Deep Fried Turkey

The absolute best way to have turkey is deep fried!  I have roasted, barbecued, smoked and rotisserie cooked turkey with great success but the deep fried will always, in my opinion, be the best.  To the excitement of all my loving family, I served a deep fried turkey for Christmas dinner and paired the delightful fowl with some great side dishes.  Garlic red skin mashed potatoes, asparagus sauteed in butter and balsamic vinegar, glazed carrots slow cooked in chicken stock, homemade cranberry sauce topped with blueberries, a brazed artichoke heart salad with roasted pine nuts, grated Parmesan and a pesto vinaigrette and to-die-for fresh homemade braided French bread.  Everything was fresh and from scratch and incredible. Do yourself a favor, the next time you have a big dinner to cook take the time to work from scratch, it will pay off.  If I thought that this blog wasn't going to be way too long for anyone to take the time to read I would describe everything in great detail and put all my recipes up, but I will stick to the main attraction of the dinner-the amazing turkey!  Some people say that you should either brine or inject your bird. I say, why not both?  I brined my turkey for 32ish hours, turning the bird once about half way through.  My brine recipe goes like this:

4 cups water 

1 1/2 cups kosher salt

2 tbs black pepper corn

1 tbs fennel seed

2 tbs crushed bay leaf

2 tbs whole coriander seed

2 c Chardonnay 

2 tbs minced garlic 

2 tbs thyme 

1 tbs caraway seed

1 tbs savory

Pour all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil stirring often.  Almost all the ingredients are dry so make sure that you remove from heat as soon as the brine mix comes to a boil.  We want to activate the dry seasonings not cook them down. We also want to make sure that all the salt has dissolved.  Let the mix cool down to room temperature.  Place your thawed cleaned turkey into the container of your choice, breast side down, and pour in brine then fill with ice water till turkey is completely submerged.

For my injection:

1/2 c Sauvignon Blanc

1 1/2 sticks butter

2 tbs minced fresh sage

2 tbs minced garlic

Simmer all ingredient together on low to medium heat for about 15 minutes to release all the full aromas and flavors of the sage then inject the turkey as much as possible.

Remove the turkey from the brine and place it in a clean sink for a couple hours (about 4 or so) before you fry your turkey to allow it to get to room temperature and to allow the bird to dry as much as possible.  Please never be dumb enough to drop a wet frozen turkey into a hot pot of oil. It can kill you! I suggest using peanut oil for frying and so do all the experts.  I always followed the rules of frying that stated 350-375 degrees, but when you drop your bird into the oil the temperature drops about 100 degrees. When that happens you have to crank up the heat and spend the 45 minutes that it takes to cook the turkey just to bring the oil back up to cooking temperature.  I did a little research and found some experts who tempt danger by bringing the temperature up to about 450- 475 degrees so when they drop in the turkey the oil drops down to just the right cooking temperature.  * Disclaimer- 440 degrees is about smoke point of peanut oil which is the most dangerous the oil can be so I, nor anybody, would never ever recommend that you try this at home.  I do have to say that when I tried this technique it worked beautifully, and now that I have mastered the technique I will be using it every time.  The turkey came out so amazing, the skin was crispy and full of flavor it was had to not eat it all before I was finished carving the turkey.  The white meat was so moist everyone choose the white meat over the dark meat.  It's pretty amazing when the white meat is actually more juice than dark meat.  There was a wonderful buttery flavor to meat and every couple of bites you would get a burst of sage and garlic.  This turkey was awe inspiring, I wish I had some left overs.  Needless to say my turkey this year turned better then any turkey I have ever cooked in the past.  Be adventurous, deep fry a turkey.  

Chinn Chinn Asian Bistro

It's not hard to find a good restaurant. Pretty much every town has one, but not every town has a great restaurant.  In a small town West of Kalamazoo called Mattawan resides a gift to gluttony.  Chinn Chinn Asian Bistro is one of those great restaurants that stands out among the many culinary creators in Southwest Michigan and one of my absolute favorites.  Chinn Chinn's is also my lovely wife's favorite place to eat.  She would be very unhappy with me if I went there and didn't bring her something home.  It's the perfect place to spend special occasions.  My wife and I have had many meaningful dinner dates with the great staff of Chinn Chinn's.  Everything I have ordered off Chinn Chinn's menu has been absolutely amazing. I have yet to get something I haven't absolutely loved.
Whether it be lunch or dinner, everything coming out of their kitchen is consistent and perfect.  Because this place is so great and so well loved you really need to get there about an hour earlier than you want to eat, maybe even earlier for dinner time.  They also allow you to order off menu, so if you want their absolutely incredible steak medallions in black bean Marsala sauce for lunch you can go ahead and ask for it.  Their steak medallions in black bean Marsala sauce is one of my favorite dishes of all time.  Recently I had lunch at Chinn Chinn's with some co-workers, which gave me the perfect opportunity to blog one of my favorite eateries ever.  Chinn Chinn's lunch menu is delightful in its simplicity: pick your meat, pick your sauce and pick two sides.  A menu that one would expect from a fast food style restaurant but done so incredibly well.  My boss started us out with a tasty Mongolian flat bread filled with wok, tossed vegetables and roasted pork, then covered with incredible sauce.  This flat bread appetizer could be eaten as a meal on it's own.

