Here Comes Summer

Here it is—the official beginning of the summer season and it’s about time! We’ve had our fill of winter and cold, dreary spring weather here in Minnesota and I, for one, am going to enjoy the warm weather with a vengeance.


That really means simplicity in cooking—out of the kitchen—out of the pot-roasting, bread baking mode and in with the new potato salad, brats on the grill and, of course burgers!

If I had to name the one quintessential American food, it would be hamburgers and I don’t think there’s even a real close second. Even though the fast food variety of hamburger is a great American institution for grabbing and going—nothing beats the summertime hamburger on the back yard grill.

If you’re going up to your lake cabin to open up or down to one of the city parks to picnic with family—it’s a perfect time to fire up the grill and make burgers. Typical go-withs are fine—but why not spice things up a little with some easy to make and tote salsas, relishes, and a variety of toppings—to give the burgers some style? The great thing about grilled hamburgers is that you can put hot dogs on for the kiddies—if they prefer them—and still have grown up fare as well. A make-ahead macaroni salad and giant, soft cookies for dessert and you’re done.

Now that the sweet onions are in the market (Vidalia and Walla Walla, to name two), caramelized onions as an adult topping are really wonderful. Along with the onions, the adults will enjoy avocado slices sprinkled with lemon juice or easy guacamole, a selection of lettuces such as arugula, spinach and Bibb. Ketchup spiked with Tabasco sauce, grilled bell peppers, chopped pickled jalapenos, horseradish mayonnaise—and a homemade chili sauce will make a grand array to complement the burgers. Just fill some plastic containers with these and any others you like and bring them along to set out in the center of the picnic table.

Barbecued Burgers (makes 8 child-size and 4 adult-size burgers)

3 ½ pounds lean ground beef
½ cup purchased barbecue sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)
12 sesame-seed hamburger buns
Sliced tomatoes

Mix first 4 ingredients in large bowl until blended. Mix in pepper. Shape half of meat mixture into eight ½-inch-thick patties. Shape remaining meat mixture into four 1-inch-thick patties. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill patties to desired doneness, topping with cheese for last minute of cooking, if using.

Caramelized Onions with Barbecue Sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 large sweet onions cut into slices
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup canned beef broth
½ cup purchased barbecue sauce
1 ½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, salt and pepper; cook until onions begin to brown, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Add broth, barbecue sauce and vinegar. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Hamburgers have suffered a reputation for being an unhealthy food choice—and that certainly can be true if they are made with high-fat hamburger or too much hamburger (read 1/3 to ½ pound burgers) and slathered with mayo and/or butter (hmmm…butterburgers?) But it doesn’t necessarily need to be that way—especially if you make your own ground beef. Lean sirloin can be purchased in a large quantity (such as a sirloin tip roast) for a lot less than when sold as steak. Lean sirloin has about the same saturated fat as ground turkey.

All you really need is either a meat grinder attachment to a stand mixer or a heavy-duty food processor. The beef should be partially frozen; then cut into 1 x 4” strips and fed through the meat grinder with the large blade. If you are using the food processor, put about ½ pound at a time (cut into cubes or strips) and pulse until ground to your liking. If you like, you can add salt and pepper and form them into patties; then freeze with waxed paper separators. Just take out the number you want, throw the rest back in the freezer and put them right on the hot grill, frozen. You must control the heat to keep the inside from being raw when the outside begins to char—but it only takes a little experience to know when they are properly cooked. These burgers are really better than the store-bought, already ground beef types.

Happy Memorial Day and welcome summer cooking!

Raspberry Creme Brule

This year the Minnesota Bed and Breakfast Association, of which we are members (Zig is on the board of directors, as well), did not hold its annual conference. There were several reasons—among them the economy and a change of executive directors twice during the year—but, nevertheless, I was disappointed. I look forward to this conference every year for lots of reasons: a chance to meet old friends that we haven’t seen because they’re innkeepers, too and very busy; a renewed vigor for innkeeping; lots of information on marketing, decorating, special events, website updating, and—of course—food! However, I was in for a surprise.

