Monthly Archives: July 2010
Gourmet Underground Detroit's content archives are organized by date and catalog the aggregated content of our Features pages as well as our blog.
GUDetroit picnic on Belle Isle, and a recipe for Honey, Cumin & Lime Grilled Chicken
This post originally appeared on simmer down! (a food lover’s blog).
In my last post I alluded to a picnic with some fellow Detroit gourmands, some of whom I introduced to you in this post. We’re a growing group, and we decided to have a potluck picnic on Belle Isle as an excuse to eat, drink and get to know each other a little better. Molly and Todd scoped out the perfect spot under some willow trees, on the banks of the Detroit river with a view of the city.
Knowing this group, I had high expectations, but wow… I have to say I was pretty blown away by how much everyone put into it. Dave (aka Captain McBoozy), James and Evan ruled the drinks department- Dave made a Rhubarb Rum Punch and some Prescription Juleps, Evan brought a chartreuse-and-pineapple juice concoction, and James (our resident coffee-roaster and token Romanian-American) made a fabulous cocktail with cold-brewed coffee, vodka, passionfruit syrup and Romanian mountain mint.
The food was no less spectacular… I displayed an incredible amount of willpower and paced myself perfectly so that I was able to nibble and sip on and off all day while never feeling uncomfortably full or overly tipsy. This was no small feat, since it was pretty much a spread to end all spreads. My contributions were a big bowl of chlodnik and a mess of honey, cumin & lime-marinated grilled chicken (grilling courtesy of Todd, thanks dude!). 
The rest of the food I almost hesitate to list for fear of inadvertently leaving someone out, but there were homemade sausages, pizza on the grill (organic dough courtesy of Strawberry Moon in Ferndale), Vietnamese fresh rolls, an Israeli couscous salad with shrimp (don’t tell the rabbi!), bruschetta, gazpacho, Korean beef tartare lettuce wraps, grilled steak with arugula, a huge bowl of guac, and an assortment of gourmet ice cream courtesy of Jeni’s Ice Creams in Columbus. Jarred also brought an assortment of wines provided by Western Market- score!
We whiled away the afternoon until it slipped into evening, and somehow managed to dispatch almost all of the food. We were even making ham sandwiches towards the end of the day, with leftover marble rye, mustard, and some J&M German bacon (not really “bacon”; more like the best ham you’ve ever had). As the sun set over the city, we packed up our belongings and mused about how perfect the day had been, and wondered aloud how soon we could do another picnic.
Back to the chicken- this isn’t the first time I’ve made this chicken, but I usually make it with wings for a better meat-to-marinade ratio. The drumsticks weren’t bad, but I think I’ll revert to using wings from now on. It was hard to “name” this recipe because all of the marinade ingredients are bold and prominent- the sweet-tart punch of honey and lime, the toasty warmth of the cumin and cayenne, and the savory hit of garlic all contribute to a sauce that sings with flavor. The elements are inspired by Middle Eastern cuisine (in fact, once or twice I’ve added a pinch of cinnamon), but I’ve never had anything like it in a restaurant or come across any similar recipes in any cookbooks or blogs, so for now I’ll claim it as my own. We couldn’t do this at the picnic, but if you’re near a stove, the leftover marinade (boiled and reduced) makes a killer dipping sauce.
To see the full set of photos from the picnic, check out my flickr set.
Honey, Cumin & Lime Grilled Chicken
printer-friendly version
4-5 lbs chicken wings (or drumsticks), preferably free-range or organic
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 large limes should yield this, unless they are particularly dry)
2 Tbs honey
1 Tbs ground cumin (seeds toasted & freshly ground if possible)
½ tsp cayenne (or more if you like it spicy)
2 Tbs minced garlic (2-4 cloves depending on size)
1 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbs olive oilCombine marinade ingredients in a small bowl or glass measuring cup, stirring to dissolve the honey. Taste to see that the sweet/sour flavors are balanced. It should taste pretty pucker-inducing, but the heat will tame some of the acidity. Taste for spiciness as well, adding cayenne as you see fit.
