From the kitchen of Door County’s  White Gull Inn in Fish Creek, Wisconsin comes chef Julie Zak’s recipe for Cherry-Stuffed French Toast.
|Cook Time: 30-60 min

Ingredients:

1 loaf egg bread, unsliced
1 8-ounce packages cheese cream, room temperature
2 cups tart Montmorency cherries, drained, divided
3 eggs
2 cups milk
cinnamon, for garnish
powdered sugar, for garnish
maple syrup, for garnish

Cooking Directions:

Trim ends from loaf and cut bread into six 1 1/2 inch thick slices. Make a cut three-quarters down the middle of each slice. Bread will appear to have to separate slices, but will be joined together at the bottom. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese and one cup of the cherries. Spread approximately 1/6 cup of the mixture into the pocket of each slice of bread. Gently press slices together, evenly distributing filling.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs and milk together. Dip stuffed slices into egg mixture and coat all sides. Place immediately on a lightly oiled, heated griddle and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cook over medium heat until golden brown, turning to cook second side.

Remove cooked slices from griddle and place on a cutting board. Gently make a diagonal cut through each slice, forming two triangles. Arrange two triangles on individual plates. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and remaining cherries. Serve with maple syrup and butter.

Facebook.com/WhiteGullInn

The Wine Bar will also be open every day at 3 pm, serving from a wine bar menu that includes small plates, appetizers and desserts. To start off the season, Cookery hours will be as follows:

Sunday – Thursday: 11 am – 8:30 pm
Friday: 11 am – 10 pm *
Saturday: 8 am – 10 pm *
Sunday: 8 am – 8:30 pm

*On Friday and Saturday, the restaurant dining room closes at 8:30 pm, the wine bar remains open until 10 pm.

The Skare Family & Cookery Staff invite you to celebrate Mother’s Day with some specials that feature locally grown and sourced ingredients.

Breakfast/Brunch
In addition to their regular breakfast menu, choose from the following entrees featuring local ingredients:

Asparagus and Smoked Whitefish Quiche
made with locally grown asparagus, smoked whitefish from Charlie’s Smokehouse and organic Wisconsin eggs

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes
topped with rhubarb cherry compote

These items will be served 8 am – 2 pm along with complimentary mimosas for Moms!

Mother’s Day Dinner
Starting at 4:30 pm, the Cookery will include the following fixed price menu item for $25.

Salad of local greens from Cherrydale Farms with a house made vinaigrette

Locally raised beef tenderloin with a mushroom ragout
Cheddar potato cakes
Locally raised vegetables

Karin’s Seasonal Dessert

A Complimentary Glass of Wine for Moms!

Their regular dinner menu and wine bar menu will also be served.

“We are excited to get open for the season,” say the Skares. “We hope to see you soon!”

“Green Drinks is a program designed to meet the intellectual and social needs of Door County residents and visitors who yearn to discuss important issues about our local economy, our environment, and our social condition within the larger context of sustainability,” says Ann Hippensteel a volunteer with Sustain Door.

Participants are encouraged to bring a discussion question to pose. The open-format meetings are for anyone who is concerned about local living economy, environmental preservation, social justice, community building and other green topics.

This month’s topic: What role does the business sector of society play in achieving sustainability? Participants can give their thoughts and opinions. Other questions will be asked throughout the evening.

“We are excited to be hosting Green Drinks at Glas. We strive to find new ways for the coffeehouse to be green so this is a perfect match for us,” says Meghan Riordan, manager of Glas. “Sustain Door looks at the bigger picture of eco-friendly efforts, so it goes hand-in-hand with our mission at Glas.”

Future Green Drinks meetings to be held at Glas are scheduled for Tuesday, February 23, Wednesday, March 24, Tuesday, April 27 and Wednesday, May 26.

Glas, the green coffeehouse, is a venture for Cellcom, a wireless company based in Green Bay. Centrally located in the city of Sturgeon Bay, Glas offers a panoramic view of the beautiful waters surrounding Door County. Glas and its building feature various green elements in effort to reduce stress on the environment. The coffeehouse provides quality coffee, loose-leaf tea, espresso drinks, food items, live music on select days and free Wi-Fi Internet service. To find more about events and specials, visit www.glascoffee.com.

Sustain Door is an organization whose purpose is to promote the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of Door County using the Natural Step framework and process. For more information visit sustaindoor.googlepages.com.

