I knew that if I kept writing, “the temperatures are rising” and “spring is approaching” that both would eventually happen. However, I hadn’t anticipated on waiting so long and having so many gloomy grey days in between. Otherwise, I would have included another winter dish. But at last it seems that Ann Arbor may have green buds and sun in its near future. As always, the food we eat should be just one more celebration of the coming season, so I turn yet again to the tapas bible: the Barcelona Restaurant and Winebar cookbook. This week we have a delightful spring dish of avocado salad with roasted peppers and hearts of palm. Exotic, intriguing, varied, and a true celebration of the warming weather!

Ingredients:

• Roasted peppers
• Avocados
• One can hearts of palm
• Shallot
• Scallions
• Cilantro
• Sea salt
• Pepper
• Cayenne
• Sherry vinegar
• Dijon mustard
• Sweet smoked paprika

Instructions:

1. There are three main parts of this dish, all beautifully combining and culminating into one of the freshest, tastiest tapas you could want. That said, we’ll start with the vinaigrette dressing. In a blender, combine 1 ¼ cups of olive oil, ¼ cup sherry vinegar, 3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, and ½ cup of sliced shallot. Blend until the mixture is fairly smooth and liquid—a nice puree.
2. Taste the vinaigrette, savor and enjoy the spicy tones of the mustard and the slightly bitter vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Once satisfied, you can set the vinaigrette aside and refrigerate.
3. Next, the peppers. There are many great recipes for roasted peppers, but given the time constraints of fast-approaching finals, I went for the easiest recipe: buying the bottle. I know that this violates my usual “do-it-yourself, it’s-fresher-that-way” rule, but this was the best I could do. So remove the roasted peppers from the bottle and slice them into quarter-inch strips.
4. Mix the peppers with the two thinly sliced scallions and a cup of coarsely chopped cilantro in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the peppers with one-tablespoon sherry vinegar, one-teaspoon paprika, and a pinch of cayenne. Finish the pepper’s seasoning with salt and pepper.
5. Finally, the avocados. Slice each avocado lengthwise and remove the pit. Then, using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from the peel, trying to keep the half as intact as possible. Lay the avocado down flat on a cutting board and slice lengthwise. If you are feeling artsy and want the ability to fan out the slices for a nice presentation, then don’t complete the lengthwise cut, but leave the avocados attached at the skinny end.
6. Open the can of palm hearts and slice into rounds. Then assemble your beautiful, fresh springy salad on a plate. I like to sprinkle the plate with the vinaigrette first, and then lay the avocado, peppers, and hearts of palm on top of them. After, because I like the vinaigrette so much, I sprinkle a little bit more on top of the salad as well. You can always clean up the excess vinaigrette with some nice bread (I promise, it won’t go to waste — it’s that good!). 
7. Complete your plate with a carefree toss of sea salt and an explanation to your guest of the various tastes, the complicated contrasts, and overwhelmingly simple contrasts ingredients. Finish with a flourish, pulling forth a nice light, white wine or spring beer for your guests to enjoy with their plate!

This is the perfect dish for a nice picnic in the Arb! Enjoy!

    JF Quinn

It’s just starting to get warm. The trees are almost budding. The thermometer is finally rising (and falling again periodically in accordance with the usual roller coaster of Michigan weather). The spring beers are just starting to make their appearances on the shelves. The point is that you’re sick of winter and need something to celebrate. It’s time for you and your friends to fire up the grill. But no sooner is the propane flowing but they then proceed to throw half of the butcher’s block on it. There’s enough chicken and steak and pork loin and turkey sausages and burgers and dogs and brats for a small army. Spring is about a celebration of what’s green. It’s about balance, a return of growth. So move the meat over, stake your claim to one corner of the grill, and make a stand for vegetables. 

Ingredients:

• Sweet red (or green or yellow) pepper(s)
  
• Crumbled bleu cheese (or goat cheese depending on taste)
  
• Olive oil
  
• 2 lemons
  
• 1 jar of capers
  
• Cracked peppercorns
  
• Good hearty, grainy, crusty bread
  

Instructions:

1. Turn on the grill, and let it warm up. 
   
2. Cut the peppers in half, removing the stems and hollowing the seeds and other likewise undesirable materials from pepper’s flesh. 
   
