Chicago Foodies

Milk Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut Cookies

Who doesn't love Nutella? I alway wish it was socially acceptable to eat it straight up. When I tried Ritter Sport's milk chocolate with whole hazelnuts, I found my answer. It has the essence of Nutella with that perfect crunch of hazelnuts. Chop it up and it makes one incredible cookie. Even if you don't have any on hand, making this cookie with regular chocolate chunks would still taste pretty incredible. 

The perfect chocolate chunk cookie recipe isn't easy. I like mine crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside - and this recipe is exactly that. I used turbinado sugar instead of brown sugar, and it adds a nice crunchy texture inside the cookie. If you don't have any on hand, I'm sure regular brown sugar would do just fine.

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread Recipe

Banana bread is one of those things you can have a dozen recipes for and never be satisfied. There is the classic chocolate chip banana bread, the hearty, whole-wheat oatmeal banana bread and the more decadent banana bread cupcakes.

But this recipe for cinnamon swirl banana bread is one I always go back too. It doesn't feel too unhealthy (or too healthy, for that matter), and it is very simple to make. The classic recipe makes a loaf, but I enjoy making banana muffins for easy sharing as a light dessert. 

A Throwback Revamped - Fluffernutter Blondies with Graham Cracker Crust

One of the few sandwiches that could take on the classic PB&J has to be that gooey fluffernutter sandwich. Somehow marshmallow fluff makes peanut butter that much more wonderful, and vice versa. It's easy to forget about this nostalgic combination. Yet, when you pass the fluff in the baking aisle of your grocery store, don't deny that pang of longing.

When I  feel like a little fluffernutter without eating a whole meal, my go-to is the graham cracker fluffernutter. And this became my inspiration for this dessert.

It's a serious crowd pleaser and a major throwback. Kids love it and adults will be sneaking them until the plate is empty. 

Cheaper Gluten-Free Baking for the Holidays – Think Inside the Box

Although I’d love nothing more than to have Rose’s Bakery in Evanston cater to all of my gluten-free baking needs for the holidays (their seeded sandwich bread is some of the best) I simply can’t afford to spend 8 bucks on 6 cookies – as tasty as they may be.

I’ve consulted recipe books for the perfect flour replacement blend but unless I order online, I haven’t been able to find all of the ingredients I need at one store. The closest I’ve come is True Nature Foods in Edgewater. They carry almost the entire line of Bob’s Red Mill products, but wouldn’t you know it – they were out of tapioca flour this week.

In the spirit of the holidays and having to bring my own gluten-free options to parties (of course I never tell anyone it is gluten-free), I’ve started experimenting with alternatives that have proven to be cheaper, faster, easier and still pretty tasty.

I’m all about ease-of-box baking and with the price of xanthan gum, sorghum flour and all the other gluten-free baking essentials, I’ve found that the 5 dollars you pay for the box mix is a great way to go – if you find the right box.

Chocolate Covered Shortbread Two Ways

Traditional Christmas cookies aren't exactly my thing. If you're making them for a large number of people, it can be a pain to try to cut out each one and decorate them all. Last year, I came across a shortbread cookie recipe that turned out so well I decided to make it again this year with a little variety. The best part about these is you really can top them with anything you like, from candy, to nuts, to something a little less traditonal like pretzels. My personal favorite is the peppermint. If you can't decide, just double the recipe like I did and make two varieties, or go half and half. 

Star Chefs Get Baking for Pop-Up Cookie Market at the Drake

Most families try their hand at holiday cookies each year, generally of the frosted and sprinkled variety. But what kind of Christmas cookie would Rick Bayless bake? Or Stephanie Izard? Or Gale Gand? Find out at American Institute for Food and Wine's Cookies for a Cause pop-up that runs today through Sunday at The Drake. Those three star chefs and more will sell holiday cookies by the box to raise funds for the French Pastry School's scholarship fund. The decked-out Drake lobby should put you in the holiday spirit as you gaze upon the boxes ($25) for sale from noon to 7 p.m. during the week and noon to 5 p.m. on the weekend (or until supplies run out). Given the all-star chef line-up, we wouldn't be surprised if only crumbs are left by the end of the day.

True Life: I'm Addicted to Sweets

I've always had a huge sweet tooth - and not just for desserts. I love just about every fruit and have a weak spot for sweet and savory combos. Caramel corn and chocolate covered pretzels always win over their salty counterparts, and I always vote for pancakes and french toast in the morning. When I found myself downing sugar by the spoonful (this is an exaggeration, but not far from the truth), I knew I needed an intervention. I decided I would abstain from dessert for 5 whole days. And this is a pretty big deal for someone whose office has a candy drawer. Spoiler alert: it was even harder than I anticipated. 

