Halloween Came Early

On October 27, Masa, in association with the Walker Art Center’s major Frida Kahlo exhibit, will host a wine dinner prepared by Patricia Quintana. Often referred to as the “Julia Child of Mexico,” Quintana owns the restaurant Izote in Mexico City, and I had the privilege of cooking with her there last summer. She is the real deal.

The restaurant will feature an authentic Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) altar, and patrons and diners are asked to bring a photo of deceased loved ones and place them there, alongside photos of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, to celebrate their lives.

The Kahlo exhibit premieres at the Walker on October 27 and runs through January 20 before traveling to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and SFMOMA. The dinner is $120 a person—a steal.

Speaking of the Walker, Kathy Halbreich will soon be taking up residence at NYC’s MOMA, giving me one more reason to dine there whenever I am in the Big Apple.

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I have received a ton of e-mail about new restaurants opening. I think Michael Kutscheid’s new place, Sanctuary, is very cool, but I have not eaten there yet. I am really looking forward to dining in Stewart Woodman’s new place (Heidi’s) and at Doug Anderson’s new spot (Nick and Eddie) . . .

. . . but I have also received a lot of e-mail about restaurant closings. I am really worried about the face of dining in St. Paul, a town with tremendous potential, but witness the dismal restaurants that have closed recently (Margaux and Fhima’s) or the good restaurants turned sour there (A Rebours) or the odd chef-choice made recently at the St. Paul Hotel. Grand Avenue could be the restaurant row of the Twin Cities, with plenty of customers living within a few blocks and easy access from Minneapolis, but restaurateurs all seem hellbent on downtown. I don’t get it.

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According to an AP story I saw on MSNBC:

A man who bought a smoker Tuesday at an auction of abandoned items might have thought twice had he looked inside first.

Maiden North Carlina police said the man opened up the smoker and saw what he thought was a piece of driftwood wrapped in paper. When he unwrapped it, he found a human leg, cut off 2 to 3 inches above the knee.

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The folks at WineHaven Winery and Vineyard are either on something or onto something. The Peterson family created what may be the only known commercially available Pumpkin Wine for this year's fall and holiday celebrations.

Look for the pumpkin wine’s orange and black label in local wine shops—it might be next to their cranberry wine!?! According to the vineyard’s winemaker, the wine is light-yellow in color and semi-sweet with a nice, lingering pumpkin pie–type finish. Please someone buy it and try and let me know if this stuff is any good.

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The turkey in the picture lives across the road from us in an office park, where I snapped a photo with my phone. FYI, we live in the city. This is absurd—a sure sign that the End of Days is here.

Further Flood Repercussions

Feeling anything other than grateful this morning? Read on. This blog will change your attitude and open your eyes . . . I hope.

First, anyone care to bake for a living? Lucia’s is looking to hire a full-time pastry chef to replace their longtime chef of fifteen years. The position requires some serious experience, but interested parties can send resumes to Lucia’s or call 612-825-1026.

Secondly, Scott at Corner Table is serving Eric Hoiland's turkey on his menu now. Hoiland was recently asked a series of questions re: the flood net-net by the Bluff Country Co-op in Winona. He sent the e-mail info below to Scott, who shared it with me . . . amazing stuff.

The co-op asked:

1. Do you have any thoughts to share with our members about your experience?

2. As a part of the local food system in SE MN, how does a farm crisis impact your perspective on the local food infrastructure? Is there enough government support for farms?

3. Does your farm have different needs during a crisis than a conventional commodity production system? How do the state and federal relief programs accommodate your recovery process?

4. The floods carried high levels of fertilizer and manure in the water. Does pollution from conventional farms in your area impact the integrity of your fields?  What is involved in the soil's recovery from a flood?

Hoiland’s answers are below:

There are a lot of answers to the first question, but I think you want to hear about my farming operation. This probably sounds cold, but since the flood wiped out all of my turkeys, all of my pumpkins and gourds, and 24 of 29 of my cattle, I haven't thought a lot about my farming operation since the first couple of days after the flood, when we got rid of the carcasses that we could find. Since our home was also destroyed along with the mill, my focus has been on the house. The farm site is a total disaster, and right now, it is way down on the list of worries. I guess since all the livestock is gone, which is horrible, it isn't very helpful to dwell on it other than the fact that they represented a majority of my yearly income. Not to mention I lost my refrigeration truck which had stored product in it. So I estimate I lost one-and-a-half years worth of income and am left to rebuild from scratch, along with paying of all my debt. Believe me: It's as vicious as it sound.

The local food infrastructure is very fragile. Commercial agriculture does not suffer from these localized disasters because those products can be quickly and easily replaced from other areas. In my case, if I choose to restart my operation,  it will be over a year before I could have product again. And finding a replacement product like mine might prove to be very difficult and/or expensive. This is the risk local producers take, regardless of the flood, every year you risk losing it all: be it predators, tornado, fire, etc. I guess it would be hard to put a value on this concept because a local producer's inputs go way beyond the simple figures of 'cost of production,' which are easy numbers. The hard part is putting a value on the fragility and availability of a local product that the consumer trusts. As for "government support for sustainable farms" it is too early to speculate what help will be available, if any.

