Eating Europe

We will be flying out to Europe on Sunday. I hope to bring you guys some wonderful restaurant reviews and hopefully some new recipes.

We will be flying into Paris and renting an RV for 18 nt's. We will travel to Reims, Verzenay, Epernay our first full day and will get to have some great champagne tastings. I wonder what their local Rose biscuits taste like....we'll soon find out.

This is our favorite Champagne

We will then travel over to Heidelberg, O.T Rothenburg, Munich & Fussen Germany. I'm positive that we will have many beirs and sausages.

Then it will be on to Innsbruck Austria in the Alps....hopefully weather permitting we will be able to take a gondola up to the top of the Alps and have fondue with a view.

It is in Italy that I'm most excited about their fresh food. We have a whole list of items to purchase to bring home or etleast taste.

Parmesan cheese from Parma and Parma Ham, too bad we can't bring any meat product back into the US.

In Modena we have reservations to tour a Balsamic vinegar house. I'll bet we'll be shipping several bottles back home.

I love anchovies and when we arrive in Cinque Terre area most restaurants feature many forms of their fresh catches. Cinque Terre is part of the Liguiria area of Italy and many specialites origaneted from this area such as Foccaccia bread (fugass in Italian), Torta Salata (a savory vegetable tart), pesto, Chickpea Farinata. Testaroli pasta. Hazelnuts and chestnuts are from this area too. Ligurian olive oil is some of the most expensive in the world because it is so rare due to a blite a few years ago and also because the only land in Cinque Terre to grow them are terraced areas of the seaside hills. I would consider us very lucky if we can find the rare Vessalico pink garlic grown only in vessalico.

Cinque Terre above and Testaroli pasta below

There is an Olive museum in Imperia Italy that I'm very interested in stopping at. Of  course a visit to Italy wouldn' be complete with out pizza, gelato and esspresso.

Museo dell'Olivo



We then will continue driving into the French Riviera and up through Province France and into the Burgundy wine country. Looking forward to stopping at Chateau de Beaucastle in Chateauneuf du Pape, I've never had a Chatueuneuf du Pape I haven't liked and Beaucastle is suppose to be one of the best.

Not certain if we will take the time to stop in Lyon France culinary capital of the world. If so there are too many restaurants to decide now which one we will try. Decisions, decisions.

We're definitley be stopping in Beaune capital of Burgundy country. We will be paying a visit to March aux Vins for some tastings. I'm hoping to score a few bottles of Meursault also a very fine wine IMO.

Hospices de Beaune and a tasting table at the wine auction house

Our next big culinary experiance will come in the City of Lights where we will rent an apartment for 6 nt's. I have really had some restraint and not went crazy with making reservations. I've only made ressy's for 1 restaurant so far and that is Spring. I will call and make reservations once on French soil for Josephine Chez Dumont. We will be willing to stand in line to eat at Cafe Constant a creation by  former Michelin star Chef Christian Constant that has several other restaurants. We're looking forward to just finding a bistro and sitting to people watch as they walk by while we dine on croque-monsieur and drink our vin. I'm sure we'll find plenty to stock our kitchen at a street food market.

The view from inside our apartment

Marie Ann Cantin is a fromagerie that I would like to stock up on cheese from. A L'Etoile for some of her great chocolates. Berthilion icecream sounds yummy as does a Nutella crepe from a street vender. Some of the best hot chocolate in the city can be found at Angelina's tea room.

Really do you think I can choose just one?

Of course I have constantly been dreaming of the many patisseries and macarons like Laduree, Piere Herme, Des Gateaux (right around the corner from our apt.) & Dalloyou.

I hope to find some Jean -Yves bordier Butter with sea salt maybe we can find it at any one of the gourmet food stores like La Bon March Grand Epicurie. Printemps, Galleries Lafayette Gourmet.

Hopefully we will have some extra room to bring it all home.....that is what ever we don't devour first. 

