Dining in--Minneapolis/St. Paul cookbook

I've been making this for fourteen years here. It’s simple and always popular; the hardest part is writing down the recipe! - aay yi Na Fa is af t ey wh ae _ 7 a * as 24 ee see | had ) TT a 4 7 sere 4) ? : 2 ir 1 ee : ‘e na - = ’ } : ot aah Lee pa = ’ }) ay Ning = _ re is = t ie ‘J - mF ‘ is . _— > _ a — Dow. F * > s* in) (oops any tat rae = r po iat Mats aor Led bavi lly ae esi a Lo 16 hylan amt? ives trols Al 7 me _ 7Ae i} | wa ies pyr ’ , Wiese 7 > '‘ on. _ (ium ‘_ : —- i —* Mb Dinner for Six Broccoli Soup Swiss Pear Bread Hearts of Palm Salad Sweetbreads Lowell Inn, Mushroom Sauce Old Fashioned Maple Frango Wine: Chateau Montelena Grgich Hills Cellars Zinfandel Arthur and Maureen Palmer, Innkeepers, Owners, and Chefs isitors who accidentally discover us act as if they’ve just caught \ / a twenty-pound walleye,” grins Arthur Palmer, Lowell Inn’s proprietor. Most diners, however, make their travel to this restaurant a deliberate and much anticipated event, and never leave disappointed. The “Mount Vernon of the West” has been luring guests for over fifty years to the small town of Stillwater on the bank of the St. Croix River. Its inaugural dinner on December 25, 1930, marked the day when Arthur’s parents, Nelle and Arthur Palmer, unpacked their vaudevillian’s suitcases for the last time and became innkeepers of the stately, white-pillared colonial mansion. Nelle decorated it in the Williamsburg style she had come to love during her travels, displaying her precious collection of Waterford crystal, Dresden china, and a wealth of antique Sheffield silver in the white-paneled George Washington dining room. Today the portraits of George and Martha continue to cast their approving smiles at the waitresses in their organdy aprons and gowns of flounced and embroidered batiste who maneuver service plates, adjust the crisp hand-crested Irish linen, and refill the goblets of jewel-bright pressed glass. The patrons cannot see the care that goes into the preparation of their meals, but the presentation and flavors assure them that this work is done with devotion. Arthur takes advantage of the wares of hundreds of purveyors in his search for the perfect ingredient—a special lightly salted pork steak from a small Michigan farm, the best maple syrup from Vermont, Colorado mountain honey, Roquefort imported from France, chocolate from Holland, a Swiss blend of espresso, and so on. If what is available is not to his liking, he makes it himself: tarragon vinegar, raspberry brandy, or special cooking oils, to name a few. This extreme precision, however, does not make for a cuisine that is heavy or overdone. “We don’t play games with our food. Our approach is to keep it simple but accentuate the flavor. It’s basic, honest home cooking with no attempt to disguise the flavor.” To what does Arthur attribute the success of Lowell Inn? “Attention to detail: we’ve made that our first priority. And consistency. ‘don’t change a thing,’ people tell me. ‘You can’t go out and buy memories like this.’ ” 102 North Second Street Stillwater a N BROCCOLI SOUP 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon seasoned salt 2 tablespoons flour Y%4 teaspoon pepper 2 cups milk %2 cup whipping cream 3 cups fresh broccoli (optional) lorels with stems 1 medium-size onion, grated . Makea roux by blending the butter and the flour; ina large saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk. Stir in the roux, whisking until smooth to create a white sauce. Remove from heat. . Meanwhile, place the broccoli in another saucepan and add water to