Not to be missed next time you’re in Lafayette is a stop at Triple XXX Family Restaurant. Opening in 1929, Triple XXX was the state’s first as well as its oldest drive-in.
Their root beer dates back even further to 1895 when the Galveston Brewing Company first started making beer and then later added soft drinks to the list of products.
The popularity of their root beer led to an expansion of Triple XXX root beer stands in the U.S. but with the acquisition and merging of brands in the U.S. to the point that only three major brands – Coca Cola, Pepsi and Dr. Pepper/Seven-Up control the market, Triple XXX is difficult to find. But well worth the search.
Besides the great root beer, the family owned restaurant grinds their own sirloin daily for all their burgers including The Duane Purvis All-American, a 1/4 pounder topped with melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, Spanish onion and peanut butter (yes, peanut butter).
2 N. Salisbury St. West Lafayette. 765-743-5373; triplexxxfamilyrestaurant.com
The words
“historic restaurant” almost always pulls me to a stop and that was true last
week when I was driving down US-89 about an hour north of Flagstone and saw the
sign for the Cameron Trading Post in Cameron, Arizona, a small town seemingly
consisting of a gas station, Burger King and laundromat.
Everyone
with me always groans when I start reading the long details about the history
of a place and I have to admit that old doesn’t always mean good but this time
I lucked out.
The
trading post, located on a high plateau at an elevation of over 4000-feet, opened
in 1916, five years after a suspension bridge, at the time the longest bridge
west of the Mississippi and now the oldest in the state, was built spanning the
Little Colorado River where it streams into the Grand Canyon.
This is Navajo land (indeed, the
Navajo name for Cameron is Naʼníʼá Hasání) and the elegant restaurant reflects
that. The menu features not only American and Mexican dishes but also Navajo
cuisine, some with a fancy twist including prickly pear French toast and milk
shakes as well as staples like green chile stew, Navajo tacos, Navajo beef stew
and Yah-Ahtay chile (ground sirloin, pinto beans, red chile and spices) to name
just a few.
The spacious restaurant has quality
Native American art and rugs on the walls, antique tin ceilings, rich wood
cabinetry and a fireplace large enough to cook on. The large windows overlook a
sandstone garden brimming with honeysuckle, hollyhocks, chrysanthemums, roses
and daisies and views of the gorge.
Our waiter tells us it was truly a
trading post back in the early 1900s when the Navajo and Hopi who lived on the
surrounding land arrived on horse-drawn wagons to barter their wool, blankets
and farm animals in exchange for dry goods. Later, as roads improved and
tourism travel took hold, its location close to the entrance of the Grand
Canyon brought more visitors who stayed in post’s hotel.
There is,
of course, a gift shop but it doesn’t just sell trinkets. Instead there’s high
quality Navajo and Hopi arts and crafts including hand woven Navajo rugs,
Indian baskets, Hopi kachinas, Pueblo pottery, paintings, jewelry and ceramics
as well. I was particularly intrigued by
a cow’s skull inlaid with pieces of a type of turquois once mined in Arizona but
now almost impossible to find. But I figured, it was one of those things that
just wouldn’t fit in with my condo’s décor.
If you enjoyed the prickly pear
dishes served at the restaurant, you can pick up jars of the jelly, syrup and
tea to take home. If you love fry bread (and I certainly do like the puffy
discs of fried dough that for the tacos is topped with meat, beans and cheese),
you can buy up to 20-pound bags of Blue Bird Flour which Navajos use to make
fry bread.
Navajo Tacos
1 medium sweet yellow onion, diced
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 (8 ounce) can chili sauce
3/4 teaspoon crushed cumin seeds or ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (approx.15 oz) cans pinto beans, drained
6 pieces Navajo fry bread
2-3 cups shredded lettuce
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 large tomatoes cut into wedges
1 large green chile, diced
In a large skillet, sauté onion in olive oil until golden
brown.
Add beef and brown. Add chili sauce, cumin, garlic powder, red
pepper flakes and salt.
Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
When done, gently stir beans into meat mixture to and heat. Spread
mixture over top of fry bread. Top with lettuce, cheese, tomato wedges and
green chiles.
Ingredients for Fry Bread:
6 cups un-sifted flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup instant non-fat dry milk
2 3/4 cups lukewarm water
Lard or shortening for frying
Combine flour, salt, baking powder and dry milk in a bowl. Add enough lukewarm water to make a soft
dough.
Knead thoroughly. Pinch off a ball of dough about the size
of a large egg. Shape it round and flat with a small hole in the middle. Work
it back and forth from one hand to the other to make it thinner and thinner. Stretch
gradually to a diameter of about nine inches.
Heat fat at least an inch deep in a heavy iron skillet. Drop
thin rounds of dough into hot fat and fry to a light brown on one side. Then
turn and fry other side. As it fries, the bread puffs up and becomes light.
Drain each piece on paper to
Makes about 18 to 24 pieces, about nine inches across.
For more information, visit camerontradingpost.com
Accompanied by lush photographs by Robert Holmes and Sara Remington, the book was commissioned by the Wine Institute — a California wine advocacy group that received a grant to promote California’s specialty crops.
“What really came home to me was that there are so many different climates here in California,” says Fletcher who not only visited a plethora of wineries but also cherry orchards and avocado farms. She also learned about the sustainable practices that growers are incorporating in a state previously hit with a long-running drought.
Her recipes include suggested pairings with different wines and shows you how to recreate this type of casual but delicious dining at home.
