Steak Sandwiches

The last time I was in Maine I accumulated so much material for this blog...and then got caught up in this whole getting a doctorate thing and had to set aside my food writing. Well, I'm sitting in Maine once again, so I figure I'd better catch up a bit on the Maine food blogging before venturing out into the great city of Portland to devour more delicious food and beverages. 

One of the highlights of my last trip was enjoying steak sandwiches for dinner made by the lovely Susan. I don't know what it is about her kitchen, but there's magic in the air. It's the perfect place to cook, eat, and talk, and somehow photographs of food are always stunning when taken there. One night she prepared these simple yet superb steak sandwiches. They were made with ciabatta, melted cheese, fresh greens, roasted red peppers, dijon, and very rare steak. 

These sandwiches were truly a treat, and the photographs below will hopefully excite your taste buds and motivate you to make them yourself. Bon appetit!

 

Home-Made Double Downs

Earlier this year my friends and I made the decision that we had to experience Double Downs. If you're thinking "that's what she said," then get your mind out of the gutter--it's a sandwich!

Well, it's sort of a sandwich. Double Downs are a product of KFC where they place bacon, cheese, and sauce in between two fried chicken fillets. Whaaaatt? Now, we're all a little bit too pretentious to actually go to KFC, so instead we decided to make them from scratch.

My friend Billy was put in charge of creating the Double Downs. Not everyone can be lucky enough to have a friend from the south like Billy who knows how to make amazing fried chicken. Seriously...it's ridiculous. And the chicken is obviously a key aspect to the perfect Double Down experience, so we had to put that job in the hands of an expert. 

He started off by pounding the meat. Hard. After pounding the chicken into cutlets he rubbed them with salt, white pepper, paprika, and cayenne. Next the chicken was dipped into an egg wash and battered with flour. Then he fried them to perfection in vegetable oil.

With the fried chicken "bread" ready to go, bacon, pepperjack cheese, and this cilantro mayonnaise I had made earlier were sandwiched between the fillets and placed in the oven for about ten to fifteen minutes so the cheese could melt and meld all the ingredients together. 

I had actually made the mayo as a dipping sauce for shrimp earlier in the day, but there was a lot leftover and it seemed perfect for the Double Downs. Basically it was a combination of mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, cilantro, crushed red pepper, and sea salt, all blended together. I bet horseradish, pesto, or red pepper mayo would also work really well with this recipe.

I was so excited when the Double Downs were finally ready. I don't even know if I can describe how ridiculously amazing they were. First you've got the crispiness of fried chicken, which knows no match. You know what I'm talking about--that beautifully crispy exterior that gives way to juicy meat on the inside. And not just one piece of fried chicken, but two! Talk about over the top. Next you've got the bacon, and you all know how wonderful bacon is. Combined with the fried chicken it's a double dose of decadence. But then the pepperjack cheese melts all over the sandwich, adding yet another rich quality to the already divine flavors. And mayonnaise! Come on, you know it's the perfect comfort food. What else could you want to put you in a food coma?

These are a perfect late-night snack when all you want to do is get the itis and lie around watching movies. I wish the photos came out better, so you can see just how delicious they were, but I think that at least the picture of me with the Double Down conveys how much happiness these little fried chicken-bacon-cheese "sandwiches" can create. As much as I'm not a fan of KFC, I've got to admit they came up with a great idea with the Double Downs. My recommendation--make them at home and experience one of the most amazing, crispy, and gooey things you can put in your mouth. Enjoy!

 

District

The last time I was in Maine we headed over to District, located at 45 Danforth Street in Portland, for some fantastic fare. 

The main incentive for going to District was oysters (surprise, surprise). It turned out that they have a great deal on oysters. Winterpoints from West Bath, Maine, and Blue Points from Connecticut were both available at an affordable price. The Blue Points are only $1 each, but the $2 Winterpoints are definitely superior. Nice and salty—a delightfully briny embodiment of the northeastern shore of the Atlantic Ocean.

 

 

To accompany the oceanic oysters I ordered a French 75 cocktail. This drink was concocted with Tanqueray gin, lemon juice, and prosecco, served straight up. The citrus of the lemon juice and the lightness of the gin and prosecco made for a great combination and was delightful with the briny oysters.