Wash and pat the chicken dry. Place in a sturdy Ziploc-type bag with the marinade and seal, expelling as much air as possible. Marinate for at least an hour, longer if possible.
Grill the chicken over medium heat, turning frequently and basting often with the marinade (this should take about 15-20 minutes for wings; slightly longer for drumsticks. If unsure, use a meat thermometer and cook to 160°). If you like, boil down any remaining marinade on the stove until slightly thickened and use as a dipping sauce.
Live Blog: Saturday Night Fever Tree
Somehow, people got the idea that it’s bad to drink alone.
It’s definitely bad to drink because you “need” to. It’s bad to drink too much too often. It’s bad to drink and pass out on your couch at 8pm. But it’s bad to do any of those things if you’re with people too, right? Last night, I had the good fortune of eating and drinking with friends. Most of the night centered on wine, but for a brief while, we chatted about Fever Tree tonic water, which got a ringing endorsement from Putnam Weekley. Tonight, I’m flying solo. But really, it’s kind of fortuitous since solo drinking nights mean the freedom to explore.
A few hours ago, I literally ran into a ginger beer/root beer/tonic shelf at Holiday Market that was full of Fever Tree products. Having decided that it was kismet given the previous night’s discussion, I picked up some Fever Tree tonic and ginger beer (I’m guessing this recent addition is courtesy of GU Detroit member Jefferey Mar, though I can’t say for certain). It was then that I decided tonight would become a study in cocktails. So for the zero people who will be reading our blog on this particular Saturday night, I will be live blogging these drinks as I go.
Drink #1: Using Fever Tree Tonic (7:45pm)
Gin and tonic is great, but I wanted to try something a little different. Fever Tree’s tonic has great citrus fruit flavors and a bright acidity in addition to all the bitterness in the finish, so I thought there might be some potential to try something in a Caribbean-inspired vein. Here’s what I ended up with:
- 1 oz white rum (I used Mt. Gay)
- 1 oz aged rum (I used Angostura 1919, 8 year)
- .5 oz fresh lime juice
- .25 oz Cherry Heering
- .25 oz simple syrup
- Fever Tree tonic
I shook this briefly, without tonic, poured it into a tall glass with ice, and topped it with probably 4-5 oz of tonic. This starts with a pretty big fruit flavor and then has a wash of tonic bitterness through the finish. Somehow it tastes like vanilla in the mid-palate. Kind of awesome, though I might use a little less tonic next time.
Drink 2: Bittered Rye Sling w/ Fever Tree (8:30)
I’m a big fan of this rye-based drink that I had at The Gibson in Washington, DC. I’ve been making it with Fentiman’s, but I wanted to give the Fever Tree a shot.
- 2 oz rye whiskey (I used Russel’s because I’m out of Rittenhouse)
- 1 oz sweet vermouth (Dolin)
- .5 oz lime juice
- Assload of Angostura bitters
- Fever Tree ginger beer
I shook everything except the Fever Tree with a couple ice cubes just briefly to mix and slightly chill the ingredients then poured it over ice in a tall glass and topped with the ginger beer. Good drink, but I prefer this one with Fentiman’s, which I think has a much stronger spice quotient.
Drink 2 Redux (8:42)
This is getting better. As it’s melting and warming, there seems to be more ginger spice. Fever Tree could totally work its way into my ginger beer rotation — and since I still have 3 little bottles left, I’d say there’s a good chance of that happening.
Drink 3: Keanu Reeves Says “Woah” (9:30)
Last night, a good friend texted me from my favorite cocktail bar, Vessel, located in Seattle. He and his wife were enjoying a few drinks, and he sent a list of ingredients with no commentary other than “Awesome.” The text read, “creme de violette lillet blanc egg white club soda citrus.”