I don't think my needs are any different than a conventional farm. I think my situation is unique in that I lost my entire operation aside from a few head of cattle which I can't take care of. More importantly, this brings an abrupt end, or lengthy interruption, to the relationships I had with all of my customers, many of whom I consider my friends. On the customer side, it leaves a lot of people looking for another place to find a Thanksgiving turkey. Again, as for state and federal relief programs for the farm, nothing has happened as of today, which is four weeks after the flood.

As for the last questions, it is my opinion that Mother Nature is able to heal itself over time.  By next spring, the flood mud deposited on our fields will be transformed into topsoil with little or no residues left from chemical fertilizers or manure. The sand and debris and trees left behind are another story. They will have to be moved off our fields, at a pretty big cost, to make them productive again. This does not include areas where the Rush Creek and Root River have tore into the banks and made the fields smaller or gouged out holes in the fields or made new channels through fields. These areas are usually not recoverable so you deal with the prospect of shrinking field sizes.

So, in the spirit of changing the world, how about chiming in on the 2007 Farm Bill debate in the Senate.  Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar need to hear from you today!

Former Clean Up the River board chair Brian Wojtalewicz suggested you could e-mail the following, for those of you who are stumped on what to talk about.

Please do all you can to support Senator Harkin's Comprehensive Stewardship Incentives Program. The degraded ecology of the Minnesota River Valley, the entire Midwest, and most of the farmland in America desperately needs real, accountable conservation steps on production land. Please make sure that production land is required to meet conservation thresholds. Please also end the loopholes that allow mega-type farming operations to avoid limits on production payments. Lastly, please take steps to prevent the mega-CAFOs from using public money to build giant sewage lagoons.

I have read that repeated surveys have shown a large majority of farmers are in favor of these long-awaited steps.

Senator Norm Coleman, Washington Office: 320 Senate Hart Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-2240-5641 Fax: 202-224-1152

Senator Amy Klobuchar's office, attention: Hilary Meggin Bolea, Washington Office: 302 Hart Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3244 Fax: 202-228-2186

Berkshire Pork

So I know that it feels like summer, but this recipe is sitting on the kitchen counter, waiting for the first cool night. The combination of apples, pork, and rosemary is fantastic. I also make this dish with a rack of veal, but I let it roast to about 150–155-degree interior temperature, and that takes a tad longer than the pork rack. Pork racks are typically eight bones long, so this recipe easily feeds six, with a leftover chop or two for lunch the next day.

FYI, look for local black-trumpet mushrooms to hit the market any day now. This last year was a phenomenal mushroom year, and if you don't know any foragers, head up to the northern third of the state over the next week or so and seek them out yourself.

Roasted Prime Rack of Berkshire Pork with Calvados and Rosemary
1 rack of prime species-specific pork . . . Local Berkshire pork is
     plentiful these days. Be sure the chine bone is removed and
     the bones are Frenched for easy serving.
1 T. ground pepper
2 T. minced rosemary
1 T. sea salt
3 T. flour
3 T. vegetable oil
1 sprig rosemary
1/4 c. Calvados or Applejack
1 c. apple cider
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
4 T. minced shallots
1 c. julienne of peeled and cored Haralson or Cortland apple
1/3 c. currants
1 c. rich veal or chicken stock
1/2 c. heavy cream

Bring rack to room temperature. Combine salt, pepper, flour, and rosemary. Rub aggressively on the rack of pork.

Heat oil in large roasting pan. Brown pork and reserve to a platter.

Wipe out the pan and place a roasting rack in it. Place pork on rack and roast at 400 degrees for 45–55 minutes until internal temperature is 155–160 degrees.

Let pork rest on a platter and deglaze the roasting pan over medium heat with the shallots, rosemary sprig, and apples. When shallots are glassy, add the cider, vinegar, Calvados, and stock. Reduce at a medium boil until 75% reduced, then add the cream and currants. Cook for several more minutes until slightly thickened.

Season and serve with the pork. Serves 6–8.

TV Time

On November 26–27, Tony Bourdain will be in town promoting his new book, No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach. While he will be doing a lot of the usual press events and media visits during his book tour stopover in the Twin Cities, there is one event you will not want to miss. On November 27, Tony will be signing books and giving a talk at Solera, and Tim McKee told me yesterday that for $80, you get some vino, some tapas, a copy of the book, an opportunity to have TB sign it, and a seat for Tony’s chat. With only 200 seats, this is sure to sell out fast, and I can guarantee you that you will have the time of your life.

TB is a brilliant writer and an acid-tongued, keenly attuned observer of the food world. Need proof? Check out No Reservations on Travel Channel, or read one of his books. Or better yet, check out this little bon-bon. Funny stuff and absolutely spot-on. Who hasn’t had some of the same feelings looking at much of the abominable menu items in our city? Any particulars you can think of?

As good as he is on TV or on paper, he’s even funnier and more deliciously evil when you hear him speak in a setting like Solera. Call the restaurant for tix.

