As a chef who's obsessed with food quality, there isn't much more that excites me than the opening of a new restaurant or shop that's dedicated to bringing exceptional products to the community. I'm incredibly fussy about ingredients and very particular about where I shop. Like anyone else, I have my preferences, and our shopping habits are shaped by changing tastes and family tradition. My mom used to pick us up from school and take us to Joe's Produce in Livonia for fruits and veggies for the week. For my patience, I was rewarded with a small bottle of freshly squeezed orange juice, which I nursed the whole way home, trying to make it last as long as I could. Mom shopped there for years and I shop there now. I'm incredibly delighted that this weekend, they'll be opening a new meat and seafood shop, something I've been craving since I bought a home of my own. Just in time for the holiday weekend, I'll be able up my proteins and other ingredients for the picnic on Monday. The store will offer a variety of locally sourced meats, such as Michigan grass-fed beef and heritage Duroc pork . In addition to the locally raised items, several other quality meat and seafood items will be featured in their state-of-the-art meat and seafood cases. Bell & Evans all natural poultry products, veal, Maple Leaf Farms duck, Angus USDA Choice beef, Piedmontese beef, prime beef, and domestically raised all natural lamb will be hand trimmed by their in-house butchery staff. Those looking for ground beef without the fillers and by-products can purchase with the confidence of knowing that beef is ground daily in their refrigerated prep rooms to ensure the highest of quality and food safety. Sausages will also be made in-house. Varieties such as chicken, pork and lamb will be made using only fresh ingredients, natural casings, and unique recipes developed by their chefs. For convenience, customers will find oven-ready entrees, sides, a small selection of groceries, charcoal, and other grilling accessories. Behind the seafood counter, shoppers will find house-made salads, dips, sauces, and spreads, as well as smoked fish, and pickled options. The main attraction is the selection of sustainable catches, as well as select ecologically friendly farm-raised options. For shellfish lovers, the shop will carry several sizes of shrimp, all chemical-free. Mussels, clams and oysters will be available as well. The Grand Opening celebration will include product demonstrations and samples. On Friday, May 25th at 12 pm, there will be a live appearance by Jay Towers of Fox 2 and 100.3 FM, who will be on hand to give away prizes like movie passes, Tiger tickets, reusable shopping totes, and more. There will also be a chance to win one of four Bell & Evans turkeys. Here's a recipe for one of my favorite side dishes to prepare for a summer picnic. I hope you'll give it a try. Maybe I'll see you at Joe's! BLT Salad 1 1/2 pounds applewood smoked bacon 2 loaves Italian Ciabatta 2 containers red cherry tomatoes 2 containers yellow super sweet cherry tomatoes 2 heads Romaine Mayonnaise Pesto (recipe below) Method: Cook bacon in oven on parchment covered sheet trays until crispy. Cut into pieces (not bacon bits). While the bacon is cooking, make the pesto. Slice bread in half lengthwise, brush with oil, season and grill. Cut into small-ish cubes. Wash tomatoes and slice in half. Chop and wash romaine. Combine about 1 cup mayonnaise with pesto. Toss all ingredients together and dress with pesto-mayo, adding more as needed. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Basil Pesto 4 cups loosely packed basil leaves, washed and dried 2 cloves garlic, smashed ¾ cup pine nuts, toasted 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (good quality) 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (or to taste) 1 – 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste ½ teaspoon white pepper, or to taste 1 to 1 ½ cups olive oil (extra virgin preferred) Method: place basil, garlic, and pine nuts into the bowl of a food processor; puree until smooth, about 20 – 30 seconds with machine running, drizzle in oil, using enough to make a loose paste add cheese and just pulse briefly to combine; taste and season with salt, pepper, and vinegar to taste cover very tightly (it is a good idea to place a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the surface of the pesto before putting the lid on the container) store up to a week in an air-tight container

Yesterday at a picnic I attended, I happened upon a circumstance where a beautiful spread of potato salad, cole slaw, and bacon-scented baked beans was in serious jeopardy because of some very wrong misconceptions about how to use a grill.

I realize that I am an over-the-top food nerd, and proper cooking techniques are what I preach on a regular basis. I also know that most people, are unfamiliar with the rules of cooking, and puzzled about why I am so concerned with it. The only thing I can offer as an explanation is that I am a person with an overwhelming need to understand how things work and the reason why things are the way they are. The how's & why's of life are what make my mind race, my forehead crinkles with wonder, "why?"

