Selden Standard, Detroit

Much has already been written about one of the newest, hottest restaurants in Detroit, Selden Standard.

Eater- read it here.
Sylvia Rector for the Free Press- don't miss it. She is such a wonderful writer. Also, I did sit at the chef's counter, and Nyle did graciously offer me some olives. It hurt me to tell him that olives are the ONE THING that I can't abide.

Anyway, I abode other things.

 

In law school, we learn the phrase "res ipsa loquitur," translated from the Latin as "the thing that speaks for itself." At Selden Standard, I had a fried chicken sandwich and roasted Brussels sprouts. It was lunchtime on a Friday, and after I finished the day in Ann Arbor I considered driving back to Detroit for dinner. Res ipsa indeed.

November Bon Appetit- Pumpkin Scones (with or without cinnamon butter)

I took a few days off before Thanksgiving this year. The boyfriend I would be hosting Thanksgiving dessert for about 20 of our nearest and dearest, and I knew that I would need to get it together and clean the house. Those 3 days were lifesavers, and they also gave me a chance to make something a little luxurious, something that screams "holidays" to me- breakfast baked goods.

Flip to Bon Appetit's November issue and the recipe for pumpkin scones with cinnamon butter. The only time I'd ever made scones, I admit, was from a mix. You know those ones that they sell at World Market? Sticky Fingers brand? That name is the truth. Scone batter adheres to your fingers and doesn't want to release.

I made the batter in the evening, formed it into scones, and froze them on a baking sheet overnight. In the morning I got home from my workout, popped these in the oven, and by the time I was showered and Keurig-ed, the house was fragrant with the aroma of breakfast.

Full of chopped cranberries and pumpkin.

I skipped the cinnamon butter, because my brother always used to make me go to Texas Roadhouse and I always hated the cinnamon butter with rolls. I just don't think butter should be sweet. Give me an herby, tarragony butter any old day. I just drizzled a little melted butter on the scones.

A scone of some stripe is now a contender for Christmas morning. Not pumpkin, obviously, because eating pumpkin after Thanksgiving is tantamount to wearing white after Labor Day. Or whatever. I'm not even sure that they must be sweet. Savory scones are a thing, right?

Le Chat Gourmet- Croissant Workshop

As I write this I am laying in bed, covered up by my most festive bright red down comforter, sipping coffee laced with my most-anticipated holiday treat- Peppermint Mocha Coffeemate.

Every year, the weekend after Thanksgiving, I buy the biggest bottle I can find. I go hog wild with the stuff until the end of the year. If there's anything remaining in the bottle at midnight on New Year's Eve, it gets dumped. But man oh man, that's a glorious month.

Back to it. A few Saturdays ago, my most cookingest girlfriend and I finally padded our stomachs with scrambled eggs and fruit and headed into Eaton Rapids, a town south of Lansing where, frankly, not much exists. But what DOES exist in Eaton Rapids is Le Chat Gourmet, a cooking school which owner Denene Vincent has built in her home. The kitchen is drop-dead gorgeous and Chef Vincent's skills make you forget that you're in Eaton Rapids.

I wrote about Le Chat Gourmet here, a few years ago. (It was before the boyfriend made his debut. No guys stood a chance of getting my email address this time around.)

At 10am that Saturday we arrived and started our six-hour submersion into all things butter, flour, and French. That's right, a Croissant Workshop.

We rolled.

How weird is this creepy video?

 We pinched, we prodded, and most of all, we waited. 
 

We banged on a sheet of butter with a rolling pin.

Croissants take a few days to come together. The flakiness comes from multiple rollings of the dough, and after each roll, the dough has to rest. At one point, the dough has to rest overnight. Chef Vincent had prepared dough beforehand that rested overnight, so we cheated a bit and used that to make our final products. We did, however, double back and make the dough from the start, so I'm sure some other, later eaters enjoyed the fruits of our labor.

Finally, we had baking trays full of plain croissants, pain au chocolat (my favorite), and almond croissants.

We baked them, and I'd never felt more French in my life. Even when I lived in St. Amand-Montrond in a French boarding school and spoke French for the majority of every day. I still wore my Americanism like a hot pink scarf.

Stacey gazed upon the pastries and thought about the meaning of life.

Finally, we feasted.

Mon dieu.

If I'm being honest, I will probably never make croissants unless my French friends or my British friends come to visit. They are all better cooks than I am and could lend needed assistance. Otherwise, I'm not sure these beautiful babies will ever emerge from my kitchen. They were delicious, oui. But a girl's gotta work, you know?

Bien sur, if any of you want to come over and make a day (and slumber party) of it, I will reconsider. These would certainly make for a memorable Christmas morning, non?

October Bon Appetit- Chicken Andouille Gumbo

A week or so before Halloween, I came up with my meal plan. I would make Chicken-Andouille Gumbo from October's Bon Appetit, a perfect use for the chicken I got from Ham Sweet Farm's meat CSA last month. I would poach the chicken in the early morning, post-workout and pre-meetings, and I would finish the gumbo later in the day so the handsome hunk and I could enjoy steaming hot bowls of it while handing out candy.