We also ordered some seared foie gras, which was soft and luscious—like butta. I don’t know what it is about foie gras. It’s simply amazing and you really only need a bite or two to enjoy it. Foie gras is definitely the silky smooth goddess of elegant appetizers. 

Other dishes we sampled included baby back ribs with a cider glaze and served with fennel slaw; steamed local mussels with fennel, crème fraiche, and served with grilled bread; mixed green salad with duck fat croutons and sherry vinaigrette; and roasted beet salad of local greens, feta, fried shallots, and rosemary red wine vinaigrette. 

All the food was fresh, delicious, and executed perfectly. I’ve also been informed that they have amazing burgers that are simple and straightforward without all the trappings that some restaurants use to try and elevate burgers into the realm of gourmet. 

District is a nice place to sit back and have a drink, eat some oysters, or try some excellent dishes. I’ll definitely be hitting it up the next time I’m in Portland.

Update: Be sure to check out my review of Districts amazing burgers! http://sliceofearthlydelight.blogspot.com/2011/07/district-burger.html 

Garlic Rose

Earlier this year my parents visited me in Jersey and we hit up Garlic Rose, a restaurant I'd been dying to try for far too long. Located at 41 Main Street in Madison, New Jersey, Garlic Rose is BYOB, so we brought along a nice bottle of French malbec (my favorite type of wine). This cute bistro was packed to the brim on this Friday night and the scent of garlic filled the dining room, whetting our appetites for dinner.

First off, I just have to say that lots of restaurants bring out bread and oil or butter before your dinner begins, but at Garlic Rose this simple snack is taken to a new level. The bread was soft and warm and the dipping sauce was exceptional. It’s basically a super garlicky pesto sauce, and it tastes phenomenal when drizzled over the bread. I could have been happy just eating this standard fare.

But of course there were many more dishes to try! For one of our appetizers we ordered the Garlicious Escargots—snails served out of shell and sautéed with onions, shitake mushrooms, and basil in a red wine garlic veloute sauce. The snails were cooked perfectly and melted in the mouth with the delightful flavors of the accompanying sauce. 

We also tried the Artichoke Hearts Del Destino, which are egg-battered hearts sautéed with capers and red peppers in a roasted garlic lemon and veloute sauce. These were thankfully not battered too heavily and were perfect for sharing between us although I did prefer the escargot.

From the specials menu my mom ordered Shrimp Oreganato. This entrée consisted of shrimp topped with garlic orgenanato breadcrumbs that were broiled in a white wine, lemon, and butter sauce and was served with seasoned yellow rice. Also from the specials menu my dad ordered St. Peter’s Fish Fra Diablo, which consisted of Tilapia topped with a spicy garlic tomato sauce with hot cherry peppers, roasted red peppers, onions, fresh basil, and oregano. It was also served with seasoned yellow rice. This dish had a really nice level of intense heat and spiciness.

I opted for the Center Cut Frenched Rib Pork Chop. This 12 oz. center cut frenched rib pork chop was broiled to medium doneness in a garlic marinade, topped with a red wine demiglaze, and accompanied with caramelized Fuji apples and Gilroy potatoes. I thoroughly enjoyed this entrée. The pork chop was cooked just right, but the real gem of this dish was the caramelized apples. They added a slightly sweet delightful accompaniment to the pork that was all tied together with the red wine demiglaze. In fact, the sauces on all the dishes we tried were phenomenal—Garlic Rose must have a superb saucier.

Although we were full and satisfied after these appetizers and entrees we couldn’t resist trying the Garlic Ice Cream from the dessert menu. I’ve heard that such a thing exists but had yet to try it. This ice cream was exploding with garlic flavor. There was a very interesting play between the heat and intensity of the garlic juxtaposed with the cool sweetness of the ice cream that made this dessert particularly addictive. It was surprising that the most garlicky item we tasted was the dessert, but it was delicious and any garlic lover should definitely try it out at some point.

I’d been waiting quite a while to eat at Garlic Rose and it definitely lived up to my expectations. If you find yourself in the town of Madison then it’s well worth it to try out this garlicious bistro.  

Onion Rings

“The secret to making onion rings is confidence.”
—Tara Rook

What’s better than homemade onion rings at 3 in the morning? Well, I can think of one thing that could be better, but that’s another story.

