Rosemary Smoke Foux-Jito

Posted on February 27, 2012 by grazingbears

For a while I have been thinking about starting a ‘Drinks’ section of the blog featuring some cocktails I have created, tried and enjoyed. Not to toot my own horn but after making us a pretty amazing cocktail while watching the Oscars yesterday I was inspired to finally start writing.

Ingredients:

1 – Fresh rosemary sprig

2 parts – Tonic

1 part - Arehucas Guanche Honey Rum Liqueur

1 part - Chase Elderflower Liqueur

1/2 part -Roses Sweeten Lime Juice

This is a pretty simple drink to make, for the rosemary smoke just take your spring and light the tip on fire, you are going to want to blow it out right away turn your glass upsize down and place your smoking rosemary sprig underneath. Keep the sprig and smoke trapped under the glass for about 2-3 min. While you wait place your other ingredients in a cocktail mixer and give it a good shake ( I kept the ice in the drink but it will be just as good severed without). Once your drink is mixed and your glass smoked pour the drink into the smoked glass (leaving the rosemary inside) lightly mix and enjoy. The rosemary will not add a lot in the way of flavor but will create a smokey herbal aroma while you are drinking it which almost makes you feel like you are having a cocktail next to a warm fire, Enjoy.

Living it up at the Livingston Inn (Madison, WI)

Posted on February 23, 2012 by grazingbears

Though we typically do not write reviews about places to stay, this is an exception that just had to be made. We drove up to Madison, WI for a little weekend getaway, and the most transporting part of our trip … Continue reading →

Himalayan Salt Plate: New Toy at GB HQ

Posted on February 10, 2012 by grazingbears

I’m a sucker for kitchen toys- from the wildly specific, and hilariously useless cantaloupe knief, to more useful things, like my pastry cutter/scooper I cannot live without.

After receiving the exhaustive encyclopedia (with a limited few recipes sprinkled in) called “Salted: A Manifesto” by Mark Bitterman, my interested in all sorts of gourmet salts and associated products has skyrocketed. Enter one such toy: the Himalyan Salt Plate (we got ours at Sur La Table).

It is a thing of absolute beauty, it’s solid, weighs a ton, really feels like a piece of a prehistoric mountain is on your counter. The advantages of cooking on a salt plate are that while it does take a long time to heat up, it will get very hot and retain it’s temperature for a very long time. Meaning, once hot, you could put it on the dinner table and let people cook their own food, for example.

It imparts a very subtle but delicious flavor on food, a mineral essence that is hard to place, but complex and delicious. As such, in general delicate foods, like the scallops we made pictured here, shrimp or fish is likely to be the most successful. The plate gets VERY hot, so the scallops really caramelized nicely. The amount of salt and minerals actually transferred to the food has to do with the amount of moisture on the plate, so you need to be a little careful with what you decide to cook on it. You can heat a salt plate on the grill, on a stovetop gas flame or in the oven. Note, however, that that very pretty plate does change colors once it’s been heated through.

In theory, salt is completely antibacterial, and all you have to do to clean it is to run it under warm water and dissolve/scrub off the top layer to clean it. They recommend that buy and keep a separate one to use for display/service purposes (cheese plate, raw veggies, etc.) – because– heat will crack and discolor it. Sadly, this is true. And cleaning it has turned out to be a lot more.. involved, and less productive, than I had hoped.

Still, for $30 bucks, this really is a show stopper for your next dinner party. And totally worthwhile to get one just for cold cuts, cheeses and other non-cooked things– since ours ended up kinda grungy looking.

P.S. The scallops were marinated in a ginger/soy/garlic glaze, patted dry, then seared.

Like warm hug: Truffled mushroom (& leek) Risotto

Posted on February 8, 2012 by grazingbears

Since we have a post what to do with

risotto leftovers, it seemed appropriate to have a post on how risotto gets made at

Grazing Bears HQ. I was really intimidated by the idea of making risotto at home because I’ve seen enough Top Chef to know this is one dish where people get sent home. Frankly, I’m not sure what the big deal is.

It’s easy, rich, easy to course correct if things are going your way, and totally delicious.

