The Drive Continues, On To Milwaukee

Leaving Two Rivers (the name derived from the East Twin and West Twin Rivers) we drive south along the lake's shoreline on Hwy. 42 until Hwy 42 meets with Hwy 10W here we head west to the Interstate 43S, we're off to Milwaukee.

The largest city in the state, Milwaukee (originally spelled Milwaukie and changed by a newspaper in the 1830's) has a rich history which can be traced as far back as 1785, the name is said to be Ojibwa for "a gathering place".  First settled as a trading post by French Canadians Milwaukee grew out of the growth of three towns, Kilbourntown,  Juneautown and Walker's Point, which after the Milwaukee Bridge War of 1845 amalgamated into one town.  Not long after immigration saw an influx of Germanic people, so large was the amount of German immigrants (both high and low German, referring to their area of Germany and to a status) that Milwaukee has the unofficial title of "German Athens of America or The most German of American Cities". The American German people had huge impact on all areas of American and Milwaukee culture from the introduction of kindergarten (garden of the children at the time a new idea of Friedrich Fröbel in Germany reinvented for the US school system,) to politics and social areas, influencing most areas of life in the Midwest USA and doing so with rarely ever holding the highest elected offices.

Some notable German Americans:

Henry A. Kissinger- United States Secretary of State

Karl Pfizer-founded the Pfizer Inc. pharmaceutical company

Levi Strauss-founded the first company to manufacture blue jeans ( Levi Strauss & Co.)

Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg- founder of the piano company Steinway & Sons

Johann Peter Roggenfeller-ancestor of John D. Rockefeller

Johann Philipp Kreißler -ancestor of Walter Percy Chrysler (founder of Chryler)

Wilhelm Böing- father of William Edward Boeing (founder of Boeing)

Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel-inventor of the diesel engine

Nikolaus August Otto- inventor of the otto engine (gasoline engine)

The German people however are not the only groups to come to the city, many Eastern Europeans as came along, Polish, Ukranian, Serbian and others.With the influx of the eastern European people , their cuisine is what is sought therefore many restaurants in Milwaukee still serves food influenced by these styles. Each group offers national dishes of their country, but more exciting are the regional foods that have been reworked into American  palate. One may enjoy dishes like, Hasenpfeffer, Wienerschnitzel, Goetta, Goulash and Rouladen along with the best of the "Wurst" such as Jagdwurst, Blockwurst, Knackwurst, Bierwurst.  The sausage was and remains a mainstay of the common persons lunch box, safe and tasty each culture have many, many varieties, but the Eastern European along with the Italian has swept the world and are favored throughout, from the "Sub" sandwich and the panni to "cold cuts" they are the choice of the working man's lunch.  Desserts of course are extraordinary, Schwarzwalder Kirschentorte  (Black Forest Cake\\\0, Apple Dumplings, or for the chocolate lover there is the Schokoladentorte.

What would that lunch be however, without cheese, in fact, what would Wisconsin be without cheese, lacking at best.  Wisconsin is the home of America's cheese (however, not American cheese, the creation of J.L. Kraft & Company see http://chefk.blogspot.ca/2013/09/national-cheeseburger-day.html for more information on American cheese) Remember the tale of Little Miss Muffet? Her curds and whey were an early version of cottage cheese. From these curd's come all varieties of cheese.

As one drives the state you will see large dairy farms with Jersey, Holstein, Guernsey and other milking cows grazing on the vast grasslands. It takes a lot of milk to produce the more than 2 billion pounds of 350 varieties of cheese produced by the state every year. Americans love cheese, the average American eats more than 27 pounds of cheese each year--30% more than 10 years ago--and will consume about a ton of cheese during a lifetime!

It takes:

10 pounds of whole milk to make one pound of cheese.

12 pounds of whole milk to make one pound of ice cream.

21.2 pounds of whole milk to make one pound of butter.

One quart of milk weighs 2.15 pounds.

One gallon of milk weighs 8.6 pounds.

