Ignore the snow outside because inside Timothy’s Restaurant in Union Pier, Michigan, it’s New Orleans during Mardi Gras season, purple, green and yellow beads and all.
As he does every year, owner/executive chef Timothy Sizer kicks it up several notches, does a few Emeril “bams” and goes all out for this Louisiana celebration. He mixes up the menu each year but there are always such staples as gumbo, etouffee and jambalaya.
This year the menu also includes Fried Louisiana Oysters, Red Beans and Rice, Fried Green Tomatoes with Crawfish Sauté and Cajun Remoulade, Blackened Red Fish Meunier served with Pecan Butter and, my new favorite, Warm Crawfish Cheese Dish. Regarding the latter, our server told us they all wait eagerly for this time of year so they can eat it up. There’s also a selection of desserts such as King Cake, pecan pie and beignets all served with house made praline ice cream.
Tim, who is originally from St. Joseph, moved to Florida after graduating from Johnson & Wales University College of Culinary Arts in Rhode Island and worked at several Florida restaurants and owned one as well, specializing on fish and Cajun/Creole cuisine. When I asked him why he returned about 15 years ago—it was really cold out that night and Florida sounded very good—he said it was the pull of being back home.
Lucky for us.
Timothy’s Mardi Gras celebration ends on February 23.
The following recipes are courtesy of Timothy’s Restaurant.
Sazerac
Yield 2 cocktails
2 ounces cognac
2 ounces Rye whiskey
Juice of ½ lemon, fresh
1 ounce Pernod
Lemon peel for garnish
2 large square or round ice cubes
Mix cognac, rye, lemon juice and Pernod. Place ice cube in each glass, Pour drink mixture evenly. Garnish each glass with lemon peel.
Crawfish Dip
3 ribs celery, diced
1 onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 tablespoon, minced
2 cups olive oil
8 ounces cheddar cheese
8 ounces sour cream
1 ounce Worcestershire sauce
2 ounces horseradish sauce
2 teaspoons cayenne
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 ounce salt
8 ounces crawfish tail meat
Heat skillet add olive oil and sauté garlic and vegetables. Add cheese, cream, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, cayenne, black pepper and salt and cook for ten minutes on low heat. Blend and then add crawfish tail meat.
Serve with buttered toast points seasoned with Paul Prudhomme Blackening Seasoning.
Etouffee
Serves 6
16 ounces fish stock (can substitute vegetable or chicken stock)
½ teaspoon or more, to taste for each: cayenne, black pepper, thyme and salt
1 bay leaf
Can use cooked shrimp (21/25 grade), crawfish (one pound package frozen) or chicken (2 large chicken breasts, diced and sautéed until not longer pink but not thoroughly cooked)
Parsley, for garnish
3 to 4 cups cooked rice.
Sauté vegetables in olive oil until vegetables are soft. Dust all ingredients with flour, add sherry and stock.
Add cayenne, black pepper, basil, thyme, bay leaf and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add shrimp and crawfish or chicken if using instead. Next line place rice in the middle of each serving bowl. Add etouffee. Garnish with parsley.
Jane Ammeson can be contacted via email at janeammeson@gmail.com .
The results—and the recipes are in—from this year’s 32nd Cherry Baking Contest at the Eau Claire Cherry Festival held in Eau Claire, Michigan. Contestants could enter one or more of the six categories: Cake, Bread, Pie, Dessert, Miscellaneous and Quick and Easy Mixes, a category where entrants can use cake mixes, pie fillings and other store-bought ingredients, none of which can be used in the other five categories. After three place winners are chosen by the judges for each category, a Grand Prize and Most Eye Appealing winner are then selected from the first place winners in each categories.
This
year, Debra Lollar’s Cherry Pastry Puffs took both First Place in the
Miscellaneous Category and won the Grand Prize. Celena Cantrell’s won First
Place and Most Eye-Appealing for her Dark Sweet Cherry Cheesecake Pie.
Here
are the results and first place winning recipes:
In the Cake category, Barb Adams took First
Place for her 4th of July Cherry Cake; Debra Lollar took Second
Place for her Luscious Cherry Cake and Stephenie Kuhl for her Fresh Cherry
Cake.
First Place in the Pie category went to Celena
Cantrell for her Dark Sweet Cherry Cheesecake Pie; Second went to Sara
Disterhelf for her Sweet Cherry Pie and Third Place to Barb Adams for her
Cherry Pie.
