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Sugar on Snow

The classic backyard food party is the summer BBQ. Folks have their grills, some have campfires, some have barbecue pits, one friend of mine added a backyard smoker for making smoked onion rings (really, what’s a summer party without smoked onion rings?). And I enjoy those events. In fact, I support eating every meal of summer outside. But the essential cooking equipment that I want in my backyard isn’t a grill for BBQs – it’s a table for hosting sugar on snow parties in the spring.

Sugar on snow involves heating maple syrup until it just reaches the softball stage (about 234 degrees Fahrenheit), taking it off the heat for a few moments, then drizzling it over snow so that it turns into a sort of maple taffy you can eat with a fork. It’s usually served with a pickle and plain doughnut. In my memory there is a glass of milk, however I don’t think that’s traditional – it ought to be.

You don’t technically need a sugar on snow table. You could just pour hot syrup straight onto a clean patch of snow. Or put snow in bowls and eat it that way. But a communal table where everyone grabs a fork and goes at it in a syrup free for all makes for a much better party in my book.

You know what would make this snow taste better? Maple Syrup

Neighbors of mine when I lived in East Montpelier, Paul and Sandal, threw a sugar on snow version of a block party in the spring. Theirs was the best set up I’ve seen, so I wrote to Sandal to get details on its construction. Turns out, they don’t just have a table for party purposes, they have an entire sugar on snow strategy that can be modified by year. Sandal replied:

“We use an old  cream separating pan which we pack with late season snow (and are always glad to have some on hand on our farm which tilts enough to the north to keep it around).  The pan has a drain in it which is fine and handy as the snow melts but not critical because with the kids (little and big) who show up the sugar disappears before the snow melts to any degree!  When I don’t need to use the big pan, or if I want to ‘save the snow’ (seriously!), I pack it into food grade oblong tubs and put it in the freezer.  Those work great, too.  One or more times when we had had a lot of snow over the winter, we’d just pack it alongside a path and folks could stand there and eat it right off the leveled bank!”

I really wish I’d been there for the snowbank-at-table-height years.

I wrote to the manager of the Capital City Farmers’ Market to see if she had pictures of the tables used at their annual Sugar on Snow party (happening this weekend, March 29th, 10:00 am – 1:00pm at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier). According to the photographs, sugar makers there last year built long troughs to set on top of folding tables.

Capital City Winter Farmers Market, Montpelier VT; Photo by Carolyn Grodinsky

At large events, I often see the sort of cardboard containers hot dogs come in at the fair pre-packed with shaved ice and stacked in a freezer for serving sugar on snow – presumably no backyard party will get large enough to require that time saving strategy.

Canada has a whole different set up at their sugar houses, including special syrup pourers that make parallel lines of syrup along the top of the snow.

I’ve never seen it attempted, but presumably one could also repurpose a foosball or air hockey table into a sugar on snow option . . .  

I realize that gathering friends for food in the backyard is not as appealing in the gray, soggy, cold days of late March and early April compared to a sunny afternoon in July. I would argue, however, that we need it more now than in the summer, when we take being outside for granted. If folks put some creative effort into having the best sugar on snow equipment among their neighbors, then there’d be double the incentive for calling a party (as if the opportunity to eat forkfuls of pure maple syrup until you can’t take any more weren’t incentive enough). So this year I’m on the lookout for design inspiration and next year I just might throw the best sugar on snow parties for miles around. And after that, who knows? Maybe I won’t only build the maple syrup eating contraptions, but some maple syrup making ones as well.

Helen Labun Jordan writes about food, agriculture, and other topics too from her home in Montpelier, VT.

Source: Dig in VT Trails

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Maple Syrup & Endless Possibilities

Several years ago I visited a certain European country where maple syrup was not part of the national menu (the country was Macedonia, but I’m not going to point fingers). Our hosts admitted that, while they appreciated visits from Vermonters, they’d also filled a kitchen cabinet with bottles of unused maple syrup. They couldn’t believe how many pancakes Vermonters must eat to go through as much maple syrup as we apparently consumed.

Well. It’s not about the pancakes (although they’re delicious, along with waffles, crepes, and French toast).

