Hit and Miss

It's no secret that 'we' love to cook. "We" love that Paul loves to cook and frankly, I love to watch. Oh and do the dishes. But another part of our life is exploring Grand Rapids and making sure that we invest in small, local community shops, bakeries and restaurants. Wednesdays are our out-and-about evenings. We try and eat out at one local place on Wednesdays, and if not Wednesdays well, one night a week.

Homerun
A huge hit with us has been the Winchester. They have amazing beers on tap, cool tables, stools and seating and fab food. In fact, the fish tacos are SO GOOD that I haven't been able to order anything else. It's the one thing I really miss about SoCal. Good fish tacos. And I am so thrilled to have found them here!

The big miss
On the recommendation of friends, we headed to the Electric Cheetah. The restaurant was half full on a Saturday at lunch, yet our drinks were never refreshed and our food, a salad for Paul and a half sandwich and soup took almost 25 minutes. I seldom do this but I sent the food back. The sandwich, a chicken salad sandwich had about three pieces of chicken and soup, which was supposed to be a carrot ginger, tasted like water. Literally. Paul's salad was pedestrian at best. Our waitress offered me other food and she brought out a half bowl (pretty skimpy) of tomato saffron soup. Another broth-based soup that was very watered down. We cook with saffron and I couldn't taste any. I ended up at Subway. So after much anticipation, that place is crossed off our list.

We have lots of other places to explore in this wonderful town! So stay tuned for updates. Happy eating.

Deb's Birthday Dinner: Chicken Curry

Our good friend Deb celebrated her "39th" birthday with us last night. We had Deb over for dinner a few weeks ago and I asked her what she wanted me to make her for her birthday. I suggested that to her that I make Chicken Curry with Apple Curried Cous Cous. Much to my surprise, I had never made this dish for her. Here is the recipe for Chicken Curry:


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Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

- 3 tablespoons butter

- 2 pounds chicken breast filets, cut into strips

- 1 teaspoon cumin

- ½ teaspoon dried coriander

- ½ teaspoon dried ginger

- Red pepper flakes to taste

- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

- ½ cup chicken stock (or broth)

- 1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Heat butter in a heavy skillet over medium high heat until the foam from the butter subsides. Add the chicken and cook until browned, 5-7 minutes. Add cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

2. Lower heat to medium-low, simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Slowly add the heavy cream and simmer (do not let the mixture come to a boil) for 3-4 minutes.

3. Transfer chicken and the sauce to a serving plate and serve immediately.

Cook’s Notes: Be careful not to let the sauce boil after you add the heavy cream. If you are looking for the “Curry Powder,” it is the mix of cumin, coriander and ginger. Finally, the more red pepper flakes you add, the spicier you meal will be. Enjoy this meal with rice or cous cous.

And now for the cous cous:

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Curried Apple Cous Cous

Ingredients:

- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

- 2 medium apples, cored and chopped

- 1 teaspoon cumin

- ½ teaspoon dried coriander

- ½ teaspoon dried ginger

- 3 green onions, washed and chopped

- 1 box Near East Cous Cous

- 2 cups water

- ½ cup pine nuts

- small handful of mint

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of the butter, cumin, coriander and ginger and cook for a few minutes until the spices are fragrant. Stir in the chopped apples and cook for 3-4 minutes, enough time for the apples to soften up and absorb some of the spices. Scoop the apples from the pan and set aside in a bowl.

In the same pan over medium-high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Stir in the green onions and cook them until they are soft. Add the water and bring to a boil, then stir in the cous cous. Cover and remove from the heat. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, then use a fork to fluff up the cous cous. Stir in the apples, pine nuts and chopped mint.

Serves 6

The meal was an unqualified success. Adult beverages were enjoyed prior to, during and after the meal. and for dessert we each enjoyed a slice of watermelon.

Life is good here at the Cafe.

Filet Mignons With Balsamic Pan Sauce and Truffle Oil Recipe

I made this dish in the Cafe a few days ago and it was yummy!

