In a Northern Kitchen

Surprise Me~ Frozen Mango Mascarpone Cheesecake

2012-02-24T12:29:00.001-08:00

Frozen Mango-Mascarpone Cheesecake

I do love a good cocktail party. From the guests toasting the man of the hour to right down to the fun mix of canapés and the end of the evening liqueur and cigars around the fire, they are, by far, my favorite type of event. And in a year of economic frustration and endless political fear-mongering, sometimes it feels good just to forget all of the craziness and kick back with friends.

My friends Kevin and Steve are Kings of the Cocktail Party and when I was asked to pull one together as a surprise for Steve's “40-somethingth” birthday, I was all in. By the time Steve arrived home, my favorite bartender, Marc, had been behind the bar entertaining guests and I had set out Bacon wrapped Medjool Dates filled with Foie Gras, Strawberries Stuffed with Honey Apricot Goat Cheese, Cornbread Crostini with Grilled Pork Tenderloin and little Caprese Skewers of grape tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil. And all of this prepared in the kitchen of my RV. Challenging, yes. Impossible? Apparantly not!

I believe the biggest mistake most people make when trowing a cocktail party is to over-think it. To me, the key elements of a great party are:

Invite only people who you find fun and entertaining (leave the picky-crabby people at home)
Play fun music
Keep the food simple and prep ahead as much as possible
Buy food from a great source to save time when needed
If you can afford to hire a server and/or a bartender who will clean up as you go, do it. Money well spent. You can enjoy your own party and will not have to wake up to a disaster the next day.
And especially, remember: no one but you knows what is being served. If something flops, leave it out and smile.

There are a few things that are just perennial favorites and so easy to execute that I often reinvent them to vary them from occasion to occasion.

One such item is a recipe borrowed from Cove Point Lodge on the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. They serve a ridiculously good Frozen Honey-Cinnamon Mascarpone Cheesecake and I have made it for a number of events.

Sunset at Cove Point Lodge on Lake Superior

This time though, when it was requested for a dinner party with friends, I decided to mix it up. The original recipe has a praline crust and is topped with cinnamon that is swirled through the batter. Having a sudden urge for Mango (these things happen to me), I decided to make a Meyer Lemon Cookie Crust, leave out the cinnamon, and swirl in Mango Sorbet. The entire recipe takes about 20 minutes to mix and all you do is pop it into the freezer until firm. Crazy easy and crazy good.


Ready for the freezer

Frozen Mango Mascarpone Cheesecake

Don't be afraid to play with this. Make it with a chocolate crust and swirl in caramel and chocolate sauce before freezing. Or make a shortbread crust with a marmalade/lemon curd swirl.

For the Crust

9 oz box Meyer Lemon Cookie Thins (or any lemon shortbread type cookie)

3 oz butter, melted

Place the cookies in a food processor and process until ground. Add melted butter and mix well. Press cookie crust into the bottom of a springform pan.

Yes, I shop at Trader Joe's but any brand will work

For the Filling:

1¼ cups whipping cream, whipped

8 oz Cream Cheese

8 oz Mascarpone Cheese

(Don't know how so say it? “mass-car-poan” -do not pronounce the 'e' at the end)

13 oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk

¼ cup Honey or Blue Agave Syrup

1½ pints Mango Sorbet, softened slightly (not liquid)

Whip the Cream, scrape into another bowl and set aside.

Without cleaning the mixing bowl, beat the Cream Cheese and the Mascarpone until soft and well combined. Add the Sweetened Condensed Milk and the Honey or Agave.

Beat until smooth, scraping down the sides a few times.

Fold in the whipped cream until thoroughly combined. Pour the batter onto the crumb crust.

preparing the Mango Sorbet

In the same bowl (no need to wash) place the slightly softened Mango Sorbet. Cut into chunks in the bowl if needed. Beat until the Sorbet looks like a similar consistency to the cream cheese mixture. It should be smooth and should mound on a spoon.

Mixing in the sorbet

Drop spoonfuls of the sorbet onto the top of the cheesecake. Use a table knife to swirl the sorbet through the cheesecake mixture being careful not to dip into the crust at the bottom. This is done with a folding motion similar to adding the whipped cream but this time leave large streaks of Mango through the batter.

Place the pan or pans in the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight. Cover with plastic wrap once the cheesecake is completely frozen. This can be made up to one week in advance and held frozen.

To serve, let the cake sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Remove from the pan and cut into slices. Makes 12-16 servings depending on the slice size desired.

Recipe Notes:

I used 4: 6” springform pans. No Springform? Line a straight sided cake pan with foil and continue. Once frozen you can pull the cheesecake from the pan, remove the foil and cut. Works like a charm.
Running a large sharp knife under hot water makes for cleaner cutting.
This recipe is neither low calorie nor low fat. I am a believer in making a great dish and eating less of it vs. modifying it to control calories.

The Scent of Home

2011-12-14T21:00:00.000-08:00


A potted herb garden

A few days ago, a Wednesday in December, I went to Lowe's outdoor garden center and bought herbs and flowers, tucked them into pots and set them outside onto the little patio area next to our RV; parked for the winter in Palm Springs, California. I marvel still at this flagrant display of disregard for winter, though the calendar confirms the date.

A ball carefully placed by Maggie for my notice

Each morning, I make a big steaming mug of tea, often from herbs picked and dried from my northern Minnesota garden nearly a year ago and sit in the sun with Maggie; me, plotting the day, she, returning the tennis ball I toss to her again and again. She is still perplexed by the idea of a chain, attaching her at a 20' length from the steps, something of a cruel joke to a 10 year old dog who almost never leaves my side. This is her first experience with such a clear assumption of future misdeeds but as long as I am present, she submits to the affront without indignation.


My sidekick

I used to sit with her on summer afternoons,

reading in the herb garden near our house,

with the pungent scent of black currant bushes on one side

and the occasional breeze bringing me the scents of

peppermint, chamomile and tarragon (long ago known by the

mystical sounding name 'dragon's wort') on the other.

Contrary to gardening sense, early season herbs are the best to pick and dry for later use, holding the greatest amount of essential oils and therefore, flavor. Early summer was the time of year I would begin to gather and hang bunches of thyme, sage, savory, rosemary and tarragon for cooking and sprigs of mint and chamomile flowers for tea. Just as contradictorily, today I sit outdoors with my cup, just days before the winter solstice, celebrating at once the summers first harvest and the years end.

Cremini Mushrooms

At the end of the day, as I return home, I notice my newly planted herbs have perked up, having drunk in a rare southern California rain. The air is chilly and damp and I peer into our little refrigerator, deciding on dinner. Hmm. Pork tenderloin, mushrooms, a little goat cheese, lemons from a nearby tree, and herbs. I gather, mix, taste and stuff. A quick sear browns the exterior of the meat and I slip it into the oven (along with a handful of sweet potato wedges) until just medium. One taste and I am warmed instantly.

I slice a piece of Ciabatta from the loaf I purchased at the Farmers Market and sit, dog at my feet and after seemingly endless days and nights of sirens and city traffic noise I realize that it is suddenly, wonderfully and unexpectedly, as quiet as the northern Minnesota woods and I relax and enjoy this moment in time.