She says, “The recipes themselves, contributed by the galleries’ artists, staff, family and friends, inspire double-takes. Consider Red Curry with a Touch of Sweet, Steamed Persimmon Pudding and Sauce, Pear Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette, Lemony Couscous with Scallions and Chickpeas.”

On January 28, 2010 Door County Style Magazine reported the good news that Women’s Employment Project, Inc. (WEP) was awarded funding from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to continue the Door County Transportation Options Program (DCTOP) in 2010.

Door-Tran Mobility Manager, Pam Busch says,”On Wednesday, February 10, Applebee’s will donate 15% of the guest check to Door-Tran and the Door County Transportation Options Program. Print and bring the flyer with you when you dine in or call ahead and carry out. Please, tell everyone you know – help spread the word!”

Click for a menu… from Sturgeon Bay Applebee’s.

Click for Flyer

The flyer must be presented to validate your endorsement.
Just print this flyer and bring it along…

Jesika

T.Ashwell’s is recently celebrated the return of the restaurant’s popular Mediterranean weekend in January. All-you-can-eat buffet with two belly-dancing shows accompanied the meal.

The Ellison Bay restaurant opens its kitchen space to the public on these evenings, with the buffet being served by candlelight within the kitchen area. The fare consists of over 25 classic Mediterranean foodstuffs, including Moroccan-spiced crab cakes with cilantro dressing, tabbouleh, lamb kebabs, baklava, Persian lamb & rice meatballs, baba ghanoush, and hummus.

The themed entertainment for the evenings is led by Andrea Nikoupolis-Weliky and the Kaheena Belly Dance Troupe. The group is based out of Door, Brown, and Kewaunee counties, and will be performing a variety of dances with an emphasis on belly and sword dances.

Chef Tom Smith

Mediterranean Night marked its 10th year, and offers a way for locals and visitors to the peninsula get together for a great evening of food and entertainment during the winter. “Some of my customers tell me that this is the weekend they wait for all year,” says Tom Smith, chef and owner of T.Ashwell’s. “It’s also great way for the kitchen to show off its culinary skills.”

The price for Mediterranean Night is $29 per person, and does not include drinks or gratuity. Reservations are strongly encouraged as all three evenings fill up quickly.

T.Ashwell’s is located at 11976 Mink River Road in Ellison Bay. The restaurant’s menu changes frequently and concentrates on American/Ethnic cuisine, with an emphasis on using local and organic ingredients. T. Ashwell’s is open for dinner during the winter months Thursday through Saturday beginning at 5:30 pm. The restaurant will close for the season in late February. For more information or to make a reservation, please call 920.854.4306 or visit www.tashwells.com.

An Artist's Food for the Soul

The 224-page cookbook is filled with delicious recipes from artists, staff, and family, as well as full-color artwork on every page.

The full purchase price of $24.95 is donated back to the Hardy to support youth arts education through the Edgewood Orchard Cookbook Fund of the Door County Community Foundation. One of the many youth programs provided by the Hardy over the years include Exposure to Creativity (ETC), a program initiated in 2007 as a joint effort between the Hardy and Friends of Gibraltar (FOG). The ETC program pairs the high school students of Gibraltar with experienced local artists for specialized learning in a variety of creative fields.

Since its publishing in July 2009, An Artist’s Food for the Soul has raised over $40,000. The cookbook is available for purchase in the Hardy Gallery on Anderson Dock in Ephraim or by calling the Hardy Gallery office at 920.854.2210. The Gallery is open daily from 10 am – 5 pm.

For more information about the cookbook, visit www.edgewoodorchard.com.

The Hardy Gallery is a non-profit arts organization enriching the vibrancy of the Door County community by promoting and fostering local art. For more information about the Hardy, please call 920.854.2210 or visit www.thehardy.org.

Philip Berndt

Phil Berndt with the Door County Visitor Bureau in Sturgeon Bay shares two of his secret family recipes…

“The first one features an oatmeal crust – if it was more cake-like, then it was Mrs. Teisling’s Rhubarb Cake. When I was growing up, my ‘Big Gramma’ (yes, we called her that – LOL) was a friend of Mrs. Teisling – an accomplished seamstress who designed wedding dresses and became well known for making Terry Anne Meeuwsen’s dress when she won the title of Miss America in 1973.”

Rhubarb Crunch

2C Flour
2C Quick Oatmeal
2C Brown Sugar
1/2t Salt*
1C Melted Butter
2t Cinnamon
4C(or more) Cut Rhubarb
* (original doesn’t call for salt but I find that the salt not only reduces the tartest edge of the Rhubarb, it also brings out the flavor)

1C White Sugar
2T Cornstarch
1C Water
1t Vanilla (I like a little more)

Mix: Flour, Oatmeal, Brown Sugar, Butter and Cinnamon.
Lightly press 3/4 mixture into 9×13 greased pan and cover with Rhubarb.

