Chef Jason Greene

husband and wife team, Jason and Lauren Greene, the property is part restaurant, part coffee house (great espresso) and part shop (selling artisan food products, culinary gifts, table-top items and books). It is open only part of the day (breakfast and lunch) and part of the week (closed on Monday).

Even the Café menu breaks with tradition. In a city where chiles dominate and food specialties lean to the Native American and Hispanic, The Grove’s food inclines towards the French. But only part of the menu wears French names, and even that part deviates from traditional classics, as Chef Jason likes to add personal twists to his repertoire.

All and all, the sum of The Grove’s parts equals a whole lot to admire, not the least being wholesome food (based on locally grown, organic and natural ingredients) that is wholeheartedly delicious. Perfect example: The Grove Café’s Croque Madame.

CROQUE MADAME

Yield: 1 serving.

1 large slice whole-wheat sourdough bread

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Black pepper aioli (recipe follows)

3 thin slices Black Forest ham

3 thin slices heirloom tomatoes

1 ounce shredded Cheddar cheese

3 thin slices French Gruyere cheese

1 egg

Chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Brush bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set in oven until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Let cool.

Spread a thin layer of black pepper aioli on one side of toasted bread. Add slices of ham. Top with tomato slices. Lightly salt and pepper tomato. Sprinkle shredded Cheddar over tomatoes and top with slices of Gruyere.  Set sandwich in oven until cheese melts, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put a little olive oil in a small skillet, set skillet over medium heat and fry egg, sunny side up.

Remove sandwich from oven. Cut sandwich in half and stack one half over the other. Top with egg. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

The Grove is located at 600 Central Ave

BLACK PEPPER AIOLI

Yield: 1 cup.

1 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon whole-grain mustard

1 garlic clove, peeled and minced

Combine all ingredients.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Chef Jim Leonardo

So my favorite winter recipe is turning out to work magic on summer grills.

I’m talking about a coffee rub recipe from Jim Leonardo, chef of Vinology, the spiffy wine-bar and restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Chef Leonardo uses the rub to season bison sliders that he puts on Vinology’s late-night menu and serves at receptions and parties that Vinology caters. Topped with an onion marmalade and boursin spread, the sliders are nothing short of fabulous (you can find the full recipe in an article that I wrote for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch if you click HERE ). Take away the toppings and the sliders would still be terrific, thanks to the coffee rub.

Last winter, I used the seasoning to perk up stews and slow-cooking roasts (both pork and beef) and I gamely slathered it on game.

This summer, when unusually hot weather provides grounds for not cooking indoors, I’ve use the coffee seasoning to beef up the flavor of hamburgers, steaks and ribs cooked on the outdoor grill. Trust me, the coffee seasoning is no grind to make and renders grilled beef, pork and other fatty meats pig-out delicious!

COFFEE RUB SEASONING MIX

Yield: about 1-1/2 cups.

1/2 cup finely ground decaffeinated dark-roast coffee

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons granulated garlic

2 tablespoons granulated onion

2 tablespoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup salt

Combine all ingredients and store , at room temperature, in an airtight container.

Suzanne Goin meets the press.

Spent an afternoon sipping and sampling as well as watching and photographing the food paparazzi who were sipping and sampling and watching and photographing chef Suzanne Goin and actress JoBeth Williams in Suzanne’s Los Angeles restaurant Lucques. Suzanne is caterer of choice for the awards and JoBeth represents the show committee that helped choose the menu.

JoBeth Williams

Both women agreed that cooking for the 1250 super-stars and their entourages attending the event presented some challenges, not the least of which was choosing the five menu items that were to be arranged on one plate and placed on the table before the ceremony begins. Nominees for menu items had to meet rigid criteria. According to JoBeth, the food had to be:

1. Beautiful;

2. Able to sit at room temperature for a long period of time without diminishing in flavor or appearance;

3. Easy to eat (nothing to drip on satin gowns, nothing to leave small particles in the perfectly capped, whitened teeth of presenters and acceptors);

4. Accommodating to different diets (vegetarian, low calorie, no sugar, etc. etc. etc.);  and

5. Truly tasty.

And the menu winners were:

Blood Oranges with Dates, Arugula and Parmesan

Beluga Lentils with Carrots, Pinenuts and Feta

Slow-Roasted King Salmon with Cucumbers, Yogurt and Ginger-Mint Chutney

Slow-Roasted Lamb with Chickpeas, Black Olives and Feta Salsa Verde

Fresh Baked Herbed Crostini with Parmesan, Chopped Thyme and Parsley

ARUGULA WITH BLOOD ORANGES, DATES AND PARMIGIANO REGGIANO

(Adapted from a recipe supplied by Suzanne Goin. Suzanne’s recipe calls for olive oil to dress the dish. The Blood Orange Vinaigrette recipe comes from one of Suzanne’s chefs at her Los Angeles restaurant AOC and makes a flavorful substitute for the oil alone.)