Table 52 – Saturday Breakfast To-Go

A cost-effective way for your average foodie to get to try Art Smith's posh Gold Coast restaurant, Table 52 is in the morning. If you want a sampling of the restaurant's creations, pop in early on a Saturday to try out the housemade doughnuts, grab a cup of coffee or the ultimate breakfast - a hummingbird cupcake. These cupcakes are the piece de resistance, based off of Smith's famous hummingbird cake. 

The cake is a banana-pineapple combination with a light and airy cream cheese frosting to top it off. At $4 for a small cupcake, this isn't exactly cheap but it's definitely worth trying. The fruity cake will assure you that it's okay to eat dessert for breakfast... Isn't it always?

Hugo's Frog Bar – Summer Desserts... It's Not Over Yet!

The Gold Coast doesn't exactly have the thriftiest of restaurants, but they do serve up a nice ambiance, especially in the summer. And nothing goes better with some impressive outdoor seating than an impressive, large dessert. But a $12 dessert? Keep reading - it's totally worth it.

Hugo's Frog Bar features a house-made strawberry shortcake in the summer that will literally make your jaw drop. A large, flaky biscuit is cut in half, filled with fresh strawberries, strawberry syrup and whipped cream, and then topped with another layer. Ask for yours with ice cream and you won't be disappointed.

Chicago Drips in Frozen Yogurt...But Is It Healthy?

Frozen yogurt is not healthy. I know, this is shocking news, so hold back your gasps. I’m no health expert, but come on, isn’t this just common sense? We’ve been denying this fact for years, but we all know if something is too good to be true, it probably is. I’m not denying that this creamy, muli-faceted fake ice cream is delicious. We just need to stop thinking frozen yogurt is actually “yogurt.”

After the cupcake craze, the frozen yogurt fetish began – and we are right in the midst of it. With another Pinkberry location opening in Old Town and the launch of frozen yogurt truck Culture, The Yogurt Society, we’re pretty much surrounded with the sweet stuff.

For the Love of Chocolate Benefit 2011

One of my favorite annual benefits is For the Love of Chocolate, an annual black tie affair that not only serves a good cause that supports scholarships for the French Pastry School of the City Colleges of Chicago, but also provides relatively good value by showcasing some of Chicago's top chefs.   Due to its size it now takes up the full first floor at the Merchandise Mart, including several of the home furnishing showrooms, whose kitchens area actually put to use.

Hendrickx Belgian Bread Crafters

Consider it not being up on my game or just plain laziness, but it took me eight months to visit this specialty bakery that has been open since May of last year.  Operated by the husband-wife (correct me if I'm wrong?) team of Renaud Hedrickx and Dominique Schewebach, I instantly got the feeling of this place being a labor of love.  I ordered a tuna salad sandwich on a croissant roll, which was simply tuna mixed with homemade mayonnaise on a very soft, dense, and fresh croissant role where you could see the layers of dough like rings of a tree, not the fluffy types where everything seems to congeal together in one big lump with a few air pockets.

Mullen's Apple Sauce – Like Apple Pie in a Jar.

A few months back, Jim Mullen offered us a sample of Mullen's Applesauce feeling confident that we'd like it. Sure enough we did. The tag “Like apple pie without the crust!” is honesty in advertising. The sauce is chunky with pieces of apple, a taste that evenly mixes tart lemon juice with earthy spices, sugar, and salt. With each bite I was brought back to fond childhood memories of Thanksgiving apple pie and family dinners where I enjoyed apple pie a la mode, the sweetness of ice cream melding with apples and cinnamon. As more Americans worry about what is really in their food, it is refreshing to taste a product that has no additives or questionable ingredients.  

Pierrot Gourmet – Macarons, Macarons... Everywhere!

I am not sure if it is my imagination, but macarons seem to be everywhere these days. Restaurant menus, cafes, even Starbucks has a variety pack of 12 macarons to go with your skinny latte.
I was lucky enough to eat 'real' French macarons while on vacation last year and have not tried any recently through fear of disappointment. That was until last weekend, when we ate at Pierrot Gourmet, the restaurant attached to the Peninsula hotel. 

Their macarons were good, and fresh (much more so than I would expect the Starbucks version to be). They were quite large, which I think took something away from the taste, and meant that I felt more guilty for having eaten 3 in under 5 minutes. As the classic flavors are often best with macarons, we steered clear of the 'PB&J' version and got some chocolate and raspberry to take home.  We will certainly be going back for more......

