Tag Archives: Fine Dining

Hot Crab Meatball appetizer from Smith Bros. Fish Shanty Restaurant, Port Washington, Wis.

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This 1977 recipe was shared with the Milwaukee Journal from the famous restaurant in Port Washington, Wisconsin. There is now a coffee shop and Duluth Trading Company store occupying the once large and bustling Smith Bros. Fish Shanty restaurant that served delicacies from Lake Michigan, and the oceans delicacies that came to port here via the Great Lakes.

Thankfully, the brilliant, historic neon sign with a fisherman carrying a sturgeon as large or larger than he is still shines there.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 T. butter

3 T. flour

1/2 c. chicken stock or consomme

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. white pepper

1/2 c. whipping cream

2 c. crab meat

1/2 t. finely cut tarragon

2 t. finely cut parsley

1 3 oz. can mushrooms, chopped

2 T. butter

Melt butter in saucepan and slowly stir in flour until golden brown. Stir in stock; boil 1 min. Add salt, pepper. Stir in cream slowly.

Flake crab meat, removing all fibers. Add crab tarragon, parsley and mushrooms. Let cool on a platter. Form into small balls. Refrigerate or freeze.

At cocktail time, warm the cream sauce. Then, saute’ the crab meatballs in butter or fry in deep fat. Use chafing dish and cover with cream sauce, keep warm. Serve with wooden picks. Makes 30 crab balls.

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Sweet and Sour Brisket

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This is a classic and extremely delicious Jewish Kosher dish, and definitely where Jewish cooking influences Polish cooking. This tangy tomato topped brisket is so elegant when served thinly sliced on a tray. It is unbelievably easy to prepare and just melts in a bite! Mom made this for my daughter’s baptism.

Ingredients:
1 c. water
1 c. ketchup
1/2 c. vinegar
2 lg. onions , diced
cl. garlic, minced
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 T Kosher salt
4 lbs. beef brisket, trimmed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Combine water, ketchup, vinegar, onions, garlic, brown sugar and Kosher salt in a bowl. Place the brisket in a large baking dish, pouring the ketchup mixture over the brisket. Cover (I use parchment rather than foil) and cook in the oven for 4 hours.

Remove brisket from oven, carefully release steam,and let sit 10 min. before slicing. (Or, if preparing the day ahead, refrigerate. On the day of the party, warm, then slice.)

Jack Pandl’s German Pancake

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Jack Pandl’s is a family run German restaurant that has been a fixture in Whitefish Bay since it was opened in 1915 by Anna and John Pandl. It was passed on to their sons, George and Jack, and now to Jack’s son, John.  George’s sons, Jim and Jerry, owned three restaurants, including Eagan’s on Water, which has also closed and the Waterfront Deli, also on Water St. in Milwaukee.

This is the gigantic pancake Jack Pandl’s is famous for, served with the preferred garnish of sprinkled powdered sugar and the juice of a wedge or two of lemon. If you must, pure maple syrup is allowed. Jack Pandl’s Whitefish Bay Inn is located at 1319 E. Henry Clay, Whitefish Bay, Wis.; the phone number is (414) 964-3800.

Jack Pandl’s German Pancake

Ingredients:

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. milk

Pinch of salt

4 eggs

1 T. butter

1 T. vegetable shortening

Lemon wedges

Confectioners’ sugar (sifted if lumpy)

Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix flour, milk and salt together until smooth. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Melt butter and shortening together in a 9-10″ slope-sided (frying) pan with an oven-proof handle. Pour batter in pan and cook over medium heat until the bottom of the pancake is brown, but some uncooked batter remains on top — about 3 min.

Flip the pancake over while the top is still uncooked, being careful of the splatter from hot uncooked batter. Immediately, make a crisscross “X” cut all the way through the pancake, edge to edge. Put the pan in the preheated oven, 6-10 min., until edges brown. It will rise 3-5″ above the pan, and the crisscross cut will close.

