It’s always nice when people read this column, but for this week only I’m going to suggest that you put down the magazine and run (don’t walk) to Luciano’s in Clinton Township.

Sitting down with Luciano himself to discuss his restaurant, it became abundantly clear that this place is the epitome of what a successful family-operated restaurant should be. “We make sure that everyone leaves satisfied,” says Luciano. “My family is here. What we eat is what we serve the people.” Of particular interest, Luciano made mention of the specials, which are always non-menu items. “Our specials are special,” he says, which means if a dish on the specials menu strikes your fancy, order it because who knows when it will show up again.

Since 1987, Luciano’s has been serving homemade Italian classics. Luciano’s wife, Rosa, has been working in the kitchen since the beginning and she still makes all the sauces. She’s even been known to work well into the night or early morning to make sure everything is perfect for the next day.

And to call a dish “perfect” is making a broad, sweeping claim, so I will not say Luciano’s dishes are perfect, but they are damned close. For example, the risotto marinara a.k.a. Fisherman’s Risotto is quite literally one of the finest dishes I’ve tasted in an Italian restaurant.

A generous bowl of masterfully-cooked risotto is covered in a lightly-spiced tomato broth. The risotto is topped with a cacophony of morsels from the sea – clams, scallops, mussels, shrimp and calamari. These aren’t small shrimp, either. “We use 16-20 per pound extra large shrimp in this dish,” says Luciano. That means each pound of shrimp contains between 16-20 pieces. To give an idea of size, 40-50 per pound are roughly half the size of the ones used in Luciano’s dish.

Scallops are U-10 diver scallops, which means each one is hand-picked by divers. Basically what this all means is that ingredients are of the utmost importance at Luciano’s. “We never skimp on anything,” Luciano says.

At its most basic, Luciano believes a successful restaurant has five fundamental characteristics: cuisine, price, cleanliness, service and atmosphere. To act as if these characteristics are easy to balance is ludicrous. Luciano’s has been a well-oiled machine ever since they opened in 1987.

It may sound needlessly pessimistic to say this, but places like Luciano’s are not as plentiful as they used to be. The age of husband/wife/son teams are becoming less and less prevalent. Near the end of the night, Luciano told a truly touching story of his battle with lung cancer.

About four years ago, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. At a time when many people would act defeated, Luciano took the diagnosis as a challenge. Throughout the entire ordeal (he beat it) – chemo and radiation, hair loss and feeling horrible – he still came to work every day. If that’s not a testament to his passion, I’m not sure what is. Luciano is a gem and so is his restaurant.

Originally printed in Real Detroit Weekly

I’m pretty excited to be celebrating my 6th year in business, another birthday, AND to have the opportunity to unveil my ice cream along with a new fine art display at Treat Dreams in Ferndale.  The ice cream was dubbed ‘Triple Exposure’; a play on words to celebrate my love for photography, and also my love for chocolate.  Three chocolates to be exact: dark chocolate ice cream, mini chocolate chips and chocolate cake with my family’s special ‘fluffy frosting’ recipe.  (my mom has made me this cake for my birthday as far back as I can remember!)

Scott – the mastermind behind Treat Dreams – was kind enough to allow me to watch, photograph, sample and ask lots of questions while he prepared Triple Exposure.
Here we go!

The process begins with milk (15% butter fat), vanilla and chocolate powder:

Creating this beautiful dark chocolate base – part 1 of the ‘triple’ in Triple Exposure:

The chocolate base is then poured into the ice cream machine.  After a few minutes of spinning, we added part 2 of the ‘triple’ in Triple Exposure: mini chocolate chips.

Once the spinning completes (after 8 minutes) – the layering begins!  But, first, let me introduce you to part 3 of the ‘triple’ in Triple Exposure:  chocolate cake with fluffy frosting

Now….back to the layering.  First the dark chocolate ice cream:

Then the chocolate cake with fluffy frosting:

Then more ice cream & more cake with fluffy frosting….and more mini chocolate chips:

And, then more ice cream with mini chocolate chips & cake with fluffy frosting:

When the container is filled to the brim, the ice cream is set to chill in the Blast Freezer overnight.

