Another one bites the dust...Goodbye Devon Fish and Pizza

Again Chicago struggles to support another kosher restaurant. Devon Fish and Pizza has officially closed their doors according their Facebook page. This place just never seemed to gain traction, maybe it was the awkward sounding name? I was there only a few times and i found their food decent, although I have heard from other that it was inconstant. I never did taste their sushi although at least their original sushi menu seemed very "mock Krab" heavy.

While it is sad we lost another restaurant I can't say I am surprised. These days I assume a kosher restaurant will fail in Chicago and then am pleasantly surprised if it survives.

Homemade iced cinnamon buns

Lemon Poppyseed Bread with Blueberry Jam

I used the bread maker again.  Came out even better this time.  I think in order to get a good crust you really need to pull it out hot and not let it cool in the bread maker.

Bread:
Bread Flour 3.25 Cups
Water 1.5 cups
Yeast 1.5tsp
Poppy Seeds 3 Tbsp
Dried Crushed Lemon Peel 2 Tbsp
Sugar 2 Tbsp
Salt 2 tsp
Margarine 3 Tbsp

I added it all in the bread maker and let it do its magic.

Jam:
6 Cups of Blueberries
3 Cups Sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
Lemon Juice 1/4 cup

Great mistake

So I was trying to make roasted garlic bread in my bread machine.  I accidentally turned off the machine at the time I was supposed to add the garlic.  I decided to just bake them based loosely on a method from Alton Brown.  The pulled the dough out of the bread machine shaped it studded it with roasted garlic and let it rise.  The important part here is slashing the top of the loaf, the corn starch wash, and the water pan in the oven.  These work together to create a great crispy crust along with a soft crumb.  Odds are this loaf won't make it past tomorrow night.

Bread machine success

Bread machine success

Bread machine fail

Bread machine fail

Got 4lbs natural casing hotdogs. Oh yeah!!!

First attempt with the bread machine.

Thank you Jessica Rine  for the bread machine.

The crumb was pretty soft, fluffy, and consistent.  The crust was not bad but a little softer then I would like.  Probably because I did not pull the bread out when it was hot, but rather let it cool in the machine.

Recipe:
3.25 cups of bread flour
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp margarine
3 Tbsp sugar
1 3/8 cup sugar
1.5 tsp (1 envelope) active dry yeast

Follow the directions on your bread machine!!!

Burger of the week

Burger of the week



This something I am going to try and do, if not every week, often.  I am going to try and come up with interesting burgers.  So here goes:

I will start from the bottom and work my way up:
Bottom half of a toasted bun, soft crumb but a little harder crust so it does not fall apart
Mayo mixed with spicy brown mustard spread thinly.   This provides a "waterproof" layer as well as some richness and a little bit of sharpness
Fresh raw spinach for some earthiness and crunch
Sauteed mushrooms for some more savory earth flavor
1/2 lb all beef patty seasoned with just fresh ground black pepper.  I do not add salt as kosher meat is pre-salted
Sauteed onions for sweetness
Ketchup because I love ketchup because it is sweet and tangy all at the same time
Top half of the toasted bun