I didn’t have any club soda, so I did the following:
- 1 oz creme de violette
- 1 oz lillet blanc
- Half an egg white
- 2/3 oz lemon juice
Dry shake, shake with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass. And I have to agree with my buddy. Awesome.
If you’re a creme de violette fan, this is a great drink. The egg white gives it body, the lillet kills a bit of the intensity, and the lemon just makes for a nice, bright, balanced drink. Low alcohol brilliance inspired by the finest cocktail bar I’ve been to.
Drink 4: Mystery! (10:24)
I made a fourth drink. I had an idea the other night while drinking a Ramos Gin Fizz. If it went well, I would have posted more. But it only went OK, so further tinkering is in the cards for the next couple day/weeks. But in the meantime, I’m done experimenting (both with alcohol and how many calories I can ingest before bed) for the evening. I’d encourage Detroiters to stop by Western Market in Ferndale or Holiday Market in Royal Oak and pick up some Fever Tree products.
The Extra Delicious Sour
Perusing my copy of Ted Haigh’s “Forgotten Cocktails” book, I came across The Delicious Sour, a recipe which called for a lot of Laird’s Applejack and peach brandy. Having neither, I used Laird’s aged apple brandy, likely a similar flavor but maybe a little rounder, and Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot liqueur.
Whew. Damn tasty.
Here’s the whole recipe as I made it:
2 oz Laird’s Aged (7 1/2 Years) Apple Brandy
2 oz Orchard Apricot
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg white
Dry shake, shake with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, top with a splash of soda water, and marvel. This drink as made tonight is nothing more than a vehicle for amazing apricot flavor. There’s a hint of apple and a general fruit flavor, but the apricot shines through without being too terribly sweet. Definitely a winner.
Recent Tastes
My wife is gone for a few days, and I miss my in-home drinking companion. It’s no coincidence, I think, that a glass viewed from a heavenly direction looks like a ring. Without her here, I’m forced — forced, dammit! — to drink a full bottle all by my lonesome.
So at this moment, I’m struggling through a 2007 De Montille Bourgogne Rouge. Fans of the wine documentary Mondovino will recognize the family name from one of the film’s larger-than-life figures. However, the vineyard and winemaking duties have since been turned over to Etienne De Montille, the son of the affable, elderly gentleman portrayed not just in the movie but on its promotional posters.
The bourgogne rouge is lighter and far more feminine than the few cru wines I’ve had from De Montille. The nose absolutely reeks of cherry and creme de violette, and on the palate, tart cherry and raspberry dominate. The fruit is never jammy — always playful and natural tasting — and the finish explodes in a wash of lovely acidity that lingers with some minor, funky undertones that really make it sing.
Earlier today, I had my third cup of coffee. Ever. Beyond the look of bewilderment on the faces of several colleagues, great enjoyment has been derived from the eye-opening exploration of what coffee offers. The revelation actually came late last week when I sampled the Kenya Kirimikui single origin from Intelligentsia via Lab Cafe in Ann Arbor. Standing in stark contrast to the Nicaraguan product I’d had (and blogged about) previously, the Kenyan coffee exploded with acidity — absolutely pure lemon and lemongrass flavors just ripping through the mid-palate and finish.
Today’s drink, a Guatemalan coffee delivered to me via the same outlet, was a bit harder for me to understand. The roaster describes the acidity as being akin to that of tropical fruit, and perhaps I simply haven’t learned the lingo, but I thought of it more as chewing on a peach pit. There was fruit there, and the flavor wasn’t nutty, but it had that tannic, fibrous quality one might get from gnawing on a fruit pit a bit too long. It wasn’t distinct enough to scream any real notes to me, but it was so very clearly different from previous drinks that I was at pleased that my reaction wasn’t something like, “Oh, huh… it’s coffee.”