The thing that attracted me to cooking was that cooking makes sense. There's a system, a format, rules, a framework. Though kitchens are notoriously fraught with chaos, there is a sense of organized chaos, if the kitchen is led by a chef who excels at logistics, strategy, and, also, a deep need for organization.

Good cooking and good food are not achieved by accident. Even recipes prepared with the finest ingredients are often a disappointment, because the cooking techniques were not correct. Worse, when inferior quality ingredients are used, in combination with improper cooking techniques, a bad meal is a guarantee.

Yesterday was an example of when these two culinary disasters collided at a picnic after a softball game. It started with a grill that was not preheated, followed-up with some frozen hamburger patties, and topped-off with someone in too big of a hurry to cook burgers for 40 people.

Now, I know that what I am about to say is going to make me sound like a total snob. My only retort is that I know I am a total food snob, and it's my job to be a food snob. Frozen hamburger patties are, to me, an example of what I am talking about when I say that I only eat meat when "I know it will be worth it". Frozen hamburger patties are just not very good. There is no polite way for me to say it, they are just not good at all.

Did you know that the only way to cook a frozen hamburger "properly" is to cook it while it is completely frozen, complete with it's indentations, white exterior, and ice crystals? It defies logic. Well, assuming that logic is predicated on the notion that cooking a frozen burger could turn out well.

Yes, the "best way" to cook a frozen hamburger patty is to keep it frozen until you place it on the grill. Because the meat was ground before it was frozen, so the meat is already 'compromised'. Also, the patties are thin, so it is easier for the patties to become "freezer-burned". Last, these patties are frozen for a long time, so when they are thawed, they're water-logged, making them impossible to work with when thawed. Also, the water-logged patties are nearly impossible to brown, even at very high temperatures.

Now that we've established that cooking frozen hamburger patties is a really bad idea, lets discuss how cooking them using a flawed culinary philosophy will end in disaster. Once it was determined that frozen hamburger patties were on the menu, and that they needed to be done instantaneously, the subsequent errors began.

Feeling the need to cook the burgers quickly, the first error was to try to cook as many burgers as could fit on the grates, thus cooling the temperature of the grill (which had not been pre-heated!). Now, lets review:

1. frozen hamburger patties are a waste of a cow's life. cows deserve better than to be ground up into hamburger, then left to ice over in a deep-freeze in a huge factory and wolfed down without conscious thought.

2. cooking foods while they are frozen is problematic.

3. over-crowding a pan, oven, grill, stock pot, etc., is a cardinal sin when cooking.

4. failing to pre-heat a grill, saute pan, oven, etc., is also a cardinal sin.

5. trying to cook 30 frozen hamburger patties on an already cool grill is a super-bad idea.

6. burger patties that were frozen are water-logged, once thawed.

7. ground hamburger, especially the cuts used for burgers, is fatty.

8. fat & water don't make for a safe combination when cooking.


Now that we've established some basic facts, it's time to revisit our little story. The apparent need to cook the burgers quickly, the grill was cranked all the way up to "high", the burgers were put on the lukewarm grates, and the oil and water started to drip, causing the flames to flare up, and a plume of black smoke.

The burgers cooked, but were torn and charred. It also took an incredibly long time to cook them since the grill was not preheated and was cooled significantly once the frozen patties hit the grates.

So, what do I want to you know about this long, sort of rude blog post?

1. bad food can happen to good people, when good people are given bad advice about cooking.
2. cooking methods matter.
3. hamburger is relatively inexpensive, using fresh ground beef is also easy to cook.
4. 'convenience' food is expensive, especially when it doesn't taste good, thus, there are some 'shortcuts' that are NOT worth taking.

Picking up where we left off, today's lesson is all about everything you need to know in order to grill beef like a pro! Now that you've learned how to prep your grill for ultimate performance, it's time to learn the important keys to grilling beef perfectly each and every time.

Necessary Tools:
- 2 sets of sturdy tongs with long handles
- a clean container for fully cooked food
- a stiff grill brush for cleaning grilling surface
- an old towel, wrapped into a cylinder and tied with butcher’s twine for oiling grill
-neutral oil (like canola or vegetable) for oiling grill surface
- an instant read thermometer (digital are easiest to read)
- a pastry brush or mop for basting