3. Place the pepper halves on the grill hollow-side down, and allow them to warm up and soften. 
   
4. While the peppers are heating, pour about ¼ of a cup of olive oil into a bowl. Roll lemons on cutting board (this softens them up and allows for maximum juicing efficiency). Cut lemons into quarters and squeeze them into the olive oil. Empty a good amount of capers into the oil/lemon juice sauce. Note: All measurements are estimates- keep the exact science for your chem lab, and enjoy some freedom and season to taste here.
   
5. Turn on some good springy music (this can actually be moved into step one). 
   
6. Remove peppers from grill. There should be some char marks (depending on how much of a charcoaly flavor you want your peppers to have). 
   
7. Place the peppers on cutting board/cooking surface hollow-side up and fill with cheese. As my devoted reader knows, bleu cheese is, in my opinion, the best, but it has a slightly stronger flavor. For those with a milder palate, goat cheese may be a better option. But try the bleu, too. Trust me.
   
8. Put the peppers back on the grill with the now cheese-filled, hollow-side up. Give the peppers a couple of minutes on the grill, allowing the bottoms to warm and the cheese to begin to melt.  Again, I like a charcoaly flavor, so I usually put the peppers over a hotter flame. 
   
9. While you’re waiting, slice some good, hearty, grainy, crusty bread (I recommend Zingerman’s Farmhouse Bread). Put the slices on that sometimes annoying/cumbersome and terribly inefficient (yet here immensely useful) second tier in the grill and allow them to toast. If you removed this from your grill earlier in a state of extreme agitation with its always being in the way, you can always toast the bread in the oven. Pop the whole loaf, or individual slices, on the top shelf and set the oven to broil. Check every couple of minutes until the crust gets crunchy. 
   
10.  Spoon some of the olive oil/lemon juice onto the cheese in the peppers, making sure that you get some of the capers from the bottom of the bowl. Don’t drown the cheese, but flavor it well. 
    
11.  Give the peppers another minute or so on the grill so that you don’t get warm cheese with cold sauce. 
    
12.  Take the peppers off, grind some fresh peppercorns over the cheese. Slice, dice. Remove the masterfully browned bread. Use the bread to mop up the spilled olive oil (it’s a spring meal outside, no one said it had to be neat and clean). 
    
13.  If necessary, barter some smaller slices of your perfect pepper for your friends’ carnivorous massacre. Crack another finely spiced wheat beer, sit back, forget about any type of terrifying realizations about the need for a plan in the “real world,” and drink in the sun. 
    

JF Quinn 

For this dish, we not only leave Ann Arbor, but the United States entirely. We still celebrate the time of year, so it’s all okay. It’s grand in fact. I visited Ireland several years ago and I was absolutely astounded by the trip. Ireland, in addition to being the place from which I claim my name, is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever seen and is populated by the nicest, kindest, warmest, and most down-to-earth people that I’ve ever met. I spent a week driving around much of the country, starting in Dublin and staying in bed and breakfasts in Sligow, Galway, and Kilkee, and eventually at my family’s farm in Roscommon. I saw so many beautiful landscapes, from Roundstone to Connemara, ate so much good food, and drank so much Guinness, yet when I look back on that trip, one of my favorite memories is the breakfast that I woke up to every morning. Although it’s impossible to truly recreate in America—and believe me, I have tried—I cook a rough approximation of those wonderful breakfasts every year around St. Patrick’s Day. 

Ingredients:

• Eggs
  
• Milk
  
• Odlum’s Bread Mix
  
• Kerrygold Butter
  
• Marmalade
  
• Bangers
  
• Rashers
  
• Tomato
  
• Tea
  

Instructions:

The Eggs: 

1. Depending on how hungry you and your fortunate fellow diners are, crack the appropriate number of eggs in a bowl and whip with a whisk. As mentioned in the “Breakfast At Last” article, I like to add a little bit of milk to my scrambled eggs to make them creamier. 
   
2. Butter your warmed frying pan, dump the eggs into the pan, and let cook to desired consistency. I can’t remember ever having runny eggs in Ireland, so if you’re making a bid for authenticity, make sure your bid, and your eggs, are solid. 
   

The Bread: 

1. One of my absolute favorite parts of breakfast in Ireland was the bread. Many of the bed and breakfasts that we stayed at made their own versions of this hearty, crumbly brown bread. The best replication that I’ve found is Odlum’s Brown Bread mix. 
   
2. It’s hard to find since it’s imported from the UK, but it’s worth the look and well worth ordering online if you must—I literally ate an entire loaf of this bread every morning. 
   
