kitchen tip Tuesday…faux buttermilk

Today was a very cold day.

A very cold and miserable day compared to last weeks temperatures of 70+ degrees.
Rain and sleet came down all day on the frosted covered grass dotted with red and yellow leaves. I could see my breath above the layers of scarves around my neck.
Yes, it is the season for this change in weather, but I am still not ready for it.

I wanted to make something in the oven for my guest from Berkeley, California for dinner and to warm the house a bit more as she is not used to these chilly Midwestern temperatures.


I had purchased a beautiful free-range chicken from my butcher this morning and Country Buttermilk Oven-fried Chicken came to mind. But, horrors…I had forgotten to replenish my buttermilk supply.

Then I remembered a little kitchen tip that my mother used for her baking when she did not have buttermilk on hand. Buttermilk is wonderful for baking as it produces a light texture and crumb in baked goods.

She made her own substitute for buttermilk using the ratio of one cup of whole milk to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or white vinegar).
Let the milk/lemon juice mixture stand on the counter for 5-10 minutes and...
there you go…buttermilk.

Merci maman…

I know, it sounds like a no-brainer, but I would have not thought of it out of hand.

The Country Buttermilk Oven-fried Chicken marinated in the
faux buttermilk came out moist, tender and juicy and full of flavor.

gourmet surprise

I received a wonderful surprise in my mail this week…!

Each day (or as I remember), I enter a cookbook sweepstakes at Gourmet Magazine Cookbook Club. There I enter to win a Gourmet Cookbook Club selection of the month. There's a new winner every day, so you can come back and enter each day...
and I finally won a cookbook...! ! !

The book that I won was the cookbook for the month of October, The Art and Soul of Baking. It took me very little time to discover what a very informative and beautiful baking guide that I now owned. (In addition, the book was autographed by the author…!)

The author of my new book was Chez Panisse alum, Cindy Mushet. She has been a Pastry Chef and teacher for 20 years and has put her best tips, tricks and techniques in this book.

Her recipes strike just the right balance and her writing style is quite engaging and never intimidating. There are new takes on old recipes, but the recipes are approached with simplicity. The recipes are broken down into sections in a very appealing and easy to follow graphic layout.
The two colors on each page, text selection and colors make this large 454 page tome a pleasure to use. It also opens and lies flat for easy reading as your are working on a recipe.

I also appreciated the many sidebars "what the pros know”, equipment lists, and getting make-ahead tips for each recipe.
It gave me a feeling of empowerment, and made me feel that I could confidently tackle each recipe. They were also interesting reading when I was just perusing the book, stating what recipes freeze well or what steps of the recipe could be done in advance.


And for those of us who love to photograph food and look at superb food photography…this book is a must have for insipration. The stunning images of Maren Caruso take you into the kitchen to see beautiful vignettes that would not capture the attention of most. For me, the images of flour being sifted, the layers of a banana crème pie, a collage of pans, silpat whisks eggshells, knives, spoons and spatulas after a hard day baking were so captivating, I was in awe and definitaely inspired.

If you love to bake and want to refine your skills, or are like me, a green novice that needs all the help they can get, or just love beautiful food photography in a well crafted text that feels good in your hands, this book is worth a look.

This is the time of year that baking warms our homes and hearts, and this book provides ample inspiration.
Splurge on yourself and get a copy of this book to help with your Holiday baking.
It will inspire you to bake something new for friends and family.
Or perhaps put it on your Christmas list and hope Santa will put it in your stocking for a new year of baking joy. This is a book that is a must-have in the library of every baker; those with many years of experience or the green beginner.

This green beginner baker was so glad to welcome this book to my humble library.
I hope that I will have many future posts on the recipes that I have tried from this book.

North Pond Restaurant (part two)…the chef and the food

When I last left you dear readers, I was sitting contentedly near the fire in warm and autumnal atmosphere of the Arts and Crafts-style interior of the nationally recognized 3-star restaurant, North Pond. My friends and I were enjoying the vintage travel posters, quotes from Thoreau and Chaucer; the stunning views of the gold and red foliage in Lincoln Park, the flock of mallards that were playing in the sapphire-hued pond that reflected the Chicago skyline beyond.

