Springfield’s Hidden Gem: A Breath of Fresh Culinary Flair

When you think about Springfield, Illinois, several things come to mind; state capital, the historic sites, Abraham Lincoln, and going to the state fair. Springfield has its moments, but a new found discovery of mine leads me to believe that this state capital has a lot more to offer when it comes to dining out. If you are tired of visiting the same spots, chain restaurants, and consuming ordinary food year after year and think you have exhausted all of your options, think again! 

Salmon Cake - Pickled Egg Salad, Watercress, English Cucumbers and Sesame

A hidden gem, and located in the most unexpected place you can imagine, American Harvest Eatery is considered a game changer for the heart (and stomachs) of Springfield. If you enjoy locally fresh farmed raised ingredients, artsy presentations, a nice vibe and atmosphere, then a visit to this fine dining establishment is worth your time.  I have dined there several times and ordered something new at every visit and I must say that the use of innovative techniques and styles radiates from each plate. Lots of bright colored starches, vegetables, purees, and subtle hints of spices makes each meal that more intriguing and simple, but complex at the same time. By using locally grown ingredients and leveraging the harvest from local farmers, American Harvest is sure to produce a superior product every time you dine there. Not to mention, the customer service is impeccable!  The menu changes depending what’s in season, and the restaurant offers delicious specials too. But if you are one of the lucky ones, you may catch the following in rotation:


Executive Chef Jordan Coffey (right)

Snacks and Appetizers
• Cornbread with Honey Butter
• Fried House Made Pickles
• Green Beans
• Salmon Cakes
• Pei Mussels

Entrées
• Short Rib with Greens and Carrot/Ginger puree
• Any entrée with the Chorizo Jam in it

Also, if you have a sweet tooth, try their desserts!

During my time there, I had the pleasure of speaking with Executive Chef, Jordan Coffey, about how he started in the industry and worked his way up to such an admirable position in the kitchen. He sat down at the table for about fifteen minutes and explained how he started as a dishwasher, then sandwich maker, and had the privilege of running the kitchen at the café sandwich shop. Coming from a humbling background, Chef Jordan branched out to other restaurants and climbed his way up the ladder while becoming more accustomed to the daily grind of the culinary world. Gaining real world field experience and not through the traditional classroom setting, Chef Jordan was able to work for some of well-respected restaurants right here in Chicago! But, he couldn’t do it alone, as his wife, Aurora, joined him in the culinary journey by attending Robert Morris University’s culinary program. With support from his wife, and pure drive and determination, they decided to join forces and take on the rewarding project of supporting community efforts, providing local cuisine, and culinary awareness across Springfield.

If you are looking forward to your next date night, or just a casual evening out with the family and friends, please be sure to visit this farm to table restaurant. American Harvest Eatery caters to all audiences! The restaurant is located on 3241 W. Iles Ave in Springfield, Illinois inside a convenient strip mall. They are open for lunch, Tuesday through Friday from 11am – 2:30pm and Saturday from 11am – 2pm. They reopen for dinner from 5pm to 10pm, Tuesday – Saturday and Sunday for brunch from 10am – 3pm. The owners, chefs and staff will take short break by closing on Monday.

Visit them at: http://www.americanharvesteatery.com/

Also, be sure to ‘Like’ them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Harvest-Eatery/#!/pages/American-Harvest-Eatery/136866819713445

Executive Chef Jordan and Aurora Coffey and company, I just want to thank you again for your warm hospitality, gratitude and for bringing fresh ingredients from Illinois’ local farmers to Springfield residents.

Your Community Food Chef, Lamar J. Burrell

Creole Shrimp Dip

Dip is one of those dishes that everyone seems to enjoy at a party.  Served cold, this appetizer will surely get your palate moving.  Inspired by the cuisine of New Orleans, Creole Shrimp Dip combines the familiar flavors of a remoulade, with Cajun flare. This recipe might look difficult because of all the ingredients, but it’s very easy to prepare. I promise!  If you like shrimp and spicy flavorful dips, be sure to try this one at your next gathering. Bon Appetit! 