In the Bread Category, Celena Cantrell, First
Place for her Sweet Cherry Pizza; Stephenie Kuhl, Second Place for her Cherry
Bread and Jessica Ratter, Third Place for her Cherry Sweet Rolls.
Winners in the Desserts Category are Kelly
Blankenship in First Place for her Chocolate Cherry Tart; Joyel Timmreck in
Second Place for her Cherry White Chocolate Mousse Tart and Carol Skibbe in
Third Place for her Cherry Brownie Delight.
Debra Lollar’s Cherry Pastry Puffs took First
Place in the Miscellaneous Category; Aiye Akhiab’s Cherub Jam took Second Place
and Stephenie Kuhl took Third for her Cherry Almond Cinnamon Rolls.
Joyel Timmreck’s Cherry Chewables took First
Place in the Quick and Easy Mixes; Debra Lollar’s Easy Pineapple Cherry Crisp
took Second Place and Stephenie Kuhl’s Chocolate Cherry Cake took Third Place.
A
big thanks to Betty Timmreck, one of the organizers of the baking contest, who sent
in the First Place winning recipes and the accompanying photos.
Debra Lollar’s Cherry Pastry Puffs
1 package pastry puffs
2 cups milk
1 box instant vanilla pudding
1 tub Cool Whip
Maraschino cherry juice
1 ½ cups cherries
1 ¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup water
Whisk together milk and pudding. Fold in
Cool Whip. Unfold pastry puffs on lined baking sheet. Cut on lines into
squares. Brush on cherry juice. Bake at 400° F for 10 to 15 minutes.
In a saucepan on low heat, cook pitted
cherries, sugar, lemon juice and ¼ cup water. In small bowl, mix cornstarch and
remaining ¼ cup water. Then add to cherry mixture. Cook until thick. Cut open
pastry puffs, spread pudding mixture on bottom. Spoon on cherry mixture. Put
top layer on.
Celina Cantrell’s Sweet Cherry Pizza
Dough
3 ½ to 4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 envelope instant dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups hot water
2 tablespoons olive oil plus oil for rising
bowl
Combine flour sugar, yeast and salt in
stand mixer bowl. While mixer is running add water and the 2 tablespoons oil.
Add more flour if dough is too sticky. Add spoon one at a time. Grease a large
bowl with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until
doubled in size. about one hour
Sweet Cherry Pizza Filling
1 pound pitted sweet cherries
1/2 cup sugar
¼ cup water
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon almond extract
In a saucepan over medium heat stir
cherries, sugar and extract until heated and sugars melted. In a separate bowl
combine water and corn starch until smooth. Add to cherry mixture. Remove from
heat.
Make crumble topping
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soft butter
Pinch of salt
Mix together with a fork to make
crumbles. Spread cherry mixture over pizza like the sauce. Top with the
crumbles.
Baked 400° for 25 minutes.
Let cool completely.
Icing drizzle
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Mix together with a fork and drizzle
over cold pizza.
4th of July Cherry Cake
1 cherry chip cake mix
1/2 box white cake mix
20 ounces cherry pie filling
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup fresh almond, chopped
24 ounces can cream cheese frosting
Toppings: Sweet cherries, blueberries and
coconut
Grease 3 8-inch cake pans. Set aside.
Mix first five ingredients.
Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes.
Let cool and frost. Then top with
sweet cherries, blueberries and coconut.
Celena Cantrell’s Dark Sweet Cherry
Cheesecake Pie
2 cans dark sweet cherries
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Heat in saucepan and let cool.
Crumble 30 Golden Oreo Cookies in a
food processor. Melt 1/3 cup butter. Stir into cookie crumbs and press into a
pie pan. Place in freezer.
8-ounce package cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whip together until smooth.
In separate bowl whip 2 cups heavy
cream. Fold into the cream cheese. Fill cookie crumb pie crust. Top with the
cooled cherries. Top with remaining cream cheese filling.
Kelly Blankenship’s Chocolate Cherry
Tort
For the Shell:
3 large egg yolks
½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
For the Filling:
¾ cup milk
¾ cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ tablespoons flour
2 ounces dark chocolate, good quality
Cherries:
3 cups cherries cut in half and pitted
For the Pastry:
Whisk flour and salt in a small bowl.
Beat butter in a stand mixer fitted with
paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
Add sugar then egg yolks one at a time while
the mixer is running.
Dump the flour in and run mixer just until
dough forms a ball.
Shape into a disk and chill for about 30
minutes in the fridge.
