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These are just some of
the recipes we feel best represent Michigan Cuisine. We've
either received permission to use these recipes or developed
them ourselves. As these recipes will be in the book we're
working on, "Michigan Cuisine, A Semi-Exhaustive Guide",
what you see here is how they currently look within the book
project itself, complete with current page numbers.
You may need to download and install Adobe Acrobat Reader to
view these recipes:
Sections On This Page...
Breakfast
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Eggs In A Frame
Dave's dad, Erwin Liske, learned this recipe from a
gentleman by the name of Larry Hagemaster. Erwin and
Larry worked together at the General Motors stamping
plant in Grand Blanc, Michigan, until Mr. Hagemaster
passed away at the tender age of 40. In his early 80s
now, Grandpa Erwin still makes this for breakfast each
and every Wednesday morning for Grandma Joyce (after
they complete a few games of Solitaire with real cards)
and whoever else might be in the Liske house at the
time.
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Dave's Omelet Tutorial
(above, far left)
A lot of people like omelets, and there are literally
thousands of restaurants in Michigan that serve probably
hundreds of different varieties of omelets. It's one
thing to order a nice one from a restaurant, and another
entirely to make restaurant-quality omelets at home. But
really, it's not all that difficult. There are a few
tricks to it that, once you know them and keep them in
mind, will help you make a fluffy yellow omelet every
time. And as for variations, there are simply no limits
to them. A sour cream and dill omelet with seafood??
Absolutely! This tutorial also includes instructions on
making "Tortilla Española", an authentic Spanish omelet,
from Marta Cruz-Sojo. From the Andalusia province of
Spain, Marta is an artist, student, and elementary
Spanish instructor at the University of Michigan in Ann
Arbor who, like so many other Spaniards (and similar
families of Mexican descent) over the past century or
so, calls Michigan their second home.
Top of page...
Lunch
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Almost Flint-Style Coney Sauce
(above, third from right)
Angelo's Coney Island in Flint has created such a
unique coney that other restaurants order the sauce and
serve up what's known as a "Flint-style coney". Eric and
Fern Lindahl, Dave's mom's aunt and uncle, ate at the
original Angelo's restaurant for dinner on a regular
basis. This is Fern's recipe for a coney sauce that's
quite similar to Angelo's. If you can't get to Angelo's,
try this one.
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Ground Bologna Sandwich Spread
(above, second from left)
This lunchtime and picnic favorite is available by
the pound in just about every deli and butcher shop in
the midwest. It's simple to make: kids absolutely love
helping grind the Koegel's ring bologna in the meat
grinder. A lot of the ingredients don't actually need to
be measured. This is one recipe you can make
ingredient-by-ingredient, tasting as you go, creating
your own flavor, using different brands and various
flavors of each of the ingredients.
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Snack & Fair Foods
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Michigan Corndogs
What differentiates a Michigan corndog from its
southern cousin? Our recipe combines the snap of a
Koegel Vienna with the sweetness of Jiffy corn muffin
mix, adding just enough ground mustard into the mix to
make this corndog more a cousin of a Flint-style coney.
Using the Jiffy mix makes this recipe simple enough for
younger kids to help with. Still, you should let the
kids assemble the corndogs and let the adults do the
frying. This recipe was used to cook 50 corndogs a few
at a time to order in a home deep fryer at a yard sale
in July 2006. As the day went on, with the temperature
of the deep fryer becoming more consistent and some of
the batter resting even longer, the corndogs just kept
getting better.
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Soups & Stew
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Michigan Bean Stew
No one's quite sure where this creation came from or
who originated it but it's serious comfort food at its
best. It's also extremely flexible. Don't like a certain
ingredient or like one of them a bit more than others?
Experiment with some of the suggestions in the Notes, or
add something that's your own idea. Great for fall or
winter meals with a nice big steaming mug of rich hot
cocoa, this bean stew is a comforting warm-up. You might
even drop off to sleep afterward. It's that soothing.
Top of page...
Salads & Sides
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German-Polish Roasted Potato Salad
(above, far right)
Our own signature dish, with suggestions and such
from the staff of the Frog Leg Inn in Erie, Michigan.
This is a rich and hearty "stick to your ribs" German
potato salad prepared using Polish cooking techniques.
Roasting the potatoes and peppers, and grilling the
onions, makes for an amazing flavor. This potato salad
rather well-liked among those who originally tried it.
In fact, some people who said they generally don't like
potato salad really like this one. This takes a lot of
time to put together but the responses make it worth the
effort.
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Beer Batter Onion Rings & Spicy
Dipping Sauce
(above, third from left)
Onion rings are a staple in restaurants all over the
state of Michigan and elsewhere. This classic recipe
produces onion rings similar to those found in bars,
which many people try to duplicate. In this version of
this recipe, we also add the following recipe for a
sauce to dip the onion rings into. This sauce starts out
slightly sweet, and then, thanks to a wonderfully-rich
hot sauce from Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, there’s
just a bit of a powerful “kick” ...
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Five Bean Salad
Ok, so some of these "beans" are actually legumes.
This classic was one of the first dishes Dave enjoyed
making, and still makes to this day. Five bean salad is
simple to make and a lot of Michiganders, including
kids, really enjoy it when it's done right. It's a very
common dish in Michigan for family reunions and other
events. Variations are numerous and quite a few are
listed in the Notes. This salad must be made at least
one day in advance so the proper flavor can develop.
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Baked Apple Macaroni & Cheese
This modification of a classic recipe for baked
macaroni and cheese is the result of a happy accident,
which is described at the end of the recipe. Did you
ever dip apples into a cheese sauce in a fondue pot? Or
top a piece of warm apple pie with a pile of shredded
cheddar cheese? If so, then you’re well on your way to
enjoying this dish. We’ve developed it with flavors
directly from the Michigan area, complete with Wisconsin
and Pinconning, Michigan, cheeses, and Michigan apples.
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Fish
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Whitefish-Stuffed Salmon
Seldom will you find one fresh-water fish stuffed
with another. But the rich flavor of salmon combines
well with the lightness of baked whitefish. We added the
sweetness of cornbread and Hollandaise sauce, along with
some fresh thyme and herbs, serving it on the great
texture of wild and long-grain rices, and the crispness
of Michigan asparagus to create a dish even people who
don’t like fish seem to enjoy. As with many dishes, this
is one you can experiment with to create a number of
variations.
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Meats
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Sweet Meat & Apples
This is an interesting way to prepare ground Michigan
beef, fresh pork sausage, or some variety of venison
taken during a hunt. If the ground meat or sausage is
browned until it's just barely still pink before adding
the apples, the flavor is even better. Three different
varieties of apples are used to give the meat a sweet
flavor during cooking. Garnishing with apple wedges and
the roast apple & onion relish from American Spoon Foods
really punches up the flavors.
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Desserts
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Old-Fashioned Peach Cobbler
This simple recipe has stood the test of time, from
when Dave's mom Joyce first started making it when she
was a kid in the 1930's (Dave's not quite sure who she
learned it from), to his own kids making it themselves
today. The kids do make mistakes in reading recipes (one
young man once used 1/4 cup salt instead of 1/4 tsp
salt), but that's a good way for them to learn to pay
attention to details.
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Old-Fashioned Rhubarb Pie
Contributed by Dave’s mom Joyce and sister Barb, this
recipe for rhubarb pie has been around for quite a long
time, possibly a century or so. It’s quite simple to
make and, if care is taken, will come out perfectly
almost every time. If you’ve never tried a
freshly-baked, still-warm piece of rhubarb pie topped
with ice-cold whipped topping, here’s your chance.
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