Step into nature, whether in a park, forest, prairie, or lakeland, and you are surrounded by edible wild foods–if you know where to look. Old traditions of foraging have seen a passionate resurgence of interest among midwestern chefs and home cooks intrigued by the vitality of foods growing just footsteps–or a healthy hike–from their doors. But many hesitate …
The ubiquitous apple: a mainstay of fruit bowls and bag lunches, and in Minnesota, a point of pride. Cultivators in the apple breeding program at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and the University of Minnesota have been dreaming up new varieties since the 1930s, most recently adding to their list of winter-hardy fruits the SweeTango and the Zestar. Snappy …
Christmas traditions, particularly those involving food, often honor our ancestors. Throughout the Midwest where Swedish immigrants settled, the dishes placed on the julbord (Christmas table) tell stories about who we are, where we come from, and where we are heading.In exploring these holiday customs, Patrice Johnson begins with her own family’s Christmas Eve gathering, which involves a combination …
For two hundred years, a rogues’ gallery of chefs, line cooks, and dishwashers have slaved away, largely unseen, to serve the dining public. Their pedigrees reach back to the first restaurants during the reign of France’s Louis XVI and extend to the Delmonico brothers in New York, Escoffier in Paris, and, in Fried: Surviving Two Centuries in Restaurants, …
North Star Cocktails: Johnny Michaels and the North Star Bartenders’ Guild
Recognized as one of the twin cities’ best drink makers, Johnny Michaels is the cocktail connoisseur’s answer to a gourmet chef. His home base is the James Beard award-winning La Belle Vie, but he’s designed the cocktail menus for several of its sister restaurants and other top metro eateries. Together with premiere bartenders such as Pip Hanson, Nick …
The Midwest is home to streams and lakes and even inland seas, and these assorted freshwater sources offer up much bounty, from classic panfish and trout to world-famous walleye to Lake Superior ciscoes. Whether you’ve anglers among your family and friends or you’ve got a line on specialty markets that are expanding all the time, freshwater fish offer …
Potica or kolache, sarma or braciole, lutefisk or baccala, fattigman or lefse—Minnesota’s Iron Range has a culinary language all its own. The pursuit of rich iron ore in the early twentieth century drew workers who hailed from Finland, Sweden, Slovenia, Italy, and many other places, and as the men went to work in the mines, their families adjusted …
How does an ordinary person make a sophisticated, crowd-pleasing cake in a snap? With a bundt pan, of course! Foodie Susanna Short brings back the beautiful bundts of yesteryear with mouthwatering, kitchen-tested recipes for busy families, elegant entertainers, and confection connoisseurs everywhere in Bundt Cake Bliss.From vintage favorites like Quick Orange Kiss and Tunnel of Fudge to fanciful …
Original Local: Indigenous Foods, Stories, and Recipes from the Upper Midwest
Local foods have garnered much attention in recent years, but the concept is hardly new: indigenous peoples have always made the most of nature’s gifts. Their menus were truly the “original local,” celebrated here in 135 home-tested recipes paired with stories from tribal activists, food researchers, families, and chefs.A chapter devoted to wild rice makes clear the crucial …
In search of something to savor, our senses come into play: smell and taste, of course, but at the very start is sight. Cookbooks are judged by their covers. Mounds of delectable produce inspire shoppers to plan bountiful meals. Kitchenware and appliances promise culinary delights, and design is almost as important as function. It’s simple: food is more …