Roll to a thickness of about ¼ inch and press
into tort pan. Pierce bottom with fork to prevent puffing during the bake.
Bake at 400°F for about 5 minutes then reduce
to 350° f and bake an additional 15. Allow to cool.
For the filling:
Melt chocolate and allow to cool. Scald the
milk and cream in a small pot and set aside to cool to warm.
Whisk together the yolks, sugar, flour and vanilla
then set on low heat and begin whisking.
Slowly pour in the warm milk mixture and
continue whisking.
Whisk on low heat until mixture thickens.
Transfer to glass bowl and whisk in the melted
chocolate.
Cover with plastic wrap pressing down onto the
surface and allow to chill for a few hours in the fridge.
Fill tart shell with chocolate pastry cream
and arrange cherries.
If not serving immediately, brush with a strained
and diluted jam to preserve the surface.
Joyel Timmreck’s Cherry Chewables
Crust:
1 ¼ cups flour
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup shortening
¼ cup butter
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup flaked coconut
Filling:
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
21 ounces cherry pie filling
In a bowl, combine flour and brown sugar; cut
in shortening and butter until fine crumbs form. Stir ½ cup nuts and coconut.
Reserve ½ cup crumb mixture for topping and press the remaining mixture into
the bottom of a greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes
or until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, for filling, beat the cream cheese,
sugar, eggs and almond in mixing bowl until smooth. Spread over the hot crust.
Bake 15 minutes. Spread cherries on top.
Combine remaining nuts and reserved crumbs and
sprinkle over the cherries. Bake 15 minutes more. Cool.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. You may want
to make more crumbs to put on top.
Jane Ammeson can be contacted via email at janeammeson@gmail.com
It was all about the cherries, as it is every year at the Eau Claire Cherry Festival, held each July 4th in downtown Eau Claire. Michigan. This year, I was asked, along with Sara and Hanns Heil, to judge the festival’s 31st annual Cherry Baking Contest. Of course, loving small town food events, I had to say yes.
From left to right: Jane Simon Ammeson, Hanns Heil & Sara Heil.
Like in years past, contestants could enter one or more of the six categories: Cakes, Breads, Pies, Desserts, Miscellaneous and Quick Mixes, a category where entrants can use cake mixes, pie fillings and other store bought ingredients, none of which can be used in the other five categories. Besides that, both a Grand Prize and Most Eye Appealing winner is then selected from the first place winners of the six categories.
After the prizes were awarded, the baked goods were auctioned off by John Glassman, raising approximately $2245.00.
“We had a lot of great looking desserts,” said Chris Dohm, who with Betty Timmreck, organized the contest.
Celina Cantrell’s Cherry Celebration Cake won in three categories—taking first place for cakes, being selected as most Eye-Appealing and also was the Grand Prize winner. Coming in second for Cakes was Carole Skibbe’s Mrs. America Cherry Cake. Third place went to Denise Rogers for her Cherry Crumb Cake.
In the Quick & Easy category, Joyel Timmreck took first place for her Cherry Supreme Cake, Barb Adams placed second for her Cherry Treat and Levi Lollas won third place for his Cherry Golden Muffins.
Celina Cantrell’s Red, White & Cherry Dessert took first in the Desserts category, Debra Lollar won second for Cherries on a Cloud and third went to Kortney Rodriguez for her Cherry Pie Bars.
Stephanie Glassman’s Cherry Mousse was the first place winner in the Miscellaneous category. Coming in second was Aiye Akhigbe for her Cherry Pie Jam and third went to Danielle Dilts for her Very Cherry Salad.
In the pie category, Sara Disterheft’s Sweet Cherry Pie won first place, Maxine Wagner took second for her Cherry Rhubarb Pie and Celina Cantrell third for her 3 Cherry Cherry Pie.
The following are the first place recipes.
First Place: Cakes
Grand Prize Winner & Most Eye Appealing
Celina Cantrell’s Cherry Celebration Cake
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¾ cups sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract
6 egg whites
2 ¼ cups cake flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
21 ounces cherry pie filling
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
Frosting:
12 ounces cream cheese, soft
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Prepare three round cake pans with butter and flour.
In one bowl combine milk, egg whites, almond and vanilla extract.
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix in butter. Add one-half of the wet mixture, mix and then add remaining wet mixture.
Divide batter into three round cake pans.
Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Let cake cool in pans.
