Lake Superior's milder cousin

The view of Lake Michigan out the motel window was just dandy, as was falling asleep listening to the waves.

We just got back from what turned out to be more or less an extended beer run to Wisconsin. We had time for a mini vacation, and opted for Door County, where we'd never been.

We default to Superior's North Shore, for good reason. It's much closer to us, has much more dramatic, spectacular scenery and is a tad cooler and (slightly) fewer bugs. That said, I can see the appeal of Door County if you live closer and Lake Michigan's West Shore is your lake break option. Very different character, though, with more golf courses/wineries/shopping and far fewer aging hippies or adventure-minded hipsters. Dave described it as the Okoboji area writ large. I'm glad we went during the shoulder season gap between the hordes of summer visitors and throngs of fall color season tourists.

We chose our destination and motel at the last minute, an arbitrary decision based on which town seemed to have the brewing company with the most promising beer list and then googling motel and "lake view" in that town. That landed us on the island's quiet side at the Beachfront Inn in Bailey's Harbor, which is like the Shoreline of Door County, so it suited us just fine. Great view, minimal but comfortable accommodations, a nice fire lit every night on the beach where guests make mildly awkward but pleasant conversation and get a fantastic view of the night sky. (Oh, and it's dog friendly, so be prepared to be sniffed and have petting opportunities.)

It was an easy stroll to Door County Brewing, where we happily hung out and added more brewvenirs to the cooler. We bopped over to the other side of the island for lunch (Shipwrecked Brewing) and supper (Wild Tomato's wood-fired pizza, try the Paisano), interspersed by attempts to hike it off.

We came home with a full cooler, with a stop at Red Eye Brewing Co. in Wausau. It's a three-hour drive from the Cities, which makes a good breaking spot on the long trip, and they make quite nice beer and food. With the right road burner, I could see buzzing over for lunch, providing we can get a smallish cooler in the saddlebags for more brewvenirs.

And now reality awaits and I'm just trying not to spend time googling how to retire early. (Short answer: Spend less, save more. It's about as likely to happen as eat less, exercise more. Both are good advice, but no fun.)

And this is the view of the sunrise shot through the window because I didn't wake up quite early enough to run outside.

Hamburger pickles, pickled brussel sprouts and other quickles

Gin quickles

Never let the perfect be the enemy of the just dandy. That truism is never truer than when it comes to refrigerator pickles.

In an ideal world, I clear the decks, haul out my mother's old canner, sterilize the jars and go all in on the hot water bath. The result is highly satisfying: rows upon rows of shelf-stable jewels, ready to reward your virtuous efforts whenever you choose.

But the world I live in involves two kinds of headspace when it comes to making pickles: the one in which you leave a half-inch gap or so at the top of the jar before processing, and the mental headspace I need to be in to tackle all that. Canning is nothing to go half-in on, and while pickles are among the easier things to can, you still need to be in a very focused place with enough time to follow steps carefully so you ensure proper food safety. My advice when canning is never, ever deviate from the recipe and make sure you're following one developed by a reputable cookbook or source. Food poisoning is not good eats.

Plus, given the time commitment, getting around to using up the produce before it becomes compost is a race I might well lose.

Thus the case for the quickle, the kind where you skip the hot water bath and just store the results in the refrigerator. With less time commitment, you're much more likely to try something new, and less resentful if it doesn't work out. The worst thing that happens is that you might find a new favorite pickle you want to go all-in on and actually can.

Here are some new recipes I tried this fall.The first one is a prime example of the advantage of not canning the pickles so you don't have to follow the recipe to the letter: I wanted to use whole small pickles, but they don't fit in the same 1-quart jar as the original recipe, and there was no way onion chunks and a spice bag were fitting in one jar. So I just poured in all the spices and divided everything between two jars. The second time I made this I sliced the onions instead and it worked better. Since I was leaving the spices in the jar instead of pouring the mixture through cheesecloth, I halved the spice amounts and was very happy with the results.

Hamburger pickles

Pickles adapted from “A Burger to Believe In” by Chris Kronner. This cookbook builds the perfect burger from the ground up, with no detail left to chance. Hence these pickles. I haven't done the whole nine yards yet, but it sounds like a great quest.

Ingredients

1½ pounds pickling cucumbers (the smaller the better)

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons fresh dill

1 tablespoons coriander seeds

½ tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon caraway seeds

½ tablespoon dill seed

½ tablespoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon mustard seed

1 star anise or ¾ teaspoon anise seeds, optional if you don't like anise

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

¼ teaspoon celery seed

2 whole cloves

2 allspice berries

2 bay leaves

1 small white onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic

3 cups white vinegar

Method

Wash the pickles and cut off the ends. Pack pickles into 2 pint jars, or 1 pint and 1 quart jar, depending on the size of your cucumbers. Put 1 tablespoon salt in each jar, and 1 tablespoon dill. Shake to distribute evenly. (Alternatively, you could slice them into quarters lengthwise, which does make it easier to pack them into jars efficiently, but whole pickles hold up longer in the refrigerator than spears.)

