Posted on

The Inn at Weathersfield and Black Watch Farm, a Partner Story featuring Chef Jason Tostrup’s Braised Black Watch Beef Short Rib Recipe

Chef Jason Tostrup of The Inn at Weathersfield enjoys any opportunity to talk about his experience with Frank Manafort and Black Watch Farm. When Chef Jason first approached Frank about using his prize winning Highland Cattle at the Inn, Frank wasn’t even raising his cows for meat, just for show. The Highland breed is especially suited to the Vermont climate. Its tender and flavorful beef is also rich in omega-3’s. Frank and Jason worked together experimenting with feed, finish, and hanging weight to develop the most delicious product possible. Black Watch was the first of Jason’s many farmer partnerships, it helped him develop his philosophy which guides all of his farmer relationships. 

For Chef Jason, a strong partnership has three components; quality product, an understanding of the farmer’s usage and intentions towards his land, and the ability to create a mutually sound financial agreement. “Taking the time to listen to each other and understand one another’s business and practices is crucial to forming a working relationship” Chef Jason explains, “when partnerships fail, it’s usually due to misunderstanding each others businesses.”  Respect and understanding is clearly at the core of Frank and Jason’s relationship. Black Watch Farm is now supplying over 20 restaurants and retail stores, and is a highlight of The Inn at Weathersfield’s prestigious menu. Chef Jason was generous enough to share his recipe for Braised Black Watch Beef Short Ribs with a Delicata Squash Puree, Cider Soy Glaze, and Mango Salsa.

Chef Jason uses Black Watch Short Ribs, Woods Cider Mill Boiled Cider, Deep Meadow Farm Squash, and sources the rest locally whenever possible!

Braised Black Watch Beef Short Ribs
Delicata Squash Pure -Cider Soy Glaze -Mango Salsa

 

Short Ribs

      4 lb bone in short ribs

      1 cup chopped onion

      ½ inch ginger

      1 orange- sliced

      2 cup red wine

      3 tbl soy sauce

      3 tbl hot sauce /garlic chilli paste

      3 cinnamon Stick

      1 branch rosemary

      1 head whole garlic

      water to cover

      salt and pepper

      2 tbl olive oil

      Take all ingredients for the short ribs, excluding the water, and marinade for 24 hour prior to cooking.

      Set oven to 325. Remove short ribs from marinade, strain off the liquid and save.

      Season Short ribs with salt and fresh ground pepper

      Using a Dutch oven or heavy bottom skillet and olive oil over high heat place meat side down and brown meat on both sides. Once browned remove beef and add vegetables from the marinate to the pan and lightly caramelize.

      Once vegetables have browned add marinade back into the pan and reduce until half the liquid has evaporated.

      Add water to just cover the short ribs bring to a simmer, cover and place into oven to braise for 3 hours, or until tender and just falling off the bone.

 Cider Soy Glaze

      ½ cup sweet soy

      ½ cup boiled Cider

      Place ingredients into sauce pot and reduce by half

      Once ribs are braised brush glaze over cooked ribs

 Mango Salsa

      1 mango diced

      1/2 cup chop red onion

      2 limes juiced

      3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

      Salt and pepper to taste

      Mix all ingredients in bowl.

      Sprinkle over cooked ribs to garnish

Delicata Squash Puree

      4 Delicata squash- peeled and quartered

      ½ stick butter Butter

      1 teaspoon curry powder

      Place Squash in sauce pot cover with water and cook until tender.

      Place cooked squash in food processor and puree with butter until smooth

      Season with salt pepper and curry

      For plating, swoosh on base of place and nest ribs on top

*Black Watch Farms www.blackwatchfarm.com

 

 

Source: Dig in VT Trails

Posted on

Vermont Spirits, the Perfect Holiday Gift

Vermont has been a haven for microbreweries and housed impressive, fertile vineyards for the last few decades. Now Vermont produces award winning wines, spirits and award winning micro-brews! Here is a guide- brought to you by the experts themselves, of the best wines and spirits to gift and grace your holiday table.

Vodka from Vermont!
Vermont White Vodka is distilled from pure milk sugar. This unique base ingredient gives Vermont White its smooth texture and creamy mouth feel. Vermont White is perfect on its own or in any cocktail, and makes a perfect Dirty Martini, Bloody Mary, or Cosmo.  
Vermont Gold Vodka is a pure, delicate vodka distilled from the sap of maple trees, the very essence of Vermont. Maple is a complex sugar which yields a wonderful aroma with a hint of warmth in the finish. For the vodka purist, enjoy Vermont Gold on the rocks, or in a martini with a twist. 
Available direct from the distillery in Quechee or at Vermont agency liquor stores. For out of state deliveries, you can order online at www.drinkupny.com, http://www.parkaveliquor.com/ or http://www.astorwines.com/
Vermont Spirits 

For the holidays I prefer the Traditional semi-sweet mead, Spiced mead or Cranberry Mead.
All of the mead is made with Vermont Honey and Vermont grown fruit. These three styles represent the most popular flavors for this time of year.
Mark of Artesano Mead

We love to give small bottles of our Honeycrisp Ice Cider as holiday gifts.  They are the perfect size to end a special dinner for two! It is beautifully packaged in a stunning 375ml or 100ml bottle.  If purchased directly from our farm market, we are offering a 10% discount on a 12 count box of the 100ml bottles, perfect little gifts, stocking stuffers or trial size.
Here is a link to our website, where we take orders for Holiday Apple Gift boxes and a variety of other apple products!  
Jen Abbey and Julianna White of Champlain Orchards

