Weekend Copycat Brunch: Breakfast Poutine

I owe a great deal of my home cooking inspiration to social media. Take for instance, the post from Milwaukee's Goodkind restaurant I ran across last weekend on Instagram.

💥 HELLO BREAKFAST POUTINE. French Fries | Trippe Sausage Gravy | Arugula | Goat Cheese Curds | Egg. GET INTO IT. 💥@goodkindbayview #goodmorning #brunch #summer #eatwelldrinkwell

A photo posted by goodkind (@goodkindbayview) on Jul 12, 2015 at 8:59am PDT

My first instinct was: "Whoa. I’ve got to get there and eat THAT."  

But, a quick look in my wallet told me that staying home was the more prudent thing to do (after all, it’s not like I would stop with poutine; I’d have to get one of their great brunch cocktails and then…)

I’ve made an occasional habit of recreating restaurant dishes at home. And I’ve had pretty good luck with both the artichoke a la mode pizza from Pizza Man (I was suffering from withdrawalwhen the original restaurant burned down) and the Stendler burrito from Comet Cafe (which is the best way -- ever -- to use up leftover corned beef).

Most recently, I replicated the salted honey pie from Honepie Cafe -- mainly because they don’t put it on their menu half as often as I’d like (OMG, so good).

So, I looked around my kitchen to see what ingredients I had on hand... [Keep Reading]

©BURP!

An Homage to Milwaukee's Honey Pie Cafe: Salted Honey Pie

Ever since we made that Cherries & Cream Slab Pie this summer for the Go Bold with Butter blog, I've been a little obsessed with pie making.

One of the things I've been obsessed about is the crust. I've never been good at crust... in fact, one failed attempt where the dough got so tough it was useless made me think I'd never tackle it again.

But, then I heard Julia Child's words ringing in my ear. 

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude.”
  
And I thought about the Julie/Julia Challenge we did back in 2009 where we learned to debone a duck.

And I decided to try again. Boy am I glad I did.

These days, when I can find the time, I'm a regular pie-making fiend.  Which brings me to the next recipe.

There’s a little restaurant here in Milwaukee called Honeypie Café that serves up some of the best pie in the city. I actually wrote an article about them a while back, tracing some of the adventures that co-owner Val Lucks has had while seeking out some of the best pies in the nation for inspiration.

Thanks to all of Val's travels and research, Honeypie has at least 50 flavors of pie in their repertoire, with probably six to eight showing up daily on the menu.

One of our favorites, among their offerings, is their namesake Honeypie which blows us away every time we eat it. It’s sweet and salty and rich, with a smooth custard base and a delicious flaky crust.

Of course, as good as it is, it doesn't show up on the Honeypie menu nearly often enough for my taste. So, I decided to take a whirl at making my own.

This version, an homage to their pie, is really a variation on chess pie, a southern style custard pie which makes use of cornmeal as a thickening and textural agent, as well as vinegar to round out the flavor and prevent the sweetness from becoming cloying. 

The flaky crust owes its flavor and texture to the magic of real butter (Val prefers shortening, but I'm not sure if I agree). And a bit of sea salt added to the finished pie offers up a pleasant crunch, as well as giving the pie an irresistible sweet-salty flavor.

Get the recipe: Salted Honey Pie

©BURP!

Liven Up Your Brunch: Bloody Mary Burgers

You love brunch, right?

So do we. 

I'll confess that we don't make it at home very often, but that's because there are so many amazing places here in Milwaukee to grab awesome eats during the brunch hour.

And while the food varies wildly from restaurant to restaurant, there is always one thing you'll find at a good Milwaukee brunch: A Bloody Mary.

In fact, it's gotten a little bit crazy around here -- with all sorts of restaurants competing for attention with their crazy Bloody Mary concoctions.

One of the biggest -- and reportedly the best -- is the Sobelman's Bloody Mary.

This behemoth of a brunch cocktail comes complete with 13 total garnishes, including celery, onion, Brussel sprout, lemon, pickle, shrimp, mushroom, cherry tomato, olive, cheese, sausage, asparagus and green onion. Oh, and a bacon cheeseburger slider. Once you toss in the Sprecher Brewing Company beer chaser (a Wisconsin tradition), the drink really becomes an entire meal in itself.

So, if Sobelman's can put a burger into their Bloody, we figured we'd put a Bloody Mary into our burger.

Tender ground chuck is flavored with Worcestershire, celery seed and horseradish, grilled, and then topped with a rich vodka tomato sauce that pulls in all the sweet and salty qualities of a great Bloody.

Because it's brunch -- and because they're the perfect size for a burger, we planted these puppies atop toasted English muffins with the prerequisite lettuce and tomato. And bacon, of course!

The garnish is completely optional -- but in Wisconsin it’s tradition to serve a Bloody Mary with a beer chaser. So, we recommend serving up these burgers with a nice cold beer on the side. 

Top with a sunny side up fried egg for the ultimate brunch burger experience.

Bloody Mary Burgers

There are more great recipes where this one came from! We created this dish as part of our work with the Go Bold with Butter blog, where you'll find an amazing collection of delicious recipes using real butter.

©BURP!

Milwaukee Cocktail Week: It's going to be a blast

If you've wondered where we've been for the past couple of weeks, it's time for us to come clean.

We've been busy planning a HUGE cocktail party.
And not just any cocktail party. This one is a pretty big deal.

We were asked to be a part of the planning committee for the first-ever Milwaukee Cocktail Week. And we were more-or-less put in charge of the food for the Kick-Off Event, which is coming up this weekend.

We took our job pretty seriously. In fact, we went out and found some of the best chefs in Milwaukee and got them to volunteer to cook up a bunch of amazing tail-gate food.

And no -- it's not just your ordinary run-of-the mill tailgate fare.

