April 29, 2011-Rib and Loin

I had today planned as a personal day off from work, but due to the severe weather on Wednesday, school was cancelled.  Either way, I had planned to take the opportunity to choose another local restaurant off of my list of "to-reviews."  Philip and I consulted the (very long) list and nothing really jumped out at us at first.  Because of continued power outages and other traffic obstacles, we decided to stay in the Hixson area, and as I named off all of our options, Philip jumped at the mention of Rib and Loin. 

According to their website, Rib and Loin has existed in Chattanooga for more than 20 years, since 1989, in their Brainerd Road location.  Honestly, because I grew up on the other side of town, I can't remember if I ever ate there before they opened their Hixson location while I was in college.  Philip and I don't eat out a whole lot, but Rib and Loin is one of our favorites.  It is (a) quick (unless you go after church on a Sunday-then you should be prepared to wait!); (b) relatively inexpensive; and (c) tasty.

Now, let me say this.....as in many places in the U.S., barbecue is a big deal around here.  Now, let me tell you what barbecue is not.  Often you will hear people from other areas of the country refer to "having a barbecue" at which they will serve hamburgers and hot dogs.  That, my friends, is a cookout.  Barbecue means low and slow....it may be sauced or rubbed but it's not grilled.  And now that I've made that point clear, I will also say that I do know people that don't like Rib and Loin....but I don't really think that's because they think their food is bad.  I know a lot of people who have pretty much devoted their lives to finding Chattanooga's "best" barbecue.  They tend to find one restaurant they consider the best and no other will do.  I am not one of those people.  I've had bad barbecue but I love barbecue and am not necessarily loyal to just one restaurant...but Rib and Loin is definitely the one I visit most often.  I would also like to point out that a few years ago, a chain barbecue restaurant that shall remain unnamed moved in next to Rib and Loin in what I can only assume was an attempt to steal some of their business.  I was worried at first but that worry was unnecessary.  That particular location of the chain is now closed....but I digress.

So, onto today's meal.  Philip always orders the pork shoulder dinner-shredded pork shoulder and two sides (he always gets slaw and fried okra).



I have a few different things that I order, depending on my mood, but today I opted for the stuffed potato with beef topping.



Like the burger last week at Blue Ribbon Cafe, this potato was gigantic. I took about half of the meat off before saucing the potato. Underneath all of that meat were butter, sour cream, cheese, and chives, not too much, just enough to taste. I put just a little sauce on. I really like their sauce because it's just simple-not too spicy, vinegary, or tomato-ey. I don't really care for the bread on the side. Nothing against it, it's just plain old bread, but it doesn't add anything to the meal for me. To be perfectly honest with you, I don't know what cut of meat Rib and Loin uses for their beef topping-but it's good. A little smoky but not overly so; not fatty but not dry either; nicely shredded. I ate about half of the potato before I declared myself stuffed (I am sure that the gallon-sized cup of water had nothing to do with that). I was very happy with my lunch, but maybe not as happy as my husband was...

As I said last week, hamburgers are like a religion for me. If hamburgers come close to a religious experience for me, then I think it's safe to say that pork shoulder does the same for Philip. That man LOOOOVVVVVES pork shoulder. And bacon and brisket and filet mignon....but anyway, pork shoulder (aka Boston Butt-that makes me laugh!) makes him very happy. So, needless to say, he was extremely thrilled with today's lunch. Rib and Loin's pork shoulder is very moist, and like the beef, smoky but not overly so. Their fried okra is different from what I grew up with. It has a little "jacket" of breading on it as opposed to the cornmeal dredging my mom does (for some reason I don't make okra very often-maybe the slime, which is probably why Philip always orders it every time we go to R & L) but it's really good and I always steal a few pieces off of his plate. Today he was threatening to stab me with his fork, but then I reminded him that I was making homemade brioche so he could have the French toast he requested for breakfast tomorrow, and he backed the fork off. Rib and Loin's slaw, in my opinion, is really something to write home about. I am apparently not a good Southern girl and I have never cared much for plain old slaw (although I do like a good Asian slaw or just a vinegary slaw) but for some reason I really, really like Rib and Loin's slaw. I think it's because it's not super-sweet (to me sweet cabbage is just weird) and because the cabbage and carrots is chopped up superfine. It's great, great, great.

