I'm a cheesecake connoisseur, and it was awfully good. - Jim Les

Chandler: The other cheesecake came. They delivered it to the wrong address again.
Rachel: So, just bring it back downstairs. What's the problem?
Chandler: I can't seem to say good-bye


I love cheesecake. I love it a lot. My husband, on the other hand, dislikes it. He HATES cream cheese, which unfortunately keeps me from making any desserts that include it. That is unless I have a group of people I can make it for and July 4th was just that day!
I was feeling pretty patriotic when it came to food choices. We went with the All-American Hot Dogs and Burgers (please refrain from lecturing me on the true origins of said meats), cold beers, and random samplings of potato chips. But for dessert I wanted to go all out. I wanted to show the world (aka my friends at the BBQ) that I loved America and I loved Freedom (really I wanted to make a cheesecake and nothing more) and therefore I decided to go with a Patriotic Berry Cake of Cheese Dessert (again just a cheesecake with blueberries and raspberries on the top).

The recipe was simple and was taken from Epicurious.com with a few variations.

Make a graham cracker crust - use 1 1/2 packages (3 come in a regular box) of graham crackers,
5 tbsp. of butter melted, 1/3 C. of sugar and a little salt. Add all to a large ziploc and pound the
hell out of it. Press into your springfoam pan. Secure springfoam with tinfoil so that it doesn't open accidentally. Also, if you are setting the pan into a hot water bath, this will protect from leakage.

Preheat the oven to about 500 degrees

Five (5) 8oz packages of Cream Cheese
(Full fat! Nothing reduced...it's cheesecake!)
1 3/4 C. of sugar
3 tbsp. Flour
Zest of one lemon
Cream all of these ingredients together add
5 large eggs, one at a time
2 egg yolks, one at a time
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
Pour into your crust. Place on rack (or in water bath) and bake for about 12 minutes or until it's puffed up. I just did 12 minutes without the puffing. This may have caused some issues later on.
When it's puffed reduce heat to about 200 degrees and cook for 1 hour more. Then remove from oven and chill for at least 6 hours.

Now I have a very fussy oven. It's old and crappy. It doesn't even have a window on it, so whenever I bake I have to constantly open the oven door. So after the first 12 minutes, I decreased the temp and baked it for 60 minutes. It was NOT done, by any means. So I cooked it for another 15 minutes. STILL nothing changed. So I cranked up the heat to 350 degrees, and let it cook for about 15 minutes. It finally puffed. The top, a nice golden brown. I removed it from the oven, left it on the counter and let it set.
Once it was cooled, I made slices and added the berries.

The next day at our BBQ, I brought it out. I was a little worried because I hadn't tasted it yet and I wasn't sure if it was overcooked or what! But according to the people who ate ALL of it (yeah I kinda wanted one slice later for a midnight snack) it was great!

Patriotic Berry Cake of Cheese Dessert Success!!!

Cooking from my CSA

We got our CSA and I was very excited about what I found.
Garlic Scapes
Dill
Onion Blossoms
Shallots
Lettuce
Greens
Broccoli
I had a night off and I decided to do a little cooking. It had been so long I forgot how much I enjoyed it and how relaxing it can be. I had some salmon fillets and decided to make a nice little dill sauce to put on top. Just some mayo, fresh dill, pepper and fresh lemon juice.
I seasoned the salmon with salt, pepper and a little onion powder. I chopped up some of the fresh dill and sprinkled it on top of each fillet and then roasted those bad boys for about 15-20 minutes...I think.
I roasted the broccoli with a little olive oil and sea salt. This is the only way Karl will eat broccoli so we have it often. Oh and don't think I am complaining because it is A-MAZ-ING!
I needed a starch. Whenever I make big meal I like to have a veggie, a protein and a starch. Call me old fashioned if you must, but it's how I roll.
I decided on Garlic Scape Mashed Potatoes.
I was worried. I had just learned what a garlic scape was THE DAY BEFORE I GOT THEM and never really had time to research recipes or anything, but I decided I was just going to go for it.
I whipped up my mashed potatoes how I usually do (boil the potatoes in a nice salt water, drain, add heavy whipping cream, butter, salt and pepper....yeah I can't make these that often or I would be 752 pounds) but instead of just adding roasted garlic to make the potatoes I added the scapes. I minced those suckers and sauteed them in an olive oil and butter mixture. Once they were a little tender I just tossed them into the potatoes. The light garlic flavor with a chive texture mixed into the creamy potatoes was...well...bomb as hell!
I was proud of myself
I also created a little salted monkey bread, but it was from a package and it was only mediocre. I will try that little recipe again later....no worries. All in all a great meal.