Golden Beet, Pomegranate, and Feta Salad
SERVES 4
WINE SUGGESTION: California Gewurztraminer or Pinot Gris/Grigio
4 golden beets, about 1 1⁄2 pounds (750 g) total, greens removed
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 6 fresh thyme sprigs
3 allspice berries
1 whole clove
1 clove garlic, halved
DRESSING:
11⁄2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Kosher or sea salt
1⁄4 head radicchio, 3 ounces, thinly sliced 1⁄2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
12 fresh mint leaves, torn into smaller pieces
2 to 3 ounces Greek or French feta
1⁄3 cup pomegranate arils (seeds)
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Put the beets in a small baking dish and add water to a depth of 1∕4 inch. Add the vinegar, thyme, allspice, clove, and garlic. Cover and bake until the beets are tender when pierced, about 1 hour, depending on size. Remove from the oven and peel when cool enough to handle. Let cool completely, then slice thinly with a sharp knife.
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the wine vinegar and shallot. Whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and let stand for 15 minutes to allow the shallot flavor to mellow.
In a bowl, toss the beets and radicchio gently with enough of the dressing to coat lightly; you may not need it all. Taste for salt and vinegar and adjust as needed. Add the walnuts and half the mint leaves and toss gently. Transfer to a wide serving platter. Crumble the feta on top, then scatter the pomegranate arils and remaining mint leaves overall. Serve immediately.
Little Gem Lettuces with Olive Oil–Poached Tuna
This dish requires a lot of olive oil for poaching, but you won’t waste a drop. Use some of the flavorful poaching oil in the salad dressing; strain and refrigerate the remainder for cooking greens or for dressing future salads. The strained oil will keep for a month.
WINE SUGGESTION: California rose or Sauvignon Blanc
1 albacore tuna steak, about 10 ounces) and 3⁄4 to 1 inch thick
3⁄4 teaspoon ground fennel seed
3⁄4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 large fresh thyme sprig
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, halved
6 black peppercorns
1 3⁄4 to 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
DRESSING:
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (from the tuna baking dish)
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
11⁄2 cups cooked chickpeas (drain and rinse if canned)
1⁄2 pound Little Gem lettuce or romaine hearts 1⁄4 pound radicchio
1⁄2 red onion, shaved or very thinly sliced
3⁄4 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Preheat the oven to 200°F. Remove the tuna from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
Season the tuna on both sides with the fennel seed and salt. Put the tuna in a deep ovenproof baking dish just large enough to hold it. Add the thyme, bay leaf, garlic, and peppercorns. Pour in enough olive oil just to cover the tuna.
Bake until a few white dots (coagulated protein) appear on the surface of the fish and the flesh just begins to flake when probed with a fork, 30 to 40 minutes. The tuna should still be slightly rosy inside. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature in the oil.
Make the dressing: In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, capers, oregano, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the chickpeas and let them marinate for 30 minutes.
With a slotted spatula, lift the tuna out of the olive oil and onto a plate.
Put the lettuce in a large salad bowl. Tear the larger outer leaves in half, if desired, but leave the pretty inner leaves whole. Tear the radicchio into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl along with the onion, tomatoes, and parsley.
Using a slotted spoon, add the chickpeas, then add enough of the dressing from the chickpea bowl to coat the salad lightly. By hand, flake the tuna into the bowl. Toss, taste for salt and vinegar, and serve.
Seared Duck Breasts with Port and Cherry Sauce
SERVES 4
Cooking duck breasts slowly, skin side down, helps eliminate almost every speck of fat. After about 20 minutes, the skin will be crisp and the flesh as rosy and tender as a fine steak. Serve with wild rice.
Duck breasts vary tremendously in size; scale up the spice rub if the breasts you buy are considerably larger.
WINE SUGGESTION: California Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot
SEASONING RUB:
8 juniper berries
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme 2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 boneless duck breasts, about 1⁄2 pound each
SAUCE:
1 cup Zinfandel Port or ruby port
1 shallot, minced
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 strip orange zest, removed with a vegetable peeler 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
24 cherries, pitted and halved
1⁄2 cup strong chicken broth, reduced from 1 cup
1⁄2 teaspoon sugar
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Make the seasoning rub: Put the juniper berries, thyme, salt, and peppercorns in a mortar or spice grinder and grind to a powder.
Slash the skin of each breast in a crosshatch pattern, stopping short of the flesh. (The slashes help render the fat.) Sprinkle the seasoning rub evenly onto both sides of each breast. Put the breasts on a flat rack and set the rack inside a tray. Refrigerate uncovered for 24 to 36 hours. Bring to room temperature before cooking.
Choose a heavy frying pan large enough to accommodate all the duck breasts comfortably. (If necessary, to avoid crowding, use two frying pans.) Put the breasts, skin side down, in the unheated frying pan and set over medium- low heat. Cook until the skin is well browned and crisp, about 15 minutes, frequently pouring off the fat until the skin no longer renders much. (Reserve the fat for frying potatoes, if you like.)
Turn the duck breasts and continue cooking flesh side down, turning the breasts with tongs to sear all the exposed flesh, until the internal temperature registers 125°F on an instant-read thermometer, about
3 minutes longer. Transfer the breasts to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
While the duck cooks, make the sauce: In a small sauce- pan, combine the port, shallot, thyme, orange zest, vinegar, and half of the cherries. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer until reduced to 3∕4 cup. Add the broth and sugar and simmer until the liquid has again reduced to 3∕4 cup Remove from the heat and, with tongs, lift out the thyme sprigs and orange zest and discard.
