If you’re in the Detroit area, Join us for the 5th annual BBQ Rib Burn Out behind Dino’s Lounge in Ferndale!

Rogue Estate and The Hungry Dudes have teamed up to put the delicious smack down on the competition for this charity event. This year’s charities are: The Ferndale Youth Assistance & Michigan Aids Coalition

Full details can be found on Dino’s site  here and Facebook, here.

Rockin’ Blues BBQ Rib Burn Out!
HEATED PARTY TENT in the parking lot behind Dino’s Lounge! WRIF will be there with “Rock Girl” Sarah!

Ferndale Eduation Foundation will be raffling of a new Ford Focus!
Tickets $10. Noon – 7pm, then move the party inside Dino’s! Tickets go on sale next week! Get yours before the party to be sure you get in!

4,000 heated sf with tables & chairs & lots of Bud & Bud Light (16oz $4), Buffalo Trace Bourbon & Cokes ($4) and RIBS! You get to sample ribs from each team & cast your vote for The People’s Choice Awards – 8 teams competing* (that’s 16 ribs!)

5th Annual BBQ Rib Burn Out – Noon-4pm
Celebrity Judges & People’s Choice voting until 5!
Winners announced at 5pm

Entertainment:
Tent Noon-3pm – The Chris Brantley Band (Mitch Ryder’s guitarist)
3:30-7pm ADJ (acoustic covers from Johnny Cash and Cee Lo Green)
Dino’s – The Reefermen with James Whalin takes the Dino’s stage @ 9pm

Raw ingredients for the soup. In the case of the cheeses, raw milk cheeses to be exact...

At the same Chef’s Night that yielded the previous two recipes posted below, my offering was this Cheddar/Ale soup made almost entirely from ingredients that are made within an hours drive from where we cooked. The focus of the evening was warming winter foods with an extra emphasis on locally made ingredients. We tend to look for local whenever possible to begin with, but this night the focus on Michigan bounty was even more intense than usual. There was a professional photographer and fellow food blogger/obsessive present, Joe Hakim of The Hungry Dudes, so we had to bring the A game and swing for the bleachers.

I think we accomplished our goal. Links to the photo galleries and printed article spawned from this evenings culinary melee at the end.

Recipe for Michigan Cheddar/Ale soup:

Ingredients for 4 servings:

1/2 medium size yellow onion diced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 large jalapenos seeded and diced
1 Tablespoons fresh garlic, peeled and crushed
2 bottles Mad Hatter IPA (New Holland Brewing Company)
1 pint chicken stock
1 pint Guernsey Farms heavy whipping cream
1/2 pound bacon diced (home made by a friend of the Estate, so local as well)
1/2 pound Rosewood Products raw milk cheddar shredded
1/4 pound or 2 oz. Rosewood Products raw milk goat cheddar shredded
1/4 pound or 2 oz. Oliver Farms sharp cheddar curds
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 Tablespoon Chicken Soup base (“Better Than Bouillon” brand paste)
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Zingermans pretzel bread made into croutons, or crushed pretzels

Procedure:

Don't stop stirring! Burnt cheese does not taste good! Well... at least not in this case.

Mince the diced onion and peppers in a food processor until almost a paste. Brown the diced bacon in a pot over medium heat and add the minced veggies. Cook slowly for 25 minutes, or until most of the moisture is gone. At the same time melt the butter in a small pan and add the flour, cook for 15-20 minutes on low heat, stirring continuously, and refrigerate. Turn the heat on the soup pot up to high and add the garlic. Stir continuously until the garlic smell is very strong, 30 seconds or so. Add 1.5 bottles of Mad Hatter, and boil until only 1/3 of the volume is left. Add the chicken stock and cream and bring back to a simmer. Once back to a simmer add the cheeses and stir constantly until dissolved over medium heat. Or add bit by bit until it’s all been incorporated, but the central theme here is do NOT stop stirring until all the cheese is melted! If you stop stirring during this part of the process, the cheese will just sink to the bottom and burn. Once dissolved, and back to a simmer, add the last half bottle of Mad Hatter and the chilled butter and flour mixture a little at a time until the soup is thickened to your liking. Stir in the chicken soup base a little at a time, tasting between each addition to make sure you don’t over salt, and add as much fresh ground black pepper as you wish to your own tastes. Taste for seasoning, and bowl, using the pretzel croutons for garnish and a few turns on the pepper mill for added contrast and aroma.

Warming, cheesy, peppery, pretzelly goodness! Perfect for a midwest winter night!

I tried to go as simply as possible with this recipe, as there was a chance it would be published in a local magazine, so I wanted it to be accessible to the home cook. It’s come to my attention that I’m not always very good at that though. I guess 20 years cooking professionally has somewhat disconnected me from what the term “home cook” implies. That aside, this recipe is very adaptable, you can substitute any local or even non-local variant of any ingredient included and still have one hell of a soup at the end of it.

Live well, and eat better!

-Jack

Gallery from Joe Hakim of The Hungry Dudes blog

Rogue Estate Facebook Gallery

Real Detroit Weekly’s article on the meal in question

We prepared this as one of the Winter Comfort Foods for a recent Chef’s Night menu and it’s been featured in a photo gallery by The Hungry Dude’s Joe Hakim, a Photo Gallery on the Rogue Estate Facebook and an article in Real Detroit Weekly. Enjoy!

