I can’t believe Apple Fest is already over. An annual fundraiser for The Salvation Army, Apple Fest is a fun combination of food, music and apple themed booths. I really enjoyed participating last year, so I was glad to hear MCL Restaurant & Bakery would be donating the dessert again. I spent my morning baking enough homemade, apple crisp to feed 1,000 people. You can’t believe how great the kitchen smelled! It certainly got me in the mood for fall.

If you want a chance to taste what you missed at Apple Fest, here is my Recipe_for_Apple_Crisp. It is an adaptation of the classic MCL dish which has been served in the restaurants for decades.

Check out this clip from Indy Style where I demonstrated how to make this recipe:  Apple Crisp Cooking Demo

Looking for an easy, yet scrumptious holiday breakfast? Here are two recipes which will leave you full and with plenty of time to open presents. Both recipes can be made the day before and reheated in the oven the next morning or assembled on Christmas Eve and baked Christmas Day.

The Loaded Hash Brown Casserole will stick to your ribs and satisfy even the hungriest of sleep deprived parents. While my recipe for Apple Walnut Coffee Cake will fill the whole house with the smell of warm cinnamon. Which makes having your kids to wake you at 5 a.m. almost worth it.

Recipe for Apple Walnut Coffee Cake

Recipe for Loaded Hash Brown Casserole

In honor of National French Toast Day, here’s a link back to the Cinnamon Roll French Toast recipe I posted a few months ago and demonstrated on Indy Style in honor of Mother’s Day (click here for a clip of the show). While French Toast has traditionally been a breakfast food, there’s no rule that says you can’t enjoy this for dinner tonight!

Click here to view my recipe for Cinnamon Roll French Toast.

Back in May I told you about my live appearance on the Indy Style television show (it airs on WISH-TV Channel 8 in Indianapolis). Well I must have done alright because they asked me back to cook again! You’d think I would have been less nervous the second time around, but actually it was just the opposite. You see, I have to get there to prep for the show about two hours before the it airs. This leaves a lot of time for me to anticipate the “live” aspect and worry about all that can go wrong.

During my segment I showed Tracy and Andi how to make a meal using a slow cooker. One of the great things about this recipe is that the meat can be used for several different things making great use of any leftovers. I’ve put the cooked pork in empanadas, tacos and even used it as a pizza topping. Thankfully, I didn’t have any great mishaps (like catching the set on fire) and once I got cooking I started to feel more comfortable. I don’t know if I’ll ever get completely used to being on camera, but I’m happy to make another visit to the show if they invite me on again. Hey, they say the third time’s the charm.

Click here to check out my segment on Indy Style (from Friday, September 2, 2011):  How to Make Slow Cooker Carnitas

Click below to download PDFs of the recipes I made on the show.

• Slow Cooker Carnitas
• Sauteed Peppers and Onions
• Homemade Guacamole
• Homemade Salsa

Here’s the recipe I made during my cooking segment on the Indy Style TV show (broadcast on WISH-TV Channel 8 for those of you in Indianapolis).  It’s a great way to use up day-old cinnamon rolls but you could also make it with cinnamon raisin bread if you don’t have cinnamon rolls.  Whatever you do, don’t use cinnamon rolls that have icing or glaze on them as they will burn during cooking!

Cinnamon Roll French Toast

You will need:

• 2 eggs
• ½  cup of milk or cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 leftover cinnamon rolls (you can also use cinnamon raisin bread)
• 1 Tablespoon of butter

To make:

1. Whisk eggs, cream and vanilla together and pour into a flat bottomed container like a Pyrex dish or pie pan. Set aside.
2. Slice the cinnamon rolls in 2 or 3 pieces so they are ¼ to ½ inch thick (slice side to side not top to bottom).
3. Melt butter in a skillet on a medium high heat.
4. As the butter melts, soak the sliced cinnamon rolls in the egg mixture (be sure both sides get coated thoroughly).
5. Once the butter has melted and the pan is hot, drain the soaking cinnamon roll slices and place them in the pan.
6. Cook for about a minute on each side.
7. Top with Maple Glazed Granny Smith Apples.

Maple Glazed Granny Smith Apples

You will need:

• 2 Granny Smith Apples
• 2 Tablespoons of butter
• 1 cup of REAL maple syrup

To make:

1. Peel, core and slice the Granny Smith Apples into ¼ inch thick slices. Store in just enough water to cover and a tablespoon of lemon juice to prevent browning.
2. Melt the butter in a skillet or frying pan.
3. Drain the apple slices and place into the melted butter.
4. Let the apples cook for a minute or two.
5. Pour in the maple syrup and bring mixture to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the apples are tender.
7. Pour hot mixture over Cinnamon Roll French Toast before serving.