Creole Shrimp Dip

• 2 bags (12 oz.) of Cooked Small Shrimp
• 8oz. Cream Cheese 
•  2 Cups of Mayonnaise
• ½ Cup of Sour Cream
• Juice from ½ a Lemon
• 4 Gloves of Chopped Garlic
• 2 Tablespoons of Ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons of Ground Course Mustard
• 2 Tablespoons of Fresh Ground Horseradish
• 1 Tablespoon of Hungarian Paprika
• 1 Tablespoon of Smoked Paprika
• 1 Tablespoon of Garlic Powder
• 1 Tablespoon of Onion Powder
• 1 Teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon of Celery Salt
• 1 Teaspoon of Dried Thyme Leaves
• 1 Teaspoon of Dried Oregano
• 1 Teaspoon of White Pepper
• ½ Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper

Optional

• Chopped Parsley for Garnish

Step 1: In a food processor, combine all ingredients listed above EXCEPT FOR the shrimp.  Mix thoroughly until ingredients are evenly distributed.  You may need to manually wipe the sides of the food processor down to completely incorporate everything.

 

Step 2: Once the ingredients are all mixed together, add half of the shrimp to the food processor and blend it together until all shrimp is minced within. Again, wipe down the sides of the food processor to completely incorporate everything.  

Step 3: With the remainder of the shrimp, coarsely chop them up into bite size chunks and add to the mixture. This will give the dip more texture.  Mix with a spatula and pour the dip into a serving dish.  

Step 4: Lastly, garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.  Dip is served best with tortilla chips or bagel/toast points. To intensify the flavors, refrigerate the dip for 4 – 6 hours before serving. 

I am always trying to learn and improve my recipes, so feel free to comment once you've had a chance to make this yourself.  I always enjoy feedback from others.

Your Community Food Chef Follow me on Twitter: @yourcfchef 

 

Hosting the Big Game

Super Bowl Sunday is upon us and many football fans have plans to entertain their family and friends by getting together and partying.  Whether you’re a San Francisco 49ers or a Baltimore Ravens fan, we can all agree on one thing:  a proper host must have great food and drink for this event.  More specifically, lots of mouth pleasing appetizers and drinks to quench your thirst.  There is a high probability that most Americans are going to indulged themselves into one or more of the following Super Bowl favorites that we all love to eat: wings, pizza, soda, beer (lots of it), chips, dip and some sort of dessert.  As a side note, this is the same day that all New Year’s diets go out the window. Sorry, it’s just reality!  But for an event such as this, it is important to have a variety of food and an appropriate quantity for each dish that you plan to serve.  There is nothing worse than running out of something in the middle of the game and you still have hungry guests asking you if there is more of something.  A simple way to figure out how many pieces of food you need from each appetizer is by using this simple formula (sorry for those who hate math):

(12 pieces per person x # of guests) ÷ # of different appetizers you choose to have

For example, if you are having 10 guests and serving 5 different appetizers for your Super Bowl party, it will be 12x10 = 120 pieces, divided by 5, equaling 24 pieces for each type of appetizer. 

This formula is standard across all caterers, so I cannot take credit for this one.  I wanted to pass this useful information onto those that need it.  You can use this as a tool to measure how much you want to serve; however, please remember that you can always use a little extra.  The more is merrier, especially when the food it good!  

Since the Super bowl has approximately 4 hours of broadcasting time (this includes the half time show), I like to ration the food so that it will last and you keep your guests satisfied throughout the night.  If you make an abundance of something, set the extra aside and serve the remainder after the half time show.  Or, if you make an equal amount of appetizers (lets use 6), you can serve 3 the first half and 3 the second half. For those items that are not as quantitative, like chips and dip, use your judgment.  Typically, the dip is what usually goes first; which is always disappointing. 

