FACETS
August 2018
The magazine for women.
WOMEN OF THE CLOTH
• More women pursue their calling, 5 • From engineer to ecclesiastic, 7 • Leadership roles for women, 11
TRAVEL AND FOOD
• 5 great summer getaways, 17 • Creative burger hacks, 20
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The magazine for women. Contributors
LISA COCHRAN MICHAEL CRUMB DAN MIKA Design
ALEX FELKER Publisher
SCOTT ANDERSON Tribune Editor
MICHAEL CRUMB
ADVERTISERS To advertise in Facets magazine, contact Tiffany Hilfiker at (515) 663-6973 PHONE (515) 663-6923 ADDRESS 317 Fifth St. Ames, IA, 50010 EMAIL news@amestrib.com ONLINE www.amestrib.com/sections/ special-sections/facets
Facets is a monthly publication of GateHouse Media Iowa Holdings.
Editor’s note
The rise of women pastors in our church community By Michael Crumb, GateHouse Iowa
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mes has seen an increase in the ascent of women to pastoral positions in our community in recent years. While a woman standing behind the pulpit on Sunday or leading a wedding or funeral service isn’t unusual anymore, at least for some denominations, we’re seeing more and more women here in Ames take the lead at their churches. It’s really part of a trend that has been seen for many years now. In this issue of Facets we talk to some local women who have found their calling at our local churches to find out what it means to them, and what looking at the trend they have are part of nationally and around the world. My first experience with a woman minister was in the Methodist church where my
ON THE COVER
family went for a few years in Madison, Wis. Her name was Karen Milner. She was an associate pastor around the time I was confirmed in eighth grade and she helped lead our confirmation class through its coursework and activities. Although my time spent with her was short, she probably had the biggest impact on my life of any minister I ever dealt with. Keep in mind, I no longer consider myself to be overly religious, and don’t attend church anymore, but the Rev. Milner left a lasting impression on me about what it means to be a good human being, respect differences in others and identify the unique strengths and characterists each of us have within us. I won’t share some of the insights she shared with me about myself, but I NOTE, page 3
First United Methodist senior pastor Kerrin Kirkpatrick stands in the church’s sanctuary. PHOTO BY DAN MIKA/GATEHOUSE IOWA
FACETS • Table of contents Women in Ministry 4
7
Overcoming odds, more women pursue their calling
Emily Martin, 27, is among the latest in a growing trend of women who choose to pursue the ministry
From engineer to ecclesiastic
First United Methodist’s newest pastor takes a different approach to problem-solving
11 Childhood experiences lead Hibben to Ames church
Learn about how one Ames pastor found her path
14 Women are increasingly taking leadership roles in churches
Locally, there are about six in leadership positions
Travel 17 5 great last-minute summer getaways you can book in now
From Argentina to Ireland, where to go now
Taste 19 Kid-friendly popsicle recipes
An adorable Dallas-area 7-year-old shares her favorites with us
20 Summer’s best burger hack
A creative cheddar mayonnaise, and other burger tips
22 Grits cakes make crispy cushion for spicy shrimp
Find out how to prepare grits as a tasty side for your main dishes
NOTE, continued from page 2
occassionally think back on them and what they still mean to me today. I learned several years later that Rev. Milner died of breast cancer after she had moved on to lead another congregation, and although much time had passed, it still saddened me to learn of her loss and the loss of her to others with whom she maybe had not yet shared her wisdom. I do remember what made her special was that she approached her calling differently than her male counterparts in the early 1980s, and I think that showed in how she related to people. She was more willing to talk about doubts young people may be
having without casting judgment. By comparison, the male lead pastor and male associate pastors were quick to tell young people who had questions to just believe and have faith, and that it was not for us to question. Funny that I didn’t like it then and today I’m a journalist who has spent 30-plus years making a living asking questions. Whether it was because Rev. Milner was a woman or maybe something else about her character and beliefs that made her more accepting and tolerant, I don’t know. I just know that it mattered to me as a 14-year-old boy who had doubts and wanted to ask questions, and she let me do that. Michael Crumb is editor of the Ames Tribune. FACETS | AUGUST 2018 | 3
Women in Ministry By Michael Crumb GateHouse Iowa
Overcoming odds, more women pursue their calling
F
