What I ate and cooked this weekend

Saturday.  Bearface and I were looking for Potter’s Pasties and wound up at Glockenspiel in St Paul.  We ate:

• Fried fish sandwich with spatzle and gravy
• Spargletoast – asparagus, mushrooms and cheese baked on toast
• Potato pancakes with sour cream and applesauce
• Black Forest Strudel

Deciding what to order with Bearface can sometimes be a challenge because he often does not express much direction in figuring out what to eat but when I read the description of Spargletoast off of the menu, Bearface said, “That!  You had me at asparagus.”  It was simple, rich, and delicious.  I loved the thick toast and also being a fan of asparagus, mushrooms and cheese, its was hard to go wrong.  I have been craving fried fish for what’s going on a few weeks now and it is almost to the point that I am going to break down at get a Filet-O-Fish sammich.  Since my efforts to get the donut committee (or anyone) to a fish fry Friday at the Red Stag Supperclub, I was excited about the fish sandwich.  It did a good job of reminding me why I get these massive fried fish cravings and made me want more.  The disappointment was the Black Forest Strudel: I was just warm chocolate cake with cherries inside of a thin, soggy, chewy strudel ring.  The cake was adequately tasty and the real whipped cream on top was perfect but the strudel did nothing to add to the dessert. 

Sunday.  Key’s Cafe at the Foshay Towel in Minneapolis.  We ate:

• Turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and canned green beans
• Huevos Rancheros
• Grits
• Buttermilk Pancake

• Bloody Mary
• Blueberry, Apple, and Peach Pie
• Almond Sliver Cake

Visit effingGood for a full recount of our meal. 

Sunday.  I cooked:

• Eggplant and mushroom massaman curry
• Fruit salad

• Mixed berry pie

Tomato Tart Dinner

The Donut Committee scheduled a meeting for dinner Tuesday night at Bear Face’s new apartment.  It was perfect because Betty Deville just sent me this Cherry Tomato Tart recipe and I found this Raspberry Lemonade Marshmallow recipe and was ready to build a meal around the two.  With the weather being as hot as it had been, I thought a cold grilled vegetable salad would be good and my favorite grilled vegetable is yellow beets.  Preparation started Sunday with a trip to the Minneapolis Farmers Market with Betty Deville for cherry tomatoes, yellow beets, basil, and zucchini.  I also picked up onions and garlic.  Betty picked up some lovely flowers for a hostess gift and for herself. 

Next, I made the marshmallows with the fry/candy thermometer Mojo Monster bought me and raspberries out of my garden that had been frozen for storage.  I almost killed the stand mixer whipping the cooked sugar into fluff but I got them in the pan to set and Mojo Monster and I licked the bow, beaters, and any other utensils the candy touched clean.  I left the set up over night and cut them up into cute little squares Monday.  Definitely did not grease the pan enough.  In the future I will likely use wax paper and a deeper pan to make the marshmallows come out cleaner and more cube shaped.  I added lemon zest to the sugar and corn starch I tossed the cut marshmallows in because I didn’t think they had enough lemon flavor which greatly enhanced the flavor but made the mixture clump and hard to coat with.  This is the first time I’ve ever made marshmallows and I really like them.  They are easy to make and taste like candy but still also taste like real food instead of the processed ones you buy at the store that just taste like sweetness.

Dinner was scheduled for Tuesday but Bear Face and our dancer friend could not make it.  I had all the produce, made the marshmallows, and was busy the rest of the week, so I decided to cook anyway.  I made my standard pie crust instead of the heavy cream based crust the Tomato Tart recipe calls for on accident.  I definitely will try their crust next time because I am curious about the heavy cream crust.  I was shocked to see the tomato tart was supposed to cook for 1 hr and 40 min at 325 degrees.  I cooked it for 1 hr 10 min and it was perfect.  I also put onion and garlic in a dish of olive oil and roasted that in the oven with the tart.  When I served the tart I brushed the roasted tomatoes with the oil.  There was oil left over which will also be really good for dipping crunchy french bread in at a later date and time.

It was so hot outside I didn’t want to have the oven or anything in the house making heat longer than I had to so I set up my little Smokey-Joe grill out back and lit some charcoals up to grill the vegetables. 

