Winter Menu

Some items subject to change but for the most part this is it!

One Sister Underground, Winter Menu, 2012

Bubble Tea

Lox

Salad Sponge

Honeys, greens, homegrown

Pierogi

Yukon Gold potato, white truffle, mascarpone

Build-A-Plate

Paint, powder, gels, puddings, fresh sprouts

Hanging

Winter flavors, roe

Pumpkin Patch

Lobster, cashew, anise

Tree Nest

Quail egg, “caviars”

Encapsulated

Artichoke, black truffle

Your Hand

Juniper Centerpiece

Foraged items, chartreuse

Shrimp Scampi Noodles

Oatmeal Dashi and Chia Seeds

Brussels With Yummies

Smoked duck, amaranth, pumpernickel

1 Pill Makes You Larger, 1 Pill Makes You Small

Ebelskiver

Coffee and doughnuts, Chicken and dumplings

Mulling Spiced Pho

Blood Pudding

Pork, king oyster udon, garnishes

Indiana Deer Bresaola

Pine, homemade cheese, cherry, smoke

Dry-Aged Ribeye

Buttermilk, broccoli, bonito

Ice Cream Cone

Bacon, Koval Whiskey Butterscotch

Mirepoix

Cinnamon, celery, carrot, onion

Bites

Why The Deer?

And last but not least of the symbols behind Elizabeth-the deer...  I can't say anything more.


"Sometimes their thoughts seem to race ahead, and they appear not to be listening, to be somewhere else. Anyone with power animal has latent clairvoyant and clairaudient abilities."

"Deer's medicine includes gentleness in word, thought and touch. The ability to listen, grace and appreciation for the beauty of balance. Understanding of what's necessary for survival, power of gratitude and giving, ability to sacrifice for the higher good, connection to the woodland goddess, alternative paths to a goal 

In the Celtic tradition, there are two aspects of deer - female and male. The Hind (the red female deer), called Eilid in the Gaelic language, symbolises femininity, subtlety and gracefulness. The Hind is believed to call to us from the Faery realm, tempting us to release the material trappings of so-called 'civilization', to go deep into the forest of magic, to explore our own magical and spiritual nature. The topic gentleness is part of this tradition. Many stories tell of Hinds changing into women, often goddesses, to protect does from being hunted. The lesson to be gleaned here is that when we explore magic and spirituality, it must be with good intention, to harm no living being, but to enter the realm of the wild things in the spirit of love and communion. The Stag, Damh in the Gaelic tongue, is also linked to the sacredness of the magical forest. The Damh represents independence, purification, and pride. It is known as the King of the Forest, the protector of its creatures. For time immemorial people have sought to identify with the stag by ceremonially wearing antlered headdresses and imitating the deer's leaping grace. 

Both Celtic and Native American hunters prayed to the deer to give them a good hunt, and in return promised to take no more than was essential for the survival of the tribe. This helps remind us that our spirit of gentleness and unconditional love should extend to all species, not only our own. 

Maybe the most effective way to summarize the lessons of these beliefs, is to say that only when we move through life in the spirit of love for all beings can we melt the barriers that separate us from others, from other life forms, and from the beautiful mystery which is our own magical and spiritual gift. 

By observing the ways in which deer behave, it is possible to see what amazing qualities - or powers - they possess. From the deer we can learn that the gift of gentleness and caring can help us overcome and put aside many testing situations. Only love, both for ourselves and for others, helps us understand the true meaning of wholeness. 

If a deer crosses your path, this may show you that you are a very compassionate, gentle and loving person. If you don't have these qualities, then consider if you have a problem that needs addressing. Are you facing a challenge in your life, whether with a fellow human being or a delicate situation? If you are feeling negative emotions such as anger, try letting go. Think about whether a gentler and more loving approach can sort the issue out. It may be necessary to speak the truth, this is best done with kindness and from the heart, this will generally give a better result. 

Deer teaches us how powerful it is to be of gentle demeanour, to exert keen observation and sensitivity. Deer's are in tune with nature and all it comprises. They are sacred carriers of peace and show those with this power animal how to open their hearts and love unconditionally. 

Frequently twins or even triplets are born in the spring. Females and males reside in separate groups until the mating season. White-tailed deer are rather sociable, and family members forage food together along with other family groups, which gives the appearance of a large herd. Fawns are born a colour that protects them, camouflaging them from a predator’s sight. In the first few days of their life they hardly move, until their energy field is strong and grounded. They then stand up and begin to follow their mother around. A magical sight to behold is fawns coming out of forests, following their tenderly protective mothers. Even when grazing, the mothers are constantly watchful, fully aware and alert of what is going on all around them. They travel through forest and field with deliberateness and clarity, mindful of the fragile creature they nurture and protect. There is a powerful lesson to be learned here by us. Though we are born with an inborn ability to be unconditionally loving, often we are born to parents whose life experiences have taught them to become hard, and to lose that ability to experience and give unconditional love. Watching the deer and her babies is a reminder to honour and respect the child-like innocence within your self and go about your life with gentleness and an open heart. You should also stand strong on your path, in your beliefs, and not allow yourself to get distracted by outside influences. 

Deer has entered your life to help you walk the path of love with full consciousness and awareness, to know that love sometimes requires caring and protection, not only in how we love others, but also in how we love ourselves. 

A deer's senses are very acute and they see extremely well in low light, giving them the ability to understand the deeper symbolic meanings of things. They can hear a twig snap a very long way off. People with this power animal are often described as being swift and alert. They are intuitive, often seeming to possess well developed, even extrasensory perceptions. Sometimes their thoughts seem to race ahead, and they appear not to be listening, to be somewhere else. Anyone with power animal has latent clairvoyant and clairaudient abilities. They can see between the shadows, detect subtle movements and hear that which is not being uttered. Ask the deer to help you develop these true gifts. 

