Christmas Dinner

With the addition of my nephew Jack and Dolls (the pup), Christmas had a little bit more excitement than years past. I mean, don't get me wrong...a day of eating, drinking and gifts is always fantastic. But, after a while you need something new to spice things up.

With all the extra hoopla, Mom decided to keep the menu simple for Christmas dinner. You know meat & potatoes and a salad. Sounds standard right? No so. Even when my Mom is simplifying things...she knocks it out of the park.

Christmas Dinner 2009

Beef Tenderloin:
3 Lb Tenderloin
3-5 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup fresh Thyme (chopped)
1/2 cup fresh Flat Leaf Italian Parsley (chopped)
Salt/Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Rub tenderloin with olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh thyme and parsley
3. Place in a large roasting pan (with a V shaped rack insert preferably)
4. Roast for roughly 25 minutes (until internal temp is 125 degrees)
5. Let rest of 5 minutes then slice

Sauteed Mushrooms:
1 Container Baby Portobellos
1 Large container of Button
1 Container of Shitake
1 Package of Porcini (rehydrate with warm water)
3/4 Stick butter
1 Clove Garlic (chopped)
1/4 Cup Red Wine
1 Tbsp Flat Leaf Italian Parsley
Salt/Pepper

1. Saute mushrooms, garlic and 1/2 stick of butter on medium-high heat until mushrooms are tender (roughly 5-10 minutes)
2. Add red wine and reduce for a few minutes
3. Salt and pepper to taste
4. Toss in parsley and 1/4 stick of butter to finish off the dish


Mashed Potatoes:
3 Lb Yukon Gold Potatoes
1/4 Cup Chive (chopped)
2 Tbsp Horseradish
1/2 Cup Whole Milk (or cream)
1/2 Stick Butter

1. Boil potatoes until fork tender (roughly half hour) and drain
2. Add in chives, horseradish, cream and butter and mash

Salad:
1/2 Container Mache lettuce
1/2 Container Spinach
1 Pomegranate
1 Container crumbled Goat Cheese
5 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp Grey Poupon Mustard
Fresh Ground Pepper

1. On the bottom of a large bowl, whisk olive oil, vinegars, mustard, and pepper
2. Add lettuce on top of dressing
3. Seed the pomegranate and add to salad
4. Add goat cheese
5. Toss and serve

Wine:
Hartley Ostini Hitching Post 2007 Pinot Noir

Purchased at this great little wine shop on Armitage in Lincoln Park called The Poison Cup.

Christmas Morning: Cinnamon Rolls

For the past month, I had been reading the Gluten-Free girls posts on her efforts to achieve the perfect cinnamon roll. She had multiple posts and pictures of her trial and error...and finally right before Christmas she posted her final recipe.

I had been looking for a good recipe for waffles, but was really unimpressed by what I was finding. So, when she posted the recipe on December 22nd... I was like this is fate. I must make these cinnamon rolls. It would be something out of the ordinary for my family to eat, so it would be different and special.

The one hang-up was that the recipe and instructions were four pages long! I mean 23 ingredients...yikes. But I wasn't going to let that get me down. It isn't the first time I've baked. I'm actually starting to get used to using multiple flours for everything that I make.

So, on Christmas morning, I was up bright and early at 6am (to take the dog out of course). Instead of heading back to bed I decided to get started on the rolls. In hindsight, I really had no concept of how long these suckers were going to take me to make.

Round 1 was making the dough. I found that the recipe called for too much water. If you decide to conquer this recipe as well, you should pour the 1 cup of yeast water in first prior to adding the extra 1/2 cup of water. That way your dough will get all the yeast, but you can manage the water content. After you make the dough, you need to let it sit for an hour. So I took that opportunity to nap for an hour. This was needed as Christmas eve (after family sushi dinner) entails multiple glasses of wine at my best friends parents annual party.

Round 2 was rolling out the dough and adding the sugar and cinnamon mixtures. The recipe makes 16 rolls, so you have to go through the process twice. After the rolls are cut and placed in the pie plates, you need to cover and let sit for another hour. This hiatus I showered and got ready for church.

Round 3 was baking and making the frosting. This part was painless. The frosting is a straight forward cream cheese frosting. Baking takes about 25 minutes and then you need to let rest for 10.

Round 4 was eating. Oh my god were they good. I can't remember the last time I had a cinnamon rolls... but I will tell you I won't be going years before having another. I highly recommend eating with a perfect cup of Peet's Coffee.

All in all, it took about 5 hours from start to finish (since you have 2 pie plates of rolls, you have 2 rounds of baking).