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Anyone see Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares last night on Fox? It’s the American ideation of Gordon Ramsay’s first big BBC hit. Set your TIVO—it’s the best food show on television, bar none. It has all the dysfunctional, reality-TV trainwreck characters I love to watch, plus it beautifully illustrates the day-to-day business of running a restaurant . . . a restaurant perilously perched on reality’s precipice, but a restaurant nevertheless. The newly added, saccharine twist in last night’s episode (gifting the restaurant with a new kitchen) is an element in the US version of the show that I’m not crazy about, but the program was too good to turn away from.

The second-best food show on TV gets a boost from Minneapolis Oceanaire alum and current San Diego Oceanaire chef Brian Malarkey, who made it to the final five on Bravo’s Top Chef. Anyone see last night’s episode? Watching Hung, Brian, Dale, Casey and Sara re-create Le Cirque’s classic papillote of bass—while Padma and LC owner Sirio Maccione looked on—was odd in the extreme. I think the one person who didn’t belong was Padma. She’s a poser. Is it just me or has she gotten more pretentious, haughtier, and more patrician with each season? I can’t wait to ask Brian about her when I talk to him on Friday on FM107. Sara got the boot last night, in case you missed it. Now the four finalists are off to Aspen, and Hung looks unstoppable.

P.S. A half-dozen people e-mailed to tell me that Steven Brown is gone from Harry’s and will be the new chef at the restaurant in the new Ivy development downtown. In response to several posters, I  guess I could have easily called Steven or e-mailed him, but it's so much more fun to ask all of you. Besides, why put him on the spot when he technically still works there (or did through last week)?

P.P.S. Phil Robert’s new steakhouse, Pittsburgh Blue, is open, and my northwest metro spies tell me it’s a huge hit already.

Questions and Answers

Does Steven Brown work at Harry’s anymore???? Several e-mailers have told me they've asked for him at the restaurant recently and have gotten mixed responses. Does anyone that you know eat there . . . regularly? How about at Landmarc?

In the news . . .

Check out Kevin Pang’s Chicago Trib piece on yours truly. About four months ago, I was asked to appear in a new show as a host-judge-svengali-chef. It was a VH-1 product called Celebrity Rehab. I was supposed to appear at a group home shared by Brigitte Nielsen, former WWF starlet and resident celeb-reality-freakazoid Chyna, Baldwin brother #4 Dan Baldwin, Andy Dick, Tom Sizemore, and a bunch of other recovering C-listers who were in need of a talking to and a good meal. I was shooting in Russia and Iceland and had to turn it down. I am kicking myself for saying no, just for the missed opportunity to watch that train wreck up close. If anyone hears a whisper of when this is airing, let me know.

Anyone see Tevlin’s piece in the Strib the other day? Something has not been right since Temple opened. Not enough customers, chef gone, owners in kitchen, menu changed, still no customers . . . not good. Then owner is part of two very different criminal cases within weeks of each other. It’s all too weird, isn’t it? And why the bad case of Fhimatosis on Pham’s part? (That’s the disease where you are riding high one day and tell the whole world that you are going to open a bazillion restaurants within a very short time frame even though you have no infrastructure to support it . . . then it never happens . . . and then weird stuff starts popping up in the press.) Who tells these guys that it’s smart to tell the press about deals that aren’t done and signed-on 100%? It always comes back to haunt them.

If you'd like to find out about the Farm Bill, go to www.healthyfarmbill.org. You can check out info on the House-passed Farm Bill (H.R. 2419). Also, check out the Farm and Food Policy Project alliance. As the bill heads to the Senate, there are a lot of people asking me a lot of questions, so here you go. According to the websites cited above:

To build on advances made in the House farm bill, the Senate must find the funds needed to pay for critical conservation, anti-hunger, healthy food, and innovative family farm programs. The Senate Finance Committee will play a crucial role in determining how much money the Senate Agriculture Committee will have available to write the 2007 Farm Bill—and toward what priorities that money will be directed. The Senate Finance Committee is currently scheduled to meet on September 19.

Want to call a Senator and make a difference???? Here you go. You can thank me later.

SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
(Member / Staff Contact / Phone / Fax)

Democrats
Max Baucus (MT) -Chair / Brandon Willis / 202-224-2651 / 202-224-0515
John D. Rockefeller IV (WV) / Pat Bond / 202-224-6472 / 202-224-7665
Kent Conrad (ND) / John Fuher / 202-224-2043 / 202-224-7776
Jeff Bingaman (NM) / Dan Alpert / 202-224-5521 / 202-224-2852
John F. Kerry (MA) / Kathleen Fargione / 202-224-2742 / 202-224-8525
Blanche L. Lincoln (AR) / Robert Holifield / 202-224-4843 / 202-228-1371
Ron Wyden (OR) / Michele Miranda / 202-224-5244 / 202-228-2717
Charles E. Schumer (NY) / Sarah Birmingham / 202-224-6542 / 202-228-3027
Debbie Stabenow (MI) / Chris Adamo / 202-224-4822 / 202-228-0325
Maria Cantwell (WA) / Katie Kirking / 202-224-3441 / 202-228-0514
Ken Salazar (CO) / Brendan Macguire / 202-224-5852 / 202-228-5036

