Grown Up Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

It was kind of a hectic week and even more hectic weekend, so I decided to wind down today by making a cold-weather standby, Tomato Soup. This, I typically pair with a "grown-up" grilled cheese, made with crusty multigrain bread and really good cheese.




FIRE-ROASTED TOMATO AND PORCINI MUSHROOM SOUP

4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 red onion, minced
olive oil
salt & pepper
1/2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
1/2 c. boiling water
2 bay leaves
2 28-oz. cans crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 qt. roasted vegetable stock

In a large stock pot, sautee garlic and onion in olive oil, until onion is translucent. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, soak porcinis in boiling water until softened. Add with soaking liquid to garlic and onion. Add bay leaves and allow to simmer 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes; simmer 15 minutes.

Remove bay leaves and puree soup with a stick blender; alternately, pour soup into a food processor, pulse until desired consistency, then return to cooking pot.

Stir in vegetable stock, return bay leaves, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve with:

"GROWN-UP" GRILLED CHEESE

For each serving:
2 slices multigrain, rye, or bread of your choice (just not white bread!)
olive oil
salt & pepper
your favorite cheese (I typically use Brie, fontina, or smoked mozzarella)
baby spinach or arugula

Brush one side of one slice of bread with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then place oiled side down in a non-stick pan or grill pan over medium heat. Top with cheese and baby spinach, then remaining bread slice. Brush outside with olive oil. Grill until cheese begins to melt and underside of sandwich is golden. Flip, and grill until second side is golden. Slice in half diagonally for easy dipping into soup.

Top Chef 2, Episode 2

Tonight's episode began with a 4:30am wake-up call from Chef Tom Colicchio. The contestants were to begin their day with a trip to the American Fish and Seafood Market in LA, where they would purchase the key ingredient for this week's Quickfire Challenge: Sushi. Immediately upon learning the challenge, most of the contestants looked like they were ready to throw up. Not from the thought of sushi in general, but rather the challenge of making sushi, which many were unprepared to do.

Tonight's guest judge for the Quickfire was Chef Hiroshi Shima, Executive Chef of Kitana Restaurants (as in the one in Royal Oak?). He was very impressed with Ilan's Abalone Sashimi, deeming it "very fresh" and "alive." Elia's Mackerel Rolls with Olives and Salmon Roe were unique and enjoyable. Unfortunately for Mia, her Salmon Hand Rolls were "not appealing," and looked more like cigars than sushi. But tonight's winner of the Quickfire Challenge was Cliff, with his Hama Hama Oyster Sashimi with Ginger and Soy. Cliff received immunity for the upcoming Elimination Challenge.

The Elimination Challenge, featuring guest judge and celebrity chef, Ming Tsai, was to prepare, as a team, a tasting menu for Project by Project, a not-for-profit dedicated to combatting hunger in the Asian-American Community. The contestants drew knives and divided into two teams: Team Vietnam and Team Korea. Each team was to prepare one hot dish and one cold dish, using flavors of their respective countries, and would be judged not only on their food, but also their ability to work as a team.

Team Vietnam--Carlos, Mia, Josie, Betty, Emily, Sam, and Michael--immediately sat down to craft their menu. They would be using traditional flavors, including cilantro, lime, and mint. Josie, who had previous experience working for a Vietnamese chef, was selected team leader, and suggested the team tackle a traditional Vietnamese Pho noodle soup, with a twist.

Team Korea--Marisa, Cliff, Ilan, Marcel, Otto, Frank, and Elia--discussed their menu, but not before indulging in a little Sangria. Their menu would obviously include a Korean barbecue, and feature flavors of two "chees": kim chee and lychee.

With a designated team leader, Team Vietnam appeared to work like clockwork. They spent their budget of $500 on seasonal ingredients, including watermelon, cucumber, and basil. They ended up preparing three dishes: Summer Rolls with Pickled Watermelon and Chili Aioli, Pork Pho with Carrot “Vermicelli,” and a Cucumber-Aloe “Refresher” with Ginger-Basil Syrup.