1½ – 2 cups Arborio rice (I highly recommend Trader Joe’s for this purchase)

“Baby” Portobello mushrooms or other dark mushroom (not button)

4-6 trimmed leeks, sliced into thin rounds

Pad of butter

Garlic

Shallots (2) or ½ very mild white onion

White wine

3 cups Chicken/Veggie Stock

¼ cup milk or heavy whipping cream (optional)

2/3 cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Black or White Truffle oil or shaved truffles (optional, but sortof)

Small pot/small pan/large pan (preferably with high sides)

This is one recipe where advance prep does make things roll a bit faster. Dice up all your veggies so that they’re ready to roll. If your mushrooms have tough stems (they sometimes do, don’t throw them away, put them in the stock!).

Speaking of, put your stock on low on the stove so it starts warming up. Meanwhile, in a DRY pan with high sides, add your Arborio rice and put it on medium heat. You will want to gently toast the Arborio rice, until it starts to turn a little golden yellow, even some brown grains mixed in. You’ll also know its ready by the smell, suddenly it will blossom into this very nutty, earthy scent.

Once your risotto is ready, add a pad of butter and mix in some finely chopper shallots and garlic and stir. The rice will “fry” a bit, but keep an eye on your garlic. As soon as it looks soft, dump a generous amount of white wine over the whole concoction. It’ll sizzle and shutter, make sure to keep stirring and scrape up the bottom. From here on, risotto

making would be a bit dull. Now that your stock is warm, add about a ladleful over the rice and stir, once the liquid has been absorbed, repeat. And repeat. You’ll be amazed how much liquid the Arborio will absorb. Unlike what they say on tv, you do NOT need to stir every single moment – stir regularly, not constantly. Just make sure there’s enough liquid and that you have it on medium (not high) heat and you’ll be fine.

While adding liquid to your rice, you can get started on the mushrooms. In a separate pan, on medium heat, sauté your mushrooms with some butter, salt, and garlic. Finish with a little of the white wine. Once they’re nice and tender, they will have likely release some liquid (plus the white wine) transfer the ‘shrooms to a bowl and set aside. Add the liquid to

your risotto. In the same pan, you can also tenderize your leeks. Again, add a little butter, salt and garlic, and on LOW heat, let them get tender, golden, and buttery soft.

By now, it’s probably time to check the Arborio for doneness. Try a few grains- they should have a bit of a bite in the center, but not crunch. Al dente. Keep adding liquid and stirring regularly if it’s not quite there yet.

Once it’s very close, add a bit of milk or heavy cream (panna if you have it), and combine completely.

Add in your mushrooms and leeks, stir. Add in grated parm, stir. Serve, drizzle with black truffle oil or a ¼ teaspoon of shaved truffle. Have your mind blown. We had this particular batch with a bit of himalyan salt plate grilled shrimp.

Stay for the leftovers: Arancini (Risotto Balls)

Posted on February 7, 2012 by grazingbears

Arancini, or little oranges, are so named for their shaped and color. I have another name for them, which may not be appropriate for this particular forum.

Risotto is one of my favorite, go to meals. While a little time consuming to prepare, it’s a totally doable weeknight, one dish dinner.

The question with risotto has always been, what to do with the leftovers? It’s not an easy food to reheat, and if you bother, you’ll likely be rewarded with a lukewarm, goey mess. Enter the arrancino. (Honestly, sometimes I make risotto just so I can have these).

Start with leftover risotto, any flavor will suffice, here, we used left over baby Portobello mushroom risotto. There are a lot of different recipes out there, but for once, I’ve taken the road of least resistance.

What you’ll need:

Left over risotto (at least a cup or more)

2 eggs

Worchester sauce

Panko (bread crumbs are ok too)

Mini mozzarella balls

Olive oil

Put a heavy skillet on low heat with about ¼ of an inch or less of olive oil.

Make an egg wash with two eggs, a little milk, a drizzle of Worchester sauce, salt and pepper.

Using your hands, take a small, small golf ball sized ball of the cold risotto and pack tightly. Using your thumb, dig a little hole and drop in a mozzarella ball in. Close it up, and pack tightly using both hands, making sure that the mozzarella is completely covered by rice.