 
 

Gluten Free for You and Me

'Tis the season for Christmas stollen, holiday cupcakes, and rum cakes, too. Now many people who cannot tolerate gluten can grab a cupcake with friends or enjoy an easy dinner out in Chicago. Luckily there are many great resources and eateries for those who have Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance.

A few suggestions around Chicago include the following: Chicago Diner (www.veggiediner.com) in Boystown offers a vegetarian menu, but also has an entirely gluten free menu. Swirlz Cupcakes (www.swirlzcupcakes.com) in Lincoln Park makes at least one flavor of gluten free cupcakes each day of the week. My favorite blog for gluten free recipes and ideas is www.tamaraduker.com . The blog is rife with humor, honesty, and creativity in gluten intolerant cooking!

Chicago Cupcake Crawl

The cupcake craze may be petering out on the coasts, but if the continued openings of cupcake-centric bakeries (Cupcake Gallery, Sprinkles Cupcakes in March) are any indicator, the demand for adorable, perfectly ganached cakes is still going strong in Chicago. Woe to the cupcake lover who wants to sort out which of the myriad bakeries is worth their while! Until now, you were sadly adrift, alone in a sea of decadent buttercream. Not all chocolate cupcakes look alike, but who can you trust??

Bittersweet. is all "dulce" no "agri"!

The Spanish word for Bittersweet is agridulce, but there is nothing agri at 1114 West Belmont in Chicago. It's full of dulce, but the not just for pastries! Bittersweet's soup, salad, and sandwich menu is tiny, but tight! I enjoyed the vegetable soup, half of a tuna melt, and a dark chocolate cake, too.

The veggie soup was not what I expected. It was better! Delicious, in fact. The thick veggie puree with a touch of creme fraiche felt healthy, under the guise of "veggie", but  I'm guessing it was more creme than veggie. That said, it was worth all possible calories.

The Original Rainbow Cone

While otherwise traipsing around the Southside, I figured it was time to make a pilgrimage to the Original Rainbow Cone. Founded in 1926, Rainbow Cone eschews fancy-schmancy granite stones and liquid nitrogen, and sticks to the business of being one of the area's finest traditional ice cream shops.

Rainbow Cone has been a long-time presence at Taste of Chicago, where I first encountered them. They are also due to open up a new branch in the Loop at some point this month. Visiting the original Rainbow Cone shop requires a little more perseverance though, since they are located in the far Southside in Beverly. No matter, I was willing to travel for my love of all things rainbow.

We were heralded by a somewhat chintzy building with a large rainbow ice cream cone atop the roof, and rainbows plastered generously on the walls. An ample amount of parking was available outside. On a further note, I do not recommend biking to Rainbow Cone at night if you are coming from the north, unless you are feeling particularly adventurous and have materials handy to fix flats (there was a fair amount of glass and debris along the way).

iCream

Continuing the trend of indulgent restaurants that allow you to "have it your way," iCream brings an experiment in free will and independent choice to your ice cream selection. A recent addition to Wicker Park, iCream turns the traditional ice cream shop model of a dozen static flavors on its head by giving you the option to engineer your own frozen concoction.

And I do mean engineer. With a sleek, soft white interior and staff members in white coats, ordering at iCream takes on the air of a grand scientific endeavor. Your first step is to choose a base of regular, light or soy ice cream, or frozen yogurt or sorbet. Then, pick one of the 30 or so flavors; there's a wide variety of choices, including burnt sugar, cinnamon and pomegranate. For an additional 50 cents, you can opt to add mix-ins like heath bar, granola or nutella. My final choices were regular hazelnut ice cream with cookie dough. But wait, we're not done yet, because you can color your creation any number of vivid hues! As I hesitated, the woman behind the counter encouraged me to add a fun color to my ice cream. I went for green.

Free Ice Cream at Ben & Jerry's on April 21...or try Village Creamery in Niles or Skokie

Ice cream-good ice cream- is usually on my mind when the weather starts to warm up a bit more than it is now. Today in Chicago it rained, and hailed! Yesterday it was also rainy and cold, but we still decided to try out a homemade ice cream shop that hides inside a small shopping plaza of mostly Oriental stores. It really can't be seen unless you're stopped at only one of the four corners of a busy intersection.  I pass it all the time and wonder if it really is homemade ice cream. It's true, I'm a skeptic. It's not so often that food advertised as homemade or handmade is purely so.