Tofu croutons
Posted by creining | Filed under Food
I made these tofu croutons the other day and ate them all in one sitting, they were so good!
Ingredients
• 1 block of extra firm tofu, patted dry, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• fresh black pepper
• salt
Directions
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Toss cubes in a bowl with the oil.
• Spread the tofu cubes in one single layer on a baking sheet.
• Season with generous amounts of fresh black pepper and a desired amount of salt.
• Bake for about 50 minutes or until golden.
My Favorite Madison Restaurants
Posted by creining | Filed under Food
Here are my favorite places to eat in Madison. I am really spoiled by the amount of great restaurants for the size of the city.
Breakfast
Bradbury’s – awesome crepes and great espresso
Gotham Bagels – best bagels in town
Lazy Jane’s – delicious scones, good scramblers and strong coffee
Marigold Kitchen – always good fresh food
Sophia’s Bakery & Cafe – small space but awesome brunch on the weekends
Pizza
Buck’s Pizza – cheap takeout pizza
Cafe La Bellitalia – traditional mom and pop restaurant
Cafe Porta Alba – authentic Neapolitan pizza
Greenbush Bar – the best thin crust pizza in town
Natt Spil – not only my favorite bar but they have good thin crust pizzas
Italian
Lombardino’s – my favorite Italian restaurant
Osteria Papavero – my second favorite Italian restaurant
Gastropub
Brassiere V – kind of like jacs
Coopers Tavern – kind of like jacs and Brasserie V but with poutine
jacs – kind of like Brassiere V
The Weary Traveler – great atmosphere and tasty tom ka tofu soup
Mexican
La Zacatecana – Mexican grocery with cheap authentic eats in the back
Tex Tubb’s – this fills my Tex-Mex cravings
Japanese
Restaurant Muramoto – Hands down my favorite, love the food and the space
Upscale
Restaurant Magnus – My favorite fancy schmancy restaurant (also love the bar)
L’Etoile – My second favorite fancy schmancy restaurant
Ethnic Cuisines
Chautara – I like it a bit better than Himal Chuli
Himal Chuli – a classic
Lao Laan Xang – I could eat here every day
Mediterranean Cafe – cheap and excellent food
Monty’s Blue Plate – okay, not ethnic but the Sheldon is so good
Shish Cafe – for dinner, when Mediterranean Cafe is not open
Outdoor Dining
Mickey’s Tavern – I love this patio and the veggie burgers
Lake Vista Cafe – one of the best views in Madison
Kombucha!
Posted by creining | Filed under Food
I tried kombucha for the first time last summer (2007). At the time I thought it was just okay, nothing that I would shell out the $3.50 for again. Well, I tried it again recently, and, well, now I can’t get enough of the stuff. I’ve tried all the different kinds that GT’s sells. My favorites are Gingerberry, Gingerade and Guava Goddess.
