Eat This Blog: Eggs & Corned Beef Hash, Freeway Restaurant, Toledo
Posted on 8 May 2008 under Breakfast, Eat This Blog, Restaurant Chit-Chat | 6 Comments
I love a good breakfast. Have I told you I love breakfast before? Yeah well, I still do. If it were at all possible I’d have breakfast for breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea, luncheon, dinner, supper, before-bed snack, in-bed snack, a midnight snack, and even a two a.m. feeding.
This morning’s was a good breakfast. This is a Three Egg and Corned Beef Hash breakfast with the toast being replaced by a couple biscuits and whipped butter. Luna Pier Cook reader Dorothy might recognize this Corned Beef Hash as being from the Freeway Restaurant, across Navarre from St. Charles Hospital in Toledo. The restaurant’s been around since 1957, and many people I know recall eating there when they were kids. Yeah, this is real Corned Beef Hash. As the restaurant advertises it, it’s obviously “straight from the brisket”, being moist, tender and flavorful, with just the right amount of saltiness, cooked as perfectly as those three over-easy eggs.
Eggs like that make me jealous, as I need so much more practice at making them like this. I have the right pans …
Oh, and we can’t forget the restaurant’s signature “copper-topped” register counter.
Click on either image for a larger version.
Eat This Blog: Zingerman’s Sourdough and Farmhouse Breads
Posted on 24 April 2008 under Baking, Eat This Blog, Michigan Cuisine | 3 Comments
World-famous Zingerman’s, mentioned by Chef Mario Batali on multiple shows over the years and written-up on Serious Eats out of NYC as well, isn’t all that far away. The bakery and store are about an hour’s drive to the north in Ann Arbor. But there’s no need to go that far if you live in NE Ohio or SE Michigan. The Zingerman’s delivery truck makes the drive to The Anderson’s Market in Toledo each morning, delivering all kinds of tasty goodies to go into the display cases next to The Andersons’ own handmade baked goods.
The top image is of Zingerman’s Sourdough Bread. Soft on the inside with a mildly-hard crust, this is a great bread for sandwiches, from coldcuts to BBQ pulled pork.
The image below is of their Farmhouse Bread. This loaf has quite a hard crust, with the softness of the sourdough inside combined with the flavor and extra density of a wheat bread. I like to just slather this with real butter, but it’s also amazing toasted for a fried egg sandwich.
Nope, neither of these loaves are going to last long around here.
Click on either of these images for a larger version.
Eat This Blog & Recipe: Grilled Cedar Plank Salmon
Posted on 15 April 2008 under Eat This Blog, Fish, Grilling, Michigan Cuisine, Recipes | 7 Comments
Salmon grilled on a cedar plank. I’ve never done this before, but man is it good!
(Click on any of these three images for a larger version.)
I’ve been meaning to try this for almost a year now. Mary had bought me these cedar planks for grilling fish and such, but as she doesn’t really like fish I’ve held off using them.
Until this evening.
I happened to have this two-pound slab of salmon and decided it was time to go ahead and do this. I’ll tell you what, this is about the easiest grilled fish there is. The fish ends up tender, flaky, moist and flavorful … just right to make for someone like Mary who’s never really liked fish even though she’s grown up right here in a fishing community.
The planks come with instructions, which I promptly read through. There are basic concepts about the plank that are simple. I only modified the seasoning for the fish but it seems the rest is rather straightforward …
Soak the plank in cold water for about 90 minutes. Preheat the closed grill to a temp of 350 degrees F. On my gas grill this was rather close to the lowest-possible setting on all four burners. Don’t go hot just to get it done! You want it to cook slow. Place the oiled-and-seasoned fish skin-side down on the wet plank, put it on the grill and close the lid.
Get some water and place it on standby. If that plank dries out and catches fire, you’ll be ready.
Let the fish cook. Really, don’t open the lid for at least 15 minutes. Start checking the flakiness of the fish at that point. You’ll get a feel for how much longer it will take after a while, so keep an eye on both the fish and the temperature of the closed grill.
Once the fish is able to flake apart easily across the entire filet, use a couple metal spatulas to remove the board and the fish together from the grill. Don’t you dare remove it with your hands … you’ll burn off your fingerprints! Metal … spatulas … get some …
This fish was brushed with olive oil (another part of the basic concepts), then seasoned with Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, granulated garlic, fresh chopped parsley and dill weed. That’s all … nothing else. Use your imagination and you’ll come up with your own combination.
I served this salmon with a pile of cooked brown and wild rices. I’m sure some grilled asparagus with some salt and pepper would have gone well with it as well. Too bad I didn’t have any asparagus or I’d have done just that.
Eat This Blog: Grilled Marinated Turkey Breasts
Posted on 7 April 2008 under Eat This Blog, Grilling | 13 Comments
I love finally having the grill out for the season! Ribs two nights ago, marinated grilled chicken leg quarters last night … and now this. These are Honeysuckle White Rotisserie Turkey Breast Tenderloins, grilled over fairly high heat to get some nice grill marks, then set on the top rack to slowly finish them to 160 degrees F. I served them with real mashed potatoes made with unsalted butter, milk, and salt and pepper, with the potato peels included. It’s a rather simple meal, but it’s oh so good!
Eat This Blog: First Grilling of the Season - BBQ Ribs
Posted on 5 April 2008 under Barbecuing, Eat This Blog, Grilling, Photos | 6 Comments
As it was finally 60 degrees here in Michigan for the first time this year we took the opportunity this afternoon to set up everything on the back deck, including my grill. After getting up fairly late and having a late pancake breakfast we’d picked up these ribs for this evening’s dinner. I made up a quick rub of dark brown sugar, Koasher salt, pepper and granulated garlic. After drying the ribs and rubbing them with the mix I baked them at 275 degrees F for about three hours. I then lit the grill, slathered these things with Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce and grilled them over low heat for about an hour. While I did cut them before serving the meat fell right off the bone anyway. Oh yeah, the grilling season has begun! Tomorrow evening is supposed to be the same kind of weather, and there’s chicken waiting in the wings.
(Click on either of the images to view a larger version.)
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