Bon appetit



Easters Oatmeal Cake

We just finished our Easter celebration with some delightful family and friends. Marks oldest friend Russel brought over an excellent Oatmeal cake. Russell is no dummy he knows to bring recipes when he comes to this house because we always love what he brings. So I told him I'd put his cake recipe on this blog. Hope you all enjoy it as much as we did. We served it with a vanilla ice cream but, I think the coconut flavor of the cake would marry well with a pineapple ice cream to give it a tropical punch. Thanks Russell for another great recipe to add to our collection.

Oatmeal Cake 

from Russells kitchen

 Preheat oven 375

In a bowl mix the following

 

11/2c hot water….almost boiling

1cup quick oats

1tsp baking soda

Mix together and set aside to cool.

 

In a separate bowl mix together the following ingredients in order given.

1cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

½  cup corn oil

½ stick butter melted

Pinch of salt

½ tsp cinnamon

2 eggs

2 cup flour

Add the cooled oatmeal mixture

Bake 15-20 min in greased & floured 9x13 pan ( he used aluminum) Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes,

Spread topping (recipe to follow) on cake  . Return to oven for another 15-20 minutes topping should be light and bubbly.Topping

1 stick butter melted

½ brown sugar

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup coconut

¼ cup evaporated milk

1 tsp vanilla

 Mix all together and spread on hot cake.

 

 

 

 

New York Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

 

 

 

So with a winter warning for 6-10 inches of snow Sunday was a perfect day to stay in and play in the kitchen. We had stocked up on cream cheese when it was on sale for Christmas so it's been sitting in the fridge begging me to make a cheesecake....really that was Mark doing the begging.

 

Start by setting ingredients out at room temperature or etleast 10 min.

 

 

Crust

1 Cup graham cracker crumbs

3 Tbsp sugar

3 Tbsp butter melted

For the crust mix the G.C. crumbs, sugar and butter and press into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Bake 350* for 10 min.

Cheesecake

5 pkg (8oz each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese

1cup sugar

3Tbsp flour

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

 

For the cheesecake mix cream cheese , 1 cup of sugar, flour and vanilla with electric mixer on med speed until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time mixing on low speed after each addition, just until blended. Blend in sour cream. Do not over beat as too much air will make it rise too high and then fall, creating lots of cracks. Pour over crust.

 

Bake 1hr 5min to 1hr 10 min or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake, cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate a minimum 4 hr.

Makes 12 servings

 

Not a bad looking cheesecake. I have read that if you wrap the bottom of your pan with foil and submerse it in a water bath to bake it will help prevent cracks in your cake. I personally think this is more work then it's worth since none of us mind eating it with the cracks. This one only had one small crack. Worth putting up with.

 

 

Raspberry Sauce

Not wanting to run out in the snow I decide to concoct my own sauce. So I took 6 Tbs Raspberry jelly and stirred in 4 Tbs corn syrup it was quite tasty and it was hit with all, it will be used again in the future.

 

Traders Point Creamery Loft Restaurant review

12-6-12 dining date

 

Traders Point Creamery is practically in our back yard and not certain why we had not made it here sooner. Especially after reading so many great reviews and friends saying how good it is. In all fairness we had attempted to go there for lunch this summer. But we could hardly find a parking spot and there was a line of folks waiting to get in. so we left w/o even getting out of the car.

 

Well while doing some research I ran across their website and decided we had to give it another go.  So Mark and I decide to make a date night out of it and had an incredible evening. It wasn’t entirely coincidental that we chose a Thursday night when they offer ½ price bottles of wine. Hey how else can you get 2 bottles of wine for the price of one? What can I say we couldn’t stop at just one.

 

Just to prepare anyone that hasn’t been there before the restaurant is correctly named The Loft because it’s the Loft of a barn on an active educational dairy farm. Traders Point creamery milks their own cows and uses fresh organic local grown food stuff. They make their own cheeses, yogurts and ice cream on site. They even have a dairy bar inside the restaurant serving specialty ice cream and homemade deserts. There’s also a wall of windows looking into the area that they age their cheeses in. I must confess peering through the window that I had to work to keep my mouth shut so that I wouldn’t drool.

 

Upon arrival you will park in a gravel parking lot, so beware with high heels. As we approached the barn there wasn’t much signage that we could see…..after all it was already dark on a late fall Indiana evening. We made the mistake and went to the right walking through some muddy areas to discover that the area we were headed was a demonstration window for cow milking or cheese making not certain which. We found our way to the gift shop/restaurant entrance on the left side of the barn.