For instance, here's the line-up:

• Bavette La Boucherie - a great new female-owned butcher shop in town, owned by Chef Karen Bell, is making up mini Oktoberfest beer brats with pickled mustard seed and sauerkraut.
• The awesome new spot, Love Handle, is bringing their A-game with garlic sausage stuffed porchetta on a baguette with beer mustard.
• Paul Funk, expert charcuterie master from Hinterland Erie Street Gastropub is being a little mysterious about his offerings, but we trust he'll come up with something awesome.
• Joe Muench from Maxie’s, a great restaurant that serves some of the best low-country Southern fare in town is bringing smoked pork and cheese hot links with Bourbon peach bbq sauce and roasted jalapeno slaw. For the vegetarians, they'll be serving up kettle cooked lentil sloppy joes with smoked onion jam (I know, right?) 
• Chef Justin Aprahamian from one of Milwaukee's best fine dining establishments, Sanford, is pulling out all the stops with his duck sausage with black currant mostardo.
• Smoke Shack, one of our best barbeque spots is serving seitan sloppy joe sliders made with their house sauce -- which is smoky and chocolatey and delicious.
• One of my personal favorites, Wolf Peach, is serving up Milwaukee classics like smoked garlic polish sausage, jalapeño cheddar brats and old school classic brats

Imagine all that food paired with expertly crafted cocktails. All for $30. Yeah -- that's what's happening.

Football fans will be able to watch the Packer game on a GIGANTIC television. And people -- like me -- who could care less, will be able to mix, mingle and eat ourselves silly.

I'd love to hang out with you.

So, if you're in the area, you should come. Really.
You may never again see James Beard Award nominated chef Justin Aprahamian of Sanford serving up tail-gate style fare ever again.

And that, in and of itself, is a pretty good reason to show up.

Here are the details:

Milwaukee Cocktail Week Kick-Off
Sunday, September 22, 2013
11:30 AM to 3:30 PM
Horny Goat Hideaway
2011 South 1st Street
Milwaukee, WI 53207

Tickets:  $30 in advance

©BURP!

Edible Milwaukee AND Fluffy Key Lime Pie in a Jar

If you've been wondering where we've been, I have a really, really, good explanation.

We've been busy planning the launch party for Milwaukee's newest food magazine, Edible Milwaukee.  If you have an Edible publication in your home town, you probably know why we're so excited to be getting one here in Milwaukee.

The fact is, Milwaukee has always been known for its food traditions in beer, cheese, and sausage.  But, some people have missed the fact that, over the last ten years, it's become a virtual hotbed for foods of all kinds -- from cocktails to coffee to amazing food entrepreneurism. And that doesn't even include the freshwater or urban gardening initiatives.

Honestly -- the stories stemming from the city’s culinary scene could fill a book. Now, finally, there is one – a publication dedicated solely to the production, distribution, and consumption of food in the Greater Milwaukee area.  YAY!  Anyhow - if you're going to be around, we'd love it if you joined us. You can get tickets over at MKEfoodies.

For those of you who are too far away to celebrate with us, I'd like to leave you with a little bit of a celebration of your own.

We worked up a couple of dessert recipes in the last few months for the Go Bold With Butter blog -- and one of them turned out particularly well.

It's cute. And trendy. And gosh-darn delicious.  Especially if you agree with me that almost nothing tastes more like summer than a cool slice of tart key lime pie.

Most versions use sweetened condensed milk to give the pie a rich, creamy flavor. But, in this recipe, we’ve used lime curd to provide the perfect amount of pure lime flavor and the airiness of freshly whipped cream to add lightness to the otherwise heavy filling.

Layering the dessert in half-pint mason jars provides a modern twist to this classic summer dessert.

Fluffy Key Lime Pie in a Jar

©BURP!

Everyone's a Little Italian: Interview with Rossella Rago and #Giveaway

 Milwaukee is known as the City of Festivals for good reason.  In addition to the world's largest music festival, Summerfest, Milwaukee is also privileged to be the host of some of the world's best ethnic festivals.

One of the tastiest just happens to be Festa Italiana, coming up on July 19-22 (stay tuned below for a chance to win tickets).

Celebrating its 35th anniversary, Festa Italiana is the largest Italian event of its kind in America today. The festival, which started in 1976  for the purpose of reuniting an Italian community torn apart by urban renewal projects, was the first ethnic festival in Milwaukee.

In addition to great cultural exhibits, peppy Italian music, and plenty of delicious Italian food, this year's Festa will feature a great line-up of demonstrations by some of Milwaukee's best chefs, and a few celebrities, including TV chef and cookbook author, Nick Stellino.

Making her first ever appearance at Festa Italiana in Milwaukee, celebrity chef Rossella Rago, host of “Cooking with Nonna” will showcase her culinary skills Saturday, July 21 at 6:45 p.m. and Sunday, July 22 at 4:15 p.m.

Inspired by her love of food, her passion for entertaining, as well as her appreciation for her family and the Italian community, Rossella launched the “Cooking with Nonna” show in 2009. The online cooking show features recipes passed down throughout the generations that are simple to make, delicious and rich in their history.

In anticipation of her appearance, I thought it would be fun to ask her a few questions about her career and love for cooking.

This is your first time at Festa Italiana. What are you most looking forward to?

Yes this is my very first time at the Festa Italiana in Milwaukee. I heard so much about it, especially from Chef Nick Stellino, who has been there several times. When I met him at the Festa Italiana in Seattle last year he  also strongly suggested that I must attend. So now I’m really looking forward to coming to Milwaukee and meeting all the Italian-Americans and the lovers of Italy.

Have you been to Milwaukee before?

This is my very first trip to Milwaukee and Wisconsin. I can’t wait to visit and meet all my fans from this lovely city.

What are you most excited to do or see while you are here?

I’m sure there is great Italian food in Milwaukee but I hear there are some great breweries and steak houses! Would love to visit some of those world famous breweries.  Then of course I know you have a beautiful lake which is very scenic and relaxing!  I will be in town for two days… I think I will be very busy!

Tell me a bit about your relationship to food as you were growing up.  What part did food play in your family life?

As I was growing up I was constantly exposed to food as my maternal Nonna lived in our home and she was always cooking. As a child my role was that of the taster but as I got older I was given more mundane assignments: washing and cleaning! Food has always been a very focal point in my family and my life. The many family gatherings at holidays provided plenty of opportunities to be exposed to all the traditional foods that we prepared for each holiday. But not only at holidays, every day the most important decision that my Nonna and my mother would face was: What to cook at dinner at night!