Shrimp Gratin Appetizer (Yields 4 small 4 oz. ramekins)

2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
1.5 – 2 cups half & half, heated
6 oz. grated Dorothea Potato Chip Goat cheese
24 (31-45 count) raw shrimp peeled and deveined, thawed, tails removed
3 scallions finely sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
dash white pepper
dash nutmeg
dash salt
2-3 oz. grated Raclette cheese
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1.5 tbsp Virgin Olive Oil
pinch paprika
pinch dried thyme
pinch of salt
Flat-leaf parsley (for garnish)

1) Make Mornay (cheese sauce)
Combine flour and butter over medium heat, simmer while stirring until raw flour smell goes away (10 minutes). Add 1.5 cups half & half and stir until thickened, lower heat (if too thick, add more half & half). Add grated Goat cheese, stir to combine.

2) Assemble
Add shrimp to cheese sauce, and simmer on lowest heat for only 1-2 minutes. Spoon into mixing bowl; add scallions, garlic, pepper, nutmeg and salt to taste, stir. Spoon gratin into into 4 small ramekins, making sure each contains 6 shrimp. Make crumb topping: stir together Panko, oil, paprika, thyme, and salt. Top each ramekin with 1/4 of the Raclette and crumb topping.

3) Bake
Bake ramekins at 350°F for 10 minutes until golden on top. Remove, let cool slightly, garnish with parsley.

Pairs very well with a chilled Alsatian or Oregon Pinot Gris.

It’s winter and that means it’s time for braising and pot roasting. This recipe works fine by either method, or a combination of the two. The most important thing this dish needs is time – so plan ahead to give it plenty. It only gets better the longer it cooks.

We prepared this as one of the Winter Comfort Foods for a recent Chef’s Night menu and it’s been featured in a photo gallery by The Hungry Dude’s Joe Hakim, a Photo Gallery on the Rogue Estate Facebook and an article in Real Detroit Weekly. Enjoy!

Beef Burgundy to serve a table of 4
This is a very flexible and forgiving dish that is perfect for the beginner. Ingredients are inexpensive and short of full out neglect,  it’s tough to actually mess up. Like most soups; leftovers taste even better the following day.

The software:
3lbs Beef Short Ribs or Flatiron Steaks, roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons peanut oil, vegetable shortening or bacon fat
2 cups diced yellow onion
2 tablespoons crushed garlic (more if desired)
3 cups diced carrot
1 cup finely diced celery
2 cups full bodied red wine – I used Chateau de la Taille Bordeaux
2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons butter
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 star anise
Salt
Black Pepper
3 hours of time from prep to serve

The hardware: A Large (12″+) pan or dutch oven, preferably cast iron. Large (2+ Qt) saucepan optional.

The Method:
Prep all ingredients before starting – this will make things go much smoother during assembly and cooking.
For the wine – use something you’ll enjoy drinking, since there will likely be some leftover. If it tastes good in a glass, it’ll taste good in a recipe.
When chopping beef & veg, smaller pieces mean less cook time. This recipe was timed with beef cut to roughly 1 1/2″ cubes. 1/4″ dice on the onions and 1/4″ slice on the carrots & celery.

With everything cleaned, sliced, diced and ready, add the oil or fat to the pan and heat it on med-hi until nearly wisps of smoke appear. Salt the beef and add to the pan carefully (It will spit a little). Don’t over crowd the pan – brown in batches. Brown on all sides. When a good color & crust is on the beef, remove to a bowl. A good set of tongs is the best tool for this job.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions and garlic. Cook the onions and garlic down until they’re translucent.

Crank the heat up to high and add the wine to the pan to deglaze. Use the tongs or a spatula to scrape all the stuff off the bottom of the pan and mix it around with the onions and wine.

As the Wine begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low.
(If using a sauce pan, transfer everything over to it at this time.)

Return the beef to the pan, add the carrots, celery, beef stock and star anise.
Give everything a stir and let it simmer for at least 2 hours. Reduce the heat as needed.

Things should be bubbly but NOT boiling. Time is your most important ingredient here.
Don’t fuss over the pan. Check every 30 minutes, give it a stir, add beef stock and/or wine as needed to keep everything 1/2 submerged. As the beef and carrots become tender enough to mash with a fork around the 90 minute mark, allow liquid to reduce and thicken.

After 2 hours, everything should be tender and the liquid should be thick, similar to gravy. If not, cook a little longer. Fish out the star anise, add the butter and lemon juice, stirring everything to combine. Taste the liquid and add salt & pepper as desired, serve immediately.

Not surprisingly, this dish will pair perfectly with the wine you used to cook with. Goes great with some fresh, hot bread of any type on the side for scooping, or even just as a carrier for butter. ;)

We look forward to your questions and success stories in the comments below or on our Facebook!

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Que Syrah, Syrah…

Lost Canyon Syrah had such promise.

I recall several years ago when Syrah came to the attention of Cab drinkers as both an exotic being heavily marketed by Australia (AKA Shiraz) and as a funky Californian upstart (Syrah). It’s always been a capable blending grape, good for adding some ripe dark fruit and syrupy mouthfeel to its sometimes more austere vinifera cousins. On its own, it yields a relatively simple but potentially very deep crowd-pleaser.