ifteen months ago, Emily Martin received her degree from Iowa State University. Today, she is the pastor at Cambridge Lutheran Church in Cambridge, Minn., about an hour north of the Twin Cities. Martin, 27, is among the latest in a growing trend of women who pursue the ministry. It’s a trend that has made its way from across the country, to Ames, where a handful of females pastors are now leading their church. Martin said she sees a couple of different factors behind the trend. First, she said, is more and more women are pursuing the ministry after having established themselves in other careers. Pastor Emily Martin CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
“They have maybe decided that because of the changing climate in the church they are going to follow the calling they have always felt,” Martin said. “I think that’s had a big influence on it.” Second, is that more and more seminaries are making it easier for women to attend without disrupting their lives too much, Martin said. “The seminaries are making it easier for women who have families, with the aid of online programs, allowing them to live off-campus and go to class, and to work toward this in addition to their lives they already have,” Martin said. “You don’t have to drop your entire life to pursue this.” Martin’s professor at ISU, Hector Avalos, said more churches have liberalized their stance toward women in leadership roles, opening the door to women pastors. Avalos, a professor of religious studies, said the trend is really a continuation of a movement that goes back to women’s right to vote and desegregation, and really took off in the 1980s-90s. “We also seeing the ascent of more women into leadership roles in our society,” Avalos said. It started with what Avalos described as smaller denominations in the Christian faith and eventually spread to more mainstream and larger denominations. Avalos also points to the need for more pastors as the median age of a pastor in the U.S. today is in the upper 50s. “So people need more pastors and some of the younger ones are women compared to older generations,” Avalos said. But he also said the increase in women pastors comes as the number of people who attend church decreases, forcing some churches to close their doors. For example, Avalos said the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America lost about 11 percent of its membership since the year 2000. “Even though, for example, the ELCA will have more more women pastors, they will have fewer churches to pastor in,” he said. Avalos said he also sees a challenge of acceptance for some women who pursue the ministry. That acceptance, he said, is often seen along generational lines. “The older generation may have a more difficult time accepting a woman in a leadership role in their church,” he said. “So the younger ones may be more accepting of a woman in that role that the older ones.” Martin, who has been the pastor at her church for about nine months, said for some members of the younger CALLING, page 5
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Women in Ministry ‘There are many different types of pastors, introverts, extroverts ... identifying by gender doesn’t do any one any favors’ CALLING, continued from page 4
generation, they never knew a time when a woman couldn’t be a pastor so there is less pushback. However, she said the divide in acceptance can sometimes be seen among genders more than generations. “Older women are excited to have a female pastor, saying it’s about time, while some younger people who grew up in more conservative denominations may not be sure about it,” Martin said. The rise in female ministers is also evident in seminaries, where the number of women often exceeds 50 percent, Martin said. One class she had in seminary called Woman in Ministry, was particularly helpful in preparing her for her new role, Martin said. “The professor, she gave us tools and told us ways to stand up and overcome prejudice and stressed the importance of being there for each other to build support
networks and groups where we can share similar experiences and what we can do to overcome problems,” she said. Despite the rise in acceptance and numbers, female pastors must work hard to make sure event those who aren’t 100 percent comfortable with a woman behind the pulpit feel at ease in the church. At her church, there is a very traditional service, often attended primarily by the church’s older members, while a contemporary service, complete with a band and fog machine, often attracts a younger audience, Martin said. “I haven’t had anyone walk out yet, at least that I’ve noticed, ” she said. “Most of the pushback has been conversational, not confrontational. I just work to be the best pastor I can be and let people see that women can do this job just as well and that God has chosen and equipped me to do this. “There are many different types of pastors, introverts, extroverts, some have a great bedside manner — identifying by gender doesn’t do any one any favors.”