I love everything Lab does, so I’ll be back there this week for one thing or another — it’s unquestionably my favorite spot in all of Ann Arbor right now, as evidenced by my three or four plugs for them in as many weeks — but I may grab my next cup of coffee at Comet Coffee, also in Ann Arbor, just to try something completely different.
I love my hobby. And I think there’s just a splash of that De Montille left. Gotta go.
In Praise of Sodastream (with minor caveat)
We drink a lot of sparkling water, liters and liters of sparkling water. Every week, until recently, our recycling bins were full of empty plastic water bottles and our wallets were down $10-$15.
We thought the answer might be a seltzer bottle. You’ve seen them, those old-timey glass bottles with a Co2 canister attached, most prominent in vintage slapstick routines of The Three Stooges. But the thought of all those small metal canisters lying around had us looking for a better solution.
That’s when we discovered the Sodastream. For $150, you can purchase the Fountain Jet, four reusable, BPA-free, one liter plastic bottles and three recyclable Co2 canisters. That’s enough to make nearly 200 liters of sparkling water. You’re initial investment is paid off by the time those three Co2 canisters are emptied.
And Detroit tap water tastes fantastic with bubbles. Really.
Replacing the Co2 canisters is simple. The Sodastream website will direct you to local businesses that deal with their brand. Find one near you and exchange your empties for about $15 a canister (that equates to around $0.25 a liter of sparkling water). We found a retail store dealing mostly with electrical supplies about five miles from our home. It was run by a pleasant, white-haired older fellow, who spent his day repairing vacuum cleaners and toaster ovens – an honorable occupation in this era where practically everything is disposable.
About that minor caveat: the Sodastream makers also sell a variety of diet and regular syrups, both sweetened with some amount of sucralose, the diet version, obviously because it’s supposed to be lacking in calories, and the regular, presumably for consistent packaging. Frankly, I don’t see the point of ingesting any chemical sweetener, the taste is inferior, and the government bureaucracies responsible for food safety just can’t be trusted.
If we’re craving something sweet, we make our own soda with measures of fruit juice and sparkling water. It’s refreshing and can be less than half the sugar of a store bought soda. Not only that, but all of us cocktail mixologists will never run out of soda water again. And though it may seem unfashionable, whiskey and soda truly is a remarkable drink.
If you consume as much sparkling water as we do, the Sodastream is a product you’ll want to seriously consider. Drink well, save money, save The Earth, impress your neighbors, belch frequently, etc, etc…
I’ve Got the Jitters
Today was the day. After a failed attempt at My First Coffee at Abraço in New York’s East Village (they were out of town when I was in town), I decided that I could no longer put off my first foray into coffee. As a longtime tea drinker and someone who has no desire to get hooked on caffeine at age 30, never have I seen the need to get serious about coffee. But what kind of beverage snob can I be if I were to ignore such a rich area of exploration?
So my colleague Rob and I took a 10-minute coffee break — my first ever coffee break in literal terms — and headed down to Lab Cafe where they serve up Intelligentsia coffees. After missing out in New York, I figured my first sampling would be of locally made Great Lakes Coffee with roastmaster and friend James Cadariu, but today just seemed right, and Intelligentsia had come with James’ blessing.
Off we went, and here’s the rest of the story:
2:20pm – I walk into the store with some lingering doubts. Maybe I should stick with a sweet, caloric, filling chai latte. Old faithful. Can’t miss.
2:21pm – Screw that. Let’s do this.
2:22pm – I glance over the list of single origin options. I have no idea what I’m doing here. None at all. But since I’m losing my coffee cherry, I select a Nicaraguan product that allegedly has notes of cherry. (The sophistication of my logic knows no bounds. I can only hope that my palate and caffeine tolerance will match my impressively juvenile wit.)
2:25pm – The barista clearly doesn’t want to interrupt but also clearly wants to help. He chimes in and notes which coffees on the list are missing and mentions some other single origin item. I stay focused and place my order, sticking with a small cup for my first foray into this beverage.