Herbed Pork Tenderloin with Lemon and Herbs

This is a quick, easy and hearty dinner, ready in about 30 minutes. Serves 2-3

Local goat cheese and a lemon from a nearby tree

1 whole pork tenderloin – about 1¼ - 1½ #

Olive oil

1# cremini mushrooms, chopped

½ tsp chopped garlic

3/4 tsp rubbed sage

¼ tsp dried rosemary

¼ tsp dried thyme leaves

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1 medium Lemon, zested and juiced (reserve separately)

2oz chevre cheese

Heat about 2 TBSP olive oil in a medium sauté pan.

Add chopped mushrooms, herbs and garlic and sauté until mushrooms are softened.

Add half of the lemon zest and all but 1 tsp of the fresh lemon juice.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Reduce the juices slightly then add goat cheese. It will melt into the mushrooms.

Place filling into a bowl and cool to lukewarm.

Lemon zest

Cut a pocket into the length of the tenderloin and stuff with the cooled mushroom mixture.

Seal the tenderloin by tying with string or with toothpicks.

Rub the tenderloin with the remaining lemon zest, salt pepper and lemon juice.

Sear the tenderloin in 1 tsp of olive oil until lightly browned.

Place the browned tenderloin in a baking dish and roast in a 350degree oven for 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 140 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes.

Remove the picks or string, slice and serve.

I like to serve pork with roasted sweet potato wedges and a salad.

Recipe notes:

Not a fan of mushrooms? Replace them with onions or winter squash. Sauté onions until caramelized, or squash until it begins to soften and continue the recipe.
The rules have changed. It is perfectly safe to serve pork medium to medium well. Using a meat thermometer will take the guesswork out of roasting meat. If you are unsure of appropriate cooking temperatures, look for one with indicators of rare, medium and well done, etc.
Warm dried herbs by rubbing between your palms over the pan. This releases the essential oils and ‘wakes up’ dried herbs.
You can make this up the night before, hold it in the refrigerator, then sear and roast when you are ready the next day. The roast may take slightly longer to come up to temperature once it is thoroughly chilled.
Microplane zesters are fabulous for citrus but any sharp grater will work.
Make your own tea blend by mixing some of your favorite herbs together and steeping in boiling water for 5 minutes. I like to blend a pinch of green tea leaves with a pinch each of peppermint and chamomile flowers. Lemon verbena leaf is another great 'tea herb' and is prolific when grown in pots. Fresh grated ginger and a dash of honey or a drop of orange oil are great additions, too.

When Life Gives You Lemons...

2011-12-01T11:17:00.001-08:00

Fresh citrus seems decadent to my Midwestern eyes

Just a dusting of snow so far

The last time I lived in California I was seven years old. It was on an Air Force base in Riverside, just an hour from this year's winter residence. I distinctly remember hanging upside down from the crossbar of a swing set with another little girl and talking about the snowcapped mountains in the distance. Whether we were determining to embark on some future mountain journey or just marveling at the snow, I don't remember but I find it interesting after all these years to be so nearly in the same place.

Only vague memories remain from those upside down years: bamboo growing near the back door, holding on to the back of a chair in front of the television and exercising with my mother to Jack LaLanne, chewing on a piece of raw sugarcane purchased as a treat from the local grocer and riding with my siblings in the back seat of the car through endless fields of citrus trees.

Sampling oranges at the Farmers Market

Being back in Southern California is a huge mind bender for me. The snow-capped mountains are here indeed. Just past the palm trees. Snow. And palm trees. Farmers market stalls offering fresh strawberries and raspberries, any kind of fresh vegetable imaginable, local breads and things like orange juice squeezed to order or gorgeous orchids in an explosion of color complete the 'wonderland' landscape for me.

A Lisbon Lemon tree, heavy with fruit

Here in Palm Springs, citrus trees grow in nearly every yard, their branches holding the bright orange, green and yellow globes over the ubiquitous concrete walls that separate each small housing development. My Midwestern eyes can hardly believe the sight of grapefruit trees. Seriously. In your yard? In the back yard of my friends Kevin and Steve's home, a Lisbon lemon tree stands bent like a woman great with child. I cannot fathom how the branches, so laden with huge, heavy yellow fruit do not break under the weight. The lemons themselves are larger than any I have ever seen and beautifully fragrant when sliced.

A year round desert resident

Across the street from our place is a little neighborhood bistro, Cello's, where owners Tom and Bonnie Barkley make their own Limoncello from local fruit. In this tiny, warmly decorated space, you can sit at the bar, chat with whomever happens by and have a remarkable meal or a great glass of wine at the same time. A few weeks ago, a woman named Jo recounted to me an unexpected evening spent years ago in Palm Springs in the company of Frank Sinatra and friends. A little graffiti in the bar bears witness to a visit to the restaurant last January by Mike Grgich; signing the wall itself.

Maybe this is the way to really learn about a new place, one story at a time, each visit a new opportunity. Everyone here seems to be from somewhere else, drawn to the rugged beauty of the desert, mild weather and, seemingly central to the history of the state itself, the hope for a new start.

Bonnie Barkley was kind enough to share the recipe for Cello's signature dessert: Lemon Tiramisu, just in time for citrus season.

CELLO’S LIMON-MISU (LIMONCELLO TIRAMISU)

Zabaglione

5 Egg yolks (reserve whites)

¼ C Sugar

½ C Limoncello

Mascarpone Cream

2C Mascarpone at room temperature

5 Egg Whites (reserved from above)

¼C Sugar

Syrup

1C Limoncello

¾ C Fresh squeezed lemon juice (prefer Meyer lemons)

1C Water

½ C Sugar

74 Ladyfingers

For the Zabaglione: Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and Limoncello. Over low heat, whisk constantly until the zabaglione has thickened. Remove from heat and cool thoroughly.

For the Syrup: Combine all the syrup ingredients and place in a sauce pot over high heat. Bring to a boil until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Remove and cool completely.

Meringue:

Whip egg whites until stiff peaks form, gradually adding sugar. Set aside.

For the Mascarpone Cream:

Once Zabaglione has cooled completely (this is very important) fold 1/3 of the mixture into the mascarpone cheese until blended. Add the remaining Zabaglione until blended. Fold in the meringue in several additions until blended into the Mascarpone/Zabaglione mixture.

To assemble:

Dip Ladyfingers into syrup quickly (if you get them too wet they will fall apart) line the bottom of a 9x13 pan with a layer of ladyfingers. Top with Mascarpone/Zabaglione mixture and repeat. After the 3^rd layer of Ladyfingers top with remaining Mascarpone/Zabaglione mixture cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit overnight.

Serve with an aperitif of Limoncello or drizzle a little on top just before serving.

Snowbirds

2011-11-24T13:02:00.000-08:00

Heading west

As I went through the house one more time, seeking out forgotten items in upstairs closets, I placed them in one of three carefully categorized piles: Pack for storage, give it to family and friends or donate to charity.