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Women in Ministry
First United Methodist senior pastor Kerrin Kirkpatrick in the sanctuary. PHOTO BY DAN MIKA/GATEHOUSE IOWA
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Women in Ministry
From engineer to ecclesiastic
By Dan Mika GateHouse Iowa
First United Methodist’s newest pastor takes a different approach to problem-solving
C
an an engineer make a church more spiritually fulfilling for its members? Kerrin Kirkpatick has spent her career showing that it can. Kirkpatrick, 61, is a few weeks into her tenure as senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Ames, and she plans to use her technical know-how to cement relationships between herself and her congregation. Kirkpatrick was born in southern Louisiana in 1957 as the Civil Rights Movement took full swing. She said her parents didn’t march, but supported the movement in their own quiet ways. Her mother was the president of the local League of Women Voters chapter and registered black Americans to vote after Congress passed a series of laws in the late 50s to mid-60s to fight voter suppression. Her father, a university professor, was asked to sponsor the Black Student Union by its members because they trusted him to keep the calm during the tumultuous period they lived in. Her parents employed a housekeeper in a manner that Kirkpatrick said was straight out of “The Help”, but they never allowed their children to call her a maid, never had her clean the children’s rooms. They also paid her minimum wage and employer’s portion for Social Security, giving her access to the benefit later in her life. Both of those were unheard of in the deep South, and it had a profound effect on how Kirkpatrick viewed the world. “I watched as a kid growing up and they did the right thing, and it wasn’t anything to talk about necessarily,” she said. “They just did what was right.” Kirkpatrick never planned to join the ministry as a young woman. She graduated from Kansas State with an engineering degree, and worked in the industry until she and her husband brought their first child to church for a baptism in 1982. “I’ll never forget, I was standing up front and of course, the parents are the ones that take the vows in raising their children in the Church, and I remember thinking, ‘Kerrin,
if you’re serious about this, okay, but if you’re not serious about this, don’t say anything, because you can’t retake these vows unless you decide to follow through,” she said. Those vows brought her back to her faith, and she later left her job to enter the seminary at the University of Dubuque in 1994. Since then, she has held various pastoral posts in congregations in the state, along with two trips to Africa University in Zimbabwe. Kirkpatrick said her engineering background makes her think about how to establish different systems within a church organization. Traditional mainline churches tend to use age-old solutions for new problems, she said, but all churches need to adapt to changes in their congregation and in the community that surrounds them. When Kirkpatrick moved to a small upstart church in Cedar Rapids, she gathered her leadership team in a room and said she didn’t know what she was doing. With their work as a team, she and the rest of the church staff studied the local conditions and altered their approach to different challenges based on that. Even though the church eventually closed, Kirkpatrick said their teamwork is a blueprint for churches in flux. “We thought about the culture of who they were as a ENGINEER, page 8
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Women in Ministry
First United Methodist senior pastor Kerrin Kirkpatrick in her office. PHOTO BY DAN MIKA/ GATEHOUSE IOWA
ENGINEER, continued from page 7
church, as well as where they were planted, and how do we bring the good news of Jesus Christ to this culture based on the gifts that we have?” she said. “We have to discover what we have first.” So how does one go about building a new system in a new church? Kirkpatrick believes it’s by building relationships slowly and methodically. She said it takes three to four years for a pastor to establish themselves as a leader, and often times an extra year for women. “I didn’t know that at the time, but I experienced it,” she said with her usual boisterous laugh. “We have to earn that respect, whereas it’s automatically given to men because traditionally, that’s who’ve been in charge.” She plans to meet with her staff and as much as her congregation as possible one-on-one, to show that she’s there to serve the Church instead of changing the parish for change’s sake. She refers to it like the process of dating 8 | FACETS | AUGUST 2018
someone and getting to understand them. It also requires knowledge of the church’s history. First United was the first Methodist church in the county, and the was the mother church of Collegiate United Methodist in Campustown, forming it to serve as a separate ministry. “That DNA goes deep, and that helps define our relationship with our sister church across campus, and who we are and who we’re not,” she said. “It’s about getting to know the church as a whole, getting to know individuals pieces of it, and preaching hope and healing.” Kirkpatrick has 11 years left before the United Methodist Church mandates her retirement from full-time pastoral duties. She doesn’t know if her career will end at First United or another church, but she’ll be ready if another surprise pops up in her life. Almost her entire life has been not what she expected. “When I was in my 20s, I had no earthly idea I’d be where I am, but it’s been adventurous and fun, and I love what I do and as long as I can do that, I’ll do that,” she said.
Women in Ministry
Ordination of women What major religious groups generally allow the ordination of women American Baptist Church ... Buddhist ... Episcopal Church ... Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ... Jewish: Reform and Conservative Movements ... Jewish Orthodox ... Latter Day Saints (Mormon) ... Missouri Synod Lutheran Church ... Muslim ... Orthodox Church in America ... Presbyterian Church (USA) ... Roman Catholic Church ... Southern Baptist Convention ... Unitarian Universalist ... United Church of Christ ... United Methodist Church ...
