Today Dishing: Redamak's vs. Pierre Anne Creperie, New Buffalo, MI

 My "on the road again" friend Marianne, once again graces this blog with her take on two distinctly different dining experiences while on a trip to Long Beach.

Before McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s there were roadside diners. No frills eateries dotted the landscape.  Most popped up during the Depression, hitting their stride in the forties and fifties. Very few survived into the 21^st century, however; Redamak’s in New Buffalo, Michigan, dating from the late forties , remains a hamburger hot spot.

Operating on a seasonal schedule, this family run restaurant dishes up burgers that are cut, ground and shaped on site. The patties are pan fried, tossed on a bun adorned with the usual condiments, and served on cardboard. Cheeseburgers are wrapped in Velveeta. Believe it or not one has to wait in line at lunch time to chow down.

Courtesy seriouseats.com

 If burgers lack gustatory appeal, New Buffalo’s Pierre Anne Creperie offers delectable crepes designed to satisfy the most discriminating diner in an elegant Victorian home setting. Vegetarian options are available from a menu that is entirely fresh food based. For those who remember The Magic Pan chain of the seventies, this family operated restaurant serves a better crepe.  A much better crepe.

The most interesting one features scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and capers surrounded by a salad that is tasty-healthy. A perusal of their online menu offers a plethora of creative choices and will prompt a visit sooner rather than later. Seasonal hours apply to this restaurant, making it wise to check their excellent website before venturing out for brunch or lunch. No dinner hours are available, nor is wine or any other alcoholic beverage.

                                                                      

                                                   Courtesy Pierre Anne Creperie  website.

 

Both restaurants satisfy a basic need but do so in wildly different ways. Redamak’s appeals to the family crowd with a décor that features gas pumps from the fifties and celebrity photos on the walls. Pierre Anne, with its recently added Art Gallery, speaks to those who seek ambience along with sustenance. China, linen, and silverware are used in the serving of the food in various rooms of the nineteenth century house which has outdoor seating in warm weather. Lovely landscaping surrounds the home welcoming visitors with an appetite for setting as well as for crepes..

Each restaurant has a waitstaff that is friendly, attentive, and capable. Redamak’s has a rushed style--- probably because they serve about 400,000 people each season while Pierre Anne’s is tuned to a low key style that focuses as much on presentation as product. Each has its place in the American eating out experience.

 If energetic sound levels in a restaurant are dismaying, Redamaks is not the place; however, if people watching is as much a treat as whatever the menu offers, then the roadside diner founded by George and Gladys Redamak is just the ticket. Pierre Anne’s offers a subdued, cheery conversation-worthy atmosphere that is perfect for gatherings where hearing everyone at the table is a priority.

Both are seasonal which means that they are open spring to fall. Both are well reviewed on the usual food sites. Each is a valued culinary enterprise in New Buffalo. Lucky are the locals in New Buffalo who can avail themselves of either experience. For Chicagoans, the drive is only 90 minutes and while there, time can be spent at the local markets selling fresh produce. For the gaming set, there is a casino in the area. For those doing the Indiana Dunes, either restaurant is near and worth the trip. Sometimes eating out means leaving the local comfort zone for culinary adventure.

 

Today Dishing: Homemade Ricotta

Smooth, rich, creamy ricotta can be yours for a modicum of effort. Few homemade delicacies come so easily.

For Summer appetizers ricotta is a staple.  We changed up the traditional bruschetta by roasting grape tomato halves with a tad of olive oil, garlic and balsamic vinegar.
Try roasting or broiling the baguette rounds with a sprinkle of olive oil for just minutes.  Add a schmear of ricotta then drizzle with good honey. Delightful! My son-in-law declared this is  his new favorite food.
                                                              

 These pretties are made super yummy due to the homemade ricotta. If you have the ingredients on hand, it can be made even when friends drop by unexpectedly.

This particular recipe comes from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa how easy is that? cookbook.
Try it. I think you'll be glad you did.

HOMEMADE RICOTTA
     Makes about 2 cups

4 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons good white wine vinegar

Set a large sieve over a deep bowl. Dampen 2 layers of cheesecloth with water and line the sieve with the cheesecloth.

Pour the milk and cream into a stainless-steel or enameled pot such as Le Creuset. Stir in the salt. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Turn the mixture off the heat and stir in the vinegar.  Allow the mixture to stand for 1 minute until it curdles. It will separate into thick parts (the curds) and milky parts (the whey).
                                                                        
Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth lined sieve and allow it to drain into the bowl at room temperature for 20 to 25 minutes, occasionally discarding the liquid that collects in the bowl. The longer you let the mixture drain, the thicker the ricotta.
 