Puree the sauce in a blender. Set a very fine-mesh sieve over the saucepan and pass the sauce through the sieve, pressing on the solids with a rubber spatula. Return to medium heat, season with salt and pepper, and simmer until reduced to 1∕2 cup. Stir in the remaining cherries and remove from the heat. Add the butter and swirl the saucepan until the butter melts.
Slice the duck on the diagonal. Spoon some of the sauce on each of four dinner plates, dividing it evenly. Top with the sliced duck. Serve immediately.
The above recipes are Wine Country Table: With Recipes that Celebrate California’s Sustainable Harvest by Wine Institute, Rizzoli, 2019.
“If you’ve got some stuff in your pantry, let me show you the possibilities of what to do with it,” says Marissa McClellan, author of The Food in Jars Kitchen: 140 Ways to Cook, Bake, Plate, and Share Your Homemade Pantry (Running Press 2019: $15.91 Amazon price). “That’s what I’m really trying to do, to open the door for people to show there’s a world of cooking and flavor possibilities in the world of preserves. Home cooks often feel they need to have permission before trying something new and I’m working at freeing them up from those confines.”
Compound Butters
McClellan, who has been food blogging at foodinjars.com since 2005, describes her newest cookbook as a departure from what she’s done before. Her previous books have included Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year Round, Preserving by the Pint: Quick Seasonal Canning for Small Spaces and Naturally Sweet Food in Jars.
“It’s not just a canning book, it’s the ideal book for people who love to
put food up in jars,” she says, “it’s designed to answer the question what to
do with it after you made it.”
Pesto
For someone who writes and cans prolifically, you might expect McClellan to
have been putting up food forever but though she did a little food canning with
her mom when young, she didn’t get serious about it until 13 or so years ago.
“I made a batch of jam, I knew how to do it, but I didn’t know a lot of
the rules,” she says. “To me it was just a really great way to save produce. Then
I started writing about it, I didn’t have any baggage from the past so I just
approached writing as you would a cooking class. Then I was doing more and more
canning and writing more about it and realized that there wasn’t much
information about making small batches with unique flavors instead of large
batches of highly sugared fruit jams.”
Marissa McClellan
When it comes to canning, McClellan likes to stretch people’s boundaries
say by developing a recipe for asparagus berry jam.
“When it comes to flavor combinations for preserves, I start thinking of
categories,” she says. “My goal is to include a category for every moment of
the day—no matter the time of day—lunches, desserts, cocktails and then what
sounds good. My book is also very personal. I was able to incorporate a lot of
recipes from my family—my great aunt, we called her an appetizer hobbyist,
she’d make appetizers ahead of time just in case she was invited and other
members of my family.”
Adaptable Chutney
For those who want to learn more about
putting food up and what to do with it afterwards, on the first and third
Mondays of the month at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT, you’ll find McClellan offering free,
live canning demos over on the Food in Jars Facebook page.
Aware of readers’ budgetary restraints,
McClellan always makes suggestions for substitutions and also want to support
her followers.
“I demonstrate how to make a seasonal
recipe and answer all your questions, “she says. “I built my whole career on
trust with my readers who believe in me and want good quality.”
4 to 5 tablespoons jam, marmalade,
chutney, relish, or finely diced pickle
½ teaspoon flaky finishing salt
Put the butter in the bowl of a
stand mixer fitted with a flexible paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed
until the butter is distributed throughout the bowl. Reduce the speed to low
and add the preserve 1 tablespoon at a time as the motor runs. Add the salt and
increase the speed to medium for a few final seconds.
When the butter and preserve are
well integrated, turn off the mixer. Taste and make sure you’re happy with the
flavor intensity. If not, add a bit more of the preserve. Just take care not to
go beyond 6 tablespoons of preserve, because the butter will break if you ask
it to hold too much additional product.
Spread a length of plastic wrap on
your countertop and scrape the compound butter into the plastic. Form the
butter into a log and wrap it tightly. It will keep well in the refrigerator
for up to 5 days. For longer storage, place your plastic-wrapped butter in a
resealable plastic bag and freeze for up to 6 months.
Below are some tasty variations on
this theme.
Marmalade Compound Butter
Add 4 tablespoons of Seville orange or
lemon marmalade and ½ teaspoon of flaky finishing salt. Serve with pancakes,
biscuits, or scones.
Relish or Pickle Compound Butter
Add 4 to 5 tablespoons of
well-drained pickle relish or finely chopped pickle and ½ teaspoon of flaky
finishing salt. This butter is a really good addition to meat and fish. I
occasionally tuck a pat into the middle of a burger when I’m feeling indulgent
and I like to roast salmon fillets that are liberally dotted with this butter
(using a dill-flavored pickle makes it an even better match for fish).
Preserved Lemon Compound Butter
Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of diced
preserved lemon. No need to add salt here, as preserved lemons are quite tasty.
This is another butter that is really great with fish, or as a finishing
element when you’re pan roasting chicken or pork. It manages to be bright,
salty, and rich all at once.
Pesto
Makes 1 cup pesto
I make pesto with herbs, such as basil, parsley, or cilantro, as well as flavorful, tender greens, such as arugula, mustard, or young kale.