The set of antlers grown by the male deer are antennae that connect it to higher energies. If you come across a deer in the wild, try to count the number of points on their antlers. This number is associated with numerology and can carry great significance for those with this power animal. 

Deer teaches us to be gentle, to touch the hearts and minds of wounded beings who are in our lives. Don't push people to change, rather gently nudge them in right direction, with the love that comes from deer. Love and accept people as they are. The balance of true power lays in love and compassion. 

When a Deer totem enters your world, a new innocence and freshness in about to be awakened. New adventures are just around the corner and there will be an opportunity to express the gentle love that will open new doors for you. "

Why The Diamond?

When I told one of my good old friends my restaurant will be called Elizabeth for my sister she closed her eyes and said she saw yellow diamonds...I said, perfect, that will be a logo.  It made perfect sense to me.  How lovely is the diamond for Elizabeth Restaurant and what does it mean?

"...the symbolism of diamonds goes beyond romance. Through centuries diamonds have been a symbol of love, excellence and purification. Diamond, because of its remarkable hardness and clarity, also still reigns supreme in its symbolism of power, strength, brilliance and unparalleled beauty. Diamonds are enchanting treasures that have fascinated mankind throughout the centuries. Many regarded them as magical. Not only were they rare and beautiful, no tool could cut them and even the fiercest fire would leave the diamonds unscathed.

Diamonds have been used symbolically because of their extraordinary physical properties. It was said that the Greeks believed diamonds were tears of the gods. Romans believed they were splinters of fallen stars. In Tibetan Buddhism, also known as Vajrayana (Diamond Vehicle), diamonds are an important symbol and the Diamond Sutra is one of the most popular texts.

In ancient India, diamonds were not cut for fear that they would lose its magical properties. During the Middle Ages, it was believed that diamonds would grow darker in the face of guilt and shine brightly for the innocent. Another belief is that in the presence of poison, diamond would also change color. The rainbow colors of the prism were thought to give one magical power over Evil Eyes.

According to occultist myths, it was believed that diamonds possess several supernatural powers, e.g. a diamond's hardiness can only be broken by smearing it with fresh goat's blood. Or a diamond gives victory to he who carries it bound on his left arm, no matter the number of enemies.

It was also believed to have been used as a healing stone. Such as a way of detecting and detoxifying poison, opening spirituality channels and assisting calming creatures."

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/202446

Why the Owl?

The symbols of Elizabeth Restaurant are close to my heart.  In researching more about what my symbols actually mean they became even more poignant.  Here is some of the affirmative text below...


"The Owl is often regarded as a messenger between worlds. The Owl Spirit is at home in the night and embraces darkness to their advantage. Owls easily see through the facade to the core of things where truth lives and breathes. People with the Owl Spirit are swift and precise with their thoughts and movements. Owls are highly aware beings awake to protect that which is sacred when most of the world sleeps."


"Through pop culture references, like Winnie the Pooh, and through folklore, we all associate owls with wisdom at some time or other.  Rather than intellectual wisdom, though, owls are connected with the wisdom of the soul.  However, there are other qualities that owl has.  Owls are often seen as mysterious, mostly because many owls are strictly nocturnal and humans have always found night to be full of mystery and the unknown.  Owls live within the darkness, which includes magic, mystery, and ancient knowledge.  Related to the night is the moon, which owls are also connected to.  It becomes a symbol of the feminine and fertility, with the moon’s cycles of renewal.

Even the mythology relates owl to this wisdom and femininity.  The owl was a symbol for Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategy, before the Greeks gave their pantheon human forms.  According to myth, an owl sat on Athena’s blind side, so that she could see the whole truth.  In Ancient Greece, the owl was a symbol of a higher wisdom, and it was also a guardian of the Acropolis.  Diana, the Roman response to Athena, was strongly associated with the moon, and also the owl.  The Pawnee and the Sioux saw the owl as a messenger (akicita) to the first of all evil creatures (Unktehi).  While the Lakota tribe had an “Owl Society,” where the warriors fought primarily at night and painted dark rings around their eyes because they believed that would allow them to have an owl’s acute vision.

There are many superstitions surrounding the owl, many of which focus on death.  In Europe and America, owl was seen as a harbinger of death.  This was due to certain peoples, like the Dakota, and some Germanic tribes and Scandinavian Vikings, who would signal the approach of attack with the hoot of an owl.  This was and still remains the easiest bird call to imitate.  The Mayans called the screech owl of the Yucatan “the moan bird,” and believed that it meant death.

There are myths and legends from all over the world, from the Americas to the Far East.  Owls, as they always have, continue to be a source of wisdom, spiritual and intellectual."

Inspirations!

This Empress!

Smells are always good for inspiration.  I'm more often than not triggered by my "smemory"...A scent that reels me right back into a childhood memory.  Somehow, there is that dreaming, childlike scense I never want to lose, and I'm always searching for it or trying to recreate it.  My dinners have often been deemed as magical.  I like that!  Recently I received flowers with a note attached that read, "Thank you, sorcress, I'm still in wonderland."  I love that!  

Pictures also trigger me, a thought or emotion from one photo can create an entire dish...

If you wonder what happens in my head, here are some of my latest inspirations for my upcoming winter menu.

This deer skull.

These antlers and color palate.

This fungus!

Collaboration

This December 12th I will be joining forces with Brandon Baltzey and Crux in a pop-up event, which will donate all proceeds to Inspiration Corporation....I'm so pleased to be doing this event for Inspiration.  Last year I had a party for them in December, which was also a success.  