The potted ficus tree I nurtured for some 15 years, growing from a literal twig to a tree standing 9 feet tall, gone to the local Arboretum; a box of liqueurs went to Amy, who will use them in colorful concoctions of jam and fruit sauce; the under-counter wine refrigerator off to Chris as a reminder of great conversations over a glass of some newfound spectacular juice. Room after room, pieces of a lifetime, carefully wrapped and stored for the future. As my hands turned black from ink on newsprint while wrapping empty canning jars, I couldn't help thinking that any other year on a colorful, crisp day in October, my hands would be black from digging potatoes. One of the last acts in the garden is one of my favorite chores. Savoring the the rich, musky scent of charcoal-colored Midwestern soil just before the ground freezes; I look forward to my next experience with it, now months away.

My life has changed.

Mount McKinley, Alaska

My husband, now working year round in the oilfields of northern Alaska and returning to Minnesota about every other month, understandably wanted to change his winter home to something that looks less like, well, winter.

We scouted the region and on a recent trip to Washington State found our new home as we traveled through Missoula, Montana. It is a 31' RV. Summers at the lake, winters in the desert and gardens in pots, at least for now.

At the Alamo

At Bandelier National Monument, NM

Pointing us west in Arizona

After traveling through Texas Hill County for a wonderful visit with family and spending a few days hiking near Santa Fe, we meandered to Palm Springs, California. An oasis in the desert.

Becker Winery near Fredericksburg, Texas. Outstanding.

To my Midwestern small town sensibilities, Palm Springs seems at first too fast, too full of great masses of people moving constantly. But there is one remarkable advantage here. This is California. Swimmin' pools, movie stars and ridiculously fabulous Farmer's Markets. We're talking OMG.

Hiking in Indian Canyons, Palm Springs

At the market in Palm Desert yesterday I bought lush local greens, freshly baked brioche, local goats milk Feta, local almonds and olive oil and four perfect, tiny organic pears for salads. I love connecting to a place, a tradition, a people through the food they produce. While my 'Northern Kitchen' has moved south for a few months, my Midwestern heart has not. I hope you will enjoy traveling with me this winter as I discover 'local' in a new locale and bring you a Northern perspective on this great, decadent garden called California.

Watermelon: A new slice on an old favorite

2011-06-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

Sweet, salty and fresh. This is a huge favorite with anyone who tastes it.

What goes together better than watermelon and the 4^th of July? I can't think of a thing but if you are looking for a more 'adult' way of serving this refreshing and classic fruit for the holiday, try this:

Cut the watermelon into slices and then into wedges and arrange on a serving platter.

Drizzle balsamic vinegar or a balsamic vinegar reduction* over the melon.

Crumble Feta cheese over the melon.

Cut fresh basil leaves into thin strips and sprinkle over the feta & melon.


Vanilla Fig Balsamic Vinegar

Recipe Notes:

I used balsamic vinegar that I brought back from a trip to the Columbia Valley earlier in the year: California Napa Valley Vanilla Fig Balsamic Vinegar. About $16
If you want to make your own balsamic reduction (basically a syrup made from vinegar): Pour 1 cup (or more) vinegar into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a high simmer. Cook until reduced to the desired syrupy consistency. I also like to add a TBSP of brown sugar to the syrup about ½ way though the process for flavor. Here's the only trick: Watch carefully as it begins to thicken. This scorches easily, ruining the product. Use at room temperature.
I have not tried it, but you might take a few dried figs, a tsp of good vanilla and some balsamic vinegar and process them in a food processor or blender. This might give you a slightly thicker and wonderfully flavored product without reduction. Not thick enough? Cook it down a little.

All in a Summer's Day

2011-06-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

Crostini Topping: Smoked Salmon, Asparagus and Artichokes

Summer. It has barely begun, yet I feel I am running from place to place as fast as I can. From the north woods to the north shore to Minneapolis and back again: business, errands, family. So much for those long leisurely days in the garden.


Todd Menton playing the bodhran

Last weekend seemed especially hectic for everyone I know. Friends Bob and Arlene Jones, owners of The Farm on St. Mathias, hosted the 3^rd Annual Celtic Festival at their CSA; neighbors Kevin and Steve entertained their extended family of 60 at the Gull Lake Yacht Club; others were holding graduation parties, packing up for camping trips or attending another June wedding.

3rd Annual Celtic Festival

Reunion preparations at the Gull Lake Yacht Club

The weekend was also one of the few breaks in the weather we have had this spring. As anyone in the Upper Midwest can tell you, the rain here has been incessant, skipping over places like Oklahoma and Texas that desperately need it and 'gracing' us, up to our knees. But Saturday was a jewel; light breezes, bright sun and puffy marshmallow clouds giving just enough peek-a-boo shade to keep the day from feeling uncomfortably hot.

Sunday night came as a welcome rest after all that craziness. I snipped some peonies from the garden (putting my life at some risk climbing up a stone wall to do so), created a makeshift bouquet for the table and wandered inside.

Smoked Salmon from Morey's

In town earlier in the day I was happy to remember that Morey's Seafood Market was open on Sunday and stopped in for inspiration. Smoked salmon? Yes, definitely. Hmm. I had asparagus at home from the farmers market...artichokes? Too warm outside to enjoy one of those steamy cheesy dips. What about a chunky crostini topping? I was on to something. I finished my shopping by adding a baguette to the mix and headed home to play in the kitchen.

Meditrina from Sokol Blosser

I decided to 'call in backup' for the eating part of my little exercise, there being another week to go before my husband was home to take his place as taster, and called my neighbors. The evening was cloudy but the rumbling and the rain held off until after dark, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the loons calling across the lake while we sipped a pretty little blend of Syrah, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir from Oregon.

As we sat on the deck overlooking Lake Margaret we talked about future travel plans, the puppies, the beautifully restored Chris Craft motoring past us on the lake; everything and nothing. After weeks of running it was a moment of quiet entertainment that one lives for in these woods.

Next week will be crazier than the last, with a quick trip to Minneapolis, then Bayfield with friends and back to the North Shore for work; another whirlwind of go-go-go. But just now I was enjoying the moment, the loon calls and the easiness of a summer evening shared with friends.

Salmon, Artichoke and Asparagus Crostini

Light, flavorful and quick. Perfect for a summer evening.

12 oz Smoked Wild Salmon

1 6oz jar quartered Marinated Artichokes, broken (reserve marinade)

2 TBSP Pure Olive Oil

½ Sweet Yellow Onion such as Vidalia, rough chopped

½ # fresh local Asparagus, cut into 1 1/2" pieces

½ tsp dried Thyme Leaves

½ tsp dried Dill Leaves

Kosher Salt and fresh ground Pepper

Shaved Parmesan, if desired

Clean salmon by removing skin, fat and bones. Break into large flakes.

Reserve 2 TBSP marinade from artichokes. Set aside.

Break artichokes into chunks and add to salmon in a medium bowl.

Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add onion and asparagus and saute until just softened.

Add herbs by rubbing them in your palms over the dish. Taste and season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

Add marinade from artichokes. Reduce liquid almost completely, remove mixture from heat and cool.

Toss lightly with flaked salmon and artichokes . Serve on toasted baguette slices & top with shaved parmesan. Serves 4

Recipe notes:

Rough chopping is just a way of saying 'chunky and irregular' vs. neatly and evenly cut. I think it suits this rustic dish.
This mix would be as at home in a frittata or as a topping for fresh greens as it is a topping for crostini.
I used a sweet yellow onion but sautéed, chunky-cut shallots would also be wonderful in this recipe.
Try adding chopped pepperoni or proscuitto, or roasted garlic, if you have it on hand.