Rib and Loin has desserts, usually some cobblers and I am not sure what else (I'm thinking maybe sometimes banana pudding is on the menu). When someone says cobbler, Philip doesn't generally let them get to the next option. The man loves cobbler. However, we did not have dessert today. The grand total was $16-something, which is interesting because that's what the tab was at Blue Ribbon Cafe last week!

Now, don't argue with me if you are a diehard fan of another barbecue restaurant. But if you are not loyal to anyone, definitely try Rib and Loin. It's worth it!

Rib and Loin is located at 5946 Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN (423-499-OINK) and 5435 Highway 153, Hixson, TN (423-877-PORK). You can also visit their website or their Facebook page.

Crepe-a-licious (Crepes with creamy chicken and mushroom filling)

The South got major severe weather yesterday...all day long....but somehow in the midst of listening to the news for tornado warnings and deciding if it was necessary to hang out in the basement I managed to whip up this deliciousness.



I know, I know.  It seems a little crazy.  A big storm blew in as I rushed to get the last bit of crepe (pronounced crehp, like step, not crayp, like shape) batter into the pan.  I probably should have pulled out some bread and ham and cheese slices and called it a day, but I had a pound and a half of organic (i.e. not cheap) chicken thighs that were about to be "out of date" so I felt the need to go for the gusto.

My aunt works at a Sur la Table in Houston and they have cooking classes.  When I was there a three weeks ago for my cousin's wedding she gave me a stack of recipes from said cooking classes.  This is a recipe from their crepe class.  Before I go on with this recipe, let me say a couple of things: 1) I have never made crepes before; (2) I have eaten crepes exactly once before.  Almost 10 years ago.  On my honeymoon.  In an IHOP.  Don't order crepes at IHOP.  It will make you think that they are horrible, disgusting, and inedible pieces of rubber.  Rookie mistake.  And finally, (3) I assumed that crepes were ridiculously difficult to make.  They are not.

I apologize that all I have is one terrible photo of a filled crepe.  I had a few other things on my mind as I was making these....but as I was eating them I decided that they were too tasty not to share, so I snapped a quick, if bad, photo of one right before I inhaled it.

To make the crepe batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together one cup of whole milk (at room temperature), 4 eggs (also at room temperature), and a tablespoon of melted butter, cooled slightly.  All of my ingredients were in the refrigerator 10 minutes before I started the recipe.  I put the eggs in a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes and put the measuring cup of milk into a larger measuring cup half full of hot water, also for 10 minutes.  I actually did all of my liquid mixing in the larger measuring cup.  In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon kosher salt.  Pour liquid ingredients into dry and mix (carefully!  I got flour everywhere) until a smooth batter forms.  Getting the mixture smooth will take a few minutes.  Set aside to rest for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

For the filling, melt 1 T. unsalted butter in 2 T. olive oil in a large pan over medium heat (note that I did not say this was a low-fat recipe!).  Add 1 small shallot, finely minced, and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft.  One of my biggest flaws as a cook is that I frequently do not thoroughly read recipes before going to the store.  I did not have a shallot.  I did, however, have leeks as this recipe is actually supposed to include frizzled leeks (leeks fried in oil) and I just did not feel like fooling with all that....so I minced up a leek and used it.  You could use about 1/4 of an onion in a pinch.  The flavor would be a little stronger but still tasty.  Add in 2 minced garlic cloves and cook for about 30 seconds.  I used my garlic press.  I love that thing.  The recipe actually calls for the garlic to be added in at the same time as the shallot but in my experience it is IMPOSSIBLE to keep garlic from burning when it cooks for that long.

Next, add in 1 1/2 lbs. chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces.  Cook, stirring every minute or so, for about 6-8 minutes or until chicken is golden, then add in 4 oz. cremini (baby portobello) mushrooms, sliced about 1/8 inch thick, and cook for about 3-4 more minutes.  The recipes actually calls for a tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme to go in with the mushrooms, but I forgot to buy that too.  If you are cooking on a gas flame, turn the heat off and add in 1/2 cup dry white wine (I use Chardonnay) and 1 cup heavy cream (again, I never said it was light.  I only said it was tasty).  Turn the heat up to high and bring it to a good boil, then turn it to medium and cook until the sauce reduces and thickens, about 6-8 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste, and keep warm over low heat.