When done, remove pancake from the pan, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, and serve with extra sugar and lemon wedges on the side.

The Grenadier Restaurant

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Milwaukee’s Grenadier’s Restaurant hosted presidents and, throughout its 29 years, stood out not only in Milwaukee, but also competed with Chicago’s finest restaurants.

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In 1978, the Chicago Tribune wrote, “With all its fine dining rooms, Chicago has nothing, except perhaps for its exlusive private clubs, quite like Milwaukee’s Grenadier’s Restaurant.” The Grenadier Restaurant was my dad’s favorite place to dine.  It was very British and very formal and fine dining at its best.  Coat and tie a must. It has been missed since its closing.

Today are a few of the rare recipes collected from this famous restaurant, including the dish Owner and Chef Knut Apitz served to President George Bush and the game recipe’s Grenadier’s Executive Chef Charles Weber provided to the Chicago Tribune.  (The links to the original articles are provided with the recipes.)

Grenadier’s Medallions of Veal and Crayfish with Angel Hair Pasta

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Knut Apitz, Grenadier’s chef and owner, hosted President George H. W. Bush in 1989.  The following dish was “my own concoction,” Chef Apitz said. “with lightly sautéed veal medallions, fresh crayfish tails, and a very light crayfish sauce and a hint of hollandaise sauce.” The President was also served a floating island with fresh raspberries and terrine of duck.

The recipe for the Presidential dish was provided to the Milwaukee Sentinel and the original article can be found http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1368&dat=19890216&id=s35QAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qhIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3334,4398583.

Grenadier’s Medallions of Veal and Crayfish with Angel Hair Pasta
8 Shallots, finely chopped, divided
Butter to saute’ shallots
1/4 c. Madeira wine
Continue reading →

Grenadier’s Seared Duck Breast with Wild Rice Griddle Cakes and Tart Cherry Sauce

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This wild duck recipe was provided by Grenadier’s Executive Chef Charles Weber to the Chicago Tribune in 1998 and Abby Mandel’s original article can be found http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-04-12/news/9804120310_1_duck-breasts-tablespoon-kosher-salt-tart-cherry-sauce.

Weber grew up in Wisconsin and blended his knowledge of hunting with his art of cooking.

Grenadier’s Seared Duck Breast with Wild Rice Griddle Cakes and Tart Cherry Sauce

Sauce Ingredients:
1 c. dried tart cherries
3 c. reduced chicken broth or duck , see note
¼ tsp. salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Duck breasts:
8 duck breasts, skin lightly scored
Continue reading →

Grenadier’s Brazilian Black Bean Soup

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The Grenadier Restaurant provided this recipe to the Milwaukee Sentinel in 1982. The chef noted that this soup can be prepared with pork shanks, pork knuckles or sausage to make it a main course.

Grenadier’s Brazilian Black Bean Soup
12 oz. black beans
1 lb. bacon
2 stalks celery
1 lg. onion
1 med. carrot
2 qts. pork stock
Continue reading →

Palomino Spicy Garlic Pepper Wings

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Palomino Restaurant was a popular locale in Minneapolis in the early 1990s. While the restaurant can still be found in other cities, it closed in Minneapolis.  But, before it left, I was sure to secure it’s wing recipe.

Palomino Spicy Garlic Pepper Wings
Garlic Cilantro Marinade:
1 lg. head garlic, separated, peeled, minced
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp. coarse black pepper
1 tsp. curry powder
¼ tsp red pepper flakes, crushed
1/3 c. soy sauce
½ c. vegetable oil
2 lbs. chicken drummettes

Spicy Garlic Pepper Sauce:
Continue reading →

Karl Ratzsch’s Roast Duckling a la Ratzsch

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Karl Ratzsch’s is an old world landmark in Milwaukee and has been the epicenter of fine German food and dining for more than 100 years at 320 E. Mason Street. Screen Shot 2015-01-26 at 7.11.03 PMThe history and lore of the restaurant is detailed on Karl Ratzsch’s site:http://karlratzsch.com/history.html.

