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 Michael's terrine de fruit de mer. What it is: A highly flavored loaf of coarsely chopped meat, vegetables or seafood, often layered and served chilled, a terrine is typically served sliced, as an appetizer. It’s similar to pate, but terrines usually have distinct components, while pates are more finely ground and homogenous.
 Michael Lachowicz Where it comes from: The dish is considered French, but pates and terrines date at least as far back as the early Francs, Gauls and Roman Empire. The name of the dish is taken from its cooking vessel, usually a covered, glazed ceramic mold.
What to do with it: Terrines can be made of almost anything. Chef Michael Lachowicz at restaurant Michael in Winnetka makes a terrine of seafood mousse studded with chunks of scallops, lobster and shrimp.
Michael’s terrine de fruit de mer
Seafood terrine
Chef Michael Lachowicz
Mousse:
3 ounces dry sea scallops
3 ounces cleaned shrimp
3 ounces. boneless, skinless salmon filet
6 ounces heavy whipping cream, well chilled
1 egg plus 1 yolk
Kosher salt and finely ground white pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
3 cups very strong lobster stock reduced to 2 tablespoons, well chilled
Garnish:
2 large, raw sea scallops, diced
6 raw, deveined shrimp roughly chopped
4 cooked lobster claws, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
Make the mousse: In a well-chilled food processor, place the chilled seafood, five spice powder and egg. Puree until smooth.
Add the reduced lobster stock to the cream. With the processor running, slowly drizzle the cream mixture into the fish puree.
Combine all of the prepared garnish and mousse in a large bowl.
Lightly coat unlined muffin tins or your favorite pate mold with cooking spray. Spoon the mousse mixture into your greased molds. Place the molds in a 9-by-13-by-2-inch deep baking dish, fill the dish with warm water halfway up the sides of the molds.
Bake, covered tightly with aluminum foil, at 300 degrees for 15 minutes.
Remove the molds from the baking pan. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and unmold. Serve warm or chilled. 6 servings.
Note: 1/2 teaspoon of lobster or seafood paste, such as Knorr Swiss, can be substituted for the reduced lobster stock.
 Sean Sanders
Have you been to the farmers’ market yet this season? Check out the Browntrout Farmer’s Market.
From 5 to 8 p.m. every Tuesday, the North Center restaurant welcomes small farmers such as Catalpa Grove, Lucky Duck Farm, Frillman Farms, and more and serves seasonal cocktails and food from the bar in a small shared format, with a cooking demo aimed at children every week at 5:30 p.m.
“We are trying to make farmers more accessible to chefs, locals and children,” says Chef Sean Sanders.
A $25 donation to Browntrout and the Spence Farm Foundation gets you in for the whole season.
 David Colcombe With the NATO Summit in Chicago, the coming weekend might seem like a good time to visit your favorite suburban restaurants, but if you haven’t yet checked out the NATO-inspired offerings of Chicago’s Culinary Crossroads, be sure to dine in the city sometime before May 25.
Dozens of local eateries are participating, offering specials inspired by the cuisines of the NATO nations, as well as “passport” codes for a contest to win tickets to Chicago Gourmet in September. In addition, chefs from some of the NATO nations have collaborated with Chicago chefs to create menu items reflecting their nation’s cuisine. The visiting chefs are:
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Chef Jason Bangerter, O&B Canteen and Luma, Toronto, Canada, paired with Chef Tony Priolo, Piccolo Sogno, West Town.
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Chef David Colcombe, Opus, Birmingham, UK, paired with Chef Dirk Flanigan, The Gage and Henri, Loop.
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Chef Jose Luis Estevan, Millesime, Madrid, Spain, paired with Chef John Hogan, Keefer’s, River North.
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Chef Gilles Epie, Citrus Etoile, Paris, France, paired with Chef Martial Noguier, Bistronomic, Gold Coast.
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Chef Eros Picco, Innocenti Evasioni, Milan, Italy, paired with Chef Federico Comacchio, Phil Stefani’s 437 Rush, Magnificent Mile.
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Chef Tommy Rikhard Raanti, Gastronomisk Institutt AS (Culinary Institute of Norway), Stavanger, Norway, paired with Chef Dean Zanella, Rhapsody, Loop.
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Chef Martins Ritins, Vincents, Riga, Latvia, paired with Chef Brandon Wolff, The Signature Room at the 95th, Streeterville.