To make the crepes, heat a crepe pan or 8" nonstick skillet (that's what I used-I don't think I would even know where to buy a crepe pan) over medium-high heat.  Brush lightly with melted butter and use a ladle to pour in enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan.  You will have to swirl the pan to coat.  Allow to cook until set-this took about 45 seconds in my pan-and then flip.  I used an offset spatula for this, but you could use tongs or a spatula.  Cook for another 30 seconds or so.  Stack the crepes together in a towel until you are ready to use them.  I ended up turning the heat down to medium after a few crepes.

When you are ready to eat, fill each crepe with about 1/3 cup of chicken mixture and roll up the sides.  This is restaurant food.  So, so good!  Oh, and after we were done with dinner, we spread some crepes with hazelnut-vanilla spread (like Nutella, but with a vanilla swirl), rolled them up, and sprinkled powdered sugar on top.  That was a good idea.

Cuban Sandwiches & Homemade Chips

All right....so yesterday was French bread day.  Those lovely baguettes had a purpose, though!  They were destined for Cuban sandwich greatness.  Have you ever had a Cuban before?  If not, PLEASE try one as soon as possible.  And these chips...well, these chips are to die for.  I'll talk about the chips first.  Potato chips are a weakness of mine.  When I eat them, I have to weigh them or count them out and then put the bag away, because I could keep going....and going....and going.  Like the Energizer bunny.  It isn't pretty.  Kettle Chips in particular pull me in, grip me, and don't let go.  This used to be a problem, but Devin Alexander fixed it for me.  Devin has fixed so many things for me, and I love her so.  She is a healthy chef, and her recipes are amazing.  She has written several books on her own in addition to penning the recipes for the Biggest Loser cookbook series.  These chips are featured in her book I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening.  Please, if you are looking for a healthier way of eating, buy her books.  They truly are life-changing, and none of her recipes tastes "low-fat."  These chips are now a staple in my house....they are every bit as good as anything you buy in a bag, but at 88 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving, I can have 2 servings if I really want.

First, scrub a 7-8 ounce potato and slice it as thinly as possible.  My lovely Shun chef's knife is so sharp.  I love it.



Next, put the slices in a bowl.  I like to put my bowl on my scale and zero it out before putting the slices in.  This helps me to be precise about dividing the chips.



Pour over 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and toss...I swear this is more than enough oil!  A lot of it will be left in the bowl.



Put half of the potato slices on a plate lined with parchment paper and lightly salt.  I like to salt on the plate and not in the bowl to make sure that my potatoes get an even salting.  Sometimes I will use a flavored seasoning, like Pampered Chef's smoky barbecue rub.....but most days I like to keep it simple.



Microwave for 6-7 minutes, or until crunchy and browned.   Be careful!  When they get close it's very easy to burn them.  Sometimes I take the ones that are already brown off and put the others back in for 30 seconds at a time.   Burned chips=bad!  Remove those chips from the plate and repeat with the second half.  Usually, the second batch takes less time, since the plate is already hot (that's another thing-use oven mitts to remove the plate from the microwave!).



Now, onto the Cuban sandwiches.....to start, you'll need some kind of bread.  I, of course, used my freshly baked baguette.....but you can use hoagie rolls or if you are lucky enough to have a grocery store that carries traditional Cuban bread, by all means, use that!  Bi-lo does sell Cuban bread in the bakery section now....but I had homemade baguettes!  Cut your bread to whatever size you want, and spread one side with mayo and one side with mustard.  I believe that yellow mustard is traditional, but I went with what I had....so spicy brown it is!



Lay a couple of slices of ham on first....



Then some shredded roast pork.  I used Pioneer Woman's spicy pulled pork shoulder.  I had it in the freezer from last week.



A slice of Swiss cheese and some pickles (these are spears that I sliced up, but chips work just as well)....



Wrap them in foil, put them on the griddle (or in a pan, whatever), put something on top, and PRESSSSSSSS.  I let these cook for 2 minutes, turned them over, pressed again, and cooked for another 2 minutes.



Remove your sandwiches from the griddle, unwrap them, and there you go.  I promise you, the finished product is not to be believed.  If you haven't had one, please try this soon!  (Sorry...my picture is distorted.  Photography is not really my thing.  Apparently neither is photo editing.  Put you get the point!)

