Gale's Blogtag:www.galegand.com,2009://32009-05-05T02:54:46ZMovable Type 3.35Gale's April 2009 Blog Entrytag:www.galegand.com,2009://3.612009-04-27T18:15:39Z2009-05-05T02:54:46ZEvents I Did This was another busy month, full of good food and fun events. Rick Tramonto and I did a cooking demo one evening at our restaurant, Tru, for a group having a private function one night. He did...Gale Gand
Events I Did
This was another busy month, full of good food and fun events. Rick Tramonto and I did a cooking demo one evening at our restaurant, Tru, for a group having a private function one night. He did a service of fluke and I did chocolate truffle stuffed chocolate lollipops with 24 karat gold dust. Both dishes were things the guests would experience during the meal there at some point so I think it gave them a deeper level of enjoyment.]]>
The James Beard Sunday Supper at Chelsea Market event was such a great one. I couldn’t figure out how we were going to feed 240 people in an orderly fashion but it was fine, and beautiful too. They lined Chelsea Market's central walkway with 4 long continuous tables and it looked so inviting. Everything was served family style by 38 chefs from around the country. I was hosted by Sara Beth (Levine) so I got to prep in her huge bakery kitchen, which she told me had just before that been host to Meryl Streep as she filmed a new movie where she plays a pastry chef. (No, not the one where she plays Julia Child…that’s next). The kitchen was dreamy to work in with lots of marble counter space and ovens. Deck, rotating or convection ovens ... anything I wanted. And she was a blast! Plus her Cheese Danish I had, right out of the oven, were practically making me forget my name they were so good.
I made Pavlova, (I see a pattern here) but for 240 so I made 18 of them, and then sliced them up before they went out to the tables. They were colorfully covered with berries and kiwi kindly donated by Manhattan Fruit Exchange. Other chefs included Melissa Kelly from Rockland Maine with her home grown fava beans in her dish of Spring Succotash with Florida Zellwood Corn and Primo Salad, Nora Pouillon from Washington DC with her House-Cured Grass-Fed Bresola with Hearts of Palm and Preserved Lemon Parsley Salad.
This month we also went to the Coonley House, designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright in Riverside Illinois, for a tour before I cook there May 16th for a Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Fund dinner. My chef friend Tim Scott from Macy’s in Minneapolis met me there because he is providing the savory courses for this $1350 a plate meal.. I’ll do the breads, cheese, dessert and petit fours. Built in 1907 this house is touted as the largest (and possibly the finest) example of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie style. We got a complete tour of the house, coach house and garden where we’ll be serving. Guests will get an extensive tour of the grounds, with nibbles along the way and then enjoy a sit down multi-course dinner Tim and I will prepare. I love FLW’s work so this is a real treat for me to cook and serve my food in one of his spaces. And the house is in pristine restored condition so it’s quite a masterpiece. We happened to pass 2 more FLW homes driving around the neighborhood so now I can add those to my list of FLW structures I’ve seen.
This month I got to do something I’ve been meaning to do for a while-make a batch of my Gale’s Root Beer with real cane sugar! I wanted to try it a while ago but I had to wait till this batch of printed labels ran out, so this was the month it finally happened. And I’m very happy with it. It’s a little more expensive to make, but worth it for the better taste and the fact that my friend Marthe, who is allergic to fructose, can now try my brew. (You’re welcome.)
Chicago Housewares Show demo at McCormick Place was fun. With Easter coming up I thought I’d do my mother-in-laws recipe for Ricotta Doughnuts, since that’s what I make at home each year while the kids are hunting for their Easter Eggs. It’s easy to just stir the batter together and then I deep fry them, just in my 3 quart All Clad pot (All Clad was the sponsor of the cooking stage). I got to see my buddy Ming Tsai (I have a show I did with him that’s airing June 14th in Chicago) from Boston who was on before me, and Marcus Samuelsson from New York, too.
Then in the evening we were all cooking at the Common Threads event at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Art Smith’s fund raiser to help raise money for kids after school cooking programs that help teach cultural diversity through food and cooking. It’s always a party with lots of Food celebs like Tyler Florence, Gail Simmons from Top Chef, Paula Dean, The Hearty Boys ... shall I go on? And the food is always great. I especially liked Chris Pandel’s (The Bristol in Chicago), Lamb Loin Carpaccio with Lentils, Pomegranate, and an Almond-apricot Puree and I couldn’t stop eating the crepes from Paul Kahan’s team at Avec. Meg, my pastry chef from Tru prepared Chocolate Mousse 2 ways with Lime Gelee and Thyme Syrup. My friend Kathy and I helped (we were a help, right Meg?) her plate up and chat up the guests while my husband went from station to station giving samples of our dish and getting samples of everyone else’s dishes so we could taste. Mighty Leaf tea always has some nice things to try and this night is was their new Organic Detox Infusion iced tea.
I participated in the Robert Morris College Culinary Symposium’s panel discussion on Woman in the Kitchen, along with Carrie Nahabedian from NAHA, Shelley Young from the Chopping Block, and journalist Camille Stagg. After the hour long discussion I sold copies of Short and Sweet to the students and got to meet the future chefs coming out of that great culinary program.
