Upcoming Posts

Not only was work crazy hectic this week, but I ended up severely spraining my ankle on the Chicago ice last weekend.  All this excitement is keeping me from getting much done in the more fun world I like to call “Not Work,” but I do have a few posts a bubblin’ and a brewin’.

• A tribute to the Shamrock Shake
• A review of Bacon Salt, a vegetarian, bacon flavored salt
• A recipe for vegan “chicken” noodle soup, that has fooled two actual meat eaters already.
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Whoppers?
• Hopefully some reviews for Jose Andres’ Jaleo and Michel Richards’ Central once Katie and I return from our trip to Washington D.C. this weekend.

The end of March will also see a very special review, which I’m keeping a mystery until it actually happens.  It’s a once in a lifetime experience, and I can’t wait for it to happen.

Double Cheese Cheetos

Dear Double Cheese Cheetos,

You had me at Double Cheese.  The Limited Edition tag was just a little extra marketing to convince I needed to buy you.  Who wouldn’t want double the mysterious cheese flavor you provide?  Who wouldn’t want the fun of licking off the double the orange residue left on your fingers (medical name: Cheeto finger)?  Not me.  I bought two of the 99 cent bags.  One for me, and one for my girlfriend, Katie.  You two should really meet.  I think you’d like her, Cheetos.  She’s fun!  And she also likes your cousin, Original Cheetos.

Apparently your marketing more towards adults now. I can appreciate that.  While I may act like a man-child on occasion; in truth I’m only 37% man-child.  The other 63% of me was needing a little something more from you.  And you delivered.

Or so I thought.  Double Cheese Cheetos, I don’t know how to say this.  I hate having to be the person who tells you that for all the double cheese you promise, you actually taste exactly like Original Cheetos.  Only slightly pastier.  Sure, there’s a slight aftertaste from the extra cheese powder the bag has been doused with.  But in the end, I can’t tell the difference between you and your cousin.  It’s like one day I went on a date with Patty Lane, but the next date she switched places with Cathy Lane.  Their cousins, Cheetos!  Identical cousins all the way.  One pair of matching bookends.   And that’s how I feel about you, Double Cheese Cheetos.  Your bag may be different, and you may be limited edition, but you taste way too similar to Original Cheetos to kick up much of a fuss.

I’m sorry to disappoint you so soon in our relationship.

You’ll always be in my thoughts.

Always,
Mike

P.S. Can you get me the phone number to your other cousin, Chili Limón?  She sounds muy caliente!

Jose Andres on Conan O’Brien

It’s baaaaaaaack. I’ve embedded the video of the segment below.

Jose Andres, another student of Ferran Adria, appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien Tuesday evening. Not only do they make a “Heart in the Clouds” drink, a.k.a. The Conando, but I think they may have fallen in love.

**UPDATE**

I’ve copied down the ingredients for the drink; however, I’m guessing as to if these are the proper portions. I can only recommend playing around with it and finding what you like.

“Heart in the Clouds”, a.k.a. The Conando

• 1/2 cup-1 cup Raspberry Puree (depending on how many drinks your making)
• 2 grams Alginate
• 7 oz Water
• 1 package of Cotton Candy
• Ice
• 1 cup Cava (Sparkling wine)
• 1 cup Raspberry Vodka
• 1 Tbsp Rose Water
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Syrup
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup Dried Raspberries, finely chopped

In a small bowl mix the alginate into the water, stirring well. Let sit to remove air bubbles. Take a teaspoonful of the raspberry puree and gently pour it into the alginate mixture. The raspberry should form into a small ball.

Mix the sugar and dried raspberries onto a plate, making sure the pile is as big as the lip of your martini glass.

To prepare the martini glass, wet the lip in water and dip into the sugar/raspberry mixture. Using a slotted spoon, fish one of the “hearts” out of the alginate, letting the excess liquid drain before placing in the bottom of the glass. Grab a small handful of cotton candy and place directly above the “heart.”