From whom did you learn to cook?

Absolutely my primary teacher I have to say it was my Nonna. When I started college I moved in with her in Brooklyn, NY and every day we would cook together a meal just for the two of us.

Did you ever attend culinary school?

I attended an intensive program at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York and I plan to attend several more programs these and at other institutions as well.

Who taught you most along the way?

Certainly my Nonna has been my main culinary mentor along the way but also my mother Angela and my aunts in Italy have been very influential on my culinary training. My mother is an artist and applies her artistic skills at cooking as well. She is very creative in her cooking.  My aunts in Italy are also excellent cooks and since I spent many summers there on vacation, I was exposed to many traditional dishes from Puglia using the freshest ingredients you could imagine.

How did you come up with the idea for Cooking with Nonna?

The idea came on the fly one Sunday afternoon after a long meal in Nonna’s basement. At the time I was in college and my dad asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up. I said: I want to do a cooking show. After a few back and forth, the idea of Cooking with Nonna was born. The rest is history.

Where do you get the inspiration for your recipes?

At the very beginning most of the recipes that we worked with were recipes from my Nonna’s collection which she learned from her own mother.  As we continued to grow, the recipes were inspired by the other Nonne that came on my show. They all love to share their recipes and memories with everyone.

When you are at home, what do you like to eat?

When I'm home I try and eat healthy and clean so I keep lots of Organic chicken breast around and colorful vegetables.  Of course, I'd be lying if I said that having Nonna live downstairs from me didn't greatly impact what I eat every day.  I can't tell you how many times a day she'll call me and say "Come downstairs and eat, I made Parmigiana!"

What is your favorite place in Italy? Why?

I have spent many summers in a small fishing village in Puglia called Mola di Bari. It is now like a second home to me. I love going these and meet my family and friends and take the opportunity to visit many of the picturesque villages in the area: Alberobello, Polignano, Ostuni and many more.

What’s the funniest thing that has ever happened to you in the kitchen?

The funniest thing that ever happened to me in the kitchen was probably when I first attempted cooking. I was 4, and I decided I was going to make a cake.  I thought you made cake by putting whatever you found into a baking pan and putting it in the oven (not necessarily a hot one) and it would magically turn into one of my Nonna's deserts.  Needless to say the "soup" that came out of the oven wasn't anything anyone wanted to try. No matter what a cute little girl I was. Needless to say I've gotten better since then.

What would you say to someone who's totally intimidated by cooking?

Cooking is not difficult but for sure requires passion. If you can find the passion, then following a recipe, step by step, is a technicality. So, look for the passion first.

Name anyone (alive or deceased) that you would like to cook for and what you would serve them.

I would have loved to have been able to cook for Marilyn Monroe.  One of my mother's good friends, Lina Pepitone, who has recently  passed away, was her cook for the last six years of her life. Apparently Marilyn really loved Italian food, especially Stuffed Peppers.  She looked like a person who genuinely enjoyed food.  I imagine us cooking up some Stuffed Peppers together and gossiping about all her husbands.  I think we'd have a decadent Nutella dessert too. Probably my Mousse. It never fails!

What is the best compliment someone could give to you?

That they love the food so much and they just can't stop eating!  

________________________________________________________

For a light summer recipe, try this recipe, which showcases the true colors and flavors of summer.

Rigatoni alla Caprese
by Rosella Rago

1 lb Rigatoni pasta
1 lb Fresh Tomatoes, diced
1 lb Fresh mozzarella, diced
4 Cloves garlic
3 Leaves Fresh basil
4 Tbs olive oil
Salt, black pepper and Peperoncino

In a large pan, sauté the garlic until it turns golden. Add some hot pepper as desired and add the tomatoes. After a few minutes, cut the basil leaves in half and add to the pan and cook for 15 minutes. Boil the pasta to an Al Dente consistency and pour into the pan. Toss the pasta for 2 minutes. Add ¾ of the mozzarella and plate. Garnish with the remainder of the mozzarella and add a sprinkle of fresh black pepper as desired.

________________________________________________________
In celebration of Festa Italiana, we'll be giving away pairs of tickets to two (2) lucky readers!

For your chance to win, head on over to the Festa Italiana web site, check out the amazing list of foods that will be served, and come back and let us know which ones you most look forward to trying!

Giveaway ends on Saturday, July 14th.  Tickets will be mailed to the winners during the week of July 16th.

Winners will be chosen at random and notified by email, so please leave your email addy with your comment if it's not included with your Blogger profile. Entries from the U.S. only, please (and please only enter if you know that you can make it to Festa Italiana in Milwaukee on July 19 - 22).

Full Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by Festa Italiana, who provided us with the product for our giveaway. However, all opinions expressed in this post are our own.

©BURP! Where Food Happens

The Cream City Cheeseburger

When you hear the term “Cream City,” you think it’s a reference to dairy, right?
Well, would you believe me if I told you it was really a reference to bricks?

It just so happens that the red clay so prevalent along the western shore of Lake Michigan turns a creamy white color after it’s been fired. And since many of the buildings in Milwaukee are constructed of locally produced brick, it got to a point (beginning in the 1870’s) that visitors couldn’t help but notice that the buildings in the city were virtually all cream-colored. Hence the city became known as the "Cream City," and the bricks, in turn, became universally known as "Cream City bricks."

Now, this story might be neither here nor there were it not for a recently developed recipe that we named after our beloved “Cream City.”


Although the city of Milwaukee’s rich heritage has been influenced by many cultures and traditions it seems best known for its German ties. During the middle and late 19th century German immigrants fleeing the Revolution of 1848 discovered both inexpensive land and freedom on the banks of Lake Michigan. And their settlement created a culture that washed over the city and gained widespread influence, particularly with regard to its food.

