As the name suggests, Michigan’s newest AVA sits at the top portion of the state’s “mitten.” Lakes Michigan and Huron influence this very cool climate zone.
To make it Epps braised the oxtails, picked the tender meat from the bone, sauced it, and formed it into the shape of the traditional circular Milanese cut of ossobucco.He served the delicate, sticky oxtails over curry-spiced Carolina rice grits, conjuring flavors of West Africa, the Caribbean, and the American South while also paying homage to Milan..
In my eight years of guest judging on., I’ve tasted many exceptional dishes, including Melissa King’s plum sauce-lacquered quail and Buddha Lo’s blue lobster with squash and curry bisque.However, I can’t remember another dish that combined such skillful mastery of technique as Epps’, which layered flavor, texture, and storytelling.
With the cameras and lights trained on him, he transformed humble oxtail and rice, symbolic foods of struggle and uplift, into a regal dish.. Tristen Epps..Courtesy of Marcus Nilsson / BRAVO.
I got goosebumps while eating it.
And sitting to my right at the judges table was chef Gregory Gourdet, giggling with delight at Epps’ skill, acknowledging a peer whose time in the spotlight had finally come — much like Gourdet’s had years before while competing on.Once you hear the rice gently snapping and sizzling against the bottom of the covered pan, you know you’re ready to take it off the heat.
I always use an enameled cast-iron casserole (though one day I will cook this dish in a clay pot!), and it simply always delivers the most delicious, comforting meal.
Tender, perfectly steamed grains of rice, studded with savory mushrooms, scallions, ginger, and garlic, resting above a crispy, even satisfyingly crunchy, bottom layer of rice.I often omit the bacon and add in more mushrooms, but the recipe works beautifully whether laced with crispy pork or just veggies.” —.