 Elate's pork-belly benedict. Chef Michael Noll’s country fried-pork belly benedict ($13) is a sometimes special at brunch at Elate in River North. Elate does brunch every day of the week, including, of course, Mother’s Day, when they’ll add a $12 fresh fruit, cheese and dessert buffet. Regular entree options include breakfast pizza topped with smoked ham, truffle potato, gouda cheese, caramelized onions and a sunny-side-up egg, and banana custard french toast with peanut streusel and malt creme anglaise. And bottomless mimosas are $20.
You do know it’s Mother’s Day on Sunday? Get on the phone now and make reservations. These places likely still have openings:
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Make it Italian Mother’s Day. Merlo Salumeria in Lincoln Park and Merlo on Maple on the Gold Coast offer three-course Mother’s Day dinners at $29 and $45 respectively. The Salumeria offers main courses including Cornish hen roasted with lemon, peppers, olives and potatoes and veal scallopine in marsala wine with asparagus and wild mushrooms. Hand-made tagliatelle with fresh black truffles, imported from Umbria, and roasted chicken legs, filled with chicken breast, house-made sausage and parmesan cheese feature on Maple. The Maple location will also be open for lunch, $34; look for entrees such as hand-made pastas with Bolognese meat sauce or house-made sausage and peas or stuffed with ricotta and tossed with sage butter.
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Take meat- and sweets-loving moms to Chicago Prime Steakhouse in Schaumburg, which offers all moms dining a free dessert from 3 to 9 p.m.
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Present Mom with a lavish groaning board buffet at Birch River Grill in Arlington Heights, which features a seafood station, salads, eggs and omelets, waffles, carving station, hot buffet, dessert station and more, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., $34.95.
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Have a French Mother’s Day at Cyrano’s Farm Kitchen in River North, where from 11 a.m to 7 p.m., Chef Didier Durand offers a $39 menu inspired by his French mother’s recipes, including complimentary Champagne or mimosas for all mothers. Entree choices include dual eggs benedict with wild mushroom, wilted spinach, roasted potato and truffle hollandaise sauce; croque madame with smoked chicken breast, gruyere, brioche, pan-fried egg and herb salad; reclaimed coffee-rubbed organic Amish chicken, with wild onion and tomato stuffing au jus; and grilled skirt steak with duck-fat pommes frites and bearnaise sauce.
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Take your gardening mom to Big Bowl for dinner on Mother’s Day and she’ll get a free potted plant. In Lincolnshire, Schaumburg and River North Mom will receive a potted cilantro or Thai basil plant. Moms dining at the Gold Coast location will receive orchids.
 La Luna. What it is: A clear alcoholic beverage, gin is distilled from grain and infused with juniper and other aromatic herbs and spices. Four styles exist: “London dry gin,” named for that city’s once-significant distilleries, is the dominant type, crisp and clean tasting, with citrus accents and a high proof. Locally, Gordon’s makes this style in Plainfield.
“Plymouth gin,” originating in the English Channel port of Plymouth, has a fruitier, very aromatic character. “Old Tom” is a lightly sweetened style that was popular in 18th-century England, but now rare.
“Genever” or “Hollands,” the original Dutch style, is softer and lighter than London dry gin. It’s divided into pale yellow, aged “oude” (“old”) genever is the original style, fairly sweet and aromatic, and lighter-bodied “jonge” (“young”).
 Rick Bayless Where it comes from: Gin originated in 17th-century Holland as a medicine for gastric ills , gout and gallstones. To make it palatable, the Dutch added juniper.
During the Thirty Years’ War, British soldiers, warmed in Low Country by shots of “Dutch Courage,” began to take the spirits home with them. England had only just begun distilling at that point, and beer and wine were thought to me more “natural” than hard liquor. However, by 1730, London alone had over 7,000 shops that sold only spirits.
What to do with it: Classic gin drinks include the martini and gin and tonic. For tomorrow’s “A Taste for the Arts” 30th-anniversary gala, Hendrick’s Gin, an aromatic gin from Scotland, infused with cucumber and rose petals, has paired up with Frontera Grill Chef Rick Bayless to create a special gin cocktail, “La Luna,” flavored with cucumber, lime and a touch of jalapeno.
La luna cocktail
Hendrick’s Gin
2 parts Hendrick’s Gin
1 part cucumber juice
1 part fresh lime juice
1 part mild jalapeno syrup
2 parts soda
Cucumber spears, seeds removed, sprinkled with kosher salt
Combine the gin, cucumber juice, lime juice and jalapeno syrup in a pitcher. Add ice and then top with soda. Stir gently to incorporate. Pour into champagne glasses and garnish with cucumbers.
Cucumber juice
Pass whole, unpeeled English cucumbers through a juice extractor.
