Waffle Time

Looking for a quick but special breakfast over the holidays? If you have a waffle iron, waffles are very easy to make. Dress them with fresh fruit and you’ll have a dazzling presentation. I like recipes that use buttermilk–the batter will be light and fluffy, as will the final product.

Or how about scrambled eggs with chorizo and cheddar cheese wrapped up in a tortilla and topped with salsa or green chile sauce? Or light and fluffy pancakes bursting with fresh or frozen berries?

Check out The Joy of Baking website. It has wonderful breakfast recipes, including rich and buttery coffeecakes, muffins and breads. You can also find pies and cakes. Take your pick, it’s hard to go wrong.

Tune into the Friday Food Critics on Tuesday 12/22

Tune in on Tuesday to hear the Food Critics, on KCUR’s Walt Bodine Show at 10:00 AM. That’s 89.3 FM, or you can listen on your computer at http://www.kcur.org/waltbodine.html.

With Christmas on Friday, we’ll be on earlier in the week. The second half topic will focus on special Christmas and New Year’s Eve dinners around town.  We’ll also try to recall our favorite meals of 2009, a hard task indeed considering all the fine fare to be had in KC.

Call into the show and tell us where you like to ring in the New Year, and where you had your best meal.

The number is 816-235-2888.

Make Your Own Salad Dressing

Making your own salad dressing is so easy to do. And it’s much healthier and cheaper than buying an artificial flavor-laden version in the grocery store.

I keep old jars — from mustards, mangoes, salsas, olives — anything of a decent size with a sturdy lid. I put all of the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake them up–no need to whisk or use a blender, which reduces time and dish-washing.

For a simple vinaigrette, start with some chopped shallots and a bit of mustard (depending on the type of salad, Dijon or honey mustard). Add white, red, balsamic or sherry vinegar to the jar, again matching it up with the salad you are making. The vinegar offers the best opportunity to experiment and provide some variety. Next add olive oil (I prefer extra-virgin), a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. The traditional ratio of oil to vinegar is 3 to 1. I find that it can be 2 to 1 and still get properly emulsified, so find a mix that is right for you and your palate. Shake vigorously and you’ve got a tasty salad dressing. To give it even more flavor, consider adding minced herbs, preferably fresh. In the summer, I take advantage of the  basil, mint and oregano in our garden. Cilantro and thyme are good year-round choices.

Finally, think about adding a little cheese to the equation. Crumbling bleu cheese into the jar and shaking it up will make a terrific cobb salad dressing.

Once you get started, you’ll discover that the options are endless and that it’s easy to say good-bye to the “SODIUM LACTATE, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, PHOSPHORIC ACID, XANTHAN GUM, ARTIFICIAL COLOR, POLYSORBATE 60, SPICES, DRIED PARSLEY, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, NATURAL FLAVOR, VITAMIN E, LACTIC ACID, NATAMYCIN ” in the store-bought stuff.

Swagger Fine Spirits and Food

I have been reading about Swagger for several months and was very interested to check it out. The fact that chefs frequent it when away from their own kitchens was intriguing to me, and now I know why. I went for lunch the other day and had a great burger.

It’s most definitely a bar, first and foremost, but the food is definitely NOT an afterthought. The list of beers on tap is lengthy, but the menu is just as long. Burgers are a highlight, with the specialty of the house being tempura battered and topped with sriracha sauce and wasabi coleslaw. But the hamburgers need no embellishment–the meat is hand ground and extremely juicy. Practically every bite sent juice dripping down the plate (or arm). The French fries are hand cut and lightly seasoned. They reminded me of the old Jake Edwards fries–not a bad comparison in my book. Other menu items include dozens of sandwiches, salads, wings and even breakfast.

We were there at lunch and the bartender took our order. Service was efficient and friendly. Though women would definitely feel comfortable here, this would be a perfect venue for a guys’ night out. The fare is hearty, the bar is well stocked and, though the TVs aren’t huge, they are tuned to sports at all hours.

715 Mass–Lawrence

715 Mass is not your typical college town restaurant.  Sleek, modern and trendy, this Italian cafe would more likely be found in a big city than in the small town of Lawrence. It has a vibe to it that will appeal as much to professors and lawyers as students. One striking design note–a wall of green water bottles are spotlighted to great effect.

