Archives for 2010

Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Bacon in Sage and Danish Blue Cheese Sauce

Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Bacon in Sage and Danish Blue Cheese Sauce

Gnocchi with Butternut Squash

No, this recipe isn’t for the faint of heart (literally and figuratively) – it’s rich, decadent and perfect on a cool evening.  This recipe came about because I was looking for ways to use up my huge harvest of sage.  Serve this as a side dish or starter as a little goes a long way.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups diced butternut squash
  • 3 tbs vegetable oil
  • 4 strips bacon
  • 1 cup potato gnocchi, homemade or store-bought
  • 3 tbs butter
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh sage
  • 1 cup light cream
  • 2 ounces Danish Blue cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Place diced butternut squash on a cookie sheet and drizzle with oil to coat.  Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until tender, set roasted butternut squash aside in a small dish.  Keep oven at 400 degrees.
  2. Place bacon strips on two layers of paper towel and cover with an additional layer or paper towel.  Cook in the microwave for 4 minutes, or until bacon is soft-crispy.  Cut bacon in thin strips with scissors, set aside.
  3. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil.  Add gnocchi and cook for 2 minutes.  Drain well and set aside.
  4. In the saucepan the gnocchi cooked in (why dirty two pots?!), melt butter over medium-high heat.  Once butter is beginning to brown, add the sage and cook for 1 minute.
  5. Add cream to the sage butter and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to medium-low and add blue cheese.  Stir for 1 minutes.  Add the gnocchi, the roasted butternut squash, the chopped bacon and the black pepper and gently stir to combine.
  6. Spoon the gnocchi mixture into two 8-ounce ramekins or other small, oven-proof dishes, and bake in the oven for 5 minutes.

Serves 2.

Notes:  I’d skip this recipe if you don’t have fresh sage as you truly won’t get the same flavor from dried sage.  This recipe can easily be doubled to serve 4.  Don’t have Danish Blue cheese?  Use another type of blue cheese!

2007 Albert Bichot Vieilles Vignes Pinot Noir

2007 Albert Bichot Vieilles Vignes Pinot Noir

'07 Albert Bichot Pinot Noir

Had this Burgundy at a dinner party hosted by my father in Quebec, Canada.  Hoping this wine is available in the USA as it’s a pretty nice example of French Pinot Noir at a very affordable price.

On the nose is a light fruity, fresh aroma.  On the palate is the typical black cherry, but unlike other Burgundies in this price point, there’s elegance, balance and a nice level of acidity with the 2007 Albert Bichot Pinot Noir.

Around $17.

2007 Bonterra Vineyards Viognier

2007 Bonterra Vineyards Viognier

Enjoyed this wine at a steakhouse, yes, a steakhouse, but paired with seared diver scallops over creamed corn.  It’s a lovely, affordable Viognier that would complement spicy foods, rich white/cheesy sauces and grilled fish very well.

For those not familiar with Viognier, it’s rich and bold with tropical fruit flavors and floral aromas.  In the case of the 2007 Bonterra Vineyards Viognier, it’s fruit forward with a long, dry and almost spicy finish with vanilla notes.  Fans of Rieslings or Gewurztraminers would enjoy this varietal.

Varietal blend: 81% Viognier, 10% Marsanne, 5% Muscat, 4% Rousanne.

Around $16.

Eating Solo on Business Trips – Making the Most of It

Eating Solo on Business Trips – Making the Most of It

As many of you know, I travel quite a bit for business, and as such, I often eat solo in hotels and/or nearby restaurants. Now, I could look at this as a drag and unpleasant experience, but I do not.

I love exploring local foods and restaurants I’ve heard about, so I make a point of not picking up the phone to order room service (although room service brekkie’s great), and instead, head out to find new foodie gems.

One thing I do often, is eat at the bar. This is specially great if the bar is quiet, allowing the bartender(s) to interact with me. Eating at the bar allows for any uncomfortableness about being alone to melt away. I’m just one of the people at the bar. Restaurants are typically grateful when guests do this as it ‘saves’ a table for larger parties.

Last night, I was bored in my hotel room so I decided to go down to the hotel bar for a glass of wine and an appetizer. The bartender was not busy and seemed appreciative for the company, and the business. In this post is a photo of what I was brought when I ordered the Charcuterie Board. How great does that look!? Not only was it tasty, it actually got a couple other bar patrons engaged with me in a foodie conversation. Two birds with one stone: tasty bites and interesting conversations.