YES YES YES YES YES NO NO NO NO NO YES NO NO YES YES YES
Source: Staff reports, Pew Research Center
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Women in Ministry
By Lisa Cochran GateHouse Iowa
Childhood experiences lead Hibben to find her calling in Ames church M
uch of Jennifer Hibben’s childhood revolves around memories formed while attending church. She fondly recalls the relationships she cultivated there and says they have shaped her life. With this resounding influence and a degree in social work, Hibben chose to take what she thought was best next step- becoming an ordained minister. Hibben is the current associate pastor of the Ames Collegiate United Methodist Church and campus pastor for
Jen Hibben, associate pastor at Ames Collegiate United Methodist Church. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
the Wesley Center. She is not alone in her choice to become a religious leader. Globally, many affiliations have seen a steady rise in female leadership in recent years. According to a report published by the Barna group- an Evangelical polling firm- out of every 11 Protestant pastors, at least one is a woman. This is already three times the amount of women in the ministry as around 20 years ago. In 2014, the Church of England made it legal for women to become bishops. Since then, statistics published by the Church of England show that the number of women entering seminary training have increased by 19 percent from 2016 to 2017. This new law also allowed Sarah Mullaly to become the first female Bishop of London this March. “Women have been being ordained for a long time,” Hibben said. “It’s sort of a trajectory.” Unfortunately, like other women in roles of authority, Hibben’s career has not been met without sexism. She said that some of the issues she faced were not necessarily systemic or explicit, but more subtle. “When I started, I thought we had worked past that,” she said. “The longer I’m in it, some of the more insidious things I’ve noticed.” In her tenure as a pastor, Hibben said that she has received multiple comments about her hair, her clothing or how pretty she looked as opposed to the content of the services she was delivering. “Most people are being kind and it’s a compliment, but they don’t offer those kind of compliments to men.” Hibben also mentioned that there are still some churches (even in the Ames community) that are not as accepting of women and that this has presented an additional problem for her in communications with these organizations. “I do always have to wonder which people won’t work with me because I’m a woman or because their church believes this is not OK,” she said. Despite this pushback, Hibben said she thoroughly enjoys her career and is glad she made the decision to become a pastor. Some of her favorite memories have been officiating multiple baptisms and organizing an event called
HIBBEN, page 11
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Women in Ministry
In her tenure as a pastor, Hibben said she has received multiple comments about her hair, her clothing or how pretty she looked as opposed to the content of the services she was delivering HIBBEN, continued from page 11
“hugs and hot dogs” in front of The Blazing Saddle (a Des Moines gay bar) to show the church’s acceptance of the LGBTQ community. In the future, Hibben expects that churches of all denominations will become more progressive especially in regards to women’s rights. While she expressed worries about this
causing a divide in the religious community, she said that she believes it is necessary. “More and more, regardless of what they’re being taught in church, women are hearing more clearly from God that ‘this is work for you’, ‘this is what you’re made for’ and there are more and more voices that are starting to support that,” Hibben said. “We as people of faith need to make the world more safe and just for everyone.”