This formula should work regardless of what kind of green you’re using as your base. A combination of greens is also nice, particularly if you’re trying to stretch a bundle of herbs. As far as the nuts go, I like to use walnuts, cashews, blanched almonds, or pine nuts.
2 cups packed greens or herbs; tough
stems removed
½ cup nuts, toasted
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 garlic cloves
½ cup olive oil, plus more if needed to
top
Salt and freshly ground black
pepper
In the work bowl of a food
processor, combine the greens, toasted nuts, Parmesan cheese, and garlic. Pulse
until a paste begins to form. Remove the lid and scrape down the bowl, if
necessary.
Once you’ve gotten to a chunky
paste, slowly stream in the olive oil with the motor running and process until
well combined. Taste and add the salt and pepper to taste.
Use the pesto immediately, or pack
it into 4-ounce freezer-safe containers to preserve for a longer period of
time. Top the pesto with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent freezer burn and
discoloration. It will keep in the refrigerator for at least 1 week, or in the
freezer for up to 1 year.
Jam-Glazed Nuts
Makes about 4 cups
Recommended Preserves: Choose preserves
that you’d like to eat on a peanut or almond butter sandwich. My absolute
favorite jam to use is pear vanilla, but grape is also wonderful.
1 pound raw almonds, peanuts, cashews,
walnuts, or pecans (or a combination thereof)
6 tablespoons jam or marmalade
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ teaspoons flaky finishing salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a
large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a large, dry skillet, toast the
nuts over medium heat, stirring frequently so that they don’t burn. In a small
saucepan, melt the jam and butter together. When the nuts are looking lightly
toasted and are smelling nutty, pour the jam mixture over the nuts and toss to
coat. Spread the toasted nuts on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 10
to 15 minutes, checking regularly, until the bits of glaze have started to
brown.
Remove the nuts from the oven and
dust them with salt. Let them cool completely so that the glaze has a chance to
harden and adhere. Once cool, break apart any nuts that are stuck together.
Store the finished, cooled nuts in
an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Adaptable
Chutney
Makes 3 pint-size
This chutney will work with apples,
apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pears, or plums. I typically peel the
apples and peaches before stirring them into a batch of chutney, but all the
other fruits can keep their skins. Remove the pits and cores as needed.
4 pounds fruit, prepped and chopped
1 medium-size yellow onion, minced
2 cups golden raisins
1 ¾ cups red wine vinegar
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard seeds (any color
is fine)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Combine all the ingredients in a
large, nonreactive pot. Bring to boil over high heat and then lower the heat to
medium-high. Cook at a brisk simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring
regularly, or until the chutney thickens, darkens, and the flavors start to
marry.
While the chutney is finished,
remove the pot from the heat. Funnel the chutney into the prepared jars,
leaving ½ inch/1.25 cm of headspace. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings,
and process the filled jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
When the time is up, remove the
jars and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool. When the jars have cooled
enough that you can comfortably handle them, check the seals. Sealed jars can
be stored at room temperature for up to 1 year. Any unsealed jars should be
refrigerated and used promptly.
Follow McClellan’s blog at foodinjars.com
Ifyougo:
What:
Marissa McClellan cooking class and talk
When:
Friday, May 10 from 6:30-8:30 pm.
Where: Read
It and Eat, 2142 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL
Judging for
the 17th Annual Indiana Wine Fair took place on May 4 and 5, 2019,
in the Old Barn at Story Indiana. Eight judges participated: Matt Gordon, Lou
Melillo, Joe Persinger, Yael Ksander, Adrian Lee, Nicole Lee, Justine Fearnow
and Rick Hofstetter. The wines were grouped into seven categories. All
submitted wines were “produced” in Indiana. Most, but not all, of the fruit was
also grown in Indiana, and the majority of that within the Hoosier Uplands
American Viticultural Area (“AVA”).
NOTE: ALL OF THESE WINES WILL BE
FEATURED AT THE INDIANA WINE FAIR ON MAY 11. Tickets may be purchased at www.indianawinefair.com.
JUDGING RESULTS BY CATEGORY:
Dry Red
GOLD:
Heritage, Huber Winery 2015, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (40%), Cabernet
Franc (35%) and Petit Verdot (25%). BEST
OF SHOW
SILVER:
Patoka Lake Select 2016 (Cabernet Sauvignon)
BRONZE:
TIE
Huber Generations 2015, a blend of
Chambourcin, Cabernet Franc and Blaufrankish.
Cedar Creek “Dark Secret” Pinot Noir
N. V.
TASTING
NOTES: This category showed considerable strength, and Huber’s “Heritage” once
again took “Best of Show”. It is a well-kept secret that Huber produces some of
the best Bordeaux-style wines in the world, and every last grape is grown on
its family estate in the Hoosier Uplands AVA. The Heritage was an unusual
unanimous choice by the judges this year. A pleasant surprise in this category
was Patoka Lake’s “Select” 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, a beautifully complex wine
despite its youth. A wine of this quality would have won a gold in every
category, but for Huber’s Heritage. Huber’s “Generations” took the Bronze, in a
tie with Cedar Creek’s “Dark Secret” Pinot Noir. The “Generations” was estate
grown; the “Dark Secret” pinot noir was not.
Pinot noir is a notoriously fickle grape to grow, and we encourage
Hoosier vintners to take on that challenge.
Dry White
GOLD:
Knobstone Vineyard Pinot Gris 2017
SILVER:
Winzerwald Gruener Weltner, N.V.