I started to list all the places where I regularly use maple syrup. It was long. No one took notes. Today, on the eve of Maple Open House Weekend, I’m reviving that list for a simple reason: I don’t want anyone to worry that they won’t find a use for all the syrup they acquire while touring Vermont’s sugarhouses. Or, if you’re well aware of how to go through gallons of syrup, this list may come in handy for people to whom you’re giving maple syrup gifts – in foreign countries or closer to home. Here we go:

  • Maple syrup goes on anything served at breakfast – pancakes, yes, but also bacon, sausage, ham, porridge, biscuits, grapefruit, yogurt, granola. . . In Quebec they’ve been known to poach their eggs in syrup (not sap, syrup).
  • Ice cream, milk shakes, panna cotta, pudding, mousse, maple cream pie – any dairy based dessert should have maple in it.
  • Whipped cream – I make my whipped cream fresh, with maple syrup, and this allows any dessert to have maple in it. I even make a whipped cream, ricotta, and maple syrup dip for cookies (ginger snaps and biscotti work well).
  • Frosting and icings – for the same reason as whipped cream
  • Homemade BBQ sauce, ketchup, chutney, jams, jellies, and plum sauce. 
  • Mixed into butter or cream cheese as a spread – a dollop of maple butter in the middle of a popover fresh from the oven? Or on hot grilled cornbread? Delicious.
  • Nut butters – either homemade or mixed into unsweetened natural nut butters. You’ll have a better peanut butter-banana sandwich than Elvis ever imagined. Also good stuffed in a date and dipped in chocolate.
  • Salad dressing – my standard salad dressing is oil, vinegar, pepper, salt, Bragg’s aminos (or soy sauce) and maple syrup.
  • Baked beans, chili, black bean soup, refried beans, dal, three bean salad, sweet & sour lentil salad – there may be a bean dish that isn’t improved with at least a little maple syrup, but I don’t know it. (Okay, I don’t add maple syrup to my hummus, except when I make it with dried fava beans, when I do add some).
  • Roasted winter squash, sweet potatoes, parsnips, beets, onions, turnips. I don’t like turnips, but when I roast them I add maple syrup. Also, when I mash them. If you want to get really creative, mashed turnips with maple syrup is a great addition to pizza crust dough. It’s true.
  • Butternut bisque, pumpkin curry, red lentil / ginger / apple soup, beet soup – you’ve got a storage crop? You’re making it into soup? Add a little maple syrup.
  • Braised meat and marinades for meat (ribs must, practically by law, involve maple syrup when served in Vermont)
  • Maple cured salmon
  • Raita – it’s not a traditional preparation of this Indian yogurt and cucumber salad, but try adding shredded apple and maple syrup (I got that idea from the fabulous Maple Syrup Cookbook by Ken Haedrich).
  • Most things with curry powder, not just raita.
  • As a glaze to brush on baked goods – try melting together 3 Tb butter, 1 Tb mustard and 2 Tb maple syrup (add 1/8 tsp salt if the butter is unsalted) and brush on on whole wheat rolls or homemade soft pretzels.
  • As a glaze on chicken
  • In baking (which we already have a blog post about)
  • I do not personally add maple syrup (or any sweetener) to my coffee, tea, or cocktails – but I understand that other people enjoy it.

And that’s just the list of regular maple syrup use in my kitchen, not the fancy stuff like Jicama, Orange and Grape Salad (again from Ken Haedrich) or the extravagant Baked Vermont dessert that takes a Baked Alaska concept to a new place (from Gesine Bullock-Prado, her site is so beautiful, just go and browse). And that’s only the syrup – that doesn’t include maple sugar, maple cream, maple candies or any of the other maple specialty products I have on hand, which include hot sauce, ice cream, pork spice rub, maple-pepper, maple-filled truffles, and multiple maple spirits. If I really looked, I’d probably find more.  

The conclusion here: you will never run out of uses for maple syrup. And, frankly, my stocks are getting low, it’s time to do something about that. . .

Helen Labun Jordan writes about food, agriculture, and other topics from Montpelier, VT. Want more ideas about touring Vermont sugar houses? Check out her article on maple and the taste of place from the Spring 2011 issue of Vermont’s Local Banquet.

Source: Dig in VT Trails

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Junior Iron Chef this Weekend

Vermont has plenty of chefs inventing new recipes to highlight local ingredients every day, and we can enjoy the results of their work whenever we choose to venture out for restaurant dining (particularly using the DigInVT map. . . ). But there’s one highly sought after source of local food inspiration that’s not so easy for the average Vermont diner to find: the local dishes that are appearing in school cafeterias. . . particularly menu items that students help invent. This Saturday, the public has a chance to observe school-based local foods creativity at the 7th annual Junior Iron Chef competition.