Techniques:
- pre-heat grill, preferably with 2 heat zones – one for searing items and one for longer, slower cooking or finishing
- on a gas grill, set dials at medium-low heat on one side, and medium-high heat on the other side
- for charcoal grills, start coals together in a large pile in the center; when white hot, use tongs to push ¾ of hot coals to one side in a thick layer; leave remaining coals in a thin layer on the other side to create 2 heat zones for proper cooking
- clean grill grates thoroughly with brush, scraping off all bits of burned on food, charcoal dust or residue
- wipe grates several times with oil-saturated towel cylinder, closing lid between each wipe down to maintain heat
- season beef with salt and pepper on both sides and sear on hotter side of grill for about 30 seconds to 1 minute; gently lift meat off surface of grill and turn ¼ turn to create cross-hatch markings; continue to cook for another 30 seconds, then turn meat over and repeat on second side
- when beef is seared on both sides, move to cooler side of grill to finish cooking with the lid closed
- boneless beef cuts will cook more quickly -- in an additional 7 – 12 minutes after initial searing; bone-in beef pieces will need to cook approximately 15 – 20 minutes after initial searing; whole chickens will take approximately an hour to cook completely when placed on the cooler side of the grill
let meat rest in a clean container, covered loosely with foil, for 5 – 10 minutes before serving to maintain juiciness.

Instant Read Thermometer: A Chef’s Best Friend – Learn to Cook Foods Perfectly with this invaluable tool!

Beef –
Rare 120 - 125
Medium Rare 125 - 130
Medium 140 - 145
Medium Well 150 - 155
Well 160 and above (not recommended)

I happened upon an episode of ‘The Next Food Network Star’ last night. I’ve never seen the show (you can look for my professional perspective if you visit my other blog, ‘Motor City Food’ in the coming days) when I heard one of the contestants describe a “prime” cut of steak as “the cut just under the quality of a filet.”

Ouch.

Enter the Mirepoix Cooking School class, ‘Meat Counter 101’, which will debut July 14. Many people enjoy a great steak, but do you know what makes a steak, well, great? What chefs know (unless they’re a contestant on ‘The Next Food Network Star’) is that all steaks are not created equal.

Why do steaks cost so much less at Sam’s Club and Costco, or Kroger, for that matter? Why does a steak at Holiday Market come with a slightly higher price tag? The reason is simple; our meat is “certified premium”; which is a classification that indicates the marbling, the grade, the regulation of antibiotics, as well as the age of the cattle at the time of slaughter.

There are several different grades of beef which are outlined by the USDA, which you can read about below.

Although there are eight levels of USGA graded beef there are generally only three USDA grades of beef that you would buy in a supermarket, a butcher shop or a restaurant. They are USDA Prime, Choice or Select which is the order of grade from the highest to lowest.

USDA Prime is the superior grade with amazing tenderness, juiciness, flavor and fine texture. It has the highest degree of fat marbling and is derived from the younger beef. That's why Prime is generally featured at the most exclusive upscale steakhouse restaurants. A prime steak isn’t a cut of meat like a tenderloin (filet), or a strip.

USDA Choice is the second highest graded beef. It has less fat marbling than Prime. Choice is a quality steak particularly if it is a cut that is derived from the loin and rib areas of the beef such as a tenderloin filet or rib steak. Generally USDA Choice will be less tender, juicy.

USDA Select is generally the lowest grade of steak you will find at a supermarket or restaurant. You will find it tougher, less juicy and less flavorful since it is leaner that Prime and Choice with very little marbling.

Mystified by all of the choices our Holiday Market meat counter has to offer?
Consider our Meat Counter 101 class. From beef, to lamb or chicken, this class will bring you the basics of the butcher shop and help you understand which cuts are best for which recipes and preparations. We’ll practice our knife skills, learn some basic butchery techniques and then prepare some of our favorite dishes featuring our selections from the Holiday Market Meat Shoppe.

To register, visit our websitea at www.mirepoixcookingschool.com

Memorial Day weekend is a great time to try our newest favorite recipe – Grilled Whole Wheat Margherita Pizza. It is important to roll the crust out VERY THIN, otherwise, the whole wheat crust is a little doughy.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pizza Margherita

Crust:
3 ¾ c. white whole wheat flour
1 Tb. instant dry yeast
1 ½ tsp. instant dry yeast
12 oz. water, 120 degrees
1 Tb. honey
1 Tb. olive oil
2 tsp. seasoning mix
1 Tb. dried oregano
1 Tb. dried basil
½ tsp. cayenne

Method:
Bloom the water and the yeast for ten minutes and bubbly. Add the oil and the honey.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix with a dough hook until smooth (about 10 minutes). Let rise and double in a warm, draft free place (about an hour and a half).

Punch down and divide into three pieces. roll out on a lightly floured surface. Make sure that you roll them THIN.

Brush very lightly with oil and sprinkle with a light sprinkling of seasoning mix. Grill on each side.