Our new house! Complete with jack o lanterns.

Lo and behold, my plan worked. By 8am I'd poached an entire chicken and made the world's best stock. I'd made my second batch of Queen Ina's peanut butter and jelly bars in a week, which I would later divide into two batches- one for the neighborhood party and the other for the party we would have later in the night with close friends. I'd made the batter for Ina's outrageous brownies and the pan was ready, waiting for the vacant oven.

Both of those baked goods, by the way, are my new favorites. The brownies are SO rich and decadent and pair so well with morning coffee. Or a glass of milk. Or a salad.

I used both chicken and pork andouille sausage in the gumbo, and I was surprised at how much the sausage fought being sliced. Is this typical of andouille? I was practically yanking it apart.

The sausage was SPICY as heck. The method for poaching the chicken was foolproof, the meat was literally falling off the bone and it made shredding the chicken a snap. We needed a little more salt, but we definitely didn't need more hot sauce. Those Southerners must like things a little bit hot.

INGREDIENTS

stock

• 1 3½–4-lb. chicken
• 1 large onion, peeled, quartered
• 2 large carrots, peeled, coarsely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

gumbo

• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced ¼” thick
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 4 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce
• Cooked white rice and sliced scallions (for serving)

stock

• Bring chicken, onion, carrots, celery, peppercorns, basil, oregano, and 12 cups water to a boil in a large stockpot. Reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer, skimming surface as needed, until meat is falling off the bone, about 1 hour.
• Transfer chicken to a cutting board. Let cool slightly, then remove meat from bones and shred into bite-size pieces; discard skin and bones.
• Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot (or airtight container if not using right away); discard solids. You should have about 12 cups.
• DO AHEAD: Stock can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool, then cover and chill, or freeze up to 3 months. Let meat cool; tightly wrap and chill.

gumbo

• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Cook sausage, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a plate.
• Whisk flour into oil in pot and cook, whisking constantly, until roux is the color of a brown paper bag and smells nutty, about 4 minutes.
• Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to roux; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Add stock, chicken, sausage, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves to pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is slightly thickened and vegetables are soft, about 1 hour.
• Add hot sauce to gumbo, season with salt and pepper, and simmer 30 minutes to let flavors meld; discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
• Serve gumbo over rice topped with scallions.

 

Harry's Place for City Pulse

Read it here.

September Bon Appetit- Chestnut Coffee Cake

I've noticed that Americans don't eat a lot of chestnuts. That's fine, I guess, because I don't have strong feelings either way. Frankly, I never gave the chestnut a thought until I decided that I was going to make this recipe for a chestnut coffee cake from September's Bon Appetit.

It was ok. It was moist, but not Ina's sour cream coffee cake moist. I didn't love it, but since I'm a human being I cut myself a big wedge and had it with breakfast.

 

I took the rest of it to work, and as I started apologizing for the fact that it wasn't my best effort, I shut up. It's a complementary baked good. It's good enough. 

Does anyone have a better idea for what to do with chestnuts? I know nobody has a better coffee cake recipe than Ina's. It is a longtime favorite and is positively one of the most delicious, most cinnamony and strusely cakes I've ever had. Because, of course, Ina is the one true queen.

And her beef bourguignone is what you should eat for dinner tonight.

Strange Matter Coffee

Every Friday, I get a latte. I start the morning with a 5am iPhone alarm and head to a 6am class at FLEXCity Fitness, bleary-eyed. By the end of the 56-minute class, I'm starving and dripping sweat. As quickly as humanly possible, I put my lawyer clothes on and rush across town to get my weekly treat, which of late has been coming from Strange Matter Coffee Co, just down the street from The Green Door.

It's been a rough few months since Artie's Filling Station closed, and Strange Matter more than fills the void. The cinnamon and honey latte is transcendent. I try to sip slowly, but more frequently than not I find myself slurping. It's too delicious.

Strange Matter also offers baked goods from Whipped bakery, and I can confirm that the pumpkin muffins are a perfect compliment to your latte.

August Bon Appetit- Rosa's Biscuits

If there is something more delicious than a buttermilk biscuit, clue me in. They're a vehicle for delicious things- butter, honey, jam, apple butter, eggs- and alone, they're still a knockout.

A few months ago, I made these little biscuits.

We ate them with How Sweet Eats' chicken meatball soup, and the next morning I ate them with American Spoon Sour Cherry Spoon Fruit, alongside my coffee. That spoon fruit is a delicious, tart treat. It's made in Michigan and would be an excellent stocking stuffer for me anyone who loves delicious treat.

INGREDIENTS

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more
• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces; plus 6 Tbsp. (¾ stick), melted
• ¾ cup chilled buttermilk   

Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and 1½ tsp. salt in a large bowl. Add chilled butter and toss to coat. Work butter into flour mixture with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal with several pea-size pieces of butter remaining.

Using a fork, gently mix in buttermilk, then gently knead just until dough comes together (do not overmix).

Pinch off pieces of dough and gently roll into 1” balls; place on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2” apart (you should have about 24). If butter softens too much while you are working, chill dough until firm before baking, 15–20 minutes.