Events I Went To
One sunny afternoon we went for a tour of the Pilsen neighborhood for AIWF, which I’m a board member of in Chicago. That’s our “Little Mexico” with tortilla factories, goat head taco’s, chicharróns and delicious tamales on the street. We started at a restaurant called Mundial-Cocina Mestiza at 1640 W 18th St ; (312-491-9908). The menu we sampled was:
Quesadilla de Cuitlacoche with Oaxaca cheese & Cuitlacoche
Nopales Enpapelados with cactus, chorizo & pico de gallo baked in foil
Ensalada India with mesculun, corn, mango, jicama, red pepper, tomato, tortilla totopos and cilantro vinaigrette
Chile en Nogada-a poblano stuffed with ground beef, pork & dried fruit topped with sherry pecan sauce & pomegranate seeds
Camarones a la Pipiana with shrimp in a pumpkinseed mole w/rice & plaintains
We then went to the Mexican grocery store Spermercado La Casa Del Pueblo at 1810 South Blue Island and got some cones of raw brown sugar called Piloncillo. .
Home Cooking
The girls requested to make individual Blueberry Pies, after watching an episode of the cartoon Little Bear where they calm a troll by offering up blueberry pie. That went well. Then my dad and Ella requested that we make Apple Pie, so those came next. I usually make the dough the night before so it has time to chill and then the rolling of dough and tossing of fruit is done with the kids. We fill and crimp and then into the oven to make the house smell like heaven by the time Gio walks in from school. Aaaaaaahhhhhhh pie ... nothing like that smell. And Honey Crisp’s are my new apple of choice for Apple Pie. They are the right amount of tart and they stay together but cook to tender. I know they can be pricey but look for a sale ... or not.
One weekend I got out my pasta rolling machine and did my first home made pasta making session in a long time, with the kids. It’s like rolling out play dough so they instantly got it. We made fettuccine and angel hair and then boiled it up in about 3 minutes, and then ate it about as fast.
Then one night I just wanted simple and honest for dinner. Plus I wanted to try out the new spaetzle maker (I’m not sure that’s what it’s called really-it’s like a spaetzle grater) so we made roast chicken and spaetzle. Gio likes to make the dough using eggs, flour, and Dijon mustard, and then pour it and force it through the “grater” holes into the boiling water ... oh I had a lot of help on that one. Tossed in a little butter, salt and pepper, it was a perfect pairing with the chicken.
And this month Girl Scout Cookies arrived! Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies and of course, Thin Mints. I got them from two different dealers, I mean Girl Scouts, this year. See my Huffington Post piece on it.
Meals Out
We went to a kid's concert at the Olde Town School of Folk Music. It was Milly’s (Mostly) All Kids Review produced by Brigid Murphy, a local entertainer and impresaria. Afterwards we walked over to one of my favorite pastry places, Julius Meinl, though they do nice café food too. We had their version of Mac and Cheese which is Spaetzle and Cheese, a few grilled sandwiches and 2 different types of chocolate cakes, one layered, one more like a cup cake, for dessert. But before we even sat down I tried to reserve some stuff for the next days breakfast before things were gone … too late for their great Almond Croissants but there was one lonely Apple Turnover we snatched up and had them hold till we were ready to leave.
For St. Patrick’s Day we went for Corn Beef and Cabbage and Irish music at L. Woods in Lincolnwood, Il. It’s a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant (so is my place Tru) so I know some of the managers and staff. The CB and C was perfectly simple with boiled potatoes on the side and just what I wanted. And I even had a beer! And my husband had a Schlitz! The band took my request of The Irish Rover so I was happy. I used to be a strolling balladeer in an Olde English style restaurant (can you picture me in my granny cap and bustier? I’ll look for a picture …) and that was one of my big numbers so of course, to my family's embarrassment I’m sure, I sang, no belted, along.
The day Kathy and I went to make the new batch of root beer with cane sugar I took her to my favorite place on the south side of Chicago for BLTs, Ramova Grill. They were as wonderfully retro as they always are-hot bacon which ever-so-slightly melts the cold mayonnaise and warms the slice of tomato, on toasted white bread. Perfection!
While Jimmy and I were in New York for the Sunday Supper James Beard event we took the subway to Doughnut Plant on Grand Street on the lower east side. It’s a little doughnut place that does interesting flavors (for doughnuts) like Crème Brulee, Meyer Lemon, and Cashew, and they make their own jams and jelly for their jelly doughnuts. We got a dozen or so plus a tee shirt. My favorites were the Tres Leches and the square shaped Coconut Glazed Coconut Cream. I guess that’s maybe why they won Bakery of the Year from Baking Buyer magazine in 2008.
We went to dinner at Susur Lee’s new place, Shang, on Orchard Street in New York and arrived with our box of doughnuts. So we needed a table for 3. We liked our meal at Shang very much, especially the Homemade Steamed Soy Spinach Tofu with Chanterelles, black and white tree ear mushrooms and soy juice, which was kind of like a soufflé or flan and really delicious. We also loved the Cantonese Wok Fried Pearl Noodles with shrimp. To look at the menu go to their web site. We did the taste test of the doughnuts back at the Hotel (The Duane) so Susur, if you’re reading this, sorry we didn’t have dessert. I needed to save room for the doughnut tasting. It’s important to pace yourself in this serious business of finding the best of the best. And this is a perfect example of this.