Fill your 20 oz. cocktail mixer halfway with ice. Add the raspberry vodka, rose water, and vanilla syrup. Shake well. Open the mixer and add the Cava. Replace the strainer and pour the finished drink over the cotton candy tableside to impress your friends and loved ones.

Makes 1-2 drinks (maybe?)

Thanks Chef Andres!

**UPDATE 2**

You can also watch Jose’s segment on Conan over on the NBC site. Just choose February 12′s full episode and click on Jose’s segment.

Macarena Tapas – Naperville, IL

Holy hot damn, is Macarenas Tapas in Naperville good. Not just good for Naperville good, but possibly the best tapas I’ve eaten in the Chicago-land area good. It’s even more surprising when you realize that it’s stuck in a strip mall across from Westfield: Fox Valley, between a For Eyes and a Casual Male Big & Tall. I don’t know how long the place will last with it’s completely unfortunate space. They don’t even get good face time with the drivers on Route 59. They get the people stuck in traffic at the corner of R59 and New York.

And that’s why I’m trying to tell as many people as I can about Macarenas Tapas. Forget that it carries with it the burden of the horrible dance song of the same name. Forget that it’s in a strip mall across from a “Shopping Town.” Once you step into the restaurant itself, with the dimmed lighting, and richly colored woods, you’d think you found yourself at a long-operating secret treat.

Chef John Borras earned his culinary degree here in Chicago, and eventually found himself in Spain where he trained with Chef Ferran Adria. Known for being not only one of the best chefs in Spain, he is also considered to be the original mind behind the molecular gastronomy movement. While Chef Borras has his own styles and flavors, occasionally you can see Adria’s influence, especially in dishes like the Marshmallow a la Napoleon (pictured).

We started the evening with a couple simple dishes, Croquetas de pollo and Croquetas de Queso de Cabra. The dishes were light and crisp, neither overcooked nor greasy. The chicken croquettes were served with traditional beschamel and aioli sauces. The goat cheese croquettes, however, were served with a “splash of honey and balsamic reduction.” The bitter of the reduction cut with the slight sweet of the honey provided a perfect accompaniment to the goat cheese.

Up next was another traditional favorite, Patatas Bravas. The tomato sauce was incredibly fresh. I was convinced I could still taste the fact it was pureed mere minutes before the dish was offered up.

Our “third course” was what you see pictured: Marshmallows a la Napoleon. Now, when it comes to weird food concoctions, I’m more willing to dive in than Katie. I like weird. I *am* weird. She’s told me that eating with me has really opened her horizons, but she still wasn’t sold on the idea of marshmallows and cheese. Together. Living in edible harmony. That, and she hates marshmallows.

The Manchego cheese was shredded and served as a crisp. Layered on top of that were 10-12 raw marshmallows; followed by another Manchego crisp. The entire dish was topped with more of the Balsamic reduction.

Now peoples, I don’t lie to you here on my journal. It would be rude. So when I tell you that this dish was easily my favorite of the evening, know that I’m not being funny. What we thought would be a mix of sweet and savory turned out to be a mostly savory dish with only the chewy consistency of the marshmallow coming through. Apparently my facial expressions and continuous string of “Oh wow” and “Oh man” were enough to convince Katie to also give it a try.

Now folks. People. Katie hates the marshmallow. She hates the marshmallow almost has much as she hates the banana. So, when I tell you that the little sneak, who only wanted to try one, ended up eating at least 3 more of those marshmallow and cheese confections, you will know how good this dish truly was.

We should have stopped there, but I wanted more! More tapas for Mike! As a “fourth course” we ordered the Empanadas Liquidas and the Setas en Tostadas. While these were tasty in their own right, they paled in comparison to the Marshmallow a la Napoleon. The empanadas were another culinary mystery, promising to be a empanada filled with only vegetable liquid. The empanada was a multi-layered experience. The outside was slightly crispy, the middle firm, and the layer closest to the liquid was flavorful and moist. While they may not have been the tasting dish of the evening, they were the most fun to try and eat. I took my first bite and liquid sprayed everywhere like a OceanSpray commercial. It became a testament of skill trying to eat those pieces of doughy goodness.