If you have a craving for cinnamon rolls and 5 hours to spare...I highly recommend this recipe. Since the recipe is 4 pages long, it's better if I just provide the link to Shauna's recipe:

http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2009/12/gluten-free-cinnamon-rolls.html

Good luck.

Christmas Eve

This will probably be my shortest post to date. Every year my Mom, my Dad and I order sushi. When I know that I am going to have a big meal the next day, I like to enter the day feeling light. Unlike Thanksgiving, I don't run a race the morning of. I ran a Reindeer Race once when I lived in Minnesota. That was a mistake.

I wish I could say the sushi was great...it wasn't. It was good. It's what we like to call "suburban sushi". It's good and satisfies a craving...but you will not talk about it later (except maybe if you have a food blog).

E|P|I|C

A lot of thought goes into each and every meal that I eat. It's a little bit of a sickness. When you eat 6-7 times a day, carefully planning each food experience...it can get a little time consuming. Then if you are disappointed by your meal, depression can set in.

Beyond all gut instincts, I chose to eat at a restaurant with only knowing 2 facts: Metromix said it was new and their website had nice food photography. When we first arrived at Epic (on Hubbard) the place was fairly empty. I was like "oh god" way to go Vanessa, couldn't you have at least read some reviews?

Turns out it literally was the first week it opened (you could still smell the fresh paint), or as the waitress let us know, it was the "soft launch." The space was pretty cool...dark, modern and big. Epic is one of those restaurants that turns into a club type place late night.

I started with the Hamachi (pictured left). I loved the combo of the raw seafood and blood orange...however it was paired with a cream sauce of sorts which I thought weighed it down a bit. Then I had the the lamb shank. Oh my god was it to die for. The only thing that I felt bad about while eating it was the fact that I stole this entree choice from my dinner partner...who so graciously chose something different. The lamb shank was almost as big as my head and had some of the most tender meat I have ever had. The sauce was rich but not goppy or heavy. The meat paired with Yukon mash couldn't have been more satisfying. As always had to finish off with something sweet. I ordered the mint ice cream...which to my surprise was made out of actual mint!

This risk turned out to be well worth it. Well done Epic in your first week. I'll be back for sure.

NAHA

On the corner of Clark and Illinois in River North you can find a small gem of a restaurant called NAHA. With a name like NAHA, you would think that you would be in for some type of international cuisine, but the name comes from the cousin duo that created this restaurant...Carrie and Michael Nahabedien. According to their website, they describe their menu as American cuisine with Mediterreanian influences (I'd say 90/10).

From start to finish, the meal was superb. Our waiter was this sweet man who was so attentive that it almost freaked me out a bit. I say almost because now that I need my waiter to be conscious about my gluten allergy...I'll take a little too much attention.

For me, the perfect meal starts with a light fish appetizer and a glass of white wine. Then I like to move on to something more bold...some type of red meat paired with red wine. My Dad joked the other day that cows start to weep when they find out I'm heading out to dinner. And lastly, I have never ended a meal with out something sweet. Becoming gluten free has limited my dessert choices, but that has not discouraged my habit one bit.

Appetizer:
Large Scallops from the Gulf of Maine roasted with Vanilla Bean, Citrus and Spices, La Quercia Prosciutto "Americano", Glazed Belgian Endive and Seckel Pears, Candied Grapefruit Rind and Spearmint

Entree: (had the Farro removed since they contain gluten)
Roast Loin of Ranch Venison, Golden Chanterelles, Italian Farro and Crosnes, garnet Yam Puree and Huckleberries

Dessert:
Candy Cane Ice Cream

Beyond the great staff, food, and interior design...I loved that the place was full. With the current state of the economy, it's not often that you experience a meal in packed restaurant on a weekday. The energy can really make a meal.

MK

When my Dad and I started our monthly Chicago dinner ritual in May of 2008, we started with MK. This contemporary American restaurant has become a Chicago staple. The modern space opened in 2004 has stayed true to its roots by continually introducing unique flavors... without forgetting the importance of the "local farmer." And the quality is just outstanding.

In thinking about the structure of our restaurant exploration, we decided that it may be a good idea to repeat a great dinner ever year or so...so for our December 2009 monthly dinner, it made sense to re-visit MK.

Upon meeting our waitress, my Dad prompted me to share my gluten allergy (which still slightly embarrasses me). The waitress, to my surprise, starting rattling off all the things that she and the Chef would do to insure that I did not have any gluten in any of my dishes in addition to making sure that the food was not cross contaminated as well.

I ended up ordering all my dishes off the special menu. I had a superb pumpkin soup, venison (very lean, perfect medium rare) w/ chocolate sauce and a trio of creme brulee's (cinnamon, dark chocolate, maple syrup). With the meal we enjoyed a Burgundy that complemented both my venison and my Dad's white fish.

