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.