TRAVEL/FOOD : Page 91 of 96 : On the road and at home, it's always about food and fun!

Tastings: The Japan Pavilion at the National Restaurant Association Show

Asian cooking, Chicagoland Area, Karaage, Kimiyo Naka, Korean BBQ, Uncategorized

Several weeks ago, when the National Restaurant Association (NRA) was holding its annual international show, my friend Kimiyo Naka, who lives in Chicago, asked me to stop by the Japan Pavilion where 19 companies from that country were presenting a range of both modern and traditional Japanese foods and beverages. On hand also, were several Chicago restauranteurs including Bill Kim and Takashi Yagihashi, both of whom are awarding winning chefs and cookbook authors. The NRA show is immense, taking up several floors at McCormick’s Place in Chicago and is packed with vendors showcasing products and food, chefs doing cooking demonstrations and the latest in food technologies and equipment.

My experience with Japanese food is limited, so stopping by the Japan Pavilion, presented by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), was very much a learning experience. When Kimiyo and I tasted samples of Wagyu Beef, a top quality, highly marbled meat produced by four Japanese breeds of beef cattle and took sips of sake, we discovered how these foods are helping Japan’s rural areas in their revitalization efforts. Some farmers and producers are creating their own brands and exporting—or working on exporting them to other countries including the United States.

We tasted sakes including brown rice sake and one made with shiraume, or white flower plums and looked at the different varieties of rice typically used to make sake, which is a fermented rice drink that is typically served warm. We also talked to a member of the Yonezawa family founders of Akashi Sake Brewery in 1886, a small artisanal sake producer based in Akashi, a fishing town in the Hyogo prefecture (or district) in Western Japan which is the traditional sake brewing capital of country and is known for having the best sake rice and pure water.

When the company started all those years ago more than a century ago, Akashi was a small village but since has grown into a booming metropolis. It’s known for the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge – the world’s longest suspension bridge—as well as the quality of the fish that are caught in the waters off its coast. The water also is a predominant feature in the taste of the sake, as are Japanese cedar wood lids used to cover the storage tanks where the Akashi sake is aged. Akashi sake is made in small batches by Toji Kimio Yonezewa. Note: I learned later that toji was not his first name but means brewmaster or chief executive of production.

I also spent time talking to Bill Kim, author of Korean BBQ: How to Kung-Fu Your Grill in Seven Sauces, who I had interviewed before and Takashi Yagihashi, who came to the U.S. from Japan when he was 16, started cooking because he need milk money, won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Midwest and is the owner of Slurping Turtle in downtown Chicago (there’s another one in Ann Arbor, Michigan) and TABO Sushi & Noodles at Macy’s State Street in Chicago.

One of the things we talked about is karaage which is Japanese fried chicken. I’ve included his recipe for the dish. Don’t get put off with the title ingredient of duck fat (if you’re like me, you don’t have a ready supply of it in your refrigerator) because you can substitute vegetable oil instead.

Slurping Turtle’s Duck-Fat-Fried Chicken Karaage

4 chicken thigh quarters (thigh and drumstick)

2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated

1 tsp. fresh grated ginger

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup mirin or sweet sake

2 tsp. sesame oil

Salt and pepper

6 cups duck fat (or vegetable oil), enough to fill a pan 3 inches deep

1 cup potato starch

Using a sharp knife, separate the thighs from the drumstick by cutting between the joint. Cut the thigh in half lengthwise along the bone. Using a heavy cleaver, chop the piece with the bone in half, resulting in three similar-sized pieces. Then, cut the drumstick in half through the bone. When you’re done with all four thigh quarters, you should have 20 pieces of chicken when done. Alternatively, debone the thigh pieces with skin intact, and cut into two-inch pieces. Place the chicken in a shallow pan and set aside.

For the marinade, combine garlic, ginger, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, and a few grinds of black pepper in a bowl and mix. Pour marinade over chicken and coat well using your hands. There should be just enough marinade to coat the chicken. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes or up to two hours.

Line a shallow tray with paper towels and set aside. Heat six cups duck fat (or vegetable oil) in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Place 1 cup potato starch in a large bowl and gently toss each piece of chicken until lightly coated. Carefully lower half the chicken pieces into the hot oil. Cook the chicken until it is nicely browned and begins to rise to the surface, 9 to 11 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the oil using tongs and place onto paper towel-lined tray. Toss with a pinch of kosher salt while still hot. Repeat with second batch.

Serve immediately with lemon wedges and Japanese mayonnaise.

When finished deep-frying the chicken, season with salt, then sprinkle with this soy-chili oil vinaigrette:

1/2 cup Japanese soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 teaspoons hot chili oil

2 teaspoons sugar

Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Chef Takashi’s Stir-Fry Udon Noodles

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced

2 1/2 cups chopped Napa cabbage

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 carrot, thinly sliced on the bias

7 ounces enoki mushrooms

4 ounces oyster mushrooms

1/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and drained

1/2 cup chicken stock

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

18 ounces frozen precooked udon noodles, thawed

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Chopped scallions, for garnish

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Add the shrimp and stir-fry over moderately high heat until curled, 2 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the skillet. Add the chicken and stir-fry until white throughout, 3 minutes; transfer to the plate with the shrimp.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the cabbage, onion, carrot and the mushrooms and stir-fry for 4 minutes. Add the stock, soy sauce, sesame oil, shrimp and chicken; remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, cook the udon in a pot of boiling salted water for 1 minute. Drain and add to the skillet. Stir-fry over high heat until heated through. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with scallions and serve.

The Japan Pavilion: An Intro to the Best of the New and the Traditional

Chicago restaurants, Chicagoland Area, Cooking demonstrations, Karaage, Korean BBQ, sake, Uncategorized

My experience with Japanese food is limited, so stopping by the Japan Pavilion, presented by the Japan External Trade Organization, was very much a learning experience. When Kimiyo and I tasted samples of Wagyu Beef, a top quality, highly marbled meat produced by four Japanese breeds of beef cattle and took sips of sake, we discovered how these foods are helping Japan’s rural areas in their revitalization efforts. Some farmers and producers are creating their own brands and exporting—or working on exporting them to other countries including the United States.