On this trip I ordered their beef with the Mongolian sauce and for the sides I went with sesame noodles and, of course, crab Rangoons.  I think it might be against the law to eat at an Asian style restaurant and not order crab Rangoons.  Chinn Chinn's makes the best crab Rangoons.  Their Mongolian beef is hands down best in town.  The meat is melt in your mouth succulent, and the sauce was exactly what the menu said it was going to be.  Every bite has an even flavor profile of garlic, black pepper, sweet and tangy BBQ and the slite heat from the blackened chilies.  If you live anywhere in the surrounding area you need to make your way to Chinn Chinn Asian Bistro.  When I have friends and family in town Chinn Chinn's is the place I take them too.  I have never heard anyone say anything negative about Chinn Chinn's and if I ever do, I think I will have to have some words with that person because Chinn Chinn's is the best!

http://www.chinnchinn.com/

Butternut Squash Soup

I was originally going to title this blog Butternut Squash Bisque, but when I started researching the dish I found that bisque is not quite what I thought it was.  A true French bisque is made from the stock of crustaceans like lobster, crab, shrimp and other crustacea like creatures.  Now days anything pureed and made with cream is called a bisque.  Wow, I'm starting to sound like Alton Brown.  I really enjoy researching the history of food. I think it is really important to know the true origins of a dish especially if you plan on being a great chef.  So what if I am starting to sound like a huge nerd, I'm okay with it.  

Squash is one of those ingredients that I think most people forget they can use or are even afraid to use. After all, it's not the easiest vegetable in the garden to work with.  Butternut squash soup is one of those dishes that I believe people really like, but are afraid they can't make.  If you think this is a difficult dish to make, it's not. It's actually pretty simple.  There's not too many different variations in all of the recipes I looked at.  I wanted to make my recipe stand out so I focused on the creamy aspect of the soup.  I wanted my soup to be as creamy and silky as I could get it with out making it too thick or take away from the consistency of the soup.  I decided to go with cream cheese which gave the dish the texture and creaminess that I wanted, and also a little cream cheese tang which added to the overall goodness of the dish.  I like to eat my butternut squash soup with a little more cream and nutmeg than what I put in the pot.  Nutmeg gives a great sweetness that works really well with the savoriness of the squash and the sweetness of the cream.  My recipe is enough to feed about 8 to 10 people.

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup:

2 medium butternut squash peeled and cubed

2 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp butter

1 c diced sweet onion

1 1/2 c diced carrots

4 c vegetable stock

2 cups water

Kosher sea salt to taste

Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Fresh grated nutmeg to taste 

1 c heavy cream

4 oz cream cheese

-Start with the oil, butter and onions in a large stock pot.  Cook on medium heat until tender.  Add squash, carrots, vegetable stock, salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Cook on medium high heat until squash is tender and turns from orange to yellow.  Puree soup in blender and pour back in to stock pot.  Turn heat down to low medium and whisk in heavy cream and cream cheese.  

Serve with some cream and a dash of nutmeg.

Don't be afraid of this recipe, it's really easy and delicious.  Squash takes longer to cook than you would think, but the time invested is well worth it.  It's December and it's cold outside.  Make some soup to warm yourself up.  I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do.

Hot Cocoa

Cold weather has arrived in the Midwest, and with it comes snow, colorful lights, holiday fun, family gatherings and one of the best things ever, HOT COCOA!  There is nothing better after playing in the cold then bundling up with loved ones and a hot cup of hot cocoa.  Pretty much every culture has a hot chocolate type of drink. The Netherlands have chocolademelk made with bitter bars of chocolate which are not as sweet as the American counterpart. The Italians have cioccolata densa, thickened with cornstarch making it a warm thin version of chocolate pudding.  The Aztecs started drinking it 2,000 years ago believing it was a gift from the gods, and it's hard not to agree. Every time I drink it I have a pleasant, blissful feeling that brings me back to childhood.  Chocolate in any form is a holy experience.  Here in the US we make primarily hot cocoa, but in most other countries hot chocolate is the drink of choice.  The difference being that hot cocoa refers to the powder mix which has most of the cocoa butter removed, and hot chocolate is made with melted chocolate which has the cocoa butter.  Pretty much all forms of the drink have the same basic ingredients: chocolate, sugar and cream.  The store bought powder verity of hot cocoa has powder milk in it so you are able to make it with hot water, but personally I prefer the richness and creaminess of whole milk.  I still use a powder mix, but I make it myself.  The store bought stuff can't hold a candle to homemade, that goes with out saying.  For my powder mix I like to use a bitter dark chocolate and I always use a Dutch process chocolate.  Dutch processed chocolate has a much better texture, darker color and a little bit milder cocoa flavor.  This year I made a big container of powder mix, which should last about a week,  but all I have to do is heat up some milk in the microwave or on the stove top, mix in the powder and I'm ready to guzzle!  What's nice about hot cocoa is you can customize it as much as you want.  Add some Cream-DE-Menthe, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla or even a little chili powder to spice things up.  Personally I like a little vanilla and some mini marshmallows.   I suggest making a big container so you can enjoy it all season long.  So this recipe will be for the purpose of making a great big container.

10 oz. Dark Dutch cocoa powder ( about 1 & 1/4 c)
30 oz. White granulated sugar (about 3 & 3/4 c)
1 tbsp Kosher sea salt
Sift all together and store in a air tight container.
To make one cup.
Microwave about one minute for every cup.
Stove top pour a little more then one cup in a small sauce pan heat on a low temperature till milk is steaming.  Stir often and make sure milk doesn't get too hot or you could end up with a pot of sour scolded milk, not tasty at all.
Pour about 1 heaping tablespoon into the milk, mix well, pour in to your favorite holiday mug and smile as you sip.
When you heat milk on the stove top you have opportunity to make hot chocolate as opposed to hot cocoa.  This takes a little more work for about the same outcome as the powder.  The powder is a lot more versatile, you can add some to your morning coffee or sprinkle it over baked goods or even make enough to pour in to jars and give out as Christmas gifts.  If you want to try a stove top version here is a recipe.

