tammylc

Thanks, annarborfoodie. I'm sad that you won't be able to join us for the whole event, but we'd love to see you for whatever part of it you can make. PM me if you want contact information to connect up with us. Or perhaps you can come for Friday dinner or Sunday breakfast?

Farmer's Market Report There's lots of beautiful fruit - blueberries, raspberries, cherries. As for vegetables, a TON of zuchini and various kinds of summer squash. Also green beans, beets, new and red potatoes, some greens, and the beginnings of tomatoes and peppers - hopefully by next week the quality and quantity of those will have improved. It's not too late to sign up for a course - here's the current rundown. Hors D'ouevres - CaliPoutine (goat cheese and fig jam crostini) Salad - Torakris Soup - Devilkitty Fish (or Flesh) - Devilkitty Meat (or Poultry) - tammylc Vegetable side dish - Edsel Dessert - CaliPoutine (outrageous brownies), Sam Iam (musician's tart) I have friends who I think are coming and are planning to do a course - I need to confirm with them. Anyone else want to volunteer? We could use a pasta course. I expect we'll pick up some cheese and charcuterie and fruit to nosh on either before or after dinner, and that various other creations will be created as we go.

Do we have any coffee geeks/fans in the crowd? My hubbie was talking to Alan from Zingerman's new coffee roasting company tonight, and asked if we might be able to make a stop there too. Alan's offering to do a cupping or other activity for anyone who might be interested. Our day is already pretty busy, but if there's a group who'd be interested in this, we can coordinate a time. Please let me know.

After we're done at the Creamery we'll be heading down to the Farmer's Market area, where there are lots of lunch options - there's Kosmo Deli in the market with excellent Bi Bim Bop, Kav's Kafe with really good quiche and more, Zingerman's Deli, Mysore Woodlands vegetarian Indian, and more. Lunch will be on your own. If there's something particular someone's interested in, I'll be happy to offer suggestions.

We are lucky to have a number of good wine shops in Ann Arbor, and I've been spreading my purchasing around. But yes, for this one I was planning to buy from Village Corner because they have such a good selection and are so knowledgeable about German wines.

Thanks Brad - as is obvious, my understanding of German wine terminology is surface-level at best!

Just thought I'd post an update. (And another question, of course.) So far we've had three meetings of the wine club, and everyone's having a great time! We've had 10-12 people at each meeting. At our first meeting we tasted 4 white wines - a chardonnay, reisling, sauvignon blanc, and pinot grigio. I purchased all of the wines (with guidance for my helpful wine store owner) and people chipped in to cover the costs. We tasted them blind, all of us tasting the same wine at the same time, and discussed what we were noticing. I made up some tasting sheets and talked about the different characteristics of wine in general (aroma, body, acidity, etc) and also a description of what to expect from each of the varietals. Everyone had four separate glasses so they were able to go back and forth and compare the wines, and people really liked that. The tasting sheet included a spot to rate how well you liked the win on a five point scale. After we'd tasted all four wines we took off the bags and got to see how well we'd done at guessing which was which. The format for the second meeting was the same, only with reds - pinot noir, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah. Those of us who are more on the wine geek end of the spectrum were really surprised that our favorite of the four was the California Cab (2001 Pierano Estate Vineyards Lodi), so for our next meeting we decided to focus on cabernet sauvignon. The group generally only has time to meet for about an hour, and we're usually meeting on a weeknight and thus not wanting to drink a lot, so four wines seems to be about the right number. But that can make it hard to get a good cross section to compare. For the Cab meeting I got a bottle of Bordeaux, one from Chile, a mid-priced California Cab, and a bottle of Two-Buck Chuck as a ringer. The group had requested that we start serving food with the wine, so based on the advice of my cheesemonger, I picked up a Cantal and a really stinky brie. First we tasted the four wines on their own and gave them a score on their own, then we tasted them with food and scored them again. Although Cabernet was probably not the best place to start experimenting with food pairings, there were definitely some significant differences. The Two-Buck Chuck actually scored reasonably well on its own, but fell apart utterly when tasted with food. The other California Cab (2002 Echelon) got much better when the rich cheese mellowed out some of the harsh tannins. Okay, now on to the question. We've decided to go back to white wines for our next meeting, and the group picked Germany as our destination. Now, obviously what wines I get will be influenced by what my wine seller has available (luckily I have a wine seller locally who usually has an excellent selection of German wines) but any thoughts on what direction to take the tasting? Rieslings at different levels of ripeness (kabinett, spatlese, auslese)? I'd love to open a bottle with some age on it for comparison purposes, but I don't have a cellar and the store is unlikely to have much (I did stumble across some there a couple years ago - however my friend bought them all). All kabinett or spatlese, but different regions or different producers? Any thoughts or ideas? LOS - thanks for the ideas - I think the group could really get into that sort of thing now, so I'll keep that in mind for a future meeting. Especially the more structured suggestions for the wine and food pairing experiment - do you have any other specific suggestions/ combinations along those lines?

