Restaurant Review

I am officially back in Chicago for Winter Break, and what a better way to spend these two weeks then dinning at Chicago's newest hotspots with good friends. Wednesday's lunch was had at Grahamwich in River North. Personally I found the hype to be a little built up. Graham Elliot's latest restaurant is wildly populated. The hour and half we were there the line took up most of the small restaurant space and doorway. Definitely a place to go at off hours. Also, it is important to know they are cash only and have very little seating. And do not plan on sucking up to your co-workers with lunch because there is a four sandwich max per person.

Dining on sandwiches and pickles at the counter

Standing in line we were greeted with a delicious taste of rosemary apple cider and a sample of their greek yogurt topped with pomegranate seeds, glazed chestnuts,  and dark chocolate. The menu is composed of 8 Sandwiches all $10. I chose their beef shortrib sandwich with baby watercress, shoestring potatoes, pickled shallots, and creamy horseradish on pretzel bread. The flavor profile of the pretzel bread was excellent, but the execution of table to mouth did not work. The bread was too small for the amount of ingredients, and the shortribs were tough and dry. Who am I a mere Culinary student to tell a Michelin rated chef how to serve a sandwich, but I like to think I have expertise in this category of cooking.  Personally I would have served the                     sandwich with jus to compensate for the dry meat. Pretzel bread would have been perfect for soaking it up. One friend ordered the turkey confit sandwich with candied yams, stewed cranberries, field greens, and sage mayo on a dinner roll. She described it as thanksgiving on bread, but did not seem overly excited about it. The last sandwich ordered by our small group was the grilled cheese with wisconsin cheddar, shaved prosciutto, tomato marmalade, and cheese curds on pullman bread. This seemed to be the winner of the group and the one I would go back for.

With our sandwiches we tried the g'wich pickles described as,"seasonal veggies, possibly local, probably sustainable , hopefully organic". I appreciated the chef's sense of humor with his description and they were a tasty/healthy choice to eat with our sandwiches. Not overly pickled and a creative mix of veg. Shared as well was the g'wich popcorn; grated parmesan cheese, chopped chives, sea salt, cracked pepper, and truffle oil. To say the least it is not your ordinary popcorn. Well balanced and fresh, worth stopping in for a bag on the way to a movie.

Overall I am not running back, but would not protest a second visit once Grahamwich has had time to settle in.

Wrap-around line

Staff and menu

g'wich pickles

g'wich popcorn

grilled cheese

beef shortrib

Out of the Kitchen

A view of the Port and Skyline

 Busy season is over in the Napa Valley giving me more time off work. I have started spending my weekends venturing through Northern California before my time is up here. My latest excursion was to San  Francisco. A few friends and I started the day at the Sea Aquarium at Pier 39. A little known fact about me is that until now I had never been to an aquarium. I have always wanted to visit the Chicago aquarium, but never got the chance (A certain mother decided my fourth grade trip to the aquarium would be the perfect time to schedule my adenoids to be taken out...thanks mom!). We spent a good hour at the aquarium where I was able to pet a shark, star fish, and a string ray. The fish were beautiful, but it was a bit of a tourist attraction.

I found Nemo

Continuing on with being tourists, we headed to Fisherman's Wharf for lunch. Its nice to say I have been, but it probably was not the smartest lunch destination for a person with a fear of birds. Sitting on a bench outside with hundreds of seagulls is not my idea of a stress free lunch. These persistent birds went as far as removing a piece of fish from my friends hand mid-sauce dunk, causing a horrific trickle down effect of bites, bird attacks, spillage, squawking, and running. We escaped, no thanks to the boat driver watching the entire show with a look of disgust on his face. Apparently he thought it was important to yell at us for feeding the birds as though we did it on purpose. As for the fish, it did not make it out as un-harmed as us. What the birds did not get to we threw in the trash for lack of flavor and loss of appetite.
 The best part of my day came when we headed to China Town. I was in the market for a new sharpening stone. At a store, our Cuisines of Asia instructor informed us of, I found the one I wanted for a fraction of the price. I was also able to complete my Holiday gift list to myself by purchasing a chinois and mortar and pestle. China town is a blessing for a chef's wallet, but it is important to be a conscious shopper there. A lot of trash is mixed in with the treasures.