Jeanne Carpenter is the cheese geek, here are her top Wisconsin cheeses: BelGioioso Cheese: Aged Provolone, Bleu Mont Dairy: Bandaged Cheddar, Capri Cheesery : St. Pauline, Carr Valley: Cocoa Cardona, Cesar's Cheese: Queso Oaxaca, Cedar Grove: Butterkase, Chalet Cheese Cooperative: Baby Swiss, Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese: Petit Frere, Edelweiss Creamery: Grass Based Emmentaler, Emmi Roth USA: Grand Cru Gruyere Surchoix, Fantome Farm: Fleuri Noir, Hennings Cheese: Peppercorn Cheddar, Hidden Springs Creamery: Driftless, Hollands

Family Cheese: Foenegreek Gouda, Hook's Cheese: 10-Year Cheddar, Klondike Cheese: Feta, LaClare Farm: Evalon, Maple Leaf Cheese Cooperative: English Hollow, Meister Cheese : Eagle Cave Reserve, Nordic Creamery: Capriko, Roelli Cheese: Dunbarton  Blue, Sartori: SarVecchio, Saxon Homestead Creamery: Big Ed's, Seymour Dairy: Ader Kase Reserve, Uplands Cheese: Pleasant Ridge Reserve, Widmer's Cheese Cellars: Brick.

Most of these cheeses can be found in the many cheese shops throughout the state. If you stay in Milwaukee then you must stroll along the Riverwalk, a three mile walkway along both sides of the Milwaukee river running through the downtown core of the city. Here you find interesting shops, many restaurants and of course local breweries. You can rent a boat or take a tour boat cruise and stream along the river for an even better look at the markets, historical building and works by local artists. This stream is listed in US Today as one of the top 10 places to stream in North America, so it's not to be missed.

A short walk from the river and you'll come to The Wisconsin Cheese Mart  located at 215 W. Highland Avenue, where you can buy a 22 lb round of cheddar (called hoop cheese), a 16 year cheddar that is incredible (I had this and want more) or a basket of different cheese like this basket that i

ncludes Gouda, sharp Cheddar, Sarvecchio Parmesan, and Gruyere Grand Cru.

The journey to Milwaukee is well worth it no matter where in the world you may be travelling from.

ROULADEN

6 slices top round (see hints below)

3 slices lean bacon

1 onion, sliced

3 garlic dill pickles, sliced

2 tbsp butter

mustard, salt, pepper, corn starch

1 - 2 cups water

Instructions:

Season beef slices with salt and freshly ground pepper. Thinly spread mustard on top of each slice.

Divide bacon, pickle, and onion slices on one end of each slice.

Roll up slices, tucking the ends in and securing with skewers, wooden cocktail picks, or thread.

Heat butter in skillet. Brown rouladen well on all sides. Do not crowd rouladen in skillet, or they will not brown nicely. Do in small batches if necessary. Add extra butter if needed.

Once all rouladen are well browned, add 1 - 2 cups of hot water, gently stirring up browned bits. Return all rouladen and any accumulated juices to skillet, bring to simmer and cover.

Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours.

Remove rouladen. To thicken gravy, combine about 1-2 tbsp corn starch in a little cold water and stir gently into cooking liquid until slightly thickened.

Season gravy to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. If you wish, add sour cream to the gravy.

Remove skewers, picks, or thread to serve rouladen with their gravy.

GOULASH

2 lbs boneless beef chuck, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

3 tbsp butter or oil

3 tbsp tomato paste

3 - 4 onions, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced (optional)

2 carrots, sliced

1 - 2 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika

1 cup red wine (or water)

2 cups beef broth (or bouillon cubes & water)

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

Instructions:

In a large pan, brown the beef cubes in two batches in the butter or oil over high heat, removing browned meat to a bowl.

Add onions and garlic (if using) and fry until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and the browned beef cubes.

Bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover.

Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

Check seasoning and adjust as needed.

If you wish to make the gravy thicker, mix about 1 -2 tbsp cornstarch with a bit of cold water and stir in as needed to thicken.

Serves 4 - 6.

CHEF K'S SCHWARZWALDER KIRSCHENTORTE  (BLACK FOREST CAKE)

2 tbsp    30 ml     cocoa powder

2 cups   500 ml   pastry flour

4 oz        120 gr    semi sweet chocolate

½ cup    125 ml   butter

1-½ cups              375 ml   sugar

2              2              eggs

1 cup     250 ml   milk

Sift the cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt together three times.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.

Cream the butter and sugar until very light.  Add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition.

Stir in the chocolate. Incorporate the flour and milk in  additions each. Pour batter into 2   8" buttered and floured round cake pans. Bake in a preheated 350F (180C) oven for 35 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack, turn cake out and cool completely. Frost.

FILLING AND FROSTING:

2 cups   500 ml   black cherries   pitted, canned

½ cup    125 ml   juice from the cherries

2 tbsp    3 ml        cornstarch

¼ cup    60 ml     kirsch or cherry brandy

2 cups   500 ml   whipping cream

½ cup    125 ml   confectioners sugar

1 cup     250 ml   chocolate shavings

Heat the cherries in a sauce pan. Mix the cherry juice with the cornstarch, add to the cherries and boil until thick.  Cool to warm.

