Homemade Cheese...Harder Than You Think

We're pretty sure that we've mentioned cheese many, many, many times throughout this blog. So it is to no surprise that we would eventually find the opportunity to delve into the art of CHEESEMAKING. Thanks to Matt's sister Jenny, for Christmas she got Matt his very own mozzarella cheese making kit from Roaring Brook Dairy. You can only imagine how excited Matt was at the prospect of making cheese at home.

Seeing as we gave up meat for Lent this year, we have had to be VERY creative when cooking for every day meals and especially for special occasions. I hate to admit this, but we have an annual WRESTLEMANIA watch (yes it is true, and it's glorious - go ROCK 2012  [clearly this is Matt speaking]). So this year, with our lack of meat, Matt decided to break open into the Roaring Brook Dairy kit and make homemade mozzarella for a variety of mozzarella based appetizers and salads.

You may not think it, but making homemade cheese is MUCH harder than the directions made it seem (their tagline of "homemade mozzarella in under an hour" is a bit of a reach - maybe after you've done it a few times). A couple of lessons learned:

- Cheese curds (the real ones not the fried ones) are very delicate. Do not over stir the curds, Do not stir the curds too forcefully.

- Temperature is important. Overheating the milk can cause the curds to disintegrate and then its very hard to separate them from the whey.

- Although organic milk would seem to be best, we had a better product when using regular milk (i.e. Dean's), but this was our second try.

- Chicago tap water is not conducive for cheesemaking. Make sure to use filtered or bottled water for dissolving citric acid and rennet tablet.

After 2 batches we ended up with some pretty good mozzarella cheese (pictured below). We definitely plan to make another batch soon as we continue to hone our cheesemaking skills. We may even be selling batches soon so keep your eye out for that, or go for our favorite store brands, BelGioioso or the local fresh stuff from our local Italian deli, Bari. Also we recently had some really good mozzarella dishes at a new local Chicago hot spot, RPM Italian. Any way you have it, be sure to keep mozzarella a cornerstone of a cheese filled diet. Happy eating.

Homemade Mozzarella (4.1.12)

Caprese Salad with Homemade Mozzarella

Carrot and Avocado Salad

A few weeks ago, after Matt had won an award from McDonald's, we decided to celebrate by heading to a Chicago landmark that recently re-opened. We went to the Pump Room, a notorious Chicago spot which was famous as a bar, and hosted the likes of Frank Sinatra (in fact our table was right next to their big booth dedicated to Old Blue Eyes). We decided to go for the prohibition style cocktails, but when we got their, we realized they had updated their restaurant with a new, modern decor. So, we decided to try their dinner service as well.


As an aside, for Lent this year we gave up all meat (beef, chicken, pork, everything), so going out to dinners has been quite an experience for us lately, as we are very carnivorous people. We asked our server for some vegetarian favorites on the menu and she recommended the Roast Carrot and Avocado Salad. She told us that although it sounded weird/was not a normal pairing, that it was one of their best selling dishes. We ordered it and to our surprise it was DELICIOUS.

After the dinner, Michele was determined to find a recipe to recreate this dish at home. To our surprise, we actually were able to find Jean-Georges Vongerichten recipe for this dish. To find the complete recipe visit http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/home-cooking-with-jean-georges/. We highly recommend this salad and here is a picture of our homemade version for comparison. ENJOY!

The Academy Awards, Restaurant Week and More!!!

Since we moved in together in 2008, one of our annual traditions has been a private feast for 2 on the night of the Academy Awards. In addition to some competitive betting, we make a ton of food, usually an intense appetizer buffet. Every year we have something that makes the night memorable (i.e. 2009's exploding champagne incident). This year we added a twist that we wanted dishes that would be representative of some of the Best Picture nominees. Here's the 2012 Casa de Cahill Academy Awards Menu:

Midnight in Paris: Hemingway Cocktail

The Artist/Hugo: Baked Brie (recipe from Ina Garten courtesy of Food Network) with a selection of crackers, apples and pears