Transfer the ricotta to a bowl, discarding the cheesecloth and any remaining whey.  Use immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The ricotta will keep refrigerated for 4 to 5 days.
                                            

Little work, lots of flavor.

                                                   

Today Dishing: Mango, Crab and Avocado Tower

For your next Summer bash, what could be better than a colorful, healthy appetizer? This one can also serve as a first course, presented on a bed of lettuce and made in a teacup to obtain a domed effect.
                                        
This appetizer offers all kinds of opportunity to make it your own. The mango mixture depends on you. Use the tastes you enjoy. This one is our invention and includes the tastes we prefer.

MANGO, CRAB AND AVOCADO TOWER
makes two towers

1 ripe mango
1 cup crab meat. Canned may be used but I suggest using lump crab meat. I used 2 crab leg clusters.
   2-3 large crab legs would produce enough meat.
2 ripe avocados
1 lime, juice and zest
1 teaspoon salt
2 dashes red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro
1 small shallot, diced super fine

Cooking spray

Remove peel from mango and cut into a medium chop.
Mix the last five ingredients in a bowl with the chopped mango. Cover and refrigerate at least 1/2 hour.
If using fresh crab, steam in a generously salted pot of approximately 3 cups water.
Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lemon then add the 1/2 lemon to the water.
Steaming should take no more than five minutes.
Remove crab meat from shells, and set meat aside.

Peel avocados and cut into medium chop.
Spray  a rock glass with cooking oil.
Fill bottom of glass with 1/2 crab meat.
Push down the crab with the bottom of a smaller glass to even out the layer.
                                                                                
Add 1/2 the mango on top of crab.
Tamp down the mango to  create another even layer.
 
Add avocado to top of mango, tamping down again .
                                                                              
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

To Serve:

 Remove plastic wrap from glass.
Turn glass over onto serving plate. Gravity will forst the tower out of the glass.
Surround late with wedges of lemons and limes and  tortilla chips or crackers.

These Towers lean a bit due to the serving platter, but within minutes only crumbs remained.

                                        

Today Dishing: Watermelon Checkerboard Salad

                                    

Although this may look like a child's block puzzle, it is indeed a watermelon, avocado and feta salad.
Granted cutting and then arranging the ingredients into the checkerboard design is tedious and time consuming. But for a group, this piece of art does make quite a statement.

For week night family dinners the salad tastes just as good with the chopped ingredients tossed in a bowl.

For an intimate dinner party,  create the checkerboard on individual salad plates for a presentation that is sure to wow.

Photo courtesy of Pintrest.

                                                  
Although several salad dressings work with this salad, I used one given to me years ago by my friend, Linda. It complements the salad perfectly. The salad usually used with this dressing consists of bibb lettuce, avocado, mandarin oranges and thinly sliced red onion rings. It's a remarkably light salad that packs a punch.

SALAD DRESSING

1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup  tarragon vinegar
1-3 tablespoons onion juice
2 cups oil

Combine first five ingredients either in a blender or mixing bowl then slowly add the oil while blending or whisking.

Personal Note #1: I used a blender for years then went to the whisking method which works just as well with less hassle.

Personal Note #2: Recently I've added sesame seeds for added interest. Poppy seeds can also be used. Use whichever you prefer or neither.

I can pretty much guarantee this salad dressing will bring high praise wherever you use it. And the checkerboard salad is worth a thousand words.

Today Dishing: Is it Summer Yet?

With summer just fifteen days away, Spring has finally arrived.  Because Spring was the so late in coming all the work associated with the season is now just getting underway.

If you're like me the planting,  the weeding,  and the cleaning of the outdoor furniture is finally getting underway. In a frenzy to get the work accomplished and still eke out some outdoor Summer enjoyment, my house is a work in progress.

The newly painted pool is finally filled only one month behind schedule.
                                      
My garage is a construction site due to work being done on the entire second floor of the house. It will take weeks before all the sawdust is gone.

Luckily, the garden produces blooms despite my lack of attention.
                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                                           
To greet the season and be prepared for iced tea and homemade lemonade, I bought a case of lemons.
 
Let's face it, the work is never done but we must give ourselves over to the season and take time to enjoy the warmth, the sun, and the outdoors because one thing we know for sure, this too shall pass and in the cold of January these days will be mere memories.