I also spent time talking to Bill Kim, author of Korean BBQ: How to Kung-Fu Your Grill in Seven Sauces, who I had interviewed before and wrote about in a previous column and Takashi Yagihashi, who came to the U.S. from Japan when he was 16, started cooking because he need milk money, won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Midwest and is the owner of Slurping Turtle in downtown Chicago (there’s another one in Ann Arbor, Michigan) and TABO Sushi & Noodles at Macy’s State Street in Chicago.

Slurping Turtle’s Duck-Fat-Fried Chicken Karaage

4 chicken thigh quarters (thigh and drumstick)

2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated

1 tsp. fresh grated ginger

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup mirin or sweet sake

2 tsp. sesame oil

Salt and pepper

6 cups duck fat (or vegetable oil), enough to fill a pan 3 inches deep

1 cup potato starch

Serve immediately with lemon wedges and Japanese mayonnaise.

When finished deep-frying the chicken, season with salt, then sprinkle with this soy-chili oil vinaigrette:

1/2 cup Japanese soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 teaspoons hot chili oil

2 teaspoons sugar

Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Chef Takashi’s Stir-Fry Udon Noodles

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced

2 1/2 cups chopped Napa cabbage

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 carrot, thinly sliced on the bias

7 ounces enoki mushrooms

4 ounces oyster mushrooms

1/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and drained

1/2 cup chicken stock

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

18 ounces frozen precooked udon noodles, thawed

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Chopped scallions, for garnish

Magnolia Springs, Alabama

Alabama, Bed & Breakfast, Food, Historic Architecture, Historic Restaurants, History, Southern cuisine, Uncategorized

On a languid afternoon after too much time in the sun in Gulf Shores, Alabama, I decided to follow the coastline along the Eastern Shore through Fairhope to Magnolia Springs, a small town along the headwaters of the Magnolia River. With jasmine and bougainvillea in bloom, it seems like a true Southern Gothic (in the good sense of the word) type of place with historic mansions, postal delivery by boat (one of the few places in America to do so) and a great place to eat—the award winning Jesse’s Restaurant, in what was once the Moore Brothers General Store, which first opened in 1922. The building is on the National List of Historic Places. They’re a award winner of Wine Spectator. As for the hamlet where it’s located, Southern Living named Magnolia Springs one of The Most Charming Small Towns in Alabama.

Their specialties include unique cuts of dry and wet-aged steaks, bone-in cuts and fresh fish brought in daily. I ordered the shrimp and grits and more oysters than I should have and then headed down Oak Street, where live oak trees create a living canopy above the roadway, past the 19th century Episcopal Church and to the Magnolia Springs Bed and Breakfast, which dates to 1897, for a peak inside.

Co-owner Dave Worthington quickly volunteered to take me on a tour of the place, which has been a hotel since it opened. Leafing through a guest book dating back to the early 1900s, I can see this place was a hit, even though for visitors from Grand Rapids and Lawton, Michigan as well as Chicago and other far away northern climes it took two days and three modes of transportation to get down there back then first by train, then by boat, and finally by horse and buggy. And there wasn’t even air conditioning when they arrived.

But the food was good, the landscape serene and the fishing, I’m told, was great. I don’t know about the fishing now, but the town is beautiful and the inn serves a wonderful breakfast.

To give you a taste, here are some recipes Dave shared.

David’s Apple Dumplings

· 1 red Delicious apple

· 1 can crescent rolls

Cinnamon Sauce:

· Warm the following three ingredients until
dissolved:

· 1 1/2 cup orange juice

· 3/4 cup sugar

· 1/2 stick butter

Peel, core and cut apple into quarters or thirds. (You also can use a pear, peach, blackberries or a ball of cranberries anything that makes a good cobbler will be great for the filling).

Wrap 1/4 of Apple with one piece of crescent roll and seal all edges.

Place seam side down in Pyrex pan (9×13-inches).

Pour sauce over them then sprinkle with cinnamon.

Cook at 350 degrees for 20-25 min. till done.

Baste dumplings with sauce in the pan before moving to plate.

I drizzle a small amount of sweetened vanilla yogurt on top as icing.

Makes 8 dumplings cut in half to make 16 servings.

Dave also drizzles a small amount of sweetened vanilla yogurt on top as icing.

David’s Eggs

8 eggs

1 can green chilies

16 ounce cottage cheese large curd

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons flour

Shred cheese and coat with flour. Beat eggs with green chilies. Add cottage cheese, then cheddar cheese, and mix.

Pour into 9inch pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes.

For more on the inn, visit magnoliasprings.com

Spargel: A Vegetable Fit for a King

Uncategorized

It’s spargelzeit in Schwetzingen. For those of us, including me, who don’t speak German, that translates into white asparagus time in Schwetzingen, a celebration of the royal vegetable that takes place each year in the quaint town of Schwetzingen, known as the “asparagus capital” of Germany and a stop on Baden Asparagus Route, an 85-mile journey by car or bicycle (and people do ride bikes a lot around here) through the bucolic countryside with its rolling hills, deep forests and castles. Schwetzingen is celebrating the 350th anniversary of chlorophyll starved asparagus this year (it’s grown underground unlike the green asparagus we prize here in Southwest Michigan) and it’s hard to dine anywhere in Baden-Wurtemmberg during the spring season without being served mounds of perfectly prepared spargel accompanied with such sides as thin, triangularly folded pancakes, boiled white potatoes, a variety of Schnitzels (breaded veal or pork cutlets) and smoked salmon to name a few. No matter what side dish you choose, the one accompaniment that always comes with spargel is a large gravy dish filled with freshly made Hollandaise sauce.