3. The good news is that once you find it, the Odlum’s mix is incredibly easy to cook: just pre-heat your oven to 400º, grease a small baking pan, add water to the mix, and allow to cook for 45 minutes (the directions should also be on the package). Once golden brown on the top, remove the loaf from the pan, and allow to cool. 
   
4. Then, slice and serve with unsalted Kerrygold Butter (the one with the silver foil), and some orange marmalade. And yes, it must be Kerrygold. Not only is it my favorite butter, not only is it recommended by Ari at Zingerman’s, but it’s made in and imported fresh from Ireland. And in meals when authenticity is your aim, attention to detail is of the utmost importance. 
   
5. The result is truly incredible. The bread, with its crumbly crust and its soft, yet hearty interior breaks apart as you bite into it, combining with the rich, creamy butter and the sweet marmalade that just enough tang to balance everything on your palate. I can’t say enough about this bread. 
   

The Bangers and The Rashers: 

1. These Irish versions of sausage and bacon are even better than their American counterparts. Rashers are closer to Canadian bacon, with the slices of ham cut from the back of the pig, as opposed to the belly. 
   
2. Butter up the frying pan once more and let these fry away until they start to curl. Make sure that you cut into the rashers to ensure that they’re done before eating. 
   
3. They are a heavy, salty, greasy, yet very satisfying source of morning protein. I would suggest shopping around at Zingerman’s, as they usually stock several types of bacon and sausage. Given the fast approaching date of St. Patrick’s Day, you may just get lucky with some Irish imports. 
   

The Fried Tomato: 

1. As if your frying pan hadn’t gotten enough use, I’ll suggest one last item to be fried. Although I had never tried fried tomatoes until I went to Ireland, they quickly became one of my favorite breakfast treats. 
   
2. Simply slice a small tomato in half place it in the frying pan. Flip it occasionally and when it starts to ooze and the skin starts to wrinkle, it’s time to enjoy. It’s a surprisingly savory, warm gush of freshness in a meal otherwise very heavy and greasy. 
   

The Tea: 

1. As much as I love coffee, this morning I must defer to tea. While in Ireland, I drank gallons of tea. Each day. They served tea at every meal. And in between meals. And as meals. 
   
2. So find some good, dark, strong Irish breakfast tea (I like Twining’s) and put the kettle on. You might as well keep it on all day. 
   

I hope that you enjoy breakfast and also enjoy something more authentically Irish than green beer for your Saint Patrick’s Day. After you’ve cooked, put some Van Morrison or the Chieftans on, maybe watch The Quiet Man (not that that film is terribly authentically Irish either…) and enjoy a taste of the homeland. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

JF Quinn 

Well, the past several days have seen Ann Arbor’s weather progress from unbearably frigid and snowy to almost-bearably frigid with fewer clouds — not a huge change, but it’s something. That being said, it seems logical to write about another soul-thawing comfort dish along the same lines as that wonderful Brussels sprouts recipe. This one, featuring yet another excellent winter vegetable, has a little bit of a sweeter side too. I remember eating something similar at Barcelona, but I don’t have an actual recipe so the last time I made this, I did the “wing and a prayer” technique and it worked out well. So, get ready for another culinary adventure…

Ingredients:

• Sweet potatoes (2) 
  
• Olive oil
  
• Honey (if possible complete with honeycomb)
  
• Goat cheese
  
• Sea salt
  

Instructions:

1. As always, try to find the freshest sweet potatoes possible. I haven’t noticed a whole lot of difference using different goat cheeses; I personally prefer something smoother and creamier for this recipe. As to the honey, I like to buy the tub of organic honeycomb and break off a big chunk for this dish. 
   
2. Pre-heat your oven to 400º F. Since you’ll be eating the skins, it may be a good idea to clean the potatoes before you start cooking. 
   
3. Slice the sweet potatoes length-wise. Try to make them all roughly the same width so that they cook at the same rate. Lightly rub each potato slice with olive oil and place them on a cookie sheet. Lightly sprinkle the sheet with some sea salt, but be sure to not use too much—the salt can overwhelm the honey.
   
4. Slide the cookie sheet into the oven for 30-40 minutes. Check them occasionally with a fork — I like a crispy skin on the outside and a softer, smoother center.
   
5. As the slices near completion, I like to warm the goat cheese quickly in the microwave or oven. Make sure it’s not runny, but a nice soft consistency will make it easier to spread and compliments the fries better. 
   
