family brunch

Seth and Allecia were in town over memorial day weekend so Amanda and I had my parents and Seth over for brunch. Allecia was occupied elsewhere. Midwestern spring brings us the flavors of spring onions, baby greens, sprouts, and mushrooms which blend beautifully with a bacon and cheese quiche. I kept everything local on the plate using a Manchego style cows milk cheese from Wisconsin. And what would brunch be without hash browns so I made some crispy roasted potatoes. My dad provided some baked goods to round out the meal.

bacon and spring onion cheese quiche, baby arugula and sunflower sprout salad, crispy roasted potatoes, and sauteed morels

spring salad

Amanda wanted a salad with hard cooked eggs for dinner one night. Asparagus is still in season so...

salad of mesclun greens, asparagus tips, chevre, hard cooked egg, champagne vinaigrette

impromptu dinner party

My friend Eric and I were playing video games one day and mentioned that one of our best friends was going to be in town that night to go to a party with his girlfriend. It was a Saturday and I had gone to Green City and just started braising a pork shoulder in ale and honey so I decided to have everyone over for dinner. It is still mid spring so it was asparagus and mushrooms to go with the pork. Nothing feeds the soul like a meal with close friends. I was truly lucky to have a few coincidences break my way and to have such a great time.

family style ale and honey braised pork butt, roasted asparagus, sauteed criminis, roasted sweet potatoes

Mmmm... snack

Green city market

Hooray! The outdoor Green City Market finally opened a couple weeks ago. Inevitably there was not much variety on the cold, drizzly may morning, but what was there was beautifal. Asparagus season lasts about a month in the spring and tables were piled high with the green and purple spears. The cool spring has also created an abundance of beautiful spring onions and garlic along with baby greens. But my favorite has to be the wild morels. I bought these from a farmer who sells elk but forages for morels and truffles on the side. I love them sauteed in butter so they get a little crispy and unleash a torrent of savory, woodsy flavor with every bite. I decided to do a meaty fish with the beautiful asparagus and divine morels.

pan roasted monkfish, roasted asparagus, sauteed morels, bacon pinot noir reduction.

romesco sauce

My chef at work has a wonderful recipe for the spanish classic, romesco sauce. She serves it in a hollowed out mini new potato for a really cute, and tasty, hors d'oeuvre. I wanted Amanda to try the sauce so I made a batch, with a few personal touches, and paired it with pan roasted halibut and some herby papas fritas.

Dinner party

Amanda and I had some friends over for the aforementioned shrimp risotto with peas and mint and I needed another dish to round out the simple meal. I decided to add a chefy touch to the salad with sweet and savory salt and pepper pine nut brittle.















baby arugula, chevre, dried cherries, salt and pepper pine nut brittle, champagne vinaigrette

Shrimp Risotto with Peas and Mint

Instead of constantly stirring risotto, letting the the rice begin to stick to the bottom of the pot before adding more liquid creates a great texture and creaminess. I also love to use the shrimp shells to make a delicate stock to cook the rice in. Sweet peas and mint beautifully compliment the slightly briny seafood flavor of the rice.

Pizza

After doing spa food for a couple weeks I went through a pizza making spree to counteract all the productive, healthy eating that had been making me feel great physically, but a little empty inide. To try and appease Amanda I made a whole wheat crust and served a green salad with the pizza.

cheese pizza with whole wheat crust

Baby Bao

One day at work, inspired by Amanda's cravings for bao, I made the stuffed, steamed buns for family meal. My chef enjoyed them so much that she asked me to play around with bite size bao to put on the passed hors d'oeuvres menu. Here are some of the pictures I took documenting the mini bao experiment.

It is important to weigh a dish to determine both production cost and the amount of product needed for the finished dish.


















With each try my fingers became more adept at shaping the little bao.












Two sizes of cooked bao.















Warning: These little buns are highly addictive and one should not expect to have any leftovers.

Spa Food

In early spring my girlfriend, Amanda, decided that it was time to start eating healthy. So, she brought home some ingredients and challenged me to make a no fat or sugar added "spa meal". The ingredients she provided were salmon, napa cabbage, and kale. The only added fat was a little toasted sesame oil added to the Asian style marinade for the salmon.

Napa cabbage wrapped steamed salmon, ginger braised kale, blood orange reduction.