Sprinkle cakes with kirsch.

Spread the cherries on the first cake and top with the second.  Whip the cream, fold in the sugar and spread or pipe onto the cake.  Garnish with chocolate.

SCHOKOLADENTORTE

2 tbsp    30 ml     cocoa powder

2 cups   500 ml   pastry flour

1 tsp      5 ml        baking soda

¼ tsp     2 ml        salt

½ cup    125 ml   butter

1-½ cups              375 ml   sugar

2              2              eggs

4 oz        120 gr    semi   sweet chocolate   melted

1 cup     250 ml   buttermilk

Sift the cocoa, flour, baking soda and salt together 3 times.  Cream the butter and sugar together until very light. Add the eggs, one at a time.  Add the chocolate.  Incorporate the flour and buttermilk in thirds.  Pour into 2 8" round greased floured cake pans.  Bake in a preheated 350F (180C) oven for 35 40 minutes.  Cool 10 minutes, turn out on a cooling rack.  Cool and frost with double chocolate frosting.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE FROSTING

2 oz        60 gr      bittersweet chocolate

2 oz        60 gr      milk chocolate

½ cup    125 ml   heavy cream

1 tsp      5 ml        butter, melted

1              1              egg yolk

2 cups   500 ml   confectioners sugar

½ tsp     3 ml        vanilla

In a double boiler, melt the chocolates.  Blend in the remaining ingredients until very smooth.  Use as required.

SUDS, BUDS AND MILWAUKEE BREWING

As important as cheese is in Wisconsin and Milwaukee there is another food product that to many is as important if not more so than the curd and that would be .....beer. Milwaukee is the home to many of the international breweries such as  Pabst, Schlitz, Miller, Blatz gives the city the title of "Beer Capital of The World" it may be open to discussion but there can be no doubt the city with its breweries produces huge volumes of the liquid suds for America and the international consumer.

Although no longer owned by Milwaukee interests Baltz and Schlitz are still brewed by other breweries after falling for one reason or another. Both breweries date back to the mid 1800's Schlitz was the worlds top brewer for many years from 1900 to 1950's battling for the title they eventually lost with Anheuser-Busch of St. Louis.  You may remember the slogan of Schlitz "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer"  the company began to change the recipe and eventually lost market share and was sold for far less than its value.  Beer lovers and history buffs find the history of beer in Milwaukee educational and very interesting.

In 1893, Pabst beer was awarded the title “America’s Best”at the World’s Columbian Exposition, the original Pabst beer, was called Best Select as Pabst was originally The Best Brewing Co. Then Pabst Select, earned the name Pabst Blue Ribbon due to the company’s practice of tying blue ribbons around the necks of its beer bottles from the years 1882 to 1916. People would continually ask for “the blue ribbon beer”, and so the name stuck. During prohibition the brewery could not produce beer so the owners decided to make the other product Milwaukee is famous for, cheese.

From Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine craft breweries are finally coming into their own and whether you're in Milwaukee or St. Louis (home of the big brewers) you and your bud can enjoy a specialty brew at many of the city's most popular brewpubs. One of the best sipventures you can take is a Riverwalk cruise that stops at the city's 3 best mircobrew pubs, stops at brewpubs like Milwaukee Ale House, Molly Cool’s Seafood Tavern or Rock Bottom Brewery will certainly make your day. Go for the beer, but stay for the food most brewpubs have excellent cuisine as they believe that service is all in their hospitality and great beer must be accompanied by great food. At Molly Cool’s Seafood Tavern you can enjoy P.E.I. Mussel's steamed in Spotted Cow beer or Molly Cool's Fish and chips, at the Milwaukee Ale House enjoy Drunken Chicken or Pot Roast braised in Sheepshead Stout and the food at  Rock Bottom Brewery is just excellent try their Lobster & Shrimp Enchiladas and miss out on the Woodford Reserve Bourbon Glazed Salmon.

BRAISED BEEF WITH STOUT

4 lbs. Boneless beef chuck roast

2 tsp. Salt

3/4 tsp. Black pepper

2 tsp. Vegetable oil

1/2 lb. Onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

1/2 lb. Carrots, thinly sliced

1/2 lb. Celery thinly sliced

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tbsp. Chopped fresh thyme

1 tbsp. Chopped fresh rosemary

12 oz. Stout

1 cup beef broth

1 lb small new potatoes

Directions

Put oven rack in middle position. Preheat oven to 325F. Pat beef dry and rub with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in oven proof, 5-quart, wide heavy pot over medium high heat until hot - not smoking - and brown beef on all sides, about 15 minutes total. Transfer beef to a plate.