Filet Mignons With Balsamic Pan Sauce and Truffle Oil Recipe

• filet mignon steaks, 1 1/2 inches thick (one per person)
• salt, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• truffle oil, for drizzling

1. Sprinkle steaks generously with salt and pepper.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 275F. Take the filet/steak out of its
wrapper, and pat dry with a paper towel and then liberally apply salt
and pepper to the meat. Place the meat onto a roasting pan, and put
the pan into the oven. Cook the meat for 20-25 minutes, or until the
internal temperature of the meat is 90-95F.
3. Once the meat is between 90-95F, remove the pan from the
oven. Coat the bottom of a large, heavy frying pan with olive oil
and heat over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and cook to the
desired doneness (130F for medium rare), 2-3 minutes on each side.
4. Transfer to a platter and let rest, tented loosely with
aluminum foil, while you make the sauce.
5. In the same pan over medium-high heat, add the vinegar
and deglaze by scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Cook
until slightly reduced and thickened, about 3 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the butter to form a smooth
sauce.
7. To serve, transfer the steaks to individual plates, top
with the sauce, and drizzle with a small amount of truffle oil.

Roast Tenderloin of Beef Mustard Sauce

Last night was a special night here at the Cafe. We were having our friend Deb over for dinner, following a morning of painting our closets in preparation for the new closet inserts which will be installed on Thursday. I mulled over a couple of dinner menus and decided to defrost a beef tenderloin which had been sitting, oh so quietly, frozen in our freezer the past few weeks. I thought about making Tenderloin DeLuxe, a dish that Deirdre really likes, but then I thought I should try to expand my recipe base a little. After a few minutes of searching, I found the recipe listed below.

I am happy to report that this recipe was easy to make and was nothing short of outstanding. I removed the tenderloin precisely when the internal temperature of the roast was 124F and the meat perfectly pink inside. The "mustard sauce" is a bit of a misnomer as the shallots and garlic add more flavor to the sauce than mustard. Regardless of the name, the meal was fantastic. In addition to the beef, I made some long grain & wild rice, a tossed salad with a balsamic vinaigrette, and steamed asparagus. Thanks to our friends at Art of the Table, we washed the roast down with a bottle of 2000 Vina Alberdi Rioja, a Spanish red that stood up to the meal.

We also wanted to have a hearty meal in preparation for what was an excellent Game 5 in the Stanley Cup Finals. Final score: Red Wings 5, Penguins 0. Life agrees with us here in the Cafe.

ROAST TENDERLOIN OF BEEF WITH MUSTARD SAUCE

From cooks.com

2 tsp. soy sauce
2 1/2 lbs. beef tenderloin
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 med. garlic clove, minced
3 med. shallots, minced
1/3 c. dry red wine
1 1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 cup (8 oz.) canned low-sodium beef broth
1/4 c. plus 1 tbsp. heavy cream
2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1. Rub the soy sauce all over the beef and let sit for 30 minutes. Season with the pepper.

2. 350 degrees. In a large, heavy, oven-proof skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the beef and cook until well browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

3. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast the tenderloin for about 20 minutes, turning once, until the internal temperature reads 125F degrees on a meat thermometer for rare. Transfer the meat to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil and let sit for 10 minutes.

4. Pour off any fat from the skillet. Add the garlic and shallots and cook over low heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Pour in the wine, increase the heat to high and simmer for 1 minute. Stir in the mustard, broth and cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to moderate and simmer until the sauce has reduced to 1 cup and is thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the butter until incorporated.

5. Using a sharp knife, cut the meat into 12 slices. Arrange the meat on plates or a platter, spoon the mustard sauce on top and serve.

Rosemary update

I am happy to report that there are 8 rosemary plants quietly growing in the terra cotta planter. I have been following the advice of the Grass Doctor, so I am watering the rosemary sparingly. I am keeping the soil moist but not saturated. I am hoping that in a few weeks I will have some fresh rosemary to use in the Cafe.

Germination!

Well, it has been a couple of weeks since I planted a handful of rosemary seeds in a pot and I am happy to report that a couple of the the seeds have germinated. I will continue to tend that pot and look for more sings of the other seeds germinating.

Slow Smoked Baby Back Ribs

I just lit the charcoal in preparation for smoking three racks of baby back ribs. Earlier today, dry rub was applied per the following proportions:

DRY RUB FOR RIBS

3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Press the rub onto both sides of the ribs. This rub works best when you can coat the ribs and let them sit in a refrigerator overnight. If you are pressed for time, apply the rub 4-6 hours before you put them on the grill.

And in a few hours I will make the following BBQ Sauce:

HOME MADE BBQ SAUCE

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups tomato catsup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over moderate heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook gently, stirring for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the catsup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, chili powder and cayenne pepper (the more chili powder and cayenne pepper you add the spicier the sauce will be).
3. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until sauce has thickened, about 25 minutes.

I will place the racks in the smoker as soon as the coals are gray. 5 or so hours later, the ribs will be done. I am also serving bread, cole slaw and beer. Cocktails are at 6:30PM sharp. See you then!