In 2008, Vermont Food Education Every Day (VT FEED, a partnership of NOFA-VT, Shelburne Farms, and, at the time, Food Works at Two Rivers Center) and the Burlington School Food Project (BSFP) founded one of the first youth culinary competitions to focus on local food and school meals. The idea was simple – teams of middle and high school students would invent original recipes using local ingredients and then prepare them for a panel of judges. The response was tremendous- participation has more than doubled since that first year, with 270 students on 64 teams signed up for this year’s contest. And the recipes sound very tasty. Rainbow Root Latkes with Apple Compote, Rootin’-Tootin’ Root Veggie and Black Bean Burritos with Basil Tortillas and Zesty Yogurt Sauce, and Maple Spiced Apple and Goat Cheese Crepes are just a few of the dishes on this year’s menu. 

The student teams are competing to have their dishes featured in the Vermont statehouse and on school menus across the state. While teams may be focused on winning this Saturday, preparing for this competition can create greater, lasting impacts on schools and students.

“Junior Iron Chef VT helps us create school programs that do more than teach cooking skills, recipe development, and local sourcing,” said Lonny Paige, Twin Valley Schools Food Service Director and the coach of three 2013 winning teams. “It teaches our students how they can contribute to community. Our kids are now culinary role models, initiating demonstrations and cooking local farm-fresh foods within Twin Valley schools and for organizations like the Brattleboro Hospice.”

Cooking is so popular at Twin Valley that they had their own competition, with almost 100 students entered, to determine who would defend their school’s title this year.

Do you want to see what the excitment is about? The 7th Annual Junior Iron Chef VT will take place from 9:00am to 3:30pm and will be held at the Champlain Valley Expo Center in Essex Junction, VT. Cost for attendance is $3 for an individual, $5 for a family.

Junior Iron Chef VT is sponsored by School Nutrition Association of Vermont, Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets, G.housen, Circulon gourmet cookware, Blodgett, and WCAX. For more information, please visit www.jrironchefvt.org.

Source: Dig in VT Trails

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Maple Cream Pie

Yes, it’s Pi Day and we are posting a Maple Cream Pie recipe and it is not a coincidence. I’ve been meaning to write this for a while because maple cream pie is a dish open to debate (not about whether it’s incredibly yummy, there is no debate there). We can debate the proper crust, as with any pie. Then there’s the question of the maple syrup to cream ratio. Then the question of whether you make a custard, pour it in the pie shell then chill, or make a custard, pour it in the pie shell then bake then chill. And the question, that really shouldn’t be a question, of whether you add black pepper (the answer is yes, you do – although I sometimes use cayenne instead).

My mother makes maple cream pie every Thanksgiving. It is the best maple cream pie in Vermont. I’ve experimented with plenty of recipes. I’ve done side-by-side comparisons with impartial tasters who are not related to my mother and not obligated to think her pie is best. . . and I can’t remember what they said, but I think they said my Mom had the best pie.

I have no idea where her recipe originally came from. I also have to admit that when I was doing my pie experiments I came up with several sources publishing nearly identical recipes, so it’s apparently not a family secret. But I like to pretend that it is:

 

Maple Cream Pie

One 9-inch unbaked pie shell (whatever pie dough recipe you prefer)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups maple syrup

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Generous pinch ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375-degrees. In a thick bottomed, medium saucepan whisk together flour & cream being careful to get all lumps out. Add remaining custard ingredients and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until it gets quite thick (about 10 minutes).

Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for 30 minutes. Remove, cool, and then refrigerate. Serve cold.

Do you prefer to celebrate Pi Day with Vermont’s official state pie, the apple pie? Here’s a post from our archive featuring an apple pie recipe from Sunrise Orchards. Helen Labun Jordan writes about food (and other things) from Montpelier, VT. Her most recent article is Set the Table With Dandelion Greens (with a simple spring pasta recipe) in the Spring Issue of Vermont’s Local Banquet

 

 

 

Source: Dig in VT Trails

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Maple City Series from 14th Star Brewing

This post by Steve Gagner, owner and head brewer at 14th Star Brewing Company in St. Albans, originally appeared on their blog February 17th, 2014. We’re republishing it here as part of our March Maple series.