Do you have any favorites domestically when you’re eating solo?

Share!

Veronique

From Quebec with Food Love

From Quebec with Food Love

It was just Labor Day weekend and that typically means me heading up to Quebec to see my family. It’s one of a dozen trips I take each fall, but one that’s not work-related, so I try to enjoy every minute of it.

Smoked Meat

This year, food ran the gamut from Quebec’s famous/infamous poutine to smoked meat sandwiches to osso bucco. We celebrated my 7 and 5-year-old nieces birthdays on Saturday with a kids’ party in the afternoon and a family party in the evening. How fun are two cakes, two parties and two sets of people singing and wishing you a happy birthday when you’re little?! I decorated a cute cake made up of two half moons for the kids’ party that was a big hit and a two-tier, fondant-covered pink and blue girl-o-rama cake for the evening party.

Pied de Cochon Poutine

For those of you who haven’t had poutine yet, it’s a must-try when in Quebec. There are tons of variations, like the foie gras-covered version at Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal to the more common interpretation of french fries, brown gravy and fresh cheddar cheese curds. Was in Quebec three days and had this dish three times – thinking major thread mill’s in my future!

Another Quebec delicacy that I got to enjoy was a perfectly steamed smoked meat sandwich.  A 10-pound piece of corned beef was steamed for 3 hours in a restaurant-grade food steamer until perfectly moist.  Rye bread was also steamed to create THE perfect sandwich.  I hadn’t had a Quebec smoked meat for over 15 years and it was better than I remembered it, thanks to the steamer my father’s had since I was a little girl.

Isn’t it funny how foods from one’s youth can bring back memories decades later?  How is it that a trip ‘home’ to Quebec wouldn’t be complete without Yum Yum-brand All-Dressed chips or an Aero chocolate bar?  Hope that whatever you did this Labor Day weekend, it created memories you can think back on fondly.

Cheers,

Veronique

Restaurant Michael – Old School Atmosphere, New School Food

Restaurant Michael – Old School Atmosphere, New School Food

I was told about Michael by a Twitter follower who was outraged that I’d eaten at my hotel’s mediocre restaurant while I could have been dining at this great dining establishment in the vicinity of my Chicago North Shore office.  I was touched that a local foodie would go out of his way to recommend Michael, so I quickly booked a table and I’ve enjoyed dining at this fine restaurant several times since then when in town.

Restaurant Michael Interior

Culinary Institute of America-trained chef Michael Lachowicz, of Les Deux Gros fame, prepares “his version of unpretentious fine French food in a casually elegant setting” at Restaurant Michael which he opened in Winnetka, IL in 2005.  Michael is a warm, comfortable space catering to the upscale crowd of this affluent Chicago North Shore neighborhood.  The staff is led by an old school maitre d’ who knows his loyal clients and makes newcomers feel welcomed.  The wait staff is attentive and knows the menu and wine list well enough to make helpful recommendations.

While the atmosphere is appealing, guests are here for chef Lachowicz’s fabulous food.  Fresh, quality ingredients meet the skillful hand of a classically-trained chef.  The menu features a three ($48), four ($54) and seven ($65)-course prix fixe menu and the staff gladly offers to accommodate a three-course menu encompassing two starters and an entrée instead of the common starter-entrée-dessert combination.

Foie Gras Starter

On my two recent visits, some must-try starters were the pan roasted jumbo diver scallop with baby spinach, brie and tarragon corn blinis, the sautéed medallion of Hudson Valley foie gras over foie gras strudel, and the paté of squab & chicken liver mousse with dried garlic sausage.  All were masterly prepared and beautifully presented.

Some winning entrees to consider are the wild Japanese black cod over roasted beet risotto with saffron sauce, the baby Australian lamb chops and osso bucco ravioli over mission fig and exotic mushrooms and the beef tenderloin “Rossini” with foie gras medallion over Madeira sauce.  How amazing are those descriptions?  Just a tad less amazing than how they actually taste.

Desserts range from the artisanal cheese plate (good choice), the Tahitian vanilla bean duo of panna cotta and crème brulée and the warm, fallen chocolate soufflé.

The wine list features some old favorites but also offers creative alternatives for the more adventurous patrons.  There are several options of wine by the glass.

For social media conscious diners can follow Michael on Twitter, like Michael on Facebook or sign up for Michael’s newsletter at www.restaurantmichael.com.