BRONZE:
Huber Vignoles 2017
TASTING
NOTES: This category was dominated by
hybrids, as one may expect in this AVA soil and climate. The gold was crisp,
completely dry and estate-grown in AVA. Winzerwald did a commendable job of
producing an Austrian-style Gruener Weltner, crisp and dry and typically
colored. We visualized the Tyrolian Alps when we sipped it. It might have won
the gold, but it was not estate grown. The bronze was another Huber
estate-grown AVA, with a hint of sweetness.
Blush
GOLD:
Ertel Cellars Catawba, N.V.
SILVER:
Ertel Cellars Stuben, N.V.
BRONZE:
Huber “Stella di Luce” Sweet Rosado, N.V.
TASTING
NOTES: This category is defined by color and not sweetness, and so we
experienced wines ranging from semi-dry to sweet. Our effort was to select the
best wine regardless of sweetness. Ertel Cellars dominated with two excellent
sweet wines made from Catawba and Stuben. It was nearly a toss-up, but the
Catawba won the gold for being slightly more complex. We gave Huber’s “Stella di Luce” the bronze
because it showed interesting complexity and semi-dryness. All three medal
winners in this category were estate grown AVA.
Sweet White
GOLD:
Simmons Winery Late Harvest, N.V.
SILVER:
Ertel Cellars Vignoles N. V.
BRONZE:
Huber Winery Moscato (sparkling)
TASTING
NOTES: All wines in this category ranged from sweet to semi-sweet. We judged
them by their complexity, and Simmons’ Late Harvest was winner by consensus.
Ertel continued to dominate in white grapes, taking a silver. Huber was a
pleasant departure from the rest, a sparkling Moscato made in the traditional
Champagne method. All metal winners were estate-grown AVA.
Sweet Red
GOLD:
Ertel Cellars “Luscious Red” , N.V.
SILVER:
Huber “Sweet Marcella”, N.V.
Huber
“Starlight Red”, N. V.
TASTING
NOTES: The gold and silver in this category were predominantly Concords, a
grape native to the US. “Sweet Marcella” is Huber’s best-selling wine and
pleases the Hoosier palate. The “Starlight Red” was an interesting blend of
Chambourcin, Chancellor, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, all estate
grown. The judges could not get used to the associating these grapes with
sweetness but thought that Huber ought to be commended for making that effort.
Non-Traditional
GOLD:
Salt Creek Winery Cherry Rose (white grapes and cherry)
TASTING
NOTES: This category consists of any wine made at least partially from
non-grape fruit. Salt Creek won the gold with a provocative blend of grapes and
cherries, sweet yet tart and full-bodied. Carousel’s “Winter Jewel” is a mulled
wine that was intended to be sipped at 110 degrees F. It was lovely and very tart,
and one could imagine sipping it from a
cut crystal glass at the Thanksgiving dinner table. Some of the judges thought
it should have been entered in the “Dessert” category instead. Ertel produced a
nice and surprisingly complex wine from strawberries to win the bronze.
Dessert
GOLD:
Knobstone Reserve
SILVER:
Salt Creek “Sweet Revenge”
BRONZE:
Harmony Winery “Rhapsody”
TASTING
NOTES: This category involved sweet after-dinner wines, many of which were
fortified and high in alcohol. The Knobstone from Huber was a delicious
traditional port-style wine (18.6%), best served with stilton and shortbread.
Salt Creek won a silver for a delicious and complex fortified red wine
(19%). Harmony Winery took the bronze
with a nice chocolate flavored wine (15%).
Vintage recipes from a historic stagecoach restaurant and inn.
The 1910 Kaske House. Photo courtesy of the Munster Historical Society.
In 1845 when the Brass Tavern and Inn first opened its doors on the corner of Old Pike and Old Highway in what is now Munster, the journey from this section of Northwest Indiana into Chicago took about a day. Because the journey was hard (travelers could be mired in mud when the dirt roads were wet or cloaked in dust in dry weather), the tavern offered a place to rest and to dine. What made stopping there even better is that Julia Watkins Brass, who owned the Brass Tavern with her husband (and ran it while he was looking for riches in California during the Gold Rush), kept a crock jar full of sugar cookies, and her menus were described by contemporaries as “attractive and delectable.”
Time moves on. Now the trip from Ridge Road (Old Pike) and Columbia Avenue (Old Highway) in Munster takes less than an hour instead of a day. And the tavern, which in 1864 became the Stallbohm Inn, closed its doors in the 1890s as railroads and paved roads made traveling much easier and eliminated the need for a stagecoach stop. The building burned in 1909; all that is left to mark the site is a bronze historical plaque donated in 1927 by the Julia Watkins Brass Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The Brass Tavern Courtesy of the Munster Historical Society.
But the Brass Tavern and those days still live on, in the memories of those who have heard stories of the inn and in the old recipes handed down by generations of local residents.
Now these recipes and more have been collected by the Munster Historical Society and presented, along with photos and stories of early area settlers, in a delightful book titled “The Brass Tavern Cookbook: A Collection of Nostalgic Recipes Commemorating the Establishment in 1845 of The Brass Tavern & Inn, the First Permanent Settlement in Munster, Indiana,” compiled by JoAnne Shafer.
“The oldest recipes for a baked ham glaze and apple crisp both date back to 1855,” says Shafer who, with other members of the society, worked on this project for 12 years.
