After making a batch of stuffed mushrooms, there was a healthy portion of stuffing left over. A pork loin roast in the fridge lay waiting. Serendipity. The recipe that follows assumes you will not be making a batch of stuffed mushrooms first. But please feel free to do so. Stuffed Pork Loin Roast 3 lb [...]
In Praise of Smørrebrød
Nordic cuisine has ascended in recent years to join the culinary pantheon of fine dining, a welcome broadening of the traditional European references for modern American experimentation. Such a re-emergence of Nordic influences generates an interesting confluence in the Midwest, particularly in Wisconsin and Minnesota, where immigrants settled a few generations ago. They brought with [...]
Venison Sausage with Asiago Cheese
A recent gift of spicy venison sausage came with a warning - don't over cook or it will dry out. This is pretty standard fair for any cut of venison, but often the pork fat added to sausages provide all the moisture needed. But these were not natural casings, and the links were not sealed [...]
New Restaurant Added – Graze, Madison, WI
Let's start with this admission - L'Etoile is one of my all-time favorite restaurants. Over the last 25 years, L'Etoile in Madison and Sanford in Milwaukee have defined the best of dining in the state of Wisconsin. In 2005, Tory Miller moved from chef de cuisine to owner of L'Etoile and has wonderfully nurtured the [...]
In Praise of the Hand Pie
A roast herb chicken over a pan of onions, carrots, and rutabaga - Saturday evening meal. The drippings, after a quick coating over the vegetables, are strained off and refrigerated. The caramelized bits are scrapped up and added to leftover vegetables and chicken, which has been finely diced. And now the heart of the hand [...]
Great Lakes Cuisine 