]]>
Gale's October 2008 Blog Entrytag:www.galegand.com,2009://3.502008-10-01T17:07:16Z2009-04-06T21:08:28ZAt the beginning of the month was my brother’s birthday and we had a celebration for him at Gabe’s in Highwood, a bar he plays blues guitar at and leads a jam there every Tuesday night with his pianist wife...Gale Gand
At the beginning of the month was my brother’s birthday and we had a celebration for him at Gabe’s in Highwood, a bar he plays blues guitar at and leads a jam there every Tuesday night with his pianist wife Joan. I made chocolate chip cookies sandwiched with peanut butter filling and root beer floats (of course). The cookies disappeared so I guess they were good. I don’t think I even got to eat one.
www.piecouncil.org and she asked if I’d like to judge the National Pie competition in Orlando next year. So I’ll see you there in April 2008. I’ll be giving a demo too.
The highlight of this months events was I baked for Scott Tyree’s wedding. He was my sommelier at Tru for 8 years and recently left to get the Oh-so-coveted-in-my-business day job. The invitation said the dress was “Morning Smart.” I couldn’t wait to see what THAT was! When we pressed Scott he said “Think Breakfast At Tiffany’s”. He asked me to make a little something to pass with champagne (I just love a morning wedding with champagne, don’t you?) So I thought I’d do something kind of monochromatic. I did mini chocolate cupcakes which a kiss of bone colored almond butter cream decorated with 3 mini malted milk balls. Understated and delicious, if I do say so myself. Crunch, creamy and moist all in one quick bite. I was baking them off at the same time as a news crew was filming in my house taping a segment on healthy snacks for kids, so I had bowls of raspberries, fresh mozzarella cubes, and grapes on the table plus fixins’ for the kids to make turkey and muenster cheese roll ups and fruit kebabs. Ruby was cutting watermelon for it on camera. Gio’s friend Ryan was over so the four kids hammed it up for the camera. We even went outside to the garden with the camera man and shot the kids picking the last lonely overgrown cucumber off the vine.
I flew to St. Louis to do a Satellite Media Tour for the American Association of Orthodontists. I had written some braces friendly recipes for their web site www.braces.org like Savory Chicken Pot Pie and Baked Bananas over Ice Cream and was doing interviews about what not to eat from your Halloween hall that might hurt your braces like candies that are chewy, sticky crunchy or hard and reminding people to floss. Apparently the day after Halloween is the busiest day of the year at the orthodontists office. I was on about 15 different morning news programs talking about it.
I co-chaired the annual Bag Hunger event with Ina Pinkney and Susan Goss this month which was a big success. Our event featured 25 chefs with tasting stations. My staff made mini chocolate cupcakes, again, like from Tyree’s wedding.
I did a cooking demo and book signing at the Arts in Riverwoods event. My dad’s Big Band was playing and then while they were on break I demonstrated chocolate dipped peanut butter balls. There was leftover filling so I brought it home and rolled and dipped for a neighborhood party.
Events I went to
Alice Waters was in town signing her new book Simply so Jimmy and I picked up Gio after school and took him with us to meet her at Prairie, Sarah Stegner’s restaurant. We explained to him that she was a very influential culinary luminary. I think he got it. It’s always inspiring to hear her talk about what she’s doing and who she meeting with about it. This time it was our mayor Daley about the public school lunch program. We ate hors’ d’oeuvres and got a bunch of books signed by her and she was very gracious when I introduced her to Gio.
Home Cooking
At the end of the month we drove to southern Michigan with the last apple pie I made of the season in the back of the car. I used Honey Crisp Apples because I’m just getting tired of always using Granny Smith’s, which I’d never done before and it was fantastic. Did I miss a memo that that variety makes great pies or am I the first to try it? It had no bottom crust so I guest it was more like a pot pie and I cut a Jack-o-lantern face out of the top crust. I just tossed the apples with some spices, sugar, and little flour and then turned it into my mother’s Pyrex pie pan from my childhood, then I dotted it with butter and rolled out some pie dough from the freezer (that was the whole point of this was to help empty out the freezer). There were some trimmings left so I did what my mom always did which is make a tiny pie with just a bottom crust and monogram it with an initial, sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar then bake it. To serve it I pour milk over it and it warms the milk. I made them for Gio and he made it even better by replacing the milk with whipped cream.
I also tried a plum cake from Bon Appétit magazine. I was interested in it because the recipe called for almond paste, which I’m crazy for. It was good eating and one of those cakes that ages well and gets even better the next day. Ella and Ruby helped mix the batter so I give them credit for it when friends came over the next morning to sample it.
We were on our way to a Harvest Party at Seedling’s Farm and Pete Klein is the farmer. He served hot cider, fresh pressed from his orchard, a table full of salads and another full of pies, a goat roasting on the grill and root vegetables too. There were washtub fires for making S’Mores, hayrides, apple bobbing and pumpkins to pack up in the car. It was one of those perfect crisp fall days.
