Author: Stephanie March

Last night I had a particularly tasty brew. I’m in Denver and while dining at the Denver Chophouse and Brewery, I happened upon their Wild Turkey Barrel Conditioned Stout. After home-brewing the stout, they “cure” it for a time in used bourbon barrels. Being a bourbon girl, and a stout girl, it was like winning the liquid lottery. The beer was smooth and rich with serious vanilla creaminess. The oak barrels impart a warm toastiness that mellowed, but not overwhelmed, the strong beer.

Speaking of Colorado brewing, did you know that Fat Tire is finally locally available? The New Belgium Brewing Company has added MN to it’s territory and I couldn’t be happier. Any beer drinkers who have spent time out West will already know about Fat Tire Amber’s malty/hoppy Belgian kick. Check out your local liquor store, it’s probably already sitting on the shelf.

Locally, I recently found a nice Belgian called Fatty Boombalatty from Furthermore Brewing in Wisconsin. Yes I bought it for the name, but now I love it for its mind, not just its body.

From the Why Don’t I Make This More Often category: Tuna Poke.

Over the past few stifling days, the last thing I’ve wanted to do was fire up Ol’ Bessie and heat up the kitchen. Oh, maybe I should stand in front of the rocket-fueled grill which has withered the leaves in a five foot radius? No thanks.

During anti-stove days, it’s either take-out, cheese and bread for dinner, or a flash of brilliance that comes up with tuna poke.

Ahi poke (po-kay) is actually a Hawaiian dish that, in its basic form, is raw tuna tossed with spices and little crunchy kukui nuts. I found some cool Chilean avellanas at Trader Joes that I would toss in, if I felt like having the crunch, which I usually don’t.

It’s a chop and chill, people. No cooking required, no heat, barely a mixing bowl. You don’t even have to be a sushi chef and make exact cubes, a nice chunk will do fine. What you’ll get is a flavorful meal that’s light yet filling. Silky, cold tuna with maybe a hit of spicy heat to brighten your eyes is the perfect antidote to hot and hazy. I put mine on a loose avocado mix (that might be compared to guacamole in come circles).

Ahi Poke
1 lb. sashimi-grade tuna

Slice into cubes, throw in a bowl. Add following ingredients:
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sriracha
1 tsp olive oil
3 chopped green onions
pepper/salt

Toss to coat and chill until cold.

Avocado Mix
Gently toss (no mashing) all ingredients in a bowl and chill.

3 avocados, flesh cut into cubes
3 large green onions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
Juice from 1 lime
salt/pepper

pugsicle

I wouldn’t call it a theme as much as an obsession. Somehow, every year we end up with a pattern that defines the season. Two years ago it was the Summer of Lemonade, and then Summer of Homemade Ice Cream even an odd Summer of the Turkey Melt after we got the panini press.

This year’s preoccupation seems to lead to the Summer of the Popsicle.

I’m not just talking about freezing orange juice in an ice cube tray (although that’s a great way to make a pop-kebab-sicle). I’m talking about whipping together some fun stuff and making guinea pigs out of everyone who comes over.

The minty-watermelon’sicle was a hit and I’m already thinking of trying a Horchata’sicle and a sangria’sicle for this weekend. I’m not beyond the ice cream dalliance yet, so I might have to work in some creamy chocolate-cayenne’sicles or a vanilla-basil’sicle here and there.

Minty-Watermelon’sicle

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
4 cups watermelon (seeded and chopped into 1/2inch cubes)
1/4 cup freshly chopped mint
1 lime

Make a simple syrup by heating the water and sugar in a small sauce pan until the sugar has dissolved. Romove from heat and cool.

In a blender, add half of watermelon and juice from half of lime. Blend unitl smooth, then add syrup, rest of melon, mint and juice from the other half of lime. Puree.

Pour mix into popsicles molds, paper cups, whatever you want to use. Wait until the mix is a bit frozen and slushy before adding sticks. Freeze until hard, could take up to 6 hours.

Hellloooo, did anyone hear the name of Brian’s winning dish on Top Chef last night?

Not a coincidence, it was clearly a nod to Chino Latino of Uptown. When I was out there in March, while Brian was secretly “on leave” for “family reasons”, I snapped the above picture of one of the coolers in his kitchen. Once upon a time, when Oceanaire and Parasole were more closely linked, Brian actually spent a few days in the Chino kitchen during his training.

Shiny moment aside, I thought his seafood sausage was brilliant. It’s creative while remaining humble, which is the soul of BBQ. It was one of those dishes that made me wonder why we aren’t all grilling up a batch. What a perfect creation for the gang at Sea Salt.

And did you notice his penchant for talking to the guest? I’d put money on the fact that with any challenge which relies on guest input, Brian will sway away with the votes. He’s that guy, the one women want to giggle at and guys want to fist bump.

As for the others: I now officially like Hung, because even though he’s a cocky little sucker, he hustles and his food backs it up … What the hell is Joey Buttafuco doing there? His first dish was safe and average and his second dish was average and boring. One of my NY friends is mortified that he’s representin’ … CJ is funny. And not just because he has a fake testicle … Howie’s got one more chance, he’s already tied to the chopping block … I loved Tre’s hubris after winning one challenge, he’s king of the heap!

And so far, Micah is the only memorable woman, and that’s because she’s a sobber?! Come on ladies, let’s kick some ass!

Maybe you love him. Maybe you hate him. Maybe you love to hate him, you cheeky poppet.