Jalapeno syrup
8 jalapenos, seeded and chopped (reserve some seeds)
2 cups raw sugar
2 cups water
In a saucepan, muddle the jalapenos into the sugar until a thick paste is formed. Add water, place over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Simmer until reduced to 1-1/2 cups. (Add jalapeno seeds, to taste, to adjust spiciness.) Strain off all solids and chill.
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Congratulations to the winners of last night’s James Beard Awards!
Chicago winners of the culinary Oscars were Mindy Segal of Mindy’s HotChocolate in Wicker Park (reopening May 10 after renovations), named Outstanding Pastry Chef; Bruce Sherman of North Pond in Lincoln Park, dubbed Best Chef: Great Lakes; and Next in the West Loop, awarded Best New Restaurant.
Next and Alinea Chef/owner Grant Achatz was inducted into the Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America, along with New York food writers Mark Bittman and Dana Cowin, pastry chef Emily Luchetti of San Francisco and Marvin Shanken, a New York publisher. Charlie Trotter of the soon-to-close Charlie Trotter’s in Lincoln Park was given the Humanitarian Award.
Other winners included:
Lifetime Achievement: Wolfgang Puck
Outstanding Service: La Grenouille, NYC
Outstanding Restaurateur: Tom Douglas, Tom Douglas Restaurants, Seattle
Outstanding Restaurant: Boulevard, San Francisco
Outstanding Chef: Daniel Humm, Eleven Madison Park, NYC
America’s Classics: The Fry Bread House, Phoenix
 Trattoria No. 10's shrimp ravioli. Herbed shrimp ravioli with grilled Madagascar prawns, leeks, arugula pesto and saffron-butter sauce, a creation of Chef Laura Piper at Trattoria No. 10 in the Loop. (Half order, $19; full order, $29.)
 Pinata cookies by Sandra Denneler (SheKnows). In Mexico, the Fifth of May is a relatively laidback holiday commemorating the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War in 1862. But in Chicago, it’s a great excuse for a fiesta. Here are a few ways to celebrate:
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Chicago Sones de Mexico Ensemble. At 6 p.m. Saturday, Moe’s Cantina in River North presents the Grammy-nominated folk music ensemble specializing in Mexican “son” music, featuring 25 instruments and four-part vocals. The Dos Equis girls will pass out free Dos Equis gear during the show. All-day drink specials include $6 Dos Equis bottles and $6 Red Pig Mexican Ale bottles. No cover. Reservations recommended.
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Pinata cookies. Colorful donkey-shaped treats with a sweet surprise inside. Make your own or order them for $3 each at TipsyCake in Bucktown.
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Latin spirits. Taste Food and Wine in Rogers Park hosts a Cinco de Mayo celebration from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Taste and learn about tequilas, mezcal, and Chicago’s favorite Latin brewery, as well as Spanish wines. $10.
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Snails. May St. Cafe in Pilsen offers a three-course, $19.95 menu with a choice of scargot with strawberry garlic butter or mini flautas de papa and poblano with avocado and tomatilo sauce; shrimp or chicken enchiladas served with: sofrito rice, Cuban black beans and baby organic vegetables; and ancho-chili chocolate cake or guava-and-jalapeno flan. $5 jalapeno and cilantro May St. margaritas feature as well.
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Mexican beer. Certified Cicerone Steve Carnes of Chicago Beverage Systems will lead a cerveza tasting during the Pacifico Tapping Party from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 10, at Cactus in the Loop. Draft Pacifico will be $4 all day.
 Prasino's “Green” cocktail, second from left, contains Fair quinoa vodka, strawberries, basil, soda and honey. What it is: Last week, we told you about quinoa. Now, there’s a vodka made from it.
The spirits, made by Fair, a French company, are produced from Fair Trade-certified ingredients and comply with organic farming methods.
Where it comes from: The vodka is made from Bolivian quinoa, cultivated by a cooperative of 1,200 farmers. Their harvest is exported to Cognac, France, where it is brewed and distilled.
What to do with it: Use Fair Quinoa Vodka in any favorite vodka cocktail. At Prasino in Wicker Park and LaGrange bartender Todd Ekis creates a “green” cocktail with Fair Quinoa Vodka and strawberries.
Prasino’s ‘green’ cocktail
Mixologist Todd Ekis
1-1/2 ounces Fair Quinoa Vodka
1-1/2 ounces fresh strawberry puree
Ice
Oogave mandarin key lime soda
Honey to taste
Fresh basil
Shake the vodka and strawberry puree with ice and strain into a highball glass. Top with Oogave soda. Drizzle with honey and add in fresh basil. Stir and serve.
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