The Descendants: Shrimp Cocktail

The Help: Classic Macaroni and Cheese (recipe from America's Test Kitchen)

Moneyball: Adult Snickers (see below for details)

One of our Academy Award dishes was inspired by a recent trip to Vie, a Michelin one-star, in Western Springs, IL which we went to for Chicago's Restaurant Week. Matt has been to Vie before for numerous work functions (since he works out in the burbs) and he couldn't wait for me to try it. Well...it certainly was amazing and we both highly recommend venturing out to try it. Every dish was great (some of our favorites included the bone marrow, crispy pork belly and the roasted whitefish) but one of the desserts was just amazeballs...valrhona chocolate mousse bar, soft caramel, salted peanuts (see above right).

Seeing as we don't typically challenge desserts on this blog, we were a bit hesitant at first but when we were still looking for something to represent Moneyball in our Academy Awards lineup, this seemed like a natural fit and a great take on an "adult" version of a snickers bar. So we took on the challenge.

We found recipes for three layers to this dessert bar: base, caramel sauce, and chocolate mousse. First prepare the base and allow to set (at least an hour), then prepare and layer the caramel sauce (the caramel sauce can be made a few days in advance), and finally prepare the mousse and layer and allow to set. Once all layers have been added allow to set in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

While the flavors were delicious, we still have a ways to go on our pastry presentation skills. We really enjoyed our version but the Vie version is more refined and was more surprising when we had it for the first time so this time the restaurant wins. That being said we have plenty of leftovers of everything so the week ahead will be a tasty one.

The...Lobster...Roll

We've always been fans of seafood. Our typical seafood night hits on the basics; shrimp, oysters, crab, etc. Our favorite oyster bar for a long time has been Shaw's Crab House in Chicago but recently we have grown very fond of GT Fish & Oyster on Grand, just a few minutes from our house.


On a recent visit to GT Fish & Oyster among many good dishes, one stood out as THE BEST....The Lobster Roll. We have always thought of lobster as the pinnacle of the seafood genre...the most decadent...the most upscale...the most delicious. And we have had it MANY different ways. In fact during our honeymoon, one of our most memorable moments was a whole lobster feast where we picked our lobster from the lagoon at Humuhumunukunukuapua’a (see picture above). But we'd never dared challenge a lobster dinner...until now.

The lobster roll at GT was unique...a meaty lobster salad in a perfectly toasted bun paired with a pile of fried onions. The dish was simple but featured the lobster flavor well and the fried onions were an added treat. We liked it so much that we decided we had to try and make it for ourselves.


Homemade recipe from Food Network Magazine
Note: Our local grocery store (Whole Foods) did not have whole live lobsters or top-split hot dog buns so we went with fresh lobster tails ($18.99 per tail) and made our own top-side buns by slicing the sides off some great etxra-wide hot dog buns. This recipe from Food Network Magazine is simple and easy to make. 


Both of these sandwiches would be a delight for any true lobster fan. And we have already talked about when we can next enjoy these treats. But in the end we enjoyed our homemade version a little better because it was just tail meat, it had larger chunks of meat, and it had just the leaves of celery and celery salt versus thin slices of celery stalk. All in all it was a great testament to lobster flavor but probably a low profit margin for a restaurant.  A butter toasted bun is also an essential component ("It's like having a side of melted butter without all the mess and necessary wet naps for your fingers" - Matt). Next time we have to make the fried onions as they were a great addition at GT.

New Year's Resolution: Burger Blog

It's a new year and for us that means a resurgence of our blog and our ongoing food challenge. Our resolution for this year is to keep updating this blog frequently thru 2012. We've had some great meals since our last post; THE FRENCH LAUNDRY, Sepia, The Bristol, Wayfare Tavern, Susan Feniger's Street, Nightwood, Graham Elliot...Just to name a few.

We thought we'd start off the year with one of our favorite foods (it's one of America's favorite foods too)...The Hamburger.