6. After your fries are as fried as you’d like, remove the pan from the oven and artfully arrange them on a plate. Shmear some nicely warmed goat cheese next to the fries and dollop (yes, it’s a verb when applied to anything with a simultaneously solid and syrup-like consistency) some honey across from the other two ingredients. 
   
7. Combine all three into a warm, melting, sweet yet slightly savory mouthful and enjoy. Like all dishes built around contrast, this one has the contrast from the saltiness of the fries with the sweetness of the honey, and the crispy fried outside of the sweet potatoes with the creamy texture of the goat cheese — it works best when you taste all of the ingredients at once. 
   

So come in from the cold, and cook a little. Put on some slippers and a sweater and relax. Maybe read while the potatoes are in the oven. Invite over some friends — those lucky companions who get to try your cooking on a weekly basis — and help them regain some faith in the fact that it is still worthwhile to celebrate winter. 

Enjoy!

JF Quinn

The more articles I write, the more I realize that this column is sadly devoid of one of the best categories of food. Yes, a column that prides itself on a celebration of the present— the present season, the present location, and, of course, the present time—needs to represent all meals. I could claim that I’ve been saving breakfast for the dark, cold, grey mornings of wintertime, that I intentionally left the warm welcoming aroma of coffee, and the sizzling of eggs and the crackling of bacon, and the sweet scent of French toast for the final days of January. That would be a lie; I was simply far too happy cooking my tapas and using my grill. Honestly though, I now hope to make up for this grave oversight by offering some excellent breakfast ideas (although these really do work best for snowy mornings, so I’ll take a little bit of credit for waiting). 

Ingredients:*

• Eggs
  
• Butter
  
• One Loaf of Good Bread
  
• Bacon
  
• Coffee
  
• Whole Milk
  
• Real Maple Syrup
  
• Frying Pans (Many)
  

Instructions:

The Coffee:

1. As per usual, I suggest trying as many different types of coffee as possible. Talk to people at Zingerman's—there’s a coffee expert there who sports an awesome handlebar mustache, and, if that isn’t enough reason to talk to him, he helped me discover my personal favorite, Brazilian Peaberry. Find out what you like and then explore some different variations. Make breakfast an adventure. 
   

The Eggs:

1. I am one hundred percent in favor of scrambling eggs. Although I find the act of sponging up the yolk of one cooked over easy truly enjoyable, I just find scrambled, well, more enjoyable. So: butter up a frying pan (I like Kerrygold non-salted butter, but see upcoming Irish Breakfast article for more on that) and allow it to warm over low heat. 
   
2. Crack as many eggs as you would like and whip with a whisk (for the sake of ease and alliteration, whisks work well). Next add a splash of whole milk. This gives the eggs a creamier texture. This breakfast is not about being healthy; it’s about celebrating the weekend and warming up. So use whole milk. 
   
3. You should have already started the coffee by now, so enjoy the smell, and when it’s ready, take a sip and drink in the sweet taste of awakening.
   
4. Pour whipped eggs and milk into the frying pan and allow to sizzle. Stir occasionally to make sure you don’t brown the eggs. When they’ve reached your preferred consistency—I like a hearty, golden scrambled egg with no hint of runniness—add to your soon to be growing breakfast plate. 
   

The Bacon:

1. Obviously not for vegetarians. And if you have another preferred breakfast food of the carnivorous persuasion, please insert here. I, however, particularly after a recent discovery at Whole Foods and a brief perusal of my new Zingerman’s Book (birthdays are wonderful), have been on a bacon kick. There is an incredible amount of variety in bacon, so take time the night before your breakfast party to properly research before choosing. 
   
2. After doing said research, I went home with four strips of Black Forest Bacon and I wasn’t disappointed. This thick cut bacon was crusted with black pepper and spices, and it made the meal. 
   
3. Heat a larger frying pan (I find it useful to be able to lay each strip down flat) and butter lightly, as well. Again, cook to desired consistency—I don’t like “bark bacon.” I need a little less crunch and a little more flexibility. But to each his own. 
   

The French Toast:

1. Variation is the spice of life. Take advantage of all of the different types of French toast the world lays at our feet. Between the Co-Op, Whole Foods, the Produce Station, and Zingerman’s Bakery, Ann Arbor alone has some of the best bread selections available. Honestly, just about any type of bread soaked in eggs and milk, cooked, and then drizzled in maple syrup is going to taste great. So be adventurous in your bread selection. My two recent personal favorites are Whole Foods’ Cranberry Walnut and Zingermans’ Pecan Raisin. I also suggest a loaf with a strong crust—this provides some nice contrast as well as helps support the slice once it becomes laden with the egg/milk mixture of goodness. 
   
