Simple Seasonal Feast: The pasta of springtime bursts with local ingredients – including tiny quail eggs
Now that it’s spring, this young lady’s thoughts are turning to green grassy pastures, frolicking baby animals and plants poking up out of the ground. All of which have the potential to produce good things to eat – at least in my book. I await the opening of our local farmers’ markets like a mama…
More, More, Morels: Mushroom hunters use their wits in the woods
Stan Hudson pulled into the parking lot of the Ameristar Casino gustily, but he wasn’t in a hurry to find a poker table and a cocktail. The business-tripper from Columbia, Mo., wanted morels. Black, gray, yellow – it didn’t matter. He just hoped they’d be abundant. “Dead elms can have 200 to 300 mushrooms,” Hudson…
He Said | She Said: Sopping up biscuits and gravy
Russ: Is it an entrée? Is it a side dish? Kathy: And why is it only relegated to breakfast and brunch? R: No doubt. St. Louis is Southern enough that you can actually get biscuits and gravy, but Northern enough that no one’s thinking outside the box about it. Russ’ biscuits and gravy profile: Warm,…
Recipe: Erato on Main’s Toad in the Hole
“Seasonal,” “high-quality,” “local” are the buzzwords of the culinary scene. But there are really only a handful of area chefs who truly embrace the locavore approach heart and soul. Erato in Edwardsville’s Kevin Willmann is one of those, believing that the region’s products are, as he says, “that good.” Case in point: Willmann’s Toad in…
Review: Revival in St. Louis
Its very name begs the question: What exactly is Revival reviving? Traditional Southern home cooking? The ugly, desolate area around Chouteau and Grand avenues with the scenic view of railroad tracks and industrial parking lots? Or perhaps, as it says on the menu, Revival is pursuing “the revival of craftsmanship in our cooking and service.”…
Review: The Lounge in St. Charles
Despite all the happy perks of writing a monthly nightlife review (i.e. the fans and autograph seekers, the ridiculously big paychecks, the constant female adoration, an increased sense of self-worth), there are times when a job like this is painful … and not because of hangovers. What’s more agonizing is letting slip the secret of…
How to Use Fennel This Summer
To my eye, fresh garden fennel is one gorgeous vegetable: a white bulb subtly blushed with palest green, nearly sculptural in shape, topped by delicate deep green fronds. But don’t be swayed by good looks alone; add this underutilized warm-weather veggie to your market basket because it’s delightful. Italians call it finocchio; the French, fenouil.…
Pan-Fried Trout with Beurre Rouge
4 servings
Creamed Morels
4 to 6 servings
Shaved Fennel Salad
6 servings
Erato on Main’s Toad in the Hole
4 servings
Kids may come to blows over veggies at Bottleworks
If there’s one thing I regret about our family’s recent forays to Schlafly Bottleworks, it’s that my boys didn’t get to try any beers. What an embarrassing oversight! A spectacular microbrewery, practically in our backyard, and we ended up so preoccupied with the food that we completely blanked on ordering any of Schlafly’s delicious craft…
Berix is like no deli you’ve ever seen
Frankly, Berix Coffeehouse & Deli has the wrong name. Located in the Little Bosnia area near Bevo Mill, the coffee flows mightily, but there is little more about the place or its menu that resembles either a coffeehouse or a deli in the American sense: The coffee of choice is Turkish, and the “deli” serves…
Adult Herbal Fruit Tea
INGREDIENTS 2 oz. orange liqueur (preferably Grand Marnier or Prunier Liqueur D’Orange, one with a Cognac or brandy base) ½ oz. green Chartreuse 5 oz. raspberry iced tea Juice of 1 orange, freshly squeezed Orange slice for garnish PREPARATION • Combine the orange liqueur, Chartreuse and raspberry iced tea in a shaker over ice. Shake…
Livin’ La Vida Locavore: These locals look for food close to home
“A what now?” asked Desirée White of St. Louis. “I’ve never heard of that before,” said fellow city resident Kathleen Kelly. Locavore wasn’t on the tip of Mason Earles’ tongue either. “Is it supporting the local economy through where you eat and where you shop or is it actually locally grown and locally produced foods?…
Clean, green food drives Patrick Horine
Back in 2006, Patrick Horine and his wife, Jenny Ryan, founded the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market. Now they, along with co-owner Maddie Earnest, are expanding their Local Harvest Grocery, opening a café and starting a food-business incubator. Just two short years later. Demand for clean, green and local foods is driving this growth. “Our philosophy…
Local wines are the grill’s perfect pair
Mike Shannon is getting excited on KTRS. Dogwood and redbud trees are showing the arrival of spring. It is undeniably full speed ahead into the outdoor grilling season. The traditional image of someone cooking outdoors has the chef holding a can of beer, but wine has taken over as the adult beverage of choice, and…
Finicky beurre blanc can be forgiving
If you have ever eaten fish in a restaurant, chances are you’ve also eaten beurre blanc sauce, because it is the perfect complement to fish. French for “white butter,” beurre blanc is simply butter flavored with wine, shallots and herbs, and, with the help of a few small tricks, is easy to prepare. Beurre blanc…
Flan
8 servings
Broiled Grapefruit for Two
2 servings
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
12 servings
Bagna Cauda
10 servings
Chicken Tajine With Lemon and Olives
4 servings
Quick Sausage and Kale Soup
4 servings