Team Korea did not seem to mesh at all. This stemmed from a controversial judgment call by Otto, who realized immediately after leaving the market that they had neglected to pay for a case of lychees, which was sitting on the bottom of their cart. He mentioned it only in passing, and was heard only by Marisa. She called it to the attention of her teammates and, ultimately, Chef Colicchio. After questioning Otto, Chef ordered him to return the “hot” lychees immediately to the market. The team worked for nearly an hour without one of their members, but still managed to turn out a great-looking menu: Braised Pork with Kim Chee and Sticky Rice and Jasmine Tea Panna Cotta with Tapioca and Lychees.

At the Project by Project benefit, the teams competed for customers in a “walk-around” tasting. Team Vietnam’s Betty shined, engaging the guests and selling her team’s creations. Team Korea, meanwhile, continued to fluster, although their Braised Pork did garner enthusiasm.

At the judges’ table, Tom, Gail, and Ming discussed the merits of each dish. While Team Vietnam’s Cucumber Refresher received tremendous kudos, the Pork Pho was determined to be too dry, and the Summer Rolls went completely unmentioned. They LOVED the Korean-Braised Pork dish, deeming it “superior” to the Pork Pho, but HATED the Panna Cotta for its completely wrong texture. Ming Tsai referred to it as a “hockey puck.”

For its near-perfect execution as a team, Vietnam was named the winner, with Betty singled-out as the winner of the challenge. She received a limited-edition Kyocera sushi knife as her prize. Korea, with its disjointed team dynamic and inability to work together, was named the losing team. A lengthy “he-said-she-said” debate between Marisa and Otto ensued over the lychee incident. The team completely fell apart, with fingers pointing every which way. Only Ilan and Frank refused to take sides and lay blame.

Ultimately, in a show of guilty good sportsmanship, Otto offered to bow out of the competition. Without batting their collective eyes, the judges accepted his resignation, and asked Otto to pack his knives and go. It was a dramatic finish to a dramatic challenge, and highlighted the importance of integrity in the competition and the value of teamwork and responsibility.

A Little Tuesday Indulgence....

It was a long day today--a good day overall, just busy. And then at the last minute, got an assignment that I needed to get done before walking out the door. I had all kinds of plans to rake the lawn, go grocery shopping, make a nice dinner.... Unfortunately, I got home a little later than normal, then got sucked in to listening to the rest of the 1st Anniversary broadcast of Martha Stewart Radio's "Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer." I've become completely obsessed with those two crazy chicks, that I don't know what I'm going to do when I eventually lose my Sirius Radio access.

Anyway, there went my plans for raking, as it got too dark, so I skipped to the next task, grocery shopping. With midterms last week, I hadn't had a chance to go shopping, so the pantry was pretty bare all last week. I could barely scrape anything together, except for the risotto I wrote about a couple of posts ago. I needed to pick up a few staples--OJ, eggs, cheese, canned San Marzano tomatoes (okay, one indulgence)--but my main objective was to scrounge something for tonight's dinner.

Because I would again be spending the next two nights in class (and, therefore, would end up with a dinner of sesame crackers or something else otherwise unsatisfying), I decided I would indulge a little and make some mashed potatoes, which I had been craving for some time (for the record, my recent dinner at Lily's Seafood in Royal Oak had a side of yummy Mashed Potatoes with Mushroom-Stout Gravy, but it was just a wee order and just barely satisfied my craving).

Anyway, tonight's mashed potatoes couldn't be just any mashed potatoes. They were

SCALLION MASHED POTATOES WITH BUTTERMILK AND GORGONZOLA

1-1/2 lbs. red skinned potatoes, scrubbed, skin on
6 scallions, sliced
2 tsp. olive oil
3/4 c. buttermilk
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 c. gorgonzola cheese (I used my current obsession, gorgonzola dolce)
Salt & pepper, to taste

In a medium saucepan, cover potatoes with water and cook, covered, over medium heat until a knifepoint can be inserted easily into potatoes (approximately 30 minutes). Drain.

Meanwhile in a separate frying pan, sautee sliced scallions in olive oil until tender.

In a large measuring cup, warm buttermilk and butter approximately 45 seconds, until butter is melted. Add gorgonzola and allow to soften in the warm milk and butter mixture. With a rubber spatula, stir mixture until gorgonzola is well incorporated.