The battle continues, Cali VS Aussie, MegaCorp VS rebel producer, to this day. I have few preconceived notions about the grape, or the wine it gives up. In my experience it’s good with meat, sweet, and smoke. BBQ AKA the barbie.

But I was sad to hear that we lost Lost Canyon (in its original incarnation) as a contender.

2007 Lost Canyon Russian River Syrah (About $15)

Learn more about the winery: http://www.princeofpinot.com/winery/205/
Learn more about the bottle in front of me: http://buyingguide.winemag.com/catalog/lost-canyon-2007-trenton-station-vineyard-syrah-russian-river-valley

SEE: Dark, deep brilliant red through and through
SWIRL: A nice heavy coating of the glass, with quick, striking legs
SMELL: Rich blackberry and black cherry fruit, leaves, leather, vanilla, plums, and even smoked bacon, heat from the alcohol.
SIP: Tart and tannic, black fruits, and vanilla from fairly new oak
SAVOR: Chewy/meaty but not as syrupy as more common new world versions

Final impression: All The classic brambly fruit notes, a bit tight, rough and young. Yet it’s as good as any Syrah I’ve had at the price and a nicer alternative to cheap Aussie Shiraz. Next week I plan to test a comparable Barossa Valley Shiraz to compare.

Pair with: BBQ with sauce, or any meats with grilled onions.

It’s been a banner season for exciting new vendors to Detroit’s Eastern Market: The Brinery from Ann Arbor is as much to the sour end of the scale as Slow Jams is to sweet. Brine-master Dave has honed naturally fermented pickle perfection from an alluring array of Michigan-centric ingredients that are sure to please many a mouth. (Aside: I should get an award for that awesome alliteration.)

The first thing most eaters know of fermented foodstuffs, even if they don’t realize it is Kimchi. Surprise, gang – Kimchi is rotted cabbage, hot peppers and when you’re eating the hard core authentic stuff, anchovies or oysters.  The Brinery currently offers two varieties of Kimchi, one with the fish and one without, however the ‘with’ is being phased out, since the fermented fish is a difficult ingredient to source as locally grown/produced.

I’ve been cleaning a jar of ‘with’ since I met Dave a few weeks ago. The Kimchi is tart, with the right heat level to warm the mouth without an obnoxious after-burn. (I’m not a hot head, despite my collection of chile pepper based sauces and ingredients) The texture an ideal ratio of crunch to squish and as you can see in the photo, the color is a beautiful fiery orange that can really play a great contrast to many dishes for you plate artists.

Full disclosure: my grandparents tell me I’ve more polish heritage than anything else. To that end, I’ve been eating and enjoying sauerkraut my whole life. I approached Storm Cloud Zapper with the highest scrutiny.
As with all of The Brinery‘s products, this european take on rotted cabbage is naturally fermented and naturally colored with all Michigan sourced ingredients. (Dave takes “Made in Michigan” VERY seriously.)

This kraut lives up to it’s label. It’s bright, tart flavors, excellent texture and the striking purple made this my immediate go-to kraut for any meal. This is how kraut should be. If you’ve traditionally disliked the stuff, swing by The Brinery booth and give it another try, because this is the one that can sway you.

Last on this week’s review is a jar of pickles. Detroit, the McClure brothers didn’t invent pickling. It’s time you knew. In this particular jar The Brinery saw fit to naturally ferment Michigan carrots, garlic and hot peppers.

The result: WOW. A full on frontal assault against the ho-hum of the average dill pickle. The pleasing snap and subtle sweetness of a good winter carrot coupled with an undeniable tang of fermentation, matched with a garlic and pepper heat that will definitely put a little sweat on the brows of milder mouths while keeping the hot heads happy as well. This jar was the first to empty.

Like all of The Brinery‘s products, the presentation worthiness of this pickle is top shelf. The three beauties pictured in this article are indicative of Dave’s entire product line: everything looks as good as it tastes and tastes as good as it looks.

Find The Brinery products at Detroit’s Eastern Market, Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market and various groceries in Ann Arbor and beyond. See their Web and Facebook pages for more info.

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The stiff upper lip.

Imagine an Italian immigrant living in New York during prohibition, buying grapes from California to make wine in his basement. From these passionate beginnings we finally arrive at a flagship French-inspired wine favored by the British early in the 20th century.

Kind of make you dizzy, doesn’t it? But the wine in question stands on its own, albeit supported by a sinfully large marketing budget. It’s a strong wine, but reserved – an even blend between old and new world style. It’s a serious step above plonk, relatively risk-free, and wisely priced for the nervous buyer (plus, wrapped in a gold wire net!). That being said, the Coppola Claret will never give you that funky, unique love-it-or-hate-it “Wow” factor, but it’s a great doorway into better class of wine for a lot of curious drinkers.

2009 Coppola Claret (About $17)

Learn more about the winery: http://www.franciscoppolawinery.com/
Learn more about the bottle in front of me: http://ffcp.s3.amazonaws.com/fcw/wine/diamond/claret/09_DiaClaret_FS.pdf

SEE: Rich deep ruby, fading to a slight rose at the rim.
SWIRL: A medium body coats the glass with prominent legs.
SMELL: A tight nose at first. As the alcohol burns off, aromas of wood, leather, plums and a hint of salted licorice. There are familiar Cabernet scents but in a more reserved style than California usually delivers.
SIP: Quiet blackberry and cassis slowly open to reveal faint woody spices. Coriander, allspice, clove and orange peel in careful amounts.
SAVOR: A moderately long finish adds bitter vanilla, and faint tobacco smoke. As the wine opens caramel, apple skins, and even Concord grapes emerge.