Golden Rice

2011-06-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

Want a different take on Wild Rice? This dried fruit and spice packed version is one of my favorite ways to use it.

Golden Rice

This is one of my favorite takes on this tasty grain.

1 ½ cups cooked Wild Rice

1 ½ cups cooked Basmati Rice

1/3 cup chopped Dried Apricots

1/3 cup Golden Raisins

½ cup Sliced Almonds

1/3 cup Chopped Red Onion

1 tsp ground Cardamom

1 tsp ground Ginger

½ tsp ground Cinnamon

½ tsp Turmeric

¼ tsp ground Cloves

¼ cup chopped Parsley

1½ tsp Ruth’s Spicy Mango Sauce or substitute a prepared chutney to taste

Cook the grains separately. Toss together with the remaining ingredients. Serve hot or at room temperature. May be made ahead and reheated gently.

Recipe Notes:

Other grains such as wheat berries, brown rice, couscous and barley may be added to or substituted for the rice.
Cook each grain separately in vegetable or chicken stock for the best texture and flavor.
Ruth’s Spicy Mango Sauce can be found in many grocery stores among the sauces and condiments (or order it online) and gives a great zip to this dish.I have substituted various kinds of pureed chutney with great results.

North Shore Yearnings: Cove Point Lodge

2011-06-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

Rush Hour Traffic in the Duluth Harbor

The first time I drove over the hill overlooking Lake Superior I was in awe. Interstate 35 literally cuts the country in half, running from Laredo, Texas all the way to Duluth, Minnesota and the international inland seaport of Superior. As you near Duluth you gain elevation until, almost unexpectedly, the Great Lady lays before you, as far as you can see.

The completed trail will run 86 miles along the North Shore

Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area and one of the deepest. Even on those few days each summer when insufferable heat marches down the hill to the very edge of the lake and the sand burns your sandaled feet with each step, it is nearly too cold to stand in the shallows.

Dog Tired

A Different Pace

The north and south shores of the lake could not be more different. The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, considered one of the top sailing spots in the world, is just an hour and a half drive east from Duluth to Bayfield, Wisconsin. We have sailed among these twenty two islands (collectively, rather than individually, named for the Apostles) on many occasions and on many more, taken the ferry across to Madeline Island for hiking, shopping or just to party with friends at Tom's Burned Down Cafe.

The Ice Caves near Meyers Beach

The elevations are somewhat lower here and the softer sandstone cliffs have been carved by thousands of years of waves into gaping caverns. We have hiked to these caves in winter from Meyers Beach, finding them coated inside and out in heavy slabs of ice, like massive sculptures.

Bayfield, Wisconsin

I am one of those people who has become enchanted by this huge expanse of water, at times docile and others immensely violent. Old fishermen sit at places like The Rum Line Bar or Morty's in Bayfield and tell harrowing stories of ducking into the shelter of Stockton Island 'just in time' or bailing water as fast as their arms could move “there is no bilge pump faster than a scared man with a bucket”. We are fair weather sailors and are far more likely to be taking photos of the occasional huge breaking waves from the shore.

Watch the Red Bull Surfing Team surf Lake Superior in March of 2011. The team was staying at Cove Point Lodge (buildings in the background). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sMWoG0llYo

Hiking the North Shore

The North Shore, along the high elevations of the Sawtooth Mountains, a mile or two inland, is a great contrast to its twin. The mountains skirt this side of the water with the Superior Hiking Trail running their crest. The trail runs from Duluth to the Canadian Border, some 277 miles. Here you see the massive basalt cliffs and the highest point on the lake, Palisade Head. The deep waters off the north shore make anchoring all but impossible in most areas, 1000 foot commercial ships and commercial fishing boats a far more common sight than sailboats.

Waterfall along the trail

This is hikers paradise, waterfalls flowing toward the lake at every turn, State Parks like Gooseberry Falls, Tettegouche and Temperance River following the shore north toward Grand Portage and the Canadian border.

Cove Point

Just a few miles north of Split Rock Lighthouse, I am lucky enough to be working for a few weeks at Cove Point Lodge, built in 1995. Literally a stones throw from the water, each of the lodge rooms face the lake and the more recently built Fjord “cabins” (beautiful 2 and 3 bedroom homes) are just up the path.

I take my morning coffee down to Mickey's Fish House, a small building on the waters edge that once belonged to a local commercial fisherman, and lean on the deck railing. I feel the light spray of the morning waves on my face. Maybe I could live in this little building, nestled in the cove and run a porta-bar for tips or dole out firewood? I could pretend to be an old haggard fisher-woman and tell tales of near death on the lake like those old sailors in the bars of Bayfield.

Okay, maybe not, but it is romantic to think about it. For now, I guess I'll just finish my coffee and get back to work.

Cove Point Lodge Wild Rice

Cove Point Lodge is just 4 miles north of Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior. This wonderful Wild Rice Pilaf is often served with dishes like their House Walleye or Steak and Steelhead (Trout) special.

1 ½ # organic Minnesota wild rice

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 med red onion chopped

1 med yellow onion chopped

2 c shredded carrot

1 ½ c slivered almonds

1 c green onion

1½ -2 TBSP Brown Sugar

S&P to taste

Cook wild rice in salted water or stock, drain & cool slightly.

While rice is cooking, sauté red and yellow onion in olive oil until translucent. Place in large bowl.

To sautéed onions, add carrot, almonds, green onion and cooked wild rice. Mix thoroughly. Stir in brown sugar. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm. Rice can be made a day ahead and reheated in a little stock on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Sunrise on Lake Superior

Recipe Notes:

You will find 2 kinds of wild rice from Minnesota: the darker colored cultivated wild rice grown in long oblong paddies, is often sprayed for pests and is combine harvested. California actually now grows more cultivated “wild” rice than Minnesota. Lighter colored truly 'wild' rice that is harvested by small boats along lake shores and in marshes and is a naturally organic product. It is a little harder to find and may be more expensive than it's cousin but if you look for organic wild rice you are likely to find it.
Experiment! Cook different grains separately (wheat berries, quinoa, etc.) and then combine to create different textures. Grains and dried fruits also go together beautifully. Add dried apricots, golden raisins, cherries or other fruits as you like.

Crawling Toward Summer: Rhubarb Tarts

2011-06-12T14:58:00.000-07:00

Creamy Rhubarb Cheese Tart

I noticed yesterday, while moving the hose to water my currant bushes, that our yard has been graced by not one, but two, turtle nests. When turtles lay their eggs, they scoop out the sand in a distinctive pattern, like a sort of snow angel in the sand. We didn't see the mothers at their work but from the size of the nests they are probably painted turtles, as common as snappers in this area. Both nests face precisely west, as if these absent mothers wanted to point their babies in the right direction, downhill toward the water for the 200 or so yards they will travel to the relative safety of the lake. Spring has arrived.