Bake biscuits until golden brown, 25–30 minutes. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with more salt. Serve warm. 

Naing Myanmar Family Restaurant for City Pulse

I think this is my favorite review yet. My favorite part? Two adults and a baby work here.

Have you been to Naing? What's your favorite soup in town?

August Bon Appetit: Vietnamese Pork Chop with Pickled Watermelon

We are still getting the bulk of our meat from Ham Sweet Farm, and loving the pork chops they give us. Last month, Bon Appetit's recipe for Vietnamese Pork Chops with Pickled Watermelon was a bit more ambitious than my typical weeknight dinner, but I broke it up into two stages- one night I pickled the watermelon, a few nights later we had the pork chops.

The remaining pickled watermelon rind is in my fridge, if anyone is interested. It didn't tickle my fancy.

July Bon Appetit: Shrimp with Fresh Corn Grits

We have been eating our weight in corn.

Grilled corn with zucchini and The Pioneer Woman's Dr. Pepper pulled pork, rolled in corn tortillas.

Corn, off the cob, with potato, blue cheese, garlic scapes, and spinach, and venison tenderloin.

Corn, asparagus, and the world's best pork chops.

I have always loved corn. As a kid, when corn was part of dinner, I would grab the bowl after everyone had left the table and help myself to the rest of it. I would also do this with spinach. I was a weird kid.

These days, we've stepped up our game and generally eschew canned corn. I buy ears of corn, half a dozen or more at a time. I buy them from Meijer early in the season, but as soon as Reese Farm opens, they get all of my business.

A few weeks ago, after the boyfriend and I spent the whole day at a bicycle race, we needed a quick dinner. I grabbed a few of the ears of corn I perpetually have laying around during these months, a bag of frozen shrimp I'd brought back from Trader Joe's, and some grits. Then I turned to my July Bon Appetit for this recipe for shrimp with fresh corn grits.

It came together quickly, and we had enough leftover grits to have another quick meal of shrimp and grits for dinner after our busy Monday. I have almost a whole bag of grits leftover now, so we will eat this again. Is grilled chicken and grits a thing? It's going to be. . .

June Bon Appetit: Nashville-Style Hot Fried Chicken

I don't think I've had a lot of great fried chicken in my life. Strictly speaking, fried chicken is not a Michigan thing. I remember my mom taking us to KFC for "chicken littles" when I was a kid (anybody else remember these?) and that's just about the extent of my fried chicken experience. 

When June's issue of Bon Appetit had a whole spread featuring fried chicken (with all the accoutrements), I figured that the time had come for me to make it myself. My cookingest girlfriend and I chopped up the chicken, swallowed our nerves, and heated up the oil. 

It was awesome. Some of the pieces were a touch too spicy, but the general fried chicken-ness quality level was high. It was crispy, juicy inside, and the side dishes put out the fire in our mouths. The black-eyed pea salad was tart and vinegary and dead easy to make. Everyone needs a solid class coleslaw recipe up their sleeve. And then it was time for banana pudding.

Y'all (can I say y'all now? I made a Southern meal!), I was into the banana pudding. To make it, I bought my first-ever box of Nilla wafers. The boyfriend and I burn through about a dozen bananas a week, so obviously we're bonkers over the flavor. The dessert isn't difficult, and it was a nice, cooling end to our rich and spicy meal. As I said, I was into it. The boyfriend, however, went absolutely crazy for it. 

 The meringue darkened unevenly under the broiler, but as you know we don't judge a pudding by it's cover round these parts.

Within two days, the leftovers were gone. If you've got some time and a few cholesterol points to play with, check out these dishes and throw a fried chicken party.

Black Cat Bistro for City Pulse

 It's rare for a new restaurant to open in East Lansing and pique my interest.

It's even more rare for me to sing the praises of that restaurant to whomever will listen. The last time that happened was Tavern 109 in Williamston. I still love that little place. The pear pizza is to die for.

In this week's City Pulse, I heap praises upon Black Cat Bistro. Read it here.

Life, lately

I made an ultra simple, ultra delicious blueberry galette for my girlfriend Anna, who is living large and traveling the world.

The boyfriend and I split a Topopo salad. Then we walked five miles through campus and chased it all down with ice cream from Tasty Twist.

We celebrated at the wedding of my beautiful cousin Kate. The dessert table was the stuff of dreams. The cake was from Rykse's, one of Grandma Johnson's favorites, and it was perfect and delicious.

We had a fun night with 40+ of my first cousins. Not kidding.

My lovely British friend Miriam (and her new husband Luke) sent me this for my birthday, so I can know the origin of everything I eat.

The world's greatest grilled venison tenderloin with tarragon, roasted potatoes with fresh corn, garlic scapes, and gorgonzola atop an herb salad, and my perpetual Maldon and La Croix.

The baby nephew is as hungry as I am.

I said goodbye to 31.

And we wrapped up another Junior League year with a fabulous cake from A Piece O' Cake.

I wrap up every work week with my Friday morning latte. And hot pink lipstick.