I was elated to have been seated in this cozy nook where I would have a clear view of activities in the open kitchen. From my comfy oak Arts and Crafts chair, I was able to view the busy prep and line cooks and Chef Bruce Sherman at the pass where he meticulously checked each plate before it was served to diners.

the chef

Chef Bruce Sherman's Seasonal American cooking is a style that makes the most of organic and locally sourced ingredients. He integrates seasonality into its menu, but in a modest way. The Chef a member of the board of the Green City Market and has a strong commitment to environmentalism and local foods. In that respect, North Pond is easily closest thing to Chez Panisse in philosophy in Chicago.

In 2003 Sherman was named one of the 10 Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine Magazine. He has received multiple Best Chef pf the Great Lakes nominations from the James Beard Foundation, including one this year.

But instead of telling you what I know about Chef Bruce Sherman and North Pond,I will let him tell you about his food and the restaurant himself:

the food

The menu at North Pond manages to be interesting and exceptionally delicious without pulling any culinary slight of hand. After much deliberation, our party of three decided to choose the Five Course Seasonal Tasting Menu. After consulting our server, I choose a red and a white wine that would compliment all the courses.

The wine list of 100 or so selections focuses on boutique vintners.
The red I selected was a Pinot Noir, 2006 Cristom "Mt. Jefferson Cuvée” from Willamette Valley, Oregon. For the white wine, in honor of my friend with Alsatian roots, I chose a Albert Dirler, Grand Cru, Muscat from Alsace, France.

Crab / FennelChilled Stone Crab Claw, Fennel-Apple Salad, Smoked Caviar, Crab salad Profiterole

Intermezzo I
Prosciutto / Grape
Shaved Acorn Prosciutto, Root Vegetable Sformato, topped with Shaved Black Truffle, Concord Grape Preserve, Jupiter Grapes. Pea Shoots, Shaved Fennel, Parmesan Tuiles

Prawns / BeetSautéed Sweet Prawns, Candied Beets, French Heirloom Squash Puree, Pistachios, Parmesan


Ricotta / Pear
Sheep's Milk Ricotta Bosc Pear Raviolo, Smoked Bacon-Shell Bean Puree, Rosemary, Pickled Pears

Intermezzo II
Grape / Lemon
Concord Grape Sorbet, Lemon Verbena Gelée, Jupiter Grapes

Lamb / Carrot
Herbed Stuffed Saddle Medallion, Roasted Baby Carrot, Sweetbreads, Ginger-Carrot Reduction

Chocolate / Hazelnut
Gianduja Mousse Dome, Apricot Jam and Gelée, Malted Milk Ice Cream, Candied Nuts

(I learned form the Chef that Gianduja is a sweet chocolate containing about 50% hazelnut paste. It takes its name from gianduja, a Carnival marionette character who represents the Piedmontese Italian region where hazelnut confectionery is common. A related product is Nutella.)

Finale
Chocolate Crunch and Pear Gelée Squares
and
Chiogga Beet Seeds to take home and plant.

Rather that comment on each individual course, I want to comment on the presentation and flavors of Chef Sherman’s culinary point of view.
His inspiration is clearly the changes in the seasons. And that inspiration translates to something that the diner not only tastes and smells, but imbues you with a sense of the season.

Everything that we ate was simple…simply beautiful and delicious.

The dishes were prepared in such a way that the flavors in each did not mask or convolute the pure flavors of the ingredients. The flavors of the fresh seasonal products in the individual courses were complimented by the sauces and the vegetables. The combinations of ingredients really shine and each stands out on their own for what they really are.

Each course was comprised of several small bites.
I believe that the chef was using the ”law of diminished return” where the more that you have of something, the less you like it.

You finished each dish feeling that you wanted just ONE MORE bite.

I hope that you will have the opportunity to experience this restaurant.
I am certain that it wonderfully changes in every season to delight you.

I am looking forward to dining here by the fire as the snow swirls outside and tasting winter…
And in the spring when the whole park is alive in blossoms and be fed on new pale sweet green flavors…
And on a sweltering summer night, I want to sit on the terrace, sip a sparkling drink, catching the breezes off the pond as rich summer aromas hang in the air.
I image by now that you can tell that I am quite smitten with this restaurant for all seasons.

2610 North Cannon Drive ~ Chicago ~ 773 477.5845
Valet parking on Lakeview and Deming.

Tip: Make a reservation for an early dinner on a weekday or for the amazing menu of the Sunday Brunch from 10:30 am - 1:30 pm.
After the Sunday Brunch at North Pond, you are an easy stroll to the Caldwell Lily Pond, Peggy Notebart Nature Museum and Lincoln Park Zoo to work off all the delicious calories.

do.it.