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Women in Ministry
Ames United Church of Christ, where the Rev. Eileen Gebbie leads the congregation. PHOTO BY MICHAEL 14 | FACETS | AUGUST 2018
CRUMB/GATEHOUSE IOWA
Women in Ministry
Women are increasingly taking leadership roles in churches A growing number of churches in Ames are being led by women, mirroring a larger trend in female leadership in American churches. By Ames United Church of Christ Reverend Eileen Gebbie’s count, there are six women either in leadership roles in local churches, including herself. Gebbie said churches around the world are beginning to end the bias towards male dominance in Christian leadership, a bias that’s old as the Church itself but doesn’t exist in Scripture. She said the rise of women leaders is happening because churches, both Catholic and Protestant, are losing the authority and role they have traditionally held in American life. “When you look at studies about whether pastors and priests are trusted, the numbers have tanked,” she said. “We’ve lost so much credibility as institutional leaders because of sex scandals on all sides, abuse of money and going after violent causes that are oppressive. I think churches have realized that they’ve blown it.” Gebbie believes the increase in women leading congregations is only one part of some churches’ efforts to shed their restrictive images and open themselves to change. Annette Huizenga, dean of the University of Dubuque Seminary, said women have become more represented since she graduated decades ago. According to a Association of Theological Schools poll released in June, just under 80 percent of mainline Protestant groups that allow women to enter leadership roles eventually promote them, compared to just over 70 percent for Evangelical groups and just under 60 percent for Roman Catholic and Orthodox groups. Huizenga said there are cultural shifts happening within the churches themselves, and within the greater culture, to lead to women finding clergy roles. Over the past several decades, women have found success running their own businesses and working in other professions. Many new recruits to the seminary are starting their second career, Huizenga said, and the average age for a student at her school is 38. However, she said women generally find it hard to move from small churches within a denomination to more prominent ones than men. That’s partially because of still-ingrained gender roles, but also because large churches are dwindling in numbers compared to the number of small
By Dan Mika GateHouse Iowa
congregations of less than 100 people. “It’s an odd time to go into pastoring because of the changing nature of church in the United States,” she said. To Huizenga, there isn’t much difference between men and women in what makes a good church leader. They still require the basic skills of understanding Scripture, personal empathy, listening and more that’s required for any church leader. But she thinks there might be one major factor that separates women entering seminary compared to their male counterparts. “Perhaps the skill that they have is courage in entering into what’s been a male-dominated field,” she said.
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Travel
A hiker looks out over Lough Hyne, in West Cork, Ireland. PHOTO COURTESY WILDERNESS IRELAND
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Travel
5 great last-minute summer getaways you can book in now
J
New York Times
ust because the summer past the halfway point, it’s not too late for a life-changing summer vacation. Here are five great trips that are best booked now. There’s no need to shelve that summer vacation you wanted to take but never got around to planning: the last two weeks of August may be the most popular time to get away for the season, but there are still plenty of options available for travelers who are game for a last-minute escape.
available for late August. It includes accommodations, and the name comes from the included 90-minute Champagne cruise from Annapolis across the Chesapeake to reach the resort — an appealing alternative to the dreaded traffic on the five mile-long Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The package also includes parking in Annapolis. Prices per night start at $865.
EXPLORE ARGENTINA
Wilderness Ireland has a six-night Hiking & Island Hopping Cork and Kerry trip available for Aug. 18 to 24. Travelers discover the landscape of southwest Ireland through scenic coastal hikes and boat trips. You’ll also visit the Ring of Kerry, Skellig Michael and Dursey Island where you can go wildlife spotting, and see puffins, sharks, whales and dolphins. Prices run $1,962 per person and include accommodations, tours, transfers and most meals.
The luxury travel company Royal Travels & Tours is offering a private seven-night trip to Argentina that includes three-nights in Buenos Aires with a city tour, tango lesson and museum tours; two-nights in Salta, in the northwest, with a city tour, a winery visit and tasting and a cooking lesson; and two nights in Iguazu Falls with hiking and white water rafting excursions. Stays are at upscale hotels throughout, and breakfast is included in the cost. Prices start at $1,900 a person. Because the tours (and the agency) are private, you’ll need an agent to set up the trip. Book by emailing travel agent Ben Adams directly at badams@royal-travel.com.
EXPLORE THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF IRELAND
LONDON CALLING Maybourne Hotel Group, a collection of three high-end properties in London, including The Berkeley, Claridge’s and The Connaught, has an offer in August where guests who book a four-night stay enjoy one of those nights for free. Those who book through a travel agent who is part of a luxury travel network such as Signature Travel Network or Virtuoso also get a space available upgrade, breakfast and a food and beverage credit. Prices per night (before the free night) start at between 425 to 500 pounds (about $550 to $650).
OUTDOOR ADVENTURE IN SOUTH CAROLINA LOWCOUNTRY Montage Palmetto Bluff, in Bluffton, S.C., is offering a fourth night free for travelers who book a three-night stay. The resort is situated among 20,000 acres of land where walking, biking, canoeing, kayaking and wildlife viewing tours are all possibilities. Prices start from $300 a night before the free night. You can book online at the hotel’s website.