715 opens daily at 7:15 A.M.  for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and even has a late-night menu.  The kitchen focuses on pizza and pasta, with panini, salads and a few entrees rounding out the menu. I had a four-cheese pizza, which I watched being hand-tossed and put in a wood-burning oven. The crust was well-charred and had a chewy texture, but would have benefited greatly from more than a dash of salt. The rabbit confit salad with arugula and grilled radicchio was tossed with a flavorful citrus vinaigrette. The pastas are handmade and both of the ones we tried were tasty and cooked perfectly. They come in single or double portions–be sure to specify which you want if your server doesn’t ask. The menu has a few vegetables that can be ordered as sides, I loved the brussel sprouts with dates and almonds.

In line with a growing trend, bread and butter are extra, not a practice I embrace. I know it’s a recession-buster, and it does keep my husband from continually putting his hand in the bread basket, but it doesn’t feel hospitable to me.

Wine can be ordered by the bottle or glass, and house wines are also available by the half-litre or litre. THAT is a cost-saving measure I wholeheartedly endorse.

Breakfast is light, and features croissants, granola, fruit and biscotti, as well as waffles and a wide variety of coffee drinks.

Add this congenial spot to your list of places to try before a Jayhawks basketball game this season. Walk-in traffic is encouraged, as only a few reservations are taken each evening.

Food Critics–12/11/09

Tune in on Friday to hear the Food Critics, on KCUR’s Walt Bodine Show at 10:00 AM. That’s  89.3 FM, or you can listen on your computer at http://www.kcur.org/waltbodine.html.

The second half discussion will be about nuts, and the way in which restaurants use them in dishes from appetizers to dessert. I’m not one of the panelists this week, but here’s my take on the subject.

Thai restaurants usually serve Panang Curry, which is loaded with pureed peanuts and coconut milk. It’s quite rich, and not a favorite of mine, though my kids love it. The Thai Place makes it, as does a new hot spot, Hot Basil, in Rosana Square at 119th and Metcalf.

The Classic Cup on the Plaza makes Thai Chicken Pizza, the base of which is a peanut sauce. If they ever took that off the menu, there would be an uproar–it’s been a mainstay for years.

And of course, there’s the ubiquitous Cashew Chicken that’s on every Chinese restaurant menu in the city. Give it a try at Princess Garden, along with Harvest Vegetables or Dry Cooked Chicken with Pancakes, two of the best selections on the vast menu.

The Drop Bar puts nuts on their marvelous bruschetta. My favorite is the fig, goat cheese and pistachio, followed closely by the fontina, caramelized onions and smoked almond.

Call into the show and add to the list! The number is 816-235-2888.

Roasting Beets

I love beets. I know they aren’t everyone’s favorite, but  people who wrinkle their noses at the mention of this root vegetable are often thinking of the canned beets of our childhood. I didn’t like those either. But fresh beets have a very different flavor than the canned variety.

Here’s my primer on roasting beets to enjoy in a salad.

Scrub each beet to get the dirt off. Cut the stems and leaves (keeping the leaves to saute if you like). You can leave the beets whole, or cut in uniform sizes for even cooking. Place them in tin foil, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with fresh salt and pepper. Wrap tightly and put in a 400 oven for 40-45 minutes, until the beets can be easily pierced with a fork.  Once out of the oven, leave the foil package open to allow the beets to cool.

Now for the time consuming part. Don some gloves to keep your fingers from staining, or use a fork to hold each beet in place while you peel the skins with a knife. If the beets have been cooked long enough, the skins should come right off with minimal scraping.

Red beets are the only ones that stain, the yellow, orange and striped varieties do not, so keep that in mind if you care. If you wash your hands right away, the juice should come off your hands without any problem. In any case, it will go away eventually!

Once the beets are skinned, you can slice or cube them into bite-size peices. Then toss them with mixed greens,  goat or blue cheese, almonds or pistachios,  and a sherry or balsamic vinaigrette, and  you’ve got a stunning and tasty salad.

Oak 63 Bistro

My lunch at Oak 63 had a rather inauspicious beginning. I had heard how great the Reuben sandwich and French fries were, and I wanted to give them a try.  There was no Reuben to be found on the menu (at least the day I was in), and French fries were only available to those ordering a hamburger. I’m not a huge meat eater, and can only handle a hamburger every so often. I preferred to order the salmon BLT, so I had to forgo the fries, but my dining companion managed to talk the server into letting us at least sample a few. Literally. The three fries she brought were excellent, and I would have been very happy to eat an entire plateful.