The Setas en Tostadas were crustinis served under portabella mushrooms, spinach and a hint of Cabrales blue cheese. The portabella mushrooms were sauteed to perfection, and there was just enough blue cheese to provide that sour bite it’s so good at, without overpowering the dish itself.

We asked about the desserts, chocolate and apple tarts, pound cake, and a couple other dishes, but decided we should pass as we were already stuffed and satiated.

I can’t say enough good things about Macarena Tapas. The service was attentive and friendly, talking to us about the various tapas places we’ve eaten previously. We were seated right away, although the just starting snow storm could have helped that a bit. Everything seemed perfectly organized for a restaurant that just opened a small time ago.

Katie and I even left the chef a note on our paper tablecloth, thanking him for a delicious meal, and showing us that marshmallows and cheese CAN make a beautiful friendship.

If you live in the area, skip Meson Sabika this once. Yes. I know. It’s a beautiful place. But I can almost guarantee that the food experience you have at Macarena will convince you that appearances can be deceiving.

Macarena Tapas
618 South Route 59
Naperville, IL 60540
P:630 420 8995

Su: 4pm-9pm / M-Th: 11am – 2pm & 4.30pm-9pm / F & Sat 11am-10pm

 

 

The Super Bowl Makes Me Eat Chicken Salad

Whoah baby.  How about that super bowl?  What with the end zones, and the kicking, and the…who was in it again?

I saw all of 5 minutes of Super Bowl 319 (or whatever), but that doesn’t mean my life wasn’t directly effected by it.  Instead of cooking and writing, I was working overtime at my office trying to get all the commercials out to the networks.  That lame GoDaddy.com ad teasing a “revealing” of Danica Patrick?  Yeah.  That was my fault.

I don’t make the ads, folks.  I just make sure they meet broadcast standards before we ship ‘em out to the stations.

Luckily, I had it a little easier than others; some of who were up over 20 hours of overtime by the end of the week.  “They” may say Christmas is the busiest time for companies, but I can guarantee “they” don’t know what they’re talking about.

With cooking left to a minimum, it was sandwiches all this week for Mike.  I turned to the Skinny Bitch in the Kitch book again, remembering they had a section on “Hearty-Ass Sandwiches,” and decided on their Chicken Salad Sandwich recipe.

Now normally, the mere idea of Chicken Salad makes me gag; but that has more to do with mayonnaise being the main ingredient.  Once I realized what mayo was, I refused to ever eat it again.  This version of it though is nice and vegetarian using Nayonnaise in place of the raw-egg gross explosion.

The results?  While it’s nothing to look at, it makes a pretty damn tasty veggie chicken salad.  It even fooled a few people into thinking it was the real thing.  And truth be told, I still gag a bit every time I open the container because I forget it’s not ACTUALLY chicken and mayonnaise.  I think that’s a compliment.

A note on the grapes.  You don’t have to use them, and I nearly didn’t, but they honestly do add a nice extra little flavor to the salad.  It’s just a small burst of juice and texture, but completely worth adding.

“Chicken” Salad Sandwiches (adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch)

• 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp coarse nutritional yeast
• 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp curry powder
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 2 cups chopped or shredded vegan chicken strips or chunks (I used Morningstar Farms Chik’n Meal Starters)
• 1/4 cup quartered seedless red grapes
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 1/4 small red or white onion, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 6-8 slices whole wheat bread

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, yeast, honey, salt, curry powder, and pepper.  In a large bowl, combine the chicken, grapes, celery, onion, and parsley.  Add the mayonnaise mixture to the chicken mixture, tossing gently.

Spread the chicken salad onto 3 or 4 slices of bread, topping with the remaining slices.

** Makes 4 sandwiches if using 1/2 cup of chicken salad per sandwich. **