I was in Chicago last week for the annual National Restaurant Association Food Show. I do not normally drink mix drinks but, the Cantaloupe Cocktail was so good I felt I should pass the recipe on.
Cantaloupe Cocktail
2 parts good quality Watermelon Liqueur
1 part Good Quality Vodka
2 parts Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
squeeze of a Fresh Lime wedge
crushed Ice
Pour all ingredients into a shaker and shake until well blended. Strain into martini glass and enjoy.
Adding roasted vegetables to an Alfredo sauce is not only a great way to add a lot of flavor but also vitamins and fiber.
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
3 medium shallots, minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 Tbls butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Juice of one fresh lemon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the carrots, celery, onions, bell pepper, shallots, and the garlic cloves with the olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Spread onto a cookie sheet and roast until golden brown (about fifteen to twenty minutes).
While the vegetables are roasting heat a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter stops foaming add the minced garlic clove and saute until fragrant but, do not brown or the garlic will become bitter. Add the wine and reduce by half. Add the milk and cream and further reduce by about one third.
Add the roasted vegetables (blend with an immersion blender if a smooth sauce is desired). Add the nutmeg, parsley, and fresh lemon juice and more fresh ground black pepper to taste.
Toss with favorite pasta and top with diced tomatoes, fresh basil, and more Parmesan (or Feta) cheese and serve.
One of my favorite stir fried noodle dishes is Drunken Noodles. They are not named drunken because of alcohol but, you need to drink something with them to tame the heat. Water should be the first choice here although beer and sparkling wines can work well too.
Drunken Noodles
1# Thai Rice Stick Noodles
1 Gallon Hot Tap Water
1/4 Cup Oyster Sauce
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Rice Wine Vinegar
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Fresh Lime Juice
2 Tblsp Fish Sauce
2 Tblsp Sambol Olek
2 Tblsp Peanut Oil
1 Large White or Spanish Onion, Sliced
1 Green Bell Pepper, Sliced
1 Red Bell Pepper, Sliced
2 Ribs of Celery, Sliced thin on a bias
2 Large Carrots, Sliced thin on a bias
5 or 6 Garlic Cloves, Chopped
2 Tblsp Fresh Ginger, Minced
4 Thai Bird, Cayenne, or Serano Chiles, Minced
1# Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Thinly Sliced (Shrimp works great too)
1 Large Egg, Beaten
2 Roma Tomatoes, Chopped
1/4 Cup loosly packed Fresh Basil, Chiffonade
2 Tblsp Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Lime Wedges for each serving
Start by soaking the noodles in the hot tap water. Separate and let soak 30 to 45 minutes. Combine and mix the next 7 ingredients for the sauce and set aside. Heat the oil in a wok or large saute pan and stir fry the chicken until just cooked, remove from the pan and keep warm. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery and carrots and saute about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and minced chiles and continue cooking until fragrant (about a minute). Push the vegetables up the side of the wok to make a spot to scramble the egg. When the egg is mostly cooked mix it in with the rest of the vegetables and add the cooked chicken, tomatoes, herbs and drained softened noodles and toss to combine. Mix in the sauce and cook another 2 minutes or until the sauce is hot throughout. Grind on some fresh black pepper to taste; the salt in sauce should be adequate. Serve with fresh lime wedges and enjoy.
When matching food and wine your goal should be to match the intensities of flavors. One of the reasons for the old adage “White with fish, red with meat” is an intense red will dominate a lean mild flavored fish and steak will overwhelm most whites.
The trick is to match the intensity first and deal with the other flavor nuances next. Let’s take the wine match with Chef Mike’s “Grilled Salmon with Lemon Beurre Blanc”. Salmon is a full flavored fatty fish. If you pair it with a Sauvignon Blanc, the flavor and fatty mouth feel of the salmon will overwhelm the wine. A Cabernet Sauvignon in turn will overwhelm the salmon and dominate the flavor of the beurre blanc. With Pinot Noir, a lighter red wine with enough richness to compliment the salmon without covering it up.
To help with your choices here is a general wine spectrum from lightest to weightiest.
Dry and off-dry whites: Soave, Orvieto, Pinot Grigio, Off-dry Riesling, Dry Riesling, Muscadet, Champagne and other dry sparkling wines, Chenin Blanc, French Chablis and unoaked Chardonays, Sauvignon Blanc, White Bordeaux, White Burgundy, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Oaked Chardonays.
Red Wines: Valpolicella, Beaujolais, Rioja, California Pinot Noir, Oregon Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Chianti Classico, Barbaresco, Barola, Bordeaux, Merlot, Zinfindel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rhone, Syrah, Shiraz.