A great holiday gift from VT…. Tough to go wrong with a bottle of Boyden Valley Winery’s own Riverbend Red from Cambridge VT! Perfect for any holiday meal or just relaxing with friends & family around the holiday fire! Happy Holidays from Arvad’s Grill & Pub,
Patrick Dwyer, GM of Arvad’s Grill and Pub

I can’t think of a better gift, for friends, family or for yourself, than one of our wonderful award-winning, Shelburne Vineyard Vermont wines crafted from the grapes we grow on our vineyards here in Shelburne.     Fresh Feed or Blog We’ve just released our Ice Wine “Duet,” harvested last December at about 15 degrees F. from our Arctic Riesling and Vidal Blanc grapes grown on our vineyards in Shelburne.   With a rich, smooth texture and flavors reminiscent of baked fruits, it’s a perfect dessert for any holiday meal and is available only at our Shelburne Winery and Tasting Room.     Other choices, more widely available, are our crisp, dry white wine, Lousie Swenson, with its slightly floral and citrusy nose, refreshing acidity and stony minerality, our semi-dry white, LaCrescent, that exudes an elegant balance of sweetness and crisp acidity and a rich, warm apricot nose, and our rich and complex red, Marquette, with notes of dark berries and a warming spiciness that balances its oak aged, unfiltered richness.  Taken by themselves or paired in one of our gift baskets with our souvenir wine glasses and a selection of Vermont’s wonderful hand-crafted cheeses and chocolates….a gift to savor!
Gail of Shelburne Vineyards

Here at Caledonia Spirits in Hardwick, VT we find that people are looking forward to enjoying our Barr Hill Gin and Elderberry Cordial in festive combinations over the holidays. The Barr Hill Gin 375 ml bottle as well as the Caledonia Spirits Elderberry Cordial 375ml bottle make great house warming gifts any time of year! Enjoy these recipes for Vermont drinks with your friends and family over the holidays:
 
Elderberry Gin Fizz
½ oz Barr Hill Gin
¾ oz Elderberry Cordial
¾ oz simple syrup
¾ oz lemon juice
Egg white
Shake all ingredients together and strain over ice.
The Vermonter
½ cinnamon stick                              ½ fresh pear             
2 lemon wedges                              2 ½ oz Barr Hill Gin
½ oz maple syrup                         In a shaker, muddle all except gin. Add 
gin, fill with ice. Shake well and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.
Happy Holidays,
Todd Hardie of Caledonia Spirits

I may be biased but I think that Vermont Wine is the perfect holiday gift. Many of my happiest and most fun memories involve wine. Why not support local wineries while giving a gift that not only tastes great, but promotes entertaining social interactions too! My favorite Vermont Wine is The Digger’s Dance by Fresh Tracks Farm and it makes the most delicious red wine brownies I have yet to try. Drizzle some Fat Toad Farm over the top of those babies, and you are surely in for a treat!
Tracy Roux of Fresh Tracks Farm Vineyard and Winery

Ice wine is one of my favorite things to give this time of year.  Ice wine– a rich dessert wine made from grapes left on the vine till they’re frozen– is dessert in a bottle, and makes a special ending to any dinner.  I also really enjoy ice cider, a dessert wine made from frozen sweet cider with an apple-y tang.  I highly recommend Windfall Orchard’s ice cider (www.windfallorchardvt.com), available at the Middlebury Farmer’s Market and in select stores.  Here at Lincoln Peak, we also make an ice wine, Nightfires, available at our tasting room just north of Middlebury and on our website.

Sara Granstrom of Lincoln Peak Vineyards

 

Source: Dig in VT Trails

Posted on

The VFN Member Guide to Holiday Gift Giving

Here are a few holiday good gift suggestions from our members, but don’t overlook a gift certificate to your favorite Vermont restaurant. Send a loved one out to eat; a relaxing meal after the holiday rush is sure to be a treasured evening.

Perfect Gifts for the Home Chef 

Encourage homemade creativity with the gift of the cookbook- Cooking Close to Home. This book is a collection of inspirational recipes to guide your cooking through the natural seasons of the harvest, and to help those who enjoy cooking learn more about preparing and buying local foods.  For anyone who has recently joined a CSA, this book will serve as a seasonal guide to using the foods typically received in a farm share.
Diane Imrie of Director of Nutrition Services at Fletcher Allen

There’s always gift certificates for dinner at Ariel’s, or even better a cooking class, which I give every other Sunday January through March at the Inn at Green Mountain Girls Farm.  
Chef Lee Duberman of Ariel’s Restaurant
(You can see Lee’s other suggestions under Vermont Artisan Producers!)

Need a great gift for that hard-to-buy-for foodie in your life? The Essex Resort & Spa has you covered with a two great gift options!
Savor our buy-one-get-one-free offer for any three-hour 2013 Cooking Classes in Cook Academy, including our Supper Series and World Series classes. ($300 value for $149.00).
And for a stocking stuffer, enjoy admission for two to the Amusing Hour in Amuse Restaurant ($20 value for $10). From 5:00-6:00 p.m. nightly, our Chefs prepare a selection of locally-sourced appetizers, amuse bouches, and other culinary inventions right before your eyes. Good any day. Single use only. One per table/visit. Not valid with any other promotion. Present before ordering. Tax and gratuity not included for Amusing Hour. Offer Expires December 31, 2012. No cash value, no refunds. All sales final.
Stop by The Essex Resort & Spa, or call 800.727.4295!
Christine Frost of The Essex Resort and Spa

Vermont Cheese is Always a Hit! 