 

Once in the gift shop we went up the stairs to the hostess stand. Not certain if there is another entrance if not it may be limiting to those who can’t take stairs. We were seated immediately and I was surprised to find only two other tables with occupants. Kind of makes you wonder if the quality had went down hill or something. We must have been too early as the restaurant did start to fill up before we left.

 

Shortly after being seated we were greeted by our waitress Tracey. I had a head start on Mark as I had viewed the menu online and was pretty sure that we wanted to try their fondue appetizer. While ordering our wine and talking with Tracey she informed us the fondue was large and may be too filling if we were planning on having an entrée as well. She then recommended the cheese sampler plate, which we promptly ordered. Our wine a tasty Bishop’s Peak Cabernet Sauvignon arrived quickly which is always a plus for us. This wine paired well with most everything we ate that evening and really made some of our cheese pop in the mouth. The cheese platter was exceptional. I don’t think I have probably had cheese that fresh before. According to Tracey the platter can change regularly depending upon what is aged and ready to be served. It was served with crostinis and green grapes. I’ll try my best to describe the cheeses we tried.

The platter had their 3 soft spreadable cheeses called fromages…...

Blanc….good if not a little boring after the others…glad we tried this first

Garden herb…this variety was made with fresh dill grown on the farm, I enjoyed this but Mark didn’t care for the strong dill flavor.

Spicy which Mark loved… I liked it also but could see how some could think it too hot.

There was also a firm white cheddar, Brick street Tomme a semi firm cheese washed with a local beer was very earth earthy and probably my favorite if not the baby Swiss. Boone County Bloomy a soft cheese with an ash rind, and Pepper Jack cheese. There was an award winning Fleur de la Terre gouda style cheese. All were very good and I’d eat any of them again and am already considering recipes to use some of them in. We had to stop eating so that we would be able to enjoy our meal.

 

The nightly specials were described one was a 12oz Porterhouse steak (yes 12 huge oz’s) with an exotic sauce of some sort which sounded wonderful but neither of us were in the mood for a meat coma. The second special was a Mahi Mahi on a bed of locally raised sausage & squash hash with an apple chutney. Their homemade soups for the evening were a ham and bean soup and also a squash soup.

 

We each wanted to try as many items on the menu as possible so were going to order different entrée’s, but alas the Mahi Mahi was calling us both so we each ordered it. We both had the squash soup served with red pepper flakes in it and we both enjoyed the mild heat on our tongues. The Mahi Mahi was cooked perfectly with a slight crispiness to the outside of the fish and a soft moist flavorful interior. The sausage squash was excellent with the strong spiciness of the sausage a stand out. The apple chutney reminded me of an apple butter as it had the same texture with a slightly savory flavor, this was served on the side of the plate and not on the fish. For a side I had chosen the herbed fromage mashed potatoes which would have been enjoyed more if I wasn’t so full at that point. The sautéed root vegetables were Marks side of choice, it consisted of more squash, some carrots and I’m sure some other vegetables. Like myself he didn’t have much room to finish it. 

 

Dinner was followed by a wonderful; cup of coffee and Caramel apple pie that Tracey laid claim to making with homemade ice cream. This apple pie was a standout from your everyday ho hum apple pie. You could really taste the spices in it and the apples were just tender enough w/o being overcooked. I didn’t taste the caramel too much but it was delicious just the same. The show stopper was the ice cream. OMG the best I have ever had. It was so creamy that it had little pockets of cream in it that burst a little bit of creamy goodness in your mouth with every bite. Oh yum.  The pie was $8.00 and the one scoop of ice cream was $4.00 more. A $12 dessert is a little over the top in my opinion even though we enjoyed it immensely. Glad I paid no attention to the price prior to ordering or I may never have tasted this heavenly delight

 

Everything else was considerably more value for your money especially when you consider that everything is organic or sustainably raised. Paying only $40.00 for 2 bottles of wine makes it hurt less. The cheese plate I consider to be the big value of the meal, considering how much cheese you got, was only $14.00 The specials were $26.00 and the soup which I thought was included with the special was $4.00 a cup. Coffee was $3.00 a cup. Our grand total was $143.88. We had a $100.00 prepaid Visa gift card that we used that took some of the sting out of the overall cost.