Since it’s the first day of Lent I thought it would be appropriate to give you a recipe for baked fish you can make at home. I’ve also got fish on the brain because for the past few months, I’ve been working on and testing new recipes for MCL Restaurant & Bakery’s annual All You Care to Eat Friday Fish Fry.

Preparations are finally over, leaving me time to share one of my favorite recipes.  It’s quick, simple and packed with flavor. I love serving it with saffron (yellow) rice and steamed asparagus.   Try it out and let me know what you think.

Recipe for Italian Baked Fish

You will need:

• Enough Tilapia, Orange Roughy or other mild-flavored white fish fillets for each person
• Italian salad dressing (I prefer Newman’s Own brand, but you can purchase a low-fat dressing for a healthier alternative)

To make:

1. Line a jelly roll pan (sided baking sheet), lasagna pan, or large casserole with foil.
2. Rinse the fish pieces and pat dry with a paper towel.
3. Place the fish pieces on the foil in a single layer.
4. Fold the sides of the foil up around the fish to form a leak proof barrier.
5. Cover the fish with the salad dressing and secure the foil to create an envelope with the fish inside. Use additional foil if necessary.
6. Refrigerate for up to 2 hours or bake immediately.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 400⁰ until the fish is fork tender and flakes easily (approximately 15-20 minutes).

Note:  The foil packets can also be grilled over an open flame (outdoors), just be careful of leaking juices that can cause flare-ups. Remove the foil packets from the baking sheet, pan, or casserole before grilling or you risk ruining your containers.  You’ll have to adjust the cooking time for you specific outdoor grill.

The 83^rd Academy Awards are this Sunday and winning an Oscar means two things: 

1. You’re recognized as exceptional at your craft by your peers and colleagues.
2. You get to go to an exclusive party catered by Chef Wolfgang Puck.

Guess which one I’m envious of? 

This year the Governors Ball, the celebratory dinner following the awards ceremony, will feature a menu of sushi, tuna tartare, mini Kobe cheeseburgers, black truffle pizza and pan roasted Dover sole with vegetable paella just to name a few.

Iced Tea Recipe

Summer is here. And with summer comes the craving for one of the South’s greatest contributions to thirst quenching. I’m talking about iced tea.

At MCL Restaurant & Bakery we sell more iced tea than any other beverage. It’s so in demand, we even sell boxes of tea bags so our customers can home-brew the same brand we do.

We use and sell Orange Pekoe & Pekoe Cut Black Tea blended and imported direct from India by Irani Tea.

Here’s an iced tea recipe that’ll keep your summers cooler than cool.

1. Buy good tea. As you know by now, my number one rule is to use the best quality ingredients.
2. Place 6-10 tea bags in the jug/container you plan to use.
3. Boil 4 cups of cold, soft water (hard water makes tea cloudy).
4. Pour the boiling water over the tea bags.
5. Let the tea steep for 3-5 minutes. Tea should never steep longer then 10 minutes. Doing so will make your tea bitter.
6. After steeping, remove and discard the tea bags. You should not reuse them.
7. Pour four more cups of cold, soft water into the brewed tea.
8. Pour into a glass over ice.
9. Kick back, feet up and enjoy.

Note: Tea will get cloudy and bitter the longer you hold it. A 12-hour refrigerated shelf life is my recommendation.

Best,

Chef Ian

In the culinary world, asparagus is the first sign of spring. Around the Midwest, asparagus season begins around April 10th and continues into mid-May. In fact, MCL Restaurant & Bakery is currently serving up tons of fresh, locally-grown asparagus.

At MCL we buy our asparagus from Melon Acres Farm in Oaktown, Indiana. But you can find fresh, local asparagus at most grocery stores and, even better, farmer’s markets through the end of May.

When shopping for asparagus, you’ll see different sizes: pencil thin or marker thick. The choice is up to you. Just remember cooking time will vary slightly depending on the thickness.

How to cook asparagus:

1. Trim an inch off the bottom.
2. Use a pan wide enough to accommodate the asparagus laying flat in the pan. A straight-sided frying pan with a tight fitting lid works best.
3. In the frying pan, bring an inch of water to a boil and place the asparagus into the boil.
4. Place the lid on the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes depending on thickness.
5. Take off heat and serve immediately.