Chives in the Herb Garden

I am doing a bit of traveling for work this year and each time I return after a week or so away, the changes are remarkable. The rhubarb, under the last stubborn pile of snow just 5 weeks ago, is full grown now and ready for picking. The black currants have finished flowering and have set fruit, a little late this year. I inspect them daily, willing them to ripen faster, anxious for the huge black fruits, a variety called 'Ben Sarek', as big as ripe blueberries.

Hops on the trellis

Northern gardens don't have the luxury of long, sleepy starts and slow growth. They are a riot of activity, plants bursting through the soil in brilliant green and racing to full size in 60 or 90 or 120 days to beat, first the heat and then the frost, in their fervor to reproduce. The hops, climbing a trellis on the northwest corner of the property are putting on a full foot of growth per day; an astonishing feat for any plant. I look forward to the canopy of shade they create for outdoor reading all summer long and their beautiful cone-like green flowers; the fruit that beer brewers covet.

The loons have returned to the lake now and are hatching their young, I hear them mournfully calling to each other across the water as I return to the house. Our neighbors Kevin and Steve have invited me to join them on their boat tonight in a 30 minute ride to Lost Lake Lodge for dinner. If we are lucky, we may see the mother birds with babies hitchhiking on their backs, protected from predators below the water's surface.


Maggie, photo-bombing the Rhubarb

I return to the rhubarb and cut most of the great red celery-looking stalks, leaving the largest and toughest stalks to regenerate the plant. My friend Stacy's words come to mind as their tart perfume envelops me. When she stopped by yesterday she remarked on the size of the bushes this year. “There is just something about rhubarb. I look forward to it every year but somehow in that first bite I realize I have forgotten just how amazing it is.” Or perhaps rhubarb, starring in some sort of cosmic role, is reminding us just how amazing Spring really is? Pea shoots, the first greens snipped from the garden, peppermint spreading in the north garden like a weed, Siberian Iris ready to flower. I often race past them to the next project, forgetting why I planted them in the first place. Is there a lesson for me in those fantastic first flavors?

spring flavors

Rhubarb is one of the few truly seasonal fruits left. We have managed to find a way to either chemically manipulate the storage of fruits or ship from distant lands fruit like pears and clementines, once rare and fragile, so that you can roll into a grocery store virtually anywhere in the country and find them year round. Yet rhubarb remains safe in the backyards of northern gardens, the domain of grandmothers and urban farmers alike.

Pork Chops with Rhubarb Sauce on the grill

I cut a couple of stalks the other day as a tease and sautéed them in olive oil with yellow onion, a touch of garlic, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. After adding a little water to thin it to a sauce, I spooned it over pork chops on the grill. It was lightly sweet and lightly tart with just the right touch of richness from the balsamic vinegar. My husband slathered the remaining sauce on bread, declaring it “too good to put in the frig”.

I am in no hurry for the height of summer this year, content to see the turtles hatch in their time and to spend a little more time in the herb and flower garden, taking in the mix of fragrances. I will play with some of the rhubarb stalks today but freeze most of the chopped stalks. Maybe I can hold on to that 'first bite of Spring' feeling a little longer that way.

Creamy Rhubarb Cheese Tart

Crust:

1 ¼ c flour

2/3 c rolled oats

½ c brown sugar, packed

¼ tsp kosher salt

½ c cold butter

½ c lightly toasted walnuts, chopped, if desired.

Lightly grease the bottom of 6 individual tart pans, a large muffin pan or an 8x8” square pan.


a pastry blender

Toss together the flour, oats, brown sugar and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or food processor until the mixture is crumbly and even textured.

Set aside ¾ – 1 cup of the mixture for topping. Add the chopped walnuts and set aside.

Press remaining crust mixture lightly into the bottom of the pan/pans.

Filling:

8oz cream cheese

4 oz mascarpone cheese

1 c sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp vanilla (I use Madagascar Bourbon brand)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

1 egg

Beat cheeses and sugar together to combine. Add remaining ingredients and beat until light and fluffy, scraping sides of bowl.

Stir in 2 cups chopped rhubarb. Pour rhubarb cream cheese mixture over crust, sprinkle with reserved crust mixture and bake, 30-40 minutes until just set. Watch carefully. Cool to room temperature and chill 2 hours or freeze.

Recipe Notes:

Mascarpone cheese resembles cream cheese in texture but has a richer 'cheesier' flavor. If you cannot find mascarpone cheese you can substitute more cream cheese.
If the crust is pressed too tightly into the bottom of the pan it becomes very hard upon baking. Press it very lightly, just enough to hold it together.
Experiment with flavors and spices in this recipe. Increase, decrease or substitute lemon, spices, etc.
Try serving this while still a little frozen
Make a little sauce of fresh rhubarb or strawberries for the top – sliced fruit, honey or sugar to taste and a little water – cook until softened and use it as a sauce.
Want more creamy goodness? Place less crust mixture in the bottom of the pan (just enough to hold the bottom together) and barely sprinkle on the crumbly topping.
This can be baked as bars, individual tarts, etc. adjust the baking time accordingly. A 9” whole springform pan took just over an hour. Large muffin tins baked in about 35-40 minutes

It's Summer Salad Time!

2011-06-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

In a hurry for a great meal? Try this over chopped romaine lettuce: poached jumbo shrimp, sliced red onion, sliced fresh strawberries & blueberries tossed in Salad Girl Savory Strawberry Organic Dressing. This quick salad is screaming summer.

Salad Girl Dressings are available at Food Co-ops across the country and Whole Foods Markets in the Midwest.

At the Lake

2011-06-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

Mixing Up Sweet Cornbread Salad with Lemony Herb Vinaigrette

Every once in a while I find myself rethinking my place in the universe over the most ordinary of situations.

Summer holidays on the water are a Minnesota tradition. Summer cabins, modest to magnificent, rim virtually every body of water in the state and all are loaded with water worshiping visitors from the first sign of warm weather onward. We are no strangers to this phenomenon, living in a northern lake resort town that boasts all of 900 winter residents and swells to 3000 during the summer months. Tourists come to the northern lakes area to enjoy the water, woods, golf courses, drag races and the non-stop summer nightlife at places like Zorbaz on Gull Lake.

What do we do on holidays with all these tourists about? We, go further north, of course. We spent the Memorial Day weekend visiting family and friends just north of Grand Rapids, Minnesota at my husband Woody's childhood home on Lawrence Lake.

Did somebody say fish fry?

Maggie, our mostly fearless Golden Retriever, went straight for the water. Ah, nothing like starting off a holiday weekend with that wet dog smell. Sister in law Karin was there with her two boys (When did Tiler start looking like a man?). Kurt, a college friend of my husband, met his sister Jen 10 years ago and they have been together since. Their daughters, Baylee and Tia, now 16 &17, brought a carload of friends dressed in colorful sweatshirts bearing high school names like Princeton and Big Lake and kept the place lively throughout the weekend. Razz, a college friend of Kurt and Woody's whose band plays each July at a giant rock festival called Moondance Jam, brought along his guitar and joined us with his lovely daughter, Bella.

On Saturday, neighbors of 30 or more years, Bob and Janet stopped in to invite us all to their 50^th wedding anniversary in July. They have known these adults since they were the kids running in circles in this very yard. Having no children of their own, they talked about how much they enjoyed it when 'the kids' rode their bikes over for summer visits and what good times they had shared with their parents at events just like this one, years ago.