Final impression: This Claret take a long time before you can even think about unbuttoning its blouse. Patience and attention pays with a balanced and very nuanced flavor. Dependable.

Pair with: Nice with the Sunday roast, stews, and most British versions of French winter classics.

A nice mix.

Almost everyone I know approaches new music the same way: we get on kicks where we find a new band, or a new sound that fascinates us. We learn as much as we can and sample any and all releases that are related. I tend to approach wines the same way. When I’m not matching a particular dish, I tend to explore wines from a single region, varietal or style until I get bored enough to seek out the next thing.

Earlier this Fall I was on a Rhône valley kick.

This region in the southeast of France (just north of Provence) is known for the diversity of its grape varieties which are blended in a bunch of different ways to make Côtes du Rhône, Côtes Rôtie, Crozes Hermitage, Gigondas, Châteauneuf du Pape and a whole lot more. Most Côtes du Rhône makers mix Grenache with Syrah and Carignan or Mourvèdre to yield easy drinking, food-friendly wines with lots of herbal and spice notes. They are not built to age the way Bordeauxs and Burgundies are, but most will improve with several years in the bottle.

2008 Domaine Sainte-Anne Côtes du Rhône Villages (About $16)

Learn more about the winery: http://www.chateauneuf.dk/gervais/en/geren4.htm
Learn more about the bottle in front of me: Link not available, but George over at Gang of pour has liked this one in the past. http://blogs.gangofpour.com/2007-domaine-sainte-anne

SEE: A beautiful bright medium red, turning slightly rosy at the edge.
SWIRL: The wine coats the glass nicely, with tiny, evenly spaced legs.
SMELL: Right out of the bottle, this is tight, with a nose of red berries and citrus/grapefruit. It opens to reveal holiday spices, dried fruits, cedar, and a forest full of woody herbs.
SIP: Tannic, tart and warm on the tongue, with cranberry and a touch of bitter orange.
SAVOR: With time in the glass and a suitable meal, the flavors deepen and soften, ending in a moderately long cocoa finish.

Final impression: A nice, balanced southern Rhône, with the complex spice flavors and aromas typical of the region. Classic old world French (built for food).

Pair with: Quite nice with grilled lamb loin chops and roasted herbed potatoes. It might possibly pair better with a Christmas goose, with roasted garlic or braised leeks.

Slow Jams arrived onto the Eastern Market scene in Detroit last month with an awesome name and a tremendous product line to match. Jams in both traditional and refreshingly new flavors, sure to compliment any application from Sunday morning breakfast to Friday evening’s cocktail. Disclaimer: my usual condiment cravings lean towards things based firmly in the tomato paste, fish sauce and chili pepper world, so it is with great delight that I have such high praise to deliver in regards to what I had previously regarded as a category of foods best left to my grandmother.

This is a very personal product every step of the way. Made by hand in small batches and sold at markets around the Metro Area by the ladies producing it in their weekly “Jam Sessions”, this is as close as one can get to a product without picking the fruit and doing the process themselves. Betsy, Shannon and Christina are creating something that is definitely worth eating.

I picked up three  jars during my visit to the Slow Jams Jam Stand on their inaugural Saturday in November  which I felt would represent a good cross section of the product line based on old standards and newer flavors I’d experienced elsewhere as well as something totally new to me in the world of Jam.

The goods:

Raspberry Basil – I use Raspberry as a barometer for jams and jellies the same way I use Sweet & Sour chicken to judge the caliber of a Chinese take-out joint. If you can’t do anything good with Raspberries, you’ll be dismissed rather quickly. (Why not grape? While certainly the most common in western culture, I simply don’t care for it.)

This is indeed a very good Raspberry. The Basil is a supporting player here, subtly rounding out the fruit without every truly making an appearance from the background. It’s a good Jam. Lots of chunks of fruit provide texture to go with the beautiful dark red color and no-mistake about it Raspberry flavor.

My toast was happy and so was I – they passed the litmus test and I boldly moved on to the next jar, for science!

Sweet Pepper – I’ve had pepper based jams in the past and while unique, none of them ever had been more than a novelty. Novelty is not a god repeat business strategy. I was very pleased to find a sweet jam base which carried with it a warm savory flavor and ever so slight amount of heat on the edge. There is a great texture here as well as the occasional hint of green from the peppers which tastes like a warm summer day.

I’ll out myself right now: the Sweet Pepper jam is my favorite. I ate the whole damn jar in two days. On the second day I didn’t even have crackers or any other kind of carrier, I ate it with a spoon. It’s that good. I ended up buying more the next week. I even went so far as to buy a pepper jam from another local vendor and was disappointed when it paled in comparison to Slow Jam’s version.

If you only ever muster up the courage to step outside of the traditional Jam box once,  Sweet Pepper is the Jam to do it with.

Tomato & Basil -Never once has anyone uttered the words Tomato, Basil and JAM together in a sentence to me before. It was the double-take moment. Like.. Spaghetti sauce? What the heck is this? A totally new food concept for me, which is immediately followed by acquisition. That’s how I roll, gang and I’m rarely disappointed.  Slow Jam’s Tomato & Basil jam is no exception. A very good balance of savory and sweet with this jam. Like it’s Raspberry inspired cousin above, the basil here is not a prominent player, but stays back to provide a familiar but subtle supporting character.