Besides providing a history of the region, the cookbook also tells a story of how the foods we eat have changed (partridge wrapped in vine leaves having been dropped from most menus today) — and stayed the same. Don’t we all still love sugar cookies just like those who stopped at the Brass Tavern more than 150 years ago?
“Partridge was actually a bird that came through Munster,” says Shafer, noting that a century or so ago, partridge were so common they filled the sky
Brass Tavern & Inn established in 1845 – Pen & Ink Sketch Original by Ed Verklyn – Watercolor Rendition by Ted Muta, Sr. Courtesy of the Munster Historical Society.
Other historic recipes include one for Baking Powder Biscuits. Shafer notes in the book that it was handwritten by Wilhelmina Stallbohm Kaske in her 1909 “Good Housekeeping Woman’s Home Cookbook.” Kaske’s family were the owners of the inn when it burned. Their home, the Kaske House, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 and is a house museum now run by the historical society. Kaske’s cookbook was discovered in a trunk underneath the porch in 1986 (the trunk also contained many of the photos included in the book).
It was in excellent condition and had inscribed, on the inside cover, “Copy recipes & send back with Helen as we use this every blessed day.” Because Kaske had preserved recipes from her friends in this book, dating and rating them, it is most likely Munster’s first community cookbook or at least the oldest known to be in existence. Collecting all the recipes used in the book was a way of connecting to history and honoring those who have passed on.
Image courtesy of Amazon.com
“A lot of the people who gave us recipes who were elderly have since died,” Shafer says. “If we hadn’t started collecting them 12 years ago, they would be lost.”
A special recipe is the one for Peach Cobbler, donated by the Munster Boy Scout Troop, which Shafer says they never have shared before. It is in honor of Shaun Michael Blue, a Munster resident and Life Scout & Munster Troop 533 Senior Patrol Leader, who died last year fighting in Iraq. The cookbook committee not only honored the region’s past but also its ethnic heritage, which is why recipes from many nationalities are included. There are recipes for Oliebollen (Dutch rolls), fajitas, Norwegian coleslaw, German and Swedish meat balls, kolacky, Lithuanian kugel and a pierogi casserole.
It was a time-consuming job to collect recipes — and also to test them.
“I tested a majority of the recipes in this cookbook,” says Shafer with a laugh. “That’s why I went on a diet. We also had volunteer testers.” The testers made notes that would help modern cooks. For example, Kaske’s recipe for biscuits calls for sweet milk. The cookbook notes that “sweet milk is usually specified to assure that sour milk is not used.”
So, unless otherwise specified, when a recipe calls for sweet milk, whole milk should be used.
“It was so amazing,” Shafer says. “We’d find photos of people and then we’d find a recipe from them, and it was like connecting to history.”
A different time
“Even more amazing was Munster’s bird population,” writes Lance Trusty in “Town on the Ridge.” “Eagles, hawks and owls probed the ground and trees for meals. Thousands of quail, prairie chickens, partridge, plover and grouse thrived in dry sections.” JoAnne Shafer, of the Munster Historical Society, who helped compile a historic cookbook, chose the following recipe because it had an old fashioned romantic quality to it. And she liked the recipe because it was easy to make and worked. Since partridge are hard to find now days, skinless chicken breasts can be substituted.
Partridge in Vine Leaves
Partridge or boneless, skinless chicken breasts, one per person
1/4 teaspoon salt per serving
1/8 teaspoon pepper per serving
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves per serving
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger per serving
Lemon juice
Bacon strips
Vine leaves
Red wine
Bread crumbs
Mushrooms
Butter
Cream
Giblets
Currant jelly
* Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
* Rub the birds with salt, pepper, cloves and ginger; sprinkle with lemon juice.
* Wrap birds in strips of bacon; place in a shallow roasting pan; cover with dampened vine/grape leaves. Bake for about 20 minutes.
* Remove leaves and bacon. Return birds to the oven to brown, having basted them well with red wine.
* Serve birds on a hot platter sprinkled with brown bread crumbs surround by fresh vine/grape leaves. Make a gravy by browning some mushrooms in butter with giblets from the birds. Add this, a little cream and a spoonful of jelly to the pan juices.
Recipe source: Grace L. Mosier from her Old Farmer’s Almanac Colonial Cookbook.
Ethnic heritage
The following recipe for baked ham glaze originally was used on a fresh ham from abutchered pig. The glaze is a Klootwyk family favorite often used at special events like birthday parties and holidays.
The Klootwyk family came to Munster in 1855 and originally were farmers. Peter Klootwyk opened a general store on a corner on his parents’ farm, and that building still
stands today at 619 Ridge Road. Klootwyk was the Board President of Munster when it was incorporated in 1907. This recipe arrived with the family in 1855.
Baked Ham Glaze
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons water
5-pound ham, sliced
* Combine first five ingredients, pour over the sliced ham. Bake for 45 minutes or until
thoroughly heated.
Source: The Klootwyk family
Source: The Klootwyk family
Lithuanian Kugel
6 potatoes, grated
1 cup milk, scalded
3 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, chopped
7 slices of bacon, cut into cubes
* Put potatoes through a sieve (squeeze out juice to decrease starchiness).
* Mix the potatoes with milk; add eggs, salt and pepper. Sauté onion and bacon (do not brown bacon). Mix with potatoes, using all of the bacon grease.
* Pour into a casserole; bake uncovered for one hour at 350 degrees.
Recipe source: Annie Janik from the Pointer Economist Marketer Cookbook 1984, 3rd
Road House Biscuits
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup milk
Sweet milk or melted butter
* Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
* Combine flour, baking powder and salt; sift three times. Mix in butter with fingertips or cut in with two knives.