Note: Asparagus cooks quickly. It should be the last item you prepare before serving your guests.

Asparagus can also be roasted or grilled. You can even toss it with olive oil and salt and pepper when you’re done cooking.

And now to top it off with some hollandaise sauce.

How to make hollandaise:

1. In a small frying pan grind 1/8 of a teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of of cider vinegar. Bring mixture to a boil until it is mostly evaporated.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan. Mix well. Remove from heat.
4. Place two egg yolks in a bowl.
5. Whisk vinegar mixture into the egg yolks. Do so a little at a time to prevent the yolks from curdling.
6. While whisking the mixture, drizzle 1 cup of warm clarified butter.
7. After all the clarified butter is whisked into the yolks. you should have a light, fluffy hollandaise.
8. Stir in 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice, a dash of Tobasco sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.

Note: The sauce should be warm, not hot. To keep it warm, place the bowl over a sauce pan filled with hot water, leaving it on the stove top until you’re ready to serve it. Hollandaise should not be served the second day.

You can get creative by adding fresh chopped herbs to the finished sauce or experiment with different vinegars. I’d love to hear what you come up with.

Best,

Chef

Mother’s Day + Breakfast in Bed = Happy Mom.

An omelet is an omelette is an omelet. No matter how you spell it, an omelet is a great Mother’s Day breakfast in bed delight.

As a kid, when Mother’s Day rolled around, it was our family tradition to serve breakfast in bed to Mom. She loved it. What mother wouldn’t?

As my cooking skills improved, so did the menu. Tea and toast soon gave way to fried eggs and fresh fruit. Which eventually evolved into pancakes topped with homemade blueberry syrup. But when I figured out how to make omelets, the Mother’s Day breakfast in bed menu was complete.

20 years later, and I’m now the Executive Chef for MCL Restaurant & Bakery. Mom must be proud.

If you’re in search of something simple, yet tasty to prepare for the mother in your life this Mother’s Day, I’ve got you covered. And diced. And flipped. And topped with melted cheese.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to showing Mom how much you care.

Step 1: Get prepared

Here are the basic items you’ll need:

• A good non-stick pan. This is key when you get to the “flipping” part.
• A rubber spatula.
• A whisk.

Step 2: Pick an omelet, any omelet.

Get as creative as you like. Here are some thought starters:

• Ham and cheese omelet.
• Smoked salmon and cream cheese omelet.
• Mexican omelet with chorizo, tomatoes, peppers and cheddar served with sour cream and salsa.
• Steak and eggs omelet.
• Veggie omelet.
• Asparagus omelet with brie.

You get the point. But no matter what you choose, don’t overfill your omelet, or it’ll likely fall apart.

Step 3: Break some eggs.

Here’s my recipe and top-secret technique for the famed Western Omelet.

Western Omelet Recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1/8 cup green and red peppers diced small
• 1/8 cup onion, diced small
• 1/8 cup ham, diced small
• ¼ cup shredded cheese of your choice
• Butter
• Salt & Pepper to taste

How to Prepare:

1. Start by cracking the eggs into a bowl and whisking them until they are fluffy. Set aside.
2. Heat your omelet pan on a medium high heat with enough butter in it to coat the bottom.
3. Add your onions and peppers to the pan and cook until tender. Do not brown.
4. Add the ham to the vegetable mixture. Stir so that everything is equally dispersed.
5. Ok now for the fun part. Check to make sure there is still some butter in the pan and the other ingredients haven’t soaked it all up. You can add more if you think you need it.
6. With the pan still hot, pour in your whisked eggs and take your rubber spatula and swirl the mixture while it is cooking.
7. As soon your eggs have started to get firm but are still a little runny, stop swirling. Make sure that the mixture is evenly covering the bottom of the pan.
8. Evenly spread the shredded cheese over the egg mixture.
9. Once the cheese has started to melt, you can fold or roll your omelet over. To do this, hold the pan at a slight angle and using the other hand with the spatula gradually lift and roll/fold the omelet down the pan.
10. To plate the omelet just slide it out of the pan onto the serving dish.
11. Garnish it with more shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream or fresh herbs.

And now for my top-secret technique: If at any point you mess up, you can scramble the eggs and confidently call them “Loaded Scrambled Eggs.”

Now get in that kitchen and make Mom an Omelet. Or a Loaded Scramble, depending on how it goes.

Best,

Chef