Garnish the Pizza with fresh, sliced tomatoes, julienne of basil, and torn fresh mozzarella cheese. Put into the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Serve with a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil & a sprinkle of seasoning mix.

Incredibly easy to prepare and delicious, flank steak is a chef’s top choice for creating versatile, simple, and flavorful dishes that can be cooked quickly and with minimal effort. Flank steak is popular in Argentina, where it is known as vacio, and also in Mexico where it is known as arrachera. French chefs are quite partial to this cut known as bavette. Flank steak is also widely used in Asian cooking, often marinated with cornstarch, oil and other flavorings, and then quickly stir-fried.

As its name indicates, flank steak is cut from the flank, a muscle from the belly. It can be somewhat tough because this is a well-exercised muscle. A lean cut of meat, flank steak should not have much marbling, and should have a bright, red color.

Flank steak is commonly marinated before it is prepared, simply because marinades offer an additional layer of flavor, but also because the acid (vinegar, wine, lemon juice, etc.) used in the marinade tenderizes the meat, making it even more palatable. Flank steak should be marinated for 30 minutes before cooking, or up to 3 hours. Do not exceed 3 hours, or the meat will have an overpowering flavor from the marinade, and the texture will be unsatisfactory.

Flank steak can be grilled, broiled (it was the original cut of meat used to prepare the classic London Broil), sautéed, or stir-fried. It is less commonly braised. No matter which cooking method you use, it is essential to avoid overcooking the meat. When overcooked, flank steak will have a very tough, rubbery texture, and will be unpleasant to eat. It is recommended to serve flank steak rare or medium rare, so as to preserve its tender texture.

Grilled flank steak is a delicious choice for fajitas, a perfect addition to a chopped salad with crumbled blue cheese and dried cherries, an irresistible baguette sandwich with cherve and freshly dressed greens, or served grilled with roasted potatoes.

You can prepare quick and delicious weeknight meals that you & your family will make time and time again in our Quick Weeknight Meals class on April 19. To register, go to www.mirepoixcookingschool.com

Nutritionally friendly, salmon is an interesting meal solution, providing rich flavor to various types of dishes. Known to be rich in Omega -3 fatty acids, and other nutrient powerhouses, this fully flavored fish is great for a heart smart diet, those watching their waistlines, and those hoping to reduce their risk of certain cancers.

From a culinary perspective, salmon is also incredibly easy to prepare. Grilled, sautéed, poached, steamed, or smoked, salmon is one the most versatile protein choices available.

For as many preparations there are for salmon, there are even more varieties available in most seafood counters. Alaskan King, Coho, Sockeye, Atlantic or Pacific are the most popular and widely available types of salmon.

There is a tremendous amount of farm-raised salmon (aquacultured) being imported to the US today. Most of this farmed salmon comes from Norway and Chile being the largest producers. Although some farmed salmon are raised in salt water, their flesh doesn’t have the same rich flavor and decadent texture as their wild counterparts. Pacific salmon are in season from spring through fall.

Atlantic salmon is sometimes less abundant because of industrial pollution of North American and European tributaries. Atlantic salmon have a higher fat flesh, which is pink and succulent.

Salmon may be sold in thicker cut steaks, filets, or whole. It is recommended to keep the skin on when buying salmon, as the skin holds the salmon together nicely when cooking. However, if you prefer to leave the skin off, that is perfectly alright. Simply be more careful when cooking.

Salmon is flavored nicely by lemon, thyme, garlic, olive oil, dill, white wine, Dijon mustard, and capers. As a side dish, think of asparagus, peas, potatoes, rice pilaf, risotto, roasted tomatoes, or Hericots Verts (French style green beans).

When selecting salmon, choose a bright color, firm flesh, and a clean aroma. Fresh seafood should not have a “fishy” smell to it. Instead, it should have a mild scent, similar to fresh cucumbers, watermelon, or other fruit. If the salmon is packaged, it should be in an airtight container with no liquid.

Also, knowing the right questions to ask your fishmonger is essential. Instead of asking “when did this fish come in?” The right question to ask is, “When did that fish come out of the water and how was it stored the minute it came out of the water?” In other words, even if the fish came to the grocer yesterday, it can actually be quite old. Knowing when it was caught and how it was stored is what you really want to know.

If there are any temperature issues on fresh fish anytime in the process, the fish will lose its freshness. That’s why it’s important to ask your fish purveyor how to store the fish until you’re ready to use it, if you aren’t going to get to it until the next day.

To learn more about the Mirepoix Cooking School, visit our website at www.mirepoixcookingschool.com or become a fan of Mirepoix on Facebook.