Recipe Box

To Germany and back in 6 hours...

For the last few weeks I have been studying different cuisines indigenous to Europe and the Mediterranean. Today, my contribution to class was to make two dishes very traditional to Germany.

Picture above is a demo of Schnitzel our instructor
made for us. He added sardines on top. 

WIENER SCHNITZEL 

Veal cutlets, 4-5 oz. 12 ea. 

Standard breading 

Flour as  needed 

Egg wash (8 eggs) 16 oz. 

Bread crumbs as  needed (seasoned with salt and pepper)

Cooking fat 

Vegetable oil 1 pt. 

Butter, clarified 1 pt. 

Lard 1 lb. 

Garnish 

Lemon slices, no seeds 12 ea. 

Prepared horseradish 1/4 c

Capers 1/4 c

Butter 2 T

Parsley 1 T

Lemon juice 1 lemon

Fried eggs 7

Method  

1. Pound cutlets to an 1/8th of an inch in thickness

2. Bread the veal cutlets by dipping them in flour then egg wash and finally seasoned bread crumbs. 

3. Pan-fry cutlets in an oil and butter till light brown.

4. Remove veal and let oil drain off, meanwhile in pan with cooking fat add in more utter till it foams and turns brown. Remove from heat and add juice of one lemon, parsley, and capers.

5. Pour over cutlets

6. Top with fried eggs, horseradish, and lemon slices dusted in paprika (alternate dusted and non dusted slices as a method of presentation). 

A twist to this recipe is to sprinkle grated cheese on top and brown
under broiler. Fine herbs may also be added to dough for extra
flavor

SPAETZLE
All-purpose flour 13 oz. 

Salt ½ tsp. 

Nutmeg 1/8 tsp. 

Eggs 6¾ oz. 

Water 8 oz. 

To serve 

Butter 

Salt and pepper 

Dill, finely chopped 

Method 

1. Place the dry ingredients in bowl and form a well.  

2. Beat the eggs to blend and place in a well of the dry ingredients. Add about half the water 

and beat well. 

3. Add water, a little at a time, and beat mixture until bubbles start to appear and smooth 

batter no longer adheres to the spoon. Batter will be thick but wet. 

4. Fill large pot with water, bring to boil. 

5. Use strainer and spatula. press dough through holes in strainer with spatula into boiling water.

6. Remove spaetzle with skimmer when they float to surface. Place in bowl of cold water to 

remove excess starch and hold until service. 

8. To serve, sauté in butter to reheat. Season with salt, pepper, and finely chopped dill, if 

desired. 

DIY Olives

Olives I have picked and are ready to be cured.
The green olives can only be cured
properly with lye

Weather in the Napa Valley mirrors that of the Mediterranean causing them to share many of the same  crops. The most obvious being grapes and the other olives.
Olives are one of my favorite foods, so as one could imagine I was very excited the first time I found rows of olive trees growing all over St.Helena. Could it really be possible...I felt like I was in a skittles commercial. Ya know, the ones where skittles grow on trees or fall from the sky.  I immediately picked what I thought was a perfectly ripe olive, but disappointment followed the minute that olive touched my teeth. I had never in my life tried so hard to escape the taste of something.

My olive ignorance was in full bloom when I thought that the jarred perfection came straight from the earth. Fresh olives are EXTREMELY bitter and do not get their salty well rounded flavor until being brined or cured for months. Not allowing myself to become defeated by an olive I have decided to make my own. I found a local tree to collect from and did some research. Why buy them when there are perfectly good ones staring me in the face. Is it stealing if they will fall to the ground anyways...

I looked on many websites, but they all led me to the use of lye. Typical in soap making and harmful if used incorrectly it is very hard to find. I decided to ask for tips from my Cuisines of Europe and the Mediterranean instructor, Chef Lars Kronmark, who led me to a seasoned olive processor, Chef Jeff Morgan. Chef Morgan gave me all sorts of ideas on how to cure olives successfully. It is a process that is going to take me a year, but the end product will last for years and I hope will be worth the wait. At least I will have the chance to participate in a method that has been going on for centuries.

I need to steal pick a lot more olives before I can get started, but a recipe with pictures of the process will be coming soon.