Yield: 6 servings.

4 large blood oranges

1/4 pound chunk Parmigiano Reggiano

2 ounces arugula

15 Deglet Noor dates, pitted and halved, lengthwise

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or Blood Orange Vinaigrette, recipe follows)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Cut away all peel and white pith from oranges. Cut oranges, crosswise, into thin circles; set aside.

Place the cheese, flat side down, on a cutting board. Using a chef’s knife, shave cheese into 18 large, thin slices.

Scatter 1/3 of the arugula on a large platter.

Arrange 1/3 of the oranges, dates and cheese over the arugula. Repeat layering, letting the ingredients weave together, but not pile up on one another.

Drizzle oil (or vinaigrette) over the top of ingredients and season lightly with salt and pepper.

BLOOD ORANGE VINAIGRETTE

Yield: 1 cup.

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot

About 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (or enough to cover shallot)

6 tablespoons blood orange juice

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Put shallots in a small bowl. Add lemon juice to cover. Let sit 10 minutes. Stir in blood orange juice and vinegar. Slowly whisk in oil.

HERBED CROSTINI

Yield: 6 crostini.

6 slices of baguette, each 9-inches long and 1/4-inches thick

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Brush both sides of bread with oil.

Place bread, in one layer, on a baking sheet. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon Parmesan over top of each piece of bread. Combine herbs and sprinkle top of Parmesan coated bread, dividing herb mixture evenly among the 6 slices of bread.

Set baking sheet in oven and bake until bread is golden and crispy, 7 to 10 minutes.

1. Friends invited.
2. TVs set up.
3. Snacks bought and deli platters arranged.
4. Beer chilling.
5. Dill mustard made.

Done!

DILL MUSTARD

(A sweet spicy mustard that adds wonderful kick to sandwiches.)

1 can (2 ounces) Colman’s dry mustard

1 cup cider vinegar

4 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons dried dill

Mix mustard and vinegar in a glass bowl and set aide for 3 hours to overnight.

Place eggs, sugar and dill in the jar of a blender and blend on high speed for one minute. Add mustard-vinegar mixture and blend until thoroughly combined. Transfer mixture to a heavy saucepan. Set over low heat and cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens, 5 to 10 minutes.

Cool completely and refrigerate in a covered container.

Yield: about 2-1/2 cups.

The following cheese condiment recipes come from The American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin. This AAA Five Diamond resort hotel is famous not only for golf, but also for its Immigrant Restaurant & Winery, which prides itself on serving the best artisanal Wisconsin cheeses found in the United States. Cheese does not stand alone at the Immigrant, but is offered with a variety of condiments, adding flavor and flair to the already wonderful.

Busy hosts and hostesses are going to love these recipes, as they are multitaskers.

Beat Fig Rum Conserve into Mascarpone for a knock-out cheese spread; stir a touch of Port Wine Sauce into a vinaigrette for a distinctive salad dressing; and top vanilla ice cream with Preserved Kumquats for a sophisticated holiday sundae. But of course, don’t forget the original concept: group the condiments together and add panache and pizzazz to any party cheese platter.

CONDIMENTS TO SERVE WITH CHEESE

FIG RUM CONSERVE

Yield: About 3 cups.

12 ounces dried figs

About 1-1/2 cups dark spiced rum

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Water

Put figs in a 2-quart saucepan. Pour enough rum into pan to come to top of figs. Let soak until figs are softened, 1 to 2 hours. Sprinkle sugar over figs. Add enough water to cover figs by one inch. Set saucepan over medium heat and bring liquid to a gentle boil. Gently boil until figs are very tender, 30 to 45 minutes.  Let mixture cool slightly then puree in a blender. Cool completely at room temperature then refrigerate in a covered container.

PORT WINE SAUCE

Yield: About 2 cups.

6 cups port wine

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Bring port to a boil in a medium saucepan set over high heat. Boil until port is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Stir sugar into port and continue boiling until mixture is slightly syrupy and lightly coats a spoon, about 20 minutes (sauce will become more syrupy as it cools). Cool completely at room temperature then refrigerate in a covered container.

PRESERVED KUMQUATS

Yield: About 2 cups.

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

Water

1 pound (about 3-1/2 cups) kumquats

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine sugar and 1-1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan and set over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Without stirring, boil mixture 3 minutes. Set aside.

Cut kumquats in half and remove all seeds. Put halves in a medium saucepan, add salt and enough water to cover generously (about 6 cups) and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 15 minutes.

Drain kumquats and place in saucepan with sugar syrup. Cover and simmer until kumquats are translucent, about 1 hour.

Set saucepan aside, keep covered, and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate in a covered container.