For one cup.
1 c Milk
2 tbsp Grated Dutch melting chocolate
1 & 1/2 teaspoons White sugar
Heat all ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat on low till steaming.  Stir constantly!  Milk and chocolate can both scold so you must pay attention to the pot.  This recipe calls for less sugar because of the cocoa butter.

Hot cocoa is one of those things that makes cold weather worth having.  Hot cocoa creates memories. Everyone can remember a time in their childhood when hot cocoa melted away the frost of sledding and building snow men.  Hopefully my daughter will remember playing out in the snow as a child and warming up on the sofa with her family and a delicious cup of her daddy's hot cocoa.  Enjoy this recipe, share it with friends and family. Everyone deserves to feel the warmth and the love of the season.

Food Dance!

Everything today is all about speed and convenience, which is seen mainly in food.  Super markets, whole sale foods, fast food, and cookie cutter chain restaurants have become the unfortunate norm in our society.  It's so normal not to know where our food comes from.  Not too long ago people put food on their table knowing where and who the food came from, and they knew how fresh the food was.   It has become harder to  find fresh locally grown foods. Luckily Kalamazoo has a great local food following with a wonderful farmers market, lots of local chefs supporting the fresh local movement and a great, all local, all fresh restaurant called Food Dance!

Kalamazoo has great restaurants, but not everyone in town uses all local fresh food like Food Dance does.  Food Dance is one of those local gems that really puts a lot of work into their fresh local menu, and when you taste their food you instantly appreciate what the kitchen is plating.  I love Food Dance. I'm always happy with what I order and I really like that they change their menu to fit the local harvest season.  I personally think that the fall season has the best ingredients to offer.  Food Dance did not disappoint with their fall weekend breakfast menu. I ordered their Roasted Butternut Squash Scramble which was perfect for a chilly, rainy, fall morning.  The eggs were nice and fluffy. If you have never 

tasted farm fresh eggs you are missing out. There really is a difference in flavor.  The scramble had green onions, great apple wood bacon, incredibly fresh farm cheese and, of course, butternut squash.  The squash was a great idea for a scramble. The sweetness of the squash went perfect with the saltiness of the bacon and the sour cream-like cheese balanced the whole dish.  A very smart scramble. Everything was put together very well, with every ingredient adding it's own great flavor to the mix and when you get a fork full with every ingredient your pallet has a breakfast experience that it has never had before. Squash for breakfast, what a great idea!  The plate came with a side of home fried potatoes that were so good, I could have eaten them all day they, and the absolute best cinnamon roll I have ever had ever.  The cinnamon roll was super soft and fluffy, perfectly baked.  A lot of places put to much cinnamon on the inside. Food Dance put just enough buttery cinnamon goodness so you could taste everything about the roll and not just the cinnamon.  They topped the whole thing off with an awesome frosting that tasted like the pâtissier married a glazed doughnut with cream cheese frosting, amazing!  

If you read my blog regularly you know how much I love biscuits and gravy, so of course I had to get a side to go with my scramble.  This was some great biscuits and gravy, it would take me too long to describe to you how great it is so I will just say that it is the best biscuits and gravy in town by far.  I have eaten biscuits and gravy almost every where in town and Food Dance has raised the bar.  

Food Dance is a great restaurant and I strongly urge everyone to give it a try, and help support local fresh foods.

http://fooddance.net/restaurant

Pasta

It's time I delve in to making pasta.  I make a lot of pasta dishes, so I buy boxes of pasta.  Of course the convenience factor is nice, but what does the pasta actually taste like?  I can't taste the olive oil or if the flour used was of a good quality.  If I think about the flavor of boxed pasta I don't think of taste at all.  I have had homemade pasta in the past and there is flavor, an actual taste to the pasta itself, and from what I remember it was good. So, why am I robbing myself and my family from this great dining experience?  

When I sit down to write a recipe or make something for the first time I go through the same ritual, Wikipedia, Food Network and Allrecipes.com.  I like to research the dishes history and how it was originally made and what its evolution has been.  I look at about 10 different recipes see what they have in common and what they do differently and why.   Based on my research, I will then adapt the historical points with dish commonalities and mix in my own taste.  This usually takes about an hour or two but in the end I am a lot happier with the way the dish turned out.  I used to just throw stuff together thinking I was creating magic when in reality I was over seasoning, over complicating and underwhelming the food.  Take some time and research a dish some time before you make it. You will notice quite a difference in your finished product.

I decided to use a standard pasta recipe with no frills:

1 lb. All purpose flour (This turns out to be about 4 c)

1/4 c Olive oil 

4 eggs and 1 egg yolk

1 Pinch Kosher sea salt

3-4 tbs. cold water

On a clean, dry surface, pile all of the flour and with your hands. Make a hole about 10 inches wide but keep the walls of the flower high so the well will hold all of the liquid.  

In the well, pour all the remaining ingredients and whisk with a fork, avoiding the flower until all the wet ingredients are mixed well.  Start to add flower as you whisk being careful not to break any walls of the well.  Once enough flour has been incorporated into the mixture to make it very thick, you can use your hands to mix everything into one ball.  If the dough seems really dry and crumbly, add a little bit more water until you have a consistent, and almost smooth dough.  Knead the dough with all your weight over top of it for about 10-15 minutes, this is very important.  If you don't knead the dough well enough it will not have the shine and smoothness that we all love about pasta.  Wrap the finished pasta ball in plastic wrap and let it sit for an hour before you use it.