Call it spargel-mania, but white asparagus is revered here in Schwetzingen and through much of this area of Baden-Wurtemmberg. How much so? Will consider this, recently international chefs were invited to prepare their own special spargel dishes and the recipes they created are blown up into large posters and displayed on a walkway leading to the Schlossplatz, the large plaza bordered on one side by Schwetzingen Palace, a baroque-style summer palace known for its acres and acres of glorious gardens. There’s a 124-year-old asparagus market in the Schlossplatz where people stop by to purchase freshly picked white asparagus as well as other vegetables as well as, containers of Hollandaise sauce. There is also a bronze sculpture nicknamed “Asparagus Woman” and a sculpted asparagus family made of wood.

For anyone with a hankering for the green stuff, forget about it. I’ve seen kilos and kilos of asparagus—and seemingly eating just as much since arriving in the Black Forest and it’s all white. Unlike the white asparagus I’ve picked up back home on occasion and found to be woody and tasteless, these thick stalks are tender and sweet.

Yes, indeed, white asparagus is king here.

And I mean that literally too.

At Schwetzingen Palace, a docent dressed as an 18^th century asparagus farmer tells us how palace gardeners first started growing spargel in 1668. Considered food for the aristocracy, it was only served at palace dinners. It’s still grown here in the expansive gardens here, but we can all partake at the palace’s café. But that doesn’t mean anyone can grow it. Schwetzingen is one of just a few places in the area where asparagus is grown from royal roots that have been cultivated for centuries.

I get to see the roots while eating a slice of spargeltorte (think quiche) in the backyard of the Fackel-Kretz home that afternoon. Fifth-generation asparagus farmers, the family is deeply entwined in all things asparagus. Their daughter was the Asparagus Queen several times in years’ past and the family has the rights to grow the royal variety. Their backyard, with its gardens, flowering bushes and trees is not only a lovely place to dine but is also the hub of their spargel business. Here, the white asparagus they pick in the morning is cleaned and the stalks peeled and sorted by size. Shoppers all seem to know their way into the Fackel-Kretz backyard to choose the stalks they want, taking time to chat and catch up on the latest spargel news.

Our host is Elfriede Fackel-Kretz-Keller, who every year takes a leave from her work in the insurance business, to work for her family’s business during the two month long asparagus season. It’s a 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. job that doesn’t stop after the day’s yield has been harvested. Assisting Elfriede are several workers from Poland who come here every year to pick as well as other family members including Ilse Fackel-Kretz, the 85-year-old matriarch who is too busy to join us for lunch as she is looking after her young grandson who enjoys eating the stalks of asparagus right from the bins. But this is just a break for Ilse who soon will join us in asparagus fields. The family is helped by several Polish workers who come back every year to help.

It’s grueling work as I find out. White asparagus is white because it grows underground and the fields look like long burrows of sandy soil made by busy moles. Elfriede walks me through the process. To pick asparagus, you first have to look for a crack in the dry barren earth. Once I spot that, she hands me a small digging tool and I gently scrape the earth until I uncover a large white spear standing stick straight in a hollow. Cutting it off, I scrape the dirt back over the hole—another asparagus will soon be sprouting here tomorrow. It’s a time-consuming task and if I were ever going to join the Fackel-Kretz-Keller team, I’d have to learn to work much faster. Elfriede tells me that they often pick 100 to 300 kilo of asparagus a day. How much is that? I ask. Her reply that there’s 20 pieces in a kilo is daunting. Quick math tells me it adds up to 6000 stalks, meaning 6000 holes to be dug, asparagus to be cut and the holes refilled. Then it starts all over again the next day.

“Asparagus can grow 10 centimeters a day and the hotter it is, the more it grows and then the more you have to pick,” Elfriede says.

After my short duration as an asparagus farmer, I treat myself to white chocolate shaped into asparagus spears which are sold in many of the confectionary shop. I also take a sip of asparagus schnapps, complete with a white asparagus floating in the bottle–think mescal with a worm only a lot more appetizing looking. Not bad, but it certainly won’t be available back home. Guess maybe I’ll have to come back next year for the 2019 Spargel Festival that starts on April 27.

For more information, germany.travel/en/leisure-and-recreation/scenic-routes/baden-asparagus-route.html or tourism-bw.com.

Spargeltorte

Based on a recipe provided by Elfriede Fackel-Kretz-Keller.

For the dough:

1 cup flour

7 tablespoons butter

1 egg

Salt and sugar to taste

Sugar

For the filling:

2.2 pounds fresh asparagus

½ pound cooked ham or cooked diced bacon

3 eggs

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

7.5 ounces whipping cream

5 ¼ ounces creme fraiche

Salt

Pepper

For the dough, knead the flour, margarine, egg and salt together and then cool for about 30 minutes. Place dough in a rectangular porcelain or glass dish, pinching the edge down.

In the meantime peel the asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces and cook until crisp in salt-sugar-water. Cut the ham into small strips. Now mix asparagus and ham and spread evenly on the dough.

Whisk eggs and mix with cream, crème fraiche and cheese, then season with salt and pepper. Pour this mixture on the asparagus and ham.

Bake in the preheated to 400° F oven for about 30-40 minutes.

Jane Ammeson can be contacted via email at janeammeson@gmail.com or by writing to Focus, The Herald Palladium, P.O. Box 128, St. Joseph, MI 49085.

The Story of the Good Earth: Hoosier Restaurant Grows in Style

Farm-to-Table Restaurant, Historic Restaurants, Nashville, Indiana, Story, Indiana, Uncategorized

Jackie Wilkerson, head gardener at the Story Inn

Story Inn’s Chef Eric Swanson has no need to visit a farmer’s market. Every afternoon the Chef picks it himself. “We’re not ordering much produce these days” he says. “When the earth decides it’s time to fruit, we are there to collect the bounty”.

That’s because Story Inn currently cultivates all of its own seasonal herbs, fruits and vegetables. “The Story Culinary Gardens were an exciting achievement that have allowed us to take our food to a new level” says co-owner and General Manager Jacob Ebel. “We have tripled our gardening program in recent years to include many unique vegetable varieties not typically available in our state. It’s our commitment quality and sustainability.”