I always give Cabot Cheddar to folks on our list. They know our cows contribute to making the best cheddar! Everyone loves the seriously sharp. You can give in whatever size fits the person, 8 oz bar to 3 lb block!! Flavors are fun!! Add a Maple Landmark cutting board and it makes a wonderful gift. Top it off with homemade jams, relishes, or any Vermont maple product and you will be the star! From our farm to your table!!
Beth at Liberty Hill Farm

My favorite gift for the holidays is an assortment of Cabot cheese and Dakin bacon.
A variety of combinations are available!
Chris Pierson of Cabot

Vermont Butter & Cheese Bonne Bouche and Shelburne Farms Cheddar along with Lake Champlain Chocolates, of course!  Sea Salt Caramels & Chocolate Covered Almonds….
Meghan Fitzpatrick of Lake Champlain Chocolates

Cheese is the specialty. Boucher Blue is my top pick, along with the Tarentaises of Springbrook and Thistle Hill. A little harder to get, but always delightful, are any of Bonnieview’s cheeses.
Cranberry Bob of Vermont Cranberry Company    

Bring on the MEAT!

We love to give a holiday housewarming gift of our Maple Wind Farm, No Nitrate, Summer Sausage made with our 100% grass fed beef and pasture raised pork. It’s just the item that pairs so well with local cheeses/ fruits and chutneys for a great hors d’oeuvres plate. Think stocking stuffer!
Beth of  Maple Wind Farm

Lamb, pork and chickens – pastured & whole grain fed! Chickens are  processed on the farm – pork and lamb are processed at USDA inspected abattoir. Local, natural, & 100% awesome.
Mary Dollenmaier & Fred Nadon of Callahan Farm

Sausage and chacuterie.
Frank Pace of the Farmhouse Group

Our “Vermontavore” box of bacon, ham and sausages from pork all grown at Greg Finch’s farm in Franklin.
Also our RealSticks sampler:  6 pieces each of our three flavors of RealSticks – the ‘damn fine tasting, natural and healthy snack sticks with half the fat and salt of leading sticks.  And made with Pineland Farms beef from New York and New England!
Chris Bailey of Vermont Smoke and Cure

A favorite Vermont gift for us is the Family Pack of meats from Graze and Gaze Farm. It is a wonderful practical and delicious gift. A small family pack costs $150 for 20 pounds of grassfed beef, pastured chicken and pastured pork.    The pack includes a nice roasting chicken, 4 packages of hamburger, a pack of pork sausage, some pork chops and some beef steaks. Family packs can be picked up at the farm by appointment.
Loretta of Graze and Gaze Farm

We are giving bacon and sausage from our pigs from our farm, Do Nothing Farm– though wrapping and keeping frozen is always a challenge!  (It’s usually a give-away what they are getting when we tell them to store their present in the freezer until Christmas morning!).
Sharon Deitz Caroli of The Bee’s Knees
(You can see Sharon’s other suggestions under Vermont Artisan Producers!)

Gifts from Vermont Artisan Producers!

I think this goes without saying, but we give Switchel to all our friend and family as holiday gifts!!! We also just started giving our Specialty Switchel Ginger to our local restaurants and food producers to make holiday baked goods and butter! It’s darn delicious.
The Switchel Crew

I am giving Green Mountain Sunshine Vodka, Sumptuous Syrups Ginger Syrup & Urban Moonshine citrus bitters…. because everyone likes a fun cocktail.
I also like to give VT Artisan Coffee with coffee mugs handmade from my friend, Heather Stearns, of Muddy Creek Pottery…. because there is nothing I love better than drinking my morning coffee in one of her mugs.
Sharon Deitz Caroli of The Bee’s Knees

Favorite VT go-to holiday drink…..Fresh Apple Cider!  It is sweet, goes with almost anything and is non-alcoholic (unless you want it to be)! 
Adams Apple Orchard

Chef Kali Alvarez from Vermont Works for Women’s FRESH Food enterprise recommends Vermont Brownie Company’s Blondie Brownie. In collaboration with VBC, Chef Kali bakes the Blondie Brownies in the FRESH Food kitchen in Winooski. Support two locally owned, woman run businesses – FRESH Food and Vermont Brownie Company. 
Melissa Corbin of Vermont Works for Women

I give Vermont Pure Maple Syrup as gifts because it is my favorite sweetener. I have it on my Vermont Greek Yogurt or Oatmeal every morning. It is delicious and has so much more character than refined sugars. And Vermont ‘s Maple Syrup is famous around the country so why not spread the wealth!
Irene Maston of Andrie Rose Inn

My favorite Vermont Holiday gift (and also for many other occasions) is Vermont Fresh ravioli and/or pasta and Vermont Fresh sauce to go with it! I love to give this gift because it is always much appreciated and comes with a big thank you! It is a very quick and easy dinner especially during the busy holidays!  Our fresh ravioli only take a few minutes to cook, heat the sauce…mix them together…and presto, a fresh, all natural Vermont dinner! 
Tricia of Vermont Fresh Pasta 

We always send a jar of woods cider jelly, but also have a new item we are featuring in our gift basket from Blake Hill Preserves from Grafton.
Chef Jason Tostrup of the Inn at Weathersfield

I have so many products (over 700!) that is it hard to select just one. However, we just brought on a new producer-partner that is already receiving national attention. Blake Hill Preserves- Even Bobby Flay is a fan!
Bonnie Kelsey, President of Best of Vermont, LLC

(Blake Hill Owner, Vicky is offering  a custom Preserves Gift Bag containing four artisanal preserves– a perfect gift.)