Mash potatoes in a medium bowl. Add scallions, then milk-butter-cheese mixture, little by little, stirring with a rubber spatula until desired consistency (it is possible that some of the milk-butter-cheese mixture will remain). Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Makes 4 side servings or 2 very indulgent single servings.

Top Chef Season 2 Premiere

Sorry for my delay in posting this, but blogger.com was more like clogger.com last night, after the many hits the "Blogging Project Runway" site probably received after last night's season finale.

Last night was the premiere of "Top Chef" Season 2, complete with fifteen new contestants and a new host, Padma Lakshmi. Every single one of this season's contestants are actually employed as cooks or chefs, and all but four received formal culinary education. It looks like an interesting crop of individuals, with varying degrees of experience and, more importantly, personality. I'm looking forward to another fun season.

Some might recognize Padma Lakshmi her many appearances on Food Network. She's also a cookbook author, actress, and television host. Returning to the judges table are Tom Colicchio, chef/owner of Craft restaurants, and Gail Simmons, manager of "special projects" at Food & Wine magazine. Season 1 champion, Harold Dieterle returned as a guest judge. He doesn't seem to have changed much from last season--still cute and low key. He did offer up some decent feedback (e.g., useless garnish = BAD), having been on the other side of the judge's table himself. Following the direction she gave to Season 1's eliminated contestants, the robotic former host, Katie-Lee Joel, has apparently packed her own knives and gone.

The premiere episode began with the show's signature "Quickfire Challenge," in which the contestants are charged with creating a themed dish within a twenty-minute time constraint. The winner of the Quickfire receives immunity from the "Elimination Challenge" later in the show. Last night's challenge required the contestants to create a flambee dish, using any ingredient in the pantry. The winner of this challenge was Sam, who has the distinction of being the youngest-ever Executive Chef in New York, with his Flambeed Shrimp.

The Elimination Challenge involved a"mystery basket" of ingredients that the contestants had to craft into a tasting menu that would be judged by their peers. They divided into two groups, each with its own mystery ingredients, and in two hours, turned them into dishes to be judged by the opposite group. Then, the top two and bottom two from each group would face the main judges at the dining table.

The first group's ingredients included escargot, American cheese, artichokes, limes, and peanuts. Each of the chefs then headed off individually to create their submissions. At the top were Ilan's Escargot with Cheese Sauce and Elia's Escargot and Artichoke with Butter Sauce; at the bottom were Carlos's Artichoke Potato Pancake w/ Escargot and Suyai's Braised Artichoke & Potato with Escargot.

The second group's ingredients included frog legs, chicken livers, peanut butter, eggplant, and corn flakes. At the top of this group were Mia's Chicken-Fried Froglegs and Betty's Froglegs with Chicken Liver Cake; at the bottom were Marcel's Frogleg Lollipop and Otto's Froglegs & Chicken with Peanut Sauce.

Ilan, a 24-year-old line cook from New York City, was the winner (for his winning recipe, visit www.bravotv.com). Oxford, England-born Suyai, unfortunately, was asked to pack her knives and go.

I'll do my best to provide weekly updates on the results of each episode. I'll also add my own thoughts on each of the contestants as the competition goes on. There wasn't much chance to see their personalities come out just yet, but I'm sure there will be much to see soon enough.

For more information, including contestant bios, recipes, and judges' blogs, visit www.bravotv.com

Monday Blahs

Had the Monday Blahs today. It's gray, and cold, and generally depressing outside. Plus, I have a Finance midterm on Wednesday, so the next couple of nights will be dedicated to studying. So for dinner, I turned to a favorite comfort food, risotto. Since it's been some time since I've made a decent supermarket run, I raided the pantry to see what I could concoct with a few basic staples. The result:





PORCINI & SUNDRIED TOMATO RISOTTO

1/2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
1 oz. sundried tomatoes
2 c. boiling water
1/2 qt. vegetable stock
1 large shallot, minced
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 c. Arborio rice
1/4 c. grated Parmigiano Reggiano

In a large measuring cup, pour boiling water over porcinis and sundried tomatoes to rehydrate. Set aside for 10 minutes, until vegetables are plump. Remove vegetables from liquid, slice, and set aside. Add mushroom/tomato water to simmering vegetable stock in a small saucepan.