Nowhere is this more evident than along Old World Third Street, a three-block historic landmark zone just north of downtown. The city’s past is brought to life in the detailed facades of the 19th-century European–style buildings lining this cobblestone street, home to Usinger’s Sausage, Mader’s Restaurant, Wisconsin Cheese Mart, The Spice House, and the Old German Beer Hall

This burger is a tribute to all that makes Milwaukee, the Cream City, famous.

It begins with a simple burger made from fresh Wisconsin-made bratwurst, removed from its casing, shaped into a patty, and grilled. The burger is topped with beer-braised onions and a liberal serving of delicious beer cheese sauce made with Springside beer cheddar and Lakefront Brewery’s Riverwest Stein lager.

 Even the pretzel roll on which it is served has a German ancestry, with the word “pretzel” being derived from the German word “bretzel.” Because the dough contains no shortening, eggs, or milk, pretzels traditionally kept well, and their saltiness made them a favorite accompaniment to alcoholic beverages like German beer. These days, the Pretzilla pretzel roll is made by Miller Baking Company, an 88-year-old Milwaukee-based business known for its traditional German rye bread.

For the full Cream City experience, enjoy this burger on a warm summer night washed down with a cold beer and followed by a scoop of delicious frozen custard.

The Cream City Cheeseburger

We're pleased to say that this recipe is being featured on Wisconsin Cheese Talk, along with a series of other delicious recipes.  Check it out!


References Related to "The Cream City"
Milwaukee Architecture, Dr. Steven Ryer
Seeing the Light: Lighthouses of the western Great Lakes

©BURP! Where Food Happens

Going Whole Hog: Our Experience in Pig Butchering Class

When I announced that we'd be participating in a Whole Hog Butchering Course at Bolzano Artisan Meats on Facebook last week, my friend Rena was one of the first to respond. 

 "... you are the only person i know who would be excited about a pig butchering class," she said.

And I had to laugh.  It's probably true, to great extent.  But, I don't think it would have always been the case.

If someone had suggested to me ten years ago that we'd be interested in breaking down the primal cuts of a pig, I probably would have fallen off my chair laughing.  Why on earth would anyone need to know how do that?

But, things change. And these days, we're increasingly interested in the ins and outs of the food we eat.  If we're going to consume meat, we want to know the details about it -- where it came from, how the animals were treated, and what impact our decision to eat that particular meat has on the environment. If I decide to order a portion of pig from a local farm, I'm interested to know which cuts are available to me -- and become more well informed about how to use and modify them. Likewise, when I'm buying a package of meat from the butcher, I'd like to know I'm getting the cut I requested.

More importantly, Peef REALLY wanted to see firsthand where that delicious slab of pork belly comes from.  And so, the opportunity to harvest his own bacon became a part of his birthday present.

To be honest, the experience was pretty amazing.  Although we weren't complete newbies on the topic of how cuts of meat are prepared, we did learn a great deal about the versatility of different portions of a pig -- about the options for obtaining ribs and pork chops, and why certain portions of meat are named as they are

Boston Butt, for instance, is really part of the shoulder... so why on earth is it called butt??  Well, in the early days of pork processing in the U.S., less valued pork cuts like shoulder cuts were packed into casks or barrels (also known as "butts") for storage and shipment.  Since many of these "butts" originated in the boston area, the way the hog shoulder was cut became known regionally as  "Boston butt."

If you're interested in seeing a summary of our course in photos, take a gander at the slideshow.

So, what's your perspective?  Would you take a hog butchering class?



©BURP! Where Food Happens
Want more? Read Lo's latest ruminations at FOODCrush, her Milwaukee Magazine blog.

Celebrate with Us: White Chocolate Ice Cream with Brandied Cherries

When we were nominated for the Shepherd Express Best of the Milwaukee Web Awards, I was somewhat shocked, and completely flattered.  So, when we attended the awards ceremony on Tuesday evening and found out that we'd won in TWO categories (best food blog, favorite twitterer),  I was absolutely taken aback.

Milwaukee might be a relatively small place, but it's a positive hot bed for technology & social media.  So, it was truly humbling to be in the company of so many creative, media-minded individuals.  We've always aspired to making the Burp! blog a creative, friendly place -- not only where we share what WE do, but also where our readers come to chat about their latest creations.  And we're so glad that so many of you believe in what we're doing.

So, here's a big thanks to friends & bloggers who voted for us.  We're so incredibly honored. And we're tickled that you took the time to think of us!  We'd also like to give a HUGE shout-out to the runners up in both award categories.  Please stop over to their blogs and give them a hearty congratulations!

Digital Print Edition - Shepherd Express

Best Food Blog Award Runners Up:
Iron Cupcake / ironcupcakemilwaukee.com
Vegan Milwaukee / veganmilwaukee.com

Favorite Twitterer Runners Up:
@SJWhipp  (blogging at sjwhipp.com)
@radiomilwaukee  (http://www.radiomilwaukee.org/)

And check out all the award winners at Express.com

In celebration of our awards, we'd like to share another sweet treat with you.  Yes, we've been busy at the ice cream machine again.  And this time, it's serious.

Those of you who've been around for a while might recall that every year for Christmas we make chocolate covered brandy cordial cherries to give away as gifts.

Now, by mid-March, the confections themselves are usually long gone.  But, sometimes we still have a few extra brandied cherries lying around.  These cherries are the rejects -- the poor, stemless cherries that were tossed aside in favor of their more sturdily stemmed kin.  These cherries remain, swimming in brandy and staring longingly out of their clear glass jarred windows, until one of us rescues them for an impromptu cooking project.

One of the projects I've been meaning to get around to is coming up with a recipe for a decadent brandied chocolate cherry cake.  But, this batch of cherries ended up in a batch of celebratory white chocolate ice cream.

The rich creamy white chocolate ice cream makes a perfect sweet backdrop for the the slightly sweet, and definitively alcoholic, cherries.  The nice thing about brandied cherries is that, unlike their virgin brothers & sisters, they maintain a firm texture but don't freeze solid even when surrounded by frigid ice cream.

And... much like anything that's been steeping in alcohol for a time, they're pretty delicious.  This ice cream is the perfect addition to your Easter dessert tray or an accompaniment to that batch of brownies you've been wanting to make.