Gently roll in the egg wash, and immediately roll in the bread crumbs or panko. Repeat.

Once you have five or six, you can start pan frying them. I used tongs, to gently turn them, though if you press too hard you’ll end up with little squares or tetrahedrons (or just misshapen, like mine).

Once they are golden brown on all sides, drain them on a paper towel and they are ready to enjoy.

You could in theory put any kind of cheese inside (like blue) that makes sense, or just skip that step.

The result is a deliciously crunchy exterior with warm, creamy (mushroomy) risotto, followed up a melty mozzarella center. YUM!

Old Fashion Donuts: Fried Clouds for your Pie Hole

Posted on January 7, 2012 by grazingbears

There are some childhood memories that make you smile every time you think of it. My mom

making these “birthday” donuts is one of my fondest food memories.

The recipe was hidden away in my mother’s favorite wooden box, which has literally traveled the world and has been around much longer than me. The recipe card is actually older and came from a family friend who is no longer with us.

So. Invite a bunch of friends over. Have these donuts. Enjoy the decadence of yesteryear and make your own donut hole memories.

PS. I hear a RUMOR, that it is possible to bake these. Like, in an oven. While we at grazing bears would never condone baking when frying is clearly the better tasting option (see: Venezuelan Arepas), feel free to experiment with that if you are so inclined.

“Special” Equipment you’ll need:

Donut cutter (or use a drinking glass and a coke bottle top OR two buiscut cutters in the right sizes from Sur La Table)
A VERY large bowl
Frying oil

Ingredients:

1 ½ TABLEspoons dry yeast (about 1½ packets)
¾ cup warm (NOT hot) water

2 cups milk
½ cup sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup mashed potatoes (either left over from dinner, or made fresh- ok, or cheat, and make instant mashed potatoes)

2 cups flour
1 beaten egg

5 ½ cups flour

Flour for sprinkling

Simple Glaze1/4 cup of milk
1-2 cups of powdered sugar

To start, make sure your kitchen is warm. Sounds silly, but temp is important. If it’s not warm, turn the oven on for the duration.

Combine yeast and water in a small cup or bowl, make sure the east is fully incorporated with no lumps, set aside in a WARM place. In a small pan, bring to a NEAR boil the milk, sugar, butter, salt and mashed potatoes. Do not allow it to actually boil, just to a simmer, and remove from heat. Let cool until it’s warm enough to put your finger in it without scalding, but it should still be warm.

Add to mixer bowl and mix in 2 cups of flour and beaten egg and mix until very smooth. The dough will be wet like a cake batter, but don’t be alarmed. Add the yeast and water mixture (which should have already risen a bit) and STIR well.

Set aside for 20-30 min. The dough will visibly rise during this time, but probably not dramatically. Now, transfer to a very large bowl and, using a wooden spoon, and then your hands, incorporate the 5 ½ cups of flour.

The dough will be incredibly sticky. Like, very very sticky. Once it’s all nicely incorporated, cover with a towel and

let it rest in a warm place.

Let rise for 30 – 45 min. If you have other things to do, now is a good time.

Using a sharp knife, slice off about a third of the dough and cover the rest.Once you’re ready to get started (dough can sit for a long while if you need more time for whatever it is you’re doing), get your work surface ready by sprinkling a little flour. Remember, that dough is sticky!

With a floured rolling pin (or whatever), GENTLY flatten/roll the dough out- to about a ½ inch or less thickness.

Dipping your biscut cutter in flour each time, cut out the donut shapes. You will end up with many more holes than actual donuts, try to use as much of the dough as possible.

Set the cut donuts aside, or if you have help, have one person start frying while you repeat the rolling/cutting process. Make sure you aside the scraps, these can be reformed into a ball and re-cut.

The donuts will fry very quickly. Make sure there is enough oil in the pan so that they do NOT TOUCH THE BOTTOM, otherwise that spot will burn.

While the donuts are still hot, glaze them in either a simple melted powdered sugar glaze, roll in sugar and cinnamon or try something chocolate or fruit.

The donuts by themselves are not very sweet- so feel free to embellish!

