country – if our soufflés do fall, we can make more! And many of us are fortunate enough that our hands work well enough to whip egg whites to stiff peaks! Sounds like a small thing, but I’ve seen that it isn’t small at all.

So cook with joy this week and feed people you love. Cook with kindness and patience and acceptance of challenges. Most of all, cook for fun. It’s a great gift.  

Have a great week everyone! LR

p.s. the attached recipe is one I use in my MORC Cooking Classes – it’s always a hit!

Download Turkey Meatloaf

 

Heart-Healthy Fish! Taste-full Tours Non-chocolate Tribute to Valentine’s Day!

Greetings, Taste-full Tourists! Hopefully today will find you recovering from a sugar coma/chocolate high that happened after your sweetheart treated you to the perfect Valentine’s Day! Or perhaps you are an anti-Hallmark Holiday kind of person and preferred to ignore the whole thing all together.

In either case, we all need to eat more fish. (how’s that for a smooth segue! Pretty bad, I know) Today’s recipe, Halibut Braised with Tomatoes and Capers, is simple and delicious, full of warm flavors to help you fight the winter blahs. It also has no cream and very little fat to speak of, is rich with tomatoes and omega 3’s, and tastes great!

Once again we’re braising: browning something and then cooking it through in a bit of liquid. Generally braising is a long, slow process, but in this case it is pretty quick. Whether you use Halibut or another firm white fleshed fish, you won’t need to cook this very long as there is little in the way of connective tissue or collagen to break down. So this is a great weeknight item. Don’t skip the browning! It’s essential to building layers of great flavor here!

The saffron aioli is a great way to top this dish, but it really is optional. If you do want to include it, make it first and refrigerate it while the fish cooks. It’s best served chilled on top of the filets so it doesn’t melt too fast.

If you opt out of the aioli, consider a dollop of crème fraiche or even a tiny bit of sour cream. It’s a nice balance to the acidity of the tomatoes.

I would serve this with a nice green salad and some crusty bread, or you could even serve it over spaghetti. The sauce makes a nice, delicately flavored condiment for pasta.

So that’s it for this week – short and sweet! Have a great week everyone J LR

p.s. check out our new tour schedule, just click on the Taste-Full Tour link at the top of this page! Or click here! We have some great new places to visit, so get on board soon!

Download Halibut Braised with Tomatoes & Capers

 

Sweets for your Sweets!

With the Superbowl behind us it’s time to start planning for Valentine’s Day!  This week’s recipes are all desserts that are perfect for surprising your sweetheart. Two of them are a bit more challenging than my usual offerings, so I’m going to keep this short and sweet so you have time to practice!

First, I’ve included a classic Chocolate Souffle recipe. It’s delicious and rich, and also a bit challenging, so it may be one to practice in advance. Be sure to use really good quality chocolate, like Santander or Ghiradelli, one that has a very high cocoa butter content. And don’t over-whip the egg whites. They should be smooth and glossy, not lumpy, and if they start to separate, you need to start over with new ones. Better to lose a few eggs rather than risk ruining the whole recipe! Also, be careful when tempering your egg yolks – patience is truly a virtue here!

The soufflé has a better chance of rising higher if you use a collar (a piece of parchment paper cut in a rectangle that wraps around the ramekins – it should be about 2 inches taller than the top edge of the ramekin to guarantee optimum height) around each dish. That way, the soufflés are supported and more likely to rise impressively high! Just follow the directions really carefully and you’ll be fine. It’s a Schoolcraft College recipe, so it’s been well tested!

The second recipe is one I’ve shared before: Lemon Cream Tarts with White Chocolate. They are delicious, and perfect for those among us who don’t love dark chocolate. They are beautiful when garnished with fresh berries. You can make your own lemon curd (Julia Child has a good recipe if you don’t), but it is available at most specialty markets as well. If you don’t like lemon, do these with orange curd and dark chocolate, or lime curd and white chocolate garnished with toasted coconut!

Finally, I’ve included a classic Bananas Foster recipe which is simple and fun. It is best served over butter pecan ice cream. Be really careful when you flame the liquor – remove your sauté pan from the stove or turn the burner off altogether just to be safe.

Any one of these recipes will make a wonderful treat for your sugar plum! Just be sure to make them with extra love. Have a great week everyone!

Download Bananas Foster

Download Chocolate Soufflé

Download Lemon Cream Tarts with White Chocolate

 

ANNOUNCING the TASTE-FULL TOURS WINTER SCHEDULE!

Greetings, Taste-full Tourists.   I decided to use the blog this week for shameless promotion and to let you know about our upcoming tour schedule. Laura and I just put the list up on the website, but I wanted to give you a more detailed account of what our fabulous trips entail, hopefully enticing you to join us!

Back by popular demand, we have scheduled another of our world-famous “Beer and BBQ” tours for Saturday, Feb. 26^th. The tour runs from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. and involves stops at 3 great local BBQ spots and 2 local beer venues. We’ll eat ribs, pulled pork, brisket, and chicken, all made by the best local BBQ artists.  Each spot will also be eager to show off some of their fantastic side dishes, so perfect onion rings, rich mac’n cheese, corn bread, and other goodies will surely be part of the event.