Some of you might know that Matt works for McDonald's and has a rather large affinity for burgers. That means, since he can't reveal any trade secrets, we can't challenge any McDonald's classics like the Big Mac or Quarter Pounder with Cheese. But that doesn't mean that we haven't been to a TON of other burger joints in search of the perfect hamburger. We've been to a number of places in Chicago such as Burger Bar, Custom House, Duchamp but recently Matt read an article about the 12 burger chains to watch in 2012 (http://www.burgerbusiness.com/?p=8852).

Since we were going to be in LA for Christmas this year to spend the holidays with the Campodonicos (Michele's fam) we decided to take one afternoon, head down to Hollywood and try Stout Burgers & Beers.

We got the Imperialist (Aged Cheddar, Ketchup, Mustard Relish, Roasted Tomatoes) and the Six Weeker (Brie, Fig Jam, Arugula, Carmelized Onions). Both burgers were really good. The Imperialist was more traditional, with a really nice addition of roasted tomatoes. The Six Weeker was definitely more unique and played up on sweet, salty, sour notes and we really liked the addition of brie.

We decided that when we got home we were going to resurrect the blog and create our version of the Six Weeker. So today 1/2/12 amidst a full day of college football bowl mania we put together our version of this delicious creation.

M&M's Six Weeker
80/20 Ground Beef (1/3lb per patty)
Your Favorite Hamburger Bun (We used Gonnella)
Brie (2 thin slices per burger)
Fig Jam (Recipe Below)
Baby Greens
Carmelized Onions


Fig Jam
This was a bit of an enigma for us as our local grocery store did not have fig jam. We had some dulce to higo (Ecuadorian candied figs) in the fridge so we chopped some of the figs up, tossed them into a small frying pan and combined them with:

• 2 tablespoons of Dijon Mustard
• 2 tablespoons of Aged Balsamic
• Dash of Sherry Wine
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook all ingredients until syrupy and jam like.

Six Weeker Instructions
While making the fig jam, we carmelized the onions (note this takes 30-40 minutes in order to get a rich brown color and enhanced flavor). After the jam and onions were complete, we set them both aside while we began to cook the burgers. First, butter and toast your hamburger buns on your grill or grill pan (it is winter after all in the Chi). Once lightly toasted, grill your hamburgers to your desired temperature and with 30-45 seconds left add 2 slices of brie to begin melting. After all components are complete this is the proper way to build the burger:

1. Spread Fig Jam on Bottom Bun
2. Add Burger covered in Brie on to Bottom Bun
3. Spread carmelized onions on the Top Bun
4. Add a few baby greens to Top Bun
5. Place Top Bun (with carmelized onions and greens) to burger and bottom bun
6. ENJOY!

THE RESULT: This was an incredibly close call as our burger was REALLY REALLY good. It is hard to go wrong either way but since we are the judges we'll give our version the nod to start 2012 off right!

However, this won't be our last burger challenge of the year and we will be on the look out for other great burger showdowns in 2012.

Bon Appetit...French Bistro Cooking at Home

After two straight ND football filled weekends and in an attempt to change the routine (and the losing streak), we decided to take a cooking class at The Wooden Spoon. We took a French Market cooking class and learned how to make some amazing dishes including Tomato and Blue Cheese Tart, Flat Iron Steak and Caramelized Shallots with Herb Butter, Lentil Salad, Potato Dauphinoise, and a free form seasonal fruit tart with ice cream. We enjoyed every minute of the cooking class despite us both cutting ourselves on a shotty mandoline and I (its Michi here) loved seeing Matt in an apron for once.

With the familia coming over for dinner and a wine tasting (prep for our Napa trip in about 3 weeks) on Sunday, we decided to try out a recipe from the cooking class as well as add to the french repertoire. We ended up making the tomato and blue cheese tart and a homemade french onion soup. Everyone loved the tart and soup (despite our slight error on the tart shell, it puffed up to a small basketball in the oven). We are excited to continue to add to our global culinary adventures and hope you might enjoy these recipes too.