* Gradually add milk, cutting milk into dough with knife or spatula to make a soft dough.
* Roll out to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut dough with floured biscuit cutter; place on ungreased baking sheet. To achieve a glazed surface, brush tops with milk or melted butter.
Bake for 12 minutes.
Makes 12 to 18 biscuits.
Recipe source: Wilhelmina Stallbohm Kaske
Walnut sticks
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup walnuts, chopped finely
* Beat eggs and sugar well.
* Add flour, walnuts and a pinch of salt. Butter sheet pans well and pour into pans. Bake at 350 degrees. As soon as done, cut into finger-length strips.
Jim Laughren wants to keep it real when talking about wine. No pretensions, no superciliousness.
It’s about what you like, not what the big time wine critics say you should like says Laughren, author of 50 Ways to Love Wine More: Adventures in Wine Appreciation! (Crosstown Publishing 2018; $26.95), an NYC Big Book Award winner and finalist in the American Book Fest Best Book Awards.
“I wrote the book with the intention of starting a conversation about wine,” says Laughren, a Certified Wine Educator and former president of a wine import and distribution company. ““I wanted my book to be for people who really like wine but are put off by wine snobs. All of my writing and teaching is about letting people know that what other people think doesn’t matter, that there are no secrets to wine though many wine critics would have you believe otherwise and that only they hold the secrets. Historically, there’s never been a wine or gate keeper.”
Indeed, says Laughren, wine was, for centuries both seasonal and also for everyone.
“In Rome, they even gave their slaves wine though it was the dregs, of course,” he says. “Wine’s greatest gift is to give pleasure and we’re all entitled to that.”
Determining your own palate means trusting your own preferences. And though wine can be complex, it becomes easier to appreciate when a person understands how memory and emotion are inextricably tied to taste and are determining factors in all of our personal wine journeys.
“At the top of the nasal passage is the olfactory epithelium that connects directly to the area of the brain where memories are stored,” explains Laughren. “You know how some wines have tastes of tobacco. If as a child you had a kindly grandfather who smoked a pipe, contrasted with a child whose parents chain smokers and a house that reeked of cigarettes, those memories would impact how the two would feel about the taste or aromas of tobacco in wine.”
Laughren, founder of WineHead Consulting, encourages people to explore new wines while still enjoying your favorites.
“There are 10,000 different grape varietals,” he says. “Look at Italy, there are probably 800 varieties in that country alone.”
Like most of us, Laughren drank some funky wines in college.
“Most wines made in the 1970s were very sweet,” he says. “Group think changes. Now those in the know pooh-pooh sweet table wines as the drinks of the unwashed masses. But if that’s what you like, don’t spend too much time thinking about it, just enjoy them. Instead think about exposing yourself to other wines and widening your experience.”
Balancing the tangy flavors of yogurt, pomegranate and lemon, zesty spices and herbs such as cinnamon, mint and garlic, the sweetness of molasses and rose water along with grains and nuts is one of the defining factors of what makes Mediterranean cuisine so appealing says Maureen Abood, author of Rose Water & Orange Blossoms: Fresh & Classic Recipes from My Lebanese Kitchen (Running Press 2015; $30).
“And, of course, it’s healthy as well,” she adds.
Abood, who learned to cook from her Lebanese family, was the chief development officer for the St. Jude League in Chicago when a series of less-than-positive life events propelled her to leave her job and move to San Francisco to attend culinary school.
Raised in Lansing, where there is a large Lebanese population, she had spent summers at the family vacation house in Harbor Springs. That’s where she retreated after
graduating. Her goal was to write a blog about the foods of her childhood.
“There aren’t many people around during the off-season,” says Abood, “and that was good for my creativity.”
The cookbook, her first, is the outcome of her award winning blog, maureenabood.com and her desire to educate people about Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food.
“I want people to learn how to make this adventuresome but easily accessible food,” she says.
For those just starting on this culinary journey, Abood suggests starting with Chicken Hushweh (pronounced HUSH-wee), a dish she describes as always a favorite with family and friends.
“You can make a nice Romaine salad with a lemon vinaigrette, maybe topped with some freshly chopped mint to serve with it,” says Abood noting that her recipe for hummus and pita chips would also be a good accompaniment.
Her Pomegranate Rose sorbet offers a light, sweet-tart and refreshing dessert.
“I like to top it with chopped pistachios, the green and pink look pretty,” she says. “With the Chicken Hushweh, you have a great but easy meal.”
Hushweh (Chicken Rice Pilaf with Butter Toasted Almonds)
Makes 12 servings
For the chicken:
1 (3- to 4-pound free-range chicken (or if time is of the essence buy a roasted chicken from the grocery store)
1 large yellow onion, quartered
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Few grinds of black pepper
For the rice:
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 pound ground beef chuck or lamb
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Few grinds of black pepper
1 cup parboiled long-grain white rice (such as Uncle Ben’s)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cinnamon stick
3/4 cup Butter Toasted Almonds (see recipe below), divided
Heat the oven to 425°F
Pat the chicken dry. Place it in a large roasting pan. Stuff the cavity with the onion. Rub a couple of tablespoons of oil evenly over the skin and season the chicken all over lightly with paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Roast the chicken until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced and the meat reaches an internal temperature of 160°F in the thigh on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour. Baste the chicken every 15 minutes with its juices while it roasts.