Brandon and I became friends on facebook when I think I saw his profile picture on my friend suggestions and it was of a nice looking dish, so I added him.  He approached me about this dinner about a month ago when he in return was inspired by the pictures of my food.  This past Friday he worked with me in my tiny kitchen and said, "You're like fucking MacGyver in here.  I can't believe you do this alone."  I'm certainly proud of what I do and it is such a compliment for that to be said by another chef who has worked in some of NY's and Chicago's finest kitchens.  

I'm really excited about this dinner and you all should be too.  I hope that many of you will join us.  The details will unleashed tomorrow!

Food Porn Part 3

More pics by Jennifer Moran of my Fall Menu, which runs until the end of December.

Rough Draft of Winter Menu

Bubble Tea
Bacon, Waffles, Banana, Maple

Salad Sponge
Goat's milk, sunflower, homegrown

Pierogi
Yukon gold potato, truffle, homemade cheese

Cured Fish Centerpiece and Fresh Cut Sprouts-Literally

Hanging
Salmon, paddle fish roe, bagels, cream cheese, onion

Pumpkin Patch
Lobster, fennel flavors

Encapsulated Soup
Black truffle, semolina, quail egg

Your Hand

Oyster Centerpiece
Chartreuse, pistachio, herbs, foraged juniper

Shrimp Noodle
Scampi

Oatmeal Dashi
Chia seeds

1 Pill Makes You Larger, 1 Pill Makes You Small

Scallop Motoyaki
Lychee caviar, perfect potato, lemongrass lobster consomme

Chicken Thigh, Salmon Skin, Truffle Chicken Liver Ragu, Hay Aroma

Hunted Deer Bresaola
Homemade ricotta, items from where the deer roams

Pork In Two
Chinese, Vietnamese

In House Dry-Aged Ribeye
Smoked buttermilk, broccoli, black garlic, tiny fish

Bacon Ice Cream Cone
Koval whiskey, black pepper

Mirepoix
Red onion, celery, carrot

Dark Lord...

Sometimes I'm just lucky enough to look into my refrigerator and think, "what is that darn bottle," and then to pull it out and discover it is a half bottle of Dark Lord that my guests have left from the weekend.  Today I worked in the kitchen at Leopold.  I have a week off and when I have time I like to go into kitchens and stage or volunteer.  I get so use to my own home kitchen it's nice to be in an actual restaurant kitchen and working in spaces with others.  Before I left for Leopold this afternoon I put a Cornish hen in a spiced brine and pulled it when I got home.  I knew I had potatoes and carrots, but nothing really to make a sauce with, that was until I found the Dark Lord.  I stuffed the Cornish hen with marjoram, garlic, thyme, and sage, seasoned the outside and then browned it on all sides in canola oil.  I roughly chopped carrots and potatoes and threw those into the pan with a touch of salt and once they had a little brown added a healthy cup of dark lord to deglaze the pan and the juice of half a lemon.  I tossed it in the oven at 350 and after about 25 minutes turned the bird and baked it for another 20-25 minutes...I wasn't really watching the time however I did check it frequently and pulled it when I had an inner temp of 165 degrees F.  I pulled the bird from the pan and set it aside and then allowed the juices and Dark Lord reduce a touch until it looked like an unctuous demi.  I cut the bird in half and scooped the potatoes, carrots and sauce over the top and I devoured it before I could even take a picture for you.  It was amazing.  My niece ate the other half when she got home from work.  She loved it too.  I suppose it was that bit of Belgium cuisine today which got me thinking of such a hearty meal.  Not everyone is lucky enough to have Dark Lord floating around in their fridge.  You can substitute for a nice dark beer.

Photos of Mushroom Expedition!

Snapped from the artistic eye of Jen Moran...Photos!

What The Fall Menu Has Become...

One Sister Fall Menu 2011

Bubble Tea

Apple Pie, Bourbon

Salad Sponge

Homegrown, goat milk, sunflower, honeys

Hanging

Salmon roe, melon, smoke

Pierogi

Yukon gold potato, white truffle, homemade cheese

Pumpkin Patch

Pumpernickel, lobster, fennel, cashew

                       

Grilled Cheese Soup

Encapsulated, tomato marmalade, garden items

Your Hand

Oyster Centerpiece

Foraged items    

Shrimp Noodle

Scampi

Oatmeal Dashi  and Chia Seeds

1 Pill Makes You Larger And1 Pill Makes You Small

 

Potatoes , Mussels,  and Lobster Consomme

Chicken Thigh,  Livers, Truffle and Hay

  Lamb Prosciutto

Sassafrass, cherry, smoke

Pig

Cheek, pomegranate, king oyster udon

Dry-Aged Ribeye

Tamarind, sardine, celery root

Sorbet

Honeydew, banana pepper, vanilla salt

Ice Cream Cone

Bacon, Koval Whisky

Chocolate Orbs

Egg yolk, berry, gruyere, quinoa

5th Ave in Brooklyn

Trees and Stevie Nicks, they are one in the same, mystical and enchanting.  I love trees.  I'll always stop to marvel at gnarly bark, touch a smoothed area or grab a leaf.  I'm often looking up at the leaves...and it's just my nature as a forager identify the leaves and trees because of the bounty that I know comes beneath.  Walking down 5th Avenue today I was excited to see so many Oak trees along the sidewalks.  The Oak trees in Brooklyn are like the Maple trees we have in Chicago.  If Chicago wasn't Chicago it'd probably be a forest of Maples.  Well, I spotted a more mature Oak and sure enough there was a lovely lion's mane in a perfect little crook of the tree, plump as a kitten (which one of my friend's actually remarked about the pic I posted on facebook).  Lion's mane is easy to prepare although it may seem intimidating because of it's toothy characteristics.  These are a few of my fall backs for any mushroom which one can be uncertain about.
1) heat butter, add cleaned mushrooms, cook until liquid evaporated, season with salt and pepper.
2) heat butter, add cleaned mushrooms, cook until liquid evaporates, turn down heat, add more butter, touch of flour and cream...put over anything...you can change this up, add red wine in beginning, sherry is always delish.  Salt and pepper to taste.
3) render fat from chopped bacon, add minced onions and cook until translucent, add mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste, turn down heat and mix in sour cream.
Just check your foraged mushrooms for debris and bugs!