The holidays aren’t complete without cozying up with a cup of Lake Champlain Chocolates Aztec spicy hot coco mix – we add it to our brownie batter and our fondues too! Makes a great hostess and holiday gift with a mug thrown in!
Lisa Rubin of The Farmhouse Catering Co.

I give quarts of delicious and Creamy Egg Nog in glass quart milk bottles from Strafford Organic Creamery & Quarts of VT Organic Maple Syrup in Glass Quart Jars from Kingdom Mountain Maple. Who doesn’t love these two VT favorites for holiday traditions? My employees here at CVU work tremendously hard to serve the students the best VT local products we can offer, and my employees deserve to be rewarded with the same great products for their hard work.
Leo LaForce of Champlain Valley Union High School

I generally make a few products and package them for gifts which we sell year round from Ariel’s small retail store, in the sitting area of our restaurant.  The gift products that I’ve been making are:  Lee’s A-Maize-Ing Turtles (dark chocolate dipped salted caramel with artisan corn-nuts- gluten free) which I sell in 8oz. packages for $15.00; Toasted Pistachio Biscotti and Finkerman’s Original BBQ Sauce.  We also have a well-curated selection of Vt. food related products for sale, especially products made by members of our Floating Bridge Food and Farms Coop, including several flavors of Fat Toad Farm Goat Caramel and Brookfield Bees honey, syrup, candles and soap.  We also love Jeff Tracy’s artisanal cutting boards and the amazing linen aprons from Anichini in Tunbridge, both of which are for sale here. 
Chef Lee Duberman of Ariel’s Restaurant

Homemade with Love and Vermont Grown Ingredients

Preserves are always a great gift, and you can make it in advance when all of the wonderful local fruits are in season.
Local Herb infused vinegars are also a nice gift because they are really attractive and you can use whatever you have in season.
Laura Kloeti of Michael’s on the Hill

The Lodge at Otter Creek is giving to our residents and friends a couple of items, one being a freshly baked in house miniature pumpkin bread. Ingredients for the bread include pumpkin grown at Bill Scott’s Ferrisburgh farm, Maple Meadows Farm eggs, King Arthur flour, Monument Farms milk and Cabot butter.
George Schreck of Lodge at Otter Creek

I am pretty bad about being able to give out gifts that I can make (pies and the like), mostly due to the fact that it is always super busy at work around the holidays (and of course, because I wait till the last minute). The one thing that is always in great supply is jars of Tomato Jam. All summer long I am asking the farmers for “seconds”, which make perfect Jam. I attached (below) the recipe I have been using for years. It’s great with soft cheeses, cheddar biscuits for breakfast, and even cheese cake or ice cream!

Tomato Jam: This tomato jam is a truly useful condiment to have around the house. We use it as is on our Vermont Cheese boards, and it lends itself especially to creamy, brie-like cheeses. Adding some chili powder and a hint of clove makes this little sauce stand up to flavorful meats, and adding dijon mustard will make it even heartier. Play with it and you’ll find your favorite incarnation!

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups tomatoes – Peeled, seeded, diced and drained of excess liquid
  • 3 ½ cups sugar
  • 1 lemon’s zest and juice
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Method:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive (stainless steel or glass) pot over medium to low heat, stirring to prevent scorching. Cook for 1 hour or until mixture thickens.
  2. Transfer to sterile Mason jars and process in boiling water for 10 minutes (please be careful to follow proper canning technique and procedures). Alternatively, allow to cool and store in a tightly closing container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Chef Charlie Menard of Inn at the Round Barn/Cooking from the Heart

Where do I start with holiday favorites! But here are some that I love:
Cookie Platters: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Thumbprints, Buckeyes, Gingersnaps, Peppermint Brownies, just to name a few!  
Pies: Apple, Pumpkin, Maple Cream, Chocolate Cream, Keylime, plus many more! I love Champlain Orchards and all the wonderful apples they supply me so I can make lots of Apple Pies!!!!
Wonderful homemade bread, Cinnamon Rolls, and Maple Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.
On the savory side: Spinach Balls, Homemade Crackers, Homemade Hummus and Naan, Mango Black Bean Chutney in Won Ton Cups!
Kelly Murphy of Lewis Creek Catering LLC.

My wife and I give our friends and family foods from our garden that we have preserved. We started doing this because we didn’t have enough money to buy them gifts, but it became such a favorite that we continued to do so. These usually include canned tomato sauce, fruit jams (we buy the fruit from Adam’s berry farm), and pickles. We make a large variety of pickles and give them to family members based on their preference. For example, my mom loves pickled beets and Meredith’s grandparents like bread and butter pickles.
Meredith has also made dried herb wreaths out of herbs from our garden. They are decorative and useful, however our mothers couldn’t bring themselves to use the herbs because they like the wreaths so much.
Whenever we’re fortunate enough to travel to NC for Christmas I make her father’s family a meal as their gift. I usually make some sort of stuffed pasta, but I make enough to freeze a dinner’s worth so that they can make homemade ravioli for themselves too. Frozen homemade pasta paired with a can of home grown tomato sauce is usually a very well received gift.
Sometimes I like to give my parents a culinary gift that I know they will appreciate, but would never spend the money on for themselves like really good olive oil or a bottle of 20 year old port.
Another idea (not one I’ve tried) could be a homemade herb or spice blend with a recipe that calls for that blend attached. Infused olive oil is kind of hokey, but I imagine there are some who’d appreciate it.
Phillip Clayton of The Farmhouse Group

Source: Dig in VT Trails

Posted on

Join us for Vulnerability and Viability in the Hills of Vermont

Brené Brown suggests courage is borne out of vulnerability, not strength. She goes on to say the original definition of courage is “to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart.” Her findings on shame and “wholeheartedness” are inspiring millions.