My favorite green bean preparation is to stir fry them. I use canola or vegetable oil with a dash of sesame oil for flavor, then cook them at very high heat until they start to brown. Add some chopped garlic and maybe some ginger or red pepper flakes, and cook that just for 30 seconds or so, then add some soy sauce and cook for a minute or so longer. I always win raves. To add some visual interest and taste, you can add sliced red pepper. I've recently started doing this on the grill as well. I use a grill basket (I lose a few beans, but not too many). Instead of adding the items one by one like above, I just mix up all of the ingredients and marinade the beans in it while I'm getting the grill hot. Then cook them in the grill basket in a couple of batches until charred. You can toss them with some leftover marinade for extra flavor. While I love the stir fry version, grilling them definitely adds a nice smoky undertone.

With the gathering just over a week away I'm bumping this up in case any more of our Canadian friends want to join us. C'mon, you know you wanna... When else are you going to get a chance to hang out with such eGullet luminaries as Fat Guy, torakris, and Ronnie_Suburban?

I sent out PM last night with directions to everyone on Alex's most recent list (except you, Fat Guy, since you're getting chauffer service). If you didn't get the message, please let me know.

Where does the time go? We're just 10 days away from the Heartland Gathering! Anybody else want to hop on board? Any of our "tentative" yesses want to take the leap and commit? Assuming the little guy gives me enough time to manage it, tonight I'll send out directions to the various locations and my contact information via PM. I'm hoping to hit the Farmer's Market this Saturday for a preview of what is likely to be available next weekend. I'll report back with my findings so our course coordinators can start some advance thinking, if they'd like.

Thanks - I do my best! You can get your own "dirty dozen" wallet card (and more information) here: http://www.foodnews.org/reportcard.php The dirty dozen are: apples bell peppers celery cherries imported grapes nectarines peaches pears potatoes red raspberries spinach strawberries ← Thanks for the list and the link. In light of having more waste with organic potatoes, how do the other 11 of the dirty dozen compare, organic vs nonorganic? ← I have a devil of a time finding organic celery or non-imported grapes, so I can't really compare there. Haven't noticed a difference with apples and pears. The organic stonefruits are only available fresh for a very limited season (where I am, anyway) so I usually end up using frozen. Strawberries also have fairly limited availability, but I haven't noticed any quality difference with those. I don't think I've ever seen organic raspberries in the supermarket (we do get no spray ones at the farmer's market) - not something I use much. Don't have experience with cherries either. And I haven't seen any difference re. spinach (buying the bins of pre-washed baby organic spinach) or bell peppers. So yeah, really it's only potatoes that I've noticed it with.

There is a gas grill version, and it is indeed delish.