Triple Exposure will debut on May 16th and I would love if you could join me for some ‘art & ice cream’ that evening from 6:00-9:00pm at Treat Dreams.  You can get a better look at the series of fine art photographs that I will have on display for the entire month of May and enjoy some delicious ice cream, too.  www.alydarinphotography.com

If you haven’t been to Treat Dreams yet – you NEED to go!  :)  They offer a wide variety of flavors from sweet to savory, ice cream to sorbet & meaty to vegan.  They also create special flavors for all kinds of events (weddings, birthday parties, corporate events, etc) and have kid’s camps and special Girl’s Night Out events, too.  Here is a sneak peek at one flavor they’re creating for Kid Rock’s upcoming show at the DSO:  (they’re thinking of calling it ‘The Kid’s Kentucky Caramel’ and it is a salted caramel ice cream with shards of chocolate and a bourbon glaze swirl)

Enjoy!

I watched Chef John prepare their Salt-baked Shrimp with Spicy Peppers, the dish he and his team will be featuring at the event.  Chef tells me that the dish (inspired by Chinese restaurants that offer different varieties of salt-baked sea foods) is a long standing customer favorite, usually reserved for wine tastings and for parties to share at their table.

As most things associated with Mary and Jim Lark, items used in the restaurant are carefully selected.  Whether it is fresh flowers picked by Mary outside in the Lark’s garden, or the delectable ingredients chosen by Chef John, you will find many organic flavors and selections.  Many of which are sourced by Michigan Farmers like Carpenter’s Greenhouse and Organic Produce Farm in Allen, MI; or Garden Works in Ann Arbor, MI; or Frog Holler Organic Farm in Brooklyn, MI.

In the case of this dish, the salt chosen is a fine sea salt.  The shrimp are wild shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico.  The jalapeños are organic which increases their spice and creates a better color due to the increased nitrogen.

When they are not servicing customers at their European Country Inn, the Lark plans on participating in many more charity events for organizations, such as Hour Detroit, and for D’art for Art in Harbor Springs (benefiting Crooked Tree Arts Center).

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Pizza #4:  Chorizo & Goat Cheese
The rosemary crust was brushed with olive oil and garlic then topped with thin sliced tomatoes, partially cooked & Chorizo, toasted pine nuts, crumbled goat cheese and fresh sprigs of rosemary.

 

Pizza #5:  Stewed Fruit Pizza/Tart
Dried apricots, figs and 2 fresh plums were chopped and stewed in a pan with sugar, water & lemon juice for about 15 minutes.  The pizza crust was placed in an oven-safe bowl and the strained fruit was added.  The edges of the crust were pulled up around the fruit and pinched at the edges to keep all of the ingredients together.  The edges of the crust were then brushed with melted butter and some sugar.

Drizzle a bit of the strained juice over the slices upon serving.  The flavors of the apricot and fig were really present in a mellow, mildly tart way.  A great option if you’re looking for a dessert that isn’t too sweet.

It was really fun trying so many varieties of ingredients and, I’m happy to say, it’s given me a million more ideas for next time.  If you have any suggestions, please pass them along!!!

Many of us remember Zihuatanejo as the only place suitable for Andy Dufresne when he escaped from Shawshank prison.   North of Acapulco, in Guerrero, on the Pacific Coast, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo was the perfect place for Food & Wine Magazine to host their 2^nd Annual Festival in Mexico.  (#IZFWF) The weather was great, the resorts were beautiful, the seminars were enticing, and the food…well the food can best be described as the standard for authenticity.