Lars Kronmark, C.W.P. Chef-Instructor Lars Kronmark was hand-picked from the finest culinary educators in the United States to open the CIA at Greystone in 1995. He has taught leading industry professionals in custom and catalog food and wine programs, led wine auctions, and been involved with the annual Worlds of Flavors International Conference and Festival since its inception in 1996. Chef Kronmark lives with his family in St. Helena, where he grows Cabernet Franc grapes and makes his own wine, which includes grapes from the CIA property.

Jeff Morgan Jeff Morgan is the former West Coast editor of Wine Spectator. In 1999, he became wine director for the gourmet retailer Dean & DeLuca and wrote Dean & DeLuca: The Food and Wine Cookbook, published in 2002. Since then, he has published three more cookbooks, most recently The PlumpJack Cookbook: Great Meals for Good Living. Mr. Morgan also makes wine in the Napa Valley under his Covenant and RED C labels. ~Culinary Institute of America

Recipe Box

APPLE PIE

What is Thanksgiving without an apple pie. This year being invited to a family friends house in Southern California Apple Pie was one of my contributions to the meal. 

Apple Pie with Whipped Cream

Crust (Pate Brisee)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons ice water plus additional if necessary

In a large bowl blend flour, butter, vegetable shortening, and salt until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add 2T ice water, toss mixture until water is well incorporated, add additional water if necessary to form dough. Form into a ball, dust with flour, wrap in wax paper and chill for 1 hour. 

Filling

1 3/4 lb sweet apples (golden delicious)

1 3/4 lb tart apples (granny smith)

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cinnamon plus 1/2 teaspoon 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

milk for brushing the crust

Preheat oven to 450F. Roll out half the dough 1/8in thick on a lightly floured surface, fit it into a 9 in deep dish pie tin. Trim the edge leaving a 3/4in overhang. Chill the shell and remaining dough while making filling.

In a large bowl toss together apples, each peeled, cored, and cut into eighths, 3/4c sugar, lemon juice, salt,  and cinnamon. Let sit 15 minuites. Once juices have formed mix in flour till all ingredients well combined. Transfer the filling to the shell, and dot it with the butter. 

Roll out the remaining dough into a 13- by 14-inch round on a lightly floured surface, drape it over the filling, and trim it, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under the bottom crust, pressing the edge to seal it, and crimp the edge decoratively. Brush the crust lightly with the milk, cut slits in it with a sharp knife, forming steam vents, and sprinkle the pie evenly with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Bake the pie on a large baking sheet in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350°F., and bake the pie for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until the crust is golden and the apples are tender.

Whipped cream

Whisk 1 pint heavy cream till soft peaks form add granulated sugar to taste and 1T vanilla bean paste. Continue whisking till stiff peaks form. 

Winery Highlights ('05 Cabernet Sauvignon)

As a Congratulations you finished Cuisines of Asia to myself and a kickoff to my Thanksgiving break a friend and I went wine tasting. I noticed recently that I have accidentally formed a trend of creating a theme for my wine tasting experiences. This one happened to be the Rutherford Region and Weathers Effect on Wine Making.
Three Wineries were visited this day (all in the Rutherford region); Provenance, Sawyer Cellars, and Peju.

At Provenance we did a vertical tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon, meaning all the same varietal but of a different vintage year. There was an '05, '06, and '07. The '05 was the best cabernet I have ever tasted. It had a personality and a boldness, but was extremely smooth and  almost tannin less. It is a Cab I could see pairing with a piece of Salmon.

Sawyer Cellars,  We started by tasting many different varietals and were once again introduced to the '05 Cab. It again had very similar characteristics. We mentioned this to the wine educator and she poured us a '99 and a '00 to compare. I still enjoyed the '05 more. the '99 and '00 did not seem to be as smooth. Both very good, but I would choose the '05 any day.

Our day ended at Peju. This winery seemed to be more about the entertainment then the actual wine, but their grounds are beautiful and they also had an '05 cab that paralleled those we previously tasted.

What I gathered from speaking with all the different vineyards was that 2005 was such an excellent year do to the warm weather and little rain or heat spells.
At over $100 a bottle, free tastings of  this wine may be the thing to keep me in St. Helena.