Republicans
Charles Grassley (IA) – Ranking Member / Amanda Taylor / 202-224-3744 / 202-224-6020
Orrin G. Hatch (UT) / J.J. Brown / 202-224-5251 / 202-224-6331
Trent Lott (MS) / Brandon Cobianchi / 202-224-6253 / 202-224-2262
Olympia J. Snowe (ME) / Terri McNaughten / 202-224-5344 / 202-224-1946
Jon Kyl (AZ) / George Fleeson / 202-224-4521 / 202-224-2207
Gordon Smith (OR) / Matt Hill / 202-224-3753 / 202-228-3997
Jim Bunning (KY) / Sarah Timoney / 202-224-4343 / 202-228-1373
Mike Crapo (ID) / Staci Lancaster / 202-224-6142 / 202-228-1375
Pat Roberts (KS) / Mike Seyfert / 202-224-4774 / 202-224-3514
John Ensign (NV) / David Quinalty / 202-224-6244 / 202-228-2193

Squashed

These days, hard squash are all I am thinking about. You should be thinking about them too. I make these recipes several times each fall, and I am sure you will love them. Be sure to make a double batch of the Bolognese—it’s that good.

Spaghetti Squash Crumble
2 medium sized spaghetti squash
4 T. minced parsley
1 T. fresh thyme leaves
1 c. fresh bread crumbs
8 oz. melted butter
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground allspice
1 t. ground ginger
1/4 c. minced shallots
3 minced garlic cloves
1 c. diced tomato, drained
2/3 c. ground Pecorino Romano . . .Get a good one—not some cheap supermarket wannabe.
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. thinly sliced almonds, lightly toasted

Split, butter, season, and roast the halved spaghetti squash in a large shallow baking dish for 90 minutes at 325 degrees or until tender.

Cool and scrape the flesh into a large mixing bowl.

Sauté the shallots and garlic in 2 T. of the butter until translucent. Add to the squash. Then add all the herbs and spices, the tomato, and half of the remaining butter. Fold together. Season and reserve.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the remaining butter, the bread crumbs, the cheese, the nuts, and the brown sugar. Place the squash mixture in a large oval or rectangular baking dish and sprinkle the ‘crumble’ over the top. Cover loosely in aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes at 325.

Remove the foil and raise temperature to 375. Cook until ‘crumble’ is crispy, then serve.

Pasta Bolognese with Veal and Butternut Squash
2 lbs. cubed fresh veal shoulder or veal leg*
4 T. olive oil
4 slices Nueskes Bacon, minced
32 oz. canned chopped tomatoes
4 c. dry red wine
1 qt. beef stock or rich chicken stock
Bouquet garni of fresh sage, parsley, and bay
1 T. dried oregano
1 T. dried basil
1/2 t. dried red chili flakes
1 c. minced carrots
1 c. minced celery
3 T. sliced garlic cloves
1 c. minced onions
1 c. heavy cream, plus some more in reserve
2 c. quarter-inch diced butternut squash or other hard squash varietal

Place the olive oil and the bacon in a large pot over medium heat. When bacon is crisped and rendered, add the veal. Brown veal and add the herbs, celery, onion, carrot, and garlic. Sauté for 4–5 minutes and add the wine.

Reduce by half at a simmer. Add the tomatoes and reduce liquids by half again. Add the stock and, simmering, cook for 10–15 minutes.

Add the squash pieces and continue simmering for 20–25 minutes

Add the cream, bring to a strong simmer, and continue cooking until sauce has thickened.

Season and taste for ‘cream richness.’ If you like, add some more. Be sure the squash is fork-tender as well. Remove bouquet garni and discard. Serve over your favorite sturdy pasta, such as rigatoni, ziti, or penne.

*I love making this dish a little lustier by making it with 4-lb. osso buco (portioned veal shank with marrow bone attached) instead of cubed veal. Just increase your cooking time to tenderize the osso buco and increase your stock so you are not boiling away too much liquid.

Mailbag

Whoever posted a comment on Tuesday’s post questioning the notion that I would dare post a blog about the MTV VMAs, you need to remember Rule 62, and you should stop practicing contempt prior to investigation, or in this case judging a blog before it is written. So here it is: I was in Vegas, and I was backstage at the VMAs, and now you have me so eager to please you that I am a little ashamed to post about that experience. Perhaps someday in my memoirs. I will say, however, that there were 1,600 police deployed for the NBA All-Star Game and only about 500 for the VMAs. The All-Star Game featured nightly shootings on the streets of Las Vegas, and the VMAs featured Kid Rock and Tommy Lee pushing each other, each afraid to throw a punch at the other. Shameful pansies.

So Saturday night, I ate at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon with PBS icon and Savvy Traveler Rudy Maxa and our respective SOs. The food was superb—anyone who can’t make it to the original Parisian version would do well to check it out in the MGM Grand. The cucumber gelee with cumin and thyme custard, the fresh anchovy and pepper pave, and the seared beef with his signature potatoes were all out of sight . . . almost as good as the lady behind us who NODDED OUT AT HER TABLE while her four dinner companions kept eating and pretended she was fine until they carried her out. Only in Vegas, baby.