Lastly, always remember “Fire and Ice.”  What does this mean, you say?  It means, try to keep your hot food warm and your cold food/drink cool.  No one likes lukewarm soda and beer, or cold chicken, at least I don’t.  If you have chafing dishes, that’s perfect!  If you don’t want to get fancy, you can always arrange your stove and set it to the warm setting or put it on 150 to 200 degrees.  Also, remember the ice!  But to be honest, if you’re a few brews in, you might not care about the temperature of what you’re consuming. 

So, am I having a Super Bowl party? And if so, what am I serving, you ask?

This answer to the first question is yes, my wife and I will be hosting several friends for the big game. 
  

Here is what we are serving our guests:

• Wings (purchasing from a local restaurant)
• Pizza (purchasing from a local restaurant)
• Chicken Meatballs with White BBQ Sauce (inspired by my recent visit to Big Bob Gibson’s restaurant down in Huntsville, AL. A similar recipe can be found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bbq-with-bobby-flay/big-bob-gibsons-alabama-white-bbq-sauce-recipe/index.html)
• Creole Shrimp Dip (an original recipe – recipe coming soon!)
• Charleston Cheese Dip (a Trisha Yearwood recipe from the show Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, in which the recipe can be found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/charleston-cheese-dip-recipe/index.html)
• Blueberry Cobbler (a Trisha Yearwood method, but I made it my own.  The original recipe can be found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/easy-peach-cobbler-recipe/index.html)
• Various Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Feel free to share to your tips for having a great party.  Enjoy the game!

Your Community Food Chef Follow me on Twitter: @yourcfchef 

Sushi By Chef Soon: Best in Chicago!!!

Chef Soon at the Sushi Bar

If you live in the suburbs of Chicago, in the city, or just visiting, you have to take a trip to Sushi by Chef Soon. The Sushi Bar is located inside a Korean BBQ restaurant in Lisle, IL, and in my opinion, they by far serve the best sushi in town.  Even if you’re not a fan of sushi, Chef Soon will change your mind!  Since I have the privilege of traveling for work, I have had the opportunity to enjoy some great sushi (cooked and raw).  But, nothing comes close to what Chef Soon is doing here in the Chicagoland area.  Through a recommendation, my wife and I went there twice already, and on both occasions our palates were blown away with new flavors that come out of the sushi bar.  All of their fish and other ingredients are very fresh (sometimes specialty fish is imported).  The wait staff is nice too and provides excellent customer service. 

White Sox Roll

Chef Soon’s menu is quite extensive, offering up some of your more traditional sushi, like the California roll, to some of his own creative specialty maki  or sushi rolls, like the White Sox roll (one of my favorites, to the right).  What makes Sushi by Chef Soon so unique is that the maki is served with their house made soy sauce and other sauces used to make each sushi piece so succulent.  Simply delicious!  

Usually, when you go out to lunch or dinner for sushi, especially in a big city like Chicago, you would expect to pay a “pretty penny.”  But, not here!  Pricing is really reasonable, you will be stuffed and you won’t feel broke when you leave this restaurant.  For two people, drinks included, you will probably spend approximately 50 – 60 dollars, depending how hungry you are.

Here is what Chef Soon prepared for me during my visits: 

King Kong Roll

• Spicy Octopus Roll
• The Ecstasy – No description needed here – just try it – one of the local favorites, including mine.
• Dragon Roll - Eel over shrimp tempura and topped with chili tobiko
• Smoky Bear - Seared smoked salmon over shrimp tempura and cream cheese served with unagi sauce
• King Kong (to the right above) - Deep fried roll with spicy tuna, snowcrab meat, shrimp tempura, cucumber and avocado, drizzled with spicy masago mayo and unagi sauce
• White Sox  - Seared super white tuna over spicy tuna and shrimp tempura topped with black tobiko, drizzled with citrus olive garlic sauce

Check out Sushi by Chef Soon  located on 1600 Maple Ave, Lisle, IL and be sure to visit their website at: sushibychefsoon.com.

If this is your first time, try sitting at the sushi bar and meet Chef Soon yourself.

Your Community Food Chef Follow me on Twitter: @yourcfchef