Meals Out
I went to a Pig Roast at Dela Costa, Douglas Rodregus’ new-ish place in Chicago. It was a fund raiser for Common Threads, Art Smith’s foundation (Oprah’s chef) I went with my friend Kathy and we stopped at Fox and Obel first and bought 3 kinds of pork (French poached ham, Calabrian sausage, artisanal bacon) and then went to the pig roast.
Jimmy and I went to China Town for the day to scout it for an AIWF event (I’m on the board in Chicago) www.aiwf.org and saw some cool stuff. We went to Captain Bakery and tried a bunch of things. Some favorites were the little custard tart, an extremely light sponge cake type muffin, and a curried chicken filled bun. We went to a grocery store and saw black skinned chickens, live eels for sale a box of live soft shell turtles apparently sold for use in soup and these little white pots of fruit flavored jelly which we bought to give out for Halloween. We walked past the Pui Tak Center, a large traditional looking Chinese building from 1932 where every thing from classes on how to fill out your taxes to violin lessons are given to the community. It was up for an architectural preservation grant from American Express, of which I was on the advisory board, so I was curious to see it. For lunch we went to Penang Malaysian restaurant. The most impressive part was a young man in the kitchen rolling out then tossing thin dough for a griddled pancake or flat bread that was served to us to wrap pork and yams in with spicy sauce. We also ate deep fried birds nest made from yams filled with vegetables. ]]>
Gale's May 2008 Blog Entrytag:www.galegand.com,2008://3.362008-06-09T13:36:05Z2009-03-30T17:43:21ZI was a celebrity judge for the popular Bravo TV series TOP CHEF, the reality show where young chefs compete for the title of Top Chef, with one being eliminated each week. My episode was number 9 and titled “Wedding...Gale Gand
TOP CHEF, the reality show where young chefs compete for the title of Top Chef, with one being eliminated each week. My episode was number 9 and titled “Wedding Wars” where the 8 chefs still remaining broke into 2 teams to cook the food for an actual wedding of 125 people, including the wedding cake. One team was cooking to the bride’s taste (southern comfort foods) and one to the groom’s taste (Italian), so each team had to produce a wedding cake and I was there to be the expert on that. We ate through all the dishes at the wedding reception and then tasted both cakes and then went back to the Top Chef kitchens to discuss and decide who was to be sent home. I got home at 4:00 AM so long day of shooting, but it was a fun day of working and hanging out with the other judges, Padma Lakshmi the host, chef Tom Colicchio from Craft and Gail Simmons from Food and Wine magazine. Check out the web site to watch the episode and see a Q and A I did about the filming experience.]]>
I flew down to Boca Raton one Sunday to do a cooking demo at Macy’s to show the whole new line of Martha Stewart’s cup cake supplies. She’s really thought of everything from travel carrying cases to take cup cakes to the beach in to cardboard boxes with inserts that have finger wholes to allow you to crab the cup cake by the sides without marring the frosting. I did make a couple colors of butter cream and did a bunch of piping and decorating with her set of tips, gel colors and sprinkles and sanding sugars.
One Wednesday I came to Gio’s school and I did one of my favorite things to do-teach. It was the French class for the 6th graders. A total of 125 kids but it was broken into 5 groups. We made Chouquette, an after school snack from France that’s a lot like an empty cream puff only a bit sweeter. The kids helped me measure and stir and pipe and then they got to taste one. I taught them how to say all the ingredients in French. So the vocabulary for that day was:
de l’eau = water
beurre = butter
sel = salt
sucre = sugar
farine = flour
oeufs = eggs
sucre gros = large grained sugar
I spoke at a press conference at the NRA (National Restaurant Association) convention to help launch a new green web site http://conserve.restaurant.org to help educate and provide resources for restaurants. I’ve been on the task force to help develop it and now it’s going live which is very exciting and hopeful. Restaurants can have a huge impact on reducing our carbon emissions and carbon foot print and this is one of the steps to help with that.
The next day I did a press conference with Mayor Daley, 20 other chefs and 4 sommeliers to announce the exciting new culinary festival to be held in Chicago on the weekend of Sept 26-28, Chicago Gourmet. It will be 3 days of wine seminars, cooking demos and hand on cooking classes for kids and family’s (my part). We got to be on the stage at Millennium Park so now I know what Renée Fleming sees when she’s singing up there!
Then I ran off to McCormick Place to do a book signing at NRA. The line kept going for 2 hours, so that felt good. Some people even brought presents!
I cooked at a private home in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest one night with Macy’s corporate chefs Tim Scott and Elizabeth Brown and my pastry chef from Tru, Meg Galus. We were bought at a fund raiser for the Good Man Theatre in Chicago and so did a 6 course dinner for 12 people. We did Arborio Rice Pudding with Citrus caramel, Strawberry Macaroon with Sour Cream Cremeux and a dense Chocolate Terrine with Espresso Syrup. Green Apple Lollipops, Canelès, Sour Cherry Jellies and Chocolate Truffles made with a single estate 75% cacao, plus some financier with rhubarb jam wrapped to take home.