Although we started our “Maple City Series” of beers almost a year ago, I thought I should document them here.
.

First in the line-up, the Maple Breakfast Stout

Brewed for the first time in the winter of 2012/13, the MBS brings together all of the things that we associate with cold, wintery mornings in Vermont.

The stout starts with a smooth malt backbone and very little hop bitterness, which is true to style (odd for one of our beers, I know!). A generous helping of oats in the malt bill adds mouthfeel while the chocolate and black patent malts contribute a bit of burnt toast and chocolate.

To this base we add 100% Pure Vermont Maple Syrup from right here in Franklin County and Honey from the French Hill Apiairy in St Albans. These sugars increase the alcohol content of the beer some, but also help provide some complexity to the malt sweetness, making this beer much more interesting to drink.

We use a flavor-neutral yeast for primary fermentation, as we didn’t want to impart any yeast character into this stout. After fermentation is complete and the beer is racked (moved) to the conditioning tank, we add cold-brewed Vermont coffee, accentuating the burnt toast and chocolate flavors from the malt with some roasted coffee flavors.

3 weeks or so after brewing, this beer is ready for the draft line or bottle. It pours a dark brown to black with a persistent tan head. A bit less creamy than beers utilizing nitrogen, our stout aims to capture the character of the original stouts and blend that character with modern flavor components.

A favorite at the brewery, we recently received permission to license the painting “Sugaring with Pepere” by Ann Allen as the artwork for our bottles. Ann, a local artist, painted this in honor of her father, my Pepere (french for grandfather), doing one of the things he loved doing: tending to the maple evaporator.

Pepere and Memere (grandmother) Ferland were craftsmen in their own right. Besides sugaring, they would make wooden crafts and toys – many of which are on display in the homes of their children (they raised 14!). I also have to mention that a staple of every Ferland family Christmas was the jams, jellies, and pickles that they would make in their kitchen. Since their passing, I honestly can’t say that Christmas feels the same without sunshine pickles and strawberry-rhubarb jam.

Our Maple Breakfast Stout, therefore, honors our city as “Maple City USA”, our families to whom we owe so much of who we’ve become as people, and to artists like my Taunte (aunt) Ann who capture moments like these so deftly that they take our breath away – no matter how many times we see this painting. We aspire to do the same things with our beers.

Cheers.

Follow DigInVT.com this March for all the maple news – and join sugar makers from around the state on March 22nd – 23rd for Maple Open House Weekend.

 

Maple Breakfast Stout

 

 

Source: Dig in VT Trails

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March is for Maple

It may be too cold for sap to flow right now, but as daytime temperatures climb we’ll be entering into the traditional start of the maple sugaring season in Vermont. At DigInVT, over the month of March we’ll be providing lots of information for exploring Vermont’s signature flavor. If you’re new to real maple syrup then you’re coming to the right state to try some. And even if you’ve lived in Vermont all your life, there’s always something new to discover. Here are some examples of what’s happening:

March 22nd and 23rd is the annual Maple Open House weekend at sugarhouses across Vermont. To find out specific events during the weekend happening near you visit the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association website.

The Vermont Department of Tourism has put together some weekend ideas through their themed vacation packages, check out the list of maple options.

Or how about staying in and experimenting with maple in your own kitchen? In our post Spotlight on Maple Vermont Fresh Network chefs share their favorite recipes, the Maximum Maple Overload class menu gives creative ideas for using maple, and this post on Rail Dog introduces a new kind of maple spirit.

We’ll be adding more blog posts with maple recipes, events and place profiles over the course of the month, and sharing maple news on Twitter (@DigInVT) and Facebook. Follow along and explore Vermont maple!

Source: Dig in VT Trails

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All Local Winter Dinner Menu

It’s that time in Vermont when the sunlight gets stronger, the High Mowing Seeds displays arrive fully stocked at the local store, and my thoughts turn to the taste of the just-harvested foods of spring, summer and fall. Almost ten years ago, this time of year was also when Localvore groups around the state started challenging themselves to eat 100% local food even though it had been months since we last saw a garden. 100% local in this case meant anything from within 100 miles, not counting spices and leaveners like baking soda or baking powder (commercial baking yeast was always up for debate). Let me tell you – a lot has changed in the years since. Yeah, that’s right, things were tougher back when I was eating like a Localvore, it’s one of those stories.