The Story Inn sits in the middle of an 18 acre, 19th century town in rural southern Indiana, making it unique, in a true seed-to-table way. At 39 degrees north latitude, that means a growing season which begins in April and ends in November (extended on either extreme with hoop houses) each species maturing as Nature commands. “Day-to-day harvests are a huge source of inspiration. Our menu reflects this spontaneity” says Chef Swanson, who is in his fifth season at the Story Inn.

Gardner Jackie Wilkerson and her husband Pete make it all possible. Together they manage three distinct gardens as well as an orchard consisting of table grapes, apples, peaches, pears, plums and cherries. Both are cancer survivors, making the most of each passing day and season. “I love my job” says Jackie. “Every winter Pete and I plan the garden. In spring we plant and cultivate. In summer we weed, water and maintain. In fall we collect and compost leaves and manure to enrich the soil for another cycle. The only thing we don’t do is harvest; that’s up to the kitchen”. Story’s main garden, which is fenced to foil rabbits, even has its own water source: a century-old well.

A cold, much-delayed spring has complicated planting this year, but the early greens—butter lettuce, kale, bib lettuce, not to speak of ruby red strawberries, and herbs like basil, cilantro, lemon thyme—are sprouting in abundance. So are seasonal flowers, which beautify the gardens and grace the tables in the restaurant. “We encourage our dinner patrons to come early and meet their salad” says co-owner Rick Hofstetter. “It’s not unusual to see Chef and his staff, clad in white uniforms, cutting or plucking directly from the Inn’s three gardens and orchard each day. You’ll need to go to Tuscany to see that happening somewhere else”.

Here are some specifics of the Story Inn’s 2018 garden:

Seven varieties of peppers-Thai hot, red, green & yellow bell, lunch box sweet, jalapeños, and biquinho;
Mexican sour Gherkin (pickled in house);
Numerous varieties of lettuces and greens- Friseé, Adrian, red and green butter, spinach, red and green Romaine, Bibb, 3 types of kale, collards and chard;
Four varieties of eggplant, including fairytale, white, purple, white & purple;
Three varieties of summer squash-yellow & green zucchini, patty pan;
Three varieties of beans- paldor yellow filet bean, maxibel green, romano bean.
Numerous heirloom tomatoes, including Hillbilly, Mortgage Lifter, Wooly Kate, German Green, and Cherokee Purple;
Butternut squash, delicata squash, and sweet corn.

This does not include a perplexing number of herbs, which include three types of basil, cilantro, arugula, rosemary, thyme, chives, and parsley.

Story’s immodest goal is to define and refine what Hoosier cuisine means. “Living in the present season provides the freshest product available”, says Chef Swanson.

Author Talk with John Coletta: Risotto & Beyond

Book events, Book signings, Chicagoland Area, Cooking demonstrations, Read It and Eat, Uncategorized

On June 7, John Coletta, author of Risotto & Beyond: 100 Authentic Italian Rice Recipes for Antipasti, Soups, Salads, Risotti, One-Dish Meals, and Desserts (Rizzoli 2018) will be at Read It and Eat! talking about his recently published book on risotto, one of the most traditional dishes in Italian Cuisine and yet the least explored. Coletta, a restauranteur and chef, will also be presenting a selection of rice-based tastings. His book, with its wonderful photographs, contains 100 authentic dishes and demonstrates how to bring the full range of Italian rice cooking into our home kitchens. Dishes range range from the familiar such as arancini, crochettes, risotti, soups and rice puddings to the more exotic like rice salads, fritters, bracioli, and gelatos. Attendees will get to take home a 500 gm tin of Acquerello Rice, a prized Carnaroli rice from Vercelli in Piemonte (retail value of $22), considered the best rice for making risotto.

Chilled Rice Soup with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped prosciutto fat (see note below)

½ medium white or yellow onion, finely chopped to make 2/3 cup

1 stalk celery, finely chopped to make 2/3 cup

2 bay leaves, preferably fresh

1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt1

teaspoon finely ground white pepper

1 cup Arborio superfino rice

Just over ½ ounce Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated to make ¼ cup

3 cups halved thin-skinned cherry tomatoes or blanched, peeled, and chopped plum or Roma tomatoes

1 bunch basil, leaves only, roughly chopped to make 6 tablespoons

FOR FINISHING

Finely ground sea salt and white pepper

1 cup cold vegetable broth

2 cups quartered thin-skinned cherry tomatoes

1 bunch basil, leaves only, roughly chopped to make

6 tablespoons, plus ¼ cup chiffonade of basil leaves or small clusters of Genovese basil, for garnish

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

Place the butter, olive oil, and prosciutto fat in a heavy-gauge stockpot over low heat, stirring until the butter melts and the fat becomes soft and translucent but not browned. Add the onion, celery, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Increase the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to soften but are not browned.

Add 6 cups water and heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Immediately reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, covered, until the vegetables are soft and tender, about 45 minutes. Stir in the rice, cover the pot, and continue to simmer for another 25 to 30 minutes, until the rice kernels are tender.

Prepare an ice-water bath in your sink. You will need this to cool the pot. Remove the pot from the heat. Discard the bay leaves and stir in the cheese, tomatoes, and chopped basil. Transfer the pot to the ice-water bath and cool the soup to slightly below room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.

FINISH THE SOUP:

The following day, taste the soup for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed. If the soup has become too thick, thin it to the desired consistency with the cold vegetable broth.

In a small bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, chopped basil leaves, olive oil, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls. Drizzle each portion with olive oil; top with the tomato-basil garnish and the basil chiffonade.