I did a some TV on WGN and CLTV featuring light summer dessert using Reddi-wip. Then another one on WGN to help celebrate a cook book I helped with for the Wheat Council called Food For Thought. The book compiled 35 recipes to celebrate their 35th anniversary, 30 from parents around the country and 5 from me. To purchase the book go to www.wheatfoods.org. It’s only $3.50. The idea is to help promote food education through parents to their children, and healthy eating which includes grains. And some of the money goes to Spoons Across America, a non-for-profit group that works to influence eating habits of children. I demoed my Crepes with Vanilla Yogurt and Strawberries and then a Wheat Berry Salad with Tuna, Cucumber, and Cherry Tomatoes.
The last day of the month I did 2 demos and book signings in a row at the Chicago Botanic Gardens in Glencoe, Illinois. It’s a world class collection of plant, flowers with a great organic vegetable and fruit garden and a demonstration kitchen for teaching up to 150 people at a time. It was a perfect Saturday with glorious weather. I wanted to do something in season that they have growing there so people can see it in the ground, so I did Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Rhubarb Compote and Strawberry Mash. They have magnificent rhubarb plants growing near the kitchen, which I grow at my home too. My buddy in the kitchen, Kathy Skutecki, helped me as well as all three of my kids. Gio was the old pro but Ruby and Ella who are 3 years old did the later demo with me all the way through-their first appearance ever, working in chef coats…who knows…maybe they can take over for me.
Events I went to
I went to a dessert party at Ryerson Woods in Riverwoods, Il. to hear Peter Annin talk about his book The Great Lakes Water Wars which explains the urgency to protect the water in the Great Lakes, one of the largest bodies of fresh water in the world supplying 40 million people who live in the Great Lakes Basin, one of which is me. One of my dad’s bands Bob Gand’s Smooth Jazz Band was playing there for the entertainment. There was really very little dessert but my poor husband needed something to go with the coffee they served him so after going behind the scenes and begging, we got a little something. Miniature cream puffs, baklava and a raspberry tartlette.
Home Cooking
Gio and I did our usual ramp picking in our woods for the restaurants. We did about 30 pounds which was divided up between Tru, Osteria di Tramonto and BluPrint where my friend Sam Burman is the chef.
My neighbor Art Bess showed me a new-to-me type of wild onion growing in our woods, so when Gio and I were out playing near a stream on the next street over I picked a few of those to try them out. The are petite and delicate and really delicious. He said as a kid his mom didn’t let him have after school snacks so he’d dig these up and munch on them. With a little salt and pepper, I can see why.
My journalist friend Barbara Rolek asked me for a family heirloom recipe from my Eastern European heritage and so I sent her my grandmother’s Cabbage Strudel which is actually sweetened up and spiced up to taste like apples with out the cost-they were REALLY poor in those days. And when I went to look at it I saw this other recipe for a nice reliable pound cake using cream cheese. I made it with my 3 year olds after school one day-I’m always looking for ways to get them into the kitchen. I got the recipe off her web site. Give it a try. It has a fine crumb and it perfect toasted with coffee.
Meals Out
One day we drove down town to see the Hopper exhibit at the Art Institute (it was closing day of course!) and we first made a stop at a new-ish cupcake bakery in Chicago called Molly’s Cupcakes. My chef de cuisine at Tru, Tim Graham has been raving about the peanut better stuffed one, known as the Ron Bennington named after a New York radio jock on XM202 who’s an FOH or friend of the house as we call it, so I had to try it along with maybe 6 other types. Most of them are stuffed which is a great idea taste-wise, but hard to keep the cupcake from sogging out. We tried the Strawberry Shortcake, the Chocolate Mousse, the Lemon Curd, but I think the most successful one was the Pumpkin Spice. The price ranges rom $3.50-$3.85 for the stuffed ones. Some of the take goes to help local Chicago public schools which is a nice bonus when you’re buying from them. And on of my old pastry assistants from Trio (1994?), Tamara White, is the head baker. Always nice to see “my kids” having a good time while still baking.
Then we went to Shaw’s Crab House for Lobster with drawn better and some sparkling Rosé, Ruinart Brut Rosé, to be specific…and yes, I did wear a bibb. I do my own laundry, so why not.
We ate at Art Smith’s restaurant Table 52 (he’s Oprah Winfrey’s personal chef too) to sample his famous fried chicken. He only serves it on Sunday’s so that’s the day to go. It’s boneless and delicious and priced at $24.00, though I did miss chewing on the bones. Sides we loved were the Way cheesy Three Cheese Mac’ and Cheese and cubed Sweet Potatoes with Honey. The meal starts with steaming-hot-from-the-oven Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits turned out of a baby iron skillet at your table that I could eat all day long. For dessert Art’s Hummingbird Cake is the way to go, a recipe from his grandmother of crushed pineapple and banana yellow cake with cream cheese frosting. Definitely order a glass of milk with it.]]>
Gale's September 2007 Blog Entrytag:www.galegand.com,2008://3.322008-03-23T18:01:15Z2008-03-23T18:03:02ZSeptember was a full month when it came to culinary activities. It started with a culinary event to benefit the Green City Market in Chicago. It was held at Bill Kurtis and Donna La Pietra’s country estate, like usual, which...Gale Gand
September was a full month when it came to culinary activities. It started with a culinary event to benefit the Green City Market in Chicago. It was held at Bill Kurtis and Donna La Pietra’s country estate, like usual, which has acres and acres of magnificent garden’s and a beautiful stately home. Wendi, Kathy, and Lorel helped out at my table and we served Chocolate Budino’s with Pear Compote. The pears were from Peter Klein’s farm, Seedlings, in Michigan. I brought my husband and the girls so they could frolic around the grounds, even though it was a pretty buggy hot, night. But we had fun sampling all the other chefs dishes, chatting up guests, smiling for the camera and swatting mosquitoes. The garden’s highlights were the trellis of cherry tomatoes, the raspberry bushes ready for picking, their heirloom apple orchard, and the English Walled Garden with it’s fragrant hedgerow of boxwood bushes.