I will be away from the blog tomorrow as I will be volunteering at my local polling place. It will be exciting to view the process first hand from the inside.

Whoever is the candidate of your choice, stop thinking about it...

do. it.

Go out and vote as it is your right and privledge...!

Take advantage of your right...

be heard...

do.it.

vote...!

North Pond Restaurant…(part one) architecture

The space within becomes the reality of the building. ~ Frank Lloyd Wright

Earlier this evening, I was very fortunate to dine at Chef Bruce Sherman’s North Pond Restaurant. I had snagged a coveted reservation for today back in July and I wanted to report that my long wait was well rewarded.

It was not just a meal, but a total dining experience...!

From where I dropped my auto with the valet on Lakeview and Deming, the North Pond Restaurant was an easy walk under a beautiful rustic stone bridge into Lincoln Park. Along the path to the restaurant I was greeted with a riot of red and gold foliage circling a calm grey-blue pond alive with the colorful mallard ducks cavorting and calling to one another in the sunset. The scene was as welcoming and engaging as the warm lights and inviting aromas from inside the stunning restaurant set into the soft curve of the hill.


The warm and inviting restaurant structure appears as part of the landscape of the park.
It is a perfect place to enjoy a stunning view of the city over the pond, but was exceptionally beautiful this autumnal evening. My first view of the restaurant brought to mind a quote form Frank Lloyd Wright that he designed his structures and interiors to reflect the warmth of a “perennial autumn”.

The structure that houses North Pond was originally built in 1912 as a warming shelter for ice skaters. When Lincoln Park pond no longer froze in the winter, the Chicago Park District converted the building to a to a storage facility. During the 1970’s and 1980’s the building served as a concession stand for the park.

In 1998, North Pond Cafe opened. The interior was designed Nancy Warren featuring a classic Arts and Crafts motif. The new kitchen and dining room design was incorporated the original brick structure. In 2002 this same designer oversaw the enclosure of the outdoor patio and new fireplace and bar.
The restaurant re-opened as North Pond Restaurant in May of 2002.

The key elements of Arts and Crafts architecture in America were focused on craft, the use of local materials as close as possible to their natural with the design that reflected the surrounding environment. This design philosophy is evident in the Fond du Lac stone in the chimney and fireplace, and original wood and metalwork that produces a harmonious profile of the restaurant’s structure that is built into the side of a hill.

The culinary point of view of North Pond restaurant holds true to the philosophy of the Arts and Crafts ideals. The chef and his staff support local farmers and producers. In the North Pond kitchen these products are treated with respect and the path from the earth to the plate is clearly evident in the delicious food that is served here.


Next post, the chef and the food…

happy halloween...

True love is like ghosts, which everybody talks about and very few have truly seen. ~ François de la Rochefoucauld

Just a quick note to wish a Happy Halloween to all my faithful blog readers...

Have a frightfully wonderful day safe from ghosts, goblins and
things that goes bump in the night...

...or any femme fantôme that floats down your lane...
like Resurrection Mary thumbing for a ride home to the cemetery.

Wishing you pumpkin smiles and lots of chocolats in your trick or treat bags...

Happy Halloween...! ! !

ancient soul food

I remember more dearly autumn afternoons that lay intensely silent
under old great trees. ~ C.S.Lewis


Today our autumn weather turned balmy and beautiful.
I put aside my chores and cares and walked for hours around the grounds of Graue Mill and along the trails near beautiful Salt Creek.
I come here quite often, to walk, to dream, to think, as this area is very beautiful on any day of the year.
But on this soft autumn afternoon, with red and gold leaves ablaze, taking this walk is a brilliant experience…one to remember.

I came upon the set of ancient millstones or Buhrstones that have ground corn and other grains for decades. These beautiful and ancient buhrstones are set outside of Graue Mill as a reminder of times past and the work these mighty stones had done to nourish this community.


I had walked over these humble stones a hundred times...maybe more…

I have sloshed over them in spring rain puddles,
stubbed my toe on the moss that grows around them in the summer
and totally ignored them when I trudged through the snow that buried them in a foot of winter white.

But today...the low autumn sun perfectly showcased these treasures and I saw them I had never seen them before.

I was in awe.

There was a subtle but a sublime beauty in their textures that whispered of their labor.

In the past, these simple stones helped to feed the people of this community.
This day, these ancient and beautiful stones fed my soul.

P.S. Joyeux anniversaire, dearest mama…