FoodieCuisine.com

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Panera Panini

One of my son’s favorite places to eat “fast food” is from Panera Bread.  Specifically, he likes the one on Highway-10 in Little Rock, Arkansas.  I wanted something light and decided to stop by the other day for a quick bite.

Although I enjoy eating heavy foods, my waistline can’t hack it, which relegates me to eating light and healthy foods 90% of the time.  Panera specializes in sandwiches (and paninis,) so I order the Tomato Mozzarella Panini.  I make fresh mozzarella sandwiches at home, complete with tomato, basil, and a vinaigrette, and am looking for a similar experience while at Panera.

My food takes about 10 minutes to make and arrives steaming hot.  The sandwich is large, a little on the thin side, but smells very good.  The first bite is greasy, with a huge amount of cheese.  The sandwich looks thin, but it is as heavy as a lead balloon on my stomach.  The cheese should not be melted as much as it is (for this kind of sandwich,) and the amount of oil used is beyond reasonable.  I eat about a 1/4 of the sandwich and throw the rest of it away.

Needless to say, I am a little disappointed.  I know Panera is a chain, but I thought a Tomato Mozzarella Panini would be good and light at the same time.  I make them all the time at home and they are much lighter in calories, fat, and flavor.  I know a lot of people like Panera, and I do too usually.  Just avoid the Tomato Mozzarella Panini.

On further inspection, I found the nutritional information for the panini: 770 calories, 29 grams of total fat, and 10 grams of saturated fat!  Wow…that is an amazing amount of fat and calories for such a sandwich.  A Big Mac from McDonald’s has 704 calories and 43.7 grams of fat.  This panini has more calories than a Big Mac…..I don’t know what to say other than to avoid it.

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

U.S. Pizza company has been in Arkansas since 1972 when Judy Waller opened their first store in Levy.  They serve huge chefs salads, sandwiches, and of course, pizza.  The pizza has a thin crust and is made “American” style with a lot of toppings, cheese, and a medium amount of sauce.  The sauce has plenty of herbs in it and is much better than the style you find at chain restaurants.

Inside U.S. Pizza, Levy

U.S. Pizza has had its ups and downs in the restaurant world around Arkansas, with some stores serving outstanding food (Levy) while others have suffered from poor customer service (Maumelle.)  Such is to be expected when you run a multi-restaurant business though and luckily, the one I go to the most, also is the best (the Levy location.)

The Levy location has a single large room to sit in with many tables to choose from, seating anywhere from two people to a dozen or more (if you combine tables.)  They have a large hand-painted mural on the wall which is fun to look at and matches the decorations well.

The Chefs Salads are huge, and by huge, I mean really really big.  They are based on chopped ice-cold lettuce, with mounds of cheese, meat, mushrooms, and vegetables on top.  I have tried to recreate them at home but they never turn out quite the same.  If you are looking for a good salad, I suggest giving the turkey or ham salad a try.  Be prepared to share it with someone if you are not making a meal of it.

Supreme Pizza

For this visit I ordered a Supreme Pizza with the addition of green olives.  The supreme comes with beef, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, cheese, and sauce.  I like the saltiness of the green olives and always order them along with the base topings.  The pizza takes time to cook since its fresh but the wait was worth the results.

My pizza was large enough for a few people, had a lot of toppings, and not too much sauce.  I let it cool for a few minutes and dug in.  Each slice has the full range of toppings and the sauce is spicy, yet not too hot.  Everything is in perfect proportion for an American style pizza and I am not disappointed in the least.

I recommend trying out the Levy location of U.S. Pizza if you want a large salad or thin crust pizza.  You will be glad you did.