What's Out There Now.

Chanterelles
Black trumpets
Maitake aka sheeps head aka hen of the woods
Chicken of the woods
Pursalane
Lambs quarters
Sumac
Elderberries
Chicory
Green juniper
Black walnuts
Mint
Wood sorrel
Dandelion
and much more!

Fall Menu Beginning This October!

Bubble Tea

Apple Pie, Bourbon

Salad Sponge

Homegrown, goat milk, sunflower, honeys

Hanging

Charred corn, burnt lime, salmon roe

Pierogi

Yukon gold potato, white truffle, homemade cheese

Shrimp Carpaccio

Pears, tapioca, almonds, herbs

Pumpkin Patch

Pumpernickel, lobster, fennel, cashew

Grilled Cheese Soup

Encapsulated, tomato marmalade, garden items

Shrimp Noodle

Scampi

Your Hand

Oatmeal Dashi

Chia Seeds

1 Pill Makes You Larger And1 Pill Makes You Small

Dirty Pasta

Chicken livers, sausage, truffle, red-eye

Lamb Prosciutto

Root beer, cherry, smoke

Ice Cream Cone

Bacon, Koval Whisky

Bone Marrow Oxtail Bao

Lobster lemongrass consommé, caramel, Thai ingredients 

Worcestershire Ribeye

Tamarind, anchovy, maitakes, celery root

Buttermilk Panna Cotta

Pomegranate, candied sweet breads, pistachios, oak and sticks

Sorbet

Chocolate Orbs

Egg yolk, berry, gruyere, quinoa

*some items subject to change depending on availability, time, date, any number of reasons but this is roughly what you will see and eat. hope to see you.

Okra!

I love okra so much.  I love the seeds, the slime, the crunch, the taste.  I would marry it!  And I'm especially loving of all it's variations and applications, pickled, thickening agent in gumbo and last but not least FRIED!  Today I picked my first two lovely okra from my garden and ran upstairs snatching one lovely green tomato from my neighbor's plant :) and started lunch...I'll double the recipe for you.
4 okra, 1/2 inch slices
2 green tomato sliced
1 1/2 cup canola
2 egg yolks mixed with touch of buttermilk, cream or milk
1/2 cup flour mixed with 1/2 cup of corn flour
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
cracked pepper to taste
cayenne to taste
garlic powder to taste
I set up two plates-one for the flour and one for the flour mixture with the spices and salt included, a bowl for the egg mixture and a wide pan with at least 1 to 2 inch tall walls for with the oil.  I also lay out paper towels on a sheet tray for the fried yummies to release some of those oils...Heat the oil to 350.  In the meantime dip items to be fried in flour, then coat in egg mixture, then coat with flour/spice mixture...Fry several pieces at a time to keep temperature consistent, too many pieces will drop it down and too high a flame and too little pieces at a time with get the oil too hot and you don't want it to smoke or burn...
If I'm frying big patches I use several trays with paper towels and use the oven as a warmer.  I also try not to layer the fried items on top of one another so they don't get soggy...
I didn't feel like making a sauce from scratch so I took some condiments from the fridge and went wild...Mayo, siracha, and chopped parsley did the trick.
That's it.  Lots of the farmers at the markets have okra right now so don't pass it up because there is even more to do with it that what I've mentioned.

17 Courses and Counting!

When I began my Underground Dining my intention was a ten course tasting menu but it never quite made it to ten, it was always a solid twelve.   Then as time went on it grew to 14, 15...And as menu 3 hit I began to get those "staple," "money" dishes that guests raved about like shrimp noodle scampi, the mushroom tea course, and white truffle Yukon gold potato pierogi and I haven't been able to part with them.  The summer menu is currently 17 courses and this month of August there may even be 18 on the occasional lucky night.  I have a new fun plating technique which is in the works and lands right on the guest's hand that I hope to incorporate as one of the first courses when One Sister becomes above ground at Elizabeth Restaurant.  Remember that name, cause that will be her!

New Ingredients...

Salt and aroma-from your own hand....

Squash pollen...

3 month cured pork belly...

Stay tuned!  Come to dinner soon!  By mid august the dinners will be 19 courses!  Right now it's 15-17, best deal in town.

Summer Menu Part 2

Quesadilla

bubble tea

Salad Sponge

Honeys, goat milk, homegrown

Tomatoes

manchego-edamame, nasturtium, spice cubes

Hanging

Smoked watermelon, roe

Pierogi

Potato, truffle, homemade cheese

Shrimp Carpaccio

almonds, peaches, herbs

Elotes

encapsulated, salsa verde, black beans

Farm and Garden

Pork, snail, veggies

1 Pill Makes You Larger and 1 Pill Makes You Small

Shrimp Scampi

noodle

Oatmeal Dashi

chia seeds

Hand-cut Pasta

quail, duck, raspberry

Ice Cream Cone

Lamb Prosciutto

fennel, radish, corned leg

Veal Cheeks

hot mustard, granola, cherries

Cake and Custard

zucchini, honey dew, banana pepper

Chocolate Balls

blueberries, eggs, onions

Food Porn Part 2

Check out more great dinner photos taken by the fantastic photographer Jennifer Moran.  The photos in this link, which you can access by clicking on the caption of the photo below or Jennifer's name, are in the public gallery of my dinners on her website.  In this gallery you will see a progression of pictures from my spring menu into a vegan dinner I held followed by the most recent pictures of my summer menu which begins about page 7, enjoy!