Eat your heart out Krispie Kreme.

Ripasso: Decadence worth a Review

Posted on January 6, 2012 by grazingbears

Ripasso (in Italian: review, (from the v. ripassare) or as it relates to wine, to pour over grapes again) is the new endeavor from the much beloved and reviled chef of the ill-fated Terragusto. The restaurant is reborn in a new, trendy Wicker Park location (next to Nannet Lapore on Damen). The ambience is cozy, well lit—the staff on the night we were there was pleasant and efficient. But the food is the star. Think: Thanksgiving in Italy (if there were such a thing “Ringraziamento” is a scam from exchange students)—better—think wedding reception in Italy.

Being true grazers, we choose the five course chef tasting menu. At $49 per person (the entire table must order it together)—it’s not exactly a cheap date. However, the value, given the volume, quality and freshness of the ingredients, and the sheer overwhelming deliciousness; is pretty incredible.

A word on wine: Mid-range bottles for the most part, but what was most surprising was the origin of the wines. Red’s from famous white regions like Veneto and Trieste; Sardinian wines; and a broad selection of red’s from Sicily, Puglia and Calabria. Highly recommend the Nero d’Avola- light, highly drinkable and a good value at $30.

Veggies

They started us off with a vegetable plate of roasted beets, shaved salad, and ”minted” carrots. They also brought out what I can only describe as a slightly off-colored flan, with not particularly attractive strips of meat next to it. I groaned internally for a moment, thinking, oh boy- not off to a good start. Thankfully, I didn’t say it out loud, otherwise I’d be eating crow. The warm onion creme mold with braised rabbit was absolutely, irrevocably, fantastic. The effect was a thick, warm french onion soup that literally melted in your mouth as you sort of chewed, coupled with super flavorful, mildly gamey pieces of the tenderest rabbit imaginable.

What followed was a variable orgasmic parade of dish after gut busting dish of thoughtfully prepared, lovingly executed odes to the very best of Italian cuisine.

Risotto

The risotto. Had everything else not been so amazing, one bite of this alone would have made me a believer. Creamy, buttery risotto with heaping, perfectly cooked scallops, wild mushrooms, positively pheromone reeking of white truffles. Earthy musk meets briney sea. Talk about surf and turf.

Pasta

The pasta course brought not one, but two incredible achievements- a butternut squash ravioli dusted with crushed peach-pit biscotti, whose velvety pillows of love filled butter, butternut put anything I’ve ever made to shame. The cream drenched, four legged, four meat (lamb, veal, pork, & beef) bolognese over house made pappardelle, also wafting of truffle, was. Well. I’m actually at a loss for words. My mouth is actually watering right now as I think about it. Umami. Game. Cream.

Were I a different kind of person, I would never make pasta at home again, for shame.

Meat

The meat course was a sleeper hit; at first it look like my mom’s pork loin, but the sear crust (presumably a dry rub of salt, garlic, and cardimum?) coupled with delciously garlic, bitter rapini was greater than the sum of its parts. After so much decadence, the meat course almost felt like a palate cleanser.

At this point you’re thinking, WTF, what else could you eat? Stuffed does not even begin to cover it.

MORE

But there’s more. If you call now… the dessert course. A whipped ricotta stracciatella with a homemade waffle cone was rich, nicely balanced and not at all over sweet. The other dessert plate featured an apple/pecan streusel with a mild panna cotta and raw apple salad. Again, individually, very, very good. Eaten together, it was like apple pecan pie alla mode– the sum far greater than its parts.

All of this to say. If you like things that are delicious. If you have the nearly unlimited stomach capacity necessary to actually eat all of this without being sick. If you have a special occasion. Wow. Just go. So good. Food coma for days.

Vicent: Amsterdam in Andersonville

Posted on November 11, 2011 by grazingbears

Vincent is a great little gem in Andersonville that is worth the trip north. It specializes in Dutch cuisine and is owned and operated by the same chef/owner as the excellent Home Bistro (HB) in Boystown.

I would definitely put them in the “winter food” category- the dinner here is good, but requires a bit of an adeventurous palette as dutch food can be a bit out of the ordinary.