The only thing I had trouble with was rolling my pasta out.  I don't own a pasta machine so I had to use my rolling pin with my 1/16th inch spacers which are still kind of thick, although it would have been great for fettuccine.  I used my pasta for ravioli which turned out great but the pasta was way too thick.  I really liked making my own pasta and will be making it again.  I want to try to make spaghetti noodles to go with my red gravy.  I will be investing in a pasta machine-I don't think my arms could take rolling out another batch of pasta.  If you’re brave enough, have the time, and love pasta go ahead and give this recipe a try It was very rewarding to know that I made the pasta I was eating.  I hope your experience is as rewarding as mine was. 

http://allrecipes.com/Default.aspx

http://www.foodnetwork.com/

http://www.wikipedia.org/

Studio Grill

I was going to blog the Studio Grill last weekend but I forgot to take pictures of my food.  No worries, I went back to the Studio Grill and had lunch again and this time I took plenty of pictures.  A lot of people requested that I give studio Grill a try, and I am really glad that I did. My whole experience was great.  No one in town has a menu like the Studio Grill, it's definitely not your standard American cafe.  They have a really eclectic menu and when I say eclectic I am talking about Hawaiian French toast for breakfast and bacon burrito dogs for lunch.  I haven't had enough time to fully explore their menu, but the few items I have ordered have blown me away.  I said in one of my early blogs that the best burger in town was the blue burger at Central City Tap House. Sorry CCTH, I love your burger but Studio Grill is the now my nomination for tastiest burger in town, maybe even Southwest Michigan.  I have had two different burgers so far.  On the first trip I ordered their Spicy, Sweet-Pineapple Burger, but I forgot to take photographs, but I think I can do a decent job describing it for you.  Use your imagination, scream "BANG-A-RANG!" and maybe it will appear in front of you, just think happy thoughts.  This burger was fantastic, 7 oz. of fresh (NOT FROZEN!) ground beef stuffed (yes all of their burgers are stuffed) with pepper jack cheese, topped with roasted Serrano peppers, more pepper jack cheese, a thick juicy ring of grilled pineapple, on a toasted honey sweet bun smeared with a mango salsa.  The patty itself was grilled just enough so you can taste the real flavor of fresh ground meat, and it was amazingly juicy.  The true measure of a burger cook comes from patience, someone who can resist the urge to mess with their patties and flip them too early or too much.  The more moist the burger the less the chef trifled with the burger.  This perfect patty is stuffed with one of the greatest things on the planet, CHEESE!  Not only cheese but spicy pepper jack and even more pepper jack is on top of the burger, but that's not the only spice. Roasted Serrano peppers are sitting on top of a slice of grilled pineapple that had to be at least a quarter inch thick.  All of that would have been enough, but no. A mango salsa that when mixed with the pineapple bring to your mouth a snap of sweetness.  The build of this burger is intelligent, pallet wise. The heat from all the peppers invite the cool of the sweetness of the pineapple and mango salsa, and every bite takes you through this experience. It's like a tango of sweet and heat till you reach the last bite and you wonder why people are so mundane that they do a simple two step of mustard and ketchup.

On my second trip I order yet another burger.  As much as I want to try their breakfast I just cannot deny myself the delight that is a Studio Grill burger.  I ordered the Rusty Nail Burger and it was tasty.  This burger really shows their eclectic style,  7oz. burger which was again cooked perfectly (I love consistency).  This burger was stuffed with chopped up breakfast sausage links, sauteed onions and mushrooms, then topped with bacon and cheddar cheese. It's served with a side of buttermilk ranch but I decided to have mine with a side of their incredible homemade Serrano sauce.  Bravo to the person who decided a burger with bacon wasn't enough meat and stuffed the whole thing with breakfast sausage.

This burger pretty much defines savory. Everything about it was completely satisfying the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the sharpness of the mushrooms was just enough balance to cut the salt of the beef patty and the pork sausage and added to the over all joy of juicy mess.  Bacon and cheddar, that's all I have to say about that.  I'm happy that I went with the Serrano sauce, that stuff is amazing!
 I tell people all the time they need to try a place I like, but seriously people you need to try Studio Grill!  It's friendly, comfortable and completely dilettantish  in the way they operate their business.  Thank you Studio Grill for being such a reinvigorating foodie experience.
 http://www.studiogrillkalamazoo.com/index.html