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Buffalo Chicken Thighs

One of the magazines I subscribe to is Cooking Light.  They have many great low-calorie recipes and also have a section for meals on a budget.  This months issue has a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Thighs which I had to try out last night.  As it turns out, they were very tasty and my family loved them.  My younger son even raved about how it was the “best chicken ever”.  You can’t get much better than that. 🙂

I already owned the olive oil, flour, blue cheese, and butter used for the recipe, but other than that, the entire meal came out to $11.57 at Kroger.  It made enough to feed (4) easily with a few leftovers.  That is an average price of $2.90 per person.  Cheaper than fast food!  To top it off, I spent more than called for as I added broccoli to the mix.

Ingredients – Chicken

• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 5 pounds (8) bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 4 tablespoons hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon butter

Ingredients – Blue Cheese Potatoes

• 4 red potatoes (~1.5 pounds)
• 2 ounces blue cheese
• 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup roasted garlic (from deli counter)

Prep

Wash the potatoes and place in a large pot of water to boil them in.  Turn it to high , bring to a boil, and let boil for 15 minutes.  Proceed to cook everything else and the potatoes should be ready about the time the chicken goes into the oven.

Remove the skin from the chicken thighs and trim away the fat.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, red pepper flakes, salt, and garlic powder.  Toss the chicken thighs in the mixture until well coated on all sides.

Trim the stalks off the broccoli, wash it, cut away the florets, and place in a large skillet.  Pour enough water to reach 1″and turn to Medium-High.  Steam the broccoli for about 10 minutes or until slightly tender (it will continue to cook once out of the skillet.)  Drain the broccoli from the pan once it is done and set aside in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cooking

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil.  In batches, shake excess flour off and pan fry the chicken thighs on each side for 4 minutes (or until golden brown.)  Remove from the skillet and place on a large baking sheet.  Place the sheet in the oven once all of the chicken is done.  Bake for 8 minutes or until the chicken reaches 160 degrees F in the middle (it will continue to cook after removed from the oven.)  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Remove the potatoes from the water and place in a large bowl.  Mash the potatoes with a potato masher.  Add the blue cheese, buttermilk, and the garlic.  Mix well and season with salt and pepper as your taste applies.

Heat the hot sauce and the butter in an oven-proof covered bowl (45 seconds or so.)  Mix well until the hot sauce and butter is silky smooth.

Toss the chicken with the hot sauce mixture in a bowl until well coated.  Place two chicken thighs on each plate along with a mound of potatoes and broccoli.

Enjoy!

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Wine and apples added

It’s close to the end of summer and it also happens to be over 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside.  My sister-in-law graduates from college (almost a 4.0 GPA!) this weekend and the family has asked me to cook a turkey.  They are cooking the green beans, stuffing, pies, and cakes, but want me to provide the turkey.

What is this, Thanksgiving in August?  It doesn’t matter though as it’s her day and I’m happy to oblige.  I do not make the traditional turkey on Thanksgiving and am not going to start now.  Instead, I make an Italian themed stuffed turkey roll.  Don’t worry, my family loves it. 🙂

The saltiness of the proscuitto adds great flavor to the turkey and it keeps it from drying out while I cook it.  The white wine allows the turkey to be braised, which in itself creates a wonderful flavor with a hint of fruit from the apples.  The pate gives the dish an earthy flavor and people typically have no idea its even in the dish.  Overall, everything just works, and works quite well for the dish.  I’ve been serving it for 5 years now and it’s always completely gone before the meal is over.

Start with a turkey breast, a half-pound of Prosciutto de Parma, 1 box of cream cheese, 6 ounces of sliced mushrooms, 4 sprigs of tarragon, and a package of duck pate.

Prep

• Chop the mushrooms into small pieces
• Loosely chop the tarragon
• In a large bowl, soften the cream cheese and mix in the mushrooms and tarragon
• Roll out the turkey breast and pound it until it is about 1/2″ thin on all levels.
• On the right side of the flattened turkey breast, mound the cheese mixture
• Roll it from right to left
• Lay the prosciutto out on strips across the cutting board to create a sheet of ham
• Place the turkey breast on top of the sheet (see pictures)
• Spread the pate across the top of the turkey roll
• Roll the prosciutto up and around the turkey roll
• Press it and ensure it is sealed well.

