Great Taste

'Michaels is my favorite restaurant in the country'

Before I begin, I'm jealous of my friend GG...hope to get to Heartland sometime soon. I wasn't crazy about their old location, but their move to the Lowertown farmers market area is brilliant, and from all I hear, the food remains some of the best in town.

Now, to the matter at hand: prime feedback from a Four Stars reader on Rochester prime rib:

My name is Carol Hoven Rushton and I live in Denver, CO.  I visit relatives here twice a year and I'd like to provide several comments on your recent article (maybe you'll publish my blurb next week?  Hope so!):
 
Michaels is the first restaurant I went to at the tender age of 15; the steaks were tender too.  The prime rib is succulent and to the point.  Michaels is my favorite restaurant  in the country. 
 
Thank you.

 

A local heart beats for Heartland Restaurant

What we loved last night in St. Paul:

Frisee with Swabian-Hall tasso ham and pear slices; garlic scape aioli

Pork tenderloin with brussels sprouts, lamb bacon, potato-leek puree and ginger pork glace

and

Fruit and spice bread pudding with maple praline sauce, Prosecco-poached apricot, and granola

Didn't try, but wished we had room for:

Bibb lettuce with beets, hazelnuts, and wildflower honey-rosemary vinaigrette

Buckwheat pappardelle with red onion, Marsala, mushroom cream, and Parmesan cheese

Midwestern cassoulet with pork shoulder, kielbasa, smoked kidney, white beans, and pheasant confit

Our favorite thing was:

FARM DIRECT MARKET, the adjacent shop/deli with such locally sourced foods as Hidden Stream Farm fresh pork (Elgin), Pepin Heights Fireside apples (Lake City), and Badgersett chestnuts (Canton).  There are many house-canned goods, like ratatouille, stewed heirloom tomatoes with bay, kimchee, and sauerkraut. And dairy products like fresh cheese, eggs, milk and butter. And large selection of flours, including spelt, millet and rye. And house-made frozen foods, including soups and stocks.

But the above description doesn't do justice to Chef Lenny Russo's first-rate endeavor; there are house-made sausages and house-baked croissants and varieties of bison meat and....The local list goes on. 

It's a culinary destination.

 

You are what you eat. Today this writer, a.k.a. Gourmanda Galore, is an espresso with cream and sprinkled-on-top brown sugar.

Tonight, with a little luck, GG will be locally grown/raised cuisine at Heartland Restaurant, St. Paul. Here is a link to la carte.   

http://www.heartlandrestaurant.com/index2.php#/info3/1/  

Hang on -- it's almost National Oatmeal Month!

Happy holiday week...hope it's an easy one for all of us.

And there's much to look ahead to in 2011 -- including greater use of the ballcap logo at left, to indicate this post is by me -- as opposed to the chef's toque that my cohort in this column will use.

I get a lot of enticing food-related news releases. Here's one from Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods...honestly, I've never heard of 'em, but being an oatmeal fan, I assume you can't go wrong:

National Oatmeal Month is near, and I’m writing to follow up with you about the story ideas I sent in relation to this fun, foodie-centric January holiday. If I haven’t made you hungry yet, keep reading.

See below a few ideas cooked up by Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods, home of the World’s Best Oats and the 2009 World Porridge Making Champion.

1.    Oat Couture – Food carts and breakfast spots from Portland to Manhattan are reinventing this comforting breakfast classic with creative twists and unexpected ingredients that are making oatmeal chic. And twice now a team of oatmeal enthusiasts from Bob’s Red Mill have trekked halfway across the globe to Scotland to compete in the World Porridge Making Championship, preparing oats-centric recipes like Oregon Orchard Oat Brulee and Bob’s Savory Oat Fritters – an oaty version of the classic Italian street food arrancini.

2.    Train with Grain – There’s a national sub-culture growing around the sport of cyclocross – a combination of mountain biking, road biking and BMX racing that’s all mud and fun to its devoted racers and fans. It’s a high-endurance, high-aerobic sport that requires a tremendous amount of energy from its competitors. And whole grains, especially steel cut oats, are providing just the right amount of slow-release carbs that racers need (and crave!) on race day – and while training to compete.

3.    Keep it Simple (Click here to see a video of Bob keepin’ it simple with oatmeal) – Bob’s Red Mill founder Bob Moore will be 82 this February and he eats a bowl of warm cereal almost every day – maybe that’s one of the secrets to his boundless energy and passion for the company he is still actively involved with every day? For the rest of us there are these kinds of strategies to keep it simple and delicious: try preparing oats in a rice cooker or slow cooker the night before to make the process easy and convenient; add frozen berries to the bottom of a bowl then top it off with warm oats which will defrost and warm the fruit; or just follow Bob’s example and stick with toppings of flaxseed meal, brown sugar (just a little bit!), bananas, walnuts and milk.

Please get in touch with me if you’d like to discuss additional Oatmeal Month tips with Bob’s Red Mill, or if you’d like to receive some World’s Best Oats to test out yourself.