 

Service, food and ambiance were all excellent. I can’t wait to go back and being that close to home I foresee many more visits. Go try it and let us all know your thoughts.

Valentines Day Dinner

Hello everyone, sorry its been so long since our last post.....just wanted to give you all a little review on our valentines day dinner.

GS (Glenda) and I had made reservations at a great Italian place off west 86th street called Amalfi's. GS and I have been there before and the food is just out of this world, just love this family owned resturant. But a word to the wise....we would suggest you dress for dinner here. But we didn't go, a couple of our closest friends and fellow foodies called and wanted us to go with them to the Eagles Nest downtown at the top of the Hyatt, so of course we were all in.

Reservations were made for Saturday the 16th at 7:30 so off we went. Gs and I had eaten there several times but the last couple of times the food and service was very disapointing for the price you pay. Now don't get me wrong, the view from the top is the best of downtown that we have found. This revolving restraunt does a complete 360 degree turn over the city every hour, Awesome! So the 4 of us arrive around 7:15 and took the special elevator to the top floor. When we stepped from the elevator Gs and I were very surprised and delighted to see a full blown upgrade. This place was stunning. The colors were popping and the new flooring, lighting, white leather couchs, tables and chairs looked so inviting. Reminds us of a very nice ultra lounge in Vegas. We were greated with a smile and friendly voice asking if they could take our coats then we were taken to our table, with 2 chairs on one side and a very inviting couch on the other with several pillows for your convinence.  We were greeted by our wait staff and handed menus. I looked over the wine list and picked a bottle for the table. I then picked up a menu and jumped in the conversation. It was nice to see a brand new menu, but after reading the whole menu in what seemed like a minute I was pleasantly surprised. The menu is not large offering......5 appetizers, Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes, Grilled Shrimp Cocktail, Escargot, Wild Mushroom Ravoli, and  Wild Mushroom and Duck Confit Pancake.
Brian and T decided to have the Wild Mushroom and Duck Confit Pancake. GS had a Arugula & Roasted Pear Salad and I picked the French Onion Soup. The apps. show up in a very timely manner and I must say they all looked like a picture. We all dug in and were very pleased, the Duck Confit Pancake looked and tasted  more like a crepe but was very good, the cheese running over my French Onion soup was very good with the soup being very rich and tasty. GS loved her salad, very fresh looking with a warm pear, yum. Of course by this time were ready for more wine, Brian had it under control and on its way. That night we were drinking a very rich but smooth blend from Calf. , Im sorry I have forgot the name...maybe I had to many by that time....lol. (note from GS I believe it was  a very nice Lythe Meritage, I can't quite remember myself since we had also had a bottle of Champagne prior to dinner).
Dinners arrive with nice spacing between the apps. giving us time to catch up with our friends. Dinner arrives, 3 wait staff laying all dinners on the table at the same time ( that's always a very classy touch) needless to say my eyes were wondering to every ones plate...WOW....they looked fresh, hot and very appealing.  T ordered the Crab Crusted Halibut, Brian got the Surf and Turf that came with Short Ribs and Sea Scallops mmmm very good looking plate, GS got that nights special,  10 oz Filet with a large very sweet lobster tail...oooolala, I ordered the Rack of Elk.....that's right I said Elk! I love Elk, this is a first for me finding Elk on a menu in Indy....Way to go Eagles Nest. Needless to say all our dinners were cooked to perfection and tasted great. We all  rated the food the same, on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the best we all ranked it a solid 4. This was a very good meal and night out. Now are there things that I would like to see different sure....The menu choices.....I would like to see better Appetizers meaning if you can serve Elk, Halibut  and Duck Confit pancakes you can come up with something better then Grilled Shrimp Cocktail and Mushroom Ravoli. If your looking for any other steak other than a Filet forget it, that's the only steak choice. Now the part that hurts.......the  high prices.....Apps 12.00-15.00, Soups 10.00-12.00, All Salads 8.00, Sides 8-10, with Dinners from 26-46. GS Steak & Lobster was the special of the night it was 60. It will cost you 20.00 to Valet park unless you have the coat check validate your ticket then you save 10.00. Over all a great dinner and great date night restaurant, we will return.
Thanks guys and till next time......happy eats
  
    

Lobster Mac & Cheese for Weimaraners

 

We adopted our Weimaraner Smoke from Louisville Weimaraner Rescue. They are publishing a cook book as a fund raiser. What a great idea......me thinks.