This week Scrag Mountain Music will once again grace our barn. We at Green Mountain Girls Farm still need to pinch ourselves as we enjoy their international caliber music. Mary Bonhang and Evan Premo, Scrag’s Artistic Directors, and their friends the Spectral Quartet (from Chicago), bring chamber music to non-traditional venues in hopes of enabling more people. They stress that while classical music provides intellectual stimulation, what they seek and cherish about playing in places such as our barn is increased emotional connection with individuals and the audience. Our farm seeks the same and we would love to offer you a hot bowl of soup (for a small fee!) prior to the concert downstairs in our farmstand.

Like Scrag Mountain Music, our Floating Bridge Food and Farms Cooperative intentionally invites engagement. We, the participating individuals and businesses of the Cooperative, engage each other as we struggle and innovate to improve the viability of our small farms and food-based enterprises. We engage visitors who crave the opportunity for authentic rural and farm-based experiences and wholesome products. In turn, visitors are central to the viability of our businesses and communities. All this brings us back to vulnerability. In the best moments our Cooperative meets in warmth, with snacks, great ideas and executes successful events. But collaboration requires that we all stretch to relate to others. Positioning our businesses to embrace visitors, inviting them into the intimacy of our family farms and home-based businesses and community is by definition about vulnerability! But what we the members of the Cooperative keep being wowed by is that the result of all of this wholeheartedness is rewarding beyond expectation. We learn as individuals and our group advances. Brookfield isn’t yet the epicenter of agritourism like Tuscany but we present intimate invitations to the world and the energy of participants attending our events is contagious. This energy, together with financial participation, re-energizes and make our farms and community-based art and businesses viable.

Recent years have seen the emergence of “flash mobs” singing carols in public spaces. Caroling has been a tradition in Vermont villages and towns since colonial days, sometimes in religious celebration, sometimes more like folks songs, reminding the community of what it once did or thought important. Caroling manifests wholeheartedness.

Next weekend (Dec 8th and 9th) we hope you are able to join us at the Floating Bridge Food and Farms Cooperative’s annual Holiday Market (details on event poster). If you want to play along intensively experimenting with vulnerability and courage, we will be thrilled if you bring your voice over the hills and through the woods to the Floating Bridge for some Community Caroling! While you are at it bring accordions, banjos, guitars, flutes, horns and drums of any type. Tell your friends.

 If you can’t join Scrag Mountain Music this weekend or our mini-mob of carolers at the Floating Bridge Cooperative’s Holiday Market next weekend, embrace vulnerability where you are. It appears that this, even more than fresh air and rural experiences is the birthplace of joy, belonging and fulfillment. Wholehearted holidays to all.

Source: Dig in VT Trails

Posted on

Trio of Savory Apple Sides

All of the apples used this fall in Cook Academy at The Essex Resort and Spa came from Chapin Orchards in Essex.  Christine Frost, Executive Sous Chef for the Cook Academy at the Essex, lives just down the road from Chapins and stopped by to pick up what they needed each week.  The Essex also uses their apples at the front desk–there is always a bowl of apples for guests in autumn. Christine has treated us to three delicious apple recipes for Thanksgiving sides; cider squash mash, Vermont cheddar, apple & onion soup, and an apple and smoked cheese tartine. They have also included an indulgent Vermont Maple Syrup Mousse recipe as a bonus treat! These recipes can be sourced almost completely locally and are guaranteed to impress your guests.

The Essex is hosting a Thanksgiving Eve Vermont Apple Dinner where you can learn about and feast on Vermont apple varieties and their best uses as they prepare an orchard inspired menu! Peruse the menu and register here.

Vermont Cheddar, Apple, Onion Soup

Serves 4

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled, shredded
1 large Vermont apple, (we like Honey crisp and Paula Reds) peeled, cored, and finely chopped
2 tablespoons flour (or 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with ¼ cup cool broth into a slurry)
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup Vermont apple cider
1 cup half-and-half
1 bay leaf
1/4  teaspoon dry mustard
1 dash cayenne pepper
3 cups sharp Vermont cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt to taste
Peeled diced apple and extra grated cheese for garnish

1.    In a 4 quart or larger stock pot, melt butter and olive oil over medium-low heat.
2.    Add onion. Cook 12 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently until very soft and caramelized.
3.    Add shredded carrot and chopped apple, cook 5 minutes more.
4.    Increase heat to medium. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
5.    Add 1/2 cup of the stock stirring constantly with a wire whisk until combined.
6.    Add remaining stock, while mixing.
7.    Add cider and bay leaf and stir to combine.
8.    Heat soup to just below boiling, stirring occasionally. Cook until all vegetables are soft.
9.    Add half-and-half.
10.    Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Do not let boil or soup may curdle.
11.    Remove bay leaf. Add dry mustard and cayenne pepper.
12.    Using an immersion blender or traditional blender, blend soup till creamy.
13.    Gradually stir in cheese until completely melted and smooth, remove from heat and serve.
14.    Garnish with apple and grated cheddar.

Cider Squash Mash

2 cups cider
1 ½ lbs Buttercup squash, peeled, cut in half, seeds removed, cubed (about 2 small or 1 large squash)
2 medium apples, peeled and cored, halved
water or vegetable stock to cover
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Salt and pepper

Serves 4

1.    In a small sauce pan add cider, allow to simmer until it has reduced to ¼ cup or less and is syrupy, about 45-60 minutes.
2.    Peel squash with good quality, sharp peeler.  Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds, cut the squash into chunks.
3.    Place apple and squash in a saucepan and cover with water or stock, add thyme sprigs.
4.    Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer, cook until the squash is tender. Drain in a colander, remove thyme sprigs.
5.    Purée the squash and apple in a food mill, mixer or mash with a potato masher.
6.    Stir in butter and brown sugar.
7.    Taste for seasoning.
8.    Swirl in cider reduction when serving.