Festival events included cooking demonstrations by Mexican chefs (Guillermo González Beristain, Patricia Quintana, Alfredo Oropeza, José Ramón Castillo and Daniel Ovadía) and American celebrities Iron Chef Michael Symon and Top Chef Master Marcus Samuelsson.  Food and Wine also provided events like wine tastings (provided by Santo Tomás), mescal and tequila tastings (with Mark Oldman), a market and restaurant culinary tour of Zihuatanejo, and a romantic Picante Catamaran tour, featuring a sunset tour around Zihuatanejo paired with local cuisine and great Mexican wines (including Paralelo, Shimul, Tres Valles, Viñas Pijoan, JC Bravo, Aborigen, Santa Elena, Unión and Casa de Piedra).

Each night was capped off with a 500-capacity Grand Tasting Event – 32 Tastes of Mexico by Santo Tomás on Thursday, Mexican Roots on Friday, and a Street Food Party on Saturday, featuring Marcus Samuelsson.

Our highlight was a quaint outdoor dinner provided by Chef Symon and Chef Federico López, one of Mexico’s Top 12 Chefs five years in a row and creator of the Mexican culinary institute Escula Ambrosia.  The courses served were all paired with wonderful top wines, such as a Contraste 2009 Casa de Piedra paired with Spicy Lobster with corn pudding, sweet potato, cumin and lime vinaigrette; a Viognier 2011 Santo Tomás paired with cold Percebe Ceviche and Cucumber with a Mango Soup with Hierba Mora; the Merlot 2010 Santo Tomás was paired with Braised Pork Shank with Papaya Slaw, Mint, Chilies and Clam Liquor; the Albarolo 2009 Shimul was paired with Rabbit Legs in a Tamarind-Guave Mole, Black Beans Pipicha and Mezcal Garnish; and the Tardo Colombard 2007 Santo Tomás was served with a Mexican Dessert Trip prepared with typical recipes and fruits like lime, pineapple, mamey, black sapote, ate, chongos zamoranos, and caramelized nuts.

If only my friend Andy Dufresne could have seen the smiles on our faces as we walked and dined on the beach, and swam in the ocean, and tasted the best the Mexico has to offer.  I am reminded, that as we buckle down for a day of celebration, whether we cheer for victory over the French, or simply become an adopted son or daughter of Mexico, there is a culture that still gives from its history and from its soul, to our kitchens, and to our plates.

#IZFWF

New discoveries, that’s one of the major perks of being a Hungry Dude. Just the other day a couple of the “dudes” were invited to visit and go through an extensive sampling from Chef Clifton Ely, owner at Ely’s Catering in Detroit. Chef specializes in Southern cuisine with a twist on the soul. Ely’s Catering has been serving customers since 2008; however Chef Ely has been cooking and catering since 1990. Most of his recipes are derived from his mom and grandmother with some, like his very popular egg pie; dating back to his great grandmother.

Roughly 70% of their customers are regulars visiting on a weekly basis, sometimes more. After tasting several of their most popular dishes, it’s no wonder why people keep coming back. Chef Ely has high hopes to add a sit down restaurant later this year or next with an expanded menu, and is also considering adding a curbside assistance to his current location.

Now, on to the tasting:

Gumbo – The beauty about dishes like gumbo is it can vary from place to place. The one we tasted had great flavor with traditional ingredients including okra and shrimp. It was a perfect way to start our night.

Baked chicken, mac n cheese & green beans – There’s something delectable about juicy chicken spiced just right and that’s exactly what we got, accompanied by traditional macaroni and cheese topped with a great cheesy crust, which added a wonderful texture contrast to the creamy cheese sauce.

Parmesan crusted tilapia, candied yams, & collard greens. As far as entrees go, this was the Pièce de résistance. The Dudes agreed that this was the best tilapia, and possibly the best fish we’ve ever had. Unbelievably moist fish bursting with a great creamy Parmesan taste. Light, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. The collard greens delivered on Ely’s southern cooking background, with a hint of nutmeg to balance the earthy greens. The candied yams are sweet, hence the reason they call them “candied”.