The next night, Travel Channel hosted a dinner at Tao at the Venetian. Holy moly. This place was amazing, one of the most stunning restaurants I have ever seen. Three stories of open space, club, bar, sushi bar, restaurant—plus Diddy, Pharrel, Mischa Barton, and Jamie Foxx, just to name a few of the sightings. And the food was pretty tasty. I liked the crispy tuna rolls and the Peking duck in pancakes with scallions the best. Fiamma at the MGM was not as good as the original in New York, but it was still very good, and the room was even prettier than Tao’s. I have never sat in a room that did a better job of maintaining small pods of tables while still allowing you to see through the dining room from level to level. The restaurant is huge, but feels intimate.

A woman e-mailed me last week to ask:

. . . about Clancey's market in Linden Hills . . . and as [you're] a reporter and advocate for local foods (I'm a Slow Foods member), I thought that perhaps passing it on to you would be the best way to test its accuracy. Rumor has it that Greg Westergreen has been axed. That's probably more fact than gossip, but what I really want to know is if it's true that Kristin, the owner, is keeping all the recipes and products he developed over the years. Apparently, they never had any written contract, just an understanding that the shop was a team project, even she was the legal owner. Seems to me that the butcher makes the butcher shop, so I'm not sure if it will be able to retain it's quality if he's replaced. Anyhow, I'll be sorely disappointed if I found out that he was treated unfairly after working so hard to promote local foods. So much for the 'friendly neighborhood shop' reputation.

Okay, so my take is this: Greg’s e-mail to me said he is no longer at Clancey’s. He indicated that he and Kristin parted ways, but nothing more. And if he was fired, so be it. I’ve been fired from plenty of jobs, sometimes fairly, sometimes I had issues with it, but that’s life. It happens. I think you meant to say what you heard is more gossip than fact.

If he and Kristin had a business relationship where she was the controlling partner, owner, or signed his check in any way, and if Greg was an employee, then the recipes belong to the business. When I left Café Un Deux Trois after six or seven years in the kitchen, I left behind a large book of recipes. Michael Morse, the restaurant’s owner, is the one who got those, and he deserved to have them. They were his. He paid for them, because part of my job description was to create food for his company. Subsequent chefs in the restaurant used the recipes I left behind, and the menu at Landmarc (MM’s new place) looks very similar to the one he and I developed at 1-2-3. But that’s the way the business works. He used the recipes in perpetuity and still does, and I still make many of those dishes as well. Now had I developed a cookie or terrine recipe that I wanted to ‘own,’ I would have trademarked or copywritten it, depending on the legalities and the format of the product in question, and not served it in the restaurant at all. Any chef can do that.

The butcher does make the butcher shop. Kristin will live with her decision. Greg will make his living elsewhere, and his fans can follow him. And if the shop quality suffers, Clancey’s fans will also move on. That’s how the world works.

Who knows if he is being treated unfairly or not? I would say, don’t rush to judge. Greg sent me his resume asking if I knew of any jobs out there for him, and since he is so talented, I am sure there are plenty of restaurants or shops eager to employ him.

AND IF YOU REALLY BELIEVE IN SUPPORTING LOCAL FOODS, you should continue to shop at Clancey’s as long as you are happy with the product there. If we stopped eating or shopping at every food business that had some crazy owner-employee relationships, we wouldn’t be able to eat anywhere. Including my house and probably yours as well!

In our office, we look at The Amateur Gourmet often, but after all the heat between him and Mario, he has some interesting things to say about food blogging. Very interesting, considering his book is about to come out, so he's a food blogger going legit. This post talks about the differences between reviewing as a food blogger and then as a newspaper critic, likening it to one-night stands (food bloggers) vs. a more involved relationship (print critics). Pretty good stuff.

So, here are three cool dining reservations that you need to make for yourself . . .

According to the folks at LBV:

La Belle Vie is expanding beyond its front doors to host its first Pique-nique de Automne, Oct. 7, starting at 3 p.m. on the restaurant's front lawn. Guest will enjoy playing boules, listening to accordion music, and savoring Executive Chef Tim McKee's own pique-nique creations.

James Beard award nominee Chef McKee has created a special menu just for the event, including Grilled Leg of Lamb with Herbes de Provence, Fire Roasted Prawns with Saffron and Coriander, Rabbit and Porcini Sausages, Truffled Foie Gras Mousse, Grilled Poussin with Harissa and Honey, Grilled Bread with Tomato, Capers and Garlic.

Learn more on the LBV website.

The folks at the Graves are organizing a dinner at Cosmos featuring "Next Great Chefs of the Twin Cities," promising:

. . . it will be a dinner showcasing the talents of the next up-and-coming executive chefs or chef de cuisines, all new to their positions but creating excellent cuisine. The dinner will benefit the Heartland Food Network and will be held on October 10, 2007. The list of the participating chefs is Hakan Lundberg, Chef de Cuisine at Cosmos; Eric Sturtz, Chef de Cuisine at Café Levain; Landon Schoenfeld, Chef de Cuisine at Barbette; Leonard Anderson, Executive Chef at W.A. Frost; and Dianna Yang, the Pastry Chef at La Belle Vie & Solera.

