October's Secret Supper at Southport Grocery

When we moved to Chicago a few months ago, I have to admit I was nervous. Not because I didn't think we'd love Chicago, but because we signed a lease before I'd ever even stepped foot in the neighborhood we'd be living in. I'd gotten stuck in NYC with a cancelled flight after a business trip, and was unable to make it out to Chicago the weekend that the Monkey Scientist and our roommate came to look at places. Still, I trusted their judgement and I quickly realized how much I love our part of town!



One of the best restaurants in our area is the Southport Grocery & Cafe. A coworker had actually told me about it before I moved and I was not disappointed. Their brunch is top notch and their cupcakes are out of this world. And I moved from DC, land of cupcake shops. Plus they have a great little market with high end ingredients like jellies, pickles, sprinkles and real maple syrup. So when I heard they host a "Secret Supper" once a month, I knew I needed to get an invite. I grabbed 4 seats to the October party as soon as I heard about it (by joining their email list) for me, my bff, my roommate and the MS.



All of the food was really a step above anywhere we've gone lately. My favorite course was the clam chowder. Now I'm a New England girl, and this was some seriously good clam chowder. The liquid wasn't too thick and there was a great substance-to-liquid ratio. I hate when there are big chunks of potatoes in chowder, but these were perfectly diced and the texture was offset by crispy shallots. The clams were cooked exactly how I like them - just a bit chewy and not at all briny.  Plus the sourdough bread bowl they baked upstairs was perfection.  Sourdough is my favorite bread by far - I think I could live off of it. I couldn't ask for anything more out of this course (except for, well, more).



The main course was a Pork Confit and Orchiette served in a large mug.  As the Monkey Scientist put it, there might not be anything better than a mug full of pork.  It was topped with currants and a juniper gelee, and was mixed with local arugula and carrots.  Some of our table found it a bit sweet, and I thought the sauce might have been a little heavy.  Plus, cooked carrots just don't do it for me.  It wasn't the highlight of the meal but it was really great nonetheless.



For dessert, we were served a pumpkin rice pudding with a black sesame lace cookie.  I'm not sure I'd ever had a homemade lace cookie before, but now I'm determined to make them myself. They melt in your mouth  and have the perfect bit of crunch.  Sesame seeds aren't my favorite thing ever so I might experiment with other things I can put in the caramel if I make them at home.  The rice pudding sitting below the cookie was great too.  Rice pudding is one of my favorite desserts.  To be honest, I think we all expected a little more pumpkin flavor, but it was topped with dried cranberries and candied ginger which was amazing. I loved the mason jar presentation, too!

The only thing I didn't capture was the special treat at the end of the meal. They had homemade Reese's, Three Muskeeter, Almond Joy, and Butterfingers that their pastry chef had whipped up for us. I think we all felt sweets overload at the end of the meal (OK everyone but me. I don't understand sweets overload until it's way too late) but they were absolutely delightful, albeit a bit melty.  I especially liked the Butterfinger and thought the Three Musketeers was unique and delicious (the consistency was denser than the original).  This was definitely a special dinner for us (we even got a bottle of wine, and we never drink at dinner), but I'm hoping we can go to another Secret Supper sometime (maybe if my folks come visit!). It was a blast!

Blackberry Lemon Goat Cheese Squares

For this week's barbecue, I convinced my friend to upgrade her contribution from a simple fruit salad to these amazing puff pastry squares. Even though she ended up nearly catching her apartment on fire (wax paper is not a substitute for parchment paper. Don't bake it!), I am so so glad she went the extra mile.

Not only are these the most impressive looking dish that anyone has ever brought to our Thursday night BBQs, they were completely delicious. I love that they fell somewhere in between sweet and savory - they could really be a dessert or an appetizer. The goat cheese is perfectly tangy and tart mixed with lemon and the blackberry brings just the right touch of sweetness, brought out by balsamic vinegar, without being overly sugary. And puff pasrty is always a hit with me - it's so flaky and wonderful. The touch of green doesn't add much flavor but it's nice pop of color that takes these to the next level.