Peach Cobbler – As you can tell from the photo, the crust was flaky while still maintaining enough body to support wonderfully tasting peaches. Add a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and you’ve gone to heaven.

Egg Pie – There’s a good chance you’ve never eaten egg pie before. Give yourself +K on Klout under Food if you have. This dish is simple in its ingredient list and preparation, and reminded us of pecan pie minus the pecans and being a touch more eggy. It was light, even after an extensive tasting menu we found ourselves going back for another bite, after bite.

To see the entire tasting menu pictures, visit our Flickr Page.

We had a wonderful time meeting Chef Ely, learning about his background, passion for southern cuisine, and tasting his delicious food. If you find yourself in the 7 mile and Livernois area, we highly recommend you visit Ely’s Catering in Detroit. Their address: 7108 W 7 Mile Rd, Detroit, MI

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Written by: David Benjamin
Photos by: Aly Darin

The garnish and the flavoring of almost all of these dishes were up to us. We were simply given broad guidelines in which to follow. For the deviled quail eggs my partner and I wanted to really make them pop without adding too much heat. We added creme fresh, a dallop of mayo, mustard and a big pinch of ground ginger. The ginger really made the dish explode. With a canape, you really only have one chance to make your customer enjoy it, it’s a one bite dish. You have to make sure that each layer is flavored and each flavor is powerful.We pipped our yolk mixture back into our quail eggs and garnished with a half slice of caper.

The profiteroles with blue cheese mousse were a snap. We made profiteroles in our baking and pastry class and I believe I talked about them in a previous blog. Once the profiteroles were done baking we cut off the top and piped in our mousse. The blue cheese mousse consisted of a puree of equal parts blue cheese and cream cheese followed by a folded in addition of homemade whipped cream (no sugar added). We garnished our little puffs with tiny julienne cuts of red pepper.

The salmon pate was so delicious. We used smoked salmon that we had made in a previous class, and mixed it with mayonnaise, chives, lemon juice and whatever else we felt it needed. This is the type of assignment where you can truly see people thrive. Joining proper flavors is not something everyone can do and my partner and I nailed it. We shredded and peeled two russet potatoes and then squeezed out the excess moisture before combining them with a beaten egg, two tablespoons of flour and salt and pepper. We made teeny tiny pancakes and placed in hot oil over slightly low heat. You want these to be crisp, not soft in the middle like large pancakes. We topped each pancake with a measured scoop of salmon pate and garnished with a sprig of dill.

Our final canape was our walnut and blue cheese crisps with melon and prosciutto. We creamed butter and blue cheese together followed by an addition of salt, flour and finely minced walnuts. We rolled the mixture into whatever shape we wanted the crisps to be and placed it into the refrigerator for at least an hour. When they were hard enough to get clean cuts out of, we cut them and baked them until brown and crisp. We thinly sliced some prosciutto and rolled piece of it around our finger. We placed the roll of prosciutto on the crips and then filled them with brunoise cuts of honey-dew and cantaloupe. We garnished with some shredded cut mint.

It was a really fun day and even more exciting to see the designs that each group came up with when organizing their platters. Some people took chefs advice to create long lines and others went in different directions. All in all it was a productive day in learning what type of plating benefits your business and how to properly serve and put together a delicious canape.

Onion, garlic, shiitake mushrooms and thin sliced sun-dried tomatoes were sautéed in olive oil and set aside.  A layer of goat cheese was spread directly onto the pizza dough.  The pizza was then topped with roasted red peppers, the sautéed vegetables and crumbled bleu cheese.

The tang of the bleu cheese and sun-dried tomatoes worked very well on this pizza.  I think I’m going to put a layer of goat cheese on every pizza I make from now on!  It was DELICIOUS!!!

Here is a look at some of the ingredients that were to be used and discussed:

These delicious & healthy snacks were set out for us to sample:  Escabeche (pickled peppers), Mango salsa, jicama strips splashed with fresh lime juice and Spicy Peanuts.

