My Uncle Lee is not actually my uncle. He is a long-standing family friend, so much a part of our family in my early years, he simply became known as Uncle Lee. He has moved out to Colorado, but he was the latest of many generations in the Milwaukee area where he inherited a love [...]
Tag: Great Lakes Cuisine
Pickled Pike
The many smaller lakes in the Great Lakes region provide a variety of species of fresh water fish. Some folks shy away from preparing the Northern Pike due to the additional row of bones ("Y" bones), which can make it a bit trickier to prepare. There is a fairly simple technique to handle the bones, [...]
Butchers, Beef, and Three Hours of Smoke
Here in the Great Lakes, a local butcher is a good person to know. Let's say one day you walk in looking for something unique to throw on the smoker. No, not pork belly. We've done that. Beef brisket, done it. Most of the standard fare, we've covered. If you're a regular like Tom and [...]
The Blending of Lines – Defining Cuisine
One of the hallmarks of a definable cuisine is the ability to identify when it is being used as a highlight, a complement, to another approach. When a chef uses a slow roasted pork, glazed in hoisin, and served with an Asian Pear salsa as a taco appetizer, we can identify the elements of Latino [...]
In Praise of Sausage – Bavette, Milwaukee
A recent lunch at Bavette in Milwaukee, WI created a growing sense of wonder. On her site, Karen Bell talks about "honoring time old culinary traditions as well as providing a direct link from farmer to consumer" which are deeply held values of Great Lakes Cuisine, but the particular bit of wonder on this particular [...]
Great Lakes Cuisine 