White Chocolate Ice Cream with Brandied Cherries

Enjoy!
And here's to another year of blogging and tweeting!


©BURP! Where Food Happens
Want more? Read Lo's latest ruminations at FOODCrush, her Milwaukee Magazine blog.

Mardi Gras in Milwaukee: Langostinos & Caramelized Onion & Parmesan Grits

One of the things I love about having a food blog is that we get to make excuses for celebrating all sorts of crazy holidays that we wouldn't normally observe.  One of these happens to be a particular favorite of mine -- Mardi Gras.  And one of my favorite recipes to celebrate Mardi Gras just happens to be the classic shrimp & grits, a low country dish that makes use of two southern classics, creamy grits and plentiful gulf shrimp.

According to the Houston Press, shrimp & grits "started out as a seasonal fisherman’s dish of shrimp cooked in bacon grease served over creamy grits in the Low Country where they were also known as “breakfast shrimp.” The simple seafood breakfast became an iconic Southern dish after Craig Claiborne wrote about it in the New York Times in 1985"

 
In an effort to be frugal, I decided that this year I was going to rely on pantry & freezer staples to make our Mardi Gras inspired meal. Although we didn't have shrimp, we were fortunate to have a bag of frozen Langostino tails on hand from Trader Joes. An affordable (and delicious) alternative to lobster, langostino tails are meat from squat lobster, a shellfish with a similar flavor and texture.  And I just knew they would be perfect for this dish.

I also decided that, rather than the classic andouille sausage that often appears in New Orleans' style shrimp & grits dishes, that we'd rely on locally produced applewood smoked bacon to provide a bit of smokiness to the final dish.

And off to the kitchen we went. 

In our version, creamy grits are embellished with a hefty dose of caramelized onions and plenty of Wisconsin Parmesan cheese & enrobed in a delicious cream sauce made with langostino tails, local applewood smoked bacon, celery, onions, and deliciously decadent Crystal Ball Creamery cream.

The results, if I do say so myself, were positively divine.  Sweet and creamy, slightly spicy and full of great texture, this dish made impeccable use of simple quality ingredients.  The grits were particularly heavenly -- with the sugary sweet onions balancing perfectly with the flavor of the salty parmesan.

The dish also got reviews from Peef, who declared that I could make it for him once a week for the rest of his life and he'd never grow tired of it.


So, pour yourself a nice big Hurricane and whip up up a batch of Langostino Tails & Grits for your own Shrove Tuesday celebration.  What do you have to lose?

Langostino Tails with Caramelized Onion & Parmesan Grits


©BURP! Where Food Happens
Want more? Read Lo's latest ruminations at FOODCrush, her Milwaukee Magazine blog.

Roast Pork Belly: Burp! Gives Thanks

Yeah, we had pork for Thanksgiving.  But, before you start throwing your turkey carcasses at us, let me explain...

On November 27, 1998, Peef and Lo became one. That is to say, Peef and Lo got married. And if you look back, you will see that November 27, 1998 was a Friday. A Black Friday, in fact.

That's right, we got hitched the day after Thanksgiving.
So, suffice it to say, Thanksgiving has never really been an ordinary holiday for us.

In addition, you might have noticed that we have this little habit of cooking together, and we couldn't imagine any other way to celebrate our marriage than side by side in the kitchen. This results in rather non-traditional Thanksgiving feasts, and this year was by far one of the most inventive.

But more on that in a little bit...

A few months back, we were fortunate to benefit from an otherwise unfortunate event.
Our friend Scott from Bolzano Artisan Meats experienced the pangs of a busted appendix right after he'd received a hog fresh from the farm. During his recovery, he was unable to perform the work needed to transform a fresh pig into cured artisan charcuterie.  So, instead, he offered up a variety of freshly butchered pork cuts for sale to the general public.

When we got the email announcing the sale, I read through the list of available cuts. Pork belly... Picnic roast... Boston Butt...   Heh. I didn't even finish reading. The fact is, he had me at Pork Belly. Lo was excited about getting a picnic roast...but I was stuck on the Pork Belly.

"I needs one," I said to Lo (in a very whiny voice).

Fortunately, Lo loves me, and she agreed that a couple of picnic roasts and a Pork Belly would be a welcome addition to our freezer for future feasts.

One such future feast, as it happens, was Thanksgiving.

Our pork belly turned out to be a thing of beauty. Deliciously pink & beskinned, the belly had a delightful balance between fabulous meat and layers of beautiful white pork fat.  Although Lo decided it smelled a little bit like wet dog, I thought it looked pretty fabulous.

We'd chosen an Asian application from one of the latest issues of Saveur magazine -- mainly because it included step-by-step instructions for achieving a gloriously puffed and crispy layer of cracklin' pork skin -- a delicacy I've been waiting to experience for most of my adult life. 

Interestingly enough, we had most of the ingredients for the pork's marinade right in our cupboard.  All except the preserved red bean curd, which I easily procured from the Asian grocer down the street.

And then the fun began.

We poked the pork skin all over with a sharp knife (and yes, I am now coveting one of those official pork poking tools).  We scalded it with a baking soda and water mixture.  We mixed together the marinade (pausing a bit when we smelled the slighly funky odor of the red bean curd, but persisting nonetheless), and we let everything cure overnight.

On Thanksgiving afternoon, we removed our slightly funky-smelling pork belly from the fridge, placed it on a roasting rack, and set it in the oven.  About an hour later, we opened the oven door and were greeted by a sight for sore eyes.

That pork belly... well, it was positively stellar.

We broke off hunks of the crackled skin and nibbled like greedy little... pigs?   The puffed bits crackled and crunched and filled our mouths with enticingly porky flavor, while the deliciously tender meat, pleasantly caramelized and perfumed with the scent of five spice powder, melted in our mouths.

It was (dare I say it) quite nearly better than bacon.  And it was even better when paired with another of our holiday cooking projects...

...which we'll reveal to you on Friday.
Trust me when I say it's worth the wait. 