2:33pm – The coffee is just about done. The young man applied a pour over method to my drink, which had previously been articulated to me in a New York Times “T Magazine” article courtesy of James from Great Lakes..
2:40pm – Back at the office. I’ve only had two sips on the way back. I had to get the drink to go, and I wanted to have a chance to really dig my nose into it, which is hard to do while walking. Safely at my desk, I can pull back the lid and really smell this liquid sitting before me.
2:54pm – I’ve decided to quickly catalogue everything that’s happening here. If any HR professionals at my place of employment are reading this, worry not: I haven’t spent more than 4 minutes on this so far. That’s probably pretty obvious to anyone who reads at an 8th grade level.
2:55pm – So that’s what caffeine feels like. It takes dramatically over-brewed tea and a totally empty stomach for me to feel this sort of impact. Still a few sips left. Just what I needed — another beverage in my life that throws my body chemistry out of whack.
By the end of this little experiment here, it’s clear I have a long way to go. Beyond the crazy jitters I’m experiencing, my palate can’t distinguish a lot of the nuance here just yet. I definitely was able to find the cherry fruit in this drink, and the bitterness isn’t any sort of appalling, blackened flavor. It’s more woody and tannic, but I suspect that’s a general flavor that I need to learn to taste through. With deliberation for a moment, I see what Intelligentsia is describing when they say the acidity has a tart, plum quality to it. There’s definitely that sort of hint that one might find in some Belgian beers — a much rounder, less acidic flavor than something more acetic or citric or lactic. Beyond these broad, vague strokes, I’m just getting “coffee.” I can tell it’s good coffee, but I can tell that it’s going to be a long, long while before I really understand things like regional differences and before I have a solid vocabulary from which to forge descriptions of my experiences.
More experimentation is required. Thanks for reading about this entirely self-indulgent adventure. We obviously post cocktail, beer, wine, and tea tasting notes here from time to time, and I suspect that I’ll post more coffee notes as I get a handle on what it is I’m drinking.
Lion’s Tail Cocktail
I picked up some St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram from New York several weeks back. Having had it in a couple of tropical-type drinks that made use of rum as the base spirit, I was thinking about other options. I was pleased to find the long-established classic cocktail, The Lion’s Tail, when seeking inspiration. The recipe called for 3/4 oz of the allspice dram and a full teaspoon of simple syrup; I cut those back a tiny bit, and the result was a delicious, spicy, balanced drink. Highly recommended. Detroiters will have to buy the dram from New York or Chicago — there are places that will ship from an online order — but it’s worth the effort.
_ _ _ _ _
The Lion’s Tail
- 2 oz bourbon (I used Buffalo Trace)
- 2/3 oz allspice dram
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- 1/2+ barspoon simple syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
No Place Like Home
A little more than a week ago, I was at Ten Bells in New York, sipping on a fantastic Paolo Bea Sagrantino di Montefalco Secco. It’s one of the most delicious, surprising, flavorful wines I’ve had in the past few months. At the moment, I was so thankful to be in Manhattan, drinking this amazing thing that isn’t to my knowledge available anywhere in Michigan. I kept marveling — at drinks when visiting Pegu Club and Death & Company, at food when visiting Momofuku and Kyo Ya.
But arriving home this past weekend, I was so thankful to be home. I’m convinced that the relief isn’t just because home is where you hang your hat. It’s because I like home — I like Michigan, I like Detroit, I like Ferndale.
While traveling, domestically or abroad, is an awesome experience, the midwesterner in me digs my flat, reasonably priced parcel of Michigan earth, hanging out in my basketball shorts drinking my own wine, making my own food, and not worrying about bumping into any one of 900 people around me on the sidewalk.
I’m not sure why I felt compelled to post that here, but it was such a potent emotional reaction for me arriving home that it seemed to deserve a shout out.