I grilled giant portobello mushrooms and sliced baby eggplant from Costco and yellow beets, yellow zucchini, and green zucchini from the farmers market, brushed with olive oil and with salt and pepper.  I overcooked some of the vegetables that went on first and undercooked some of the vegetables that went on last.  I am still learning about grilling over charcoal because the temperature fluctuates and varies depending on grill position and how long the coals have been burning.  Over or under-cooked, all the vegetables were still palatable except for a few pieces of extra chewy eggplant which I ate anyway. 

Pretty Boy was assigned cold cuts, cheese, and “fancy crackers” for his contribution to the meal.  He brough sliced ham and smoked turkey, a sharp cheddar and a spicy pepperjack to go with the garlic peppercorn gouda Mojo Monster had in the fridge, and whole wheat crackers and sesame rice crackers. 

Betty Deville was on the marshmallow accompanying dessert and drink concoction.  She brough Castle Rock Organic Farms vanilla ice cream, A Gourmet Thyme pistachio shortbread, and a Chocolove dark chocolate bar.  For drinks, she combined a basil lemonade recipe with a citrus white wine cooler recipe to make her own unique concoction of basil simple syrup, lemon juice, white wine, and sparkling water.  With a slice of lemon in it, it was beautiful and delicious.

Betty Deville, Pretty Boy, and I had a delightful dinner in my kitchen hiding from the hear, where we did not discuss any of the agenda items the committee is supposed to be addressing.  Oh, well. 

After dinner, I packed all the leftovers into three big “snack boxes” for Bear Face and Pretty Boy.  Bear Face got two snack boxes and even got mason jars of the drink concoction and ice cream.  Pretty Boy got one snack box and took his to work the next day.  He said the tart crust  wasn’t as good but he still ate it all.  For someone who doesn’t like tomatoes or mushrooms, I put together a pretty tough meal for him, but as always, he was up for trying a little and was quite surprised he actually like the tomato tart. 

It was a great summertime meal with great people.  I am excited to start planning our next committee dinner and Betty Deville is excited to start experimenting with herb-booze concoctions.  We are getting into a nice pattern of getting together on the weekend to buy treats and getting together during the week to cook dinner.  I hope it continues.

Potter’s Pasties and Pies

Monday morning I was sent a link from my dancer friend to a story about the food truck scene which is exploding in Minneapolis and St Paul this summer.  I recently tracked down the Chef Shack on three separate occasions and ready for more  food truck adventures.  I had not heard of any of the three trucks mentioned.  Of them, one was in downtown Minneapolis (I work in downtown St Paul) and the other was only out for lunch on Wednesdays.  That left Potter’s Pasties and Pies, a truck that sells lunch out of Mears Park and Rice Park (within walking distance of my building) in St Paul.  I’d never heard of Potter’s, and I love pasties and pies, and I look for any excuse to leave the office for long lunch adventures.  The article said they park at either Mears Park or Rice Park, so I started online stalking to find out where they would be and starting forming a plan to bolt out of the office and go roaming for pasties.

Lunchtime kept approaching with no update on Potter’s location, just a tweet about lunch delivery.  The weather on Monday was as ridiculous as it has been all this week in the wonderfully crazy state of Minnesota with record high heat indexes which was my biggest deterrent to just jumping in the car and driving around downtown looking for pasties.  So lunch delivery presented very attractive alternative.  I was fixated on the prospect of pasties and wanted to make it happen.  When I mentioned that they would deliver (and the $25 minimum delivery order) to my officemate and she said she would gladly forego the salad she brough for lunch in favor of delivered pasties, the deal was sealed.  It took a bit of online stalking talent to find an outdated menu to order off of and a phone number to call, but a little before noon, I placed my order for one traditional minced beef pasty, one chicken pot pie pasty, one pork, onion and apple pasty, one ginger mint limeade, and a slice of Banoffee pie.  My coworker order a pork and a chicken. 

Half an hour later, a very sweet and sweaty man (who I’m pretty sure was owner/baker Alex Duncan himself) arrived with a delightful package of goodies.  He stayed and chatted a bit about his truck and where he preps out of and how it was just too hot to have the truck out.  It was really special to hear him talk about it and see how excited he was to share what he is doing with us.  And holy moly, am I glad he chose to share!