2. Once you have decided on your bread, slice thickly, and, in a separate bowl, whisk three-four eggs and combine with whole milk to create the previously-mentioned egg/milk mixture of goodness. While allowing each slice to soak in the mixture (flip each over in the bowl) heat another frying pan and butter lightly. 
   
3. Add each slice to the pan and cover (I find this preserves its moisture—there’s nothing worse than dry French toast). Flip each slice occasionally ensuring that neither side cooks past a golden brown color. 
   
4. Remove from the pan and then drizzle with real maple syrup. Yes, as a New Englander I put my foot way down on this. Apologies to Mrs. Butterworth, but there is no substitute for an authentic maple syrup. Man up and spend the extra two dollars. 
   

And that’s the basis of winter breakfast as I see it. The trick is, of course, coordinating the timing on all of these different elements so that they finish at roughly the same time and are all still warm. But that just takes a little bit of practice and planning. In the mean time, add as much variation as you would like to the outline above. The most important part is that the weekend is celebrated, and that even when you look out of your window at the grey sky and snow-covered trees, you still feel warm, happy, and content. 

Enjoy!

JF Quinn

* As you will undoubtedly notice, astute readers, this list of ingredients is intentionally vague. Pick your favorites and experiment. Find what’s local and in season. That’s what makes food fun. 

As we settle into the new year, the snow, the post-holiday depression, and the cold grey clouds that invariably dampen the mood and chill the spirit every morning, I would like to offer an antidote. Yes, that’s right; the cure, the treatment, the answer, the panacea. While home over break, I discovered the most incredible recipe for Brussels sprouts that the world has ever known. So naturally, I went back to the restaurant to eat it again. And again. Yes, my favorite Connecticut dining establishment, Barcelona Wine Bar and Restaurant, had the privilege of my patronage three times in eight days. And all for their Brussels sprouts. So break out your old list of Tapas recipes and make room for this soul-soothing, faith-restoring, feel good plate. It’s just complex and varied enough to be interesting, full and exotic, and easy enough to make to be the late night comfort food that will be the savior of a long day in that grey, damp air that seeps through all six of the layers you wore to class. 

Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Serrano Ham

Ingredients: 

• Brussels Sprouts (8)
  
• Garlic (1 clove)
  
• Serrano Ham (1 TBSP)
  
• Salt
  
• Lemon
  
• Olive Oil
  

Instructions

1. To begin: When I spoke with the chef from Barcelona Wine Bar and Restaurant, he emphasized the importance of the quality of the ingredients. This recipe’s simplicity relies on the individual freshness of each ingredient. Use the time and money usually reserved for ornament and cooking to insure that your Brussels sprouts are organic and fresh (and locally grown if possible). Go to Zingerman’s to check their cured meats selection and use an actual lemon instead of lemon juice from concentrate. These are the little things that make the big difference.
   
2. For this recipe you will need a Japanese mandoline (an instrument used to slice food very finely). I bought mine on Amazon. Remove the two-four outermost leaves on each Brussels sprout until you get to the fresh, rich leaves underneath. Then use the mandoline to slice Brussels sprouts. You should get very thin, ribbon-like slivers. After the Brussels sprouts, do the same to the clove of garlic. 
   
3. Finely cut the Serrano ham into very thin strips. Serrano ham is very similar to the Italian cured meat prosciutto, and an in a pinch, I suppose prosciutto may be used. But strictly in keeping with the Spanish flare of tapas, Serrano ham would be preferable. In a simple recipe, it’s the attention to detail that makes the difference. 
   
4. Dump the roughly ½ TBSP olive oil into a sauté pan over high heat. Add Brussels sprouts, garlic and ham. Allow to sauté on high heat for about two minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep a close eye on the Brussels sprouts shavings—they turn from a nice shade of green to a wilted brown very quickly. Pull them off of the heat before this happens.
   
5. Remove sauté pan from the stove and gently transfer its contents to your plate. Season with freshly squeezed lemon and some sea salt.* Slice some warm, hearty, thickly crusted bread to soak up the juices once the sprouts and ham have disappeared and serve. 
6. As discussed in the earlier article featuring a recipe from Barcelona, most tapas dishes are based around smaller servings of full, bright, celebratory flavors that build and evolve out of taste contrasts. The sea salt and the Serrano ham balance the Brussels sprouts’ freshness and the slightly tangy citrus from the lemon. Explain to the lucky tasters of your dish that the best bites are those that include everything. 