I’ll reassure you that there is no essence of spaghetti sauce here. This is tomato in an unfamiliar way – the acidic nature is completely removed. This is Tomato if tomato were every day sweet as watermelon. Like the other two (and I suspect ALL Slow Jams jam) the texture here is every bit as fantastic as the flavor.

I mentioned using Jam in a cocktail earlier and like any article here on the Rogue Estate, I write from experience. I used a dollop of Raspberry Slow Jams Jam in a concoction involving The Rogue Estate’s neighbor Valentine Vodka and club soda. The Jam added flavor and sugar in same way one would with a classic shrub, without the fuss.

Slow Jams maintains tastings at their sales table, with featured jams of the week available for your “try before you buy” enjoyment. Each week you will find special flavors available based on fruits available and other seasonal factors. I’ve yet to try anything that wasn’t top notch delicious. With such a good track record, I may even be persuaded to give that old standard Grape another try.

Slow Jams can be found on both Facebook and Blogspot for more information including recipes and purchase locations.

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The M word.

Seven years after it’s release, the most notorious quote from “Sideways” still rings in most Americans’ ears: (Miles Raymond) “If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any fucking Merlot!”

The bottle in front of me is not Miles’ Merlot. It’s Massive. Macho. Murderous.

Aside from the few decent Bordeaux’s I’ve splurged on, my Merlot experience is limited mostly to high volume, low-flavor Californian juice of little note. I typically associate strawberry aromas and flavors with these young bottles, rushed to market. At $10-15 a pop, there has been little encouragement to search deeper. M. Cosentino has given me that encouragement. I found their 2005 Napa County Merlot lurking behind the more current 2006 at a local shop. I got wine-jacked.

2005 M. Cosentino Napa County Merlot (About $16)

Learn more about the winery: http://www.cosentinowinery.com/index/page/static/subpage/cosentino_winery
Learn more about the bottle in front of me: http://www.cosentinowinery.com/common/downloads/cosentino/THEwines_factsheet_MER_2006.pdf

SEE: A very deep, rich ruby color, with nice clarity. Consistent color through to the rim, showing little signs of age.
SWIRL: The wine clings stubbornly to the sides of the glass, resulting in extremely slow legs.
SMELL: Very ripe (almost overripe) aromas of black stone fruits, cherry and plum. Some deep floral and herb scents – mild lilies and sweet annie. Wood shows through with faint tar, cedar, and vanilla.
SIP: Powerful, dense, chewy fruit on the tongue, with cassis, black plum, and black cherry upfront. An initial sweet attack is followed with a wash of tartness. The concentration and plum flavors combine to give an impression of prunes (in a good way).
SAVOR: The fruit resolves to a mildly sweet tobacco finish, which stretches into a lingering smoky espresso flavor.

Final impression: This is defiantly Californian, new world, and BIG. A great value for the price, and a wine to be be savored over a few hours.

Pair with: Man food. Grilled hanger steak, lamb burgers, and strong, funky, salty cheeses.

P.S. Mafioso Maduros for the bonus.

The Rogue Estate BBQ will be on hand at the 2nd Annual Detroit Holiday Food Bazaar on Friday, 12/9/2011.

For the offering: Hot BBQ pork sandwiches served with your choice of A.P. Lube or Smolder sauce, as well as bottles of the sauces and frozen 1lb vac-pacs of BBQ pork.

Rogue Estate BBQ is one of 25 vendors on site for this event selling ready to eat and packaged to share craft food items.

Vendors at this event: MeMe Design + Events, Brys & Edgewood, Stuffed, Nest, City Bird, Handmade Detroit, DJ Amy Dreamcatcher, Leopold’s Books, Love’s Custard Pie, Drought Juice, Detroit Institute of Bagels, Miette, Pete’s Chocolate Co., El Azteco, RG Distribution, Hugh, The Rogue Estate, Perkins Pickles, Beau Bien Fine Foods, Native Kitchen, Al Meida, Marvin Shaouni Photography, Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company, McClure’s Pickles, Simply Suzanne, Suddenly Sauer, Corridor Sausage Co., Gang of Pour, Porktown Sausage, Gourmet Underground Detroit

Many vendors accept cash only, though a few (like R.E.) can process cards. A dining area is available and music will be provided by local DJs. Find that perfect gift from us on Friday 12/9 from 5:00 until 11:00PM.

The bazaar is located at:

2448 Market Street Detroit, MI 48207-4516 (in Eastern Mkt, above Cost Plus Wines).

Enter through Cost Plus wines and head up to the third floor. See you there!

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Drink your backyard.

The most important mantra any food obsessive has heard repeatedly over the last decade or so is to eat local, and drink local. In the world of wine, this mantra is largely laughable for 99% of the world’s population. I count myself in the 99%, along with large swaths of Asia, Africa, anybody in inland South America, most of Eastern Europe, and all but about six U.S. states.

But I’m really close to being able to drink local, and it’s getting better all the time.

For this, my first regular posting of tasting notes, I chose the most local wine I could find, from my neighborhood store, in its current release (2010) which was a better year than most in recent memory.