As for the beer, we have great local spots to visit, all of whom serve up a wide variety of great beers from here in Detroit and far away. They will offer up their current seasonal favorites and you may well walk away with new favorites of your own! (age 21 and over only, please)

The Beer and BBQ Tour has been one of our best selling adventures – we’ve even had people join us multiple times for this one – so clear your Saturday afternoon, get your “big pants” ready, and sign up!

On Saturday, March 5^th from 12:30 to 4:30 we are heading out on a brand new tour: The “Sip and Knit” Tour! We’ll drive you around all day so your hands will be free to knit and pearl to your heart’s content. We’ll be visiting a whole bunch of the best local beverage spots where we’ll sample house-roasted coffee, incredibly rich hot cocoa, delicious wines, delicate teas, local top-quality beer, amazing margaritas and locally-produced perfect spicy bloody mary fixins! Of course we will be eating along the way as well, and you’ll be sure to go home relaxed and full with a great knitted project!

Taste-full Tours is thrilled to be teaming up with our great friend Bridget Dean at “…have you any wool” for this tour. You can register on our website and pick up your knit-kit for this event at the shop on Robina, just north of 12 Mile Rd. Please contact us at Laura@taste-fulltours.com or “…have you any wool” at 248.541.WOOL (9665) with any questions about this special event. And if you don’t knit, you can join us anyway just for the sipping! 

Next, we’ll be heading back to Detroit for our ever-popular “Motown Chowdown”. On Saturday, March 26^th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 we’ll be touring all over Detroit, visiting top spots from Eastern Market to Mexican Town to Mid-town to downtown! We’ll visit spots that go from fancy to casual, our favorite restaurants and shops and markets, all over the motor city. If you haven’t explored Detroit lately, you’re missing out! Laura and I LOVE showing folks the amazing food and beverage spots in Detroit, and we’ll give you all the information you need to find your way back to every spot!

Finally, Saturday April 9^th from 11:30 – 3:30 is the tour for people who love to cook and eat: our “In the Chef’s Kitchen” Tour! Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at your favorite restaurants? This tour will take you into the kitchens of several of our favorite local eateries, where you’ll get to watch the chef prepare his or her signature dishes. We’ll learn some professional food secrets, too, which will help you whenever you are cooking at home. This tour is really fun and interesting – you never know what great secrets you’ll come away with, and you’ll get to taste some amazing food prepared right before your eyes!

So that’s the upcoming Taste-full Tours schedule. Hopefully you can join us! And don’t forget, if none of our public tour times work for you, you can always gather up 12 friends and schedule your very own private event. We specialize in creating tours for all kinds of events, from birthday parties, to out-of-the-ordinary company parties, to girls’ or guys’ outings.  We tour Tuesdays-Sundays during the day, and Tuesdays-Thursdays in the evening, so give us a shout and we’ll take you out! (out on the town, that is) If you have any questions about upcoming events, please contact us at Laura@taste-fulltours.com and check out our website at www.taste-fulltours.com for details and videos of past tours.  Hope to see you soon! Have a great week everyone!

 

Super-bowl Snacking!

Greetings, Taste-full Tourists! Apparently there is a big football game coming up soon that lots of folks are excited about. Quite honestly, I don’t even know when it is. But while I am not a football fan, I do know that important games generally lead to large gatherings of hungry people, and I am a fan of that! So I thought this week I would share a couple suggestions to make your game day gathering more culinarily satisfying!

First, I have to mention a new creation Laura and I enjoyed with our great tour group this past Saturday at Lazybones Smokehouse. I know I mention LB all the time, but I never cease to be amazed at the crazy-good, over the top creations my friend Deni Smiljanovski comes up with. There are people all over the food world who make decadent foods, but most of them lack creative pizzazz, or seem to be variations on someone else’s theme.

Deni, however, is a master of tempting people’s comfort food taste-buds. Oh yes, the foods are ridiculously rich and the precise opposite of healthy, but they are always better than good.  Deni’s latest creation, the “Pig-skin Popper”, was designed with Super Bowl throngs in mind, and if you are having a party, you would do well to order some NOW.

My description will not do them justice – you must try them to believe them – but here goes: they are large “meatballs” of sorts, made from Deni’s own Cajun-ish sausage blend, with pulled pork folded in to the sausage before they are shaped; then he wraps the whole sphere in bacon (yes, his own smoked bacon), and what else, deep fries it! When this festival of pork is crisp and golden, he brushes them with his house made sweet and garlicky barbecue sauce. It is unreal. He will be offering them for the big game, and I’m sure you could order them any time for any occasion. Just be sure to get a side order of cholesterol medicine.

Lazybones now has 2 locations: the original on Groesbeck just north of 696, and the new sit-down place at 19 and Garfield. They do all kinds of catering and food for the Super Bowl is right in their wheel-house, as my husband would say!