8 spiced duck breast, granola, bok choy, cherry spheres, pickled cherries, duck reduction,  spicy Thai peanut marshmallow

The Beauty!

I love harvesting.  From my Indiana garden today I pulled kale, lettuce, mustard greens, snap peas, and strawberries.  I have dinner sides for the next week and lots of preserves to make.  So excited.

Water and Weed!

...That's how my garden grows!  With luck this year I should have three turns out of my square foot gardens.  I've already had half of it turn with all my wonderful baby greens only to plant some more in hopes that I'll get them to shoot up and get some pretty flowers from the arugula.  My radishes were lovely.  In just a small space I have and/or will have nasturtium, raspberries, radish, kale, snap peas, honey dew, zucchini, dill, leaf lettuce, mesculin lettuces, okra, cucumber, shiso, basil, parsley, borage, beets, turnips, strawberries and brussel sprouts.  And that's not to mention all my tiny greens like pea shoots, corn sprouts, sunflower greens, radish, mung, and peanut sprouts.  So don't forget to visit me at the Andersonville market and pick up pierogi because what I don't get to use at my dinners I sometimes have little presents for my regulars.
Some of the weeds I like to leave in my garden are sorrel-pretty heart shaped leaves that have a lovely burst of lemon flavor, these bloom with pods and yellow flowers that are also edible and purslane which has a rubbery greenish-redish quality, again a beautiful bright lemony element to them...

Couple Things About Local

I try as much as possible to source locally...sustainably...organically...consciously.  I don't always get the chance to get everything within those parameters but I try.  The Midwest is such a rich place for nourishment.  However I don't always use local ingredients and when I don't my next step is to shop independent/locally.  For example I love farina 00 flour for making my hand cut pasta and the farina I get is from Italy.  I buy it at a local independent grocer Piatto Pronto in my Andersonville neighborhood (they make killer foot long subs for less than seven dollars).  It's one of those stores that reminds me of the stores my mother tells me about from when she was a kid, a place where they remember you when you walk in and will bend over backwards to serve you.  Every Chicago neighborhood is filled with local independent grocers that don't always have organic, sustainable or local products however they themselves are local, our neighbors, friends, relatives...

Quick Short Ribs

I've been craving San Soo Gap San since this past Saturday when my guests were talking about how delicious it is...I can't stop thinking of short ribs so I didn't pass up the cross cut shortribs at whole foods today.  I marinated them for about two hours and grilled them on my wood grill for about 3 minutes on each side and that was it.  Ok, and the recipe I'm going to tell you is so easy you probably have all the ingredients on hand.  

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 t salt

2 T apple cider vinegar

2 cloves of chopped garlic

...and drum roll....2 T grape jelly!

Mix well and cover short ribs with marinade, allow to sit for two hours.  When you put the ribs on the grill, strain the marinade into a pan and reduce it until it becomes a glaze.   Remove the ribs from the grill, add your glaze...Sooooo good.  Not quite Korean but it did the job.  I think I will make more tomorrow.

Summer Menu!

Gazpacho

cucumber, hibiscus

Salad Sponge

goat milk, sunflower, homegrown

Tomatoes

herbs, manchego, edamame, black pepper

Hanging

smoked watermelon, roe, custard

Pierogi

Potato, white truflle, marscarpone

Scallop Tartare

avocado, almonds, mussels, peaches

Carrots In Honey

trotters, chanterelles, black garlic-coconut soup

1 Pill Makes You Larger 1 Pill Makes You Small

Shrimp Noodle

scampi

Hand-cut Pasta

black truffle, soft boiled egg

Oatmeal Dashi

chia seeds

Bacon Ice Cream

black pepper, Koval Whisky

Lamb Bite

corned, preserved lemon, date

Duck Breast

sour cherry, peanuts, nasturtium

Mirepoix

celery, carrot, onion, white chocolate

Mexican Hot Chocolate and Strawberries

balsamic, basil

Ravenous

Tonight, after a weekend of dinners, the table full of gracious patrons dining over sixteen courses-one, I'm tired, and two, I'm so hungy.  I want to go to dinner too...  My partner is at Aviary and I thought, geez, maybe I could snatch the walk-in table at Next and then head over to Aviary for a non-alcoholic cocktail-if they have those.  Then I thought it's not likely that I'd be able to snag it and taking the bus all the way down there to walk back to the bus coated in chilly rain just didn't do it for me.  Then I thought maybe I could go to ING.  Looked up a table for one on Open Table and no luck.  I suppose it all works out the way it is supposed to because I really need to save my money but I also love to calibrate my palate and dinning at such places certainly sets it straight.  Being a young chef (not that I'm young), but young chef in the sense that I have just been back in the kitchen now full-time for a little more than a year, it's important.  It's as to being an English major and having a reading list.  As a chef or cook there a just certain places that one should absolutely dine and then file in their memory bank the olfactory and taste.  Instead I've asked my niece to make a burger for me.  Four nights ago she made the best burger I have ever tasted.  But I forgot to get ground beef at the store today!

Smoked Watermelon

Changing a couple dishes around on my current menu because I have so many wonderful foraged items...And I just had to do something smokey.  Today I used my polyscience smoking gun to applewood smoke watermelon.  I loaded the chamber once until it burnt out and the watermelon, which I had sliced in 1 inch slices was perfect.  The flavor was like watermelon bacon.  I ate one slice and rest I wrapped and put in the refrigerator to see how long the smoke flavor will take.  I like to experiment.  The person who taught me to experiment was my mother.  Anytime I asked her a question about technique or prepartion that she could not answer she always said, "I don't know Lanie, you have to try it, experiment."

Ouch!!!

Went to the woods looking for what's on the left and found lots of what's on the right...but what is on the right is a fall mushroom.  Strange!