I started with a corner of the traditional beef pasty.  They must have been fresh out of the oven because I couldn’t believe how warm and crisp the pasty crust was.  Cutting into it, the crust had a wonderful flaky yet substantial texture, steam came rolling out of the filling pocket, and both the crust and filling smelled wonderful.  It was delicious and it too all I could not to scarf the entire thing down.  Both the crust and filling where exceptional.  The potatoes were so flavorful and everything was the perfect texture and consistency.  I tried a corner of the chicken pot pie next.  Equally as amazing crust, and the filling was quite good but not as exceptional and remarkable as the minced beef filling.  (It is hard to be impressed by any creamed chicken or chicken pot pie after Brasa Rotisserie‘s pulled chicken.)  The pork, onion, and apple pasty was last.  I think I would have like it more had I eaten it first.  The ingredients all played well together and the texture was good but the overall impact was not as strong as the minced beef or the chicken pot pie. 

The Banoffee pie had mostly melted in its journey to our office but the flavors were still good and I gobbled it all up anyway.  I can see its potential and will try it again when the heat index is so high.  The ginger mint limeade was very interesting.  I am a great lover of ginger and limeade so would have liked those two flavors to be stronger, and the mint was barely discernible but adequate for my taste.  Overall it was refreshing but not quite the right compliment for pasties.  Definitely needed some London weather and a cuppa as perfect accompaniments to delicious pasties!

 I ate about a third of each pie, brought a third of each to my father, and left a third of each at home for Mojo Monster.  My father voice approval which from him is a very high compliment and Mojo Monster also really enjoyed the pasties though neither got the full amazingness of the fresh baked crust.  It was about all I could do Tuesday when Potter’s tweeted they would be delivering again not to call them up and place another order.  I personally take issue with eating the same thing two days in a row, or two people ordering the same dish at restaurants (when there is so much good food out there to explore, why waste an opportunities), but these pasties were good enough to tempt me.  I will definitely be tracking the Potter’s Pasties and Pie truck down again soon and bringing everyone I know in tow.

Lucia’s Take Out and Popovers vs. Donuts

After posting incessantly on my facebook page about donuts, talking passionately about donuts, and even making some homemade donuts of my own, Very Intriguing Man told me that donuts were gross and popovers were totally “where it’s at.”  Being generally intrigued by Very Intriguing Man, I was even more intrigued by the prospect that anyone anywhere under any type of circumstances could imply that popovers could compare to, let alone replace, donuts.  He said the place to get popovers is Lucia’s Take Out. 

Now, I don’t have anything against popovers.  I can’t remember a specific occasion when I’ve had them from a restaurant but in the course of my eating history, I have tried popovers and they have not been spectacularly memorable.  Certainly not something that would compete with a donuts.  But conceptually, a popover sounds tasty.  After researching a bit about popovers, I found out that they are a dying menu item and that Lucia’s really is the place to get them.  I read this Heavy Table article about Lucia’s popovers and started to see the potential these eggy puffs could have. 

But it took some time to get Lucia’s to the top of the queue, so when this Sunday became popover judgement day, I was really excited and ready for there to be an epic comparison between my beloved donut and the popover.  And I really wanted there to be a heated comparison, so I was cheering for the popover!

Bear Face just secured a better apartment two floors up in his current building so he commandeered Betty Deville, a dancer friend, and I to help him move boxes up to his new place.  The plan was for us ladies to meet at Lucia’s right when they opened at 8 am, be all decide-y decide-y about their baked goods, and then bring them back to Bear Face’s place for breakfast and epic battle amidst the boxes. 

We got a plain croissant, an almond croissant, a double chocolate croissant, a strawberry cream cheese danish, a ham and cheese biscuit, a Gruyère cheese puff, 4 mini popovers, 6 Budapest Muffins, and a chocolate eclair.  I also got a pint of pesto pasta salad and roast yellow beet and spinach salad for after moving boxes. 

The eclair, ham and cheese biscuit, and plain croissant were all pretty good.  Quality and standard but nothing extra special.  The danish was below standard for me because it had strawberry and pistachio nut decorations on it but tasted neither like strawberries or pistachios, just tasted sweet.  The Gruyère cheese puff was quite good, and I think the room temperature cheese helped mask a little of the puff’s gooey-ness.  The Budapest muffins were like plain, sweet cupcakes, delicious but not something I would have to go back for.  Had I not had such high expectations for the muffins, I think I would have enjoyed them much more.  The double chocolate croissant was collectively the least favorite item.  Bear Face thought it could use a high quality chocolate.  I thought it was just too much chocolate.  Our dancer friend took two bites and flat-out refused to eat anymore.  She couldn’t quite articulate what is was she didn’t like but it was a strong enough dislike for her not to finish her piece (luckily Bear Face was all over that little bit).  The almond croissant was the clear winner: great almond flavor, good mix of gooey/sticky filling and flaky pastry.  Betty Deville and I ate the still crunchy butt pieces and were making inappropriate noises proportionate to the croissant’s tastiness.  Even our normally tight-lipped dancer friend made a few (still quite appropriate) noises of approval. 