I enjoyed the salmon BLT.  There was nothing extraordinary about it, but it was well executed and came with a broccoli slaw that nicely complemented the sandwich. In fact, that would seem to be the hallmark of the lunch menu. The selections may be simple, and not very exciting, but you can count on everything coming out of the kitchen being good.

We had a blueberry strawberry cobbler for dessert. They didn’t have any ice cream, instead offering cream, but the dish didn’t need embellishment. The fruit filling was nicely sweetened, and the cake-like topping was light and very satisfying.

Cafe Beautiful-Lawrence

As we walked into Cafe Beautiful, my son and I were immediately captivated by the serene tableau that lay before us. Two tables were carefully set, scented candles filled the air, the lighting was low, and Frank Sinatra crooned in the background. The living room of the chef/owner’s apartment, on the second floor of a non-descript building on Massachusetts Ave in Lawrence, was the unlikely setting for a memorable and relaxing evening.

Chef Ken Suken is a delight. He is committed to ensuring his guests are happy–he’s the host of a very intimate party and we were the only guests.  One table at a time allows him to focus all of his attention on cooking, serving…and washing dishes.  And, while the other table in the room was booked with a later reservation, Chef Suken assured us that we should feel free to linger as our table was reserved for us the entire evening.

We settled in with the wine we had brought, leaned back in our comfortable chairs, and prepared to be dazzled. Which we were, right from the get-go. From the first course to the eighth and last, the production was unlike anything either of us had ever experienced. This is one talented man.

Each course was well-timed and came with a complete and poetic description of what was on the plate. I expected the food to be good, but I was unprepared for the depth and texture of flavors, and picture-perfect presentation. Though I took a picture of all the courses,  they simply did not adequately depict the care and pride that Chef Suken showered us with throughout the evening.

The pictures below have captions that describe each dish. (For some reason, I am missing the 5th course, which was king salmon with an asian pear reduction sauce, paired with king crab salad and mustard sauce.) We finished with a sweet pomegranate tea.

Miso Soup with seafood, tofu and vegetables

Fruit salad with ginger dressing

egg custard with shrimp baked in a baby pumpkin

Seafood salad with butterflied shrimp and seared white tuna, topped with wasabi vinaigrette

red snapper sashimi with a citrus soy sauce served in an "ice bowl"

Eel with eel sauce, and vegetable sushi

This is an ideal place to go with a close friend or family member with whom you enjoy spending time. There are no distractions–it’s just you and your companion(s) for more than two hours, so pick wisely! You will leave happy, relaxed and satisfied.

Be sure to call ahead. Since Cafe Beautiful only seats eight, it’s reservations only, no walk-ins.

Terrene Restaurant in St. Louis

Terrene means “of the earth”, a very apt name for this eco-friendly restaurant in the Central West End of St. Louis. In addition to the menus being printed on recycled paper, the bar tables were fashioned from office paper (don’t ask me how). Look closely and you’ll see embedded staple and paper clip remains. 

But that only scratches the surface of why the owners named the restaurant Terrene. All meats come from animals that have been treated humanely, the produce comes from local farmers, and there’s a large and inventive selection of vegetarian options. We started with amazing tofu tacos. The freshly made corn tortillas had been grilled, the tofu was cut so small that non-tofu eaters could be fooled into thinking they were eating chicken, and the salsa verde dipping sauce was redolent of a green garden.

We also enjoyed a veggie sausage flatbread, which tasted just like authentic Italian sausage with fennel and spices. I was initially skeptical of the provolone cheese, but it had just the right flavor and texture to complement the chewy crust.  The “meat” comes from the St. Louis based Match Meat Company.  I am going to try to get Whole Foods in Kansas City to carry it; it would revolutionize options for the home cook trying to serve healthier meals. Another creative dish was the pear and goat cheese salad. The pear was cored and stuffed with goat cheese, a preparation I had never seen.

Meat-lovers need not dispair, the menu has a host of non-vegetarian dishes. There are small plates as well as entrees, including chicken, pork and steak dishes, a nightly fish special and bouillabaisse. I had quail, stuffed with a fruit studded couscous and served with greens and a berry sauce. The soup of the day was a dark gumbo with chicken, tasso ham and crawfish.

We were there on a Sunday night, and though the bar was quiet, the dining area was full. The terrazzo floors and brick walls made it a bit noisy, but not uncomfortably so. Unfortunately, it was too cold for outside dining, but one peek at the cozy patio explained why it’s voted “best patio dining” year after year in a local magazine.