Chili Con Carne

I am getting a lot of great feedback about blogging my own recipes, so for all of you out there who like what I 'm doing here is another Clifford inspired dish for you.  However next week I will be blogging a restaurant.
Fall is by far my favorite times of year.  So many great things happen in the fall, Oktoberfest, Pumpkin ales, leaves change to beautiful colors, hoodies, pumpkin pie, butternut squash and much much more.  I could do a blog just on the greatness of fall.  I can't think of fall without thinking of chili con carne.  Oh, chili old friend, no matter how many different variations you come in you will still be a special part of my fall.  If you have never had the experience of coming in from the cool crisp fall air and warming up with a delicious bowl of homemade chili you need to start a new tradition as soon as possible.  I like chili in pretty much ever fashion but I think my favorite would have to be the "red chili" variety.  Red chili is what I think most people think of when they are discussing chili.  It's the thick, creamy, red,  meaty style of chili with some beans that goes great by itself or on a burger or hot dog and surprisingly great on spaghetti pasta (Louisville style).
I like to cook my chili in my cast iron dutch oven. I think it adds to the authentic flavor even though I have to clean and re season it.  I also like to puree my caramelized onions and green peppers I do this for a couple different recipes and it works great every time.  This might seem weird but the true flavor of the onions and peppers really stand out this way and for people like my wife who loves the flavor but not the actual morsel of vegetable, this is a great alternative.
Chili Con Carne:
1 lb 80/20 ground beef
1 white onion, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
1 stick butter
3 tbs paprika
1 tbs cayenne powder
2 tbs chili powder
1tbs crushed red pepper
1 1/2 tbs tbs Kosher sea salt
2 tbs crack black pepper
2 tbs minced garlic
2 tbs garlic powder
1 cube beef bouillon
24 oz stewed tomatoes, slightly pureed
1 c water
1/2 c salsa verde
1 can black beans, with liquid
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can dark red pinto beans, with liquid

On medium to high heat, sweat onions and peppers in the pot that you are making the chili in with the stick of butter.  When the onions are translucent pour the onions and peppers in to a blender and puree.  Add the ground beef to the pot with all the dry spices and mix till all spices are mixed in well, try to break the beef in to small bits.  When the beef looks cooked (about 15 minutes) add the puree, the slightly pureed tomatoes, water, beef bouillon, salsa verde, minced garlic, mix well and bring to a low boil.  Turn the temp to a simmer and let cook down for 30 minutes stirring often, then add all of the beans and and let it cook down for another 30 minutes.  I would suggest getting a good paprika for chili, the better the paprika the better and more full bodied the smoky flavor of the chili.  If the chili is not spicy enough add some more salsa verde or cayenne pepper, or any spicy pepper of your choice.

This recipe should feed about 8 people or so.  This is a wonderful chili. Full of flavor with a mild back heat and a nice meat flavor. It's smooth but still hearty.    I am really happy with this recipe, and I hope you like it as much as my family and I do.

Cashew Pesto

Pesto is great, it's one of those ingredients/condiments that goes with just about everything.  I have always appreciated pesto but it was my wife who really introduced me to the possibilities of pesto dishes.  My wife has two food favorites, pesto and feta. If you get both in one dish and she is the happiest little lady ever.  One thing we really like to do is toss some pasta in pesto with a little garlic, Parmesan and some pepper juice. It's quick, easy and delicious.  My wife loves pesto, so naturally I should be making pesto all the time.  Unfortunately, I haven't made pesto in years and I apologize to my beautiful wife for that.  To make up for this I wanted to make the best pesto I could and I think I accomplished this endeavor.  Pesto is quite easy to make, although some recipes are not so easy and call for a ton of ingredients.  My recipe is easy, don't worry.  The most important aspect of pesto is fresh basil. You can only use fresh basil leaves, dry leaves will not work.  I have a basil plant in my kitchen and it was one of the best food related purchases I have ever made.  Fresh spices are the way to go because they make ever dish better.  

When I sat down to write a pesto recipe I decided that I wanted to try something different, something non traditional.  So, instead of pine nuts I made my pesto with cashews and added some Romano cheese in with the Parmesan.  I'm glad I did. My pesto is creamy and smooth, not to dry or thick.  The cashews give the pesto a rich nutty flavor that you don't get with the pine nuts and also add to the creamy texture.  I also used a really good olive oil with pungent fruity notes and a slight peppery  finish.  

Cashew Pesto

1/2 c Cashews

2 c fresh basil leaf (measured whole)

1/3 c Parmesan cheese

1/4 c Romano cheese

2 c Olive oil 

1 tbs Cracked black pepper

Pinch of Kosher sea salt

2 tbs Minced garlic 

In a blender or food mill pulse cashews until they're in small bits.  Add cheese, basil, pepper, salt and garlic.  Pulse until combined then run blender or food mill on a medium setting and drizzle in oil till the pesto is smooth and shinny.   Your pesto should drip off your spoon but still coat the spoon.  If pesto looks to thick add more oil.  If pesto is to thin let it sit for about 30 minutes to let oil rise to the top, then siphon off the desired amount.

If you like pesto I think you will love this recipe, and like I said, it goes great on about everything.  If there's a day I don't have to leave the house or just don't care about my breath I will smear a garlic bagel with cream cheese then top that with a smear of pesto.  Pesto chicken, cheese ravioli with pesto cream sauce, cheese omelette's with a touch of pesto, I even like it on a bit of plain toast.  I was also thinking that a pistachio nut pesto would be good, I'll give it a try and blog it in the future. 

Cheese Cake with Candied Figs

The purpose of my blog is to share my experience of food.  I have been selfishly blogging about restaurants and not sharing enough personal food things, so in this blog I will share with you my experience with cheese cake.

I love cheese cake!  I make cheese cake more then any other dessert.  Cheese cake is also the most requested dessert that I make.  My wife's birthday was at the beginning of the month and I wanted to wow her with an amazing cheese cake.  I decided to try the "New York" style, which I have never really done. I usually make a country style or Philadelphia style.  I also wanted to top the cake with something different and I had some inspiration from my meal at Rustica, so I candied some figs.  Most people might not think that there is a difference but I assure you, there is.  What I like about the New York style cheese cake is the lighter, smoother texture and it is sweet but not too rich.  I looked up a couple of recipes and pulled the things I liked most from them. If you have some time, try this recipe. 