Thanks - I do my best! You can get your own "dirty dozen" wallet card (and more information) here: http://www.foodnews.org/reportcard.php The dirty dozen are: apples bell peppers celery cherries imported grapes nectarines peaches pears potatoes red raspberries spinach strawberries The twelve least contaminated are: asparagus avocados bananas broccoli cauliflower corn (sweet) kiwi mango onions papaya pineapples peas (sweet)

I haven't tried those particular recipes. But many of the meals I make come from CI. The beef burgundy and tortilla soup are both CI. This week I made the grill-roasted pork loin from the most recent issue, and it was fantastic. Speaking of which... The menu - grill-roasted pork loin with chili-mustard spice rub, dilled potatoes and steamed broccoli. Plus portobellos stuffed with spinach, feta, pinenuts and sundried tomatoes for the vegetarians. Pork 2 5-lb pork loins cumin chili powder dry mustard cayenne kosher salt Mmm, mmm, good. The pork loin came out absolutely perfectly. You only put coals on one side of the grill, creating a hot side and a cold side. You brown the pork loin for just 2 minutes on a side directly over the coals, then move the whole thing over to the cold side, throw some wood chips on the coals to add smoke and flavor, and put the lid on. Turn it 180 degrees after 20 minutes, then cook it until it reaches 140. Tent it with some foil and let it rest, and the temperature comes up to a perfect 155 or so. Done, but delightfully juicy and flavorful. The recipe calls for brining it unless you have "enhanced" pork loin, which is what i ended up buying. I just didnt' have time to drive across town to my regular pork loin source, and just went to Meijer. Still, can't complain about the results. Stuffed Mushrooms 23 portobello mushrooms 4 packages frozen spinach (organic) 2 jars sundried tomatoes (organic) 1.5 lbs crumbled feta cheese 1/4 c pine nuts (brought these from home, since I would have had to buy a whole pound at the store and I didn't want to pay $10) This had to be the highest return veggie entree I've ever made - super easy, and people really liked it. Thaw and drain the spinach, mix it with the feta, chopped sundried tomatoes and toasted pinenuts. Distribute on top of the mushrooms, bake them in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Ta-da! On the side 20 lbs red potatoes (organic) 5 sticks butter (organic) 2 bunches dill salt pepper garlic powder 10 heads broccoli (organic) Boiled the potatoes until tender. Took some out for the kids to have plain, then tossed the rest with the butter, minced dill, salt, pepper and a smidge of garlic powder. This is my stepmom's classic preparation for new potatoes in the summertime (although she used dried dill instead of fresh). It's one of my favorite comfort foods. As for the broccoli, let's just say that my assistant cook and I have very different ideas about when broccoli is done. Not overdone, as you'd expect - this was just on the warm side of raw. I was busy carving the pork and since he's an experienced cook, when I saw him portioning out the broccoli I didn't even bother to check it, so I didn't realize it until I'd already sat down to eat and it was too late. Dessert was watermelon left over from the previous night's meal, and some store bought cookies. I brought over a bottle of wine that I'd picked up while shopping for my wine club the other day, and shared it around with people at dinner. It was a 2003 Kuentz-Bas Alsatian Riesling, and a mighty nice wine. This was a great low-stress meal from the prep end of things. The most labor intensive/time consuming thing was cleaning and chopping 20 lbs of potatoes. After some initial prep on the pork and a few minutes of standing over the grill browning it, it just required periodic temperature checks. A nice relaxed couple of hours. I'll do this one again later this summer.

It didn't even occur to me to think about alcohol status when recommending restaurants. Sorry! Although, come to think of it, I don't think there are any good Mexican places in town that serve, now that Don Carlos has gone away. Chop House is your basic Chicago style steak house. Huge chunks of cow. Side dishes purchased a al carte. The meat is very good quality, but if I'm going to spend that kind of money on dinner, I want something that's more interesting than just a big piece of meat. But that's me. If big cow is what you're wanting, Chop House is a good place to get it.