 

Once the books are printed I'll post a link on here for you all to order your own. In the mean time please feel free to contact them about opening up your home for a new family member. http://www.louisvilleweimrescue.com/

 

 

 

 

 

Lobster Mac & Cheese

Adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients

Kosher salt

Vegetable oil

1lb pasta of your choice elbow macaroni, cavatappi, rigatoni

1 quart of milk

6Tbls unsalted butter

½ cup all purpose flour

12 oz Gruyere cheese grated (4 cups)

8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese grated (2 cups)

½ tsp fresh ground black pepper

½ tsp nutmeg

1 ½ lb cooked lobster meat

2 Tbls truffle oil (we use) or Ina uses 2 Tbl of unsalted butter

1 ½ cup fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crust removed)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375degrees F.

Drizzle vegetable oil in a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the pasta and cook according to directions on package, 6-8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it. In a large pot, melt 6 Tbl butter and slowly add the flour, stirring while adding to prevent lumps. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. Still whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 Tbls salt, pepper, and the nutmeg. Add the cooked pasta and lobster stir well. Place the mixture in 6-8 individual gratin dishes.

Melt 2 more Tbls of butter or you can substitute 2 Tbls truffle oil for the butter. Combine melted butter or Truffle oil and combine with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. We drizzle a little more truffle oil over the top. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the pasta is browned on the top.

 

 

Here's a pic of Smoke's little big brother, he's also a foodie (doesn't a bone always taste better after being buried).

Yeah their cute but don't even try getting in the front door.

Smoked Salmon Spread

Smoked Salmon Spread

Hello fellow foodies,
     The other day I was putzing around in the kitchen and decided to make something different that sounded good, and easy. So needless to say I decided on a salmon cheese spread. I love fresh salmon and I love any spread/dip....lol So I took off to the store, I picked up some salmon. I always ask if the fish I'm buying is fresh, whats the pack date (I like it to be 5 or less from the current date), and last but not least I smell it, I'm sorry I'm a big believer if it smells, its not going home with me. I ask the seafood clerk if they would please remove the skin and steam it for me, any time I can save, awesome. While the salmon was steaming away ( 1lb. steamed 9 mins) I was off to finish my shopping. Headed back to the seafood department and there was my steamed salmon waiting, a quick thanks to the clerk and I was heading home to the kitchen. Returned home, walked in the kitchen and first things first....uncorked a  nice Robert Mondovi Meritage, I know I can hear some of you already....that wine is to strong, that wine should only be drank with food. Hey my house that what I like, chilax.....lol. So with my steamed fish now nice and cool I break out my favorite mixing bowl and spoons and I'm off. Before I left I took out 3 packs of cream cheese to soften. Grabbed the garlic, onion powder, liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, smokey paprika, kosher salt and got to mixing (recipe to follow). After creating what I say is a darn tasty spread, in the fridge it goes for several hours before serving. I recommend making this a day or 2 ahead so the flavors have time to work and get happy.
I will leave with this.....A fatfoodie is a happy foodie
Mark

Recipe:
1 lb. Steamed Salmon (skin removed)
3 12 oz. pks. Philadelphia cream cheese
1 TB. Garlic powder
1 TB. Onion powder
1 TB. Smokey Paprika
1 TB. Cayenne Pepper (or more to taste)
1 TB. Liquid Smoke ( or more to taste)
Start by mixing your cream cheese well, then add your spices, mix well.
Add your liquid smoke, mix well.
Break up your salmon with a fork to desired size then hand stir into spread.
You may dice up a chive to add at this time as well.......