According to the folks at Fugaise:

. . . we will be celebrating our two-year anniversary later this month. As you know, this is no small feat for "white linen" places such as ours. So again, on behalf of everyone here at Fugaise, thank you for your support. To that end, we would also like to invite you to celebrate the occasion with us on Wednesday, September 26. Chef Don has pulled out the menu archive. He is featuring some of the highlights from the past year in two tasting menus to be offered on the night mentioned above. There will be an early seating at 5:30 p.m., when a five-course menu will be offered, and a later seating at 8:15 p.m. for seven courses. Wine pairings will be available as well.

The earlier menu is:

Scallops with Salsify, Butter Lettuce, Sauce Choron

Skatewing with King Crab, Roasted Red Pepper, and Herb Pan Sauce

Wild Boar Ravioli with Black Mission Fig, Raddichio, and Aged Balsamic

Rack of Lamb Imam Bayildi with Braised Lamb Strudel and Eggplant Caviar

Poached Pear with Mint-Marscarpone Tart, Candied Pecans, and Clove

What's New, Pussycat?

Okay, where to begin? A Rebours is closed. Has been for over a week. Since no one seems to be able to say it, I will. WHAT HAPPENED???? Doug Anderson opens Bakery on Grand something like five years ago. It rocks. I call it at the time the best neighborhood eatery in town. Doug has extra-sensory perception for what works, and he can create resonant concepts. He opens A Rebours in St. Paul to rave reviews. Now he has two restaurants, but within months he is done with B on G, and the magic of A Rebours dissipates as Roger Johnsson becomes less of a factor. Eventually, Roger is gone, and a revolving door of chefs whirs through the kitchen. The food at A Rebours became less interesting with each passing season.

So is it that Anderson creates great restaurants and can’t sustain them, or does he create restaurants that are only appealing to a thin vein of customers? Or is it that the economics of the biz mean starting one restaurant, then using that success to finance another, letting the old eatery wither on the vine, and so on? And Nick and Eddie, the new restaurant of Anderson's, opens any day on Loring Park . . . last I heard, Steve Vranian will be the chef there, something that I am curious about from a food standpoint, since he underwhelmed me the last few times I ate his food. Am I alone in wondering how the Nick and Eddy’s story with play out? I have been more interested in this restaurant opening than just about any other this year, so my fingers are crossed for all of them.

Elsewhere, like down the road at Clancey’s, Greg Westergreen and Kristin Tombers have, in Greg’s words, “parted ways.” More on that on Thursday, as well as on my recent trip to NYC, my new Travel Channel news, my weekend in Vegas with Diddy and Britney at the VMAs and more . . . .

Last night on CNN I saw Anderson Cooper at Camp Victory in a tight combat shirt, in Gitmo in a very tight black T-shirt and jeans, in Afghanistan in a tight chino camp shirt . . . is this guy looking more and more fabulous each day or what? I remember AC as a young kid. We went to the same school, and I worked for his mom one summer cooking at their house in Southampton. Always new he would end up being big.

Apparently Australia has a feral cat problem. Their solution? Eat them. And no, I have not tried it.

To the north, South Korea is playing classical music to make rice grow faster.

In Italy, they are calling for a pasta strike on the thirteenth.

Closer to home, Kentucky Fried Chicken is spreading its scent around. Literally. 

Gordon Ramsay burned his balls. Literally. 

And speaking of burned, is Mario being 'let go' from the Food Network? Who is carrying his new show with Gwyneth Paltrow? Is it PBS? Is the finding of the new Iron Chef a ploy to replace him?

And finally, years ago when it went public, Krispy Kreme killed the goose that laid the golden egg and became the ultimate example of a brand that became less valuable once it’s cache became available to anyone willing to drive to their local gas station. This just in, it’s still losing money.

Hail Caesar

For years, I worked in restaurants. One year, I worked at Leslie Revsin’s One Fifth Avenue, where I was the garde manger. I had to teach the waiters to execute a tableside Caesar salad the original way it was done in Mexico and southern California eighty-plus years ago when the Caesar craze began at Los Angeles’s Brown Derby restaurant. I love this salad, and it’s even better than the emulsified-dressing version served all over town today. Use the freshest eggs in the world, and don’t serve raw ones to any kids or seniors . . . .

Caesar Salad
2 large heads romaine lettuce
3 T. minced anchovies
1 T. mustard
1 T. Worcestershire sauce, or more to taste
1/3 c. grated Reggiano parmesan . . . or even better, peeled curls of the
     good stuff.
2 egg yolks, beaten slightly
1/2 c. olive oil or more to taste
Juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste
4 cloves garlic, minced super-fine
1/4 stick butter
4 T. minced parsley
3 c. cubed artisanal bread, roughly the size of gaming dice.