Cooking

• On high, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a dutch oven
• Place the turkey roll gently into the dutch oven
• Wait to hear it sizzle and let it cook for about 5 minutes
• Pour a bottle of white wine into the dutch oven
• Surround the turkey with 2 sliced apples
• Cover and bake in the oven at 350 degrees until a probe reads 175 degrees at the thickest part

Alfredo Sauce

• Heat 1 pint of heavy cream in a large sauce pan
• Stir it constantly until you can see the pan when the spoon streaks through (about 10 minutes)
• Add in one container of Kraft Parmesan cheese
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Let cook for 1 minute and serve

I like to slice the turkey breast across the grain and serve it with a little Alfredo sauce across the top.  The only thing you have to be careful of is the turkey drying out.  Do not overcook it.  Enjoy!

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Chipotle Mexican Grillhas finally come to Little Rock, Arkansas, and my wife and I can not wait to try it out.  They opened a mere four days ago, and even with the expected madness of a new restaurant, we forge ahead today and drive to Chipotle for lunch.

Tacos for Lunch

We arrive at around 12:15 on Saturday and there is not a line outside (like there was when we drove past last night.)  There is no line outside, probably because of the insane heat, but the line inside snakes around like a line at Disney World.  We head to the tail of the snake and begin the wait.

While we are waiting, we look at the bold menu which has only a few options.  You pick your protein (chicken, pork, beef), the method you want it served (tacos, burrito, open-bowl,) the extras (rice, beans, salsas, sour cream, cheese) and that is it.

The Menu Board

You do not pick how many tacos you want, or what combination of items, just whether you want (3) tacos or one burrito or a burrito bowl.  You can opt for side dishes such as their guacamole and chips or their salsa and chips for extra.  Apparently they serve beer and margaritas but do not have their liquor license yet (a sign posted says its coming soon.)

It takes us a good thirty, yes thirty, minutes to get through the line.  The problem seems to be the people ordering as they are taking a long time to express what they want.  It does not help that a guy in front of us orders three different orders.  Anyway, by the time we get to place our orders I ask for Three Soft Tacos with Barbacoa (beef).  I request the roasted corn, sour cream, hot salsa, and cheese on them.  My wife orders the Three Soft Tacos with Chicken, with medium salsa, lettuce, and cheese.

Chicken Tacos

The food is prepared while you order it, ala Subway, so we find a place to sit and dig in.  I try one of the chicken tacos first and the chicken is well marinated, has a nice grilled taste to it, and is not too tough.  It is not quite tender either but the salsa adds a good dimension to it and the lettuce has a nice cooling effect.  Overall I enjoy the chicken taco.

The beef taco has way too much sour cream on it but after squeezing some out, I am able to enjoy the depth of the braised beef taco.  It tastes wonderful and has a nice earthly flavor to it.  The hot salsa is actually warm (for a fast-food place,) and the cheese adds an extra layer of flavor.  Overall I really enjoy the beef tacos and will have them again in the future.

The Guacamole and Chips we ordered are good although the chips are a bit salty.  The dip is tasty with fresh avocado, plenty of spices, and fresh onions.  Overall, pretty good.

The wait was horrendous but I expect it to work itself out as time goes on.  I know we will be back.

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Copper Grill Salmon Burger

The Copper Grill in Downtown Little Rock is owned and operated by Capers which opened in 1997 and Cajuns Wharf which opened in 1975.  I really enjoy both Capers and Cajuns, except for the period of time when Cajun’s was known as Landry’s.

Walking with a group from the office, we decide to stop at Copper Grill for a light business lunch.  The interior is bright and welcoming with several tables to choose from and a large bar on the right.

We are seated at a tall table (and chairs) by the front door with a nice view of the restaurant.  They have a variety of items to choose from including many sandwiches such as a chicken salad sandwich, turkey and bacon, pimento cheese burger, catfish po-boy, bleu cheeseburger, and a salmon burger.