Tonight's snack: the morel from above and asparagus picked from my garden today.  Yum!

Today I got two and a half pounds of chicken of the woods (after I cleaned them)-weird since this is a Fall mushroom, one morel, and three ticks...Ticks are gone I hope but I know the symptoms of Lyme Disease and my doctor is on speed dial...

Rewards and Pangs of the Forage. Fuck!

Yeah so I'm pretty sure this is poison ivy and if it's not then it's something else fucking itchy!  Not only that, Tonya Pierce, my partner who has been gone for the last three days working on her design show, which I'm sure most of you know about if you see my personal facebook page and twitter account and I hope you will vote for her ;)...well anyways I drew a bath for her tonight and when I showed her this I was banned.  Ooph.  And now as I'm sitting her writing about this everything is starting to feel itchy but I'm not a scratcher.  Ew.

ramps

In the picture above there is a ramp pesto and pickled ramp bulbs.  The bulbs are cleaned and then placed in a deli with coriander, pinch of salt, and green peppercorns.  My pickle is 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar, heated together to dissolve sugar, poured over ramps, allowed to cool, sealed and refrigerated.  For the pesto I chopped the tops and placed them in a food processor with 1 clove of garlic that I toasted in a skillet with hot oil, a handful of cashews, salt and olive oil.  Blend tops, toasted garlic, cashews and salt, slowly drizzle in oil.  Taste, season to your liking.  This was a recipe for about ten ramps.  It's simple, easy to wing it.

Fucking Rascals!

Finds!

Wild garlic- ramsons, and wild mint- apple mint.

All foraging aside this is the real reason why I love it so much, the sheer beauty!

Morels!  Just when I think I have the right spots and right timing they just don't appear, then as I'm giving up and heading back to my truck I find them in just the place I wouldn't have checked.  Today I was caught off guard by a beautiful flower, which most people plant outside their house, growing smack dab in the middle of sand in a nice sunny location.  As I approached it to to get a closer look just to it's right was lone blonde morel, sun shining down growing right up from the sand.  Yesterday I found several just poking from some beautiful green foliage along a fallen tree, which species I couldn't make out, but a more likely location.  At one point I was even in a burnt out area, which they tend to love but found nothing.  Two days of mushroom hunting and found just a little over a handful but thanks to some wonderful friends with a lucky connection to a couple who doesn't eat morels I got quite the load.  There's about another week to two of these wonderful creatures and if the temperatures reach up a bit then I might have more luck in my spots.  I also had some other good finds, wild mint-from what I've researched I believe it to be apple mint and wild garlic, known as ramsons.  You just never know...  When finding large quantities of morels or other mushrooms freezing, sharing and drying is my suggestion.  And if you are one of those lucky enough to find a carpet of them I also suggest to not take more than you know you can share, freeze, dry or consume.  The earth benefits from their return to it by helping the trees and forest floor and spreading more spores for seasons to come so we can find them again.  That really goes for any foraged edible.

Date Nights...Kith and Kin & Vincent

I love date night!  Tonya and I had two great dinner dates in a row.  A few weekends back we finally got out of our neighborhood and headed to Lincoln Park. Kith and Kin, where several of my friends work and was winner of Best Neighborhood restaurant, was our first choice.  We had some of their best... The pimento cheese spread, foie gras, smoked oysters, mussels, fried chicken and steak.  Everything was delicious.  The fried chicken was the best I've had in the city, hands down.  It was served with dirty rice- chicken livers included, amazing!  Service was great, atmosphere and soundtrack was fun too.

Last night we went to Vincent, a newer spot in our neighborhood.  At first I was hesitant to have Dutch influenced food because most of my experiences with it have been dull however this was outstanding.  We had the caramelized cauliflower soup with bread, cheese, and pickled onions-it was a touch weak on the seasoning but no biggie, once all mixed up the bacon which had settled on the bottom brightened up with the onions.  The traditional Dutch mustard soup with crab salad and tarragon pesto became one of my new favorites so much that I had to come home and immediately look it up.  I had beer battered haddock on snert-a thick split pea soup with sausage that was more like a mash and I didn't have faith in it until I tasted it.  She had steak and frites, also perfectly seasoned.  I wouldn't recommend this place as a first date because the strong garlic accents are still lingering today however when you become use to your partner's smelly garlic breath, indulge.  I love both and still have many new places to try.
Still checking in on Next tickets daily to no avail however Tonya is now working at Aviary so maybe someday she'll be able to pull some strings.  I can't wait to go to ING, right next door to next and Aviary and then there is always Girl and the Goat and GT oyster, man-what a list!  And I don't get much time off so this may take another year.  But even with all of that I still have a favorite go to right here in my neighborhood, Ante Prima, if you haven't gone you must.  It's affordable and so so so delicious.

Food Porn

This will make your mouth water!  Jen Moran Photos and my food! Here's a teaser... or would it be fluffer in this case?

Dried Mushrooms.

some beauties!

As most of you know, I'm in love with mushrooms.  I love love love foraging for them and even if I find nothing, which often happens, I still love hearing the forest, the dried leaves and sounds beneath my feet and all around me.  However when I do find mushrooms, loads of them, I resort to my dehydrator or air dry them-it depends.  But here are some great ways to put them to use once they are dried.  Rehydrate them-about 4 oz. mushroom to two cups of hot water.  Allow to steep until mushrooms are plump, strain, saving that precious liquid which you can add to stock or reduce and season to make a wonderful gravy, drink as tea, etc. Another use is to pulverize them in a spice grinder, sift them and add to cookie batter, pasta dough, bread dough, whatever you can think of really...butter.  Another use is the hydrated mushroom itself which is a great addition to pizza, risotto, again the list goes on, so if you get a lot when foraging or even come across dried mushrooms at the store, don't be shy.