2010 Pelee Island Pinot Noir (About $13)

Learn more about the winery: http://www.peleeisland.com/index.php
Learn more about the bottle in front of me: https://secure1.prositehosting.net/winestore/winestore.php?id=18

SEE: Clear medium red, with a light pinkish rim, indicative of youth.
SWIRL: Bright color, with weak legs on the glass.
SMELL: Very bright lively aromas of cherries, with a slight fragrance of strawberry and cedar. Clearly Pinot Noir, but reserved.
SIP: Very dry, tart cranberry that washes thinly over the tongue, nice acidity with a bit of initial bitterness that softens over time. Tannic, old world style, honest, and designed for food.
SAVOR: Tannins last throughout the finish, with hints of graphite and leaves.

Final impression: Would buy again, but there may be a few more satisfying Pinot’s in this price range, mostly from larger producers in California.

Pair with: fresh air, light cheeses, vegetable dishes, and mildly flavored game such as rabbit or quail.

P.S. If you live anywhere near southeastern Michigan, you owe it to yourself to spend a day visiting Pelee Island. Drive to Leamington (Canada’s tomato country) in the late Summer or early Fall, take the ferry, and spend a day biking and picnicking on a very relaxed, beautiful island.

Winter seasonals are not as popular as their autumnal brethren hailing from Munich, but they are a fun variety to explore. Especially in food pairing. Typically lightly spiced with the flavors most associated with the season, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, pine, et al., they provide a great pairing option for roasts and pies. I was surprised by the sheer number that are out there. Equally surprising to me was the relatively low number of them that totally sucked! I covered 15 different Oktoberfests last year, of which 5 of them scored a 5 or lower. This time I’ll be covering 10 different Winter seasonals, of which only one scored less than a 6! In fact, they all fell in the 6-8 range, save for the one. None of them scored the highest mark possible, but none of them were unpalatable, and honestly, in my opinion, any bottle sitting in front of me that doesn’t say “Guinness Draught” or “Paulaner Oktoberfest” is gonna have a tough fight to get a score of 10 outa me… So, enough gibber-jabber! Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up.

Run away! Run away!

Noel de Calabaza
Jolly Pumpkin, Dexter Michigan
$13 for a 25oz. Bottle
9% ABV

Tasting notes:
Nose- coffee, caramel, sourness
Color- dark brown/black
Mouthfeel- medium body, light/medium carbonation
Taste- sweet, sour, mild citrus, sour malt, roasted malt
Pairings- crème brulee, spiced game, goat cheese, anything to overpower the beer, the drain

Comments:

This was the first one I tried from Michigan, sadly. I’ve seen other sites giving it high scores, but I have no idea why… Those reviewers must not have a taste-bud in their heads. I get that they were trying to go for a hybrid of the Belgian Sour, but in my opinion at least, they woefully missed the mark. Too sweet, too sour. The kicker is, and this is one of the reasons for it’s low score, have another look at the price. I was able to choke down the whole bottle, only because of what I paid for it! Had it been ANY worse it woulda went down the drain… If you’re feeling brave give it a shot and let me know what you thought. With all the high scores for it I’ve seen maybe I got a bad batch or I’m missing something. Failing that, it sucks. Period. After reading up on it, it appears they employ a secondary fermentation for all their beers using wild yeast. Wild yeast in Michigan is NOT the same as wild yeast in Belgium… so knock it off!

Score:

…and I’m being generous

Jolly Pumpkin

Kerstmutske? WTF?

Kerstmutske, Christmas Nightcap
De Proef, Belgium
$4.80 for an 11.2oz. Bottle
7.4% ABV

Tasting notes:
Nose- caramel, brown sugar, malt
Color- deep brown
Mouthfeel- medium/heavy body, medium carbonation
Taste- sweet, smooth, slightly nutty, hints of spice
Pairing- pecans, chocolate, vanilla, sharp cheddar, roasted pork, roasted squash

Comments:

A good portion of our list today is from Belgium, and I don’t know why that surprised me. I guess I just always associated winter seasonals with the Brits, but it seems the Belgians produce far more of these than the islanders do. This one in particular is fairly forgettable. Not vomit inducing, not spectacular. I say this because I actually have forgotten what it tasted like… In my notes I gave it a 6, so we’ll go with that.

Score:

No official link available.

... more goofy Belgian names...

Noel des Geants
Brasserie des Legendes, Belgium
$4.00 for an 11.2oz. Bottle
8.5% ABV

Tasting notes:
Nose- spices, malt, faint citrus
Color- amber-brown
Mouthfeel- medium body, smooth, mild carbonation
Taste- spices dominate up front, brown sugar middle, malty finish, little if any hops
Pairing- squash, pumpkin, nuts, spiced game birds

Comments:
Another from Belgium and another I can’t recall. It scored the same as the previous one though, and I had them on the same night so no surprise, I guess. Drinkable, but not mind blowing in any way.

Score:

No official link available.

Noel again... I'm sensing a theme here...

Brewery De Ranke, Belgium
$4.30 for an 11.2oz. Bottle
7% ABV

Tasting notes:
Nose- mild, white wine qualities, faint maltiness
Color- golden amber
Mouthfeel- light body, medium carbonation
Taste- white grape up front, mild maltiness, mild hop finish
Pairings- fish, curry, chili peppers, chili, Mexican, Thai

Comments:
I wasn’t eating anything during any of my tastings, but this one I’m betting would go great with food. The subtle complexities will make this a damn fine pairing. Maybe I’m a little bias because I think it would pair well with some of my favorite foods, but be that as it may. I didn’t mention shellfish in the pairings because in my mind beer and shellfish pairing goes without saying, but this one would be exceptional for aquatic critters of all types.