Mix: White Sugar and Cornstarch; add Water and cook until mixure bubbles and turns clear. Add Vanilla and pour over Rhubarb. Sprinkle remaining crumbs over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 45 minutes.

(My Mom forwarded this recipe from our friend Gaela Jackson – one of the most wonderful people I know. It’s so good, you won’t even need ice cream!)

Variations: Add a little Raspberry (a sprinkle of berries, flavoring or liqueur); A handful of Cranberries or Door County Cherries? A little Zest of Lemon or Orange? Don’t go overboard because a little goes a long way.

(Not enough Rhubarb? You can cut this recipe in half or add cherries or strawberries to make up the difference)

Mrs. Teisling’s Rhubarb Cake

1C White Sugar
2T Flour
1/4t Salt
Combine and toss in 4C Cut Rhubarb and empty out into the bottom of a greased 8×11 pan.

Beat 1 Egg and 1C Milk and pour over Rhubarb.

Dice 2T Butter and place over mixture.

TOPPING

1C White Sugar
1t Baking Powder
1C Flour
Dash of Salt

Blend well; add 1 Beaten Egg and mix into dry crumbles.

Sprinkle over Rhubarb and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until center is done and golden brown.

This is a quick and easy cake that makes a great coffee cake as welll.

Enjoy! Phil

Grow Your Own Recipes

Grow Your Own is a twice-a-month blogging event that celebrates the foods we grow or raise ourselves and the dishes we make using our homegrown products. Anyone with a blog can participate! Do you write a food blog? A gardening blog? A farm blog? A hunting or foraging blog? An eco blog? A frugal blog? Anything whatsoever related to home and garden or fun activities to do with children? You can write a post about some of the edibles you have raised, grown, or found and cooked with. Having a food blog is not a requirement for participation.

To include your post in the round-up, send an email to the host by the 15th or the 30th of each month with the following information:

• Subject line: Grow Your Own #
• Your name and location (country, state if applicable)
• Your blog URL
• Permalink to your post
• 300×300 pixel photo of your dish (As long as the photo is no larger than 300 pixels in either direction, it will work.)

Whose Currently Hosting?

May 30, #28 – The Daily Tiffin

June 15, #29 – Zora of Gardenopolis

The rules are simple:

• Make a dish that uses at least one item from your very own garden or farm and post about it. Your garden doesn’t have to be big. Container gardens are welcome! If you hunted or foraged, those items are also eligible. You can also use something that was given to you, but the giver must have personally grown or raised the item. If you paid for it, then it doesn’t count.
• Anything edible that you have grown or raised qualifies, including fruits, vegetables, herbs, sprouts, edible flowers, nuts, grains, legumes, dairy products, eggs, livestock, and anything else I might have forgotten. Produce from both indoor and outdoor gardens are welcome! Different regions will have different things available, so feel free to feature things unique to your area. (Rambutan trees, anyone?) We are all about celebrating variety!
• Please make sure your dish is posted during the month of the event because we like to celebrate seasonal items. One post per blog, please.
• As a courtesy, please include a link to this announcement in your blog post, and then update later with a link to the round-up.
• If you want to include one of the Grow Your Own badges in your post, feel free to grab one from below. (Please upload to your own server/image repository.) Logos professionally designed by Jeff Meyers.

Joanne passes on the following quote from Sarah, “”I was up in Door County, and my mom and I stopped at The Bistro for lunch. We were so hungry we ordered a scone while waiting for our order to come. It was warm, and soft, with big hunks of cherries, and not dry at all. They also had blueberry and one other flavor. If the Journal Sentinel could get the recipe, that would be so-ooo great.”

You can learn how to bake these delicacies using Bistro Baker, Kathi Anderson’s own recipe featured in The Bistro’s cherry scones, a recent article just published in the Milwaukee Journal and if you want Joanne Kempinger Demski to find out a secret recipe for you…

• write to “You Asked for It,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Box 371, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0371;
• fax to 414.224.2133;
• e-mail to jdemski@journalsentinel.com.

Requests must include complete restaurant name and address (only businesses still in operation will be considered), as well as your name, address and phone number. (Names and addresses will be withheld upon request.) Past columns can be found at www.jsonline.com/entree/cooking.