Love of my Life

Not much later, Woody's high school classmate and longtime neighbor Bob showed up with Ruby, a 10 week old glossy-black lab puppy. Bob is a breeder and Ruby is the last of her litter of seven. She was an instant celebrity upon arrival and her bloodline was evident even at this adorable my-feet-are-too-big-for-my-body stage. After her initial play she sat quietly and observed from her masters lap, seeming to take in all the details of the conversation. Bob and Woody talked at length about school days, where other friends ended up and promised to get together more often.

I slowly began to realize something as I sat and listened to these conversations during evening cocktails around the fire. We are now the 'old people'. Kids and dogs for hours raced in circles, played volleyball, paddle-boated, showed off class rings, chased each other and piled on hammocks together comparing texts from friends partying elsewhere. We 'old people' sat and talked and talked some more: old times, good times, scary times. Recounting the days past. As I listened, I became keenly aware that the kids around us were building the very memories that were being recalled around the fire by an older generation.

As it got dark, s'mores made with peanut butter cups (a truly inspired idea) were devoured around the fire as Razz entertained us with his guitar. Kids and dogs, friends and family, the old 'been-in-the-family-forever cabin by the lake' seems almost too good to be true. But it was true. And what fun to know that someday, when they are the 'old people' cocktailing around the fire that those same kids will be recreating with their families as we were, something classic, something sappy, just like the generation of oldsters before them.

A Minnesota Fish Fry

When it came to dinner plans on Saturday it was an easy choice: a Minnesota Fish Fry. If you have never experienced this most classic of lake-country summertime meals, it is one of life's simple pleasures. Piles of fresh fish dredged in seasoned flour, then raw egg, then in your own special-recipe-crispy-coating and fried over an open fire. Traditionally served with fried potatoes and onions, I opted for something lighter.

Sweet Cornbread Salad with Lemony Herb Vinaigrette

As I pulled together the ingredients for a summery bread salad to accompany the fish, I caught sight of a loaf of cornbread. Hmm. Cornbread Salad? Why not? A huge hit and perfect accompaniment to fish.

1 ear Sweet Corn, fresh cut and oven roasted (or frozen, thawed)

¼ c Celery, chopped

¼ c Red Onion, thin sliced

6 large leaves Fresh Basil, julienne cut

½ c Cucumber, diced

1 c Cherry Tomatoes, halved

Salad Girl Lemony Herb Dressing (see notes)

3 -4 oz. Goat Cheese, crumbled

1 loaf cornbread, torn into bite size pieces

Romaine Lettuce, chopped

Place chopped romaine on a large platter.

Cut the corn from the cob, lay on a cookie sheet and oven roast at 350 degrees until it just begins to brown. Watch carefully. Cool and place into a large bowl. (Alternately, steam corn lightly and cool).

Add celery, red onion, basil, cucumbers and tomatoes to bowl with corn and toss well. Add Salad Girl dressing and mix to coat (use ample dressing). Add the crumbled goat cheese and cornbread pieces and toss again. Pour mixture over romaine and serve.

Sweet Cornbread Salad with Salad Girl Lemony Vinaigrette Dressing

Recipe Notes

This would also be great with the addition of black beans, bacon, avocados and chili peppers in a chili-lime dressing. Experiment!
Salad Girl is an organic, gluten-free salad dressing line made in Minnesota by my good friends Pam and Jim Powell. Now available in most of the U.S.
And those s'mores made with Reeses peanut butter cups? Crazy good. But what about slicing fun size Snickers in half too? Or using Nestles Crunch Bars? This could be dangerous.

On the Road: Exploring Washington’s Columbia Valley

2011-04-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am not cooking today, but I am drinking some wonderful wines. Traveling in the Columbia Valley in south central Washington State, I went in search of what is local. As it turns out, luckily for me, what is local is wine. (I tried to keep the wine-geek-speak to a minimum.)

I remember the first time I traveled to Jamaica and tasted freshly ground Blue Mountain coffee in the place where the coffee was grown. Perhaps it was the beauty of the place and the over-the-top kindness of the Jamaican people, but I remember it as an epiphany. "Terroir", the French call it; loosely, ‘the flavor and character of a place‘. Eating mango, papaya and bananas picked from nearby trees and drinking Jamaican Rum distilled next to the fields where the cane is grown further increased the experience for me.

Yakima Valley Vines

Having the opportunity to travel to the Columbia Valley in Washington State with my husband over the annual Spring Barrel Tasting in the local vineyards was another such experience. I have drunk Washington wines many times, but this was different. To feel the weather in a place, touch the soil, hike the terrain and understand why the wine tastes the way it does is something quite different - an ‘aha’ moment in time.

Apple Blossoms in the Columbia Valley

Although this area is considered a ‘dry steppe’, there is little that will not grow here if irrigated. The Missoula floods of approximately 12,000 years ago deposited masses of broken and tumbled rock and sand as far as the eye can see. The treeless vastness of the area is striking. To the east of us, past Walla Walla, is grassland until you reach the Rockies. To the west, you will find true desert before you reach the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and the rain forests of the west coast beyond. In between, the Columbia, Snake and Yakima rivers come to confluence here and allow for the irrigation of wheat, Walla Walla sweet onions, asparagus, apple and cherry orchards and vineyard after vineyard, large and small.

Frost protection in Kiona Vineyards

Though the area is generally hot and dry, receiving only about 6” of rain a year, during ‘bud break’ growers are concerned about late frosts that could kill the vines. At Kiona Vineyards on Red Mountain (beautiful, award-winning wines), owner John Williams has placed frost control propellers throughout his fields. We saw them throughout the valley and mistook them for small wind generating machines. Their purpose is instead to create enough air movement to dispel any nighttime frosts as their helicopter-like blades push higher, warmer air from above down over the vines.

Drip irrigation is found everywhere throughout the Columbia Valley

Hot, dry summers tend to produce big, ripe, jammy tasting fruit in the wines of this area and you will see everything from Sangiovese to Zinfandel to Rhone and Bordeaux varietals planted here. And I found Washington winemakers as varied and colorful as their wines. I met winemakers who formerly worked as engineers, dentists, geologists, ranchers and more.

A gem at the top of Red Mountain

My favorites so far?
Syrah from Tapteil Vineyard where winemakers Jane and Larry Pearson sell off 95% of their Red Mountain juice and turn the remaining 5% into well-designed full bodied estate wines.

Larry Pearson at Tapteil

Producing only 500 cases a year, their Syrah was the most memorable I have tasted so far in Washington. You will not be disappointed in these carefully produced bottles. (If you cannot find them in your area, ask for them. Otherwise, vineyards here can ship to most states nationwide.)


You will love the Martinez family as much as their wines

Growing grapes in Horse Heaven Hills, the hottest area in the state, winemaker Andrew Martinez, his parents and his wife Monica run a small winery and tasting room in Prosser.

Barrel Tasting: seeing into the future

I barrel tasted a lovely 2009 Cabernet as well as an Orange Muscat, fortified with their own Chardonnay Brandy that was contract-distilled for them at local Blue Flame Distillery. I had great fun chatting with Andrew’s mother, Kristy and Managing Partner Monica about their family winemaking history and their winemaking style. I also picked up a bottle of their Cesar Blend (66% Cabernet, 15% Malbec, 10% Merlot 9% Syrah) which they create each year from the favorites of their 30 varietals chosen in a family blind tasting. Each year this blend represents the best of what their vineyards produce.