here
Home Cooking
Stuff I cooked this month that stood out were a big batch of ratatouille to help use up the eggplant the girls picked at Didiers Farm in Buffalo Grove, Il. And the yellow squash and peppers from our home garden’s last offerings. I made corn soup with lots of bacon. We also picked bushels of tomatoes and so one day was a tomato sauce day. I had the girls purée the tomatoes in the food processor with me, before they went into the pot. I also made a big gratin dish of roasted eggplant and rigatoni that seemed to last for days.
Meals Out
I had a delicious meal at North Pond café with a couple chef friends. I especially loved an appetizer we had of steak and eggs. It was a scrumptious slices of rare on the inside, charred and crusty on the outside beef with a poached egg on top. That’s one of the signature things I love about Bruce Sherman, the chef there. He seems to do poached eggs on things and I find it always makes a dish better, whether it’s a salad, a piece of meat or a sandwich. One time he made a frissée salad with a poached duck egg on top and I’ve never forgotten it, from I think 7 years ago.
Belinda Chang, wine-girl extraordinaire, and I had done a wine workshop at the Windy City Wine Festival. It was an outdoor event of tastings and talks all weekend and we were 2 of the featured “experts”. So afterwards we ate at The Gage on Michigan Avenue in Chicago with Jeffrey and Jimmy. We had their terrific Scotch Eggs, some great asparagus, Spicy Gazpacho with yellow tomatoes, Giant Noodle Soup…really out of the 12 or so dishes we had I don’t think there was a dud in the bunch. All way yummy…and a flight of rosés to drink, my favorite!]]>
Summer 2007tag:www.galegand.com,2007://3.42007-10-11T22:58:15Z2009-04-06T03:38:37ZI thought you might want to hear some of the culinary highlights of my 2007 summer, or maybe you were part of them! My garden gave us the usual rhubarb, tomatoes and herbs, though not a great crop this year,...
I thought you might want to hear some of the culinary highlights of my 2007 summer, or maybe you were part of them! My garden gave us the usual rhubarb, tomatoes and herbs, though not a great crop this year, I think, because of the rain. It was too dry and then too wet so stuff grew funky and sparse this year. But Gio and I did have a good foraged crop of ramps this year from our woods and more restaurants than last year (I have 5 now) to sell them too.
We picked strawberries from Thompson farm in Wisconsin. In June and my friend Kathy and I had one of our all day jam sessions (not the musical kind). We used a little rhubarb from my garden for the last batch. I missed all the other picking we usually do like blueberries, but went to the farmer's market almost every week for produce.
In July I did a cooking demo at the Green City Market again this year during peach season. I made a Peaches and Cream Crumb Cake for it and my two little girls even helped a bit in their new Chef Ware chef coats.
In August I cooked on a Silver Sea cruise that sailed from Athens to Venice, stopping at various Greeks islands and parts of Croatia. I took my buddy since 7th grade, Judy along to help out. Some of the food highlights were in the Munich airport we tried a sort of bread pudding with custard over it but it was really like cubed up pancakes doused in vanilla custard sauce with a side of applesauce. Next were the memorable Broad Beans in Tomato Sauce at Tou Soura in the Plaka, the oldest part of modern Athens. We also had a Greek Salad, which contained cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes, capers and feta but no lettuce like what I was accustomed to in the US. They served us ice-cold watermelon for dessert and it was the perfect ending for the meal. In the Central Market of Athens which is their covered and open-air food market I saw whole lambs hanging along with chickens and sides of beef. There were tables covered with ice displaying all kinds of fish and shellfish and then more tables with myriad dried fruits and exotic nuts. We bought some peanuts that had a honey coating and then were covered in sesame seeds plus some huge roasted and salt-coated pumpkin type seeds. We did a tasting at nearly every bakery we passed and one of the best things was a spongy yeasty dough soaked in syrup, but sorry I didn't catch the name. For breakfast there was killer thick Greek yogurt, which I imagine there is just called...yogurt!
I gave two cooking demonstrations on the ship and had to oversee the preparation of one of my signature desserts each night. For demos I did Pavlova and then Phyllo Fettuccine Nest with Sour Cream Ice Cream and Berries.