As I’ve said before, I rather like Gordon Ramsay, more for his Brit shows (Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and The F Word) and Michelin stars (eight) than for Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen. Clearly staffed with inept kitchen squid, the show is meant to provoke Ramsay’s legendary temper.

When I saw Roasting in Hell’s Kitchen on the shelf, I bit … and now I really like him. The book reads as if you’re at the pub and, over a pint, you asked him “Who the hell do you think you are?”

Far from a tot who grew up tied to Gran’s apron strings, his childhood was a mess. He had to scratch and claw his way through life to get what he wanted, which turned out to be a life with food. His stories are colorful and riotous, they had me laughing late into the night. I have no doubt he’s cut from the same cloth as my friend Cliff, a Brit who carried a sutures set with him at all times.

Most TV chefs put on a persona that everyday hard-scrabble kitchen guys see through: an icky-palatable-to-the-masses glimmer glow. Ramsay is old school, he’s the real deal, and while it’s clear he loves the limelight, you can be dead sure he won’t be hawking for Applebees.

Hotness got the best of us on Sunday night, so I packed up the kids and headed to the movies. From being in the sun all day (I’m feeling a little Colonel Saunders Original Recipe) I was in need of a beer with my flick, so we headed off to the New Hope Cinema Grill. The doctor ordered a big pint of Surly Ale, some crispy waffle fries with seasoned sour cream, and a gnarly surfing penguins movie.

Driving home refreshed and chatting about the possibility of finding surf lessons in town, all of a sudden my son blurts out “Oh my god, there’s Uncle Franky’s!”

Being huge fans of the Scooby-Doo enhanced Uncle Franky’s of Nordeast, we were shocked to see the sign in Plymouth of all places. But joy, there it is! Right off of Hwy 55 and 169, across from a Rainbow Foods, right next to a Caribou! Hail hail, the suburbs have become a bit more liveable!

It was closed last night, but we are already plotting our lunch today: I’m in for the Polish Maxwell (with kraut, danke schon), Jake is all about the classic Uncle Franky Dog with a strawberry shake, and Matt’s thinking about the Motown Chili burger (no beans).

Why is it that Mothers get brunch on their day, but Dads get grillables? Is there something so feminine about pancakes and burnt toast? Clearly, most of us belive there is something masculine and primal about cooking food over an open flame.

But there are Dads who are the Champions of Breakfast: they are the ones that shuffle the cereal during the week and man the griddle on the weekends. For them I’d whip up some aebleskivers, the round pancake balls that you can fill with jam or Nutella or whatever makes you happy.

Maybe your Dad is The Sandwich Man: a guy who likes nothing better than to plop on the couch with a huge hoagie and a beer. A perfect pile of Italian spiciness from Delmonico’s might fit the bill. Better yet, go get a couple of pounds of pastrami and every fixin’ you can think of, and let him create the perfect bite.

Meat can be manly without being grilled. Grab a couple pounds of grass-fed beef short ribs from the boys of Braucher’s Sunshine Harvest Farm at the Mill City Market, and brine it in beer overnight. A quiet three hour braise will give you a tender, flavorful dish that would be tasty with some nicely spiced onion rings. No grill required.

Short Ribs
(about 4 lbs. of beef ribs)
Place short ribs in Ziploc bags, cover with Guinness, seal and allow to marinate over night.

Mix together:
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. tumeric

Remove ribs, and pat dry. Rub spice mix over all sides. In large pot, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over high heat until hot. Brown the ribs on all sides, working in batches if needed. Place ribs aside on a separate plate.

Thrown in a some chopped garlic and slices of sweet onion (Vidalia)and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Turn off heat, add short ribs and enough Guinness to cover them. Cover and place in 350 degree oven for about 3 hours. Remove, drain and chow down.

hot! hot! hot!

Ok, what’s with the hot tub?

For the last two seasons, the Top Chef chefs were holed up in spartan lofts…they had to cook Thanksgiving dinner in the ridiculous little kitchens, remember?

I get that the show’s succeess means that people want to give them things: like the penthouse suite at the Fountainebleu in Miami that is DECKED out with glam…and a hot tub. Fishing for bikini shots, anyone? I think it’s a little cheesey, a little Hell’s Kitchen, not worthy of the goal of the competition.

OK, just for starters: Hung is clearly the guy we’re supposed to love to hate … and he’s got a connection to Marcel, hmmmm.

The big Vinnie-NY-Italian-Guy looks like he’ll be the meathead of the bunch.

The girls are all pretty-pretty, and younger than before, not a Betty or Cynthia amongst them.

The food looked pretty good, I was seriously hungry for the winning dish and was excited by CJ’s ostrich tartare. And even though Brian ended up in the bottom bunch at the judges table, I think he had guts to choose the snake and eel.

We’ll see…..

I am all a-board for this one.

I have a certain attraction to the idea of floating down the river while snacking on fine foods. I think it goes to the dream of a lazy summer evening, one in which I am continually served bourbon and branch cocktails by someone I refer to as “Sugar”. If there are chaise lounges and pretty dresses involved, so much the better.

The Taste of the St. Croix Cruise might just fit the bill. As a kick-off for the week-long Taste, on June 21 you can board the Grand Duchess and cruise the St. Croix while noshing on treats provided by the valley’s tastiest restaurants: Bayport Cookery, Lake Elmo Inn, Confluence, and San Pedro Cafe to name a few. Plus, 10% of ticket sales go to benefit the Perspectives Kids Cafe which is a phenomenal program that feeds hungry kids.

Reservations required, so pick your dress, get a date, practice your drawl (thahnks, shuggah) and get on the list soon…