Trim and clean romaine. Cut, wash, and dry lettuce. It needs to be bone dry!

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then add the minced parsley and half of the garlic. Toss with the bread cubes, then toast them in a 325-degree oven until nicely browned. Reserve.

Place the remaining garlic, mustard, and egg yolks in a large salad bowl. Add the lettuce and toss to coat. Add the anchovy, Worcestershire, and olive oil. Depending on the size of your heads of lettuce, you may not use all the oil. Toss well and season to taste with the lemon juice. Garnish with the cheese and croutons, then serve. Serves 4 as a large lunch salad.

Farm Aid Friday

Tomorrow night is One Big Night Out, and today on my radio show (from 1–3 p.m. on FM107.1) I am running a live auction to benefit the flood relief efforts in southeastern Minnesota. Visit FM107 for details on the auction and on participating restaurants for OBNO.

I had the opportunity last week to speak to Tom Buis, the president of the National Farmer’s Union; Doug Peterson, the head of the Minnesota Farmer’s Union; Al Franken; Senators Coleman and Klobuchar; and many of our congresspersons about the 2007 Farm Bill. The United States' farm and food policies, which Congress will renew this year in the "Farm Bill," deal with many issues. Chief among them are agricultural production, food and nutrition assistance, rural development, renewable energy, equity, and conservation policies. Many of these policies do not adequately cover all of our nation's farmers, and they do not provide accessible, healthy foods for many Americans. The effects of the Farm Bill may arguably be more profound and far-reaching than almost any piece of legislation tackled this year. This bill dictates just about everything that you can imagine, from how the U.S. utilizes vast tracts of land to what children eat in school cafeterias.

Big Business and the multi-nationals hijacked the bill over the last four decades, and they keep squeezing it. Disagree? Well, in 2002, the last time the bill came around, labeling and country of origin info was included in the bill by the legislators, but it got delayed for five years thanks to some pressure from special interests who don’t want us to know where our food comes from. Thanks to Rep. Colin Peterson (and others), it should be included this year without fail. At a bare minimum, we need to know where our food comes from. According to almost everyone in the know, several crops (rice, cotton, corn, oilseed, and wheat to name a few) receive over 90% percent of the subsidies that the bill doles out. Michael Pollan has made a career on this issue, but another book you should read is Daniel Imhoff's Food Fight: The Citizen's Guide to a Food and Farm Bill. Imhoff contends that small farms have been surmounted by enormous farms growing one crop and that we've glutted world markets with underpriced ingredients, setting off a chain of negative economic events in countries around the world (like Mexico), increasing illegal immigration, and jeopardizing national security on a variety of other fronts. Add to that the accepted fact that the abundance of cheap materials in so many of our foods has helped lead to our obesity crisis and you have an idea why this bill is so important. I know some people disagree with much of this, but frankly, these are the same people who believe that global warming and Darwinism are myths.

Need another excuse to join Slow Food USA? I found the following on one of their websites.

Recognizing that Slow Food USA seeks to offer the nation an antidote to industrialization's destruction of diversity in ecology, culture, and cuisine; that its members are guided by the vision of an ecologically healthy, culturally and gastronomically rich, and humane world; and that we seek a food system that is Good, Clean, and Fair, Slow Food USA is joining with other organizations and communities in the nation who seek a Food and Farm Bill that provides a healthier balance of interests and wider distribution of the benefits that accrue as a result of our nation's defining farm and food policy.

Looking for more on the subject. The Farm and Food Policy Project and FarmPolicy.com have lots to say, and I would encourage everyone who reads this blog to e-mail their legislators and candidates and let them know how you feel about it. Remember, Minnesota has an agricultural history and tradition, and it's one of the top ten states when it comes to ag production. This bill will affect you more than you know.

Scary Farm Bill stat of the day: Sam Goldfarb wrote several months ago on The Seattle Times webpage that, “…currently, the federal government hands out more than $7 billion a year to so-called 'program' or 'commodity' crops such as corn and wheat, but less than a tenth of that to 'specialty crops' like fruits and vegetables, although the annual values of production of the two kinds of crops are almost equal."

Dear Larry

I travel a lot. You don’t joke about bombs in your carry-on, for fear of being taken seriously. At least I don’t. It’s a lot like crying "fire" in a movie theater these days. You take off your shoes, you get your liquids screened, you watch moms with sick kids subjected to incredible security gymnastics and endless questions . . . . But it used to be that you could at least crack a few one-liners in the men’s room while taking a leak. Kiss that luxury goodbye. Thanks Larry Craig.

And by the way, the burgers and fries at Ike’s at the airport are rock solid. Avoid the lobster corn dogs at all costs.

As we wrote last week, here is the latest on how you can eat your way toward helping out with the flood relief in southeastern Minnesota. I am hosting a live auction on Friday from 1–3 p.m. on my FM107.1 radio show, and more info about participating restaurants for the One Big Night Out, as well as live auction packages, can be found at the FM107 website. I got this e-mail yesterday from Scott Pampuch at Corner Table.