Finally, the best way to beat the winter blues is to just turn around and celebrate them with some good food. Warm up, kick back, open some wine, and enjoy!

JF Quinn

*Good lemon squeezing tip: after slicing lemon into quarters, hold each quarter with the fleshy part up and the rind part towards the palm and squeeze. Unless you have a juicer, this is the best way to insure that you don’t end up picking lemon seeds out of your dishes. You do get a little lemon juice on your hands, but it just helps clean them…

As finals approach and my homework list grows longer, so too will my article grow proportionally shorter.* And yet it will also grow much tastier, for this, in my opinion, is one of the best meals that anyone can eat. And what’s more, it’s perfect for eating while studying. Readers and eaters hold you breath, for I am building up to what my family calls “the Smorgasbord.” Comprised of a wide assortment of pickled, anti-pasti dishes, bread, cheeses, fruit, spreads, and wine, this is a meal that will satisfy every part of a person’s palette. As so many students slave away preparing for final exams or finishing semester papers, it’s important that sanity be maintained, hope be restored, and the season be celebrated. And this Smorgasbord does this all and more. 

Suggestions: Part of the wonder of the Smorgasbord is that it leaves the details in the hand and mind of its creator. Unlike other recipes, I have no specific instructions; I leave that to you, adventurous reader. Instead, I have only small suggestions and personal favorites. I will start by saying that Whole Foods has not only a good wine selection, but also a fine anti-pasti bar where you can pick lots of little tastes. And that is ultimately the point. So:

• Olives: I am personally partial to black olives. Black olives are picked when they are fully ripe (unlike green olives, which are picked beforehand).  Although green olives are usually pitted and stuffed with other morsels, I find that, alone, black olives have the most intricate and interesting flavors. They are slightly oilier, allowing us to accept right away that this meal is first about happiness, and second about health. I would suggest:
  
  --Kalamata Olives: These are a larger, full-flavored Greek black olive
  
  --Shriveled Black Olives: These are often dry cured, which creates a slightly more bitter and intense flavor. 
  
  
• Pickled Goods: To go along with olives, I suggest a group of pickled vegetables whose flavors are complex, varied, and delicious. Man may not live on bread alone, but this one at least could be pretty happy with pickled goods. 
  
  --Cornichons: For a salty, intense taste, I would suggest cornichons. These are very small pickles, traditionally served in French cuisine with paté or cured meats. 
  
  --Baby Corns: For a slightly sweeter taste and a little less crunch, try pickled baby corns.
  
  --Spicy Red Peppers: For a little bit of a spicy kick, I would suggest the pickled red peppers.
  
  --Artichoke Hearts: The extremely tasty center of the artichoke, just without the work. And pickled. A combination that is very hard to beat. 
  
  --Rick’s Pick’s Mean Beans: Although unavailable in the anti-pasti bar, these string beans, also recommended by Zingermans, are pickled with strong vinegar and chili powder, packing an addictively spicy punch. 
  
  
• Cheese: I find that cheese is a very subjective and individualized taste. So I won’t spend too much time naming my favorites, because yours are probably quite different. I will echo too ideas from earlier articles though, 1) in my opinion you cannot go wrong with bleu cheese, and 2) take time to visit the specialty cheese section of Whole Foods, or even better Zingermans. Ask questions, get samples, and become educated. It’s tasty!
  
  --Maytag Bleu Cheese: My most recent bleu cheese obsession, this Wisconsin bleu is slightly more mild and crumbly than others, and quite good on bread or alone. 
  
  --Kerrygold Cheddar: For a more mild taste, I would suggest Kerrygold’s Cheddar. Imported from Ireland along with Kerrygold’s famous butter, this cheese is easy on the inexperienced cheese-taste-buds and still interesting enough for all. Very good with apples, or try spreading a little orange marmalade on top for a sweeter bite.
  
  --Ski Queen: This Norwegian smoked goat cheese is incredibly mild, sweet, and smooth. Although Zingermans may not carry it and Whole Foods employees may be unaware of it, this is a cheese to munch on and dessert with. Tell your friends. And it’s great with apples too. 
  