They also have quite a few salads including a Mozzarella salad, a grilled salmon salad, a chicken or shrimp salad, and a Caesar salad.  There are plenty of entrees to pick from as well and several appetizers.

I opt for the Salmon Burger on this trip along with a side of potato salad (instead of fries.)  The salmon burger is described as “Fresh Salmon mixed with garlic, chives and bread crumbs, basil aioli and lemon. Complemented with wasabi coleslaw.” (Source: Copper Grill Website, 2011)

The sandwich comes out quickly and looks really good.  The potato salad has large chunks of red potatoes in it with plenty of visible spices.  It is savory and has a nice herbal flavor to it.

The sandwich is large, too much for me to eat actually, and although it looks good, it is very dense.  The flavor is spot on, but the texture is off as it is way too heavy for a salmon burger.  They used the right amount of spice but someone put way too many bread crumbs in it.  It is too bad really as every else appears to be enjoying their food.  Maybe next time.

As it turns out, I went back for dinner a week later and order the Grilled Salmon Salad Nicoise which is described as “Traditional nicoise salad on baby spinach with a grilled salmon filet and garnished with green beans, new potatoes, tomatoes and purple onions. Drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette.” (Source: Copper Grill Website, 2011) 

This time I was not disappointed.  The salmon was grilled perfectly and the dressing was a vibrant accompaniment to the spinach and vegetables.  I really enjoyed the dish and found several items on their menu I want to try again sometime on a subsequent visit.

Hours
Lunch 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Dinner 5-10 p.m

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Smoked salmon completed

I bought my FEC-100 smoker a while back with full intentions on smoking fish but never got around to it.  Tired of the waiting, I bought a side of salmon from Sam’s Club and went to work.

The first step to smoking fish is to brine it.  Brine is nothing more than a salty solution with herbs, spices, and sometimes sugar in it.

When you smoke protein (meat or fish) it cooks the fat or water.  If the protein runs out of fat or water, it dries out.  Since fish has very little fat, and you do not want it to dry out while smoking, you have to infuse it with water.  The best way to infuse it with water is to put it in brine.

For the brine

• 3/4 cup kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 4 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 3 quarts water
• 3 tablespoons garlic powder
• 6 cups light brown sugar
• 12 bay leaves

Combine the ingredients, except for the bay leaves, in a large roasting pan and use an immersion blender to ensure they are mixed completely.  Once completely blended, add in the bay leaves and the salmon (one whole side, about 6 pounds).  Cover the pan and let it sit for 24 hours in a refrigerator.

Smoked salmon brining

Once 24 hours have passed, remove the fish from the brine and wash it completely.  I rinsed mine for a few minutes.  Let the fish dry, put it on top of a drain pan, and set it back in the refrigerator for four hours.

This step helps the fish form a pellicle, or sheen which helps smoke adhere to it.  This layer also keeps the fat from oozing to the surface while smoking.

Start your smoker with apple wood and bring it to 180 degrees F.  Put the fish in a pan, filled with holes, or directly on the rack if the fish has skin on one side (put it in skin side down.)

Close the smoker and let it smoke until the thickest part of the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F for at least 30 minutes.  Mine took about 6 hours.

While it was smoking, about 4 hours in, I sprinkled my “secret” bbq mix over the top and glazed it with honey.  This added an extra layer of flavor and was worth it. 🙂

Pull it from the smoker and enjoy!

It is really good with crackers, in a salad, with pasta, or served plain with rice.  I served the side I made as an appetizer for my birthday and it was eaten quickly. 🙂

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

The new CEO of the company I work for recently requested BBQ suggestions from employees of the company.  66 people replied and he compiled the results in the following chart.  Check it out if you are ever in Arkansas and looking for some good Q!

“The winner, by a major landslide, was Whole Hog.  Armed with this knowledge, I decided to make that my first stop on the Arkansas BBQ tour, only to find that it closes at 8 pm (which we discovered at 7.58 pm).  All this to say, I’m still looking forward to sampling your fave.” – Scott