We sampled a variety of quesadillas on the new whole wheat tortillas.  (which were delicious!)  Qdoba’s grilled veggies, queso fresco and the Ancho Chile BBQ Sauce were a big hit.  A special recipe for cactus salad was shared with us, too.  After Chef Ted showed us how to properly clean and prepare the cactus, we were served a cactus salad quesadilla on a whole wheat tortilla. (pictured below)  Chef Ted also whipped up a fresh guacamole with Haas avocados, smoked morita peppers, grilled sweet onion, sun dried tomatoes and fresh lime juice.  (The morita pepper gives a delicious smoked bacon flavor to the guacamole while keeping it a vegetarian dish.  Great heat, too!)

Chef Ted blended a delicious salsa with toasted tomatillos, Arbol chiles, lime and salt.  It took 5 minutes and it was packed with flavor.  Listening to him speak and watching him cook, you can see how passionate he is about his work.  The wealth of knowledge he has obtained from his travels through Mexico is astounding.

Here are some tidbits that I found very interesting.

• Need a quick way to peel a pepper?  Place the pepper directly over a flame, charring the skin.  (the hotter the heat, the quicker the skin will blister without the pepper cooking).  Once the pepper is fully charred, place it in a bowl and cover with a towel.  (this allows the steam to escape without continuing to cook the pepper.  When plastic wrap is used to seal the bowl, the pepper continues to cook)  Using a paper towel, rub the pepper and the skin will easily flake off.
• How do you control the heat of a dish when working with chiles?  Yes, the seeds are hot – but only by association.  The veins hold the heat of the pepper and, in turn, the seeds also carry some heat.  To bring the heat down, chop off the top and bottom of the pepper (where the veins are very concentrated), remove the inside veins and seeds.  You can then toast the seeds and reintroduce them into your dish for a nutty flavor.
• The background of Cinco de Mayo?  The day was coined after a battle in Pueblo when French troops tried to overtake the city.  The Pueblo militia overtook the French army and drove them out.  Celebration = Cinco de Mayo.
• Don’t have any gloves, but need to work with chiles?  Coat your hands in olive oil before you begin to work with them.  When you have finished, wash your hands and the chile oil will rinse away.  (Pepper oil absorbs into the pores on your hands.  The olive oil blocks the absorption)
• A great book to check out:  ’Taco USA’
• How do you work with banana leaves?  Banana leaves are the original ‘foil’.  When you purchase them, they are very stiff and brittle.  Run the leaves over a flame and they instantly become shiny and pliable.

Rum Caramel Sauce:
1 stick Butter
1 cone Piloncillio (or 1 cup brown sugar)
1 cup Cream
1 cup Rum
1 tsp Vanilla
Melt butter in a 1qt. stainless saucepan until lightly brown.  Add sugar and cream and stir evenly.  Heat on stove over medium heat until slightly syrupy.  Remove pot from stove and add 1 cup rum.  Return to stove and ignite slowly.  Stir in vanilla and allow to cook over medium heat until desired consistency.
Grill pineapple slices.  Place on plate.  Drizzle with caramel sauce and top with goat cheese and toasted pepitas.  As a side, toss pecans with the caramel sauce and serve.

Thank you, Qdoba, for an amazing & delicious evening!

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Before we could start on the galantine or the pate, we had to first make our chau-froid, also known as an aspic platter. In class we were calling it a jelly platter so you can call it what you like. It’s basically a platter that you create out of gelatin on top of a real platter. You first combine two cups of cold milk and 1.5 ounces of gelatin and allow the mixture to bloom considerably. In a separate bowl combine 4 cups of water and 3 ounces of gelatin and allow this mixture to also bloom. When adding the gelatin to any liquid for these purposes you want to be sure that you sprinkle the gelatin over the liquid slowly and gently. Once the milk and bloomed, place it over a double boiler and very gently stir it, you don’t want to create air bubbles. Once it begins to feel like heavy cream remove from the heat and pour through a chinois onto the platter that you’re going to be using.