In a separate saucepan, sautee shallots in olive oil until softened. Add porcinis and sundried tomatoes and sautee; add salt & pepper to taste. Add rice and stir to coat each grain with olive oil.

Begin adding simmering broth to the saucepan, one cup at a time, stirring rice and vegetables frequently. As liquid evaporates, add more broth, stirring. Continue this process for approximately 10-15 minutes, until rice is tender and most of the broth has been absorbed (it is possible that you may not use all of the simmering broth). Risotto should have a creamy texture.

Stir in cheese and serve immediately. Makes approximately 2 servings as a meal or 4 side servings.

Usually, I add about a cup of white wine to the sauteeing vegetables and rice, before adding stock. However, all I had on hand was a Riesling that someone brought to a past dinner party, which I was afraid would be too sweet. The risotto tasted fine without wine, but it would have made a nice addition.

Mussel Men

On "Barefoot Contessa," Ina Garten always welcomes her husband, Jeffrey, home to the Hamptons after a long workweek in Manhattan, with his favorite dinner, Roast Chicken. Today, with Todd coming home from Kalamazoo for a doctor's appointment tomorrow, I decided to welcome him home with one of our favorites, Steamed Mussels. I got a great buy on some beautiful mussels at Holiday Market in Royal Oak, for $3.99/lb.

STEAMED MUSSELS

3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 shallots, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 plum tomatoes, seeded, cored, & diced
2 c. white wine
4 Tbsp. parsley, minced
2 lbs. mussels, cleaned & scrubbed
1 Tbsp. butter, cold
Lemon wedges

Heat a large pot with high sides over a medium flame. Add olive oil, then shallots. Sautee until softened. Add red pepper flakes and tomato.

Add wine and parsley to pot; bring to boil. Add mussels and place lid on pot. Allow to cook for 4 minutes, shaking pot frequently to allow mussels to cook evenly. Mussels should open up when cooked; remove any that remain closed, and discard.

Remove cooked mussels from pot, allowing broth to continue simmering. Add cold butter and swirl, to form a sauce. Squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon into sauce.

Serve mussels in a deep dish; pour sauce over and serve with crusty bread for dipping.

I served mine over prepared linguini--next time, I'll follow Todd's suggestion to finish cooking the pasta in the simmering broth to infuse it with more of that great flavor.

Photo credit shellfish.org.uk

It's a Date!

A few weeks ago, several of my cousins were in town for a family wedding. It'd been quite a while since most of us had been together, so I jumped at the chance to plan a pre-wedding get-together, to get us all caught up.

I wanted to do something just a little bit different than expected, so I planned a "make it-buy it" Mediterranean-themed menu, with flavors from Greece, Italy, and the Middle East.

On the "make-it" side: spanakopita (spinach-feta triangles), oven-baked pita chips, chili-cumin spiced almonds, tzatziki, sun-dried tomato/basil dip (a failed improvisation--one day, I will post a different recipe worked out pretty well for me in the past), and mini white pizzas (greek pitas brushed with olive oil, topped with four cheeses and shredded basil), and Date Bars.

On the "buy-it" side, hummous, baba ghanoush, falafel, vegetarian stuffed grape leaves, all from Sahara Restaurant in Oak Park, and baklava from Kashat Market (I need to write about that shop sometime--wonderful!).

One of my favorite things that turned out was the "make-it" dessert, Date Bars. I'm posting the recipe here for future reference. They had a crumbly, buttery crust and a sticky sweet, filling, and they were super easy to make. Admittedly, I did overbake them so the edges got a little hard. I simply cut the bars out from within the edges, and they were just fine--the crunchy edges became "cook's treat."


DATE BARS
(from Mary-Sue Millikan & Susan Feniger, aka Too Hot Tamales)

2 1/2 cups (1 pound) pitted and chopped dates
1 cup water
Scant 1 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 cups rolled oats
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups unsalted butter, melted

In a medium saucepan, combine the chopped dates and water. Over medium-low heat, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add the sugar and lemon juice and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring back up to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Thoroughly butter a 9 x 13inch baking pan with 2 inch sides and line the base of it with parchment paper.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Mix together well with a wooden spoon, then drizzle in the melted butter and stir to moisten evenly. Spread 1/2 of this crumb mixture in the base of the pan, then cover with an even layer of the cooled date mixture. Top the date layer with another layer of the crumb mixture and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbly, and the edges have begun to caramelize. Cool on a rack, to room temperature. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan to release, and cut into 12 squares.