The other thing I would suggest for your SB bash is over the top comfort food SUSHI. I know that doesn’t sound right, but it exists! The Godzilla Roll at Shilla Korean and Japanese Restaurant on Maple Rd. in Clawson is unbelievable. It has tuna, salmon, avocado, and I believe at least a couple types of shellfish. The whole thing is dipped in a very light tempura batter and deep fried, and then it is drizzled with 3 different rich, flavorful sauces. They also make a wonderful shrimp tempura roll, and a huge variety of other fantastic versions of this usually healthful treat! And if you want to give your digestion a little help, follow the sushi up with their wonderful salad of scallions and red-leaf lettuce dressed in a spicy, sweet, tart vinaigrette. It is probably not what you’d think of for football food, but it will make your tummy feel better Monday morning!

So if you are looking for some impressive game-day treats, consider carryout from these great spots. Both are great local businesses with good folks at the helm, working hard to drag our economy out of the dungeon. And besides that, their food is just really good!!

Have a great week everybody! 

 

Things I didn’t know I needed

(but am thrilled I now have!)

 I love to cook, but I always have leftovers.  I like to make big batches of stew, chili, soup etc.  I end up freezing stuff all the time and often it gets freezer burn.  This Christmas I requested and received the FoodSaver!  I was mocked for requesting it, but my family came through and got me one!  I am so happy.  I can now make big batches of stuff and freeze the leftovers in vacuum sealed bags.  It’s such fun and really easy to do.  You simply put your stew, chili, chicken whatever in the bag, place it in the machine and push a button.  The FoodSaver then sucks out all of the air and seals the bag.  It’s so cool.  I couldn’t be happier!

***

Standing in the produce section of the grocery store I used to debate whether I should get a plastic container of sliced pineapple or a fresh one and cut it myself.  I hate the mess of cutting the pineapple (often mine slips off the counter and onto the floor).  It is always a jumble and I can never get rid of all the “eyes” that are pointy and hurt!  On the other hand, do I really want to spend a dollar or two dollars more for one that is already cut?  Am I that lazy and uncoordinated that I can’t cut my own pineapple?  I am thrilled to have discovered a pineapple cutter.  At first, I balked and thought “Who buys these silly gadgets and clutters their drawers?”  The answer – ME!  This is my favorite gadget and it cleans pineapples in minutes with no mess!  LOVE IT!

 

This gadget is great.  You cut off the top of your pineapple and place the corer in the center of the exposed fruit.  All you do next is twist the corer and gently press downward until you hit the bottom of the pineapple.  Then you pull the spiral sliced pineapple out. (Since I am on the short side, I put the pineapple in the sink.)  You are left with a perfectly spiral sliced pineapple and a cute pineapple cup/vase/centerpiece (really, I just throw mine away, but you could use it for a centerpiece!) Honestly, I thought this was a silly device until I tried it.  Trust me; if you like pineapple, this is for you!

***

I like fizzy water (seltzer, Perrier, Poland Spring, grocery brand, whatever).  I prefer it to regular tap water.  For years I purchased Perrier, Poland Spring, Kroger Brand, Meijer Brand, Pellegrino etc. from the store.  I schlepped the bottles home (Pellegrino is glass and heavy) and then schlepped them back to the store for the silly $.10 deposit.  I go through about 10 bottles a week.  It was exhausting, but I was hooked to the fizz, and schlepping was the price I paid.  BUT WAIT!!  Another seemingly silly gadget came to my rescue.  I have a SodaStream machine and I love it.  It’s not cheap, but if you drink fizzy water with any frequency it’s the greatest.  You fill a bottle with tap water (the machine comes with 2) screw it into the SodaStream, push a button and it fizzes your water.  I love this thing.  It wasn’t cheap and you have to buy replacement cartridges, but if you spend $1.00 per bottle at the store, the machine pays for itself in no time.  The best part – no schlepping!

As for everyday items here are a few things (this is not a comprehensive list) you should have:

Good pots and pans – I have All Clad Stainless Steel

Non-stick frying pans – never heat past medium high and always have something in the pan.  Don’t cheap out here – a good pan, well cared for will last much longer than a cheapie!

Pyrex – I have a lovely and expensive pie dish, but I usually use my $4.00 Pyrex one.  Same goes for a lasagna pan – I have an expensive one, but I also have Pyrex.  I finally got rid of all my measuring cups and kept the Pyrex.  They are the best.

A good corkscrew/wine key

A ball bearing or French rolling pin

Good knives (please hone them before each use)

Metal Tongs (you can never have enough)

Parchment paper

Fat Separator

Immersion blender

Sturdy colander AND mesh strainer

Ramekins

Wooden spoons (like metal tongs, you can never have enough!)

Micro-plane grater

(Laura Romito would add wine glasses – lots of wine glasses to this list!)

So there you have it – Things that make me happy in the kitchen. What are your must have kitchen items? Please post them in the comments section! 

(p.s. Taste-Full Tours has not been compensated by any of the above companies!)