Use some sort of flame such as a long lighter or a torch to move quickly across the milk and remove any air bubbles that may have slipped through the chinois. Do not hold the flame in one place for too long though it will burn the milk. Make sure the platter is on a level surface and let the milk gelatin set for at least a half hour to 45 minutes before beginning to work with it. While the milk is setting, you can put your water and gelatin over a double boiler and stir gently until you the liquid becomes clear and you can see the bottom of your bowl. Remove it from the heat and allow to cool down. You have to be careful balancing the right temperature to pour on top of the milk verses waiting to long and having thick gelatin in your bowl. Keep an eye on it. If it does become too thick you can always throw it back on the heat.

This is the time to garnish. Once your water has cooled enough to work with take whatever garnish you wish to display and dip it into the water gelatin and gently place it on your set milk. You can be as creative as you want. Allow that to set and then once the water has reached a cool to the touch temperature, pour it onto the platter through a chinois. Keep the chinois moving when you’re pouring you don’t want to make a hole in the milk. Allow that to set for an hour or longer if you wish and then place whatever you intend to serve on top. I was thinking of how cool it would be to make one to place champagne glasses on for a wedding. You could put a photo of the couple inside as the garnish. You could make it edible by using stock and other ingredients but because you’re not, you have full range to be as creative as you wish.

After our platters had been set, we moved on to making our galantine and our pate. While time consuming each dish is actually quite simple. For the galantine, we skinned a whole chicken without puncturing holes or tearing it. I took a video so everyone could see chef skinning his chicken.

Once our chicken was skinned, we set the skin aside and began to de-bone the chicken. We then took the leg and thigh meat and removed any tendons still attached to the meat (tweezers work really well). We threw the leg and thigh into a food processor with a ton of salt and pepper, herbs, garlic and whatever else struck our fancy. Once fully blended, we added an egg yolk (one will suffice for the leg and thigh of one chicken) and began blending then about 2 to 3 ounces of cream while still on. We basically made a chicken paste and this chicken paste was going to be our farce for the galantine. Lay out a big strip of plastic wrap and place the chicken skin, out side down. Butterfly and pound out the breast and place those on top of the skin leaving about and inch of skin uncovered at the top. Place your farce towards the bottom of the breasts and lay down some long thicker strips of ham. Make a canal in the farce and place the two chicken tenders that are removed from the chicken breasts. Use the plastic wrap to then begin rolling up the galantine. It’s very similar to rolling a sushi roll. You want to hold the stuffing in while making sure to pull the skin down to ensure tightness. You want the inch of skin left uncovered to be touching skin from the rolling portion. Use the plastic wrap to help and pinch and hold both sides while rolling the galantine away from you. This should tighten your wrap job. Once you think it’s tight enough, tie off both ends and roll it once more in plastic wrap, then again in tin foil. Place in a big tub of simmering water (you never want the water boiling) until a thermometer poked into the center of it reads 165*. Once done, place on a sheet pan and throw in the fridge to get cold.

The pate was even easier. We sauteed some quartered mushrooms with oil and garlic and set aside. We ground up some pork butt (shoulder meat) and in a separate bowl combined the two pieces of minced bread with the crusts removed, an egg and enough cream to moisten the bread. This is also known as a panade. We added the ground pork to the panade along with an 1/8 teaspoon of TCM to keep the pork staying pink while cooking. We folded in our mushrooms and then placed into a terrine that was coated with plastic wrap. We covered the terrine with tin foil and placed in a hot water bath then put them in a 350* oven for 30-50 minutes depending on how hot your oven in. The temp should read 150* when done.

It was a long few days in the kitchen this week but they were so much fun as well. I can’t wait to experiment with different flavors and combinations when it comes to making either of these dishes. I hope everyone runs to the store to try out any of the things discussed today. Have a fantastic week and I hope to hear about any dishes made!