Chuck Dougherty, innkeeper of the Water Street Inn in Stillwater, invited the membership to a one-day annual meeting and workshop at his beautiful hotel. I don’t know if any of you have stayed at the Water Street Inn, but it keeps good company with other historic hotels in Minnesota such as The St. James in our own Red Wing and a handful of others. One of the special features that Chuck offers is a pre-fixe, several-course dinner with wonderful foods and choice wines to match each course. It really is an experience you should all have. This was my second chance to enjoy the hospitality and fine food that The Water Street Inn offers.

The food was marvelous!! The entrée was a stuffed flank steak that was so tender it really almost did melt in your mouth—quite a trick for flank steak. It was stuffed with vegetables which gave it a fresh and healthy edge over the old-fashioned stuffed flank steak from my youth which had a sage-flavored bread stuffing. (That’s good, too, but a tad on the heavy side). While everyone was raving about the ample-portioned and delicious entrée, the chef sneaked in a dessert that was too good to believe: Raspberry Crème Brule. From the first crackling-of-the-sugar crust, through the creamy interior laced with vanilla and down to the raspberry bottom, it was a food delight. I begged for the recipe which was a secret and never given out. After persistent pleading and a solemn promise to given proper credit to the origin, I was given the recipe and permission to put it in my column.

I was about to leave, somewhat smug and triumphant when I ran into a foodie bonus. Linda Hayle from the Park Street Inn in Nevis, Minnesota, who was also attending the meeting, heard me carrying on about my treasured recipe and gave me one from her inn that she says her guests clamor for—both the dish and then the recipe. I was thrilled to get this one, too, as I love Eggs Benedict but they are difficult to make for a crowd and this is the answer to that problem. I love innkeepers! Thanks to Chuck Dougherty and Linda Hayle for these new additions to our breakfast menu.

Raspberry Crème Brule from the Water Street Inn in Stillwater, MN

4 cups heavy cream
½ cup sugar
2 vanilla beans
½ cup sugar
2 tsp. corn starch
8 egg yolks
1 pint fresh raspberries
Extra sugar for caramel topping

Combine cream, first amount of sugar and vanilla beans (seeds scraped out of pod), in a heavy sauce pan. Bring just to a boil. Mix second ½ cup of sugar with cornstarch in a small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to egg yolks. When cream mixture comes to a boil, add a small amount to egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly; then add back to pan. Stir and strain mixture. Put washed fresh raspberries into 12 8-oz. ramekins. Add cream mixture over the top of the raspberries. Bake in a water bath at 300 degrees until firm (about 40 minutes). Cool completely or refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, sprinkle 1 heaping teaspoon of superfine sugar evenly over the top of each ramekin. Using a small propane kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar, moving the flame back and forth over the sugar until it bubbles and browns, and tilting the ramekins to even out the caramel. Alternatively, after sprinkling the sugar over the tops of custards, as above, set the ramekins on a large baking sheet and put under the broiler as close to the heat as possible. Broil until light brown, careful not to burn, about 1 ½ minutes. Remove and chill.

For Bonus recipe, Eggs Benedict Strata from the Park Street Inn in Nevis, MN go to my blog, www.btkd-lynette@ blogspot.com or Area Voices (http://areavoices.com/members/lgudrais/activity/2132442 ).

Eggs Benedict Strata from the Park Street Inn in Nevis, MN

4 English muffins, split
2 Tbsp butter, cut up
1 cup chopped onion (optional)
10 oz. Canadian bacon, chopped (2 ½ cups)
1 (10-oz) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
2 medium garlic cloves, minced (optional)
¾ tsp. salt, divided
½ tsp. black pepper, divided
½ tsp ground nutmeg, divided
8 eggs
3 cups milk

Hollandaise Sauce

5 eggs, separated, room temperature
2 Tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1/8 to ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
¾ cup butter (1 ½ sticks), cut up