NOTE: If prosciutto fat is unavailable, substitute an additional 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil Be careful not to burn

Arancini with Fresh Mozzarella and Italian Parsley (Arancini Di Riso Con Fior Di Latte E Prezzemolo)

MAKES 16

ARANCINI; SERVES 4

3 cups Arborio or Carnaroli superfine rice

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cubed

2 teaspoons finely ground sea salt

3 large eggs, well beaten

¼ cup sweet white rice flour

1 small bunch Italian flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, coarsely chopped and lightly packed to make ½ cup

2½ ounces Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano, finely grated to make 1 cup

1 pound fior di latte (fresh cow’s milk mozzarella in liquid, drained and cut into ¼-inch cubes

FOR DEEP-FRYING

3 large eggs, well beaten

2 cups fine dry Italian, panko, or gluten-free breadcrumbs

4 to 5 cups high-smoke-point oil (safflower, rice bran, soybean, or canola)

Salsa All’Arrabbiata, for serving or your favorite sauce

Pour 5½ cups water into a medium heavy-gauge saucepan or pot and stir in the rice, butter, and salt. Heat to boiling over medium heat; reduce the heat to low. Simmer briskly, uncovered and without stirring, until the rice has absorbed the water, about 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the eggs, rice flour, parsley, and Parmigiano.

Line a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Transfer the cooked rice to the parchment-lined dish, smoothing to make level. Bring the rice to room temperature. (To finish the recipe the next day, cover the rice with parchment paper and the baking dish with plastic wrap; refrigerate. Bring the rice to room temperature before continuing with the recipe.)

Assemble and fry the arancini:

Using a sharp knife dipped in cold water, score and cut the rice cake into 16 equal pieces. Place one portion of rice in your hand and shape it into a cone; fill with 3 cubes of mozzarella. Close the rice over the cheese and squeeze to shape it into a ball. Place on parchment paper. Repeat until all the arancini are formed.

Place two large bowls on a work surface. Place the eggs in one and the breadcrumbs in the other. Immerse a rice ball in the egg; move it to the bowl of breadcrumbs and dredge until well coated. Place the breaded ball on the parchment paper. Repeat until all the rice balls are breaded.

Pour the oil into a small electric fryer (amount specified by fryer model) or a heavy-gauge pot, ensuring that the oil reaches no higher than 3 inches from the top of the pot. Preheat the oil to 350°F.

Carefully transfer 3 or 4 of the balls into the hot oil, being careful not to crowd them. Fry until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Test one to ensure doneness, adjusting frying time as needed. Proceed with the remainder. Blot the fried arancini on paper toweling.

Place on a platter and serve with spicy salsa all’arrabbiata sauce or your favorite red sauce.

Ifyougo:

When: June 7 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Read It & Eat!, 2142 N Halsted Street Chicago, IL

For more information: (773) 661-6158; readitandeatstore.com

All Photo credit Kayleigh Jankowski.

A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook

Bantam, Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin, Random House, Uncategorized

I’ve come lately to be a fan of the Game of Thrones, having first read the historical novels by Maurice Druon upon which GOT author George R.R. Martin used as a basis for his Medieval fantasy novels which are now a long running TV series. The original books by Druon are based upon real life of the French monarchy in the 14th century. For those who think GOT is violent, yes, it is. But the actual history of The Accursed Kings series with their titles like The Strangled Queen (yes she was strangled because her royal husband wanted a new wife) and She-Devil, written between 1955 to 1977, are just as bloody only it really happened.

In between all the intrigues and the battles, it’s fascinating to read descriptions of the foods they ate both in series. But two GOT fans, Chelsea Monroe-Cassel and Sariann Lehrer, have taken it so much further. Diving deep into Medieval culinary history and recipes they have written A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook (Bantam $35) which has more than 100 recipes, divided by the kingdoms and regions found in the book. These include The South where Cream Swans (yes, they ate swans back then), Trout Wrapped in Bacon, Stewed Rabbit and Blueberry Tarts were on the menu. In King’s Landing characters dined on Quails Drowned in Butter and in Dorne dinner offerings included Duck with Lemons. The authors also detail from which book each of the recipes is taken—such as the shrimp and persimmon soups and peaches in honey featured in A Clash of Kings. If you go to their Website, innatthecrossroads.com, they also divide them by categories (breakfast, pies and savory tarts, etc.). There’s a recipe for Blandissory served in A Storm of Swords described by the authors as “a great example of how sweet and savory elements are often combined in a medieval dish. The chicken and broth, and to some extent even the wine are more commonly served as savory dishes, while cinnamon, ginger, and honey are more often associated with sweet dishes, like cookies and desserts.”

They then go on to add that “this dish is quirky, and while not especially appealing in appearance, it is actually quite tasty. The almond and rice flours thicken the broth to a consistency just shy of a medium gravy. The chicken is wonderfully soft and flavorful, a great textural counterpoint to the occasional crunch of the almonds.”

I got the chance to talk to Monroe-Cassel, who lives near Windsor, Vermont and is just finishing up The World of Warcraft Cookbook, based on the popular game and soon to be released movie.

“It was a whirlwind of a year,” she says, adding that they did extensive research into historic recipes and ingredients. “But one of the things that makes Martin’s books so compelling is that they’re based on actual events and are so detailed.”

Monroe-Cassel says that writing the cookbook was the closest she’s come to using her degree in the classics but it also meant overcoming such issues as the difference between the way recipes were written back then and now.

“I laugh because we found one recipe for goat which basically said take a goat, split it in half and roast it until it’s done,” she says.

Asked what are some of her favorite recipes from the book, Monroe-Cassel says she really likes the Custard Sauce in the Castle Black section which she describes as a pourable custard.

“The soups are pretty easy and Sister Stew is very popular,” she says. “But the ultimate favorite is the Honeyed Chicken.”

For those who don’t keep a pantry filled with ingredients common 800 or so years ago, there’s also a section called “Stocking Your Medieval Kitchen” which tells how to properly prepare your kitchen for recreating the recipes. Many of the ingredients and recipes are neither too difficult or expensive and the authors, who go into amazing detail, give modern substitutes for Medieval ingredients. Take aurochs for example. Use beef or bison instead as aurochs are an extinct type of cattle.