Homemade French Baguettes

For almost two years, I have been making homemade bread using a breadmaker.  You see, I turned my husband into a bread snob, buying bread from bakeries often enough that eventually he wouldn't eat the bread-in-a-bag that you buy in the bread aisle.  Did you know that a bakery loaf costs between $2.50 and $4.00, but a comparable loaf of homemade bread (pretty much any variety) costs less than $1.oo?  I figure that if we make 1-2 loaves of bread per week, we have saved a few hundred making it ourselves....and considering that the breadmaker was a gift, there wasn't even an investment to recoup....

I have made bread from scratch without one before, but the breadmaker just makes it so convenient….however, recently I have been thinking that my 9-year-old breadmaker may be in need of replacement.  Recently, I bought a new waffle iron.  The purchase of the waffle iron came with an offer for a rebate of a $25 Bed, Bath, and Beyond gift card.  I had originally planned to use my gift card toward the purchase of a new breadmaker….but I really want a pasta machine, so I decided to give making bread without a machine a go.  I figure by the time my current machine dies, I will have the technique downpat.  So, in preparation for the Cuban sandwiches I had planned for dinner tonight, I decided to make French baguettes from scratch using my Kitchenaid heavy-duty stand mixer.

The recipe for this bread came from the book Ratio, by Michael Ruhlman.  The book shares ratios of ingredients needed to make doughs for breads, cookies, cakes, pastries, and pastas.  The basic theory is that with the knowledge of a few basic ratios, you can make pretty much any dough-based item you could think of.

For French bread, the ratio is 20 ounces of flour, 12 ounces of water, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of yeast.

First, I weighed the flour using my kitchen scale.  There are 10 ounces of bread flour and 10 ounces of white whole wheat flour pictured here.  If you’ve never heard of white whole wheat flour, you need to try it!  It has just as much nutritional value as regular whole wheat flour, but is made from soft winter wheat and therefore produces bread much lighter in color and texture.  It can be substituted for up to 50% of the white flour in a recipe.  I pretty much use this in place of regular whole wheat flour these days.



Next, I added 12 ounces of water filtered through my Pur filter.



Then the salt and yeast (I use SAF yeast).



I used the paddle attachment on my stand mixer to bring the ingredients together, then changed over to the dough hook and kneaded the dough for about 11 minutes.



I sprayed the bowl with nonstick cooking spray, then the dough went back into the bowl to rise until doubled in size….then into the refrigerator until later in the day.



After taking the dough out of the refrigerator, I stuck the bowl in the oven and let it warm up/rise for about 2 hours.  I forgot to take any more pictures until after I had shaped the loaves…so here’s a picture of the shaped baguettes, on a pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal to keep them from sticking.  I used a paring knife to make cuts in the top (this allows the gases that the yeast form to escape as the loaves rise).  I stuck these in the warm oven (I heated it at 350 degrees for about a minute) for 30 minutes.



After the final rise, I preheated the oven to 450 degrees.  I always bake my bread on a preheated baking stone.  Following Michael Ruhlman’s advice, I also placed a cast iron pan on the bottom rack to preheat.  When I put my loaves in the oven, I poured a cup of water into the cast iron pan-this creates steam to help create a crispy exterior.



The loaves baked for 20 minutes, then I took them out (using my ultra-cool Orka silicone oven mitts) and put them on the cooling rack to hang out until I was ready to cut them.



Shortly after these last two pictures were taken, one of these baguettes found a new life as 2 Cuban sandwiches….but that’s another post, to be shared soon!

Blue Ribbon Cafe-April 22, 2011

Okay, so technically Blue Ribbon Cafe  isn't in Chattanooga....but it's in Soddy-Daisy, which, in my opinion, is close enough.  Besides, I'm from Soddy-Daisy, so it's only fitting that I start my Chattavore adventure there.'

Blue Ribbon Cafe is one of my most favorite restaurants in the world.  I am so happy that such a fantastic restaurant is located right here in good ole S-D.  The food is fresh and homemade....which makes me ecstatic.  I've never had anything I didn't like there, and I've had several things on their menu.  Chicken fingers (handbreaded) and fries (skin-on) are a no-fail option.....so is The Hippie (shaved rib-eye on a pita with cheese, grilled onions, and grilled peppers) and Whatta Pig (BLT on grilled sourdough with cheese).  Of course, the daily specials are a huge hit, ranging from hamburger steak to chicken and dumplings, plus soups and an ever-changing range of desserts written on the chalkboard (I just LOVE restaurants who write their specials on a chalkboard!).