Tomato & Blue Cheese Tart (courtesy of The Wooden Spoon and Chef Rose)

Puff Pastry (frozen puff pastry thawed according to package directions)

4-6oz of blue cheese (room temp) [Note the original recipe called for 6oz but we ended up only using 4oz or so]

2tbsp half and half

2-3 tomatoes

freshly group pepper

fresh  thyme minced (about 6 sprigs)

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to about 1/4-in thick and 10 1/2 inch in diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch tart pan and pat puff pastry into the bottom and sides and trim the edges so it's even with the rim. Place tart pan into freezer for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, crumble the blue cheese and mash with half and half until a spreadable consistency but still has some lumps.

Slice tomatoes 1/4 inch thick and blot with paper towels to remove excess moisture.

Remove pastry from feezer, pierce the base of the shell with a fork to avoid puffing of the shell (we came to realize this VERY quickly) and bake until light golden brown (20 min). Remove from oven and cool for 10-15 minutes.

Spread blue cheese mixture in shell and then layer with tomatoes. Sprinkle with pepper and thyme and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake tart until golden brown and tomatoes collapse (10-15 minutes). Transfer to cooling rack and let stand for 20-30 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm or room temp.

French Onion Soup (courtesy of Tyler Florence - Ultimate Bistro on Food Network)

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 4 onions, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup red wine, about 1/2 bottle
• 3 tablespoons Madera Wine (my addition)
• 3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 quarts beef broth
• 1 baguette, sliced
• 1/2 pound grated Gruyere

Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes (REALLY it was about an hour). Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn't burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Now add the madera wine and beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

When you're ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

Ladle the soup in bowls and float several of the Gruyere croutons on top.

Football Candy Cookie

As we welcomed back the NFL this weekend, we also made the journey down to Ann Arbor, Michigan again, to watch Notre Dame battle Michigan in their annual College Football contest. If you haven't heard about this game (consider yourself lucky), we will not be discussing or remembering it here. Needless to say, we needed some cheering up on Sunday. The Chicago Bears (30-12 winners over the Atlanta Falcons) helped our melancholy, but we needed something a bit sweeter than that.

Now, we have this habit of making giant cookies (yes I said giant cookies, don't judge, they are delicious). We decided that was just what we needed, but discovered to our dismay, that we didn't have any chocolate chips to make our patented giant chocolate chip cookie. We did however have a giant bag of candy from Costco (only like 15 bucks, great deal), leftover from our end of summer fiesta  which had filled our bull piñata. We thought we'd try making a cookie with the mini candy bars. We know this isn't our traditional blog post, as far as we know no one has made a cookie like this before, but it was SO GOOD that we had to write about it (and also get the blog going again). If your intrigued by the candy cookie idea, see how we made this creation below:

Football Candy Cookie
Ingredients for your favorite chocolate cookie recipe just omit chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups of chopped chocolate candy (we used a mixture of snickers, baby ruth, milky way regular and midnight)

Make your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe but omit the chocolate chips. Once the batter is made, add 1 cup of your favorite chocolate candy (about 16 mini chocolate candy bars) chopped in small chunks. Stir until chocolate candy pieces are well incorporated into the batter. Then bake as a normal chocolate chip cookie. About half way through cooking, add remaining chopped chocolate candy on top. Finish baking until cookie is lightly golden brown. Let cool for at least 5 min before eating as carmel filling in candies is HOT.

We have a lot of foodie activities coming up in the fall, so we plan to jumpstart the blog again. So stay tuned in the coming weeks for more M&M food adventures and creations.

A Tribute to the Zucchini Fry

One of our favorite new restaurants in Chicago is Urban Burger Bar.  Before their recent menu update, they had multiple types of veggie fries, including amazing zucchini fries, with some great dipping sauces.

Since they took it off the menu, we decided to try to make some at home. With the help of Giada De Laurentiis (an alumna of Michi's High School) we made some great fries and dipping sauces.