Stars come to Chicago

The Michelin guide has had their own 2 year long Taste of Chicago. After visiting restaurant upon restaurant, some many times, they have finally compiled a guide for Chicago.  I was very happy to see Charlie Trotters was one of three restaurants to earn 2 stars. One more honor for Chef Trottter to add to his list of achievements.

Three stars

Alinea

L20

Two stars

Avenues
Charlie Trotters
Ria

One star

Blackbird
Boka
Bonsoiree
Crofton on Wells 

Everest
Graham Elliot
Longman & Eagle
Naha
NoMI
Schwa
Seasons
Sepia
Sixteen
Spiaggia
Takashi
Topolobampo
Tru
Vie

Worlds of Flavor

Entertainment

Marketplace

I took a break from blogging for awhile, but am back to share an amazing opportunity I had this past weekend. The CIA every year puts on a huge conference called Worlds of Flavor. This year the theme was Japan. It was a three day conference consisting of 90 of the top Japanese Chefs, including the Prime Ministers chefs and 2 Iron Chefs. This year it was extremely special. The level of skill present was impossible to not stop you in your tracks, but more importantly history was made. Japanese culture consists of hierarchy and because of this many of the chefs that flew in would never agree to consult with each other, until now.  What changed their minds was the unanimous decision in the importance of teaching about Japanese cuisine.

   

Iron Chef Morimoto-San

                                        Some interesting numbers:

                                         2 million plus dollars- sponsorship

                                         60 thousand dollars- Fish shipped from Japan

                                         1,295- Cost of ticket to attend conference

                      

Chef Lee Anne Wong with Iron Chef Sakai

Making Soba Noodles

Sukiyaki from Chef Lee Anne Wong
(suvee & seared Kobe, raw quail egg, cabbage, shittake, scallion, stoke, micro greens from the Chef's Garden in a broth of saki, soy, sugar, water)

Morning Meeting

         To put on such an enormous conference sponsors were needed. One extremely exciting one for me was Lee Anne Wong with Korin (Top Chef Finalist, Top Chef Producer, Restaurateur, Author...). I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with Lee Anne all week. She has become a great mentor to me. Amongst the many amazing opportunities Lee Anne has already produced for me, was a dinner at Michael Chiarello's Bottega in Yountville, Ca. The Chef prepared for us a special tasting menu. We dined for three hours chatting over wine, delicious Italian cuisine (much needed after a week of Japanese food), and it was even more special when Michael Chiarello himself came out and sat with us.

ahi tuna over a pink Himalayan salt rock with orange supreme and crispy taro

braised chicken pieces (feet, head, thigh), cold cucumber and red onion salad

Some of the wine pairings;
2005 Schramsberg, Blanc de Blanc, Napa Valley
2000 Dom Perignon, Moet & Chandon, Epernay
2006 Newton Chardonnay, ‘Unfiltered’, Napa Valley
1999 Turley, Hayne Vineyard, Napa Valley
2006 Badia Coltibuono, Chianti Classico, Toscana
...

Crispy Potato Gnocchi, english pea & tallegio fonduta, spring vegetables, prosciuto crisp

Piedmontese Beef Rib-Eye sherry vinegar-honey glazed shallots, potato terrine

Ricotta Gnocchi, salsa di pomodoro della Nonna, pecorino

Wood Grilled Octopus olive oil braised potatoes, pickled red onion, salsa verde

Wild Nettles, Swiss Chard, Ramp; Ricotta Raviolo, farm fresh egg yolk, sage browned butter, parmigiano - reggiano, white and black truffle

Marcona Almond Sbrisilona “Affogato”
vanilla bean gelato, espresso granitehoney-almond milk espuma

Vanilla Goat’s Milk Panna Cotta
saffron kumquat marmelleta passionfruit citrus gelee

School Update

After three blocks of skills classes I have finally made it onto my fifth class at the CIA. It is a new class to both the ACAP program and to the CIA. I am now in Contemporary Topics. It deals with such topics as; flavor profiles, farm to table, Northern California, and Nutrition. This week we have been conducting flavor profile tastings, and while all very interesting it becomes a bitt nauseating to taste 15 different types of oils in a 15 minute period.