Hours of Operation: Lunch: Thursday – Friday: 11:30am – 2:30pm
Dinner: Monday – Thursday: 5:30pm – 10:30pm, Friday – Saturday: 5:30pm – 11:30pm, Sunday: 5:00pm – 9:00pm

64 Green Bay Road
Winnetka, IL 60093

(847) 441-3100

MeetUp – You Know, Where Folks MeetUp

MeetUp – You Know, Where Folks MeetUp

Tonight, my guy and me are going to a “Crab Legs and Wine” MeetUp hosted by the Northern New Jersey Wine MeetUp Group. How fun is that!?

For those of you not familiar with MeetUp, it’s a website you can access to find groups of folks with the same type of interests you do. Those groups ‘meet up’ every so often and it’s a great opportunity to get introduced to others in ones regional vicinity. There are singles and couples, so attendees don’t feel like they must bring a guest to fit in.

For us, having relocated to the NJ/NY metro area where we knew no one, it was a great way to make new friends and go out socially as a group. I belong to several MeetUp groups focused on food and wine (surprised, right?!).

Check the site up for groups in your area: www.meetup.com

Cheers!

Veronique

2007 Boutari Moschofilero

2007 Boutari Moschofilero

First tasted this wine at an event hosted by Wines of Greece in Manhattan where I got to sample over 40 fine Greek wines.  Lucky for me, the

'07 Boutari Moschofilero

2007 Boutari Moschofilero is pretty widely available in my neck of the woods in New Jersey, so I get to enjoy it often.

Think of this wine as a Pinot Grigio / Sauvignon Blanc but with tons of body and flavor.  It’s light enough to be enjoyed all Summer long, but offers enough body and richness to pair with spicy foods during the cooler months.  I find lots of juicy lemons with ripe honeyed melons and floral undertones with some nice acidity.

At a recent dinner party, I paired it with grilled octopus and Greek yogurt-marinated chicken kabobs and it was super.

At around $15 a bottle, this Greek wine from the Peloponnesos region is a great buy and value.

2005 McCrea Cellars Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Roussanne

2005 McCrea Cellars Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Roussanne

'05 McCrea Cellars

As I’m not a fan of buttery Chardonnay, I find that Roussanne is a white wine that I can enjoy when I want something with more body than the typical United States Sauvignon Blanc.

This wine, which I tasted at Cyrus in Healdsburg, CA, is fruity with a bold orange nose with floral undertones.  It’s chewy with powerful flavor and acidity.  Little caramel finish.  Nice example of Washington State Roussanne.

348 cases made.  Around $25.

Man v Food at the Jersey Shore on 8/25

I’m excited that Adam Richman, AKA ‘Man’, will be hitting the Jersey Shore on Wednesday!  To all my fellow Jerseyans, and all fans of the Garden state, here are details about the episode:  Jersey Shore Episode – Wednesday August 25th at 9:00 E/P.

The Jersey Shore is the ultimate summer destination–full of sun, sand, and great eats.  This week, Adam visits the legendary Maruca’s, on the boardwalk.  Here, Adam learns about the ultimate Jersey Shore original pizza: a thin, crunchy crust with swirls of tomato sauce on top of a pound and a half of Maruca’s proprietary cheese blend.  Did you know that the great chefs of Maruca’s put their pizza sauce on with a watering can?  Adam explains that this pizza is a “vortex of pizza bliss”!

Next, Adam visits Hoffman’s Ice Cream for a true taste of summer, and some of the best ice cream on the Jersey Shore.  Adam tries Hoffman’s world famous dessert, “The Octopus”, which is made with eight scoops of homemade ice cream, eight toppings, and eight “tentacles” of whipped cream.  Adam gives a few “fist pumps” to the delectable treat.

Finally, Adam goes to The Chicken or the Egg to attempt the Ludicrous Wings Challenge.  With 12 jumbo wings, drenched in a sauce so spicy that the dish has defeated thousands, will Adam win food glory?  The habanero extract infused sauce of this challenge is so intense, that Adam must wear gloves to protect his hands.  With only 15 minutes to finish two pounds of food and push through the wing’s heat, will Adam be the fourth person ever to avoid going down in flames?

About the Show
Adam Richman, a food fanatic with a serious appetite, travels around the country taking on the most legendary food challenges.  Adam has held every job in the food business and is now on a journey to explore the best eats our country has to offer.  Whether it’s a fourteen pound mountain pie, or an eight-patty burger, Adam is ready for the challenge.