  
• Bread: Good bread is important to every meal. And in a meal like this, with so many sauces and juices to soak up, it can make or break it. I usually tend to go with a simple baguette for the Smorgasbord since its crispy crust and soft interior add another layer of contrast as well as absorb the full range of spilled flavors around the plate. However, it’s hard to go wrong with a big loaf of something hearty, especially in December. Either way, I would suggest toasting the bread quickly in an oven at about 400° F to get as much crunch as possible. Then, perhaps, little trays of olive oil and some balsamic vinegar to add more taste. 
  
  
• Fruit: As mentioned before, both the key to and beauty of this meal are the flavor contrasts. With so many intense, vinegary and salty pickled goods and strong cheeses, your palette needs something sweet to balance it all out. In addition to the usual sliced apple or bunch of grapes, I would also suggest trying some of your grocer’s preserves. There are often excellent and interesting sweet fruit chutneys that go very well with bread and cheese.
  
  
• Cured Meats: This is another group of foods that fit quite well in this meal as something slightly more substantial and a final addition to the savory side of this edible equation. There are many fine sausages, hams, chorizos and even smoked fishes that really fit quite nicely into these spread of suggestions. For most of these meats, I would suggest the slightly more expensive yet superior quality brand D’artagnan. 
  
  
• Beverage: If you look online, you’ll find all sorts of wine pairings for different cheeses or suggestions for the food with which beers are most compatible. With the stress of finals looming though, I will pass along the wise words of Father JF: “Don’t worry about traditions and rules, drink what you like.” This comes on the heels of a growing movement of younger revolutionary vino upstarts who say that if you like red wine, and you happen to be served fish that night, there is nothing wrong. Enjoy. And hey, who doesn’t need that little sense of rebellion during finals week? 

And so my suggestions come to a close. Please use them as a starting point. Incorporate your own likes and dislikes. Take a moment out of the hectic panic of the last weeks of the semester to celebrate the approaching holidays, the end of that really difficult weather class, or the first snowfall.  Take a moment to celebrate for yourself, with your significant other, your friends, or your family. Take a moment to forget everything, to take a breath, take a bite, and to enjoy. 

Remember: Celebrate we will, for life is sweet but short for certain.** 

Enjoy, and Happy Holidays! 

JF Quinn

* Alright, I admit I got excited. This turned out to be one of the longer articles on here. Ah well. The studying for that really difficult weather class can wait. 
** Dave Matthews Band. “Two Step.” Crash. RCA, 1996. CD.

The final game of the regular season approaches, and as always, it’s the most important game. But this year’s strange schedule means that most will be at home for the biggest rivalry in college sports. For all those who will turn to ESPN in a town other than Ann Arbor, you can still capture Michigan’s tailgate atmosphere (only, perhaps, with fewer red cups in your parent’s living room). Take this easy “set it and forget it” recipe, and stand strong against boring tailgates, seasonally inappropriate cuisine, and that crimson and silver wearing team. Yes, stand for a celebration of flavor, for class that extends deeper and runs truer than an ugly sweater vest, and for quality football food tastily and tastefully done.* Prepare for smoky, meaty, spicy, tender ribs! 

Ingredients:

• 2 Racks of Ribs (feeds about 6-8 people)
  
• 1 TBSP Cumin
  
• 1 TBSP Paprika
  
• 1 TBSP Old Bay seasoning
  
• 1 TBSP Garlic
  
• 1 TBSP Chili
  
• 1 TBSP Brown sugar
  
• 2 TBSP Salt
  
• 1 tsp Cayenne red pepper
  
• 1 tsp Black pepper
  
• 1 tsp White pepper
  
• Barbecue sauce
  
  
• Extra Large tin foil
  
• Basting brush 

Directions: 


Set oven to 250°. One rack at a time, flip the ribs over on stable cutting surface. Along the back of the racks is a layer of tough, sticky skin that needs to be removed to fully achieve tenderness. This is the trickiest part of the recipe, and the most frustrating and messy, so it’s good that you get it out of the way early in the process. Using a knife, start at one corner, and then begin to peel back the whitish translucent skin. I’ve found that it works best to start at the end with the shorter ribs (the ones that would be toward the rear of the pig—see picture). This will get messy, bloody and frustrating, but don’t be discouraged; it will be worth every minute of your labor. As with most things, the more you practice, the better you get. By the end of my seven-rack tailgate for the Iowa game (yes, seven racks of ribs that fed about 40 people) I was pulling the skin off in one sheet, and that’s truly a satisfying feeling

1. Once you have removed the skin, mix all spices listed above in large bowl. Then rub, pat, and knead the spices into both sides of the rack of ribs. 
   
