Stalking The Muse

This business is about food. Period.

Okay, it is about leadership and service and cleaning toilets, too, but if the food is not compelling, then you are sunk. You could be the best toilet cleaner in the world and lead folks blindly through big brick walls, but at the end of the day, you cook for people. You provide sustenance. It is a challenge and an honor that we take very seriously.

And it is not always easy to create menu items over the long run that really resonate with people. Sometimes, the food will tease you. She will whisper right in your goddamn ear, look you straight in the eye, and then disappear just as you try to kiss her on the mouth. Poof! She gone…

Muses are fickle and tantalizing beasts.

But every now and then, she lets you in for a little sugar. Maybe it is a perfectly caramelized onion - crispy and complex. A ripe grilled zucchini brushed with olive oil or roasted corn on the cob, redolent with smoke and literally bursting with joy. These are the moments that keep us going. When we are all in the kitchen, nodding in unison with a mouthful of the muse. This happened the other day as we were tasting this month’s Sausage of the Month offering, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Many folks have been asking for a lower-fat sausage with poultry, so we figured, with bikini weather on the horizon, we would oblige. So we are offering a Country Style Chicken Bratwurst with Caramelized Onions and Dijon Mustard. It features some subtle herbs and spices that we purchased from Amy and Scott at Savory Spice Shop. Marjoram, Smoked Paprika, Peruvian Ginger and Summer Savory, to name a few, with a little cream, eggs and white wine to bind it all up. Then we poach it in chicken stock and grill it to order. The crispy caramelized onions complement it nicely and the Dijon mustard finishes with a heady little punch.

This is being served with a rich yet simple ratatouille – sautéed seasonal vegetables stewed in tomatoes – that complements the meaty Bratwurst nicely and makes us long for the red hot summer.

Please enjoy this month’s Sausage of the Month while you can. No telling when the muse will return, but she did give me her digits. So, do I wait three days to call, or….?

spices from our friends at Savory Spice Shop

Fresh Veggies for Ratatouille

The Chicken Sausage is being served with a rich yet simple ratatouille –
sautéed vegetables stewed in tomatoes – that complements the meaty Bratwurst nicely. 

Chicken Sausage with Caramelized Onions and Dijon Mustard

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It just felt right.