In Search Of...Chestnut Charlotte

It's an enigma, wrapped in mystery, enshrouded in obscurity. Ever since that fateful night, a year and a half ago, when I was not allowed to order dessert following dinner at Ferndale's Via Nove restaurant, I've been on a fruitless quest for the star dessert of its specials menu that night: Chestnut Charlotte. Because our meal had grown long and leisurely, my dining companions were in a mad rush to head across the street to Soho for a cigarette, leaving my yen for dessert unfulfilled.

I received promises that we would soon return, so that I could satisfy my craving for the sweet treat. Alas, we have yet to return, and the Chestnut Charlotte remains ever-elusive (mind you, since we haven't been back, I don't know that it still may be on the menu...but that detracts from my drama). Since that night, I have searched every restaurant menu, with a secret hope that I might finally catch a glimpse of this dessert, to no avail. My search for a recipe in cookbooks and online has likewise proven unsuccessful.

So today, one and a half years later, I pledge that I will labor to devise my own recipe for Chestnut Charlotte, so that I may finally know the beauty and wonder that have evaded me for so long. Stay tuned, readers, for periodic updates on my quest.

Bon Appetit, November 2006

The new Bon Appetit arrived in the mail today. It's their annual Thanksgiving issue, which I look forward to each year. This year's edition offers recipes and techniques for varying scales of Thanksgiving celebrations, from a grand feast to a pared-down intimate gathering, from a "make it/buy-it" preparation strategy to a potluck at someone else's home.

It also provides a few resources for organic and heritage turkeys, which I struggled to find last year. Although I haven't quite settled on making a turkey this year (I may do a brunch, in which case I may tackle a traditional southern ham), I still find plenty of delicious ideas for appetizers, sides, and desserts for other times of the year (like Dorie Greenspan's "Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" on page 87). Check out http://www.epicurious.com/bonappetit/ for more.

Salad May Be Hazardous to Your Health

Well, if you happened to make the salad recipe I posted the other day, you can probably go ahead and dump it in the trash. Right on the heels of the recent spinach scare, lettuce has just joined the rising crop of vegetables tainted with the dangerous E. coli virus. Click the links for more.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/09/15/tainted.spinach.ap/index.html

http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2006-10-08T232102Z_01_N08213687_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-LETTUCE.XML

Photo credit astrographics.com

Julie & Julia

I recently finished reading Julie & Julia by Julie Powell, a wonderfully amusing memoir of a woman who embarks on a mission to cook every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in the year before she turns 30. She lives in a rundown Queens apartment, works a dead-end government job, and has hit a wall in terms of her life. From her first success with Potage Parmentier (potato soup) to her final masterpiece, Reine de Saba (chocolate cake), Powell attacks every recipe with fervor, learning how to extract marrow from beef bones, searching the city far and wide for obscure ingredients, and generally, becoming comfortable with herself and her capabilities.

During her mission, Powell updated a growing legion of fans via her highly successful blog, The Julie/Julia Project (see link at right to her follow-up, "What Could Happen?"). On learning of Child's death in 2004, Powell commented in her blog,

"I have no claim over the woman at all, unless it's the claim one who has nearly drowned has over the person who pulled her out of the ocean."

Powell is now in the middle of a media tour to promote her book, which has recently been released in paperback.

Salad Days

In an earlier entry, I mentioned the salad I had enjoyed during several dinners at Mia Francesca in Chicago. It was a green bean salad, with green beans, crumbled gorgonzola, and balsamic vinaigrette. I've devised my own version and served it several times at home, and it's always been a hit.

To prepare, trim the ends from young green beans, preferably French haricot verts. Blanch in simmering, salted water until bright green and firm to the bite. Remove from boiling water and plunge immediately into a bowl of ice water to set the color and stop the cooking process. Remove from water and dry between tea towels. Assemble in a single direction on a serving plate. Sprinkle with finely diced, cored & seeded plum tomato. Dress with a basic vinaigrette of balsamic vinegar whisked with a dab of Dijon mustard and salt and pepper to taste, and a fruity olive oil (traditionally, 3-to-1 proportion of oil to vinegar--however, I prefer less oil). Crumble with a good gorgonzola cheese, and serve cold.