In the meantime, feel free to check out the recipe:  Crispy Pork Siew Yoke - Saveur Magazine



©BURP! Where Food Happens
Want more? Read Lo's latest ruminations at FOODCrush, her Milwaukee Magazine blog.

Getting to the Heart of the Artichoke: Conversations with Chef David Tanis

Early November in Milwaukee is usually cold. However, if we're experiencing a particularly lovely stint of Indian Summer, it can also be amazingly comfortable.

Tuesday was one of those beautiful autumn days that you wish would repeat itself every single day from Labor Day through Thanksgiving. Bright sun, cool breeze. Just Perfect.

You might be wondering why, on Tuesday of all days, I took particular notice of this nice weather. Well, to be honest, the weather here has been great the entire week. But Tuesday was special, because I had the unique opportunity to to enjoy lunch at Roots Restaurant with Chef David Tanis of Chez Panisse.

We were privileged to be contacted by his book publicist a few weeks ago, and she wondered if Burp! would be interested in conducting an interview with Tanis while he was in town for another event. Of COURSE we were interested -- and so we decided to gather up a few of our other blogger friends and invite them to participate in a blogger junket of sorts. We contacted Roots to see if they'd be interested in hosting the luncheon, since their menu (based on local, seasonal produce) seemed to really capture the best of Milwaukee dining.

Tanis has been working at the infamous Chez Panisse Restaurant on and off since the 1980s. These days he acts as co-Chef of the restaurant, splitting the year with his colleague Jean-Pierre Moulle. When he isn't cooking up wonderful things at Chez Panisse, he can be found in Paris, where he hosts a private dining club.

Chef David was in Milwaukee to promote his new book, Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys -- a lovely little tome, if I do say so myself. The book includes not only a collection of gorgeous photos and simple-but-delicious recipes, but it also contains memorable and entertaining anecdotes from Tanis' life & culinary adventures.

I arrived at Roots as the afternoon sun began to shine through the clear glass patio windows and glisten off of the bottles sitting along the bar on the back wall. I could hear the sounds of the meat grinder whirring in the background as the staff prepared for dinner service, and I wondered what Chef Paul had in mind for our lunch.

I needn't have worried -- the menu was brief, but fantastic.  It featured items like seasonal maple frisee salad, fried lake perch sandwiches, and a lovely grilled cheese with arugula, sliced pears and mushroom pate.

 As the bloggers wandered in -- first Otehlia from A World of Flavors, then Nicole from On My Table and Neil from Stream of Consciousness... and then Chef Tanis himself and Anna from Tallgrass Kitchen.

Tanis greeted each of us with jovial handshakes. He'd just spent his morning doing a cooking demonstration on Fox 6 News - making (of all things) a simple ham sandwich with a deliciously fresh baguette from La Reve. He mentioned that he was impressed by the high quality of the supermarkets in Milwaukee, and commented that we were fortunate to have access to such great produce & sundries.

We were seated along the southeastern windows of the restaurant -- a perfect place to catch a glance of the lovely Milwaukee city-scape while enjoying the warmth of the sun at our backs.

A few of us came prepared with questions to ask Chef David -- though the conversation flowed more naturally than I would have expected. Tanis seemed quite intrigued by the idea of food blogging, and the blogger culture as it has developed in Milwaukee, as well as across the country. And then, the food was delivered to our table... and everyone pulled out their cameras.

 

"What's with people taking pictures of their food?" Tanis laughed, "Everyone can't be blogging about their food all the time. Isn't there just a point where you want to unplug and enjoy the moment?"

It's difficult to capture the spirit of what happened at the table -- Our conversation was so casual -- and Chef Tanis so zen about the process of cooking -- we all felt as if we were among friends, rather than gleaning bits of wisdom from one of the great masters of seasonal cooking.

Here are a few highlights that really stuck with me:

Recipes:
"Dishes are public domain," Tanis said, "From there you simply extract the elements from the base and make it your own."

Seasonal cooking:
"It just makes sense. Why would you want asparagus from Peru in the middle of winter when it tastes so great in the early spring when grown locally?"

Travel:
"There's good food to be found everywhere," Tanis commented. It just takes a bit of legwork to find the little shops -- the nooks and crannies that house local delicacies and homemade products.

The size of a kitchen:
"I like a small kitchen. Everything is within reach and you can't get lost." (Tanis' kitchen in Paris is a minute 6'x10')

Heart of the Artichoke:
"The stories and the recipes are really inseparable. They're intertwined. The stories make the book less of a manual and more of an inspirational device for creative cooking."

Tanis also let on that he's contemplating the idea of starting his own blog -- possibly discussing the dinner parties he hosts at his home in France.

Wow. If he does, we're totally there.

Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys is available online through various retailers, though we'd encourage you to patronize your locally owned independent bookshop.


©BURP! Where Food Happens

Your Private Invitation: Wine Craze Milwaukee

Are you the type who can really sit back and enjoy a glass of great wine?  Do you wish there was a more affordable way to expand your palate and sample some new things?

We might have just the suggestion for you.

This evening we had the privilege to attend a private tasting event -- a "sneak peek," if you will, into all the best of a brand new wine event at Clear in the Intercontinental Hotel, Milwaukee.  "Wine Craze", which takes place on Wednesday evenings from 5:30-8:30pm, captures the spirit of true wine appreciation by offering patrons the opportunity to sample pours of exceptional wines for only $5.

Our host, Stephan Fitz, presented us with three fantastic red wines, each one better than the last:

Brewer-Clifton, Lindsay's Pinot Noir. 2006.
Mid Tier. Pomegranate, cured pork and cayenne truffle aromas followed by cranberry and kirsch flavors. Very savory and brambly on the palate with dry, gripping tannins
 
La Jota Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. 2001.
High End  95+ Points - The Wine Advocate, Robert M. Parker, "It offers up smoky, sweet scents of lead pencil shavings, cedar, spice box, volcanic earth, black currants, and smoke. With excellent fruit, full-bodied power, a layered texture, and an exceptionally long finish."

"The Prisoner" by Orinswift Zinfandel Blend. Napa Valley, 2008.