2. After covering the ribs in the dry rub, place the rack on a sheet of tin foil and cover it completely. Many grocery stores sell extra large tin foil so you don’t have to use multiple sheets to cover the ribs—it may be a worthwhile investment. Once the rack is completely covered, place it on a tray and put in the oven. 
   
3. Repeat for all racks of ribs. Allow ribs to cook for four hours; this is what makes the meat fall off of the bone. This is when you put “The Victors” on the stereo and crack open another beer. Always reward yourself for a job well done. And yes, the beer and fight song are completely necessary to make this recipe work.
   
4. Once the fours hours have passed and you can begin to smell the spices waft about your house, start up the grill so that it’s about medium heat. I would again suggest using mesquite wood chips here.**
   
5. Carefully transport (the stakes are high, you’ve already spent four hours on these… this is like fourth down in the red zone, fourth quarter, final drive…) ribs out to the grill. As you carefully unwrap each rack (again, carefully, because cooked tin foil is hot), brush barbeque sauce onto each side to make sure they don’t dry out over the open flame. 
   
6. Allow the ribs to smoke and cook on the grill for about five to ten minutes. Then using a sharp knife, cut along the ribs and make sure all the meat is cooked (there should be no pink). 
   
7. Distribute ribs amongst friends and family, and enjoy! And yes, bring napkins, because it’s tasty, yet charmingly messy. As to the messiness, there’s something primal and correct about eating meat off the bone while watching football, so have at it —the Michigan-Ohio State game only comes once a year... 
   
8. I find some corn bread goes nicely with the barbeque as well, but that recipe is all yours…
   

Enjoy, and Go Blue!

JF Quinn

*Just in case this game goes the way of the past four years’, at least we’ll have eaten better than those in Columbus.
**Ahh life is a journey. I remember in my foolish days of youth—about a month ago—when I recommended soaking the chips for hours and then distributing them around the grill so that they will smoke (see “Figs For Grill” 10/12/10). Well, thanks to an uncharacteristic reading of directions, and an even more uncharacteristic following of said directions, I have found that soaking the wood chips, then wrapping them in tin foil while leaving the top open, then placing that package onto the grill (as the bag suggests), actually works much better. It’s smokier, and the chips will not burn, produce flames, and char your food. Ahh the learning process… 

As promised in my last column, we now return to Michigan. More specifically, we return to Ann Arbor and some of the finest it has to offer. After the first several installments of this column’s focus on food, I feel it’s time to attend to one of my other great loves: beer (sorry under-21’ers).  And not just any beer, but beer brewed for the changing season, produced at the best Michigan breweries, and all served at one of Ann Arbor’s finest establishments: Ashley’s. Founded in 1983 and located at 338 State St., this bar’s strongest draw, apart from it’s upscale college-bar feel with a classic rock-stocked juke box, is its beer: over 80 served in bottles and over 70 on tap. 

That takes care of locality, and as to seasonality, not only have all of the Michigan beers listed below been chosen because this author nobly sacrificed an afternoon (which turned into quite a long night) to dutifully enjoy them all at Ashley’s, but more importantly because they carry a certain autumnal quality that celebrates the season. So don your mid-weight sweater, prepare for some full-bodied, heavy draughts that will warm your very soul, and partake in the ceremony of the changing leaves.

Stilton Cheese Fries: Finally, if the aforementioned brews aren’t enough to fill you with goodness for the evening (or you need something starchy to absorb all that goodness you are otherwise imbibing), I would highly recommend Ashley’s Stilton Cheese Fries. As both of my devoted readers know (it’s okay to chuckle at the truth), I am quite partial to bleu cheese. In fact I adore it. And what better way to eat this strong, full-bodied cheese than slightly melted on top of golden waffle fries dipped in a spicy jalapeno sauce? It’s heavy greasy bar food with flavor. And it doesn’t get any better. 

As Steinbeck wrote (and his marine biologist friend Ed Ricketts actually said), “there’s nothing like that first sip of beer.” Like so many things, both Steinbeck and Ricketts were correct. Although I must admit, I find the second sip pretty good as well. Enjoy!

-J.F. Quinn-

* Most beers are about 4.5-5% alcohol. In both the hallowed Ashley’s menu as well as this article, any beer containing a significantly higher percentage will be duly noted. In other words, a percentage marker means “enjoy (even more) responsibly.”