Vermont now has farmers markets and CSAs that go year round all over the state.

In our grocery stores, particularly food co-ops, in winter you’ll find flours, grains (like cornmeal and wheat berries), beans, prepared all-local foods, root crops, and even local produce that’s fresh, frozen, pickled, dried and greenhouse-grown. In the beverage department there’s an expanding field of local wines, hard ciders, and spirits made from local ingredients. Some of these products existed ten years ago, but required a lot of searching and stores’ supplies often ran out faster than a delivery of Heady Topper. Some of these products weren’t available at all and took considerable collaborative work between farmers, producers, and technical specialists to create. The Cyrus Pringle all-local flour bread from Red Hen Baking Co. is a great example of that, and in 2010 one of the Localvore challenge leaders wrote about the process for Local Banquet.

There are also local staples that we’re used to finding year round – like an abundance of dairy products, meat, poultry, eggs, maple syrup, and honey. Plus anything we’ve preserved from summertime (or talked our friends into giving us) or that are grow-able in your average sunny windowsill, like sprouts, micro greens, and herbs.

With all these local ingredients around, people like me who are conflicted about wanting the flavors of spring with the skiing of winter can have both of our wishes come true. The following menu uses local ingredients to create a fresh, spring-like dinner in winter by adding in tangy elements, different textures, and all available greenery.

Rough cut pasta tossed with sharp local cheese, sunflower seed oil, and sprouts

The recipe for rough cut pasta is below, it’s simply a way to make egg noodles without owning a pasta maker. These are very chewy noodles that go well with the sharp cheese and, if you have it, a spicy micro-green like radish. Here’s High Mowing Seeds information on making your own sprouts. You can also read about local sunflower oil in this article from Local Banquet.

Organic Sunflower Shoots from High Mowing Seeds (www.highmowingseeds.com)

Steak with grape catsup

Okay, unless you got Christmas presents from my Mom this year, you probably don’t have grape catsup, which is a jelly that tastes like chutney, made from Concord grapes. An alternative would be to cook down 1 ½ cups of berries from the freezer with a modest splash of maple syrup and a generous splash of either cider vinegar or VT wine that’s gone to the vinegar side of recently opened and add chutney spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne, salt or check your favorite chutney recipe for their recommendation – add these a few pinches at a time until it tastes right). Another option is to use Cider Jelly for that tangy fruit flavor. If you have a windowsill herb garden going on, sprinkling this dish with minced fresh basil, rosemary or mint is an option, too.

Wood’s Mill Cider Jelly (www.woodscidermill.com)

Bread and butter
The previously mentioned Cyrus Pringle bread. If you aren’t near a place with Cyrus Pringle, or local bread flour for baking your own, you may have better luck finding local ingredients for cornbread and / or muffins. I use King Arthur Flour’s blog to find recipes. 

Winter spinach salad with bacon and “pickled” shaved roots

Winter spinach is very sweet and thick. For this salad, first shave about ¾ cup of sweet beets, golden beets, and/or carrots, sprinkle them well with salt and cover with cider vinegar. Let these stand an hour. Then, chop up 6 strips of bacon and cook them to crispy in a large skillet. Add 5 cups (or so) of spinach, pausing briefly for the merest bit of wilting, then flip upside down onto a serving plate (so the bacon and bacon fat land on top). Sprinkle the roots on top, being sloppy to be sure some of the vinegar gets mixed in too. Grind pepper on top. This salad also tastes good with chopped hard boiled egg.

Winter Spinach at Screamin’ Ridge Farm

Maple ice cream from Strafford Organic Creamery
If you don’t have the maple ice cream available, try this maple crème brulee recipe from Butterfly Bakery. 

Rough Cut Pasta Instructions

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour + more for rolling
½ tsp salt
3 egg yolks  
1 egg  
Water

In a medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Make a well in the middle where you beat together the egg, yolks and 2 Tb water. Starting from the middle and moving out, incorporate the liquid. Add more water as needed to form a cohesive, but not sticky, kneadable dough.

Dump dough onto a lightly floured countertop. Knead until smooth. Cover with bowl and let rest for at least 10 minutes.

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.

Without re-flouring the countertop, begin to roll dough out into a sheet, flipping over regularly. When it gets to about ¼ inch thick, lightly flour both sides. Keep rolling until it’s about 1/8 inch thick – not quite as thin as “windowpane” (where you can see through it) but close.