Mid Tier. The front of the wine is soft and almost immediately begins evolving into the broad mid-palate. The mid has weight, length, and structure. The acids were great in 2008 and provide an essential rounding effect to the "big fruit" inherent in the wine. The finish is long and filled with ripe, soft tannins. The 2008 has much the same tannin structure of the 2004 which is a personal favorite.

We were also treated to a variety of seriously delicious tapas -- all of which made fantastic partners for the wine.  First, they brought out a bowl of blistered shishito peppers, prepared in the traditional manner (fried and lightly salted).

Then we happily munched on crab boursin "tater tots" with blue crab, herbed boursin cheese, and garlic-chili ranch dipping sauce.

We were delighted by the flatbread with roasted garlic olive oil, shaved onion, vine ripened tomatoes, fresh basil and fontina.

 And there was also baked goat cheese with spicy tomato sauce, basil pesto, and grilled ciabatta bread.

All of the tapas were exceptional, though the shishito peppers were the surprising hit.  Exceedingly addicting, these not-too-spicy peppers packed a flavorful punch and made you want to continue popping them into your mouth one right after another.

And that wine... well, let's just say we're still thinking about it (and saving up our money for another bottle of that La Jota Cabernet...).

The weather this week has been cold and rainy -- desolate at its worst, and dreary at its best. Not exactly the sort of week you'd celebrate -- particularly around "hump" day.  But, as we sat around the table sipping our wine and chatting, it occurred to me that this is exactly the sort of event that could break up the mid-week monotony.  In fact, it was the perfect solution for our Wednesday Blues... and a nice bit of exercise for our ever-expanding wine palates!

So, the next time you get the urge to really savor a nice glass of wine among friends, think about stopping over to Clear for a sip of something lovely.  And, if it happens to be a Wednesday, be sure you take advantage of those "Wine Craze" specials. 

Trust us, you won't be sorry.


©BURP! Where Food Happens

A Year of Inconvenience: Fellow Foodie Project

For one year, Pam declared, I will cook all meals from scratch, shopping primarily the fresh departments of my co-op.

When Pam Mehnert declared that she was giving up on convenience foods for an entire year, some people thought she was crazy -- and maybe for good reason.  Pam's got her hands full as general manager at Outpost Natural Foods in Milwaukee. But, like so many of us, Pam is also devoted to improving her community.   Pam believes that, by changing her diet, she can take a more active role in revitalizing the local economy and lessening her dependence on processed foods.

But, how would she make it for an entire year -- baking her own bread, making her own tortillas, and giving up her reliance on pre-packaged foods?

Well, that's a good question.  So, Pam started "A Year of Inconvenience," her own personal blog and food diary where she plans to share stories, wisdom, and thoughts on her year of "from scratch" eating.

We asked Pam if she'd take a few minutes to tell her a bit more about her project, and she willingly obliged.
We hope you're as moved by her real food journey as we are!
______________________________________________

You've written that you were inspired by both Julie Powell and Michael Pollan to begin this challenge. Although you're not cooking your way through a cookbook, as Julie Powell did, what parallels do you see between her experience and the challenge you've created for yourself?

Without question, the biggest parallel would be the time it will take to fit the challenge into an already busy day, and how easily it can become your “job” taking it on. For Julie, it also sounded like her novice cooking experience combined with taking on the French culture of the recipes became overwhelming, not to mention experimenting with cooking techniques she wasn’t familiar with. That’s different for me, because already it’s more about “hunger” – that if I don’t prepare and plan out our meals – I’ll be left with few choices and sadly a very boring diet. If Julie Powell didn’t feel like cooking from the cookbook on any particular day – she could take a break from it. I however have to focus on what meals I’ll be preparing every single day. And yet, I’m still inspired because of her, but especially Michael Pollan.

I know that you love to cook (and eat). But, how much cooking did you do, on average, prior to the challenge?  How many additional hours a week do you spend cooking now? 

Before the challenge I would cook breakfast and dinner at home on average 4-5 days per week. Now what I refer to as “cooking” wasn’t always from scratch. We would take a frozen pizza and add our own toppings, or I might start a pot of chili using canned beans and tomatoes. Often it was a protein and vegetable – simple dinners that could be put together in just 30 to 45 minutes. Lunch, on the other hand, was almost always picking up something from Outpost’s prepared foods department – usually a salad or sandwich or soup.  

A comparison of before the challenge and after, I’d say before I cooked on average 3-4 total hours/week and now it’s at least triple that amount of time. And I’m only in week two.

Do you have a strategy to help you get through the next 11 months? Have you purchased any special equipment for the challenge? 

I’ve been thinking about the challenge ever since last summer, so I actually have been preparing my kitchen with a few items. I gave away my thrift store 1980 something KitchenAid mixer and purchased a new one around the holidays. I also had been buying storage jars at flea markets and antique stores late last summer and fall. Just this past week I spent $100 at my local Ace Hardware adding important items such as a kitchen thermometer, extra baking sheets, freezer storage containers, a silicone rolling mat (for baking), and believe it or not – a dish drainer. We’ve been doing a lot of dishes!

My strategy has been – prepare a menu for the week (lunch & dinner), keep staples items in stock (granola and bread in particular), make enough dinner to have as a lunch leftover, and use the freezer. The freezer is my friend.

What's been the most painful convenience food for you to give up? The easiest?

The most painful: Seriously, and this is a bit embarrassing, but it would have to be snack foods. Hungry after work and need to snack before dinner – I used to depend on crackers, tortilla chips, or nut mixes. Baked potato chips with my sandwich, or cheese puffs while watching television at night. It’s the snacks, and fruit and vegetables don’t always do the trick!

The easiest? I guess that would be bread. I don’t mind baking bread at all. The frequency will become a strain after awhile I’m sure, but I really do enjoy making it.

Are there any official "exceptions" that you're making for yourself during the challenge? 

I’m really surprised no one has asked me this on the blog yet. Yes, actually there are a few.