Original – straight up kombucha, a little boring but a good introduction to the tea
Citrus – this one is really heavy on the citrus, almost to the pucker point
Gingerade – it has that ginger zing to it, I really like this one
Multi-Green – tastes like Original but with blue-green algae, spirulina and chlorella
Trilogy – with raspberry, lemon and ginger juice but it tastes generically fruity
Mystic Mango – good, but not enough mango taste for me
Raspberry Rush – good, but not enough raspberry taste for me
Passionberry Bliss – fruity but somewhat tart in the mouth
Strawberry Serenity – weak strawberry taste, eh
Cosmic Cranberry – sort of tart, you know, like cranberry, just okay
Guava Goddess – I like the taste of guava and thought this was really good
Divine Grape – a tinge of grape, I thought it was just okay
Gingerberry – I really really like this one, blueberry taste with ginger as well
How I tasted wines I can’t afford (well, can’t justify affording)
Posted by creining | Filed under Food
The author of Vinography: A Wine Blog posted How to Taste Wines You Can’t Afford which suggested attending pre-auction tastings. I looked around the Madison area for pre-auction tastings and the closest I found was Edward Roberts International in Chicago. So I went to the tasting yesterday at the Columbia Yacht Club. It was a fantastic event as I learned alot about wine and sampled 1 ounce pours from wine that I’ve never had the chance to taste before. Now I can say that the oldest wine I’ve tasted is a 1934 Chateau Latour! Below is a listing of what I tasted with notes accompanying the wines I really enjoyed:
1990 Dom Perignon
2000 Nicolas Joly Clos De La Coulee De Serrant
1982 Catherine Guyot Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes
1983 Catherine Guyot Vosne-Romanee
1986 Saintsbury Pinot Noir
2002 Shea Wine Cellars Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard
1934 Chateau Latour ruby in color, sharp and intense fruit on the attack
1962 Chateau Calon-Segur
1967 Chateau Cheval Blanc ruby in color, medium bodied and pretty well balanced (maybe slightly acidic)
1975 Chateau Mouton Baron Philippe
1975 Chateau Duhart-Milon-Rothschild
1978 Chateau Beychevelle
1982 Chateau Chasse-Spleen
1983 Chateau Chasse-Spleen
1975 Ca’ Del Bosco Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva lovely fruit and long finish
1980 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Red Rock Terrace
1983 Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon very concentrated fruit differing from the nose
1984 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Red Rock Terrace
1988 Beaulieu Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve Georges De Latour great fruit, medium complexity, great finish
1989 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill
1990 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill
1991 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill
1992 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon
2001 Atalon Merlot
1987 Burgess Zinfandel spicy with a long finish
1975 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle very smoky, blood, not much fruit, good harmony
1995 Turley Zinfandel Black Sears Vineyard
2002 Williams Selyem Zinfandel Forchini Vineyard a fruit bomb on the palate, very good
2002 Branson Shiraz Coach House Reserve
2004 Glaetzer Shiraz
1971 Von Plettenberg Kreuznacher Osterholl Morio-Muskat Auslese
1999 Allegrini Amarone
Beer recipes
Posted by creining | Filed under Food
I’ve brewed beer a few times and these are the last two recipes I’ve used. I would like to brew a fruit based beer this summer, maybe watermelon.
Honey Ale – simple beer that has just a mild hint of honey
4 lbs Alexander’s Pale Malt Extract
1 oz 5.4% alpha acid Cascade pellet hops
1 oz 3.6% alpha acid Saaz pellet hops
3.5 oz Wyeast #1056 American Ale yeast (also known as Chico)
2 lbs light clover honey
Cream Stout – creamy tan head with a sweet roasted malt flavor
1 lb roasted barley grain
4 lbs Malt Extract
1 oz Fuggles hops
1 oz Hallertau hops
1 tsp Irish Moss
Wyeast
Making cheese
Posted by creining | Filed under Food
Fankhauser’s Cheese Page contains some good information on making cheese.
50 things: Food
Posted by creining | Filed under Food
50 things to eat before you die
The top 50 things every foodie should do
Best. Thai. Ever.
Posted by creining | Filed under Food
The best Thai food I’ve ever eaten was at Klong in Manhattan – the taro spring rolls, the jade dumplings, the pad thai.
Cooking 101: 20 Lessons to kick start your cooking skill
Posted by creining | Filed under Food
Cooking 101: 20 Lessons to kick start your cooking skill. I consider myself a decent cook. I don’t make anything overtly extravagent but I always have fun cooking in the kitchen. There’s some good information in these lessons including more efficient ways to do things – for instance I have never chopped an onion the “right” way but the method they describe would be faster.
Roasting coffee at home
Posted by creining | Filed under Food
I’m going to try roasting coffee beans at home. There’s a great site that has all kinds of information and products for home coffee roasting. The Popcorn Air Popper method is the most recommended. I’ll see if I can pick up a cheap recommended popper at the thrift store. I’ll probably do the thermometer mod too.