Another Francesca salad, which I had at Francesca al Forno, also in Chicago, was an arugula salad with a sweet balsamic. I created my own modified version, with a 50-50 mix of arugula and mixed baby greens, toasted pine nuts, halved grape tomatoes, and a honey-balsamic (replace mustard in above dressing with honey). I toss all of this together in a salad bowl and top with slices of gorgonzola dolce, a pungent, creamy, sweet gorgonzola, which I came across at Holiday Market in Royal Oak.

These modifications of signature salads from the Francesca restaurants in Chicago have become personal signatures at home. They're far superior to the typical green salads I encounter in most restaurants and homes, and bring fresh, unique flavor to the dinner table.

Photo credit seedsofchange.com

Pallas Restaurant & Lounge, Farmington Hills, Michigan

After dropping Samar off at her brother's house, Todd & I stopped for Chinese at Pallas Restaurant in Farmington Hills. It's a modern, stylish restaurant, with rich brown and black fabrics, bamboo plantings, and a slate water fountain.

They have a terrific menu with a unique take on Cantonese and Szechuan classics. Appetizers include scallion pancakes, seafood spring rolls, and steamed vegetable dumplings. The seafood menu features lyrically-named dishes such as "Triple Fragrance Sizzling Platter," with shrimp, scallops, chicken, and vegetables on a sizzling plate; and crispy shrimp wrapped in phyllo, with broccoli in a champagne sauce. Meat and poultry options include a skirt steak with wild mushrooms in oyster sauce; lamb curry with sauteed leeks; and stir-fried chicken with asparagus and shiitake in spicy garlic sauce.

We selected two dishes: Hunan Calamari, in a black bean sauce with baby corn and broccoli, and sauteed eggplant spears in spicy garlic sauce with scallions and red bell pepper. Accompanied with steamed white rice, each dish was hearty and savory, with the perfect amount of heat. The calamari was a tad overcooked, and we decided that we'd rather have opted for Hunan Scallops instead.

Pallas' dessert menu includes the typical Chinese restaurant fare of ice cream and sherbet, but also a delicious banana spring roll, served warm with vanilla ice cream and drizzle of chocolate. No dessert for us; I'd shared this during a previous meal with my parents, who devoured the sweet delight in short order.

Photo credit pallas-restaurant.com

Cafe Zola, Ann Arbor, Michigan

For the four years we've been together, Todd has warned that his ex-girlfriend (whom he affectionately refers to as his "wife") would be returning from Palestine so they could get married. And, for the four years we've been together, I'd always rolled my eyes and played along until....

Last week, when he confirmed that Samar ("Summer") would soon be arriving for a holiday, and would be coming to see him (as well as her brother). After college, she had returned to her homeland of Palestine, and they hadn't seen each other in over twelve years. While I obviously viewed this as no threat, I still did not know what to expect--would she be a ball-bustin', over-opinionated witch? Would I be able to deal with them mooning over their young romance?

Rather, when we arrived to pick her up at her brother's home in Belleville, I met one of the nicest, smartest, most independent women I had ever encountered. She's lived under the violence and chaos of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, subjected to checkpoints and chronic underemployment. Her current job is on hold, expected to resume in November.

We enjoyed a beautiful, Indian Summer day walking the streets of downtown Ann Arbor (where they frequently spent their days), recalling their time together. We sat down to eat at Cafe Zola in Ann Arbor, a cute, artsy, brick-wally brunch place named after French writer, Emile Zola, featuring a Mediterranean-themed menu with a few Turkish specialties.

The brunch menu was full of delicious options: savory crepes with fresh tomato or ratatouille, and sweet crepes with nutella or fresh fruit; omelettes with sauteed mushrooms or homemade Polish sausage; waffles with flavored butters or brandied cherries and chocolate. It was a stellar selection, and I hope to return again soon.