If you want to impress your friends, definitely try this recipe out. My friend definitely impressed me!

Blackberry Lemon Goat Cheese Squares

from Shutterbean

Ingredients

6 oz goat cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 pint blackberries
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
small handful arugula

Instructions

1. Preheat oven 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment (not wax) paper or a silicon mat and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix the goat cheese, lemon zest and honey together.
3. In another small bowl stir the blackberries with the balsamic vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes. 
4. On a lightly floured surface, cut the puff pastry into 2 inch squares. Place squares onto the parchment lined sheet  about 2 inches apart and score a square into the pastry, making sure not to cut all the way through to the bottom.
5. Place a dollop of lemon goat cheese on top of each square and top with a blackberry. Bake squares for 15-20 minutes until golden.
6. Let squares cool and place a leaf of arugula under each blackberry. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Jerusalem Artichoke and Israeli Couscous Salad with Roasted Red Onion

The only item I hadn't used yet from the last of the farmer's market (although I still have cabbage...they were really big dense heads!) are my bag of jerusalem artichokes.

I bought them with the inspiration of this salad.  I had never made jerusalem artichokes before but I do love to try new things.

This salad is a little bit more work than a salad you would throw together at the last minute.  Roasting the onion takes a while - so make sure you account for that or do it the night before.  At least you can try to make them the night before...they smell so warm and delicious you might not be able to wait to eat them!

The original recipe called for couscous, but given that Purim is this weekend and Passover is right around the corner, I figured I'd go all out on the name play and use Israeli couscous.  That and I LOVE Israeli couscous.  I meant to steal some from my mom last time I left New Hampshire (she has an overstock right now) but I forgot and had to get some of my own.

So I'm sure some people are curious what the Jerusalem artichokes tasted like. I would say the best way to describe them would be a cross between carrots and potatoes.  I liked them, but they were a little bitter for my taste.  I'm curious to look for other ways to use them if I find them at the farmer's market again.

Overall, this was a pretty tasty salad.  I think the biggest learning lesson here was how to make roasted red onions.  I feel like I could think of a lot of adaptions for them - like serving them with roasted potatoes - or just I could just enjoy them on their own.

Jerusalem Artichokes and Couscous Salad
Adapted from Salad Pride

Ingredients for each salad:
2 oz arugula (I used baby arugula blend)
1/3 cup Israeli couscous
1/4 roasted red onion (see below), finely chopped
2 small Jerusalem artichokes, sliced thin
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp + 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 squirt dijon

Instructions:
Prepare couscous as directed on package.
Heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-medium high heat.  When hot, add Jerusalem artichokes, season with salt and pepper, and fry 15 min.
Mix the dijon, balsamic vinegar and remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Layer the salad - arugula, couscous, then Jerusalem artichoke/onion mixture, and toss with vinaigrette.


Roasted Red Onion
Adjusted from epicurious

Ingredients:
1 small red onion halved through root end, then cut into 3/4-inch-wide wedges with some of core attached to each

1 tbsp butter, melted

¼  teaspoons dried rosemary

¼ teaspoons coarse salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tsp red wine vinegar

Instructions:

Position 1 rack in bottom third and 1 rack in top third of oven and preheat to 450°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil; butter foil generously. Arrange onion wedges cut side down on prepared sheets. Brush onions with melted butter. Mix thyme, salt, and pepper in small bowl; sprinkle over onions. Drizzle with vinegar. Cover baking sheet tightly with foil. Roast onions 20 minutes on top shelf. Move baking sheet from top to bottom and continue to roast until bottoms of onion wedges are brown, about 20 minutes longer. Remove foil. Using spatula, turn onion wedges over; cover with foil and roast until bottoms of onions are brown and edges are slightly crisp, reversing position of baking sheet after 5 minutes, about 15 minutes total. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate onions on sheets, covered. Rewarm uncovered in 350°F oven until heated through, about 15 minutes.)