As I said upthread, Jefferson Market is my favorite place to eat in all of Ann Arbor. It's an odd little place - located in the heart of a neighborhood in Ann Arbor's old west side, right across from an elementary school, it's part five and dime, part corner store, and part gourmet kitchen. Seating is very limited, which is why I'm trying to get a sense of numbers, but it looks like we should be okay. Here are a few selections from a recent menu: Indonesian Coconut Curry Seafood Stew with shrimp, mussels, squid and salmon, sweet potato fritters, sunflower sprouts and sauteed spinach. ($15) House-cured roasted 1/2 chicken with fresh herbs, savory lentils with goat cheese, sauteed greens ($13) Grilled salmon wrapped in grape leaves with tomato-pinenut-currant sauce, couscous, grilled asparagus, summer squash and red pepper ($13.50) The menu changes every two weeks, but there are a few things that are always on it, like: Beef brisket pot roast, pan gravy, horseradish cream sauce, glazed carrots, garlic mashed potatoes ($13) and the best burger in town ($6) It's casual, quirky, and the food is completely not what you'd expect from the setting. They use a lot of local organic produce and all their ingredients are top notch.

I was able to vote on the website - I'd logged in well before the show started, though. It was kind of silly, actually - each person was allowed 10 votes! What the heck? I liked Hans the best too, but really - he has nobody to blame but himself. He totally choked on the market basket challenge. I never liked Susannah, but she should have made it to the final three over Deborah. I'm so glad she didn't win.

Sorry you won't be able to make Friday - we'll miss you! Friends Saturday just for dinner would be great. I think I suggested we aim for 7 or 7:30 for dinner, so if they come by 6:30 then there should be drinks and snacks and kibbitzing.

Thanks for the unexpected compliment! It helps if you can take a copy of the menu home. Taking notes helps too, although I usually don't bother.

Maria - your review of the Tribute is the first since they changed chefs, so any comments you've read from before no longer apply. I'm sorry it was a disappointing experience - I'd hoped that Chef Takashi's replacement would meet the high standard he's set. Hopefully he's just taking a little time to settle in and things will improve.

There isn't any kind of organized going out to eat on Saturday - lunch will be whatever people want to grab at the Farmer's Market. There will be a dinner outing on Friday. I'd like to take people to Ann Arbor's hidden treasure and my favorite "restaurant," Jefferson Market. But it's very small, and if we end up with more than 10 or 12 people, that won't work. People I know of attending Friday: Tammy (& maybe Eric and Liam) Alex CaliPoutine and Robin Jean Blanchard and husband (maybe, depending on travel time from Chicago) Devilkitty Am I missing anyone? Looks like we've still got room for a few more (and we can just go somewhere else if we get a lot more). I had suggested 7 pm in an earlier post, and that timing would work best for me in terms of allowing Eric and Liam to come with and Liam to still get into bed at a reasonable time. Since Eric will be stuck baby watching most of the day on Saturday, I'd like to make sure he gets to participate in some of the fun!

There's really no need to *bring* anything. The idea is to just wing it, as you say - that's why we're charging a shopping fee. Yes, we'll have at least one grill available. Do you want to be in charge of coming up with a vegetable/side dish based on market findings?

Vietnamese - Dalat, in neighboring town of Ypsilanti. Korean - I love, love, love the bi bim bop at Kosmo Deli, the lunch counter in Kerrytown. They have a few other Korean items, but aren't I suppose a real Korean restaurant. Still, very good. Sabor Latino on Main St is good Mexican. Get the carne al pastor taco - it rocks. BBQ - Smokehouse Blues, also in Ypsilanti, does a really nice smoked beef brisket. Zingerman's Deli now has a sit down restaurant that's a Roadhouse, and they do some not bad BBQ of various kinds. Cafe Zola is one of my favorites. They do a good and popular brunch all week long that's moderately priced, and then more upscale dining for dinner. I second the recommendations of Jerusalem Garden and Earthen Jar. Another great cheap eats place is Bev's Carribean Kitchen. Oh, and if you're able to be downtown during the week during the day, make sure to go to Le Dog for lunch. Don't order a hot dog - get one of the absolutely amazing soups made by CIA chef and owner Jules.

We will definitely need dishwashers. Luckily, things are very well organized for dishwashing, so it shouldn't take too too long.