Todd ordered a gorgeous Omelette Provencale, frittata-style, with sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onion. I went the lunch route with a Norwegian salmon burger, which arrived with pomme frites and a spiced mayo. I happily devoured my sandwich and savored every bite of my fries. Samar, perhaps, seemed disappointed with her order: a grilled chicken sandwich, marinated with lemon and herb, and served on a crusty Italian roll with vegetable chips. While the chicken looked tasty, the bread seemed too hard and crusty for a sandwich.

We enjoyed a leisurely lunch on the sidewalk, allowing the two of them to chainsmoke after lunch, like the locals they encountered on a trip to Paris, years ago. We had wonderful conversation, recalling their days long past, and exchanging views on the world's events. It was fun to see another part of Todd's life, and I think he enjoyed finally having his "husband" meet his "wife."

Now, if I can just get him to forget his hair-brained plot to get me to impregnate her with my baby, so he can have a piece of both of us to love. Then, they could sue me for custody and the house, and leave me out on the street, hawking my famous crabcakes.

Photo credit cafezola.com

D'Amato's, Royal Oak, Michigan

Friday night, John and I welcomed Todd home after his first full week away with dinner at Royal Oak standby, D'Amato's. Normally, it's good for nice evening out--low key, great food, good service, comfortable wood-paneled decor, and a wall of windows looking out at the bustle of Royal Oak.

For some reason this time, while everything else was as impeccable as usual, the food failed to deliver. Maybe it's because we strayed from our normal fallback options: a perfectly cooked dish of pasta (the "Napoletana," spaghetti with fresh tomatoes and basil, or the Penne with wild mushrooms in a madeira sauce), woodfired pizza (Four Cheese, Tuscan), or a bowl of steamed mussels (special menu only). Their Beef Carpaccio appetizer, and entrees such as macadamia encrusted Chilean Sea Bass and Vegetable Napoleon, also rarely disappoint.

Though John did get a delicious Asparagus & Sundried Tomato pizza with wild mushrooms, prosciutto, and goat cheese, Todd and I each elected instead for an order of crabcakes and a salad. He went for the "D'Amato's Salad" with red wine vinaigrette, and I for their Green Bean Salad with toasted walnuts and crumbled gorgonzola. They were okay, but not spectacular, and my salad was not what I was expecting--I thought it would come out similar to the haricot vert salad I'd had at Mia Francesca in Chicago: simply, blanched young green beans, diced tomato, crumbled gorgonzola, and balsamic vinaigrette. The D'Amato's version was heavy on mixed greens, light on the beans.

The crab cakes, served "East Coast style," with mixed greens and a spicy remoulade, were too bready for our tastes. Bread (or breadcrumbs) is necessary to help bind the cakes, but they should be heavy with crabmeat, light on filler. These had just a hint of crab flavor, flecks of red bell pepper, and too much mushiness from the bread. According to Taste author, David Rosengarten, the perfect crab cake should be simply be crab, a little bread crumb, some mayonnaise, and seasoning. Technically, my recipe lifted from the Martha cookbook, with chopped bell pepper and scallions, is overkill. But it's still good.

Overall, not a disaster, but less than stellar. The wine was fruity and rich, and I had a great dessert coffee spiked with Amaretto and a hint of orange. We've had much better meals there, so I'm willing to cut some slack. It's always been an enjoyable experience at this Royal Oak mainstay, so I'll always return. But next time, I'll go for old reliable calamari or a woodfired pizza.

Photo credit damatos.com

Vegetarian Breakfast Casserole

In anticipation of the U of M-MSU game this weekend, my department hosted its 4th Annual Big 10 Tailgate celebration this past Thursday, with a potluck breakfast, a catered, barbecue lunch, a football pool, and loads of company logo-ed prizes that none of us really needed.

I volunteered to bring in a breakfast casserole. In my infinite pretentiousness, I couldn't just make any ORDINARY breakfast casserole, with white bread, scrambled egg, shredded cheddar, and crumbled sausage. No, I had to go and use freshly-baked loaves from the new Strawberry Moon Bakery in downtown Ferndale. And, instead of the usual cheddar and sausage, I used a smoked gouda, and a mixture of sauteed fresh vegetables.