My sister Tara is an expert at making onion rings, and I had the pleasure of trying them last weekend. Apparently the secret to making onion rings is confidence, but you’ll need a few other ingredients as well:

Onions
Breadcrumbs
Flour
Eggs
Confidence

Start off by cracking the eggs into a bowl and stir them up with a fork. Then combine the flour and breadcrumbs in another bowl. If you want to add salt, pepper, or other spices then this is the time to do it.

Slice the onions into rings—you can go for either thick or thin rings depending on your preference. Be sure to separate the onion slices so you’re not doubling up the rings.

 

While you are preparing the onions you can get some oil started on the stove. Make sure it’s nice and hot before you put the onions in.

Take the onion slices and dip them into the flour mixture, then into the eggs, then back into the flour. Now you’re ready to place them in the oil. If you are immersing them in oil then just throw them in and wait until they turn golden brown before removing them. And if you are using a shallow pan then make sure that one side has reached that golden-brown perfection before turning it over to finish it off.

They taste great served up with a sprinkle of salt and some Sriracha on the side for dipping. Just remember, if you don’t maintain confidence during this process your onion rings will be inferior!

Morel Mushroom Egg Scramble

When I woke up yesterday I knew that I wanted to use the morel mushrooms in the dinner I was going to cook for my parents that night, but I just couldn’t resist trying them out ahead of time. I decided that a morel mushroom egg scramble seemed fitting, and I set to work.

Scrambled eggs are indeed simple, but it is often the simplest tasks that require attention and skill to create something truly spectacular. I started off by cracking two eggs, adding a splash of milk, and whisking them up with a fork. The milk helps them to become light and fluffy, and if you can get fresh eggs it will taste even better.

I set the eggs aside and sliced up some of the morels. I also grated a small amount of cheddar cheese. 

Next I heated up some butter in a cast iron pan and sautéed the morels for a couple of minutes.

Turning the heat to around medium to medium-low will help keep the eggs from cooking too quickly and drying out. Add the eggs to the pan and use a utensil to push the eggs around in the pan. I generally keep the eggs moving the whole time so that you don’t end up with certain pieces cooked too much and others not enough. When the eggs are almost done but still a little moist add the grated cheese and continue to scramble the eggs. Adding just a little bit of cheese gives the eggs more flavor but doesn’t overload them with melted cheese. It also helps to fluff them up a bit.

And voila! A dish that is satisfying and delicious in its simplicity. The morels (or other mushrooms if you don’t have access to these spring fungi) add a hearty, meaty quality to the eggs that is much lighter than something like bacon or sausage. I recommend a little crushed red pepper or hot sauce to accompany these tasty eggs.

Backyard Morel Mushrooms

It’s morel season and we’re lucky enough to have these lovely little fungi popping up in our backyard. There is something very satisfying about being able to walk into the yard, pick something up off the ground, cook it, and eat it. Especially when it is as delicious as a morel mushroom.

 Mushrooms are fascinating to me. They are beautiful and strange, deadly and delicious, and always magical. Morels are particularly intriguing because of their appearance. These mushrooms appear as a honeycombed web of tan, gold, and brown—they seem almost alien, but damn are they tasty.

 After some mushroom hunting in the backyard we stored the mushrooms for future use. If you spot some and cannot eat them right away be sure to pick them and keep them in the fridge so that animals don’t eat them. Just don’t wash them before storing otherwise they will become mushy and unusable. We just threw ours in a bowl, loosely covered it with plastic wrap, and placed them in the fridge. Apparently the key to storing morels is to keep them cool, dry, and ventilated, so some mushroom hunting websites recommend keeping them in a loose paper bag.

Just as you can taste the ocean in seafood, you can taste the earth in mushrooms. That thick umami flavor connects you right to the soil with every bite. With our morels I made a morel and egg scramble with cheddar cheese for breakfast, and later on we enjoyed Cornish game hen with a morel sauce. Recipes coming soon!

Song of the Week: Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)

Quote of the Week: Mushrooms

"Nature alone is antique and the oldest art a mushroom."

--Thomas Carlyle

Song of the Week: Sex and Candy

Quote of the Week: Electric Kool-Aid

"Electric Kool-Aid will rain in the air like a typhoon, swizzle up every vein, 6,000 heads smashed out of their nuts, ricocheting off the walls like electric golf balls... The sky falls... But that's not all." 

--Tom Wolfe, Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test