Combine coriander, caraway, dill seed, peppercorns, mustard seed, anise, fennel seed, celery seed, cloves and allspice in a small bowl. (You’ll be much happier with yourself if you mix them up in advance because it’s hard to properly measure out that many ingredients in a timely fashion while trying to toast them briefly.)

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaves and spice mixture. Toast until fragrant, a  minute or so, stirring often to avoid burning them. Add the vinegar and increase the heat to medium high. Bring to a simmer and then remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.

Divide pickles and garlic among the jars, pushing them down in among the pickles. (The handle of a wooden spoon works well for this.) Pour vinegar and spices over pickles in the jar, dividing up the spices and brine as best you can between the two jars. Cover with canning lids and let cool before refrigerating.

Rating: These are really, really nice. Wonderful combo pack of spices, even though it looks like a spice rack dump when you look at the ingredient list. Even though there's no sugar, there's an almost sweet taste implied by those spices you associate with baked goods like cloves and allspice. Someday I might try them by using the cheesecloth spice bundle method, but right now I'm not messing with success. A definite keeper, although keeping them on hand might be a challenge.

Pickled brussels sprouts

Adapted from the traditional hot-water bath method on the Farm to Table site.

Ingredients

4 cups brussels sprouts (smaller is better)

1 ⅓ cup white vinegar

⅔ cup sugar

⅔ cup thinly sliced onions

⅓ cup red bell peppers, chopped small

1 tablespoon mustard seed

½ tablespoon celery seed

1 heaping ¼ teaspoon turmeric

1 heaping ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Method

Wash brussels sprouts and remove any hard stems or outer leaves.

Bring a salted pot of water (4 teaspoons coarse salt per 1 gallon of water) to a boil Add sprouts and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat but leave them in the water while you prepare the rest of the recipe, because this is the only cooking the sprouts will get since we’re not doing a hot water bath.

Combine vinegar, sugar, onions, peppers, mustard seed, celery seed, turmeric and red pepper flakes in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Divide onion and red bell pepper among the jars. (The size and number will depend on how big your sprouts are; I used 2 jars of less than a quart each.) Drain brussels sprouts and divide among jars. Pour brine over sprouts, covering as much as possible. Wipe rims clean and cover with canning jar lids. Let cool completely before refrigerating.

Rating: Dave called them tasty little pickle treats and said that next to roasting them with bacon, this was his favorite way to eat them. I wouldn’t go that far, but they’re a not-bad treatment and a sweet/savory counterpart on the plate to pork or chicken. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to ever do the water bath version, but again, that’s the beauty of quickles: You’re more willing to experiment.

This next recipe is a fine example of how freeing it is to make refrigerator pickles. I was intrigued by the gin/juniper combo suggestion in this quickle tutorial. The author outlined her standard formula for refrigerator pickles with which she's found success. I took one look at those ratios and knew they wouldn't suit me, as I don't like my pickles that sweet, but the flavor profile of the juniper-dill-gin was a winner.

Gin quickles

Adapted from food52.com

Ingredients

2 tablespoons fresh dill

1 ½ pounds small cucumbers, sliced ¼-inch thick crosswise

2 ¼ cups vinegar

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons kosher salt

4 juniper berries

1 tablespoon gin

2 bay leaves

Method

Pack pickle slices in 2 pint jars (more or less, depending on the size of your cucumbers). Divide dill among jars.

Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, juniper berries, gin and bay leaves in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar and salt are dissolved. Cool for 5 minutes and pour over cucumber slices. Seal with canning lids and let cool before refrigerating.

Rating: Very refreshing and tasty. Make great sandwich pickles. I'd make these again.

The next recipe was more or less an experiment based on what was in the herb pots. I used the brine base from a Cooking Light quickle recipe I've made for years.

Lemon pickles

Ingredients

1 pound small cucumbers, sliced ¼-inch thick crosswise

2 fat strips lemon peel (a peeler works)

4 sprigs lemon basil

A generous dash of crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

¼ cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

Method

Place cucumbers in 2 pint jars. Put a strip of lemon and 2 sprigs of lemon basil in each, tucking down into the cucumbers. Shake a bit of crushed red pepper into each jar and shake to incorporate.

Heat vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a boil over medium high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Let cool a few minutes and then pour over cucumbers. Seal  with canning jar lids and let cool completely before refrigerating.

Rating: Very nice, bright flavors, and nicely balanced. Repeatable combo.