Vermont Apple & Smoked Cheese Tartine

Makes 6 servings

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon minced rosemary
3   ½” thick slices of country bread, cut in half (Red Hen Pain au Levain, Klingers Farm Bread, Gerard’s Bread)
1 tart Vermont apple, thinly sliced
6 slices Smoked Cheddar or Gouda cheese, thinly sliced  (we like Plymouth Smoked Cheddar or Taylor farm Maple smoked Gouda)
1/3 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
Zest from 1 orange
Smoked sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

1.    Preheat oven to 325˚
2.    Toast nuts on sheet tray till just fragrant and lightly brown. Remove from oven allow to cool and chop coarsely.
3.    In a small saucepan, mix together the butter, maple syrup, rosemary, and heat gently till butter is melted and mixture is warm and rosemary is fragrant.
4.    Place bread on parchment lined sheet tray and brush the mixture generously over one side of each piece of bread.
5.    Toast tartine’s in the oven until golden and crispy, about 7 to 9 minutes.
6.    Using a sharp knife or mandolin, slice apple into very thin slices.
7.    Top the toasted bread with a neatly arranged layer of apple slices, covering the bread completely.  
8.    Lay cheese slices over apples, and sprinkle with toasted chopped nuts, dividing evenly between the six slices of bread.
9.    Place tray back in oven to melt cheese.
10.    Remove from oven and sprinkle the orange zest over each tartine and then lightly season with smoked salt and black pepper to taste.
11.    Serve warm.

Bonus Treat! The Essex also included this delectable dessert- VT Maple Syrup Mousse

2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup maple sugar
1/2 cup crème fraiche
1/2 teaspoon powdered gelatin
1 tablespoon cold water
3/4 cup maple syrup, preferably grade B
2 large farm egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Scant 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

Serves 6

1.    Whip the heavy cream, crème fraiche and the maple sugar until stiff peaks form, place in a large bowl and chill.
2.    Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let it dissolve.
3.    In a small saucepan, heat the maple syrup to boiling, watching closely that it does not boil over.  
4.    In a stand mixer, whisk egg whites till frothy and add cream of tartar and salt.
5.    Continue whipping whites until they have almost reached stiff peaks and the mixture is glossy.
6.    Hold them with the whip turning on low until the maple syrup is up to temperature.
7.    When the syrup is boiling, take it off the stove and, with the mixer on high, carefully and slowly drizzle the syrup down the wall of the mixing bowl into the whites.
8.    Warm the dissolved gelatin over a bowl of hot water, until completely melted and drizzle it into the warm whites as well. Continue whipping until the meringue is cooled.
9.    Fold the maple mixture carefully (so as not to deflate either mixture) into the whipped cream.
10.    Pipe or spoon the mousse into dessert glasses and chill for at least 2 hours.
11.    If desired top with plain whipped cream or sweetened crème fraiche and dust with maple sugar.

The Essex is a true Vermont food destination for guests from near and far!  We offer a unique mix of culinary offerings.  Dine with us in Amuse, our signature restaurant that showcases the best of what Vermont farms offer.  For a culinary adventure, have a seat at Chef’s Table at Amuse. Our chefs offer the finest, freshest local ingredients and create a new array of courses each and every night.  View, talk and taste as our chef prepares your food in front of you.  Delicious and engaging! To try your hand in using some of Vermont’s finest ingredients, why not take a cooking class?  Offered daily with a variety of classes to fit every cook’s interest, you will cook with a chef to teach and encourage you in this hands-on learning environment.  If a relaxed casual evening is what you crave join us in The Tavern for some locally sourced pub favorites.

Source: Dig in VT Trails

Posted on

Vermont Cranberries Three Ways

With delicious cranberries from Vermont Cranberry Company at your fingertips, why not use the traditional and versatile fruit to compliment your Thanksgiving meal!

Holiday Cheer Cranberry Martini

We love this recipe for it’s versatility! We recommend using Vermont Cranberry Company’s Cranberry juice, but if you can’t get you hands on some try to buy juice with the least amount of sugar.

1.5oz of your favorite Vermont spirit- we recommend Bar Hill Gin, Whistle Pig Whisky, or Vermont Spirits Vodka
1 oz  Cointreau or Grand Marnier
1.5oz Cranberry Juice

Shake vigorously with ice and serve in a chilled martini glass, unless made with whiskey- then it’s best at room temp!

To garnish your cocktail, freeze whole cranberries in ice cube trays, or garnish with a blood orange wedge.

Other variations could include fresh-squeezed ginger juice, a floater of sparkling cider or a dash of maple liquor- have fun!

Vermont Cranberry Sauce from Vermont Cranberry Company- Fletcher, VT

12oz Vt Cranberries
¾ cup water
¾ cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Bring water,sugar,salt to a boil  stirring occasionally, Add cranberries reduce heat to medium and simmer until most of the berries have popped(about 5 min) Cool and serve.

Bob Lesnikoski of Vermont Cranberry Company recommends this traditional recipe- an adaptation of a master recipe from the geniuses at America’s Test Kitchen but he also encourages you to spice it up with orange zest or ginger!