We just tired the brunch for the very first time and was delighted to discover what can only be described as the ultimate hangover cure. The brunch menu features a nciely edited selection of egg and various types of meat together. Both dishes we ordered were decadent, with bold flavors and generous portions. In the “Dock Worker” (essentially a high-end Grand Slam), featured scrambled eggs, maple bacon, and pulled pork. There were lots of interesting things on the menu that I would absolutely want to come back and try.

I will say, the star of the show, however, were the drinks. They are absolutely spectacular. Hands down, the very best bloody marry I have ever had. Herbal, smokey, just the right spice, interesting and delicious. Perhaps best of all, they have several different kinds– we ordered the Cheesemonger (pictured), which for only $4 more came with a generous (and delicious) cheese board.

They are big on the herbals, many of their drinks feature raw market herbs as part of the mix, which brings a welcome element of surprise and variety. They also mix with a wonderful variety of liquors that you may not have had before like the incomparably delicious Hum liquor, produced here in Illinois and another revelation- Junipero Gin for Anchor Distilling in SF.

If nothing else, come sit at their lovely, dimly lit, bistro style bar and enjoy exploring the menu.

The staff here is top notch- very friendly and knowledgeable without being overbearing.

Maude’s Liquor Bar: Too Much is Never Enough

Posted on November 7, 2011 by grazingbears

In my imagination, centuries of French culinary tradition can be essentially boiled down to two things: winter and summer. There’s the Mediterranean fare that features Salad Nicoise and herbes de provence; and then there’s the butter and cream fare that I think of as being winter French food. (I can hear the Francophiles having convulsions right now, btw).

Maude’s Liquor Bar is indisputably winter food. Chicago-winter food. Fat people in Chicago winter food (hello, bears). Unfortunately, my first time at Maude’s on a hot summer evening. I say unfortunately because while the food and the entire experience were good-when I got up from the table I felt like a humid day, with a film of butter. It was just too heavy and rich for hot weather. I vowed to try it again (when it was cold) and I’m really happy I came back (and that it’s chunky, cable-knit sweater weather).

There’s something about Maude’s Liquor Bar that feels exquisitely and consistently thoughtful and meticulous. Much of the enjoyment here is in the details, and how effortless the ensemble comes together.

First, the décor is absolutely perfect: downstairs has white tiled walls, diffuse, yellow lighting, with unassuming, but thoughtful details everywhere you look.

With a name that includes the words “Liquor” and “Bar” (two of my favorites), you’ll be happy to know that the drink menu does not disappoint. The simple menu is divided into three categories: sparkling (I had the St. Germain Fizz, delicious, light, herbal); Stirred and Smash (presumably named for the crushed ice and not their effect), which are high-balls featuring a variety of liquors mixed in surprisingly complex ways that achieved the desired result (we tried the vodka and smokey violet).

Despite the name, the real star here is the food. Everything on the menu is designed to be sampled and shared (a trend I’m beginning to find somewhat tiresome, to be frank, as it goes against my nature).

The classic lyonnaise salad which is one of the most decadent salads I’ve ever had (and that’s saying something). An intriguing combination of crisp raw greens in a light vinaigrette with a warm egg (yolk dripping) and two healthy pieces of deliciously flavorful (paprika?) smoked pork belly.

The chicken liver mouse was serviced with generous buttered and grilled bread and served with a house-made shallot/red wine jelly/mystery food that had the waiter scampering back to the kitchen to tell us what it was.

The steak tartar actually defies my ability to describe exactly why it was so delicious- rich, fresh, both creamy and bright, with buttery bread as a perfect balance. We also had a pork loin and gnocchi special, which brought with it rich, dark & deep flavors- the weight of a wine reduction, an earthy flavor and strong contract to the tartar.

All in all, the service was excellent and the prices felt – reasonable (for an at least somewhat special occasion), the drinks were a revelation and the food was mouth-wateringly good.

Its just too rich and decadent to be everyday food. Full disclosure, they do apparently have excellent steamed mussels (no doubt prepared in some form of butter) and a wide, fresh selection of raw oysters which could have lightened the load, as it were, but hey-too much is never enough.

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