And another stand-by that I've blogged about before is the Fast-Favorite Dill Pickles from Epicurious. They're good as refrigerator pickles, but they're also a great gateway to canning. And that might be a good idea, since oddly enough my refrigerator is a little full of pickles right now.

Frittata with roasted vegetables

 

At a certain point in heavy produce season, you need a way to use up odds and ends. This recipe is a valuable receptacle for garden bounty. Just tuck a bunch of vegetables into the bottom of a roasting pan, cut into sizes so they'll get done about the same time depending on how quickly each kind cooks, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, roast about a half hour and you're set to make this frittata whenever you're ready. With the vegetables already cooked, it works well as a fast-fix meal for weeknights, weekend lunches with a green salad or for brunch.

Adding herbs such as rosemary or fresh thyme leaves to the vegetables as they roast is a nice touch, or you can mix them in with the eggs before baking. Red and yellow peppers work nicely here as well, as does butternut squash. Any leftover cooked vegetables can work in this, although roasting gives deeper flavor to the final dish. Parmesan is nice, but you can use whatever cheese you've got at hand. Basically, this dish is more of an approach than a recipe.

Frittata with roasted zucchini

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living Everyday Food, May 2005

 

Ingredients

3 summer squash or zucchini, halved lengthwise and then sliced into ½-inch thick slices

1 large red onion, cut into ½-inch wedges

5 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided

10 eggs

½ cup grated Parmesan

Coarse salt and pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 450. On a rimmed roasting pan, combine squash, onion and plum tomatoes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt and black pepper. Bake about 25-30 minutes until vegetables are tender and starting to brown. Set aside. (At this point, you could let the vegetables cool and refrigerate them for several days until you’re ready to use them.)

Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Brush remaining teaspoon of olive oil inside a large quiche pan or deep dish pie plate. Put 4 cups of the roasted vegetables in the dish, reserving any leftover roasting oil for another purpose (so tasty).

Mix eggs, Parmesan, 1½ teaspoons coarse salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl. Pour over roasted vegetables. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until frittata is golden brown and set in the middle. Cut into wedges and serve warm or cold. Serves 6.

Rating: Simplicity works here. Elemental, but good. Good enough that you'll plan leftover vegetables.

Lemon-ricotta blueberry pancakes

 

Spoiler alert: Wow, these are good.

I was browsing through my breakfast cookbook section this morning in search of yet another thing to do with blueberries, preferably something not too involved. I ran across a recipe for lemon ricotta pancakes, which worked for me because I've lately been on a lemon-ricotta appetizer kick and had just the right amount of ricotta on hand. I figured I'd just add blueberries and be done.

Lemon-ricotta pancakes

Adapted from “Rise & Dine: Savory Secrets from America’s Bed & Breakfast Inns” by Marcy Claman. I'm not really the target audience for actual B&Bs, but their recipes are worth making in the comfort of one's own home where one isn't possibly expected to interact with strangers before having a spot of tea. This recipe comes from the Grünberg Haus Bed and Breakfast in Waterbury, Vt. It's still operating and looks pretty funky cool in a fab location, but it has new owners so who knows if these awesome pancakes are still on the menu.

Ingredients

¾ cup flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Zest and juice of 1 lemon, divided

1 cup ricotta cheese

⅔ cup milk

2 eggs

1 cup or more fresh blueberries

Powdered sugar for serving, optional

Method

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and lemon zest in a large bowl. Whisk to mix.

In a separate bowl, whisk together ricotta, milk, eggs and lemon juice. Stir into dry ingredients. It will look a little runnier than most pancake batters I’ve encountered, but if you let it sit while you heat up the griddle to 350 degrees, it will tighten up a bit.

Lightly grease hot griddle. Pour ⅓ cup batter onto griddle. It will spread out into a 5- to 6-inch pancake. Dot the surface of each with about 10 blueberries. Cook on one side until the batter on top is very nearly set and flip, cooking until lightly golden on the other side.

Since these spread out quite a bit, unless you have a really big griddle, it’s going to take some time to cook that many (it makes about 10). And these are thicker, softer pancakes, so be prepared to have them take longer to cook. You probably don’t want to have your temperature much above 350 or your pancakes will get too brown before they’re cooked through.

Serve topped with more blueberries and a sprinkling of powdered sugar, or butter and maple syrup.

Rating: The only thing wrong with serving these to company, other than having to make them in stages, is that it's nearly impossible to eat these without making mmm, mmm sounds. These are really freaking good, with the ricotta giving them a velvety texture, and the lemon and nutmeg giving it much more flavor than standard-issue pancakes that rely more on liberal doses of butter and maple syrup for their tastiness.

While I was interested in using up blueberries, these would I suspect be perfectly lovely without as well.

Followup: I made these again without the blueberries and substituted orange zest/juice because that's what I had on hand that needed using. That's a perfectly fine variation.