CHARLEVOIX -- We've all heard the admonition: Don't try this at home.
But that's all Diane and Bob Gorkiewicz do -- as in cooking, that is. It's probably their favorite pastime -- and the more complicated, the better.
"We don't eat out unless we're on a trip," said Diane.
At home, the Charlevoix couple prefer to dine in, experimenting with new recipes, tinkering with old favorites, and in the summer, building meals around what's growing in their bountiful garden.
"Some of it probably had to do with living in northern Michigan where, for a long time, you didn't have ethnic foods," said Bob. "We like to eat. In order to have a variety of flavors from other countries, we started doing more ethnic food.
"We taste a lot of things and can sort of break them down to components and create them."
In line with Bob's Polish heritage, there's a family recipe for pierogi that's a staple at Christmas. When he missed the bread he knew from bakeries in the Polish enclave of Hamtramck outside of Detroit, Bob worked until he came up with a recipe that's close.
The apples haven't fallen far from the tree, either. Their three adult children have lived around the world, but call home for the family recipes when they can't be home for holidays. As a gift for Bob's birthday, their kids assembled a little cookbook with recipes from the areas where they have lived and traveled.
"The kids have always said we should make a cookbook," said Diane.
In their own travels, they pick up new dishes that they then recreate back home.
"When we do travel, we try to find something that's novel," said Bob.
But you name it, they probably have tried it. Sometimes it stinks up the house, as with sauerkraut. Diane was thrilled when she found a cookbook, "Stillroom Cookery: The Art of Preserving Foods Naturally," that helped guide her through making her own ricotta and mozzarella.
In fact, Diane wishes she had her own still room, or old-fashioned pantry, where she could let mixtures ferment and rise. Instead, she and Bob store containers for such projects in their main-floor bathtub and simply shower upstairs in the meantime.
But they're the kind of cooks who know fresh produce like fennel and what to do with it. In fact, they chop fresh fennel and use it to give oomph to a red pasta sauce.
"I have done Brussels sprouts sauteed in fennel seed, too," said Diane.
The Gorkiewiczes make good use of their grill. They've prepared fresh turkey on the grill in a pan, with vegetables tucked into the pocket between the skin and meat. A personal favorite is fresh-made flatbreads also baked on the grill. Covered with herbs, coarse salt and a little olive oil, there's nothing like it, they said.
With their affinity for food, they keep in shape by biking, kayaking, hiking, snorkeling, gardening -- you name it. Bob's also into diving.
"He dives," said Diane. "I make sure he comes up."
They know they're not typical when it comes to food. Their friends, and co-workers of Bob's at Charlevoix Area Hospital, eat it all up. Literally. It's not unusual for Bob to take a dish like Diane's baba ganoush or a goat cheese and pesto torte to work. Just another day at the office.
They love feeding guests at their home, too. And they can be competitive -- with each other.
"I feel like we're having cookoffs on one of those cooking channels," Diane said.
They work side by side, finishing each other's recipes the way some couples finish each other's sentences.
"We turn on all the music," Diane said. "We really have fun. The dog barks if we dance in the kitchen.
"It's just festive and makes everything taste better."
A favorite of Diane's is a Dutch Pancake, or Pannekoeken, which she said she made for her children as a special breakfast treat before they went back to school each fall.
"The puff pancake bakes into a bowl shape that holds a lovely stack of peaches, strawberries, raspberries or any combination of fruit you like," she said. "You may top with ice cream, sour cream or I use plain yogurt and toasted almonds."
Pannekoeken
2 T. butter, cut into small pieces
3 eggs
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. milk
2-4 peaches or whatever combination of fruit you like
2-4 T. sour cream or plain yogurt or ice cream
Powdered sugar sprinkled over is beautiful
A little maple syrup is also a lovely addition
Place butter in pan. (Diane uses a 2-quart square glass baking dish and usually makes more than one.)
Place pan in a cold oven and turn to 400˚. Melt butter allowing four to eight minutes. Watch this part to make sure not to over-brown butter. Remove when melted.
In the meantime, in medium bowl, whip up the eggs. Add flour and milk. Beat until mixture is smooth. Immediately pour into dish with melted butter. Bake 20 to 22 minutes. Do not open the oven. When it's ready, it should be puffed and browned. The center will drop only a little to form the bowl.
Fill with your desired fruit and topping. Even whipped cream is wonderful, then top with other raspberries, chocolate curls, toasted almonds, etc.
Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Torte
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
12 oz. of Montrachet goat cheese or feta
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 c. basil pesto
1 c. drained, minced sun-dried tomatoes soaked in olive oil and garlic
Place cheese and butter in a bowl and beat together until will blended and fluffy. (Diane uses a food processor for this.) Line an eight-inch cake pan with dampened cheesecloth, leaving enough extra to fold over the top.
Layer one-third of the cheese mixture in the bottom and spread half of the pesto over it. Repeat. Spread the remaining cheese on top and cover with the minced tomatoes.
Cover the top with a piece of plastic wrap and fold the cheesecloth over it. Set the torte in the refrigerator for at least an hour to firm up.
When ready to serve, fold the cheesecloth back, turn the torte onto a plate, and remove the cheesecloth. Invert the torte onto the serving plate and remove the plastic wrap. Serve with assorted crackers. (Makes 15 to 29 appetizer servings.) Can be made ahead and frozen. Diane suggests doubling the recipe and freezing one for another time.
Kathy Gibbons can at gibbonskath@yahoo.com. For more Everyday Cook columns, log on to record-eagle.com/everydaycook.
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