Happy holidays!

Thanks,

Ashley Bernard
On Behalf of Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods

Picture Perfect

Advice on holiday food photography from Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lou-manna/photographing-food-tips_b_801172.html#s215097

 

A Christmas dinner menu

 

Here's the plan for Gourmanda & Co.'s holiday feast:

 

Appetizer

Gulf Shrimp with Creole Dip

Dinner

Chicken Escarole Soup

Local Greens with Vinaigrette

Beef Wellington with Madeira Sauce

Boiled Minnesota Red Potatoes

Roasted Root Vegetables

Dessert

Zinfandel Poached Pear with Sabayon Sauce

 Cranberry Pie with Ice Cream

Decorated Cookies

Upper Midwest and European Cheeses

 

Your feedback is welcome!

 

 

 

What? Christmas--is when? Send a New Year's gift instead....Idea here

Have you run out of time to Christmas shop (or to charge-send)?

No worries. Surprise friends and relatives with a New Year's foodie gift. Here is a link to one of the top food shops in the Midwest, Zingerman's, featuring special suggestions:

http://www.zingermans.com/Category.aspx?category=eve_christmas

 

 

 

Take your place in winter harvest

Take advantage of the Minnesota winter and help pick frozen grapes for Cannon River Winery's 2011 Ice Wine.

From noon to 4 p.m. Dec. 26, be a part of the winter crew to pick the frozen St. Pepin grapes off the vine in the snow-covered Sogn Valley.

Everyone will meet at the winery in Cannon Falls and drive to the vineyard together. Following the picking, warm drinks and food will be provided.

Participants will also receive a free gift upon leaving.

Upon leaving, receive a gift from us that will make all the cold hard work all worth while!
 
If interested, e-mail jlaudette@mchsi.com

Locally made gift baskets to love

Seeking a special holiday gift for your favorite connoisseur? Here are links to what Gourmanda likes for food/wine gift baskets, made in Rochester. 

For wine aficionados:

http://www.sontes.com/information/giftcards.html

For mix of the highest quality, trendiest specialty foods:  

http://www.zzestmarket.com/platters.htm

Just amore:

http://www.sopra-sotto.com/categories.php?catID=83

And a-more to come!

 

 

 

Holiday shopping? How 'bout fresh, fresh, fresh olive oil from Italy

Great Taste wants to spread the word about Sopra Sotto's northern Italian olio nuovo and southern Italian olio novello. 

From Sopra Sotto: 

These young oils are vibrant green in color with a viscous silken texture and the aroma of freshly cut grass, pepper, green apple, artichoke and olive leaf on the pallet. The very first press of the oil is designated as extra virgin.  The qualities in this very exceptional oil are creamy, piquant, zesty, and unfiltered. Olio Nouvo or Olio Novello is the oil in its most intense state, immediately bottled after pressing and not allowed to settle.  

Geographic location and olive varietals play a role in the nouvo or novello oil’s flavor profile. Many of the olive groves in Italy are filled with ancient trees.  Although these ancient trees do not produce as much fruit as younger trees, the fruit is more intense and complex in flavor.  The diversity in climate, varietals and topography gives the nouvo or novello oils of each region their own unique aroma and flavor.

Following are the Olio Nouvos / Olio Novellos now available at Sopra Sotto:

Tenuta di Capezzana Olio Nuovo:  Pressed the week of October 25, 2010, this beautiful lime green olive oil is from the Tuscan Region.  Aromatic of lemon with a buttery texture.  Notes of artichoke, green tea and apple, this olive oil finishes with hints of wintergreen and pine.  Drizzle on seafood, sautéed greens, or roasted Brussels sprouts.  Olive varietals:  Frantoio, Moraiolo, Pendolino, Leccino, Santa Caterina.  

Olio Verde Olio Novello:  From a Sicilian country estate, this lush green-gold oil was pressed the week of October 7^th.  Tastes of fresh cut grass and lime.  Consistently well balanced, this harvest is pungent and well-rounded.  Drizzel on fish or bruschetta or serve with lamb, grilled steak, sardines, or roasted potatoes.  Olive varietals:  100% Nocellara del Belice.

Casale Olio Novello: Pressed on October 20^th and 21^st , this deep green olive oil is from Pianella, Abruzzo and NEW to Sopra Sotto! Aromatic of olives with a nutty taste.  Hints of green tea, artichoke and cinnamon, with a pungent peppery finish.  Serve with grilled meat, hearty fish and roasted squash.  Olive varietals:  90% Dritta and 10% Lecchino olives. 

Frescobaldi Laudemio First Pressing:  Pressed the week of October 25^th, this oil is a luscious emerald green color from Florence, Italy. Robust, complex oil redolent of fresh cut grass and citrus with cinnamon and a peppery finish. Serve with everything; winter soups, farro, roasted vegetables, grilled meats, even pizza. Olive varietals :  Frantoio, Moraiolo, Leccino. 

Prices for the oils range from $32 to $45 for one-half liter (16.9 ounces).