AN ISLAND GETAWAY IN MARYLAND The Inn at Perry Cabin by Belmond, in the charming town of St. Michaels, Md., has a “Skip the Bridge” package FACETS | AUGUST 2018 | 17
Taste
Ellington Young, 7, poses for a portrait with a vanilla ice cream and root beer popsicle. PHOTO BY VERNON BRYANT/THE DALLAS
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MORNING NEWS/TNS
Taste
Adorable Dallas-area 7-yearold shares her favorite kidfriendly popsicle recipes
D
ALLAS — Ellington Young, 7, of Cedar Hill, Texas, loves to help out in the kitchen, making ice pops, pizza and even homemade apple dumplings. For summer, ice pops are her go-to treat. Here she shows us how to make a few recipes and gives other kids tips on how to get started in the kitchen.
LEMON-LIME SODA AND GUMMY BEAR ICE POP Fill ice pop container with lemon-lime soda and add about 10 gummy bears or other gummy candy. Freeze overnight.
ROOT BEER FLOAT ICE POP Fill ice pop container halfway with root beer and wait
By Erin Booke The Dallas Morning News
for the foam to go down. Add a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. Add a little bit more root beer at a time, each time waiting for the foam to go down before adding more. Freeze overnight.
STRAWBERRY LEMONADE ICE POP Fill ice pop container with lemonade. Add your desired amount of chopped fresh strawberries. Freeze overnight.
BLUEBERRY YOGURT ICE POP Fill ice pop container with vanilla yogurt (not Greek yogurt because you don’t want it to be too thick). Add a couple of teaspoons of fresh blueberries, plus some honey and fresh lemon juice if desired. Freeze overnight. (This was the adults’ favorite pop.)
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Taste By Kate Krader Bloomberg
This simple sauce is summer’s best burger hack, and other tips
T
he beginning of the summer isn’t the only time to get creative with your burgers. I appreciate the home cooks who hold back a trick or two to keep the rest of grilling season interesting. If you’re like me, here’s a secret weapon to upgrade midsummer burgers, courtesy of chef Chris Kronner: a cheese mayonnaise, which combines the rich creaminess of the condiment with the sharp kick of aged cheddar. The former Bar Tartine chef, who now runs the kitchen at Henry’s in Berkeley, California, introduced the Kronnerburger to the world six years ago and won dedicated fans in the process. His over-the-top version includes an extra meaty, dry-aged beef patty; specially grilled onions; a housemade bun that’s the same diameter as the patty; and the crowning touch: warm, saltroasted bone marrow. But for me, the genius part is the cheese mayo. Kronner isn’t anti-cheese, but if you’re cooking high-quality beef, a slice of cheddar can obscure the meat’s funky flavor and texture. “For all the care that goes into a dry-aged patty, it is better highlighted by a sauce as opposed to melting cheese over it,” he says. His sauce has the texture of a very thick mayo that melts slightly onto the warm bun and meat; its flavor is the platonic ideal of a sharp cheddar, turned into a creamy, meltin-your-mouth sauce. In May, Kronner published “A Burger to Believe In” with Paolo Lucchesi, food editor at the San Francisco Chronicle. The cookbook highlights every element that goes into building the Kronnerburger at home, plus hacks for less ambitious cooks. Following is a recipe for the exceptional sauce, plus Kronner’s tips for making an exceptional burger. And if you want to taste Kronner’s version in person, keep your eyes open for a series of pop-ups across the country. Or wait for the as-yet unnamed restaurant he’s opening in the fall near Union Square in Manhattan. The chef says a Kronnerburger will be on the menu.