Holiday Cranberry Strudel from “Strudelqueen” Vera Eisenberg- Wilmington, VT

Strudelqueen- Vera Eisenberg is embarking on a personal culinary journey to introduce the art of Hungarian Hand Stretched Strudel. Paper-thin magical dough filled with savory and sweet fillings. Yum.  She lives in Wilmington, Vermont with her husband Phil and son David.  Email Vera at veragusta@aol.com to place an order for your holiday strudel.., if you don’t want to make it yourself!

STRUDEL DOUGH
(Yield 1 Strudel, Serves 15)

Ingredients

12-ounce flour-bread, high protein, King Arthur (Total flour 2 ¾ cups scoop and sweep method)
1 egg-large
2 oz butter, unsalted, soft
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup water, warm, (more water, if needed)
1-tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Tools

1. Table 3 feet x 3 feet: or card table.
2. Clean tablecloth to cover table. (The cloth helps in the stretching and rolling the strudel once it is filled.)
3. Kitchen aid mixer, rolling pin, parchment paper, sheet tray and pastry brush.

Procedure for dough

1. Place flour, butter and salt in mixer bowl.
2. Mix with paddle on low speed until incorporated. Add egg and mix; add warm water and vinegar to make soft dough. Might need to add more water one tablespoon at the time if it is too dry. Side of the bowl should glisten with a little moisture.
3. Change to dough hook and knead the dough at medium speed, until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
4. Lightly flour counter top. Place dough on table and form dough into a log and with a gentle force hit against the table; fold the stretched dough under itself and repeatedly “Hit” dough against the table about a 100 times. This teaches the dough to stretch.
5. Form dough into ball and coat with vegetable oil. Cover with plastic wrap; let rest for 1 hour at room temperature.

Make fillings during the hour wait for the dough to rest.

Holiday Cranberry Strudel Filling
(Yields 1 Strudel Serves 15)

Ingredients

2-½ pounds apple, peeled cut into 1-inch chunks (Granny Smith)
2 cups maple sugar
¼ cup lemon juice
12 ounces fresh cranberries
1 cup kumquats seeded, sliced
½ cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons Calvados (optional)
¼ cup apricot jam
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2-tablespoon soft butter
1 homemade strudel dough
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1-tablespoon maple sugar
½ cup toasted breadcrumbs
½ cup melted butter

Method

1. Peel and slice apples and combine with lemon juice and one cup of maple sugar.
2. Combine fresh cranberries, orange juice, kumquats and 1 cup of maple sugar in saucepan. Bring to boil then simmer until the sauce has thickened but berries still retain their shape. Strain and cool mixture. Add Calvados to strained liquid and boil until it turns into thick syrup.
3. Gently combine apples, cranberries, apricot jam, pomegranate seeds and softened butter and add the reduced syrup.
4. Combine cinnamon, 1 tablespoon maple sugar and toasted breadcrumbs.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare strudel dough according to direction. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle it with toasted breadcrumbs.
6. Spoon apple cranberry mixture in a long even shape down topside of dough leaving 3 inches on top and on either side of the table. Using the tablecloth roll the dough over like a jellyroll, finish with seam side up. Carefully roll onto parchment lined sheet tray with seam side down. Brush top with melted butter, cut slits at an angle with sharp knife 2 inches apart.
7. Lower oven to 375 degrees. Bake strudel in middle of oven until golden brown and crisp, 35 to 40 minutes. While baking and when done brush top of strudel with melted butter. Transfer to a rack and cool 30 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

 

 

Source: Dig in VT Trails

Posted on

Vermont Fresh Network Guide to a Local Thanksgiving- Turkey Talk!

 We asked some of our esteemed chefs around the state their opinion on cooking a local, Thanksgiving turkey. Here’s what they had to say-

“I always brine the turkey first.  I also stuff the cavity with an orange cut in half, a quarter of an onion and a few ribs of celery.  And remember that a fresh Vermont turkey always takes less time to roast than a frozen commodity turkey.”
–Chef Amy Chamberlain, The Perfect Wife
(Check the bottom of the page for Chef Amy’s brine recipe)

“Traditional, traditional, traditional! Save your creativity for another day! Your family comes to expect certain things cooked the way they remember. Our biggest mistake was smoking a turkey one year- basted with Guinness beer. Absolutely delicious, but still our family was disappointed because they wanted a traditional turkey at home. Also, it is always a great idea to have your guests bring a dish so they feel they are contributing to the feast– it also keeps you from slaving all day too.”
–Chef Michael Kloeti, Michael’s on the Hill

“It’s all about the brine, a full 24hrs is best… 1 cup of salt dissolved in 1 gallon of water… After that feel free to improvise; I always like to add lots of savory herbs, peppercorns and fennel seeds, a few juniper berries and just a splash of cider.  The only ratio that is important is the salt/water.  I usually leave my turkey on the porch, wrapped up tight.  If it gets too warm add a few ice cubes!!’
–Chef Eric Warndstedt, Hen of the Wood

“I cook my turkey covered in bacon. Seriously, I saw it on some TV special and since then have committed my life to spreading the gospel. Cover just the breast with sliced thick bacon and start the cooking at 450 degrees for the first 20 minutes. Bring the temp down to 350 and every 30 minutes keep bringing the temperature down 5 degrees at a time. When the turkey is finally done remove the bacon and use it in the gravy. Mmmmmm, bacon. I crisp up the skin with a little honey glaze for a final flash at 450.”
–Chef Sean Buchanan, Black River Produce

Chef Amy’s Brine Recipe

This will fill a bucket suitable for a large bird.