Airfield Estates is steeped in the prodigious World War II history of the Columbia Valley. Just before the war, the Miller family leased their farmland to an air transport company for a few years in order to build an airbase to train military pilots.


After the war, Lloyd Miller purchased the buildings that were erected on the site to house the pilots and equipment. Even though crops have been planted in the fields, you can still see the remnants of dirt runways. The post war generation replanted the site to vitis vinifera grapes.

A number of buildings and three dirt runways were built on the property, and an arial shot taken after the war clearly shows the half-mile-plus airstrips on the property even after crops were planted. Six of these airstrips happen to have been built in a horseshoe around the nearby Hanford Site where the first atomic bomb was developed and speculation is that they were strategically placed for surveillance and potential defense of this first US nuclear site.


Winemaker Marcus Miller with his father Mike

The 860 acres of vegetables and cattle, now long gone, were replaced with grapevines in 1968 and are now home to 26 different varietals. Airfield wines are made from 100% estate grown grapes in the Yakima Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area- wine geek speak for an area with distinct character, soil or climate that makes the wine different from the general region).

Alright already, how’s the wine? The 2009 Bombshell (45% Merlot, 41% Syrah, 8% Malbec, 4% Sangiovese, 2% Petit Verdot) was fun to drink; the Merlot was distinctive with a beautiful, light lemon finish and The 2008 Aviator (50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cab Franc, 10% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec), which winemaker Marcus Miller pointed me to as his personal favorite, is a beautifully balanced blend with perfect vanilla and spice notes.

Elegance in a glass

Hightower Cellars, adjacent to Tapteil at the top of Red Mountain was the other big winner in my tasting trails. Kelly and Tim Hightower, along with the ever-vigilant Riley, planted 15 acres in Bordeaux varietals in 2005 and currently source fruit from the Horse Heaven Hills and Walla Walla AVA’s. Tim and Kelly bottle a stellar Cabernet Sauvignon and his elegant Reserve Blend is worth seeking out.

Riley, Greeter and Foreman at Hightower

As much as Washington is (rightly) touted for it’s Riesling and Guwertztraminer I must confess a new love for it’s Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah. A perfect pairing with grilled ribeye steak, kabobs or BBQ, I will definitely be shopping the Washington section in my local wine shop from now on. Look for estate bottlings, AVA’s such as Red Mountain, Yakima Valley and Horse Heaven Hills and get out of your California rut in general. There is some great juice in this state - don’t miss it!

Sugar Shack: The Real Thing

2011-04-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

This part of Minnesota is a mixed Laurentian forest on the edge of what was once The Big Woods, detailed eloquently in Laura Ingalls Wilder's book of the same name. The Big Woods covered a huge area of the United States; mostly a mix of Elm, Oak and Sugar Maple that thinned out as it reached the open prairie grasslands of the Midwest.

A backyard evaporator

The cycle of cold nights and warm days in this part of the country begins to bring the trees alive. It will be weeks before bud break but the sap is now running full tilt. Maple sugaring, once common practice in the northern U.S., has given way to the use of table sugar purchased at the local mega grocer and consumed by the pound. But it does still exist both in small scale commercial operations and backyard 'sugar shacks' in this area.

Collecting sap

When I went looking for local syrup in my neighborhood, blue bags hanging from trees scattered through the woods told me I had found what I was looking for. I stopped my car to chat with a group of friends boiling down sap in the yard of their friend, a disabled Vietnam Vet. They tap 130 or more maple trees each year and create a product he can sell from his home. Their handmade evaporator was a simple wood firebox with a shallow evaporating pan attached to the top. Stainless steel sheets laid across the top created condensation and allowed the excess water to drip away.

30 gallons of sap will make less than a gallon of Syrup

Brambleberry Farm makes Fruit Syrups & Pure Maple Syrup

Another nearby producer, Jim Fruth from Brambleberry Farm in Pequot Lakes, has been sugaring since the early 1970's. He creates an amazing array of products from his small acreage of over a dozen different fruits and berries. Sumac Syrup, Blueberry Hot Pepper Sauce, Raspberry Jalapeno Jam and Chokecherry Syrup are common products at his local farmer's market stall.

Jim Fruth at his evaporator

Jim taps 250-300 maple trees in an average year and spends weeks at his evaporator creating syrup to sell throughout the season. He is innovative about the process, adding a 'bubbler' to his evaporator to speed the evaporation process and filtering his sap a total of 5 times before bottling. This is clearly not a hobby for Jim but it clearly is a labor of love. He allows me to taste the raw sap and I am shocked that it has almost no flavor. It is only the beautiful slightly caramelly aroma from the evaporator a few yards away tells of what will come.

You will find lots of unusual and flavorful goodies at Brambleberry Farm

As I drive the few miles back home, I wonder how we have become so separated from the food we eat. Why is the making of this ancient American sugar a complete mystery to me? When did high fructose corn syrup, mixed with chemical colorants and 'maple flavoring' that actually contains no maple at all, replace this amazing and delicate delight of spring? Comparing the two on the grocery store shelf seems silly; as if comparing a steak to a head of lettuce. How have we come to believe that a completely artificial chemical concoction is maple syrup? Hmm.

Spiles are used to tap maple trees

Sap collection buckets

Tube style taps

Making real maple syrup involves hiking through the woods in March and April, drilling trees, tapping in the spiles and hanging your containers. Once or twice daily, you empty each container (often a gallon or more), carry it back to your evaporator, filter the lot and begin boiling down the sap. A single gallon of maple syrup is produced from about 40 gallons of sap.

Tubes are linked & empty into a pail

No wonder corporations would rather feed us a mixture of ingredients that smell 'mapley'. This is real work with highly varied results from year to year. If the weather is just right, you get a great deal of sap. If springtime nights are too warm or the weather changes too quickly, you may get little return for your trouble.

Red paint makes it easier to identify trees quickly when tapping

Future Maple Trees

When Severt Aarhus emigrated from Norway in 1894 at the age if 19, he came to this area to farm a 160 acre homestead near South Long Lake, a few miles south of Brainerd, Minnesota. He farmed the fields and managed his mixed woods of birch, oak and sugar maple until his death in 1972. I like to think he would be proud to know, 39 years after his death, that his great-great grandchildren are sugaring in the same beautiful woods, gathering sap in much the same manner as he did over his lifetime on the farm.

The new 'sugar shack' at Severt's Woods

The only difference is the soon-to-be commercially licensed sugaring operation on the property. Kent Montgomery, Severt's great grandson, recently built a commercial building and evaporator and hopes to be distributing his product in local stores next spring.

Commercial Evaporator at Severt's Woods

Like many others in the area, Kent and his wife Paula are able to sell their product from their home or at farmers markets and festivals, but not commercially without the steps he is now taking. Once the current process is complete, they will be able to sell their product to local groceries and co-ops. The down side? He has had to work with no less than 6 regulatory agencies in the state and county in order to take his product to a larger audience.