And, finally, I can't forget to mention dessert #2. MK likes to end everyone's meal with dessert, regardless of if you had just finished your actual dessert 5 minutes before. My meal was successfully gluten free, but they really stepped it up a notch when they delivered my gluten-free dessert #2. Pure joy and love was pouring out of me when I received this amazing gift of sugar.

Another successful monthly dinner. Great food. Great conversation. Thank you MK...and Dad.

Mercadito & Chilam Balam

When a normal person is thinking about picking out a restaurant that won't upset their stomach...Mexican would most likely not make the list. On the contrary, for the gluten intolerant, Mexican is a tasty savior. Corn is naturally gluten-free, so if you choose either an authentic or upscale Mexican restaurant, they typically offer flour free corn tortillas.

This is the case with two new Mexican places that are swiftly making a name for themselves in Chicago. Mercadito is in River North on Kinzie and Chilam Balam is in Lakeview on Broadway.

The best things about Mercadito were the fun atmosphere (pictured left) and the Carnitas tacos (Michoacan style braised berkshire pork, chile de arbol coleslaw, toasted peanuts).

What made Chilam Balam great was the super attentive waitstaff and the Corn masa memeles w/ smokey black bean puree, goat cheese, and arbol chile salsa.

On top of all that, both places are very affordable.

Van's Natural Foods

One of my favorite foods to eat for breakfast before I became gluten-free was Eggo waffles. I have a sweet tooth, so I loved all flavors of them...cinnamon, blueberry, nutrigrain, etc. When I went on the SPENT program, I had to give up my beloved Eggo waffles for six weeks, which ended up turning into indefinitely when I realized that I was gluten intolerant.

So, for months I had my breakfast smoothies every single day for breakfast, which don't get me wrong I still love and stand behind. The problem arose when it got cold. I mean as much as I appreciate the taste and energy of the smoothie, some days I just want coffee and a waffle.

Van's Natural Foods saved me from my breakfast conundrum with their tasty frozen breakfast waffles, pancakes and french toast. This natural foods company offers a variety of gluten-free breakfast options. My favorite is the french toast sticks. The sweet, cinnamon, buttery taste absolutely satisfies my winter weather cravings.

Birthday Cake

The nice thing about your birthday is that you typically don't need to worry about feeding yourself. Either your friends and family take you out or they cook for you. In my case, tradition is Mom having the family over for your favorite foods. In my case, my favorite dishes that I order every year are Baked Ziti and some type of chocolate cake (Carvel ice cream cakes are a particular favorite). So, for my first annual gluten-free birthday, Mom once again made the extra effort to fulfill my birthday wishes...without making me sick.

Although I can't say that I had a Carvel cake, I had a Betty Crocker chocolate devil's food cake that was damn good. General Mills is a company that has definitely stepped up to the plate in terms of gluten-free products and information. Believe it or not, they actually have a microsite for it www.liveglutenfreely.com. I was excited to see some cereal and soup options to try...because really, you can't cook or bake for every meal!

Chriskrindlmarket Chicago

I just realized that so far in my blog, I have left out information about 50% of who I am. My mom Ingrid is from Deggendorf, Germany. She and my grandparents came over to the United States after the war when she was about 6 months to start a new life in the land of the free. They settled in New York and the rest is history.

Inspired by her German roots, my Mom became a linguist. She studied French and German, and ended up becoming a German teacher. This brings me to the point of my post. Every year my Mom brings her students downtown to the Chriskrindlmarket. They spend the afternoon eating German food and checking out all the booths of handmade German crafts.

I can't say that I eat German food often, but when I do...it is decadent and delicious. This year I had Leberkaese (which is essentially bologna) with sauerkraut and German mustard...without the bun of course.

Red Wine Sunday 12/6/09

There is no doubt about the fact that it has become freezing in Chicago the past couple weeks. I have realized it more so than ever this year, since I made the intelligent choice of getting a puppy right before winter. Thank god she is cutest dog on the planet, because bundling up to take her outside 10 times a day is not fun. Lucky for me, my Mom made the most delicious comforting meal yesterday that thawed out all the chill from the week.

Pasta with Red Wine Veal sauce is a staple for our winter Red Wine Sunday's. This year, due to my gluten allergy, my Mom mixed it up and served the sauce with polenta instead. Wow, it was fantastic. On top of it, my Dad took out a bottle of red wine that he had been holding on to for a while that knocked our socks off (a '98 Silver Oak Cabernet).