And then there were the popovers.  They were a wonderful dark golden brown with a glistening sheen that promised lots of butter.  I should have suspected they couldn’t live up to the hype when all the popovers in the basket in the display case were deflated.  But I was still cheering for these underdogs.  Unfortunately, these popovers had none of the crispy, steamy, freshness that made them seem so appealing in the Heavy Table article.  Those our dancer friend was thinking enough to grab butter pats, even slathering the popovers with butter couldn’t save them.  They were soggy, eggy, and buttery.  I’m ok with eggy and buttery since that is what makes a good popover but not soggy.  I thought we were safe getting to Lucia’s right when the opened to get fresh popovers but apparently not.  I was very disappointed. 

Many factors might have contributed to what I am hoping was a fluke batch of popovers.  Weather (think heat index warning, rainforest-like conditions), weekend, take-out.  I don’t know.  I am definitely willing to give popovers another chance because I think I will love them fresh out of the oven, but I am not going to try and compare them to donuts.  It’s just not fair.  Very Intriguing Man, we need to have words. 

Eric Bibb and The Dakota Jazz Club

Last night Pretty Boy, Bear Face, two other friends and I went to hear Eric Bibb play at the Dakota.  Pretty Boy and I were late, because we got sidetracked by Mojo Monster’s vinyl collection after I finally hooked up her speakers and record player.  Led Zeppelin II on vinyl! 

As we didn’t show up earlier enough to join our other friend for dinner, I wasn’t planning on eating at the Dakota.  But I sat down and had a menu placed in front of me and couldn’t resist.  Pretty Boy had a Surly Furious, I had a glass of sparkling Cava, Cristalino, and we shared the Chocolate Souffle, Frozen Key Lime Mousse, and S’Mores desserts with Bear Face, all to the amazing acoustic Blues of Eric Bibb and his harmonic player. 

The souffle, topped with caramel corn and a corn creme anglaise was most intriguing but a little dry around the top.  After waiting the 30 minutes the menu stated it took to make a perfect souffle, it is hard for a dessert to live up to that expectation.  We fought over the bits of caramel corn, and Pretty Boy turned down the creme anglaise all together after tasting it. 

The frozen mousse had components with a lot of potential but did not quite come together as a dessert.  The three frozen rounds of mousse on top of a smear of whipped something (it was like tangy whipped cream) were too hard and failed to have the good texture of mousse or ice cream.  The key lime flavor was pretty good especially when paired with the pineapple pieces (I’ll overlook that they were from a can), ginger wafers, and candied orange peel that decorated the plate.  Pretty Boy was quite excited about the candied orange peel and rightly so!  The hibiscus sauce didn’t add much besides color to the plate.  The flavor combinations could have been outstanding but the potential was lost somewhere in the execution.  I think I might try using the flavors and altering some of the elements of this dessert in the future. 

The S’mores dessert was the table favorite: graham cracker ice cream, a fudge-like chocolate piece, and toasted meringue.  Assembly of the dessert on a utensil was a little challenging but the smooth ice cream filled with crunch graham bits with the bitter dark chocolate and fluffy, sweet meringue was a great combination.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there is something absolutely magical about burnt sugar. 

The night ended with a quick West Coast Swing dance on carpet (!) in shoes with rubber soles (!!) after a half a glass of champaign (!!!) by me and Bear Face in the corner hallway to one of Eric Bibbs closing numbers.  I think we were the youngest group at the show by a margin (not counting the two bored sons at the table in front of us accompanying their parents) and not the usual clientele at the Dakota.  Really not a dancing audience and the covered the real dance floor with tables, but that rarely stops us. 

Bear Face and Pretty Boy both gave the desserts 3 sporks out of 5.  I gave it 4 out of 5 because I am a sucker for that kind of swanky stuff.  And that was after clarifying that they should not take to price to portion size into account.  I’d say the food was good but not amazing, too much flash and not enough substance to the desserts, but the blues was about as good as it gets.  Same goes for the company!