Heat broiler. Spray 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Place English muffins on baking sheet; broil 2-4 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Cut into ¾-inch pieces (you should have about 4 ½ cups); arrange English muffin pieces over bottom of baking dish. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion 3 to 4 minutes or until it begins to brown. Add bacon; cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in spinach, garlic and ¼ tsp each of the salt, pepper and nutmeg; reduce heat to medium . Cook and stir 1 minute. Spoon over English muffins. Whisk 8 eggs in large bowl until frothy. Whisk in milk and remaining ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, and ¼ tsp nutmeg. Pour over mixture in baking dish, pressing to make sure all bread is moistened. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, uncovered, 45 to 50 minutes or until puffed and golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Meanwhile, blend 5 egg yolks, lemon juice, ¼ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper and cayenne pepper in blender 1 minute or until combined. Place ¾ cup butter in glass measuring cup; microwave on high 40 to 60 seconds or until melted and just starting to bubble. With blender running, slooooowly pour in butter in a very thin stream until sauce is thickened, 1 to 1 ½ minutes total. (If butter is added too quickly, egg yolks won’t be able to absorb butter fast enough and sauce won’t thicken.) Beat egg whites in medium bowl at medium high speed, 1 to 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Gently fold hollandaise sauce into egg whites. Heat broiler. Spoon hollandaise over hot strata; broil 1 to 4 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Double Chocolate Malt Shop Cupcakes

Do you ever wonder why a recipe wins in a recipe contest? You look over the recipe and it seems like a little twist on a million other recipes you’ve seen or even made. What makes this one make thousands or even a million dollars for that lucky cook? I’ve decided it’s that little twist.


You probably know by now that I have a very large cookbook collection and I’m very fond of trying out recipes in them. But it has occurred to me many times that there really are only so many possibilities to combine foods and make them taste good. Or are there? I started to watch the program “Chopped” on the Food Network a while back and was astounded at the ingredients these cooks were given from which to make a tasteful dish—and even more astounded that they seemed to do it. So I strayed from my usual habit to stick strictly with a recipe and decided to be a little innovative and sneak some different ingredients in the old standards. It actually turned out to be pretty easy and a lot of fun.

Next, I perused a few of my cookbooks that have contest-winning recipes in them, most notably, The Cooking Contest Cookbook by Joyce and Don Campagna. I did find that most of the recipes were standard at inception and then just deviated a little bit to put it over the top; in one contest an imaginative man spread pimiento cheese on pizza crust, cut it into small pieces and served it as an appetizer. Of course it is imperative that the cook has a knack for knowing what tastes good and looks good and, less importantly, is fashionable in food. Looking through my old copies of the Pillsbury Bake Off contest, the style of the winning recipes is very different in later years than in earlier ones.

A friend of mine, originally from Poland, loves to cook and her food is always wonderful. I can never believe the marvelous dishes she prepares—and they look as good as they taste! I queried her about the recipes she uses and her reply was, “Recipes? I never use recipes—I look in the cupboards and the refrigerator at what I have and then I cook.” The same philosophy was part of my late mother-in-law’s renowned recipe for bacon rolls or, in Latvian, piragi. Every woman in Latvia made them and each one a little differently. She changed her basic recipe when she came to America to suit the ingredients available here and also to lighten them up for the trend to healthier foods. They became so famous and loved that people still talk about them and some ask me to make them and send them if I can. (I can and do!)

I found this recipe in the April 1, 2009 copy of Family Circle magazine and wondered, at first, how Julie Hession of Las Vegas, NV, could win a big check with a simple-sounding cupcake. Three ingredients set it apart from the usual chocolate cupcake with buttercream frosting—and they made all the difference. I have had rave reviews from these from guests and friends:

Double-Chocolate Malt-Shop Cupcakes with Cherry-Vanilla Buttercream
Makes 20 cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup malted milk powder (such as Carnation)
½ tsp. espresso powder
2/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup miniature chocolate chips

Cherry-Vanilla Buttercream:

4 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp heavy cream
2/3 cup tart cherry preserves
Malted milk balls or maraschino cherries, for garnish

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup cupcake pans with 20 paper liners. (I sprayed mine lightly with Pam—lg). Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt until blended. Beat milk, malted milk powder and espresso powder on medium speed. Add canola oil and eggs; beat until blended. On low speed, add flour mixture to milk mixture; beat until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined. Stir in miniature chips. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling halfway. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan on wire rack for 2 minutes. Remove cupcakes to rack; cool completely.