Today’s posts include the cache of Karl Ratzsch’s recipes we’ve scored, starting with Duckling a la Ratzsch. This duck was prepared for President George W. Bush when he visited Milwaukee during his term. He told WTMJ radio, “I had a duck that looked like a goose. It was the biggest duck I ever saw in my life. But it was good.”

Karl Ratzsch’s Roast Duckling a la Ratzsch
1/2 c. vegetable oil or melted shortening
1 (4-5 lb.) whole duck, trimmed of excess fat, giblets removed Continue reading →

Karl Ratzsch’s Roast Goose Shanks

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Customers rave about this dish! The recipe was originally published in the Milwaukee Sentinel in 1979.

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Karl Ratzsch’s Roast Goose Shanks
4 goose shanks (1 to 1¼ lbs. each)
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
2 apples, cored and quartered
2 med. onions, quartered
Continue reading →

Stuffed Sole a la Ratzsch

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Karl Ratzsch’s serves this fillet of sole stuffed with crabmeat and topped with a creamy wine sauce.  The recipe was published recently in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s reader’s request section, found here: http://www.jsonline.com/features/recipes/125922753.html.

Stuffed Sole a la Ratzsch Wine Sauce:

½ c. white wine

2 c. chicken stock

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 shallot, diced

½ bay leaf

¼ tsp. garlic, chopped

Pinch of white pepper Continue reading →

(Karl Ratzsch’s Chef) Dreazy’s Short Ribs in Baked Beans and Beer

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Michael Dreazy was a chef at Karl Ratzsch’s and first provided his recipe to the Milwaukee Journal in 1981, simply naming it “Baked Beans au Schlitz.”  Schlitz, “the Beer that Made Milwaukee Famous,” is now being brewed by Pabst.  At the time, Chef Dreazy advised, “Any beer will work, but why not Schlitz?”

The other advice he gave, “Don’t hurry, give it full cooking time.  Don’t blast away at 400° F. Let the flavor develop slowly, like a good wine, it takes time.”

Finally, he added, “like any good stew or soup, the leftovers may taste even better than the initial serving.” Dreazy’s advice was to “leave it in the crockpot (a note:~in Milwaukee, we use a Nesco) and place it in a refrigerator rack, where the air can get to it from underneath. Keep the cover off until it’s completely cool, then place the cover back on and keep it airtight.”

Dreazy was also sous-chef for the Milwaukee Athletic Club and the University of Milwaukee Club, and in 1998 was named executive chef for the Golden Hills Golf and Turf Club in Ocala, Florida.

This recipe was reprinted in the Milwaukee Journal sentinel, by request, in 2010.

Baked Beans au Schlitz
2 c. navy beans, soaked overnight
1 med. onion, chopped
1 lb. short ribs, cut in 1″ cubes (the bone adds a lot of flavor)
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Karl Ratzsch’s Crackling Pork Shank

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John Poulos, executive chef and co-owner, recently sent the recipe for this famous dish to a answer a reader request in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at http://www.jsonline.com/features/recipes/56808522.html.

Karl Ratzsch’s Crackling Pork Shank
1 fresh pork shank (about 2 lbs.)
1 gal. cold water
2 tsp. salt (divided)
1½ gal. vegetable oil (must cover shank)
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
½ lemon rind (left whole or in large pieces)
½ orange rind, (left whole or in large pieces)
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Karl Ratzsch’s Liver Dumpling Soup

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A traditional and amazing soup. The recipe was originally published in 1980 by the Milwaukee Sentinel.

Karl Ratzsch’s Liver Dumpling Soup
1 qt. consumme, beef broth or beef bouillon
2 tbsp. bread crumbs
4 tbsp. butter

Liver Dumplings
1 lb. calves liver, coursely ground
Continue reading →