Which steak has more Umami?...The answer is the Ribeye on the left because of it being dry aged.

The new trend in food fine dining is Japanese influence. This will come up again in my blog when I write a post on the Worlds of Flavor conference that will be happening in early November.
There are 4 basic tastes that most people are familiar with (Salty, Sweet, Bitter, Sour,) It was Dr. Ikeda of Japan that introduced the 5th taste, umami, that is building both recognition and booming popularity. Umami is the taste associated with savory items such as a broth or porcini mushrooms. We spent an entire class day on the study of umami by taking basic sauces and comparing them with the same sauce plus an umami rich ingredient. It was so interesting to see how with the addition of one ingredient the profile of the sauce could change entirely. Tomato sauce with dried trumpet mushrooms became more well rounded and lost a lot of its acidity.

Awesome Reference to Umami

Truffles

St. Helena put on a sidewalk sale this weekend, and I happened to wonder into the St. Helena Olive Oil Company. As the name states they sell olive oil, but along with it they have other gourmet products such as balsamic vinegars and mustards. The product I happen to be most excited about was the Truffle Sea Salt.

When I first saw it I thought, ok here we go again...what else can truffle be added to as away to draw attention to something like sea salt. I was way to skeptical though. After trying it I realized I was all wrong, it really did work. The truffle was not just another marketing ploy. Not only are there pieces of black truffle, but the quality of salt is very much up to par. To me a truffle is reminiscent of a garlicky artichoke. This salt at $26.00 a jar is a great way to sparingly incorporate that flavor into many dishes at home. The truffle flavor should be that added extra and not the overwhelming flavor of a dish. I plan to sprinkle this salt on a quality steak right before grilling. The truffle with the charred flavor will make for the perfect meal.

Finger Lime

One of the best parts of being able to absorb my entire life in something I love is that people around me are always teaching me something new. This week while sitting around chatting with friends, after a casual homemade dinner, I was introduced to a new citrus fruit. A classmate walked by our table with a piece of fruit he picked up from work. It was a finger lime, and it is one if the most interesting pieces of citrus I have ever seen.

Finger Lime I tried( the shell is so full of the "caviar"
it bursts open spilling out the fruit when squeezed)

Known as the caviar of fruit, its interior is a cluster of tiny perfect balls, that burst a tangy crisp lime flavor when bitten into. Their flavor is unique in the sense that they are a lot sweeter and more aromatic then an ordinary lime. They come in 7 different varietals ranging in color and flavor. Ever since I was first introduced to this lime I have not stopped thinking of ways to use it in a dish. They are common in Australia but many of the plants were wiped out and they are hard to grow. Because of this they have just recently made their way to America. My newest challenge is to find a purchasing source for this remarkable fruit.

An example of another varietal

Recipe Box

We had some extra time in class today and a few ingredients to get rid of, so what else should we have done, but make this flavorful crostini.

Oven Roasted Tomatoes with Goat Cheese and Arugula Crostini

Ingredients

1 crusty french bread sliced and toasted

1 oz sage minced

1 oz thyme minced

1 oz basil minced

1 oz  rosemary minced

2 oz garlic minced

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

8 oz goat cheese

8 oz creme fraiche

5 oz Arugula 

1 lemon

10 Roma Tomatoes halved and seeded

Directions

Toss tomatoes in olive oil and herbs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet equipped with wire rack cut side up. Roast low and slow (225 degrees and about 2 hours) until tomatoes are dark red, wrinkled, and a quarter of the size. They should resemble a sun dried tomato. 

Mix goat cheese and creme fraiche together. Dress arugula lightly in olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. 

To assemble crostini spread goat cheese mixture liberally over crostini. Then top with arugula and 1 tomato half. 

***Tip: Make a few extra tomatos and store in a jar topped with olive oil for later use in salads or served alone as a side dish. 

Out of the Kitchen

Wine tasting was put on hold this weekend and replaced with a hike through the Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. Throughout the trail are historic sites such as a Cemetery from the 1800s and a Mill. It was great to get out in nature and the hike was beautiful, but it was not one of the better trails I have hiked. Next time I would like to give hiking Mt. St. Helena a try. I prefer the reward of a breathtaking view at the end of a hike.