The rain began in southeastern Minnesota on the night of August 18. Up to seventeen inches fell the first day, and sporadic heavy rain continues as the flooded area grows. The region is home to many sustainable farmers, their employees, and related businesses. Eric Hoiland of Rushford, MN, lost all his turkeys. The fields at the Featherstone CSA farm lie under contaminated water. Others have lost their crops, their houses, their communities, their friends.

The Minnesota convivium of Slow Food is joining with local non-profits and chefs to raise money for farmers and their communities. At press time for the Food Chain, we know that many slow restaurants in the Twin Cities are dedicating their profits on September 8 to flood-relief efforts. The event is called “One Big Night Out.” In addition, Slow Food Minnesota is helping to put together an online auction with contributions from local chefs, food producers, and Slow Food members.

More information on fundraising efforts will be available soon on Slow Food Minnesota’s website: www.slowfoodmn.org. At this time contributions can be made to the Red Cross Winona chapter, 1660 Kramer Dr., Winona, MN 55987; 507-452-4258; Maggie Modjeski, Director, or online to the Sow the Seeds Fund, www.sowtheseedsfund.org.

One of the better sidebars in all of this is that the Slow Food convivium is getting ‘out there’ in the public eye. SFMN should be ten times the size it is and have a much larger public footprint given the work it does and what it stands for. Friends of mine who are members have lamented to me for years that the local group is plagued by internal squabbling and grandstanding, but new infusions of membership and new leadership might change that. About time.

Did anyone catch the C.J. column earlier this week about Vince Vaughn being in town? I missed him, but several friends of mine hung out with him for a while and told me he genuinely likes it here. If you ask me, I think he must have a MN lady pal. But here is the best part of C.J.’s story: She mentioned a server at Cue remarking to one of her tables that Vaughn was in the house. When the diners responded with disbelief, the server responded that Vaughn was right behind them. WHAT A RUBE! My lord, if I managed that restaurant, I would have a word with that server. As a restaurateur, you need to respect everyone’s privacy. Having staff call attention to public figures is classless, to say nothing of directing a table to Vaughn’s specific presence. Oy vey.

Fish Shtick

Now is the time, my friends . . . the dog days still upon us, the markets still teaming with local produce, the fish season on the coasts still in full swing. I make the vegetables ahead of time, and the sauce can also be made ahead and kept in a thermos (dinner party trick of the day!) if you are cooking for a crowd. You’ll love to make this bass recipe again and again once you go through the recipe the first time.

For this dish, I look to use wild striped bass, a full-flavored, white, flakey fish that is sturdy enough to stand up to the sauce and the vegetables, but still relatively light enough to qualify as a summertime treat. The sauce is worth the work, and these days, who doesn’t yearn for a sturdy, creamy shellfish jus after three months of olive oil drizzles and lemon juice spritzes?

Pan Seared Bass on Provencale-Style Vegetables with Shrimp Sauce
4 8-oz. boneless, skin-on filets of line-caught striped bass or sea bass
1 c. Wondra flour
3 T. butter, clarified works best
Sea salt and white pepper for seasoning

Score the skin and season fish aggressively, on the skin side. Dredge fish in the flour. Knock off any excess.

Preheat pan over medium heat, adding the butter, and sauté the fish, cooking mostly skin-side down, turning to finish the fish. Do not overcook, but this fish should not be served medium rare! Plate the fish on top of spoonfuls of the vegetables, drizzling the sauce around the fish. Serves 4.

The Vegetables
3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 minced anchovies
4 basil leaves, julienned
2 minced shallots
1/4 c. nicoise olives
1/2 c. finely diced green zuchinni
1/2 c. yellow squash, diced fine
1 c. finely diced eggplant
2 T. minced parsley
1 clove minced garlic
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. white wine

Place the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, eggplant, and shallots and cook for several minutes to cook through.

Add the anchovies and cook for another minute.

Add the zuchinni, squash, parsley, basil, and olives. Add the wine and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the tomato. Saute for another minute or so, then pull from heat, stirring. Season and serve warm under the fish. 

Shellfish Cream
1/4 c. brandy
2 T. Pernod
3 c. shellfish stock or fish stock (made from the bones of the bass,
     ideally!)
1 lb. fresh shrimp in the shell, chopped coarsely, shells and all . . . I use
     ocean-caught Ecuadorean or Mexican shrimp.
1 T. tomato paste
2 sprigs tarragon
1 minced shallot
1 minced carrot
1 rib minced celery
2 T. olive oil
1/2 c. heavy cream

Place a large saute pan over high heat. Add the oil and, when it’s rippling, add the shrimp. Toss, scorching the shells. Toss-in the tomato paste, tarragon, and vegetables. When cooked down and aromatic, add the brandy and Pernod, then cook for a minute or so. Add the stock and simmer, covered, for 15–20 minutes.

Remove cover and reduce by two-thirds at a simmer. Strain, pressing down on the solids. Add the cream. Discard solids. Simmer until sauce consistency is reached.

Season with sea salt, white pepper, and a touch of lemon. Foam the sauce, if you like, before serving, drizzling the sauce around the fish and vegetables.