Fried Zucchini by Giada De Laurentiis (care of Food Network)
Olive oil, for frying
1 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan (I only used 1 1/2 cups in the panko mixture)
1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3 medium zucchini, cut into 3-inch long by 1/2-inch wide strips

Directions

Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees. Stir 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, the panko, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Whisk the eggs in another medium bowl to blend. Working in batches, dip the zucchini in the eggs to coat completely and allow the excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Coat the zucchini in the panko mixture, patting to adhere and coat completely. Place the zucchini strips on a baking sheet.

When the oil is hot, working in batches, fry the zucchini sticks until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried zucchini to paper towels and drain.

Arrange the fried zucchini on a platter. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and serve.

Dipping Sauces

Russian Dressing

1/2 cup mayo

3 tablespoons ketchup (enough to get a nice salmon color)

Horseradish Crema

1/2 cup sour cream

2-3 Tablespoons mayo

Heaping Tablespoon of Horseradish

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

Blog Vacation

Due to crazy work schedules and a month full of weddings, we are on a bit of a blog vacation.

We are still enjoying a number of Chicago restaurants (and a few while we are traveling) and will be back in November with some new posts and maybe even some Holiday recipes.

M&M

Preparing for Football Season

We recently watched an episode of Grill It! with Bobby Flay that featured some great "upscale" hot dogs. Since Matt LOVES hot dogs there was no surprise when he asked for hot dogs for dinner the week of the first ND football game.

We made versions of Bobby Flay's Nacho Dog and his guest, Nick Suarez', Brooklyn's Corniest Hot Dog.

M&M's take on the Nacho Dog
All beef hot dogs (Ball Park Franks for the best result)
Homemade pico de gallo (tomatoes, green onion, lime juice - feel free to add some jalapenos (Matt just can't handle heat))
Sliced Avocado
Shredded Jack Cheese

Boil the hot dogs. While the hot dogs are cooking, turn your oven to broil. When hot dogs are cooked, place on aluminum lined cookie sheet and cover with a handful of shredded jack cheese. Place in oven until cheese is melted. Once the cheese has melted, place hot dog in a lightly toasted bun, dress with pico de gallo and sliced avocado. Matt and I agreed some sour cream would be nice with this hot dog.

M&M's take on the Brooklyn's Corniest Hot Dog
All beef hot dogs (see note above)
3 ears of fresh sweet corn (corn removed from cob - $0.71 per ear at our local Jewel)
1/2 cup of diced white onion
Queso fresco to crumble
Mayo and dijon mustard to taste

Boil the hot dogs and while they are cooking toast the hot dog buns. In a saute pan, saute onions in a tablespoon of butter. Once onions are slightly soft, add sweet corn and saute until lightly golden. Once hot dogs are cooked, place in bun, top with corn and onion mixture, and crumble some queso fresco. I enjoyed mine with a bit of mayo and mustard but Matt was a purist - just corn and cheese.

Now the hot dog is an American classic, and in Chicago the traditional fare includes a grilled dog, mustard, onions and relish (NO KETCHUP) and a pickle if you like. The best traditional Chicago dogs we have had are at Superdawg (up on north Milwaukee/Elston). Hot dogs can be the perfect food for a tailgate or a midnight snack at Notre Dame (they sell them for a quarter -- SPOILER, this year prices were shamelessly raised to 33 cents). Now, obviously we don't know what the show's dogs tasted like but this episode and the subsequent recipes elevated the hot dog to a whole new level. As someone that really loves hot dogs, even Matt was impressed with these "fancy" dogs.

Next week we go back to the challenge, so stay tuned.

Rick Bayless Inspired

This week was a busy week, but we managed to make it out to the Publican on Saturday night with our monthly dinner club. The Publican is a near west-side tribute to the most delicious animal on the planet, the pig (sorry cows). We decided to indulge in ham three ways, pork belly, country ribs, and even spicy pork rinds, among others. They also have a great beer selection, which is designed to match their menu.

Now normally, there is no way we would let such a daunting challenge pass us by. But this week is special because in the grand scheme of culinary adventures, we (well I [Michele]) had a bigger one this week than even the Publican. So a bit of a twist;  I took a cooking class at the local Williams-Sonoma this week with recipes from Rick Bayless' new cookbook, Fiesta at Rick's.