Topping:

30 oz Softened Cream Cheese

14 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Eggs

Crust:

I like to use crushed up honey Teddy Grahams for my pie crust. I think they give the perfect flavor and a nice crunchy texture.  I also use a whole box to get a really thick crust.  

1 box Honey Teddy Grahams Crumbed

1/3 c Melted Butter

1/4 c Light Brown Sugar 

• Preheat oven to 325 F.
• Mix crumbed Teddy Grahams, butter, and brown sugar till well mixed and firmly press in to bottom of 9'' spring form pan and bake for 10 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy.
• Gradually add sweetened condensed milk beating until smooth.
• Add vanilla and eggs, scraping the bowl between eggs.  Mix well.
• Pour into 9" spring form pan.
• Bake in water bath for 1.5 hours.
• Turn off oven and let pie stand in oven for another hour with the oven door propped open.
• Refrigerate for 4-6 hours before serving.

Usually New York cheese cakes have buttermilk that give it a distinct flavor and texture, but I thought the sweetened condensed milk was a great touch. I believe that made the cake absolutely delicious.  Everything about the cake was perfect. It was smooth on the pallet with a mild richness.   The candied figs were a perfect touch to finish off such a perfect cake.  If you have never had figs give them a try.

  Over the years I have learned not to cheap out when it comes to vanilla. When it comes to cheese cake, a good vanilla can really bring out the full sweetness of the cream cheese.  I always cook my cheese cakes in a water bath. The best thing for this, I find, is my wedding cake set.  I put the 9" spring form inside the 10" cake pan and then put those into the 14" cake pan then fill the 14" pan half full with water.  I also cook my cakes on the bottom rack and cover the top rack with aluminum foil. This way I get an even bake and no excessive browning. 

Give this recipe a try you will not be disappointed!  Everyone who ate it said it was the best desert I have ever made.  My wife was extremely happy with her birthday cake.  This recipe will forever be my go to cheese cake.

 

Poor Richards Cafe

 It's time for another breakfast review.  I do a lot of dinner reviews so I need to mix things up a bit.  Every town has it's little hole in the wall, best breakfast ever, greasy spoon. Fortunately for Kalamazoo, we have Poor Richard's Cafe!  Poor Richard's, to me, is the best breakfast place in town.  Great food, large portions, good service and your food comes out quick.  Every time I eat there I am completely satisfied.

  I usually get the same thing, 6a, which is biscuits and gravy with hash browns and I order a side of sourdough toast.  Poor Richards does things a little different than other breakfast joints. To begin with, when you order hash browns they ask you if you want green peppers and/or onions.  I always get onions in mine and the hash browns are awesome. They are always cooked perfect and actually taste like potatoes and not grease.  If you order bacon you can have it cooked any way you want, even deep fried.  I am addicted to Poor Richards biscuits and gravy, and I order it more then anything else on the menu.  The gravy is made so well that I don't even add any seasoning. It's creamy, heavy, and peppery with a very slight sage finish.

The biscuits are what I would call country style. They are fluffy and buttery, not too flaky, and not too airy.  If you're in the mood for something sweet, I suggest their cinnamon roll which is the size of a large plate. It is best served warm with butter drizzled over the top, but make sure you have a group of people or a large appetite.  Poor Richards Cafe is the working man's breakfast place, but on any given morning the place is packed with day laborers, business men, church folk, college kids, doctors and bikers.  This place is so good that when family from out of town visit, they want to go to Poor Richards first.  I highly, highly recommend Poor Richards.

Rustica

Rustica, Rustic European Cuisine.  I think Rustica can be summed up in one simple but meaningful word, wow! This one quaint elementary word speaks at epic volume for this place.  Service, atmosphere, menu, drinks and food, just wow.  The decor is simple but elegant with a calm and clean atmosphere.  The drink menu is put together very well with an excellent beer list and a wine list that has been put together by a true connoisseur.  The wait staff is very well trained and very knowledgeable about the menu.  I usually try to stick to just food with my blog but Rustica is more then just their amazing food, everything has been put together so well that your whole dining experience is elevated to a level that doesn't exist anywhere else in Kalamazoo.  We have some great eateries in Kalamazoo, but the true definition of gastronomy is written on every inch of Rustica.

My wife and I started our meal off with Rusticas charcuterie plate of beautifully arranged artisan cured meats, grilled bread, pickled veggies and their house made mustard. Everything on the plate was great which makes it hard to say what was best about it. For me, it is a tie between the Italian spec with a bit of candied fig and the head cheese on grilled bread with a smear of mustard.  The main course was the reason wow became the choice word of description for Rustica.  My wife and I both ordered their feature dish. Half of a roast duck with fig and sage sauce paired with a delicata squash risotto.  This dish was divine. Finally someone in Kalamazoo who has a roast duck dish.  The duck could not have been cooked any better. The temperature was perfect, the skin was slightly crispy and seasoned to perfection and the fig and sage sauce had just the right amount of savory to sweet balance.  Risotto will always be great dish whether as an entrée or as a side dish, and the delicata squash risotto was no exception.
Everything about it was beautifully done. The pureed squash gave the risotto a great texture, while delicious cubes of squash broke up the rice dish, making sure that your palate wasn't boring.  The dish was very well put together and it was also very well planned out for the time of year.It is a very comforting and warm dish for an early fall evening.  Every bite literally made me say wow.  I was incredibly happy with me experience at Rustica and I strongly suggest that if you, the reader, enjoy great food paired with a great dining experience, Rustica is the place to be.  Rustica, wow.
http://www.rusticakzoo.com/index.htm

