Chicago

Mado
Chicago, IL
August 16, 2009

Best meal of the Chicago trip: There were 6 of us and we shared everything so we all got a bite or two of each plate, plus our own entrees. The standouts were the pork rilette, my white fish, and the vanilla pudding, which was like creme brulee with a little rice stirred in. The restaurant was BYOB so we had some great wines to go with the meal. Good times!

Charcuterie platter with pork rilette, tuscan chicken liver paté, and country paté plus accompaniments

beets with ras el hanout crème fraiche and pistachios

shishito peppers fried in olive oil with sea salt

whitefish baccala with spring onion and chilies

wood roasted pig’s head, pickled white peaches and wild amaranth

whitefish with cucumbers, pea shoots and mint

mixed grill of pork sausage and pork heart with frisée, pickled cherry peppers and nectarine

vanilla bean rice pudding with raspberries

almond and cornmeal cake with apricot jam, goat cheese - mascarpone cream and candied almonds

migas bark

Other standouts from the trip, Hot Doug's, Lou Malnati's, Manny's and Pollo Express.

My new favorite drink that I concocted tonight

Juice of 1 blood orange
Shot of good Gin (I used Dryfly)
Shot of Cointreau
Splash of Grenandine
Splash of Rosie's
Ice and Tonic to fill the glass

I would pay $$$ for this drink!

Spring Indian Dinner

This may not look like much, but it was a fantastic Indian dinner we made last Sunday night. Andy made the halibut from the "Summer Yellow" menu from A Platter of Figs by David Tanis. He also made the accompanying yogurt sauce, but added shredded cucumber and radish to the sauce. Delicious, with a nice added texture. The fish marinates in Indian spices and then is grilled or broiled, ending up with a nice yellow color from the turmeric. On the side we had fresh okra sauteed with shallot and Indian spices. The recipe was from a Madhur Jaffrey cookbook, but was so simple that really no recipe is needed to make them. I contributed to the meal by opening the rose wine and making the naan bread, which was easy to do and the recipe I used made a ton! We now have extra bread in our freezer to pull out for our next Indian meal. I don't think I will buy naan again.

Valentine's Day Dinner

Andy really did something special for me for Valentine's Day this year. He knows how much I love Mexican food and well, that is what he made for me!

First Course: Bay Scallop Ceviche with Avocado and Chipotle

Second Course: Turkey in Mole sauce with Pueblo Rice

Dessert: Mexican Chocolate flan with Pepita Brittle

For drinks, we had 2007 Mas Pouperas Cote du Rhone Villages “Funambule” and a bubbly Cava from Spain.

Yum!

Barak O'Lantern

Barak O'Lantern, originally uploaded by gayle kingston.

Happy Halloween!

The next time I am in New Orleans, I must make a visit to the Southern Food & Beverage Museum. Better yet, I think I should work there! Except for never getting anything done because I am reading cookbooks all day, I think it would be a perfect fit.

Recently

It is beginning to be that time of year and we are cooking more at home. Of course no week goes by without a trip to the farmer's market, which has become our Saturday morning ritual. My new favorite thing is to stop by Foraged and Found Edibles for their bags of dried mushrooms. Seriously the best pizza topping in the world, with a little provolone and parmesan thrown on with them.

My birthday was earlier this month and I elected to go to Cremant, a favorite French restaurant of mine. We brought our own wine (a great way to make friends with your waiter!) and had a great time. I tried absinthe for the first time, ate some lovely cured salmon with celeriac, duck breast with polenta, and many stinky cheeses for "dessert." After dinner, I had a wonderful slice of birthday coconut cake.

Andy made choucroute last weekend and we had a fun time going down to the market to visit the German ladies at Bavarian Meats. They are too nice!

I also made the "French Style Pot Roast" from the Nov. 2007 issue of Cook's Illustrated. It took the better part of an afternoon, but the results were worth it. Not quite like my mom's pot roast recipe, but good in a different way.

Next up, butternut squash and sausage bake for dinner tonight and possibly next week, some saffron risotto with butternut squash.