Using a pizza cutter, cut strips about 1 inch thick going one way and then divide the long strips into the lengths you want. It’s rough (or, if you prefer, “rustic). Sprinkle the top with more flour.

When the water is in a low boil, using a metal spatula flip the noodles onto 2 large baking sheets (for transportation purposes). Drop into water and cook until the noodles rise to the surface, around 3 minutes. Drain.

Find more menus and other food writing by Helen Labun Jordan at www.discoveringflavor.com

 

Source: Dig in VT Trails

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The Skinny Pancake

This blog post is part of a series written by the University of Vermont Farm-to-Table Service Learning class – and it’s a warming read heading into the weekend with mixed (unpleasant) weather, when an expedition to a good brunch (or lunch, or dinner) locale may be the perfect plan.

When I first arrived at the University of Vermont, I asked locals and students alike where I could find a great meal in downtown Burlington. Much to my surprise, the response was unanimous: go to the Skinny Pancake.

Skinny Pancake has been on a meteoric rise since selling their first crepe at Burlington’s Jazzfest in 2003. Since then, what was a small crepe cart has rapidly transformed into a lively restaurant on the Burlington waterfront and a second in downtown Montpelier.  Skinny Pancake is committed to providing great food to its consumers with the healthiest ingredients possible. Showing their commitment to healthy and wholesome food, the founders Jonny and Benjy Adler joined their restaurant to the Vermont Fresh Network  in 2006.  Today, the waterfront restaurant affirms its local focus by signing on to growing contracts with local farmers each year. By buying local at every chance and storing goods through the winter, Skinny Pancake Burlington now sources a staggering 68.6% of its food from local producers. Moreover, all of its meat comes from local producers.

I visited Skinny Pancake for yet another time on a springtime Sunday morning. Walking into the restaurant, I was immediately greeted by the smell of fresh food and maple syrup. As usual, I had no idea what to get. With so many great options, the choice required some thinking. After much debate, I settled on the Cattle Rancher and, because I couldn’t resist, the Hot Apple Crispy. The Cattle Rancher is a delicious crepe filled with fresh local greens, caramelized onions, cooked red peppers, Vermont Cabot cheddar, and Boyden Farm grass fed sirloin tip. Further, the Hot Apple Crispy is a delightful heap of Vermont apples, honey, cinnamon, whipped cream, and sugar, all folded into a crepe.

After a small wait, our smiling server arrived with all our food. Just as expected, it was great. To begin, I ate my Cattle Rancher crepe. The greens were so fresh you could taste it and the crepe was a wonderful compilation of sweet and savory flavors. Every bite melted in my mouth. The generous portion of the crepe left me perfectly full, yet, for my Hot Apple Crispy, I was able to find some more room. My dessert wonderfully combined the sweetness of Vermont honey with the tart flavor of fresh sliced apples. I savored every bite and, because I was feeling generous, I shared much of the crepe with my friends.

But it’s not just me who so strongly supports Skinny Pancake Burlington. I did an interview with another happy customer at the Skinny Pancake to see what calls others to the fine establishment. For my interview across the table, I talked with a man named Dave who was up in Burlington from Middlebury. I asked him what his favorite dish was, but he also struggled to decide. Finally, he settled his decision and told me that his favorite dish was anything off the Sweet Classics crepe section. During the interview, he also mentioned that he has been coming to Skinny Pancake Burlington for around four years. When I asked him why he comes so often, he told me that, “I am always happy to go out of my way to frequent here because of its local focus, local ownership, and great food”.  He finished by telling me that the Skinny Pancake Burlington is a great Vermont connection that he is sure to visit each time he is in the area.

I also did an interview across the counter with a server to see how the employees feel about Skinny Pancake. The server told me that she loves working at Skinny Pancake Burlington for two reasons. First, she loves working at the restaurant because of its local focus. She strongly supports Skinny Pancake’s mission to buy local at every opportunity, whether that be lettuce, beef, beer, or something else. Second, she told me that she loves working at the Skinny Pancake Burlington because “everyone on the staff is very happy and very excited to put out healthy, tasty food”.

Just like many others in Northern Vermont, the Skinny Pancake Burlington is one of my favorite restaurants to visit in downtown Burlington. Now, when tourists ask me where they can find a great place to eat downtown, I too answer: go to the Skinny Pancake.