Cherry Filling:
In a sauce pan, cook cherry filling until warm, add extract and cook on low for five minutes. Mix water and cornstarch, then stir into cherries. Remove for heat and let cool.
Frosting:
Cream together cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar.
Assemble the cake:
Spread a thin layer of frosting on the first layer of cake, then add cherries. Repeat with second layer. Top the two layers with the third cake, frost and top with cherries.
Optional: Add sliced almonds for looks and taste.
First Place: Quick & Easy Mixes
Joyel Timmreck’s Cherry Supreme Cake
One Cherry Chip cake mix
1 cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
½ cup chopped tart cherries
Heat oven to 350 F. Grease bottom only of two 8-inch cake pans. In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients except cherries until blended then beat on medium speed for two minutes. Add cherries and mix until blended. Pour into prepared baking pans and bake for 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on cooling rack. Remove from pans and place cake on plate. Frost then place other on top and frost entire cake.
Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 pound confectioner’s sugar
4 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
¼ teaspoon vanilla
Mix all together until fluffy.
Variations:
One jar stemmed maraschino cherries; desired amount to decorate cake.
First Place: Pies
Sara Disterheft’s Sweet Cherry Pie
2 ½ cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
One cup unsweetened butter, very and cool cut into teeny cubes
½ cup ice water (you might not use it all)
Mix flour sugar and salt. Add butter until mixture becomes coarse. Slowly blend in just enough ice water form moist clumps. Gather the dough into a ball and divide in half. Form dough into 2 balls and gently flatten into disks. Wrap each in the plastic and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours.
For the filling:
5 cups sweet cherries, pitted
¼ cup cornstarch
½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
In a large bowl stir together all the ingredients. Let mixture sit while you make your crumble and roll out your crust.
For the crumble:
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons butter, melted
Mix sugar and flour together in a medium-sized bowl, then stir in melted butter. Put the topping in the freezer.
Assembly and Baking:
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Roll out half of the chilled dough on a well-floured work surface, rolling into a 12-inch round. Gently place the dough in 9-inch pie pan. Trim the edges of crimp them decoratively. Add cherry mixture into the pie crust, making sure the majority of its juices remain in the bowl. Add half of the frozen crumble on top of the pie filling and then place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 30 minutes.
Rotate pie and add the remaining crumble. Bake for another 25 minutes or until crust and crumble are golden.
First Place: Breads
Celina Cantrell’s Red, Yellow, Cherry Bread with Cherry Blossom Butter
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon rind, grated
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 2/3 cup flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup sour cream
1 cup chopped and pitted yellow cherries
Glaze:
¾ cup powdered sugar
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Grease and flour loaf pan.
Cream together butter and sugar. Add extract, lemon juice and rind. Add eggs one at a time. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Alternate with sour cream. With a spoon, fold in cherries.
Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown and a tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Let cool before drizzling with glaze.
To make glaze, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice.
Cherry Blossom Butter
Cream together 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter (at room temperature) with ½ cup powdered sugar, ½ cup chopped maraschino cherries and ½ teaspoon almond extract.
First Place: Miscellaneous
Stephanie Glassman’s Cherry Mousse
1 package cherry Jell-O (4 serving size)
½ cup boiling water
1 cup fresh cherries, chopped
½ cup cream cheese, softened
½ cup cold water
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Cool Whip
Cool Whip and/or maraschino cherries
Add Jell-O into a small bowl and pour in boiling water. Stir until dissolved.
Add cherries, cream cheese, cold water and vanilla extract. Blend for one minute or until smooth.
Pour mixture into a large bowl and whisk in Cool Whip
Spoon mixture into dessert dishes and place in refrigerator to set, about 2 hours.
To serve, top with Cool Whip and maraschino cherries, if desired.
First Place: Desserts
Celina Cantrell’s Red, White & Cherry Dessert
Crust:
1 cup crushed almond sugar cookies
¼ cup melted butter
Filling:
8 ounce package Cherry Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
½ cup
1 cup fresh chopped and pitted xx cherries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 ounces of cream cheese
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup heavy cream
In a small bowl combine cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press on to bottom of an ungreased pie plate.
Bake at 350° F. for 10 minutes.
In a bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water, add the partially set, about 1 ½ hours.
In a mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth. Add vanilla and salt.
In another mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream. When stiff peaks form, then fold in the cream cheese mixture.
Layer the dessert, starting at the bottom with some of the cream cheese/whipped cream mixture then add a layer of the cherries. Repeat layers. Top with whipping cream.