Robby's Cafe

Portage has a new cafe! Located at the Shoppes of Romance Village.  I love little diners and cafes, and our little town needed more.  I tried Robby's breakfast menu.  I was a little surprised to see some of the options that were offered like Gyro omelet and crepes.  Robby's gourmet pancake menu was ample with options, I tried their malted pancakes which came as a side to my eggs Benedict.  I have always believed that a breakfast joint can only be great if they have good eggs Benedict and good biscuits and gravy, so when I try a new breakfast place that's the first thing I try.  Like I said before, I ordered eggs Benedict with a side of malted pancakes, a half order of biscuits and gravy and pork sausage links.  I also ordered blueberry crepes for my daughter which came as three crepes filled and topped with a blueberry relish. I say relish because they weren't fresh blueberries or a blueberry sauce, but kind of a chunky blueberry gelatin or a jam.   The

crepes were a little thick and a bit on the bland side, but the blueberry relish filled in where the crepes themselves were lacking in flavor.  My daughter seemed to like them just fine, but I thought they could have used more butter, it is a French dish after all.  I wouldn't order the crepes on a regular basis but I do want to try their cherry crepes, so I will give them another chance.  The eggs Benedict was great. The English muffin was not tough at all, which seems to be a reoccurring problem at breakfast joints. The ham was thinly sliced and had great flavor. The eggs where not poached but still cooked perfectly with a nice runny yoke and tender whites. The hollandaise sauce was good and I hope it was made in house, otherwise I need to tell GFS "Good job!" on their hollandaise.  The potatoes served on the side where under seasoned but not a big deal, they were kind enough to put salt and pepper on the table.  The malted pancakes

that I got on the side didn't have enough malt flavor but were cooked perfectly.  The biscuits and gravy had a great creaminess and a good flavor with a little bit of a sweetness on the finish with plenty of crumbled sausage. The biscuits were nothing too special and neither were the sausage links.
Overall, I would say that with a little work, Robby's could be a main stay cafe in Portage. I am willing to try them again, because they have a lot of potential.  I definitely want to try their lunch and dinner menu and when I do, it will be blogged.

Pizza!

Pizza is a hard thing to blog about.  Everybody has a difference of opinion on what kind of pizza is better.  Bringing up the pizza argument in some circles is equal to bringing up politics or religion, I have been in some pretty heated conversations involving pizza.  The pizza pie squabble isn't limited to New York style or Chicago style anymore, now a days you have to be ready to defend your choice against gourmet, California style and even in some unfortunate circumstances "fast food" pizza.  I, myself am more of a pizza traditionalist, East Coast style all the way.  Chicago style is good but it's not pizza in the traditional sense, but if I am ever in the mood for a pizza casserole I will go the way of Chicago style.  I'm not much for gourmet pizza either. Some people use too much seasoning, although Erbelli's makes an awesome pizza. When it comes to gourmet pizza they got it right. I always go for a hand tossed pizza with capicola, pepperoni and feta.  Erbelli's pizza sauce is awesome and it has a good black pepper taste with garlic and a nice basil and oregano finish.   The thing I really can't stand about gourmet pizza is white sauce. Why people put white sauce on some dough and call it pizza I will never know.  California Style pizza, to me, some what falls into the same category as gourmet pizza but in the last ten years or so has really put itself in a league of it's own. However, I still don't think BBQ chicken pizza is pizza.  I refuse to delve in to the "fast food" pizza department. I hope you understand.

Kalamazoo, just like any other city, has a ton of pizza joints and I have had most of them.  There are a few that I frequent. Pizza King and Big Joe's are the most similar to the east coast style and I have always had a hard time deciding who is the best between the two.  I have no problem saying that Big Joe's  and Pizza King have the best pizza in town.  Big Joe's sauce is awesome. It's very traditional and does not over power the rest of the ingredients at all, leaving plenty of room for the flavor of the fresh mozzarella and great toppings to shine through.  Their dough is cooked perfectly every time with a good crispy but chewy texture, not too thin but not too thick, and easy to fold the way it should be.  Big Joe's isn't afraid to have bubbles in their pizza unlike pretty much every other place in town.  There is nothing wrong with a bubble or two on your pizza.  Pizza King also has a great dough that they cover with a great sauce.  Their sauce has a wonderful sweetness to it. Someone really thought about the seasonings enough to let the real flavor of the tomato stand tall on your pallet.  Pizza Kings toppings are pretty unique. Not that they put weird stuff on their pizzas, just unique in how they prep their toppings.  Pizza King uses actual strips of bacon and not chunks. They also dice all of their veggies.  Pizza King only does pizza, and nothing else. They don't even make bread sticks, just pizza. They have been doing it a long time and it shows.   One of the things I love most about Big Joe's and Pizza King is that they have not fallen the way of the conveyor pizza oven, which means the chefs actually have to have some skill when it comes to cooking pizza.  Anyone can put a pizza on a belt and let the machine do all the work.  I could give you my thoughts on other pizza proprietors around town but it would take forever and this blog would be a novel. Even though their are other good pizza joints in Kalamazoo, there are a lot of sub par places as well and the point of this blog is not to talk bad about businesses, but to give people an idea of where they should go.  The pizza dispute will always boil down to regional taste buds. No region will ever be right.
http://www.erbellis.com/menu/fresh-wraps
http://www.bigjoeskalamazoo.com/