Red Wine Veal Sauce:

1 lb veal cubes
1/3 cup olive oil
2 large red onions (chopped)
1 can San Marzano tomatoes (chopped)
2 cups dry red wine
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 whole cloves

1. Brown veal in a medium to deep sauce pan with a little bit of the olive oil on medium heat. Once browned on all sides remove from pan and set aside.
2. Add the remaining olive oil and onions to the pan. Cook the onions for about 10 minutes until onions are translucent.
3. Stir in cooked veal, tomatoes, red wine, red pepper flakes and cloves. Lower heat to low and cover. Cook for 1 1/2 hours stirring occasionally.
4. Serve over polenta (see recipe below) or your favorite pasta.

Chive Polenta:

6 cups water
1 3/4 cups yellow corn meal
1/2 cup chives (chopped)
3 tbsp of unsalted butter (cut in 3 pieces)
2 tsp of salt

1. Boil 6 cups of water with the salt.
2. Add cornmeal and whisk continuously for about 15 minutes.
3. Add butter and chives until evenly incorporated.
4. Take off heat and pour into a serving bowl.

Silly Yak Bakery

My best friend, the Chef, shared with me that Madison, WI has a gluten-free bakery! It's called Silly Yak Bakery. She was so excited about it that she literally came home over Thanksgiving break with a bag full of goodies like rice bread, scones, cheese bread and coffee cake.

The great thing about her embracing my gluten allergy is that prior to me finding out about my issue, she couldn't stand people that were gluten-free. She just thought that they were picky eaters who didn't appreciate good food. I don't blame her, being a foodie myself I would have probably felt the same way (if I had even know what a gluten allergy was). Since it was my family that really introduced her to the foodie world, she had to believe that my gluten allergy wasn't bs.

Acceptance and a yummy blueberry scone...love that.

Pumpkin Pie

My absolute favorite Thanksgiving dessert is Pumpkin Pie. So, Gluten-free Thanksgiving 2009 was not going to be without. The scary part about tackling the gluten-free version of this pie was that a) I have never made a regular pumpkin pie before and b) I have never made pie before. Not a problem...I am always trying new things, I can do this.

Yeah...not a problem, until I found out that the night I was planning on making the pie crust (which happens the night before you bake it) I had to participate in a 3 hours conference call from 7-10pm. So, I literally flew through Whole Foods in about 15 minutes after work to gather all my ingredients and then when I got home I tossed all the ingredients in a food processor in about 10 minutes...and you know what? The pie, gluten-free crust and all, was awesome. It was a huge hit. So much so that there was only 1 piece left for the next day, in which I called dibs in about 2 minutes after dessert was over.

Pie Crust: (adapted from Gluten Free Girl)

1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
3 tablespoons sweet rice flour
3 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick cold butter
1 large egg
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 ice-cold water

1. Mix together all the dry ingredients, including the sugar and cinnamon. Add to food processor along with the butter (cut into ½ inch pieces). Pulse until butter has turned into small granules. 2. Add the egg and apple cider vinegar and pulse again until incorporated. Then slowly add in water and pulse until dough sticks together (shouldn't be too wet).
3. Drop dough on a big sheet of parchment paper. Top with another piece of parchment. Then with a roller, roll out to form a circle the size of a pie plate.
4. Refrigerate the dough overnight.
5. Next day roll out dough a little bit larger than the pie plate. Then peel off top of parchment; flip over onto the pie plate. Smush the pie dough into the pie plate. Then remove other piece of parchment and with your fingers mold the dough to the exact size of the plate (crust will shrink a bit).




Filling:

3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
15 oz can Pumpkin Puree
12 oz can evaporated milk

1. Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
2. Pour into pie shell.
3. Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool and serve or refrigerate and serve next day.

Cranberry Sauce: Keep it Simple!

Thanksgiving is a crazy food event with hundreds of ingredients and flavors. Every year we fill our plates with 6-10 food items not counting appetizers and desserts.My favorite of those 6-10 items is Cranberry sauce. I know that there are about a million recipes out there that doctor up the sauce with things like vanilla, oranges or nuts, but I like to keep things simple. This sauce is supposed to complement the turkey not overpower the turkey flavor.

Here is my way of keeping it simple:

Ingredients:
1 bag fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar

1. Boil water and sugar until sugar has dissolved and water has a rolling boil.
2. Toss in rinsed cranberries (be sure to check for stems)
3. Return to boil and stir occasionally until all cranberries have popped and the water takes on a reddish color (about 3-5 minutes)
4. Take the pan of the heat and let sit until cooled
5. Put sauce in a container to refrigerate (ideally you would do this the day before the big event)
6. Serve slightly chilled