So anyway, BRC often posts their daily specials on their Facebook page.  Friday's special is always cheeseburgers and fish tacos-two of my favorite things.  I've been dying to go on a Friday specifically for this purpose.....but that darned job thing is always getting in the way (we don't go out to eat on Friday nights very often because of crowds.....and fatigue)!  Good Friday provided the perfect excuse....so off we went.

Something you should know about me is that cheeseburgers are like a religion to me.  I don't just go anywhere and order a cheeseburger.  I have to eat at a restaurant a few times before I take that step....but if you can win me over with your burger, well, you've won me over.  Clearly, I had to get the cheeseburger.  Secretly, I hoped that Philip would order the fish tacos so we could share, but he decided on the burger too.  Oh well.  Summer is coming up, so maybe another Friday trip is in the stars.

Let me tell you about this burger.  It was gigantic.  The buns are homemade, and they were the size of our heads!  There was nothing fancy about this burger....no aioli or parmesan cheese crisp or onion jam.  No need.  Meat on a bun with nothing (Parks and Recreation, anyone?)...well, with a melted slice of cheese.  The owner, who took our order, brought out a bottle of mustard and a bottle of mayo before our food came, and there were a few pieces of onion and some lettuce, tomato, and pickles on the plate (I skipped the onion, as is my usual practice).  The burger, when all was said and done, probably weighed at least 3/4 of a pound,  maybe more.  And I ate almost all of it.  I could have finished it, but I have a weird thing about cleaning my plate in a restaurant.  Somehow I think the meal will not make me gain weight if I leave a few bites on the plate....so I left about 3 bites of the burger and maybe 10 (amazing) fries.  Philip finished his burger....but he ate fewer fries than me, so I think we're even.

The total cost for the two enormous burgers was $16 and some change.  The service was great, and if I had any more space I would have loved to have shoveled in some Coca-cola cake....but that will have to wait till next time.  And there will definitely be a next time!

Some other popular menu items at BRC include hand-battered chicken tenders, served with coleslaw and fresh-cut fries; Curly Joe, a pasta salad with sliced almonds, grilled chicken, and parmesan cheese; the Jimmy Buffet, a mixed green salad with mango-pineapple vinaigrette; the Hippie, shaved ribeye with melted cheese, grilled onions and peppers, and tzatziki sauce served on a pita; and the Wednesday special, chicken and dumplings served with a roll.  The dessert menu is reason alone to visit, however.  It features ever changing and always fabulous treats like Coca-Cola cake, Mountain Dew cake (To. Die. For.), banana pudding, Rocky Road cake, Caramelicious Brownies.....I could go on for a while.

Update: On July 22, a friend came over for an informal breadmaking class.  As "payment" for the class, she treated me to lunch at Blue Ribbon (she lives in Murfreesboro and was excited about trying the restaurant, especially since it was cheeseburger Friday).  You know what that means-cheeseburger Friday is also Fish Taco Friday!  So, I finally got to try my fish tacos.  I should have asked what type of fish they use, but I forgot.  It was very mild, so I am guessing it was tilapia or cod or something of that sort.  These fish tacos were somewhat different from my fish tacos.  There were a few strips of fried fish and some lettuce on each flour tortilla (I make mine with cabbage and corn tortillas).  There was a pink sauce that was very mildly spicy.  It was actually pretty similar to my mayo & sour cream based sauce.  It was served with a side of pineapple salsa, black bean and corn salad (black beans, fresh white corn, red onions, and tomatoes), and rice.  Everything tasted great.  I am sure that purists would argue that they were "not authentic", but I wonder what is really considered authentic.  I really enjoyed the black bean and corn salad.  I snapped a picture with my phone...I wish I had thought to take a picture of my friend's cheeseburger!  She was extremely excited about it, especially since she's a bread snob like I am and the buns are homemade.  However, I was almost certain she was going to go into a food coma when we got back to my house!

[caption id="attachment_703" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I had already eaten half the taco when I thought to snap a picture!"][/caption]

Blue Ribbon Cafe is located at 9705 Dayton Pike, Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee.  They are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.  You can reach them at 423-332-5005.  Oh, and they do special orders for their baked goods-hooray