Although the smokiness of the gouda didn't carry through as strongly after baking, I still got a few compliments and requests for the recipe. I used a basic recipe from my newly-acquired Gourmet cookbook for a Spinach and Parmesan Strata, and modified it just a bit:

VEGETARIAN BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

2 medium red onions, julienned
2 red bell peppers, julienned
1 pkg. cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 c. arugula
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
8 c. day-old bread cubes (approx. 1") I used a combination of 2/3 wheat and 1/3 rye
3 c. shredded smoked gouda or smoked mozzarella
9 eggs
2 T. dijon mustard
2+3/4 c. whole milk


Sautee first three vegetables in olive oil, adding salt & pepper to taste, until tender. Remove from heat and toss in a very large bowl with arugula. Add bread cubes and smoked cheese; toss until thoroughly combined.

Combine eggs, mustard, and milk in a large measuring cup or mixing bowl with a spout.

Turn bread mixture into a lightly greased, 3-quart baking dish. Carefully pour egg mixture over, making sure to saturate the top layer of ingredients. If desired, sprinkle with additional shredded cheese.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven, 45-55 minutes, until golden and puffed. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Photo credit csun.edu

Olde Peninsula Brewpub, Kalamazoo, Michigan

This was Todd's first "official" weekend away, having taken a new job just outside of Kalamazoo. He'll spend workweeks at his sister's in K'zoo, then we'll alternate visiting each other on weekends. Since he'd only been there a week, I made the first of our cross-county trips to see each other.

Having been to K'zoo only once before, I was looking forward to a night on the town with Todd, along with his sis and her family. Since we had her 19-month-old in tow, we needed to find a place that would be loud enough to counterbalance any potential outbursts from the tyke.

We decided on the Olde Peninsula Brewpub in Downtown Kalamazoo's Haymarket district. It was located in a charming, historic building, with a typical woody, brewpub decor. Like any bar on a Saturday night, the "OP" was jammed: crunchy granola families, Western Michigan University students, and teenage kids on Homecoming dates.

Our evening was off to a great start: less than 5 minutes after waiting at the bar with one of those loathesome chain-restaurant pagers, it lit up, signalling that our table was ready. Given it was 7:30pm and almost bedtime for the 19-month-old, dinner was beginning to look like a quick in-and-out, until....

Ten minutes at the table and, still, no server. Fortunately, that gave us enough time to decide on drink and dinner orders, so we would be prepared. Our server finally arrived and ONLY offered to take drink orders. The restaurant was slammed, so we cut some slack. I ordered one of their Fall brew specials, the "Jack-o-Lantern," a combination of house-made porter and pumpkin ale. Todd had a Black & Tan, his sis a virgin strawberry daiquiri, and her husband, an iced tea.

Twenty minutes later, our drinks arrived. Todd's Black & Tan was more "Black & Black," but the rest of the drinks were fine. My Jack-o-Lantern was actually pretty tasty, with a rich, dark coffee flavor and a hint of pumpkin spice in the background. The daiquiri was hot pink, thick and smoothie-like, and the iced tea was iced tea. After another brief disappearance, our server returned to take our dinner orders.

I opted for a veggie burger, topped with sauteed mushrooms and melted swiss. Todd ordered a fried perch sandwich, with salad instead of fries. His sis went for the stuffed flounder, and her husband the Old Peninsula Chicken, a marinated chicken breast atop sauteed spinach. An hour later, my head pounding and knee bouncing up and down, our orders arrived--but only two were correct. Todd's perch sandwich arrived as simply perch with fries, while his brother-in-law's chicken with spinach translated into a chicken breast sandwich.

I immediately launched into a tirade with our server. The house manager arrived within minutes, and we let loose: an hour and a half later, our orders still came out wrong. The chicken breast, on top of being completely the wrong order, could barely pass as a chicken tender. And Todd's fish sandwich arrived instead as fish and chips. After profusely apologizing and offering a gift certificate for a future visit, he instead accepted our counter-request to simply not charge us for this disastrous dinner.

Famished, I ravenously downed my veggie burger, while the rest of the table nibbled at their less-than satisfactory meals. The 19-month-old, fortunately, crashed out as we awaited our orders--oblivious to the debacle that had occurred. Vindicated, we called it a night on the Olde Peninsula, and vowed not to return.

Photo credit beerme.com