At our loft dinner last night in Bridgeport we enjoyed the most pleasurable and palatable of palate refreshers. Rhubarb Sorbet! The first time I ever experienced a “palate refresher” was at a little restaurant in St. Charles, IL called Al Capone’s Hideaway and Steakhouse. It was prom night and we both ordered the prime rib. [...]
Read moreMorita Chiles started out as a small variety of jalapeno. To transform into a morita, the jalapeno is allowed to ripen on the plant to a dark red color. Then it is low and and slow roasted with smoke before finally it is dried. Voila! Morita chile is born. The result is a spicy, fruity, [...]
Read moreRhubarb Cream Cheese Ice Cream Ingredients: 6 cups diced fresh rhubarb 2 cups sugar 2 cups water 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 red beet, sliced 2 lbs cream cheese, softened 3 cups milk 3 cups heavy cream 3 cups sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons vanilla Method: In a 2 quart saucepan over medium-low heat, [...]
Read moreThese soft, slightly sweet, and salty rolls were recently featured in our burger dish at our South Shore dinner parties. They are perfect as hamburger buns, and I imagine they would be excellent for sausages too. Just make them long instead of round. It’s a quick and easy recipe that will impress everyone at your [...]
Read moreIngredients: 4 cups heavy cream 6 cups granulated sugar 1-1/2 cup light corn syrup 1 cup honey 18 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces 9 tsp vanilla extract 6 tsp sea salt Method: 1. Prepare a half sheet pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray. 2. Place [...]
Read moreMy first attempt at candy making was preceded by plenty of research. I typically don’t like to spend a lot of time practicing and running trials, although I really should, but the instructions seemed simple enough. I ordered the last 4 molds of “farm truck” in stock from sugarcraft.com and waited patiently for their arrival. [...]
Read moreBirria de Chivo (Goat Stew) Recipe by Chef Efrain Cuevas Ingredients: 2 Legs of Goat, cut into thick chops (go to Halsted Packing House or contact Harry from Mint Creek Farm) 4 dried Ancho Chiles 4 dried Guajillo Chiles 4 dried Pasilla Chiles 2 dried Chipotle Chiles 1 roasted red bell pepper 1 tablespoon cumin [...]
Read moreThe Lincoln’s enjoyed a good dinner party. One of the popular desserts of the time was gooseberry cobbler. Try making one at home and invite some friends. In Chicago, you’ll have to wait until June for fresh gooseberries. Thanks to Emily Johns for this recipe. Gooseberry Cobbler Elderberries, gooseberries–all the old-time berries and fruits found [...]
Read morePumpkin Empanadas Dough: 4 cups flour 4 sticks butter, cold 1 cup ground pumpkin seeds 1/2 cup sugar dash of salt and pepper cold milk Filling: 1.5 cups cooked pumpkin ( can sub canned pumpkin) 1.5 cups roasted butternut squash 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup ricotta cheese ground nutmeg and/or mace to taste Method: In [...]
Read moreTurducken 1 – 14lb turkey 1 – 4lb duck chicken breast and thigh pieces Rub (recommend Paul Prudhhome’s Poultry Magic) 4 cups crumbled homemade cornbread (Use your favorite Recipe) 1 lb Andouille Sausage, sliced Method: Debone the turkey and duck according to instructions demonstated in class. Reserve the bones, necks, livers for stock. Take the [...]
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