In Itea, one of the Greek islands, Judy, and a new friend from the cruise, Ina, and I walked into a bakery and I bought a small cheese pie, similar in size to a calzone. It had a flaky crust with a salty feta cheese filling and was hot. Then we went across the street to a taverna and were seated at a table that was under a vine-covered pergola. We ordered eggplant salad, which is made with mayo and mashed roasted eggplant, a Greek Salad, which like the one in Athens had no lettuce but all the other things, tzadziki (sp) which is a cucumber, yogurt and mayo spread that like the eggplant salad you spread on bread and both were yummy. There was sautéed shrimp which came whole and in a soft shell so you eat the whole thing. We broke the heads off and just ate the tails which were sweet and delicious. There was also moussaka, which is similar to eggplant Parmesan but it has a layer of a cheese custard that makes it unique. And lastly the eggplant special which was sliced eggplant baked with onion, tomatoes, and garlic on top.
We stopped at another bakery where we bought a piece of baklava and two other similar pastries which the woman had Judy repeat the name of 6 times but we still can't remember what it was. We also had been eyeing (since Athens) these ice cream cones they sell at bakeries. They are small sugar cones with vanilla ice cream, chocolate coating and crushed pistachios. It's like a Greek version of a Nutty Buddy and really good but the ice cream is not rich like American. It is more like an ice milk.
In Corfu we went to the Olive Oil Museum where we started with a shot of Ouzo. There were antique presses and barrels, etc. We went to a very famous restaurant for lunch, Tripa. We were served a plate of feta cheese, sliced bread, a Greek salad that had grape tomatoes as well as tomato wedges, olives, onions, and carrots over a bed of shredded cabbage with an oil and vinegar dressing. There was also eggplant salad and tzatziki, moussaka, braised beef in a brown gravy and fried potatoes. For dessert there was yogurt with bergamot (a citrus fruit) and honey. Corfu has many kumquat trees so there are many products made from them. On our way back to the main town we saw a lot of old olive trees, some of which had been planted in the 1400's. We went to a small café and had Frappes, which are espresso, sugar, water and milk over ice.
In Croatia we went to Dubrovnik and then went 20 km outside the city to the Knavle Valley to the Cilipi Village. We went to the Novakovic family farm and home. The house is 400 years old. During the war of 1991 it was bombed and when they returned only the walls were standing. It has been rebuilt and they grow and raise everything there including chickens, horses, figs, tomatoes, squash, herbs, etc. It's a beautiful place. We walked in and they gave us a glass of sweet wine, similar to sherry, which they make there. Then we toured the property and went in to lunch where they served us a glass of herb wine, similar to grappa. They first served us a plate of homemade cheeses and prosciutto style ham with bread, green olives and grape tomatoes. The first cheese was a young goat cheese that had the texture of fresh mozzarella and was mild and slightly sweet, especially for a goat cheese. The second was an aged cows milk cheese with fine pinholes and the flavor was kind of mushroomie and earthy. Next they served us sautéed chicken, smashed boiled potatoes with chives, red beans that were cold and tomato slices with yellow bell peppers. For dessert they brought out bowls of grapes and fresh ripe figs. While we were eating two men came out with an accordion and a guitar and sang traditional songs as well as American, Mexican and Italian songs. It was great fun for all of us singing along.
In Venice we went to Harry's Bar, a very famous restaurant where the Bellini was invented and carpaccio (very thin sliced meat) was first served for a client on a diet. We started with a bellini each and beef carpaccio served with the traditional anchovy mayonnaise dressing and a side of mixed greens for on top. Then we split a shrimp and artichoke risotto and veal ravioli with a veal reduction sauce.
Later in August we met up for the annual summer get together with my husband's side of the family. This year it was in Kennebunkport Maine, home of the Lobster Roll. We had a delicious meal at the Red Barn Inn, a Relais Chateau property, had Maine fried shrimp and raspberry pie at Mabels' and had steamed lobster and blueberry pie (Maine blueberries, which are tiny bush berries) at Nunan's where they make a good root beer. Oh, and lobster rolls at almost every stop, the best being from Alison's. We stayed at the Colony Inn where they serve tea every afternoon at 4:00...how civilized, though we weren't by that late in the day.
The James Beard Sunday Supper at Chelsea Market event was such a great one. I couldn’t figure out how we were going to feed 240 people in an orderly fashion but it was fine, and beautiful too. They lined Chelsea Market's central walkway with 4 long continuous tables and it looked so inviting. Everything was served family style by 38 chefs from around the country. I was hosted by Sara Beth (Levine) so I got to prep in her huge bakery kitchen, which she told me had just before that been host to Meryl Streep as she filmed a new movie where she plays a pastry chef. (No, not the one where she plays Julia Child…that’s next). The kitchen was dreamy to work in with lots of marble counter space and ovens. Deck, rotating or convection ovens ... anything I wanted. And she was a blast! Plus her Cheese Danish I had, right out of the oven, were practically making me forget my name they were so good.
I made Pavlova, (I see a pattern here) but for 240 so I made 18 of them, and then sliced them up before they went out to the tables. They were colorfully covered with berries and kiwi kindly donated by Manhattan Fruit Exchange. Other chefs included Melissa Kelly from Rockland Maine with her home grown fava beans in her dish of Spring Succotash with Florida Zellwood Corn and Primo Salad, Nora Pouillon from Washington DC with her House-Cured Grass-Fed Bresola with Hearts of Palm and Preserved Lemon Parsley Salad.