Add onions, carrots and celery  to pot and saute, stirring, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, rosemary, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring, for two minutes. Add stout and broth, bring to a boil, return beef to pot and cover. Braise in oven, turning after one hour until beef is tender, cook for  three to three and a half hours total. Add the potatoes at the final hour and continue to cook for the final hour. Let stand uncovered in sauce about 30 minutes before serving. Plate the potatoes, vegetables, carve the roast and strain the sauce serving it on the side.

MUSSELS STEAMED IN BEER

1 tbsp butter

1 medium onion, sliced

2 pounds of mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded

1 bottle of lager

1 shallot, minced

1/4 cup of chopped parsley or cilantro

Crusty French baguette

In a Dutch oven, heat the butter and saute the onion until tender.

Add the beer and shallot to a large saucepan. Bring to slow boil over medium-high heat.

Add the mussels, cover, and steam until all the mussels have opened (toss any that don’t open).

Divide mussels and broth among bowls. Sprinkle with parsley or cilantro and serve along with some crusty bread.

DRUNKEN CHICKEN

5 lb.  Whole chicken

2 oz unsalted butter, melted, cooled

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

375ml can lager

1/2 lemon, cut into thin wedges

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high. Rinse the chicken under cold running water and pat dry with paper towel.

Combine butter, honey, paprika and two-thirds of the garlic in a bowl and season. Pour one-third of the beer from the can, then push the lemon wedges and remaining garlic inside the can. Place the beer can upright on the grill, then sit the chicken on top so that the can is inside the cavity. Baste the chicken with the honey marinade and transfer to the barbecue. Close the lid and cook, basting occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours or until cooked through (the juices should run clear when the thigh is pierced with a skewer). Remove the chicken from the barbecue - be careful as the can will be very hot. Allow to cool slightly, then remove the beer can from the cavity and discard. Rest, loosely covered with foil, for 15 minutes.

BEER LOBSTER & CRAB ENCHILADAS IN A CHIPOTLE CREAM SAUCE

16 ounces lobster and/or crab meat

1 cup ale

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 yellow onion -- finely minced (approx 1/4 cup)

3 tablespoons flour

2/3 cup milk

2/3 cup chicken stock

4 cups provolone or Monterey Jack cheese -- shredded & divided

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 to 2 tablespoons chipotle chile canned in Adobo pureed**

1cup salsa Verde -- (green salsa)

8 flour tortillas

 COOK LOBSTER:

In a medium saucepan, bring the beer to a simmer. Add lobster meat and simmer until just done. Approximately 2-3 minutes. (Do not over cook, as lobster will continue to cook as the enchiladas heat in the oven)

Remove lobster and place in small bowl to cool. Roughly chop or tear into bite-size pieces.

TO MAKE CHIPOTLE CREAM SAUCE:

In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add onions and sauté until just translucent. Do not brown.

Add flour to cooked onions and stir for 1-2 minutes.

While whisking, pour in milk and chicken stock. Add garlic. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until sauce just  begins to thicken.

Reduce heat to low and add 2 cups of the shredded provolone cheese one handful at a time. Whisk until each handful is completely melted. Remove from heat.

Add in chipotle puree and stir. Note, more chipotle puree can be added to taste, depending on desired level of spiciness.

 TO ASSEMBLE ENCHILADAS:

In large sauté pan, add salsa Verde (can be thinned with 1/4 cup chicken stock or beer). Warm salsa over medium heat.

Take one flour tortilla and dip in warm salsa Verde so that both sides are moistened. Place on plate. Put in 1/8 of  lobster meat and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese. Roll into enchilada and place in a greased 9x13 baking dish.

 Repeat with remaining tortillas, lobster meat and cheese.

Once all enchiladas are in the baking dish, pour Chipotle Cream Sauce over the top of the enchiladas. You can add additional shredded cheese on top if desired.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until warmed through and cheese is bubbly. Serve with extra salsa Verde.

BOURBON GLAZED SALMON

2 lb salmon fillets

1/2 c. Bourbon

1/4 c. Dark brown sugar

1/2 c. Ketchup

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp. White vinegar

1 tbsp Chef K Seasonongs

1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 whole garlic cloves chopped

1/4 tsp dry mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Combine the bourbon, sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, seasonings, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper; mix well. Brush salmon with a thin coating of the glaze and place on grill. Continue to baste when turning the salmon.

Cook fish for 10 minutes per inch, or 5 minutes per side for a 1 inch steak or fillet.