The CSA is coming

My friend Maureen and I are splitting a CSA this year and I am extremely excited about it. For those who don't know CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, it's from farm to table with little travel in between. Every week a box of local, fresh and in our case organic vegetables are dropped off for us usually at a farmers market or a predetermined destination.

Even though I am pumped, I am also a little nervous. There will be so many new vegetables that I may have tried in a restaurant or two but never cooked at home. I see many cookbook research projects and recipe blog hunts in my future.

Haute Stoner Cuisine

Photo Illustration by Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

All over the US chefs are using marijuana as a way to develop and enjoy delicious food. Apparently it's not that new of an idea, but now chefs are much more open about it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/dining/19pot.html?ref=dining

Some HIGH(get it?)lights of the article

"Haute stoner cuisine is a way to reach a generation that was raised on Sprite and Funyuns and who never thought fancy restaurant food was for them..."

“We’ve shattered who is getting good food now,” he said. “It’s this silent message to everyone, to the every-day dude. It’s like come here, here’s a cuisine for you that will fill you up from the inside and make you feel whole and good. Weed is just a portal.”

"Slow-cooked quail eggs and caviar...[is called] the Lincecum, after Tim Lincecum, the star pitcher for the San Francisco Giants who was arrested last fall after police found marijuana and a pipe in his car."

"Even for people who don’t use illegal drugs, the deep flavors and sensory appeal of dishes like the breakfast burrito pizza at Roberta’s in Bushwick, Brooklyn, have an undeniable appeal. They plug directly into the reptilian portion of our brains, the side that wants what it wants and wants it now — and also a big bowl of it, please"

Honestly, I think this idea is really interesting and extremely smart. Weed isn't found only in the basement where a twenty-something dwells wearing tie-dye t-shirt, listening to the Grateful Dead with a Bob Marley poster on the wall. It's found in the urine sample of IT guys, teachers, editors, accountants and stay at home parents. And yes these people aren't all rushing to Blackbird after they take a hit. More often than not they are walking over to Charcoal Delights or to 7-11, but they should have options.

Five Guys Burgers and, oh yes, Fries

I love burgers and fries. Seriously. I love taking a bite of a delicious burger, covered in my favorite toppings, with a perfectly toasted bun with a side of hot, salty fries. HOT DAMN! How can you not love that!?! If you don't love burgers and fries something is wrong with you. There I said it. (Vegetarians and Vegans are not included in that last statement. Although, you are missing out. I'm just sayin')

With that I give you Five Guys Burgers and Fries.
Probably one of the better fast food burger joints around.

Now I know what you're thinking "Sterling! What about Kumas or whatever other burger joint people love?" Yes I love places like that, but that's not what I'm talking about here. I am talking about a quick burger place that satisfies your cravings without having to wait 45 minutes to get a table. Five Guys does just that.

My sister used to talk about Five Guys and she would always ask if Chicago had one yet. I would sigh, say no and continue to eat my Burger King in utter disappointment. That is until about a year and a half ago when Five Guys opened a few locations in this glorious city of ours.

What I like about Five Guys is that their menu is small and they cook it when you order it. No microwave patties here just deliciousness. If you are a West Coast native craving In-n-Out I think you will like Five Guys. No there are no Bible verses on the cups but the burgers will more than likely satisfy that unfulfilled craving for a double-double.

So basically all I am saying here is that you should go. It's good eatin'.

Mr. President's favorite restaurant

On Sunday morning I woke up and was really excited that one, there was no alarm buzzing in my ear and two, it was bright and sunny. I turned to the husband and said "We should go get brunch" "I'm down with that" he replied. That's usually where the excitement ends because ever since we've been together we have gotten super pumped about brunch and then we always get stuck eating at a shitty diner where I order flavorless french toast and he get's some chorizo and eggs concoction. But that didn't happen this time. It was like God was smiling down on us and said "Hey, you deserve a delicious brunch for once" So with that I say thank GOD for the Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop.

