And the award goes to...

The 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards for Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists was announced this week.  These awards are quite possibly, aside from the coveted Michelin Stars (www.michelinguide.com), the most important awards a restaurant or chef can receive.

 If you aren’t familiar with these “Oscars” of the culinary world, allow me to give you a short description.  James Beard was a forefather of American Cuisine.  He is regarded by many as the father of American gastronomy as well as the chef that brought French cuisine to the American middle and upper class in the 1950’s.  His life was filled with the highest of regard for culinary education and his legacy continues on with the James Beard Foundation, which provides scholarships and celebrates American cuisine.

 So, with that being said, I look forward to this list of nominees year after year.  It is thrilling to see the Chicago chefs and restaurateurs that are listed and I would like to mention those listed this year.  Congratulations!

·     Outstanding Restaurateur  Richard Melman, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. 

·     Outstanding Chef  Jean Joho, Everest.

·     Outstanding Chef  Paul Kahan, Blackbird.

·     Outstanding Restaurant  Everest.

·     Outstanding Restaurant  Blackbird.

·     Best New Restaurant  L2O.

·     Best Pastry Chef  Jimmy MacMillan, Avenues at the Peninsula.

·     Best Pastry Chef  Mindy Segal, Hot Chocolate.

·     Outstanding Wine Service  Avenues at the Peninsula.

·     Outstanding Wine Service  Bin 36.

·     Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional  Anthony Terlato, Terlato Wine Group (Bannockburn).

·     Outstanding Service  Courtright’s Restaurant (Willow Springs).

·     Outstanding Service  Spiaggia.

·     Best Chef: Great Lakes  Suzy Crofton, Crofton on Wells.

·     Best Chef: Great Lakes  Christophe David, Nomi at Park Hyatt.

·     Best Chef: Great Lakes Curtis Duffy, Avenues at the Peninsula.

·     Best Chef: Great Lakes Kendal Duque, Sepia.

·     Best Chef: Great Lakes Koren Grieveson, Avec.

·     Best Chef: Great Lakes Michael Maddox, Le Titi De Paris (Arlington Hgts.).

·     Best Chef: Great Lakes Martial Noguier, Café des Architectes at Sofitel

·     Best Chef: Great Lakes Arun Sampanthavivat, Arun’s.

·     Best Chef: Great Lakes Bruce Sherman, North Pond.

·     Best Chef: Great Lakes Giuseppe Tentori, Boka.

·     Best Chef: Great Lakes Paul Virant, Vie (Western Springs).

**You may find more award listings at www.jamesbeard.org.**

 

Congratulations to all Chicago chefs and restaurateurs for being nominated for these prestigious awards.

I hope you all enjoy reading the names of these fabulous chefs and restaurants.  I love when this list is released as I get excited (and make some sort of squeak of excitement!) to read which restaurants I have been to as well as which restaurants I have not tried but now know I should!  Enjoy and happy eating….

A little rascal of a cookie...

Well, I have survived my first week of high protein, lower carbohydrate living.  I did see an immediate improvement in my body shape and didn’t really miss bread or crackers or the sort.  Especially because I didn’t completely eliminate carbohydrates, I just focused on plant sources such as sweet potatoes, beans or quinoa so I never felt deprived or weak

However, now that I am in week 2 of my 4 week challenge I am in need of some sweets.  And baking is always something that makes me happy, especially in the winter.  It’s that cozy, Suzy homemaker kinda feeling. So, I have my mind set to make my favorite cookies.  They are little morsels of healthy happy chocolate love and they were first thing I made that was “super healthy” that my boyfriend ate without resistance! 

Don’t be turned off by the list of ingredients, many of these ingredients that have become staples in my pantry over time.  AND – you can go to Whole Foods and purchase most of these items in bulk, meaning you grab a bag and fill it with any amount you need from one tablespoon to 10 cups, it’s cheaper and better for the environment, YAY! These crazy flours and meals are things that I now use quite frequently, it may be that I throw in a couple tablespoons of flaxseeds in a cookie recipe or substitute 25% of the flour in a recipe with buckwheat flour.  It’s fun to play around and get different flavors!

I use a variety of flours and meals in this recipe.  The flour is whole wheat pastry flour (quite possibly the easiest substitution for white flour, it’s a 1:1 sub), and the meals are flaxseed, oat, buckwheat and finally wheat bran.  Really, this is a good tasting cookie that you can feel ok eating (one or two or three…..)!

Finally, before I list the recipe is a bit of information on the health benefits of one of the flours used in the cookies- buckwheat.

 

Buckwheat Health Benefits

 

-It’s gluten free, can be substituted in standard recipes up to 25% for flour use.

-A diet with regular consumption of buckwheat has been shown to lower high blood pressure.

-According to the website, www.foodscout.org, “food made from buckwheat has been shown to lower blood glucose levels and insulin responses, especially when compared with similar foods made from refined wheat flour. New evidence also suggests that buckwheat may help manage diabetes.”

-It tastes delicious!

-It has all eight essential amino acids (very good source of protein)

--Contains a high amount of iron

So, just a few reasons why buckwheat flour may be a good addition to your pantry.  Plus it adds a sort of caramel, sweet and nutty flavor to whatever you add it to.  Yum!

 

Chocolate Chunk Cookies 

INGREDIENTS

·      3 cups whole wheat pastry flour

·      ½ cup wheat bran

·      ½ cup buckwheat flour

·      4 T. flaxseeds

·      1 t. baking soda

·      1 t. baking powder

·      ¾ t. fine-grain sea salt

·      1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

·      2 cups natural cane sugar, preferably Alter Eco Brand Organic Cane Sugar **If you cannot find this brand, look for the darkest colored cane sugar***

·      3 large eggs

·      1 T. pure vanilla extract ( I prefer Nielson-Massey’s Madagascar Bourbon vanilla.  Made in Chicago and carried in Williams-Sonoma)

·      1 ¼ cups rolled oats

·      2 cups dark chocolate chunks

·      ½ cup chopped walnuts

 

DIRECTIONS

1.    Preheat oven to 350.

2.    In medium bowl combine whole wheat pastry flour, wheat germ, flaxseeds, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt.

3.    Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.

4.    Add eggs, one at a time, scraping bowl down in-between additions. Then add vanilla.

5.    Add dry ingredients to butter and sugar mixture until just blended.

6.    Fold in oats, dark chocolate chunks and walnuts.

7.    Scoop cookies out on parchment lined sheets in tablespoon portions, leaving 2 inches between cookies.

8.    Bake 7-8 minutes until barely golden brown.  **Do not over bake! If anything under bake.**