CHEDDAR MAYONNAISE Makes about 1 1/2 cups (enough for 8-10 burgers) Ingredients 3 large egg yolks 1 tablespoons distilled white vinegar 3/4 teaspoons mustard powder 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt 1 cup vegetable or other neutral oil 3 ounces grated aged sharp white cheddar Directions In a food processor, combine the egg yolks, vinegar, 20 | FACETS | AUGUST 2018
mustard powder, and salt. Process until combined and doubled in volume, about 30 seconds. With the machine on, slowly pour in the oil as the mixture thickens to a mayonnaise. Add the cheese and process until smooth. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
BURGER TIPS If you want to replicate the Kronnerburger in full, be prepared. “A Burger to Believe In” has recipes for everything from the buns (pain de mie style, moist and light) to the dill pickles (there are 17 ingredients), as well as pages on dry-aging meat at home. But he also recognizes the different levels of burger connoisseurship from the “Extremely Lazy” (have burgers delivered) through the “Really, Really Dedicated” — “build a small dry-aging chamber, dry-age your beef, and scream at family or roommates about how they don’t appreciate anything.” For those who fall somewhere in between, Kronner has the following tips. Use beef that’s ground fresh This will help control the amount of fat - ideally around 30 percent - and the texture, which should be coarse. Find a butcher who will grind a blend for you, or buy a grinding attachment. If you don’t have a grinder, you can hand-cut your beef. (Kronner sees his burger as, essentially, a seared steak tartare.) To do that, chill the beef in the freezer until firm but not frozen, then cut it into 1/4-inch slices, then into 1/4-inch strips, and then into small cubes. This version works well in a cast-iron skillet, but not so well on a grill. Cooking over wood matters At least, as opposed to gas grills. “It makes a bigger difference than you realize,” says Kronner, who’s also OK with charcoal. Seared in a cast-iron skillet works, too, but to accentuate the crust, rub one side of the patty with a little softened butter before cooking over high heat. Compromise over onions Because people are divided about how they want their onions on a burger, find a half-measure and grill red onion slices on one side only, which gives you the benefit of crunchy texture but also caramelized sweetness. Save your buns You can resuscitate even the saddest burger bun by buttering the cut sides and then griddling until crispy. If the buns are stale, cover them with a lid so they steam a little bit. (But really, you shouldn’t be using stale buns in the first place.) Go mayo crazy The cheese spread goes way beyond burgers. You can mix it into potato salad, use it as a dip for French fries, or spread it on a club sandwich or BLT.
The author made her own version of the Kronnerburger, starring the cheese mayo.
Taste
PHOTO BY KATE KRADER/BLOOMBERG
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Taste By Leah Eskin Chicago Tribune
Grits cakes make crispy cushion for spicy shrimp
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rit is grainy and annoying, as in: What’s that grit on the countertop? It’s grating, as in: Scrubbing the countertop makes me grit my teeth. It honors pluck: That girl’s got grit. Perhaps it could also pinpoint one speck of the breakfast mash and Southern side ground from white corn: grits. But there is no scenario that calls for a single grit. Grits are served in stunning heaps. It takes grit to conquer a bowlful of grits. They’re meant to go big, or go in the leftover bin, where they congeal into a slab that can be stashed, sliced and sizzled — sometime. Why not sidestep the middle meal and skip straight to the endgame? Cooked, cooled, cut and crisped, grits make a compact cushion for eggs, sausage or spicy shrimp. One that takes grit to resist.
SHRIMP AND GRITS Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 20 minutes Makes: 4 servings Ingredients 2 1/4 cups milk Kosher salt 1/2 cup white grits 1 ounce grated white cheddar Canola oil 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 ounces ham steak, diced in 1/4-inch cubes 1 teaspoon cornstarch Cajun spice mix (or paprika and cayenne) 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on, rinsed and patted dry
Grits are formed into cakes, then crisped in a skillet to serve as a bed for a savory mix of ham, shrimp and corn. PHOTO BY JOAN MOARVEK/FOOD STYLING, ABEL URIBE/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS
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1/2 cup fresh corn kernels 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1/2 cup dry white wine 1/2 cup chicken or shrimp broth 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives Directions 1. Prep: Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with parchment, leaving an overhang. 2. Whisk: In a large saucepan, heat milk and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil. Sprinkle in grits, whisking constantly. (Wear mitts: Grits can spatter). Reduce heat to medium, and whisk thick, about 10 minutes. Pull pan off heat; whisk in cheese. Scrape grits into prepared pan; set aside to cool, 10 minutes or more. 3. Crisp: Pull out parchment and slice slab into 4 squares; halve each, yielding 8 triangles. Set a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add a little oil. Working in batches, crisp all triangles, about 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels. Set two triangles in each of 4 shallow bowls. 4. Brown: Melt butter in a medium skillet set over medium heat. Tumble in ham, and let brown, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, scoop out ham; toss with 1 teaspoon cornstarch and either 3/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning or 1/4 teaspoon each salt, paprika and cayenne; set aside. 5. Simmer: Tumble shrimp, corn and garlic into the skillet, still over medium heat. Stir 1 minute. Pour in wine and broth and cook, stirring, until shrimp is curled and pink and corn turns tender, 2-3 minutes. Return seasoned ham to pan. Increase heat and cook 1 minute. Add more seasoning, if you like. 6. Serve: Spoon shrimp and sauce over grits. Scatter on chives. Enjoy.
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