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 4-quart Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Add the ground beef and season it with the ground cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Cook the meat, stirring constantly and using a metal spoon to crumble it into small pieces until no trace of pink remains, about 5 minutes.
Stir the rice into the meat until it is completely coated with juices. Pour in the broth and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, tuck in the cinnamon stick, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until all of the broth is absorbed.
Transfer the roasted chicken to a cutting board and when it is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin. Shred the chicken into 1-inch pieces.
Remove the cinnamon stick and add the chicken, 1/2 cup of the toasted nuts, and the remaining 3 tablespoons butter to the hot rice mixture, stirring to combine. Taste and add more salt, if needed. Sprinkle with the remaining nuts and serve immediately.
Butter Toasted Pine Nuts and Almonds
½ teaspoon salted butter
1 cup slivered olives or whole pine nuts
Fine sea salt, to taste
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the nuts and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir the nuts to coat them with the butter and continue stirring constantly until the nuts are golden brown. Keep a close watch over the nuts; they can burn quickly once they begin to brown.
Transfer the nuts to a bowl while they are still warm and salt them lightly. When they have cooled to room temperature, store the nuts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a month or in the freezer for up to one year.
Pomegranate Rose Sorbet
Makes 8 servings
3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
3⁄4 cup warm water
1⁄4 cup light corn syrup
11⁄2 cups 100 percent pure pomegranate juice
Juice of 1 lemon
3 drops rose water
In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, heat the sugar with the warm water until the water boils and the sugar melts. Add the corn syrup, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, and rose water and simmer for 3 minutes.
Pour the mixture into a heatproof bowl, cool for 10 minutes, and then cover and chill it until it is completely cold. Or, pour the slightly cooled mixture into a heavy-duty plastic freezer bag and immerse it in a bowl of ice water until it is completely cold.
Churn the pomegranate mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Chill the sorbet in the freezer in an airtight container for at least 12 hours and up to several weeks.
Heat the oven to 375°F. Butter and lightly flour a 9-inch round cake pan, and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a small mixing bowl, prepare the topping by whisking the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt, then cutting the butter in with a pastry blender, fork or your fingertips, working the mixture until it is coarse crumbs.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl or in the stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until they light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and rose water and mix until they are incorporated and the batter is smooth. Beat in 1/3 of the dry ingredient mixture just until they are combined. Mix in half of the milk, then alternate mixing in another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, the remaining milk, and the final 1/3 of the dry ingredients to make a stiff batter.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Scatter the raspberries over the top of the batter and gently press them in, just by about 1/2-inch. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the raspberries.
Bake the cake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for at least 20 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a plate. Turn the cake over onto another plate to have the top facing up.
This recipe is adapted from SmittenKitchen.com, where it is a blueberry coffee cake.
FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING
5 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
FOR THE CAKE
2 cups minus 1 tablespoon unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon rose water
3 cups fresh raspberries
1/2 cup milk, whole or 2 percent
Heat the oven to 375°F. Butter and lightly flour a 9-inch round cake pan, and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a small mixing bowl, prepare the topping by whisking the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt, then cutting the butter in with a pastry blender, fork or your fingertips, working the mixture until it is coarse crumbs.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl or in the stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until they light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and rose water and mix until they are incorporated and the batter is smooth. Beat in 1/3 of the dry ingredient mixture just until they are combined. Mix in half of the milk, then alternate mixing in another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, the remaining milk, and the final 1/3 of the dry ingredients to make a stiff batter.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Scatter the raspberries over the top of the batter and gently press them in, just by about 1/2-inch. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the raspberries.
Bake the cake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for at least 20 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a plate. Turn the cake over onto another plate to have the top facing up.
The author winter rafting on the Indian River courtesy of Big Bear Adventures.
Like to be outside but don’t want to peddle a fat bike up a snow-covered hill? Treetops offers horse-driven sleigh rides, and for serious foodies, there’s their Wilderness Sleigh Ride Dinners.
The sleigh rides at Thunder Bay Resort in Hillman, Michigan, includes elk-viewing at its Northern Elk preserve. The sleigh ride and five-course gourmet dinner option was named by both USA Today and Fox News Online as a “Top 10” event.
Thunder Bay Horse and Sleigh Ride
You’ll have to get up early, but it’s worth setting the alarm for the Sunrise Groomer Rides offered by several resorts including Treetops, Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands.
“The slopes don’t just magically appear each morning with fresh corduroy,” says Kevin McKinley, of Treetops Resort in Grayling, Michigan, noting there’s a lot of work that goes into well-groomed ski trails, and watching the experienced groomers go about their job is a great behind-the-scenes activity.
Really, all you have to do is bundle up and climb into a raft at Big Bear Adventures in Indian River, Michigan, for a trip down the fast-moving Sturgis River (a must for winter rafting as the rapidly flowing water keeps it from freezing and, thus, navigable).
“Chris Prysok, our guide, is very experienced; he’s a rafting guide in West Virginia and in the Apostle Islands,” says Patti Anderson, co-owner of Big Bear with her husband, Scott.
Boyne Highlands
“It’s a beautiful trip, and there’s lots of wildlife to see — deer, eagles, turkeys, muskrats and lots of birds.”
The winter rafting trip lasts 90 minutes. If you decide to add the 90-minute snow shoe or cross country package (with a break for hot chocolate) it’s no longer an armchair adventure but still lots of fun.
Jim Laughren
