Month: December 2017

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Lavender Chamomile Tea Cookies

lavender1Perfect with brunch or afternoon tea, these little cookies offer lovely and surprising flavors. Because they are crisp (perfect for dunking), they will keep well in a sealed storage container on your counter or in the freezer. Let’s get started! Continue reading →

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Review: Sushi GO!

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Bayview Bacon Sushi Burrito – Delish!

A new dining adventure awaits you on the Northeast corner of South Kinnickinnic Avenue and East Oklahoma Avenue in Bay View… Sushi GO!

For all of the dining options in Bay View – and there’s stiff competition here, my friends – sushi restaurants are still uncommon. There’s room in the local dining scene for a casually trendy place to meet friends for sushi and wine, and the proprietors of Sushi GO! are working enthusiastically to fill that space.

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California Roll (8 generous pieces per order)

You can, of course, find the usual suspects on the menu – ginger salad and miso soup, California rolls, veggie rolls, etc. If you’re an American sushi joint traditionalist, you’ll find these familiar comforts exceptionally well prepared. The ginger salad is lightly tossed with a flavorful dressing – no big glop of orangey-pink dressing here. The miso soup appears to be made with pressed tofu, and is quite enjoyable.

The real stars of the Sushi GO! menu are the sushi burritos. I’ll confess to being a former sushi burrito skeptic, because I was (wrongly) envisioning the football sized monstrosities at actual burrito chains. Well, get that out of your head. The sushi burritos at Sushi GO! are just the right size to be satisfying without being excessive, are made with well prepared rice and sheets of nori, and are filled with delectable combinations of ingredients.

Try the Bayview Bacon Sushi Burrito! As the menu says, this gem is filled with “Crab Salad, avocado, cucumber, bacon fat caramelized onions, [and] bacon.” The crab salad is excellent, and the bacon is a fabulous thick cut variety favored by connoisseurs. The Bayview Bacon Sushi Burrito is ah-mazing, and let me interrupt before anyone gets precious about “traditional” sushi ingredients. While exploring sushi offerings in every district of Tokyo, I saw Japanese diners relishing everything from fried eggs to miniature hamburger patties on their sushi. Anything goes. Anything. Bacon? Yes, please!

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Spicy Tuna Roll (8 pieces per order)

Amanda, one of the proprietors, was friendly and welcoming. She walked me through the menu, and even offered a generous sample of their Spicy Tuna Roll made with honey sriracha aioli (delish!). I visited at lunchtime with pint-sized diners, and she made them feel welcome.

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Pint-size Sushi Aficionado with a California Roll 

I can’t wait to return soon during evening hours for sushi and sake.

Gochisosama Deshita!

“It was quite a feast!”

Planning a visit? Check out SushiGoMKE.com or stop by at 2110 E Oklahoma Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

 

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Vintage Post: King Crab Rolls

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Happy Holidays, Everyone!

King Crab Rolls just might be my very favorite special occasion food.  While King Crab is expensive, it is spectacularly delicious.  Alaskan King Crab is a wild caught (never farmed) product, and is sustainably harvested.  I feel much better about splurging on a pricey ingredient if I know my purchase is not harming the environment.

Everything about this recipe, from the decadent seafood to the homemade rolls toasted with real butter, shouts “Special Day!”  Whatever you happen to be celebrating, King Crab Rolls will make your mealtime grand!

picture337AIngredients (makes 4 large rolls)

1 1/2 pounds shell-on King Crab legs

1/2 pound bay scallops (optional)

1 teaspoon seafood seasoning blend

1/4 cup real mayonnaise

picture3481/4 cup finely chopped celery, including leaves

1 loaf of fresh Simple Bread

1/4 cup butter

Directions

picture337Step 1) Drop crab legs into a large pot of boiling water seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon of seafood seasoning blend.  Leave crab legs in boiling water for 3 minutes if they were fresh, or 10 minutes if they were frozen (typical).

Step 2) Drain crab legs and crack with a hand held nutcracker or clean picture338Apliers.  Extract meat using a small fork (a fondue fork works well, if you have one).  King Crab legs are spiny – hold them with a potholder to avoid hurting yourself!  Be patient with this step.  It may take 30 minutes or so to extract all of the meat.  Your effort will be worthwhile!

picture351Step 3) If using bay scallops, sauté them in a saucepan for 3 – 5 minutes until they are a milky white color.  Drain.

Step 4) Gently combine crab meat, scallops, mayonnaise, celery, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning blend.  Try not to break up the crab meat.  Refrigerate.

Step 5) Cut four generous, 2 inch thick slices from your loaf of Simple Bread.  Then, cut through the middle of each slice from the top, stopping 1 inch from the bottom crust.  Your slices should open in narrow “V” shapes, as shown above.

Step 6) Place 1/4 cup of butter on a baking pan with low sides, and melt by placing in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes.  Watch carefully, and remove pan when butter is just melted!

Step 7) Place each of your four “V” shaped bread rolls down on the melted butter, then flip over so that each of the two outsides are buttered.  Return pan to oven to toast your bread rolls for five minutes.

Step 8) Remove your toasted bread rolls, and carefully fill with equal quantities of your seafood mixture.  Serve right away, while the rolls are warm and the seafood is cold.

Enjoy your special occasion!

Continue reading →

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Festive Filet Mignon

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Just in time for the holidays, we’re sharing a vintage recipe for filet mignon. An indulgence? Of course. Filet mignon is such a high quality cut of meat that it really doesn’t need much in the way of preparation or fussy cooking techniques.

Today, all we’re doing is giving this tenderloin a simple dry rub and roasting it in the oven. Seriously, it’s as simple as that.  Cascabel peppers have a rich flavor and mild heat (with the seeds removed) that stands up well to beef and blends well with high quality cocoa powder for a surprisingly complex, warm dry rub.

WIN_20150104_164814Ingredients (Serves 6)

2 pounds beef tenderloin

4 dried Cascabel peppers, stems and seeds removed (I bought these at Penzeys)

1 heaping tablespoon good quality cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Step 1) Grind Cascabel peppers into a fine powder in a small blender or clean coffee grinder. Add cocoa and salt. Mix with fingers.
KRUPS F203 Electric Spice and Coffee Grinder with Stainless Steel Blades, Black

Step 2) Rub pepper and cocoa mixture all over both sides of the beef tenderloin. Place tenderloin in a pan lined with a roasting rack and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

WIN_20150101_173802Step 3) Roast tenderloin in a preheated, 425 degree oven for 35 – 45 minutes until a meat thermometer registers 145 degrees (for medium-rare) or 160 degrees (for medium, my personal preference).  When desired meat temperature is reached, remove from oven and cover meat loosely with aluminum foil for 5 minutes.  Allowing the meat to rest prevents juices from running everywhere when you slice the tenderloin!

Step 4) After 5 minutes, cut tenderloin across the grain into  1 1/2 inch thick slices. Serve immediately with a green salad and the starch (potatoes, yams, or perhaps squash) of your choice.

Continue reading →

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Cherry Pannekoeken

A cross between a pancake and an omelette, Pannekoeken (to the Dutch) or Pfannkuchen (to the Germans) makes a lovely breakfast no matter how you choose to pronounce it! Today we’re making this simple dish with cherries, for a sweet and cheerful twist. Continue reading →

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Simple Singapore Noodles

noodle1Ah, Singapore noodles – savory, a little spicy, and full of tasty morsels of whatever stir-fried veggies and protein you desire. Making Singapore noodles is faster than making spaghetti and meatballs, and costs less than yet another take-out meal. Let’s get started! Continue reading →