Score:

No official link available. (What’s with these fukin Belgians?)

Bark at the moon!

Howl: Black as Night Lager
Magic Hat, Vermont
$8.50 for a 6-pack

4.6% ABV

Tasting notes:
Nose-mild nose, hint of black malt
Color- black
Mouthfeel- medium body, light carbonation
Taste- slight sweetness, mild bitterness from a combination of heavily roasted malts and hops, coffee
Pairing- BBQ, chili, grilled meats, dark berries, sharp cheddar, Gruyere

Comments:
My admiration for this brewery is well documented. This isn’t their best effort to date, but it by no means sucks either. Good with food or on it’s own.

Score:

Magic Hat

Brewer, patriot...

Sam Adams Winter Lager
Boston, Mass.
$8.99 for a 6-pack
5.8

% ABV

Tasting notes:

Nose- malt, faint hops and spice
Color- amber-brown
Mouthfeel- smooth, medium body and carbonation
Taste- rich malt but not cloying, very mild spice, clean finish
Pairing- roasted meats, pilaf, game, aged cheeses

Comments:
Sam Adams is usually hit-or-miss with me, normally falling to the hit side. While none of their beers I hold as a benchmark for, well, anything, they are damn consistent and produce a quality product. This one is no exception. A solid beer probably better suited to cooking into foods than drinking with, however. Of all the things I can think of to pair this with I can also think of better options. Still a good beer though, and nothing to turn your nose up at.

Score:

Sam Adams

Pine trees in Michigan are rarely that sparce...

Bell’s Christmas Ale
Comstock, Michigan
$9.00 for a 6-pack
5.5% ABV

Tasting notes:
Nose- barley, caramel, mild spice notes, brown sugar
Color- deep amber/red
Mouthfeel- medium body and carbonation
Taste- malt, caramel, ginger, toffe, mild hop finish
Pairing- ham, squash, cinnamon, anise, clove, vanilla, curry

Comments:
Say what you want about Bell’s, I like ‘em. One of Michigan’s better, if not most eccentric at times, micros. But eccentricity is something I admire in a brewery. Why confine yourself to making beer styles that are already well defined and no one will ever top the benchmarks of? Color outside the lines once in a while! Admittedly, this usually only yields good results if the brewers know what they’re doing. The fact that I mentioned spices a couple times in the notes belies the fact that there are actually NONE used in it’s brewing. All the spiciness in this beer is derived from the malts used and how they use them. Also of note, they use 100% Michigan grown barley that’s custom malted and roasted for them by Briess! (The home brew nerds will recognize that name…)

Score:

Bell’s

Two Bell's a'ringing...

Bell’s Winter White Ale
Comstock, Michigan
$9.00 for a 6-pack
5% ABV

Tasting notes:
Nose- light spice, canned meat?
Color- light golden, some starch haze
Mouthfeel- smooth, medium body and carbonation
Taste- well balanced, malt, faint spice, little hops
Pairings- plainly put, holiday foods. ham, turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries, ect…

Comments:
Duped again by the alchemists in the Bells brewery. No spices were used in the brewing of this beer, they relied on the mixture of barley and wheat malt and Belgian yeast to deliver the mild hint that there may have been spices involved. At a meeting of the Rogue Estate where I had this on offer everyone present enjoyed it. R.E. Tested, R.E. Approved! And to those of you who bitch and moan about Bells, fuckin buy some of this and get back to me… Seriously! Go! NOW!

Score:

Bell’s (again)

Twelve Days of good English Ale!

Twelve Days of Christmas Ale
Hook Norton Brewery, U.K.
$4.50 for a 16.9oz. Bottle
5.5% ABV

Tasting notes:
Nose- roasted malt, coffee, toffee
Color- deep brown, nearly black
Mouthfeel- full bodied, medium/light carbonation
Taste- heavier black malt bitterness than a porter, but essentially the same as in all other ways
Pairing- roast beast, pudding (both the American and Brit variations) vanilla, aged cheddar, plums, spices

Tasting notes:

Another great food beer if you pair it with the right things, and the right things happen to be popular Christmas and winter foods. Not spiced like many of the others on this list, but I certainly don’t think that’s a requirement by any stretch of the imagination. I’m a huge fan of porters and Irish Stouts (see intro) so the fact that this beer is kind of blending those two styles won me over pretty quick. The score might be predictable then, given that admittance.

Score:

No official link available. The Brits too? Really?

Samuel Smith, say "what" again!

Samuel Smith Winter Welcome
U.K.
$5.00 for a 550 ML bottle (18.7oz.)
6% ABV

Tasting notes:
Nose- malty, nutty
Color- red/amber
Mouthfeel- medium light body, mild carbonation
Taste- caramel, vanilla, spice, smooth hop finish
Pairing- game, oily fish, nuts, squash, mushrooms

Comments:
Sam Smith has a reputation as a truly world class brewery that is completely deserved. If a beer newb asked me to recommend an English beer the first words outa my mouth would be “anything from Sam Smith or Fuller’s”. This may be my bias talking again, as I’m a huge fan of beers from the British Isles, but I’m sure my comrades in beer snobbery would agree. I’ve never been disappointed by this brewery. ‘Nuff said…

Score:

No official link available. (Bloody hell!)