Vegetable Stock

After being in my garden yesterday, with all the beautiful asparagus poking through the soil I had one thing on my mind when I woke up-asparagus terrine.  One of my new Spring menu dishes is a scrambled egg cannoli filled with asparagus custard, topped with local prosciutto, asparagus ribbons, asparagus terrine, toasted yeast a butter sorbet and a globe of lemon cream.  I'm making the vegetable stock for a terrine base to bind the asparagus.  This is the recipe:
10 carrots peeled and chopped
3 leeks, white parts only
1 shallot chopped
1 clove of garlic chopped
3 Roma tomatoes chopped
2 sweet onions chopped
1 fennel bulb chopped
20 green peppercorns
salt to taste
8 sprigs of thyme
3 bay leaves
1 sprig of basil
1 sprig of oregano

Saute all chopped vegetables in a touch of canola to sweat them down, add peppercorns and salt, continue to sweat until rich in color.  Add water to cover the top about 6 inches, bring to a boil, let simmer for two hours.  Strain.  Once it is strained I will clarify this stock and then put it in small containers and freeze it.  You can do the same, just remember that veggie stock will lose it's flavor faster than other stocks so use quickly.  Freezing is good for this amount.  You can also change the recipe by adding different herbs, etc.  I chose these for added flavor, typically a sachet of parsley, thyme and bay is  common.

Quick Yummies!

What I was really doing here was practicing my scrambled egg cannoli for my Spring menu.  Excellent spring asparagus from my garden in Indiana is going to be a major component.  The dish is likely to be much more elaborate come dinner time but for the meantime this is scrambled egg cannoli around asparagus with shaved asparagus, asparagus coulis, sprouts, and a toasted yeast and butter sorbet.

It only took two of these babies from my garden to make the lovely picture above.

Last night craving-clams.  Went to whole foods and picked up ten of these puppies.  In a pan I sauteed garlic and onions, added a splash of chenin blanc, thin sliced purple potatoes, carrots, thyme, oregano, basil, lemon juice and about 1 cup of shellfish stock, cooked for ten minutes, added the clams and broccolini and allowed it to steam until the clams popped.  Hot dog!  Satisfaction.

Mushroom caps baked with Bragg's Aminos.  So good.  This adds the perfect amount of seasoning if you are looking for a healthy kick.  We used this for the vegan dinner to add to the mushroom gravy.  So delicious.

This Is How Good It Was...

Photo by Jen Moran.  

And check out more photos from the Vegan Dinner I hosted with my mom HERE!  What a fun night!  Love cooking all food.  This means all the more welcome to my dinners!

Well Rounded

So many times I've encountered savory chefs that do not do sweets or sweets that don't do savory, on and on.  Being one who thinks more about savory has had to really focus and teach myself how to do sweets, bake, the works.  My menus combine sweet and savory in almost every course and roller coasters from one side to the other throughout.  But even settting those parameters aside there is a whole other world between working with meat as opposed to meat/animal/face-free cooking.  Tomorrow I am using my One Sister umbrella to host a dinner for vegans using my mother's plant strong vegan preparations, which is for her an essentially fat-free cooking style (I did get to add fat into some of the preparation but very little).
I can remember several years back when I retreated to the kitchens full-time, my mother telling me to be more neat and clean when cooking.  I definitely didn't learn my militant organization from my stints at any of those fine places where I've worked either front or back of the house-it was solely from my mother, Sandra Regan who was a chef herself when I was in the womb.  These days I rarely get a speck of flour on the floor and today I had to clean up after her.  I hope she's reading this ;).  But wow, what a way to force myself to become more well-rounded.  I used miso, nutritional yeast, almond milk, tomatoes, tumeric, paprika, garlic powder and several other ingredients to make a cheese sauce.  We will serve seven courses tomorrow.  One thing I could not keep my hands off of was the mushroom caps we doused with Braggs Liquid Aminos and then roasted in the oven to complete a mushroom gravy.  I'm so impressed with the improvisation and glad to gain the experience and broaden my knowledge.  It ensures my abilities to be able to cook for anyone.

Rampin Up

Photo of Spring dish one year ago taken by Josh Brusin of Chicago Foodies

Ooo how I love spring!  In this photo I have ramps in two different preparations.  One is pickled ramp bulb the other is chilled ramp top soup.
For the pickled ramps:
Clean about 1 cup ramp bulbs, cut tops and reserve.
1 cup water
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
3 finger pinch of salt
1 t coriander seeds
1 t black peppercorns
Bring water, vinegars, sugar and salt to a bowl.  In an airtight container place ramps along with coriander and peppercorns, pour hot liquid over, allow to cool to room temp, cover and store in refrigerator.  Ramps will hold for two to three weeks if not a touch more.
For the soup:
3 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
350 g heavy cream
100 g water
50 g butter
1 1/2 t salt
about 6 oz ramp tops cleaned and blanched
Cook potatoes in cream, water, butter and salt until tender.  Transfer to blender and blend with ramp tops.  Add more warm water to thin if necessary.  Adjust salt seasoning if needed.  Cool quickly by transferring warm soup into bowl within a larger bowl filled with ice.  Transfer to airtight container and chill.
Now the tricky part is getting that ramp soup in those bud vases.

When Hunting For Morels...

It's hard not to only be searching for this lovely wicked creature.  Keep your eyes open.  There are ramps, nettles, fiddleheads, dandelions, pheasant back mushrooms and plenty more goodies to get your nature loving hands on.  Keep in mind not to look too soon.  Soil conditions should be well into the high fifties regardless of a nice day or two.  They are tricky little suckers never showing up it seems in the same place. Look for damaged woods where poplars, elms, and ash trees are plenty.  After this weekend when the weather conditions are well into the high sixties and seventies, nice and rainy, head down south towards St.  Louis.  You're sure to find them in the woods-Jackson and Union Counties.  If you can't go that far wait till it gets a bit closer to the end of April and head over to Putnam and Shelby Counties and if you really want to check out something fun, take a look at this event.  Enjoy the beautiful Illinois woods.