Two spices Monroe-Cassel says they really came to appreciate are long pepper which are about an inch long and have a much sharper taste than the black pepper most of us use with a faster taste giving it more of a kick. Another is grains of paradise, a type of pepper that Monroe-Cassel says at one time was worth its weight in gold.

“It’s smaller than a peppercorn and is spicier with a fruitier undertone,” she says noting that many of these old spices are gaining in popularity because artisan brewers are using them.

Where appropriate many of the recipes are two-fold write the authors–a modern recipe and a traditional recipe more in keeping with the quasi-medieval setting of the series.

Recipe for 17th C. Pumpkin Pie

Makes 1 9-inch pie

The original recipe: Tourte of pumpkin – Boile it with good milk, pass it through a straining pan very thick, and mix it with sugar, butter, a little salt and if you will, a few stamped almonds; let all be very thin. Put it in your sheet of paste; bake it. After it is baked, besprinkle it with sugar and serve. -Le Vrai Cuisinier Francois, 1653.

The authors’ modern version.

Crust Ingredients:

2 cups flour

pinch of salt

1 egg yolk

1 stick butter

ice cold water, just enough

Filling Ingredients:

1 cup warm milk

2-3 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 cup turbinado sugar, plus extra for sprinkling over the top

2 cups pumpkin (1 pound)

pinch salt

2 tablespoons ground almonds

Prep the crust by rubbing the butter into the flour. Add the salt, egg yolk, and just enough water to bring the dough together. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/4″ thickness. Line a pie pan with it, and crimp the edges into a decorative design.

Combine the warm milk and melted butter. Pour over the sugar and stir until there are no grains of sugar remaining. Stir in the remaining ingredients, mixing the filling thoroughly. Pour this into the prepared (but not prebaked) pie shell.

Bake at 350F for about 35 minutes, or until the filling seems set. Allow to cool before slicing.

Honeyed Chicken

Based on Apicius’ Ancient Roman recipe

1 whole chicken for roasting

1 tablespoon olive oil/butter

Salt

Sauce:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup honey

Dash of mint, dried or fresh (abt. 1 tsp.)

Small handful of raisins

1 tablespoons butter

Rub the chicken down with olive oil/butter and salt. This makes the skin crispy and delicious. Cook in an oven at 450 degrees F for approximately an hour, or until the juices run clear, and the thick meat of the breast is no longer pink.

While your chicken is roasting away in the oven, combine all ingredients in saucepan and allow to simmer until the raisins plump and the sauce reduces slightly. Remove from heat, and when the chicken is done, spread the sauce and raisins over the bird.

Root Soup Recipe

1 parsnip

3 carrots

Sprig of thyme

8 cups

1 chopped burdock root (about 2 cups)

1 cup chopped celeriac root

1 inch diced horseradish root

Pearl onions

2 cloves garlic

1/4 pound salt pork, cut into small flakes

1/2 cup grains, such as barley or bulgur

1 bottle beer

Combine all ingredients in a pot. Simmer for 3 hours.

Leave chunky or blend. I left half chunky and blended the other half to make it creamy.

Consider serving with a bit of bread and cheese.

Turnips & Tortillas: A Mexican Chef Spices Up the Southern Kitchen

Book events, Book signings, Chicagoland Area, cookbooks, Food, Mexican Cuisine, Mexico, Read It and Eat, Southern cuisine, Uncategorized

Southern food meets Mexican food in Eddie Hernandez’s new book Turnips & Tortillas: A Mexican Chef Spices Up the Southern Kitchen. Hernandez, the James Beard nominated chef/co-owner of Taqueria del Sol, has written a fantastic cookbook that explores the commonalities of these two cuisines.

Never hesitating to improve upon tradition, Hernandez tweaks classic dishes to make food taste better in such ways as by adding sugar to creamy grits to balance the jalapeños or substituting tomatillos for fried green tomatoes to achieve a more delicate texture. Turnip Greens & Tortillas offers a collection of both recipes and “Eddie’s Ways”–sidebars showing how to make each dish even more special.

As an example, Hernandez says Mexicans view bread pudding as a special treat typically eaten only during Lent.

“It is not like any bread pudding you have had in the U.S., but the flavors should taste very familiar—a little like the inside of a cinnamon roll, with the gooeyness of pecan pie,” he writes in his description of Capirotada, a Mexican bread pudding recipe in his cookbook. “The exact ingredients vary with whatever’s in the cook’s kitchen cabinet that needs to be used up, but they usually include toasted and buttered bread, dried fruits, nuts, and mild cheese. My mother often added animal crackers, and I still find their crunchy texture works well in this mixture. Whereas my mother steamed her bread pudding on top of the stove, I bake mine. Instead of being held together by an eggy custard, the pudding is drenched in a warm syrup spiced with cinnamon and cloves that is made by melting piloncillos—unrefined sugar molded in cones and sold in Mexican markets or online—with water. Turbinador brown sugar works just as well. There is deep religious meaning behind the main ingredients: The bread symbolizes Christ’s body, the syrup is his blood, the cinnamon and cloves are the wood and the nails of the cross, and the melted cheese signifies the holy burial shroud. As serious as its message is, the dish is very festive and often served with ice cream and colored sprinkles. This bread pudding is even good for breakfast as coffee cake.”

Also good for Easter are Hernandez’s breakfast egg muffins topped with a tomato-habanero sauce.

Mexican Bread Pudding (Capirotada)

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 pound cane sugar, turbinado sugar, or brown sugar

3 cups water

2 cinnamon sticks, preferably Mexican (canela)

6 cloves

8 ounces French bread or 4 bolillo rolls, cut into ¼-inch-thick pieces

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted

1 cup golden raisins

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1½ cups crushed animal crackers

1 cup crumbled queso fresco or grated Monterey Jack cheese

¾ cup shredded sweetened coconut Ice cream (optional)

Colored sprinkles (optional)

To make the syrup:

Combine the sugar, water, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat.