Bread pudding is a great addition to any brunch but, can stand alone for a great family breakfast.
Michigan Bread Pudding
1/2 cup Dried Cherries
1/2 cup Kirsch or unflavored Brandy
1 pound Brioche, Challah, or other enriched bread or leftover cake or pastry
1/4 cup melted Butter
1 quart Milk
1 cup sugar
8oz Cream Cheese
10 eggs
1/4 cup pure Maple Syrup
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 Tbls Lemon Zest
1/2 cup fresh Blueberries
1/2 cup Walnuts, Pecans, and/or Almonds
Add the dried cherries to the brandy and macerate for 20 minutes. Cut the bread into cubes and spread on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with melted butter and toast @ 350 degrees until golden. In a heavy bottom sauce pan, heat the milk to a simmer and remove from heat. Cream the sugar and cream cheese in a mixer. Add one egg at a time and mix until incorporated. Add the macerated cherries, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and lemon zest. Carefully add about 1/3 of the milk to temper the egg mixture stirring constantly until smooth. Slowly add the remaining milk and mix in well. Place the toasted bread cubes in a buttered casserole or individual ramekins. Sprinkle evenly with the fresh blueberries and nuts. Ladle the custard over the bread cubes until all of it is added or fill ramekins about 3/4 full. Refrigerate at least four hours or overnight to allow the bread to absorb the custard. Place casserole or ramekins in a water bath and bake @ 325 degrees until just set in the middle (about an hour and fifteen minutes for the casserole; forty-five minutes for the ramekins). Serve warm right out of the oven or refrigerate at least four hours and serve chilled.
What is it about wine? What fascinates and intrigues us to the point where everyone wants to be a wine expert? Is it the history, the infinite learning opportunities or the fact that the “research” can be so enjoyable?
Fermented beverages have been preferred to water throughout the ages: they are safer, provide psychotropic effects, and are more nutritious. Some have even said alcohol was a primary agent for the development of Western civilization, since healthier individuals lived longer and had better reproductive success.
Throughout history wine has had an important effect on the social, economic, and cultural aspects of civilization. Today wine is as popular as ever and is made all over the world and in every State in the Union including Alaska and Hawaii.
Wine is the most varied and complex beverage in the world. It is incredible that fruit juice when allowed to ferment can offer so many distinct styles. From the tingly, zesty, water-white, light and lively to the rich, purple-black, mellow and full-bodied. It comes both still and fizzy and at all points in between. It can be bone dry or syrupy sweet. One of the most amazing things is that the grape is the complete package. It has the juice that it needs, the sugar is naturally included, and the yeast which causes fermentation is right there on the skin of the grape.
The job of the wine producer is to ripen healthy grapes in the vineyard, full of grape sugar that can, by the action of yeast in the atmosphere, be fermented into alcohol. If all the grape sugar is fed on by the yeast and fermented, the wine will be dry, and enlivened by the acidity that is naturally present in grapes. The more grape sugar fermented into alcohol, the more potent the wine will be. Wine can vary from less than 8 to more than 15 percent alcohol, with 13.5 being about average.
Wine’s real distinguishing mark, the thing that sets it apart from the other drinks, is the ability of the best wines to last for decades and sometimes centuries; not just lasting but improving. I have been fortunate to taste wines up to 200 years old that were still totally thrilling and alive. Nothing else that we consume is capable of remaining healthy and evolving over such a long period, as well as coming in thousands of flavors.
In the future I will write about matching food with wine. The “white wine with fish and red wine with meat” is only a loose guideline with many exceptions to the rule. With Chef Mike’s “Rose City Style Trout” recipe a dry Riesling would complement the flavors well but, I would also recommend a Beaujolais Villages. They are light and fruity red wines with just enough tannins to stand up to the creamy sauce. Eat well!
Lemon beurre blanc is a great sauce for any fish but, it works especially well with salmon and other fattier bolder flavored fish. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan add one tablespoon minced shallot, 5 whole black peppercorns, half a cup of white wine, and a half of cup fresh squeezed lemon juice and reduce over medium heat until almost dry. Whisk in twelve ounces of cold butter a little at a time over low heat until incorporated into the sauce. Strain the sauce and add salt and white pepper to taste and a tablespoon of lemon zest. Brush the fish lightly with clarified butter or oil and grill on each side about three to five minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet and the temperature of the grill. Plate the grilled fish and pour about two ounces of sauce over the top. Top with fresh herbs and enjoy.