Buttercream: Beat confectioners’ sugar and butter on medium-low speed until well blended. Add vanilla and heavy cream; beat for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in cherry preserves until well incorporated. When cool, frost the cupcakes with a knife or offset spatula. Garnish the top of each cupcake with a malted milk ball or cherry and serve.

Mother's Day and Healthy Snacks

Mother’s Day is tomorrow and it seems an appropriate time to mention the important role our mothers play in what we eat. From infancy on, moms are the number one source of food for most people. The amount of control this gives her over her children’s health and future eating habits is enormous. In this age where obesity in children is epidemic and the government is getting involved it bears looking at the family eating patterns and assessing what could be going wrong.

Do moms care less than they used to about their kids’ eating? I don’t believe that for a moment. Are moms busier and around their children less than they used to be? A definitive YES! There are so many temptations out there that influence what our kids eat, it is no wonder that Mom doesn’t have the control she used to have. Day care, school lunch, fast food, fast snacks from vending machines, missed meals, even eating disorders are involved. The days when kids came running home from school and grabbed the cookies mom baked that day and a glass of milk and then ran out to play are, sadly, gone for most kids. But that doesn’t mean that good, healthy snacks can’t be a part of today’s lifestyle.

I hunted for healthy snack foods that could be made ahead, easily portable, grabbed easily from the kitchen counter or refrigerator without a lot of preparation and that are healthy and delicious. Oh yes, and economical to make. Actually, anything you make yourself from raw and real ingredients (not processed foods) is economical compared to its store-bought equivalent.

Remember the snack cake? I haven’t seen a packaged mix (with a pan included) under the name “Snackin’ Cake Mix” in the store for a very long time, but this product was marketed for quite a while. The idea was great, the product, not so much. But a snack cake can carry all sorts of nutritious goodies in it and it is really simple to prepare. The recipe below is made from honey and therefore will keep for a longer time than cakes made with sugar. It actually improves after a day or two on the counter. You can vary the dried fruits and the nuts are sprinkled on the top, so if you have kids that hate nuts, you can leave them off. If it isn’t sweet enough, you can top with a little apricot jam or a drizzle of honey glaze.

Skillet Snack Cake

½ cup skim milk
½ cup nonfat yogurt
2 eggs or ½ cup fat-free egg substitute
¼ cup honey
1 cup unbleached flour
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts (optional)

In a small bowl, mix the milk, yogurt, eggs and honey. In a large bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in the raisins and apricots. Place an 8 or 9” cast-iron skillet over low heat and warm for 3 minutes. Lightly coat the pan with non-stick spray. While the pan is heating, pour the milk mixture over the flour mixture. With a rubber spatula, mix very gently until just blended. Pour into the prepared skillet. Scatter the walnuts on top, if using. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Makes 6 wedges at 213 calories each.

Veggies and dip is always a winner at our house—even when I had young children. There’s something about already cut-up, colorful vegetables that appeals to children who dislike them intensely when they are cooked. The dip makes a big difference, too, of course. If you have all the vegetables cut and in ice water so they can grab a handful and pre-made dip is in a bowl or jar in the front of the refrigerator, I guarantee they’ll eat them. If they are hidden in the crisper drawer and the dip is in the back behind four other items, they will not. Accessibility is primary with children and husbands who are on their own.

Here is a dip that keeps well, looks beautiful, tastes yummy and is good for you:

6 sun-dried tomato halves
½ cup boiling water
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
¼ cup thinly sliced scallions
¼ cup chopped fresh basil or Italian parsley (can substitute ½ tsp. dried basil)
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp ground black pepper

In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes and water. Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the tomatoes. Drain well and chop finely. Place the cottage cheese in a food processor. Add the tomatoes, scallions, basil (or parsley), lemon juice and pepper. Process with on/off turns until well mixed and somewhat smooth. Makes 2 cups at 32 calories per 2 Tbsp serving.

Suggestions for veggies: carrot sticks (homemade from full-grown carrots often have more flavor than baby carrots), cucumber sticks, jicama slices or sticks, radishes, cherry or grape tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower florets, celery sticks.