Wedding Cake

I made my first wedding cake this week and it was more of a pain than I thought it would be.  Actually it was stressful.  Cake, fillings, frosting, fondant, stand and decorations, a lot of work.  I am really glad I agreed to make it though.  The experience was well worth it.  I made a three tier cake. Baking a 14 in. round has a bit of a learning curve. That bottom tier was the most work of the whole cake. It was a 14 in. chocolate with
 French vanilla chocolate chip custard and a super sweet vanilla butter cream frosting.  The chocolate cake recipe I use is a little harder to make than a traditional recipe, it's almost like a brownie cake hybrid.  The cake turned out awesome, dense but not too dense with a bitter but sweet cocoa flavor. It took six hours to bake but the outcome was worth it.  The cake has a great texture and it holds fillings perfect.  The filling I made was

a French vanilla custard with a hint of nutmeg and semi sweet chocolate chips.  Then I finished the tier off with a sweet sugary white butter cream frosting and ivory marshmallow fondant.  The top two tiers one of which was a 10 in. and the other was a 6 in..  Both tiers where identical, very dense yellow cake and the best yellow cake recipe I have ever come across.  When you eat a slice of my yellow cake it brings up memories of being a kid at birthday parties and it even has a slight butter milk pancake taste.  It's absolutely wonderful.  I filled the tiers with chocolate butter cream and fresh raspberry crush.  I decorated the cake with a 3D cherry blossom tree and pink flowers.  I had to buy flowers. I haven't quite gotten the hang of making good flowers.  Over all I think the cake turned out great and I hope the bride and groom enjoyed it on their very special day.

Mitchell's Fish Market

My wife and her parents took me out to dinner for my birthday.  It was a wonderful night, my in-laws are a lot of fun to go out with .  We drove up to Mitchell's Fish Market in Lansing, I know it's not a restaurant in Kalamazoo, but  Mitchell's is blog worthy for sure.  There aren't too many chain restaurants that I am willing to blog about but Mitchell's Fish Market is for sure a fantastic sea food place. I have had my fare share of fresh sea food, and shrimp is my favorite food of all time. Lobster, crab, mussels and scallops round out my top five.  This place has some really nice fresh sea food. You get an eye full of their fish fillets when
 you walk in, everything from Yellow Fin Tuna to Atlantic Cod.  They had a small but good looking oyster bar, and if I had the time I could spend all day putting `em back at that bar!  I started with lobster bisque. I can never pass up lobster bisque.  The bisque was smooth like velvet with a delicate balance of tomato, cream and a slight cheesiness.  The little bits of lobster were a nice touch.  I hope they don't buy their bisque pre-made, I would feel like a fake foodie if so.   For my entrée which was a real hard decision I went with the jumbo lump crab cake and broiled shrimp.  The crab cake was good. Because I'm from the East Coast I am picky about seafood, but the crab cake impressed me.  I'm pretty sure it was blue crab. There were good sized lumps of crab with pretty much no filler. There was a nice brininess with a slight sweetness from what I assume is dry mustard bringing out the full flavor of the crab.  The garlic broiled shrimp was cooked absolutely perfect, tender with a snap, the way shrimp should be. Too many people over cook and over season their shrimp. Mitchell's chef's know what they are doing.  The dish came with a sweet corn sauté which was basically a corn salsa. It was a nice compliment and added a little acid to the sweetness of the seafood.  I finished with a triple chocolate mousse cake which was obviously not made in house, but was still good, like a big slice of chocolate truffle.  I have been to Mitchell's Fish Market twice and both times I loved what I got. It's nice having a seafood place in southwest Michigan even if it's an hour away.  So far, it has been worth the trip.

Sushiya and Smash Burger

What a wonderful weekend!  Saturday was a very satisfying day with a trip to the Kalamazoo Farmers Market.  The nectarine season is soon coming to an end so get out to the farmers market and get some, the ones I got are delicious.

Dinner at Sushiya with good friends was the beginning of the evening.  I always start my meal at Sushiya with a seaweed salad.  I just can't resist the crunch of the seaweed and the smokiness of the sesame oil and the twist of lemon really brings the acidic balance that the dish deserves.  I have been going to Sushiya for a couple of years and they have fantastic sushi. I think by now I have tried about every single sushi roll.  I went with the Kalamazoo Roll and an Eel Roll this time around, mostly because they both have eel and I absolutely love eel.  Every roll I have had is great but I think that over all the roll I like the most would have to be the very well rounded Spider Roll.  If you love sushi and live in the area I would suggest making the trip.  The only down side is how long it takes to make your choice from the extensive menu, but you can't really complain about having too many great choices.  Saturday ended with some drinks and wonderful conversation.  Great night overall.

Sunday was just as good as Saturday.  Some grocery shopping and we tried out the new burger joint in town,  Smash Burger.  It was good.  The place is kind of like a chic designer greasy spoon.  All the flavors of a mom and pop burger joint with nu-wave fashion.  The place was packed and for good reason, the food was good.  I got their 1/2 lb. Mushroom Swiss with garlic sautéed mushrooms, Swiss cheese and mayo on an egg bun.  The patty was larger than the bun and cooked perfectly.  The egg bun was a nice touch it had great flavor, flakiness and just the right amount of chewiness almost like a soft warm croissant.  The Smash Fries are definitely something to mention, just plain 'ol fries tossed with rosemary, olive oil and garlic, but done so well.  Those fries are for sure a winner, hard to stop eating.  Over all I liked Smash Burger but I don't think my arteries could take even a weekly dose of the "Glam Greasy Spoon".  Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
http://sushiyausa.com/
http://www.smashburger.com/