Do you have a favorite VT food experience you’d like to write about? Contact us for information on contributing to the DigInVT.com blog.

Source: Dig in VT Trails

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Special Dinners Introduce New Executive Chef at the Inn at Weathersfield

DigInVT.com partner the Vermont Fresh Network shares news of a new executive chef at member restaurant Inn at Weathersfield. Details on the new hire and special dinners being offered for the occasion are in the press release below. You can read profiles of Vermont Fresh Network member restaurants and farms at their website www.vermontfresh.net and by signing up for the Fresh Feed.

The Inn at Weathersfield, noted as one of the top 10 culinary inns by Bon Appetit magazine, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jean-Luc Matécat as executive chef. Chef Jean-Luc’s responsibilities include creating and overseeing the culinary experience for both inn and dinner guests, teaching classes at the inn’s non-professional classroom studio, The Hidden Kitchen, and managing the inn’s organic vegetable and herb garden.

As a native Vermonter and son of a French chef, Jean-Luc learned early to respect food and seek out the freshest ingredients from local farms. After culinary school in California and studying under some of the finest chefs in New England, Jean-Luc’s career took him from Nantucket to northern Vermont and over to France. His style is clean, rustic, yet classically rooted. His dishes change weekly and will continue to feature ingredients from local farms, as well as seafood from New England waters.

To introduce the community to Jean-Luc and his cuisine, the Inn is running “Meet & Three” Thursdays, every Thursday through March 23, when the Inn closes for mud season. A three-course dinner (with a choice of two starters and two main courses plus dessert) featuring dishes on his Friday through Sunday tasting menu, is being offered for $25 per person in the dining room.  

“I’m truly excited to be a part of the next chapter unfolding here at the Inn at Weathersfield”, said Executive Chef Jean-Luc Matécat. “It’s a privilege to work in a place with such a rich culinary history. The Inn’s deep connection to the local agriculture and farms is a natural fit for me, because it is such an important part of how I choose to live my life and run my kitchen.”

“The ‘Meet & Three’ Thursday dinners will give inn and dinner guests the opportunity to meet and experience Jean-Luc’s cuisine,” said co-owner Marilee Spanjian. “Last fall, we reviewed over 90 applicants. Of those, we brought in five to cook for our search committee in The Hidden Kitchen, our classroom studio. It was a unanimous decision. Jean-Luc’s respect for local farm fresh food is a way of life for him. His style is clean and creative, with dishes like Heirloom Carrot Soup with pork belly hidden in the bowl, Braised Lamb and Handmade Cavatelli, and his Smoked New England Bluefish Paté paired with pickled onions. His calm, focused style inside and out of the kitchen and among the guests brings a level of professionalism that Richard and I appreciate.”

The Inn at Weathersfield is one of Southern Vermont’s hidden farm-to-table jewels and a premier New England culinary inn destination. Tucked on 21 wooded acres, the 12-guest room year-round inn is open for dining, weddings and events. It is conveniently located just minutes from Woodstock, Ludlow (Okemo Mountain) and Chester, yet far enough away to be a true retreat. Built in 1792 and having served as a stagecoach stop, the charming two-story aged gently as a private residence for over 150 years before becoming an inn. Old world charm found in the original wood floors, fireplaces, and exposed timber frame beams blends with modern spa baths and showers, flat screen TVs and WiFi throughout.                                               

The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5:30-8:30 pm and the inn is open seven days a week. For more information call 802-263-9217, email stay@weathersfieldinn.com and visit www.weathersfieldinn.com.

Do you have a favorite Vermont culinary destination during the winter months? Let us know! We’re always interested in hearing about favorite VT food experiences and are particularly interested in personal stories for our guest blog posts. E-mail helen.labun.jordan @ gmail.com for more details.

Source: Dig in VT Trails

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Valentine’s Day (& Other Romantic Occasions)

Just because this post is going up on Valentine’s Day, doesn’t mean Vermont’s romantic options are only for February 14th. There’s plenty of time for love and romance in Vermont, so take your time to explore these possibilities from DigInVT.com partner organizations (the list works even better if you play Moonlight in Vermont in the background while you read it).

  • There’s also the potential for dinner in – pick up some Vermont gourmet treats at one of our featured food markets.
  • And the best option of all – plan your own romantic weekend, vacation, or staycation using our trail building tool (explained in this winter blog post)

Enjoy!

Source: Dig in VT Trails