Cook County Forest Preserves

I think sometimes we don't realize all we have to do is step out our back door to be mystified by how beautiful Illinois, even Cook County can be. Our forest preserves stretch many acres and are full of wildlife, trails, quarries, lakes, and sloughs. Bass, walleye, bluegill, sunfish, crappie and even trout are in some lakes.  I'll be riding my bike to some of these fishing spots this week, soaking up nature.  It's getting nice and I am just so excited!

Spring Menu!

Spring menu in the works.  I've got so many ideas for this Spring I see the menu to be changing fairly often losing a dish here or there only to be replaced by something else fun and of course it will be subject to change depending on my foraging excursions.  I should have lots of wonderful items like ramps, nettles, fiddleheads, morels, chickweed, mulberries, elderberry flowers... 

Gazpacho

cucumber, hibiscus

Sunflower

goat's milk, lavender honey, home grown

Pierogi

white truffle, potato, marscarpone

Snow Crab Ball

hanging

Shrimp and Avocado 

mango noodles, other garnishes

Cannoli 

Scrambled egg, asparagus, prosciutto di Parma, yeast

Shrimp Noodles

scampi

1 Pill Makes You Larger 1 Pill Makes You Small

maitake, pecan, cocoa, chamomile

Hand-Cut Pasta

English peas, chicken liver, black truffle

Sweetbreads and Brains

pumpernickel, apples, nasturtium 

Oatmeal Dashi

hato mugi

Ice Cream Cone

bacon, Koval Whisky, black pepper

Bison Tenderloin

blood, marshmallow, berries

Gobstopper

strawberry and rhubarb pie

Mirepoix

Carrot, celery, onion, white chocolate

Preserved Lemons

I'm pretty certain that by the time my lamb leg turns to prosciutto my preserved lemons will also be ready for a dish I created for my upcoming summer menu.  Lamb leg prosciutto with a corned lamb leg, tongue, cream cheese ragout and figs garnished with preserved lemon rind.
The lemons are easy and you can used them to mince and add to softened butter to spread on fish, apply them to grilled veggies, add to yogurt for roasted lamb leg, puree, the list goes on...
3 lemons quartered, lengthwise
250g sugar, about 12 oz.
250g kosher salt, about 12 oz.
Mix sugar and salt together, coat lemons, pack into baggie that is air tight or if you have a vacuum sealer-seal it.  Then freeze.  In three months rinse and you're ready.  Do this now and have it ready for grilling season.

Pictures from Chicago Foodies

If you are not already a fan of Chicago Foodies on facebook you definitely should be!  Take a look at these nice pics that Josh Brusin recently took at one of my dinners.  So much better than my camera phone shots.

Gelatin/Agar Agar Clarifcation

Oatmeal in the front, gazpacho in the back.

So you make the flavor, substance, solid you want to liquefy... turn to clear liquid... shear a little agar agar over the top, freeze, let it defrost in cheese cloth in strainer over container then presto chango-clear liquid.  Not quite as quick or clear as a centrifuge, not quite clear as distilled, but still neat.  Maybe you can get kids to eat things they normally wouldn't by tricking them into drinking them ;)

Lovely Day

This dish I made for The Windy City Times

Tribute to Bill Withers...Maybe that day he sang about was like the one I had today.  Do you ever just have those days which make everything worth while and it's not because you gained something, it's just because there was a serenity in all of it?  It's not often I have the serenity because my head is always going going going and jumping to the next thing on my list.  I didn't gain anything, I was just able to be in each moment of today.  Whoa, scary sometimes.  I often get glimpses throughout the day that give me serenity like when I told the story about Lucy In The Sky With Leopard Tights and One Shoe, but it started with dropping off a donation to Music of The Baroque where they will be offering two seats to my table in their opening season Gala, followed by a long walk downtown then the red line stop where a street band was having their way with the tunnel.  Amazing I might add.  Lunch with my partner at Goose Island, which has real tasty bar food.  Some Spring cleaning and a chat with my mother about our upcoming vegan dinner on April 12th-by the way the menu is planned and it is awesome.  That was it really.  And then there are days where by the end of the day I feel a hadn't done enough and a day like today probably would've been one of those because I didn't spend anytime in the kitchen but I didn't worry about it.
This week has been interesting.  I've had several interviews and promotional opportunities.  Windy City Times came over and is doing a piece called, A Gay In The Life, rock on.  The Tribune called today to see what I had to say about strangers dining together.  I said they're nuts and I wouldn't do it.  No, actually, I said it's a study in socialization.  I can see the anxiety on some people's faces when they walk in thinking, what did I get myself into but once the social lubrication slides into the blood stream it's all family, essentially.  I don't think that's what I said but it was something like that.  I told them I was amazed by the graciousness of my guests and that essentially people are lovely whether they are discussing the birthing process or how they wash their dogs, all of which I've heard.  And I have a photo shoot with another publication on Monday and it's always interesting to me to see how it all works.  I love press and social media.  I guess the closest I've ever got to advertising has been working with promotional companies and/or making donations such as the one I made to Music of the Baroque and The Wonka Ball which is for About Face Theatre.  Blogging, twitter, and facebook have all been really resourceful tools for me to connect to the community that likes what I do.

These guys are awesome.  If you see them stop and give them money.  Give them something cause they rock!

Wow, so I've just went on and on about stuff...  I'm a bit tired.  Cleaning blinds will do that to you.  Off to bed.