First, if I get invited over to someone’s home for dinner, I will eat what they have to offer without scrutiny or judgment. That’s only polite. Second, I will eat out at restaurants but only under the condition that I’m invited by someone else (it can’t be a convenience because I don’t know what to make for dinner) AND for me it must be a locally owned restaurant (and not fast food local either). Someone else must have taken the time and care to make things from scratch. Third, at the beginning I’m not defining condiments as convenience foods. That means I will use some mustard or ketchup or mayonnaise on occasion. I do realize those things can be made from scratch, so I will eventually eliminate them from my exception list as I use up what I have. And finally, beverages to me are not convenience foods unless I use them in a convenient way. For example, I’ll brew coffee at home but I won’t stop at a coffee shop because I didn’t want to brew it at home. I’ll also drink beer, but will limit that whenever possible to local beer. I would like to try brewing beer on my own at some point.

I don’t know what I’m going to do when I travel. I travel at least four times a year for business meetings where I can’t cook and don’t have a kitchen, so I think I’ll just go with the flow on that. Vacations are also a question in my mind. I’m starting one next week going out to California, so I’ll report back on that experience.

What has the response been from your colleagues? Friends?  Most importantly -- what does your spouse/significant other think of all of this?

I gave my domestic partner the option of opting out – and was met with the response – “I live in the same house, we eat the same meals, and I’m willingly supporting you with this.” Thank goodness, as it’s really been helpful having an extra set of hands with the cooking, not to mention she’s really great with researching recipes. My colleagues and friends all think I’m a bit crazy – but applaud my efforts I think because they are grateful it’s not them.

  
Pam Mehnert is general manager of Outpost Natural Foods and has been working at the co-op since 1980. Her passion for local food and local business led her and seven other Milwaukee businesses to found the organization Our Milwaukee in 2007, where she currently serves as board president as well as local business advocate. In her spare time Pam fuels her daily work by serving as president of the board of directors of the National Cooperative Grocers Association. Oh, and she loves to cook, garden, work on assemblage art, and take adventurous hikes with her partner Lisa.  

Read more about Pam's Year of Inconvenience on her blog!  She just came back from vacation, so I'm sure she'll appreciate the visitors!


©BURP! Where Food Happens

Field Trip: Milwaukee Food Tour - Historic Third Ward

They say that one of the best ways to really get to know a city is to explore it on foot. And even if you've lived in a city like Milwaukee as long as we have, it seems there's always something new to learn!  That's why we were truly excited when Theresa Nemetz, co-owner of Milwaukee Food Tours, invited us to join in on a dinner tour of the Historic Third Ward, Milwaukee’s Arts and Fashion District this weekend.

Home to the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), the southern portion of the Milwaukee Riverwalk, the Milwaukee Public Market, and over 450 local businesses (including countless restaurants and boutiques), the Third Ward has become one of Milwaukee's most lively destinations.

Our tour was led by one of Milwaukee Food Tour's newest guides, Ms. Hayley Landsman. Originally from Michigan, Hayley fell in love with Milwaukee while attending Marquette University to earn her degree in Communications.  Not only did Hayley do a pretty fantastic job (for her first tour), but she knows a thing or two about the city. In fact, she's taken on the challenge to accomplish all 100 items on the OnMilwaukee.com "100 Things to Do in Milwaukee" list.   In fact, she's got us thinking that we need to take a long hard look at that list and see how many more interesting things there are to do in this great city... especially after being surprised by how much we learned on our food tour.

We began at the Milwaukee Public Market, where we started off by sampling a delicious Poblano Corn Chowder from the Soup & Stock Market.  Sweet and smoky (thanks to the addition of one of Peef's favorite ingredients... bacon), the soup laid the foundation for all the other great food to come.

 Satiated by that bowl of delicious soup, we headed off on the first leg of our tour -- down the gorgeous Milwaukee River Walk.  Although I knew that the River Walk extended into the Third Ward, I'd never actually walked a significant portion of it (since I doubt sitting on the patio at Water Buffalo really counts).

 Heh. Speaking of Water Buffalo, we actually stopped there...

 ... where they plied us with more food. A puff pastry crust rolled around a  filling of seasoned chickens and onions, served with a delicious dollop of fresh guacamole...  the chicken roll amounted to far more than the sum of its parts.  We gobbled quite happily as we learned all about efforts local businesses make to maintain the integrity of the architecture of the buildings in the Third Ward -- including when planning the design of their interiors.

 

We ambled further down the Riverwalk, stopped for a bite of pizza and sampled a bit of locally brewed beer. Then we strolled through Catalano Square (where we learned a bit about the history of the Italian immigrants who inhabited the Ward after the great fire of 1892) before stopping in at another Milwaukee gem, Tulip.

Tour guests were given a bit of time to relax, unwind, and listen to a bit of live Turkish music while feasting on a bite of Turkish flavor -- delicious lamb shish kebabs with tomatoey couscous and fragrant dolmas.

The tour could have stopped right there, and I'd venture a guess that the lot of us would have been quite satisfied.  But, it didn't.  We strolled along Broadway and stopped for a bit of wine and chocolate along the way before heading back to the Market.

Throughout the tour, we had the opportunity to talk with most of the members of our group. It was a social affair -- filled with amusing anecdotes, historical facts, and PLENTY of delicious nibbles. In fact, much to our surprise, it was with full bellies that we bid our adieus to over a dozen of our "new friends" and wandered over to our car to head home -- our heads filled with new information about the city we call home.   In fact, we'd be remiss if we didn't recommend that you add a Food Tour to your itinerary the next time you're in the Milwaukee area. 

SO... If you'd like to find out about the spot where the first slice of pizza was served in Milwaukee... discover why many buildings in Milwaukee have gorgeous Pabst logos engraved in the Cream City brick... or learn the secret behind the name of the Hoan Bridge (I'll give you a hint, it has everything to do with the Blues Brothers), we'd invite you to take a tour and find out.

And be sure to let us know... we might just tag along!

Milwaukee Food Tours

Full Disclosure:  Although we received our tour free of charge (many thanks to Theresa Nemetz!), we were not paid to advertise for Milwaukee Food Tours or any businesses mentioned in this article.  All opinions expressed in this blog entry are our own and are reflective of our experience.


©BURP! Where Food Happens