I would love to hear feedback on this post, so please don’t hesitate to leave a comment if you’ve had any of these and agree or disagree with my assessments. The holidays are soon upon us, and some of these (at least the best of the batch) are not hard to find. Tote a 6 or 12 pack of one to grandmas for Thanksgiving or Christmas. But not the Jolly Pumpkin crap… leave that one on the shelf lest you want your family to hate you…

Live well and drink better!
-Jack

My mind was set until a Thanksgiving at my grandmother’s house, where she served a squash dish that included onions and a breadcrumb topping. It made a difference – both the savoriness and the sweetness from only the natural sugars in the fruit. Moreover, there was a textural contrast that I loved.

Now, I like almost all winter squash. But when I prepare it, I like to marry differences in texture, PLUS invite the right balance between sweet and savory. Today I dreamed up a dish I call “Squash Three-way”, a naughty name you would never find on an insipid jar of over-processed baby food.

Essentially it’s a two layer dish with a favorite simple topping – roasted pepitas, which are the hulled seeds of certain varieties of pumpkins or squash. The first layer is a basic savory latke, replacing the potato with shredded winter squash. The second is a sweetened mash of winter squash, upon which rests the slightly crunchy pepitas.

Squash Three-way
Recipe for 3 servings (scale up as necessary, swingers!)

For the mash:
1 small to medium French variety winter squash (Sucrine Du Berry, Rouge D’Etampes, or Baby Golden Hubbard)
1/2 cup chicken stock (optional)
4-5 Tbsp butter
Pumpkin pie spice (nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, allspice blend)
2-3 Tbsp brown sugar

For the latkes:
1 medium (7-inch) Delicata squash
1 large shallot
1 extra large chicken egg, beaten
1 tsp baking powder
3-4 Tbsp All Purpose flour
Salt & Pepper to taste
Ground dried sage to taste
Ground dried oregano to taste
2 Tbsp corn or canola oil for frying

For the topping:
Handfuls of roasted, salted pepitas (available in Mexican or health food stores, and many Trader Joe’s)

Prepare mash:
Preheat oven to 350°. Halve French squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Roast cut side down in a pan with 1/2 cup stock or water for an hour or until soft (while roasting, prepare latkes as below). Let cool. Scoop pulp into bowl, discard skins. Add butter and spice. Mash with a fork to a smooth consistency. Keep warm.

Prepare latkes:
Halve Delicata squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Peel skin from flesh. Grate raw flesh with a box grater (better yet, one of these: http://www.germandeli.com/bohachgr.html). Thinly slice shallot and mix with grated squash. Add baking powder, flour, salt, pepper, herbs, and mix well. Add beaten egg and stir thoroughly. Heat oil over medium heat until hot. Drop mixture in 1/3-1/2 cupfuls into hot oil, pressing down slightly. Fry 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain and blot, keep warm.

Assemble by topping latke with mash, and sprinkle pepitas on top.

Enjoy, but be careful any photos don’t find their way onto the Internet!

Hope mom doesn't see this!

The software:

• 2 small pretzel bread baguettes
• 1 chicken egg
• 1 duck egg (or a second chicken egg)
• 2 tbls buttermilk (plain milk works fine here, too.)
• 1 tbls sugar
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of cardamom
• pinch of sea salt
• butter
• 3 tbls real maple syrup
• pretzel salt (optional)

The method:

The pretzel bread I buy from Zingerman’s is about 7″ long, 2-2.5 inches wide on average. The recipe scales up or down easily – add 1 pretzel bread per additional mouth and increment the rest of the ingredients accordingly.  As for the egg portion – I use duck eggs whenever and where-ever possible. They taste better and they are just fantastic in anything even slightly resembling pastry. That said, if you can’t find duck eggs, chicken eggs work fine. Organic and free range farm fresh being the preferred choice in any situation.

First order of business here is to grab that pretzel bread you picked up a couple days ago and forgot to eat and slice it into 1/4 inch thick medallions and set them aside. Put your griddle or fry pan to the fire. Your heat target is the high side of medium, enough to get a sizzle from an egg without scorching your cooking fat.

In an appropriately sized mixing bowl, use a whisk to combine the eggs, buttermilk, flour, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Whisk it for at least a minute while your pan warms up to get everything distributed and get some air in there, too.

When the pan is ready, lube it up with some butter, dredge your pretzel medallions, shaking off excess egg and place in the pan.  If you have any soft pretzel salt, sprinkle 2 or 4 grains onto each while the sticky uncooked side is still up.

Like any other french toast variety, we’re going for a just browning stage before turning, same on the other side and remove to a plate. This will go pretty fast, so don’t get distracted or the smoke detector will wake everyone up.

If you have a large quantity, put the oven on warm when you begin and keep the finished piles of pretzel french toasts in there until service time.

Use real maple syrup if you can get it – it is SUCH A better flavor than the bizarre space aged chemical “maple syrup flavor” found in things like Mrs Butterworth. Pour syrup into a small bowl for dipping and warm it up in the microwave for 15 seconds.  Arrange everything and serve immediately. Hooray, you are now the champion of breakfast.

-///