Jewish nosh

How's this for a midwestern-Jewish winter feast? One of the regular themed dinners using Michigan produce from Ann Arbor eating house Zingerman's. Best bits? The knish and the kugel were to die for.
*
Chopped liver (think paté, yummy) with sweet, chewy challah
'05 harvest Maulbetch pickled asparagus
Creamy parsnip and herb knishes (warm triangular pockets in flaky pastry)
*
Winter White Borscht with swede, brisket, cabbage, potatoes and sour salt.
*
Roasted Leg of Lamb with Tellicherry black pepper, herbs, Michigan honey and Spanish Marcona almonds: sliced thick with saffron rice, and a sweet carrot dish spiced up with mustard seeds and prunes.
*
Hoop house grown spinach salad tossed with shaved fennel, segments of the tangy-pink Cara Cara orange and hazelnuts.
*
Warm apple kugel made with Zingerman's Creamery Farm cheese, Gold Rush apples and Al dente noodles.

Pretty, pretty

It seems snowfalls are as rare as hen's teeth in these parts this season, and locals say they're sorry we aren't getting to see much of a winter display! I tell them I'm quite happy the way it is, thanks very much.

So this is what we awoke to on Wednesday. It's already long gone - having poured down the drains after a bout of brilliant sunshine. 12 degrees today. Michiganders are calling it spring!

But wait... NPR says, in ominous tones, that we'll get a "significant winter storm" overnight with up to 7 inches of snow. But no need to panic - we'll stay safe and snug indoors all Saturday. While all is still and silent in the outside world.

Mac n cheese

It's warm, gooey and cheesy, soft with a bit of crunch, and utterly irresistible. And New York Times readers agree. At the beginning of this month, their Wednesday Dining section ran a story on macaroni and cheese, complete with seductive photos, to herald the winter chill. That day, the three stories in the mac 'n' cheese package held spots 1, 2 and 6 on the 'most emailed stories' of the NYT website. Evidently they were on a winner.

Urged on by Gerard, I decided we had to take a crack at the ultimate American comfort food. I followed one of the Times's recipes and knocked out two trays for Lisa, the latest of this year's Knight Wallace Fellows to see an emergency room, after her heart surgery. It looked like it could have done with a bit more ooze, and I was also concerned that the cheesiness might be a bit cloying. So I made another batch a couple of days later, and this time added a slug of tobasco and a spoonful of dijon mustard, and doubled the milk. Perfection!

I decided to steer clear of recipes advocating a flour-based bechemel sauce, as I think with the pasta there is more than enough starch for one meal. I like this method as I'm lazy and the white sauce couldn't be easier... just pour the milk over the pasta and grated cheese, and it thickens more or less instantly.

----------------------------
Michigan Dish's Perfect Mac 'n' Cheese

For 2 servings (or one, if in need of serious comfort), use half a box of Barilla macaroni. I like to use the enriched variety, to pretend I'm doing something good for my body.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F (that's 180C for you folks at home) while you put on the pasta to boil.

Butter a small casserole/gratin dish thickly. You don't want a shallow dish or else it may dry out too much in the oven.

Into a mug of milk, stir in a heaped teaspoon of dijon mustard and a few slugs of tobasco sauce, to taste. Stir to disperse the mustard.

Drain the pasta when it's two minutes away from being al dente. Add to the buttered dish.

Now comes the cheese - I like a combination between cheddar and very sharp cheddar. No need for emmenthal - you don't want subtle nuances here. Slowly sprinkle in the grated cheese and stir it through the pasta as you go: you don't want it to set all in one clump, and this also moves the butter around to slick the macaroni shapes. How much cheese to use it up to your present mood and need for comfort, but remember, you do need a lot to form the thick 'sauce'.

Pour your milk mixure over the top, then pop into the oven until the top browns and the milky liquid has more or less set, at least 30 minutes.