One of the recipes that was featured was Fresh corn cake, Veracruz style (page 304). This is a dessert but was completely different than anything I had ever had. It was a combination of a sweet cornbread but with a bit of a flan texture. Knowing how much Matt loves corn, I had to make this for him.

I followed the recipe pretty closely (minus the fact I used frozen sweet corn). To make it a bit special, I made a home made caramel sauce (bag of caramels melted in some heavy cream) and then got some queso fresco to add a bit of a savory touch and to cut the sweetness.

Well Matt had 2 pieces at his first tasting so it was definitely a hit!

Caprese Salad

Ok folks, a special treat this week, Caprese Salad. For a few weeks we have been thinking about this dish, since it is one of our favorites, but we decided to wait until we had one that would really measure up. We have really been into restaurants that are known for "small plate" menus. It has given us the ability to try a variety of dishes in one sitting without feeling too much like fatties.

This week we decided to try Meze a tapas lounge in the west loop. Besides having really awesome and affordable Sangria (20 bucks for a pitcher), their caprese salad was delicious (and that's saying something since Matt LOVES caprese salad and has had it MANY times). Unlike most caprese salads we've had, Meze's including a basil oil drizzle (like a pesto) which added a great extra basil flavor to the dish.

Obviously we had to try this at home since it is fairly simple to make and know that it makes a great addition to a summer dinner.

Matt's Caprese Salad
3 ripe tomatoes sliced
1 ball of fresh (buffalo) mozzarella
Pesto

Pesto
3 cups of basil (any extra pesto can be used with noodles)
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
2 gloves of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

In a food processor chop the 3 cups of basil with 2 gloves of garlic until makes a nice paste. Then add the cheese and pulse until combined, season with salt and pepper. Then stream in olive oil until the pesto becomes drizzable.

Layer the tomatoes with slices of mozzarella and pesto.

Judgement: Homemade Wins! (close call, but our pesto pulled it off)

Chocolate Fondue

Another week, another challenge, and this time we let our sweet tooth get the better of us, literally.

Friday's have now turned into official "date nights" and a quest for our next culinary adventure. This week we went to Quartino - an Italian pizza and wine bar near the Mag Mile. This place had a pretty good cheese and meat selection, and their sampling plate was both full of variety and pretty tasty.

They also had a number of fondue dishes, and although we didn't indulge ourselves during dinner, we couldn't help but try the chocolate fondue for dessert. Although we enjoyed our savory dishes, the chocolate fondue was definitely something we thought deserved our special touch. Now normally this could be potentially hazardous, mainly because I (Matt) have a pretty terrible track record around things that are flammable, but for pure melted chocolatey goodness, we figured we would risk it.

Matt & Michi's Chocolate Fondue Recipe
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
pinch of salt
4 oz of semisweet chocolate (shaved or chopped in small slivers)
2 tablespoons amaretto (optional)


Fondue accompaniments
Marshmallows
Shortbread cookies (Pepperidge Farm)
Strawberries
Bananas


In a small saucepan, heat the heavy whipping cream, butter, and salt. When cream starts to bubble slightly, remove saucepan from heat and add chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Once chocolate has melted add the amaretto and stir. Transfer chocolate mixture to a fondue set and serve with your favorite accompaniments.

This is the perfect treat to share with your favorite someone.

Judgement: Homemade Wins!

P.S. Yes we bought a Fondue set today (only $19.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond) and with that the next logical progression is Cheese Fondue or a Fondue party!

Beer Battered Cod and Corn Salad

This week we decided to step up our game by taking on 2 new dishes from one of our favorite restaurants (see last post).

The biggest challenge of taking on these recipes was figuring out how to develop a homemade deep fryer. Easiest way to accomplish this, head straight to Sur la table. We picked up a spider and a deep fry/candy thermometer. Despite all the fancy equipment, it was still funny to see Michi flinch when she dropped in the first piece of fish. Our fish was more like a traditional fish and chips with a buttery beer batter that fries into a nice airy casing for a delicious piece of fish. The Purple Pig's white bait dish was more like an appetizer with shoe string and rings of fish with a calamari like breading. Our corn salad was VERY close to the Purple Pig but it probably needed to set over night to let the flavors meld more.