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Remove from the heat; cover and let steep while you prepare the remainder of the dish.

This step can be done a day ahead.

Heat the broiler to high, with one rack set in the middle of the oven and one 4 or 5 inches from the broiler source. Brush the bread with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the butter. Place the pieces in a single layer on a sheet pan and set under the broiler until lightly toasted, about 1 minute (watch carefully). Remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use.

Set the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Brush a deep 8-inch square pan or 2-quart casserole dish with the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons butter.

Place one-third of the bread in a single layer in the baking dish. Top with one-third of the raisins, pecans, animal crackers, cheese, and coconut. Remove the spices from the syrup and ladle one-third of the syrup over the mixture. Let the syrup soak into the bread for about 15 minutes, then repeat the layering with the remaining ingredients two more times, finishing with the syrup. Let the syrup soak into the bread for 15 minutes.

Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until the top of the pudding is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature, with ice cream and garnished with sprinkles, if desired. The pudding will keep for several days, tightly covered, at room temperature.

My Breakfast Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

12 large eggs

4½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

4 ounces andouille or other smoked sausage, cut into 24 slices; or left over roasted vegetables

¾ cup grated Monterey Jack or Colby cheese (goat cheese or other kinds of cheese can be substituted)

2 cups Tomato-Habanero Sauce (see below) or use your favorite salsa

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick vegetable spray and set aside.

Whisk the eggs, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Place 2 slices of smoked sausage and 1 tablespoon of the cheese into the bottom of each muffin cup. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the muffin cups. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until puffed and lightly browned.

Meanwhile, heat the sauce. Ladle some of the sauce onto plates and top with the egg muffins.

Tomato-Habanero Sauce

Makes about 4 cups

5 to 6 medium tomatoes (about 1½ pounds)

1 habanero or other types of chiles

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

¼ cup finely diced onion

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade

Place the tomatoes and habanero in a large saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil just until the tomato skins start to crack. Drain in a colander. Remove the stem from the habanero.

Transfer the tomatoes and habanero to a blender and puree until smooth.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onion, garlic, and salt and cook until the onion is translucent and soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree and the stock, increase the heat to high, and boil for 3 minutes more. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. The sauce keeps for up to 3 days, covered and refrigerated.

The above recipes are from Turnip Greens and Tortillas: A Mexican Chef Spices Up the Southern Kitchen by Eddie Hernandez. Reproduced by permission of Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Ifyougo:

Eddie Hernandez will be talking and signing copies of his book on June 3 at 1:30 p.m. at Read It & Eat, 2142 N. Halsted St., Chicago, IL. For more information: (773) 661-6158; readitandeatstore.com

Carla Hall Cooking Demo at This Year’s KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor

Uncategorized

“I would love to walk into a room seeing everyone with big curly hair or different hairstyles, funky glasses and mixed prints,” Carla Hall tells me when I ask what it would be like if people attending her cooking demonstration at the KitchenAid Fairway Club during this year’s KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor copied her distinctive style.

The question came to mind after I clicked on “Get Carla’s Style,” a page on her Website. Hall is all in for a room full of Carla’s and if it happens, she says, an impromptu party would start immediately.

“By the way, it’s not too late for me to tell you what I’ll be wearing and purchase it for the whole audience is it?” she says. “LOL.”

Well, I’ll have to check with Andy Steinke, the HP’s feature editor, to see if that’s in the budget though I kind of doubt it. Besides, we don’t need to style like Carla to have fun—she creates her own party-like atmosphere wherever she goes.

As co-host, along with Michael Symon and Clinton Kelly, of ABC’s Daytime Emmy-winning lifestyle series “The Chew,” Hall also appeared on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and “Top Chef: All Stars” where she wowed people not only with her culinary skills and philosophy of cooking with love but also with the catch phrase, “Hootie Hoo.”

Two years ago, she did a cooking demo at the KitchenAid Fairway Club to a standing room only crowd, entering the exhibit kitchen area doing a few dance steps and choosing kids from the audience to help her cook one of her dishes. She’s excited about being back in the area, her husband is from Kalamazoo and her mother-in-law from Benton Harbor. Plus since then Hall’s added a new skill to her repertoire.

“Since I was at the Senior PGA tour the last time, I was inspired to finally pick up a golf club somewhere other than a kiddy putt putt attraction,” she says. “I played my first 9 holes on a very prestigious course–no one else was on the course other than the other neophytes. I won’t talk about my score, but I did it. And I really enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to being back in the KitchenAid kitchen and teaching golf/cooking fans culinary techniques that I sometimes have to rush through on TV.”

One of the recipes she’ll be sharing this year is her Mac & Cheese Bundle.

“Think macaroni and cheese in tortellini form, bathed in a rich butter sauce and sprinkled with crunchy cheese and bread crumbs,” she says, immediately making me hungry. “Yep, a hole-in-one.”
With a degree in accounting, the Nashville, Tennessee native segued into culinary arts, studying classic French cooking at the L’Academie de Cuisine in Maryland. But it’s more complicated—and simple—than that. Her food is a blend of her Southern heritage and her culinary training and her number one goal is simplicity.

“The recipes in my cookbooks are approachable in both technique and in sourcing ingredients,” she says. “I even thought about the number of dishes you would use, especially in Carla’s Comfort Foods and my upcoming book, Carla Hall’s Soul Food. There are plenty of vegetarian recipes as well as a number of delicious dessert and comfort food recipes that my fans have come to expect from me.”

Hall’s newest cookbook, Cooking with Love is out this October and she says it’s loaded with recipes chronicling her life at her Granny’s table and in home and professional kitchens.

“I feel like the other two cookbooks, the experience of opening and closing my hot chicken restaurant and learning about my ancestral roots through DNA testing have all led to this book,” she says.

Having loved acting since she was young, Hall describes herself as “over-the-moon” at being on “General Hospital” for two episodes, starting May 16th.