We drove up California/Dodge all the way to Evanston, had a fifteen minute wait, and got out food in less than ten minutes! Usually I am a little wary of places that deliver food with such speed, but this was pretty damn good. The husband ordered the Cajun Biscuits and Gravy, I had the Fried Catfish with Cheesy Grits and for an appetizer, the Beignets: deep fried dough doused in powdered sugar.

While eating I thought about how excited I was to bring my parents and in-laws here. Specifically my mom. Growing up and visiting family in Florida Grits and Catfish were kind of a staple and I've never been able to find a place outside of my aunt and uncles house that could do it right. But now, I think I have.

So all in all I'm really happy I finally found a go-to brunch place and I am also pretty pumped that Obama has such awesome taste in restaurants. AND if you want to go next Sunday I'm down. For real.

Oh that dinner party

So I like to cook. Obviously. I never claim to actually be a good cook, I just can cook. I can read a recipe and make whatever it is prepping me to make. I can start cooking something and when it starts to fail I can turn it into something else without panicking. I can come home, look in the fridge, toss a few things together and voila dinner. And it's actually pretty good.
I just thought I would share that. Mainly because this was one of the many topics we had during a dinner party last Saturday

A few friends got together and had a very fancy dinner party. We had wine pairings, a cocktail hour and different courses. It was AWESOME! My friend Adrian made this amazing bbq pork and excellent wheat bread that was made with a little extra yeast and a whole lotta love (bahaha sorry).
My friend Maureen made a white bean soup, and a crepe cake that was made up of layers of wheat crepes, mascarpone cheese with a little whiskey and orange zest. YUM!
I made mushroom mac-n-cheese which was only so so in my opinion, scalloped tomatoes which were pretty damn good and a key lime curd tart with dark chocolate ganache and a graham cracker. It seemed like a people enjoyed it, and not just Karl.
We had Manhattans and Sazerac's made by Chaz which were super tasty! Chocolate Martini's by Chad, many toasts done by Celia, and great conversations with Kate.

All in all a great dinner party!

Now for some recipes
(FYI the pictures are not my own but they will be up soon!)

Scalloped Tomatoes
The Barefoot Contessa came up with this delicious recipe. I really enjoyed it
Half of a baguette chopped
2lbs of Roma Tomatoes chopped
1/2 C. of Parmesan cheese grated
Two cloves of garlic
FRESH basil (must be fresh! for reals)
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
So heat up the olive oil in a pan, add the bread. Toast it up
Add the tomatoes and saute for a few minutes
Add garlic
Add Basil and take off the heat.
Pour into a dish a sprinkle the cheese on top
Bake for 35 minutes
The smell is outstanding and it tastes so fresh. It's so simple, but really delicious
Next up
Key Lime Tart with Graham Cracker Crust and Dark Chocolate Ganache
Basically I took three separate recipes and mashed them together. Oh and after making this I discovered a better way cook the chocolate

Key Lime Curd
I used the recipe from Bon Appetit for the curd. BTW, I made the curd 5 hours in advance and it turned out really well. There was very little need to have it chill overnight. Also, the curd was good, but it didn't cover the tart pan so next time I might double it just to get a bit more and use the left overs in the morning for my yogurt, or to add on top of chocolate chip pancakes.

Graham Cracker Crust
I used a recipe I've had for awhile, but here is one for you. Remember this is for a tart NOT for a pie so maybe you should half the crust recipe. Also, I like my crust a little more crumbly so I don't pound the graham crackers into a dust and then press, I just crunch them up, add the sugar, add the butter and mix and press.

Dark Chocolate Ganache
Basically get about 10 oz of good dark chocolate and make sure it's 65% cocoa. Melt it in a double broiler with a little bit of cream and a bit of sugar. Add it to the top of the tart and let it set a bit in the fridge before serving.

If you chill the tart, make sure you have it out on the counter for like 30 minutes before serving. That way the chocolate can melt a bit and it's easier to dig into.Again this is NOT my photo (no meringue on top for me!)