NOTE: Remember to be careful when frying at your home or apartment (especially keep that special someone away from the heat so they don't get splattered).

Corn Salad
4 cups of cooked white or sweet yellow corn (cold)
1 small box of button mushrooms
1/2 cup walnuts
4 springs rosemary
Juice of 2 Lemons
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1/2 cup of crumbled parmesan cheese
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Saute sliced mushrooms with two small pads of butter. Once sauteed season with salt, pepper, and add leaves from 1 spring of rosemary. Let mushrooms cool. Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet until the walnuts start smelling. Chop coarsely. Add cooled mushrooms, walnuts, and parmesan cheese to 4 cups of cooked and cooled corn.

For the vinaigrette, add juice of two lemons to garlic. Stream in olive oil until combined. Then add vinaigrette to mushroom, walnut, and corn mixture. Stir well and chill for a couple of hours.

Beer Battered Cod Recipe
4 small fillets of Cod cut into strips (get fresh cod if you can, if not thawed, frozen fish works fine)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 2/3 cups of flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups of favorite beer
Corn oil to fry
Parsley and lemon for garnish

Whisk flour and baking powder and then add beer. Chill batter for at least one hour. While oil is heating, season fish with salt and pepper and dust lightly with a bit of flour. When oil heats to 350 degrees, dip the fish in the batter and fry until crispy.

Judgement: Purple Pig Wins!

The Purple Pig

Friday = Date Night!

We debated a ton this week about where to go next and what restaurant deserved to make the Reservations at Home cut. We decided to head back to one of our favorite restaurants in the city, The Purple Pig Chicago (thanks Remy and Rosie for the find). It has some of the best charcuterie (copious amounts of meat products), cheeses and a variety of hot, cold, and fried Mediterranean dishes, not to mention a ton of great and affordable wines by the glass, quarter, half and full bottles.

Our order included:
Cheese Plate with Manchego, Big Ed's, and Quadrillo di Bufula
2 orders of roasted corn with mushrooms and walnuts (we ended up getting the last order of the night)
Prosciutto bread balls
White bait "french fries of the sea"
Liver and pork neck pate

Sunday's challenge will include our version of the roasted corn and white bait "french fries of the sea."

Fingers-crossed we can compete with this great place.

Ribs

What better way to start off this blog during the July 4th holiday than with RIBS!


A few weeks ago we went to Carson's in Chicago.  Carson's is famous for their ribs. Sometimes after a long day of work nothing sounds better than a full slab of sweet BBQ, fall off the bone baby back ribs.


We were impressed by Carson's but we left debating if we could make our own delicious ribs at home. Lo and behold a few weeks later it was the 4th of July and we decided to give it a try. And thus this blog was born.


What we are going to attempt to do is compete against the best restaurants that our city (and maybe some from our random adventures) has to offer. We may be biased but we will judge as best we can. After all, if there is one thing we like better than cooking together, it's eating together.


Judge for yourself how we did (seen above are our ribs).


General Preparation/Recipe (Note: recipe is a combination from Martha Stewart Living Magazine June 2010 and watching too much food network)
2 full slabs of pork baby back ribs (whole foods - $5.99 lb.)
Coat ribs with your favorite dry rub
Bake ribs until tender in 300-degree oven (approximately 2.5 hours)
Slather ribs with homemade bbq sauce (Matt's BBQ sauce recipe below)
Grill ribs on high heat (450-500 degrees) for 1-2 minutes per side (till gets a good char)
Serve ribs with extra BBQ sauce and your favorite sides.


Matt's BBQ sauce (clearly a large batch of BBQ sauce)
12 oz Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
6 oz Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory Brown Sugar BBQ sauce
4 oz Honey Dijon Dressing
4 oz Worcestershire Sauce
4 oz Sangria (Red Wine can substitute)


Judgement: Homemade Wins!


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