She’s happy to hear that KitchenAid will again have copies of her cookbooks to be signed by her in exchange for donations to charities.

“Ever since I stepped foot into a soup kitchen over 20 years ago while in culinary school, I have been using my culinary skills to help others and to draw attention to issues around food insecurities in our nation and hunger relief,” she says. “When I found myself on a national television show, I made the conscious decision to use that platform to continue to help others and to give back. It warms my heart to know that the purchase of my cookbooks will be doing just that.”

Ifyougo:

What: Interactive Cooking Demonstration with Carla Hall

When: Noon CST/1 p.m. EST on Friday, May 25

Where: KitchenAid Fairway Club near the main entrance, Harbor Shores, Benton Harbor, MI

FYI: For more information about the Senior PGA Championship, or to buy tickets, visit pga.com/events/seniorpgachampionship/2018 or call 269-487-3200.

Justin Chapple Interactive Cooking Demonstration at KitchenAide Sr. PGA

Benton Harbor, Book events, Book signings, Cooking demonstrations, Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Houghton Mifflin Houghton, Justin Chapple, KitchenAid Fairway Club, Uncategorized

“I’ve always been a people person,” Justin Chapple tells me almost immediately after he calls for the scheduled interview.

Within minutes, I totally believe him. It’s like we’ve been best friends forever.

“I love to hear from people,” he says, adding that he almost always answers people who contact him via his many social media outlets such as Facebook and Instagram. “I tell people if they pre-order my new book through my website, justinchapple.com, I’ll send them a note and an autographed bookplate. I spend most mornings writing notes.”

Yes, he does. Even though Chapple has the high prestige job of Culinary Director at Food & Wine magazine, was nominated for a James Beard Award for “Mad Genius,” the weekly morning show he hosts, does the magazine’s video series “Mad Genius Tips” and is the author of two cookbooks, Mad Genius Tips (Broadmoor House 2016) and the soon to be released Just Cook It! 145 Built-To-Be-Easy Recipes That Are Totally Delicious (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018; $30), he’s all about you.

“It means a lot to me to have people’s support,” says Chapple, who regularly appears on NBC’s “Today.” “And if they have a question about one of my recipes or cooking, I always try to answer it.”

He’s also all about recipes, cooking tips and making it simple. As part of his job as culinary director, he not only has developed and tested thousands of recipes but also converts esoteric recipes from famous chefs—the kind most of us would look at and shake our heads in despair—and makes them accessible for our own kitchens. Watch a few episodes from his “Mad Genius LIVE and “Mad Genius Tips” shows and you’re first thought is, I can use that followed by where does he get all those ideas.

“Sometimes they pop up in my head and I’ll say ‘omigoodness’,” says Chapple who really doesn’t sound like someone who trained at the prestigious French Culinary Institute. “Other times it’s what people ask of me—they want to know how to do something like peel a mango and I’m happy they asked and come up with ideas.”

Though his classical French cooking background is important, he says he learned much of his kitchen know-how from his grandmother.

“She had to make do with whatever she had and she always made the food taste wonderful,” he says.

Describing Just Cook It as low-concept, he says it’s about everyday simple easy recipes. For example, when you have a hankering for lasagna but there’s not enough time to pull it all together, he suggests Ravioli Lasagna with Arugula. It’s good, fast approximation for busy weeknights. Just buy some cheese ravioli, parboil it, drain, place in a casserole and then add fresh mozzarella. Open a jar of good marinara sauce, sauté it with ground beef or fresh veggies or just add it plain to the ravioli. There you have it.

Like gnocchi or other types of dumplings but don’t want to mess with rolling each one out and shaping them by hand? Never fear, there’s a secret to that as well. Using a food processor, he mixes the ingredients for his Ricotta Gnudi (gnocchi are dumplings made with potatoes and gnudi are made with ricotta cheese), but the next step is much more unusual. Taking an ice cream scoop, he spoons small balls of the dough directly from the food processor and dumps them into hot water.

“Simmer them until they pillowy and just firm,” he says. “I then sauté them until they’re browned and coated with the butter mixture.”

He sprinkles the cook gnuda with pistachio-almond dukka, an Arabic dish (you often also see a bowl of it at Indian restaurants near where you pay your bill). It’s a mixture of spices, seeds and nuts including cumin, coriander, sesame and caraway seeds, pistachios and almonds and cayenne and black peppers.

Dukka is another example of the recipes in his new cookbook. There are a plethora of global offerings such as Thai Skillet Corn, Shumai Stew with Shiitake & Mustard Greens, Rice & Pork Congee with Chiles, Crispy Garlic & Ginger, several types of curry and Catalan-Style Mussels with Green Olives & Fried Almonds. In other words, you can create international meals effortlessly and without fuss.

As for the cooking demonstration at the KitchenAid Fairway Club during the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, Chapple says he’s very excited as he’s heard southwest Michigan is beautiful.

“I’m going to demonstrate a few different very simple and fun recipes including a golden tomato gazpacho,” he says.

Though his background in French cooking would seem to call for rich creams and butter, Chapple says he ‘d rather add flavors with such ingredients as good quality olive oil that creates a “silky taste.”

“Another one of the secrets I like to share is using smoked almonds,” he says. “They’re so delicious and so easy and they impart a lot of flavor.”

Chapple talks about his “secrets” and I ask, jokingly, how they can be secrets since he tells them to everyone.

“That’s the fun of secrets,” he says. “Telling them to people.”

Ifyougo:

What: Interactive Cooking Demonstration with Justin Chapple

When: Noon CST/ 1 p.m. EST on Saturday, May 26

Where: KitchenAid Fairway Club near the main entrance, Harbor Shores, Benton Harbor, Michigan

FYI: For more information about the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, or to buy tickets, visit pga.com/events/seniorpgachampionship/2018 or call 269-487-3200.

Follow Justin on Twitter and Instagram at: @justinchapple and Facebook at facebook.com/justin.a.chapple.