This month we also went to the Coonley House, designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright in Riverside Illinois, for a tour before I cook there May 16th for a Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Fund dinner. My chef friend Tim Scott from Macy’s in Minneapolis met me there because he is providing the savory courses for this $1350 a plate meal.. I’ll do the breads, cheese, dessert and petit fours. Built in 1907 this house is touted as the largest (and possibly the finest) example of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie style. We got a complete tour of the house, coach house and garden where we’ll be serving. Guests will get an extensive tour of the grounds, with nibbles along the way and then enjoy a sit down multi-course dinner Tim and I will prepare. I love FLW’s work so this is a real treat for me to cook and serve my food in one of his spaces. And the house is in pristine restored condition so it’s quite a masterpiece. We happened to pass 2 more FLW homes driving around the neighborhood so now I can add those to my list of FLW structures I’ve seen.
This month I got to do something I’ve been meaning to do for a while-make a batch of my Gale’s Root Beer with real cane sugar! I wanted to try it a while ago but I had to wait till this batch of printed labels ran out, so this was the month it finally happened. And I’m very happy with it. It’s a little more expensive to make, but worth it for the better taste and the fact that my friend Marthe, who is allergic to fructose, can now try my brew. (You’re welcome.)
Chicago Housewares Show demo at McCormick Place was fun. With Easter coming up I thought I’d do my mother-in-laws recipe for Ricotta Doughnuts, since that’s what I make at home each year while the kids are hunting for their Easter Eggs. It’s easy to just stir the batter together and then I deep fry them, just in my 3 quart All Clad pot (All Clad was the sponsor of the cooking stage). I got to see my buddy Ming Tsai (I have a show I did with him that’s airing June 14th in Chicago) from Boston who was on before me, and Marcus Samuelsson from New York, too.
Then in the evening we were all cooking at the Common Threads event at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Art Smith’s fund raiser to help raise money for kids after school cooking programs that help teach cultural diversity through food and cooking. It’s always a party with lots of Food celebs like Tyler Florence, Gail Simmons from Top Chef, Paula Dean, The Hearty Boys ... shall I go on? And the food is always great. I especially liked Chris Pandel’s (The Bristol in Chicago), Lamb Loin Carpaccio with Lentils, Pomegranate, and an Almond-apricot Puree and I couldn’t stop eating the crepes from Paul Kahan’s team at Avec. Meg, my pastry chef from Tru prepared Chocolate Mousse 2 ways with Lime Gelee and Thyme Syrup. My friend Kathy and I helped (we were a help, right Meg?) her plate up and chat up the guests while my husband went from station to station giving samples of our dish and getting samples of everyone else’s dishes so we could taste. Mighty Leaf tea always has some nice things to try and this night is was their new Organic Detox Infusion iced tea.
I participated in the Robert Morris College Culinary Symposium’s panel discussion on Woman in the Kitchen, along with Carrie Nahabedian from NAHA, Shelley Young from the Chopping Block, and journalist Camille Stagg. After the hour long discussion I sold copies of Short and Sweet to the students and got to meet the future chefs coming out of that great culinary program.
Events I Went To
One sunny afternoon we went for a tour of the Pilsen neighborhood for AIWF, which I’m a board member of in Chicago. That’s our “Little Mexico” with tortilla factories, goat head taco’s, chicharróns and delicious tamales on the street. We started at a restaurant called Mundial-Cocina Mestiza at 1640 W 18th St ; (312-491-9908). The menu we sampled was:
The day Kathy and I went to make the new batch of root beer with cane sugar I took her to my favorite place on the south side of Chicago for BLTs, Ramova Grill. They were as wonderfully retro as they always are-hot bacon which ever-so-slightly melts the cold mayonnaise and warms the slice of tomato, on toasted white bread. Perfection!
While Jimmy and I were in New York for the Sunday Supper James Beard event we took the subway to Doughnut Plant on Grand Street on the lower east side. It’s a little doughnut place that does interesting flavors (for doughnuts) like Crème Brulee, Meyer Lemon, and Cashew, and they make their own jams and jelly for their jelly doughnuts. We got a dozen or so plus a tee shirt. My favorites were the Tres Leches and the square shaped Coconut Glazed Coconut Cream. I guess that’s maybe why they won Bakery of the Year from Baking Buyer magazine in 2008.
We went to dinner at Susur Lee’s new place, Shang, on Orchard Street in New York and arrived with our box of doughnuts. So we needed a table for 3. We liked our meal at Shang very much, especially the Homemade Steamed Soy Spinach Tofu with Chanterelles, black and white tree ear mushrooms and soy juice, which was kind of like a soufflé or flan and really delicious. We also loved the Cantonese Wok Fried Pearl Noodles with shrimp. To look at the menu go to their web site. We did the taste test of the doughnuts back at the Hotel (The Duane) so Susur, if you’re reading this, sorry we didn’t have dessert. I needed to save room for the doughnut tasting. It’s important to pace yourself in this serious business of finding the best of the best. And this is a perfect example of this.
]]>
