ok so the first time i met someone from michigan, back when i went to school in ann arbor, i thought they were a little nuts when they held up their hand and pointed out where we were, and where they were from. if you have never visited the state then you probably have no idea what i am talking about. it is sort of the local map. i guess if my state was shaped like a body part, i would do the same thing. even if you are not exactly sure where on the hand you are, you are sure to be surrounded by some very nice people.

i was invited to go hang out in michigan last weekend by some of the local libraries to do some demos and share some of my experiences with fans and fellow foodies. probably the second or third time i was in a library in michigan (and yes i went to college there). first stop was the capital, lansing. this was actually my first visit to lansing, though it is really not far from ann arbor. maybe it is all of the spartans walking around from over in east lansing.

i headed straight over to the lansing center where chef jeff was nice enough to open up his kitchen to me to get ready for the next day. i was sooooo pleasantly surprised when i heard that a group of students from lansing community college’s culinary program were there to help me get ready! they were very eager to help out which made the prep go much faster, and the day much more fun.

for the demos in lansing, i just wanted to make some simple luncheon salads that could be recreated at home. first i did an olive oil poached shrimp and soba noodle salad with a simple ginger and sesame vinaigrette. the second salad was grilled skirt steak with shaved fennel, orange and chive yogurt. these are both great for lunches or light dinners, especially if it ever gets warm outside again. i will have the recipes available in just a couple of days.

featured recipe: olive oil poached shrimp and soba salad

featured recipe: grilled skirt steak and fennel salad with chive yogurt

for a quick sweet bite on the way out, i made some brown sugar cakes. i love this recipe because it is so simple and the cakes are so moist and delicious. i wish i could take credit for this one but i am going to have to give a shout out to my old pastry chef, todd, who shared the recipe with me. we used to have the cake on the menu at scylla with some fresh blueberries and a little crème fraiche.

brown sugar cakes
melt together 12 ounces of butter with 4 cups of brown sugar in a small pot over medium heat. when it is slightly cooled, whisk in 6 eggs and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. then add in 4 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons of salt and 2 2/3 cups flour.

that’s it!!! easy just to spray some muffin cups and bake individual portions. bake at 350 degrees until just golden brown, about 20 minutes. enjoy!

after the demos i headed down to ann arbor for the first time since i graduated about 11 years ago (wow i am getting old). it is such a great town. the campus area is where i spent most of my time, but the downtown area is awesome. cute shops and restaurants all over. we went to a great spot, eve, for dinner on saturday night. everything was delicious….we started with the charcuterie and cheese board which was beautifully presented. along with the house cured meats and cheeses was some house dijon mustard, some pesto and some herb butter which were all great alongside the fresh baked bread from zingerman’s bakery. we had a ground lamb dish topped with such a great and simple salad of spinach and fresh mint. also compliments of the chef were a delicious curried mussel. i was surprised at first when i bit in as it was served chilled…it was delicious and rich. we also finished off with some braised beef cheeks with an aioli on a toast. wow i had to roll myself out of there but it was worth it.

the next morning we went to plum market to get some food for my demos. i was pretty unsure of what i wanted to make and just figured i would see what was looking good. this market is awesome….similar to a whole foods with a great selection of produce. they had an entire table of citrus varieties that i had never tried before. many different hybrids of some more traditional fruits. my favorite was the manquat which is a cross of a kumquat and a mandarin orange. like a kumquat, the skin is edible and delicious. the juice is a bit sweeter however which makes the fruit very well balanced when just sliced and eaten. i decided to buy some and make an eggplant caponata salad with dandelion greens and manquats. i also wanted to share my mussels escabeche recipe that i have done for demos in the past and have always enjoyed talking about. finally, for a third dish, i went with seared scallops with miso-marcona almond butter and bok choy salad. i think it is fun to do a few very different recipes for demos….chances are everyone will like at least one dish ☺

the demo in ann arbor went very well. i have to thank my new friend craig from the lansing community college who drove down to give me a hand. it was like a top chef challenge….setting up a faux kitchen in the back of the library with an induction burner that only one pan would work on. stressful for a few minutes there but in the end the demo was a ton of fun. not sure if the guests were just laughing at me because they thought i was nuts or if i was able to entertain them with some fun tales, but either way they seemed to enjoy.

i had to finish off the trip with a quick stop for a chipati at pizza house. this was my all time favorite meal when i was in college (partially because it is a great hangover cure). so simple yet you just can’t find them anywhere but in ann arbor. just a giant fresh baked pita stuffed with salad and cheese, served with a special chipati dressing that is nice and tangy. i of course always add on some ranch dressing and do a double dip. warm pita dipped in dressing is enough to make me happy…the salad just makes me feel a little less unhealthy. if you are even in ann arbor, be sure to give it a try.