Celebrating when times are tough. Some may wonder how we can celebrate anything with the economy in such poor shape. There has been job loss, stock loss but, after the Holidays no weight loss. Finances are tight, bills are mounting, and there is a general sense of doom and gloom.
Yet it is in these circumstances that the benefits of celebrations are needed most. Over the last fifteen years, we here at Angel Food Catering have witnessed first hand customers moods lightened and lives changed by the gathering of family and friends whether at festive events such as weddings and baby showers or solemn wakes and funeral luncheons.
In all of these cases food, family, friends and fellowship are the common threads. One thing for sure we still need to eat. Why not do so in the company of family and friends. Facing the tough and challenging times together is supportive and beneficial for us all.
Angel Food Catering is here to help with professional consults, great food, an amazing service staff, decorations and props and able to provide them within a budget. Please visit our main website at www.angelfoodinc.com and lets celebrate!
May God Bless You,
Michael J. Maynard
President of Angel Food Catering, Inc.
As a kid my family spent a lot of time up north at my Uncle’s cabin between Rose City and Mio. My Dad, Brother John and I often fished the Au Sable River catching our fair share of trout. This is one of my favorite ways we would prepare the trout we caught.
Rainbow Trout “Rose City Style”
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup AP Flour
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Granulated Garlic
1 tsp Dried Thyme
Rainbow Trout Fillets
(Any trout species or Salmon will work)
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Tbls Butter
2 # Potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 Large Onion, peeled and sliced
4 ears fresh Corn on the cob
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 Tbls Fresh Parsley, Chopped (any herb can be used)
Salt, Pepper, and Hot Sauce to taste
Lemon Wedges
Blanch the sliced potatoes in salted water until barely tender. Drain and pat dry and cook in half the oil until brown on one side. Turn the potatoes, add the sliced onions and continue cooking until golden brown. Add salt and pepper to taste; set aside and keep warm. After you blanch the potatoes add the corn and cream to the pot and simmer until tender about ten minutes. Remove the corn cobs from the cream and cut the kernels off of each and add back to cream. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste and keep warm. Combine the cornmeal, flour and spices and dredge the fillets. Pan fry the trout in the butter and olive oil until golden on each side. Serve the fillets on top of the home fries and top with the creamed corn. Sprinkle with fresh parsley or other herbs and hot sauce to taste. Serve with a lemon wedge on the side.
I have loved food and eating all of my life. Both of my Grandmothers grew up on farms and started families during the great depression. They learned how to make food from scratch and continued to do so for all of their lives. My Dad’s Mom excelled in all things savory while my Mom’s Mom was the best baker of cakes, cookies, puddings and pies.
My Mom was a good all around cook but I have to say my friend Erik’s Mom Who was originally from Germany was the best cook on the block. I can still taste her chicken and rice and homemade strudel 35 years later.
I am the youngest of seven children and as early as I can remember I always enjoyed cooking for people. My Mom would put the electric griddle on the kitchen table so I could make everyone pancakes after church on Sunday Mornings.
My Dad was also a very big influence on my culinary education. His business required that he travel across country and internationally. He had developed a great palate and appreciation for fine dining long before I was born. He also was responsible for almost all of my forays into fine dining restaurants when I was an adolescent and teen.
By the time I was in high school I was already an accomplished home cook. Never afraid to try new recipes and ingredients I often cooked by trial and error. My good friend Pat’s parents (Don and Coke Scheff) helped instill in me that every meal could be special and was meant to be enjoyed with friends and family.
I originally went to college to become a graphic artist. My Sisters asked at the time why not culinary school? Although it was a consideration; I didn’t want to ruin my “hobby” by making it my job. A few years later I realized (with the help of my then girlfriend now wife Katie) that having a job doing something you love wasn’t going to ruin my “hobby” only enhance it and my life. I went to culinary school and got my first professional cooking job.
Seventeen years and many varied cooking and Chef jobs in hotels, restaurants, and a foray into corporate consulting, in May of 2008 I accepted the position of Executive Chef at Angel Food Catering in Ypsilanti.
Mike and Judy Maynard started Angel Food Catering in 1994 and through dedication to superior service and treating everyone like an extension of their family they have grown Angel Food Catering into one of the largest and best caterers in the area. Last spring they were looking for a family oriented Chef to help take them to the next level and with two young Sons (Michael and Jack) I was looking a for a job where I didn’t have to choose between career and family. It has been a great fit from the start.
I still love food and preparing it for people to enjoy. My favorite thing about food (besides eating it) is I am always still learning. New ingredients, cooking styles, regional distinctions, flavor profiles, I will never know it all but, you can’t stop me from trying.