2 c. salt
2 c. brown sugar
1 lemon, sliced
8 cinnamon sticks
2 lg. Onions, sliced

Simmer all solids with 5 c. water.
Cool and add to large pail w/ 25c. cold water.
Immerse raw turkey and soak for 4 hours.
Pull out of brine and dry on a rack in the refrigerator.  Cook or smoke as desired.

 

 

Source: Dig in VT Trails

Posted on

Mellow Fruitfulness

If you know me or if you’ve read any of my previous posts, you’re probably aware that I have an appreciation for wine. It’s an appreciation I’ve been cultivating for a good, long while and that has led me to taste many a wine.

I’ve toured several vineyards in my travels—in France, Italy, and California—but I’ve never participated in the winemaking process before. At least not until last week when I volunteered as a grape harvester at Lincoln Peak Vineyard, an award-winning winery owned and operated by the Granstrom family and located just outside the town of Middlebury.  Harvesting starts at 7:30 am, and as I drive the few miles from my house, passing mist rising from fields in the early sunlight, the first two lines of Keats’s poem “Ode to Autumn” come to mind:  “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!/ Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun….” During this most beautiful time of year, I’m glad to have packed my hat and sunscreen, but the sun’s rays will be far from oppressive today. Gone too is the humidity; at noon on a day like this, the air will feel like silk on my skin.

The rest of the crew, six other pickers ranging from recent college grads to a man in his 70s, arrive at the vineyard around the same time. We’re met by Sara Granstrom, who was in high school when her parents Chris and Michaela transformed their former strawberry farm into a vineyard back in 2001.  After graduating from college, Sara worked at a few places in Vermont, getting “as far away as Waterbury,” before returning to work full time at the winery with her dad.

Since I’m new to grape harvesting, Sara shows me how to go into the vine “like a surgeon,” removing only the clump of grapes, which sometimes are twisted around vines and leaves and supporting wires.  She demonstrates how not to snip your finger in the process (which I accidentally do, midway through the morning, but only slightly). The other hazard to watch out for is yellow jackets who like to feast on the ripe fruit. More than once I surprise one whose head is deep inside a grape, but they’re so drunk on juice that they simply fly sluggishly away.

We’re tasked with picking Frontenac Gris, which is a gorgeous deep plum color, touched with a misty grayness.  When you peel back the skin on a grape, the fruit inside is pale yellow. Despite the grapes’ deep outer color, they’ll be used to make a white wine, called Sycamore.

It’s meditative work, snipping the clumps of grapes and dropping them into stacked buckets. The other pickers, Sara included, are scattered along the grapevine rows, and sometimes when our work converges we strike up a conversation.  I pick for a while beside Erik, a recent college grad who just flew in the night before to take a job in the winery. He grew up in Minnesota, where his father works in the grape breeding program at the University. The grape varietal we’re harvesting, Frontenac Gris, was actually created by his father, along with several other winter hardy grapes grown at Lincoln Peak. In recent years, these new varietals have transformed viniculture in northern climates like Vermont, enabling winemakers to produce higher quality wines. Lincoln Peak has some awards to prove it: in fact, they’re the only winery in America to win three Best of Show awards at the International Cold Climate Wine Competition.

Part of the reason for the Granstroms’ success is most likely their sustainable farming practices. That, and the obvious love and care that this father/daughter duo puts into their twelve-acre vineyard and winery. Although Lincoln Peak wines are available only in Vermont, they sell out every year and at this point the Granstroms are not looking to expand. They’re already the largest grape producer in the state, among more than a dozen registered wineries and even more vineyards.

At around 10:30, after enough grapes have been gathered, Sara drives a tractor through the rows and she and Erik load the buckets onto the wagon.  Then they haul the grapes, all 2,300 pounds of them, down the hill to the winery where Chris, head winemaker, awaits their arrival.

The three of them soon organize into an efficient assembly line: Chris unloads a bucket of grapes, weighs it, and records the weight in a notebook alongside the picker’s name; Erik grabs the bucket and dumps it into a machine that destems  and crushes the grapes.

The stems are spit out to the side and form a mound destined for the compost pile that will eventually fertilize next year’s crop. As the buckets are emptied, Sara rinses each one out, while the crushed grapes make their way through a tube into the press. Inside this vat, a giant, inflatable balloon gently presses the fruit against an interior side that has a series of holes. As the fruit is compressed, its juice flows through the holes and into a container below the press. An earthy sweetness floats in the air. From here, the juice runs through more tubing and finally makes its way into a huge tank where it will ferment and age. Since Sycamore is a blend of 60% Frontenac Gris and 40% Frontenac Blanc grapes, the two will eventually be combined and then bottled before the wine is ready for consumption next May.

Harvesting is hard, physical work, especially since the season has been condensed this year, thanks to favorable weather. It usually spans about a month, Sara explains, but since the process has been accelerated, it will probably only last 2½ weeks. That puts some pressure on the winemaker to gather and press it all within a shorter time frame. These 2,300 pounds of grapes will yield approximately 180 gallons of wine, or 900 bottles. Not bad for a morning’s work. But Sara and Chris are far from finished. The rest of the crew is still up on the hill picking, and down here in the winery the process will be repeated a few more times before they all call it a day.

As for me, I head home with a bottle of last year’s Sycamore and later that evening sit down to enjoy the fruits of my labor. The wine is deep golden in color and has a rich, smooth mouth feel. It tastes of lush peach with a hint of spice: a glass of “mellow fruitfulness” that captures the morning mist and waning sun of a mid-September day in Vermont.

Originally Published on Sheila McGrory-Klyza’s blog, The Vermont Epicure

Source: Dig in VT Trails