I, personally, find it confusing that the syrup is considered perfectly safe to sell to people from a roadside stand, even if it is boiled over a campfire in your backyard, but to sell it inside the local co-op, one needs to invest tens of thousands of dollars. Kent is not building a factory. He is tapping fewer trees than many of the backyard producers I met. He is boiling sap and sealing it in sterile bottles as he has done safely for years. Yet the government regulates him as a food processing plant on the same scale as General Mills.

Collecting one drop at a time

Don't get me wrong, food safety is a serious thing, but it is not the little guys who are making people sick. Jenny-O is one of dozens of mass producers currently in the news, once again issuing recalls on their own factory produced products. Factory-farmed eggs, mass produced peanut butter and ground beef have all been recent culprits of food borne illness on a national level.

Sap buckets

Is it possible for us to get to a point where we have reasonable legislation for artisan producers that does not put the kind of financial pressure on small producers as the label “organic” has done? How can we allow start up companies of artisan products to thrive if they cannot afford to test the market on a small scale and grow? Or to decide to work happily on a small local scale forever?

Severt's Woods Pure Maple Syrup

I walked into my local grocery store yesterday and stood in the syrup aisle. There were three shelves filled with dozens of brands of 'artificial maple flavored' corn syrup and one brand of pure maple syrup. It was made in New York state. How far have we come from young Severt's woods? A very long way.

Maple & Banana Walnut Pancakes

These rich, filling pancakes are easy to make and chock full of bananas. Perfect for brunch after a hike in the woods.

2 cups Organic Unbleached Flour

½ cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed

½ tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp aluminum free Baking Powder

1/8 tsp Kosher Salt

3 medium Bananas

½ cup Pure Maple Syrup

1/2 tsp each Cinnamon & freshly grated Nutmeg

2 Eggs, slightly beaten

2 cups Buttermilk

¼ cup (½ stick) Butter, melted

½ cup lightly toasted Walnuts, chopped

In a large bowl combine the flour and the brown sugar. Whisk in the baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Mash the bananas together with the maple syrup and spices in a medium bowl. Add the eggs and buttermilk and mix thoroughly.

Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients all at once and stir just to combine. Mixture will have some lumps. Stir in the melted butter and the walnuts.

Preheat a flat griddle over medium heat. Grease the griddle lightly with butter. Pour the batter, 1/3 cup at a time onto the greased griddle. Bake for 1 ½ – 2 minutes per side.

Cakes may be held in a 200 degree oven on a warm plate until all are baked and ready to serve.

Serve the banana pancakes with butter and lots of local Pure Maple Syrup. Serves 6.

Recipe Notes:

If the batter is too thick, add milk, 1 Tbsp at a time.
Producers who are not commercially licensed may not advertise their products under current law. Look for locally produced 'PURE MAPLE SYRUP' at your farmers market, watch for roadside signs or ask around.
Vote with your dollars. Pure Maple Syrup is not cheap because it is not cheap to produce. Ask your grocer to bring in Pure Maple Syrup made by small commercial producers in your area.
Introduce your friends and family to local, Pure Maple Syrup. You will be amazed at the number of people who have never experienced the real thing.
Add Pure Maple Syrup to sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, and other veggies for variety from boil 'em & butter 'em boredom. You can add spices like Cinnamon, Cardamom, Nutmeg, etc. too, for a whole new taste treat.
Maple is a great flavor in baking also. Try it in oatmeal cookies and quick breads.
When substituting Maple Syrup for Granulated Sugar in baking: Instead of 1 cup of granulated sugar in recipes, use ¾ -1 cup of maple syrup, to taste. In baking, reduce the liquid by 2-4 tablespoons per 1 cup maple syrup used, add 1/4 tsp baking soda and reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees. Your finished product will carry some of the flavor of the maple syrup. (try this in oatmeal cookies!)

Spring Chickens: Crustless Quiche

2011-04-04T16:47:00.000-07:00


Local, farm fresh eggs

My sidekick, Maggie

Cold nights and warming days signal the true coming of spring in the north woods. While snow still sits in patches on the ground in my yard, that most beautiful sign of spring is also present: mud. As Maggie and I begin to walk the neighborhood again, the snow melt creates little rivers along the road. Cars driving past crush any white stuff still on the road into a slushy mess; frozen tonight but gone tomorrow.

Maggie lags behind me today, nose to the soil wherever it appears through the snow along the roadside. She closes her eyes and intently breathes in some other-worldly scent that wholly absorbs her attention. “Spring! The smells, finally”. I kick at a patch of snow near the mailbox at the end of our neighborhood saunter and wonder if this is the last of the stuff for this year.

last season's echinacea

Mail in hand, I aimlessly wander through the perennial garden back toward the house. The tall, ghostly- grey stems of Shasta daisies stand stark and brittle-dry in the mushy soil. Birds have been feeding on the echinacea seeds, leaving some with a look strangely reminiscent of Maynard Keenan's mohawk.

I am shocked to discover swollen buds on my black currant bushes even though their feet are firmly planted in 6” of snow and rhubarb, beginning to crown under the thick, snow cone like, slushy snow. The plants seem to know that spring is here, no matter what the weather.

One sure sign of spring for me is the return of an abundance of wonderfully flavorful, farm fresh eggs. A side by side comparison of yolk color and flavor will make you a convert in a moment if you have not become hooked already. (The USDA considers eggs “fresh” until 45 days after they are packed – our tax dollars at work, once again.)


One of the henhouse gang

Today is 'town day' and I take the opportunity to stop at The Farm at St. Mathias for fresh eggs along my travels. Arlene's hens have just begun to lay again after their winter molt – a sort of rest period mother nature sends these feathered ladies in the coldest months of the year.

In our age of everything-all-the-time, we sometimes forget that even eggs have a season. Farmers routinely used to cover eggs in melted lard and overwinter them in sand or sawdust for the months when the chickens were not laying. When removed, they simply washed the egg and then tested it by placing it in water. If the egg floated, it was bad, if it sank to the bottom, it was a 'good egg'.

Flavors of Spring

These eggs, generously given up by Arlene's 30 or so chatty hens, are destined to become a crustless quiche, thick and custardy and full of spring flavors: asparagus, leeks and cremini mushrooms. This crustless version is faster, easier for those who become consternated by pastry crust and makes for a slightly lower calorie version of a classic dish.

Crustless Quiche, fresh from the oven

Springtime Quiche

This quiche can be served warm, cold or at room temperature. It is a lovely luncheon entrée along with a small salad or a quick-to-reheat breakfast that keeps beautifully in the refrigerator for a few days.

1 fresh Leek, light colored part only, cut into rings and washed

4-5 large Cremini Mushrooms, sliced

1/3 pound of fresh, local (if you can find it) Asparagus

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

½ tsp dry Dill Leaves

Kosher Salt and ground White Pepper, to taste

¾ cup freshly grated Gruyere Cheese

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

5 large, Farm Fresh Eggs

½ cup Sour Cream

½ tsp Dijon Mustard

12 oz rBGH-Free Heavy Cream

Cut light colored parts of leek into thin rings, rinse well, pulling them apart as you rinse to remove any sand. Slice the mushrooms and break or cut the asparagus into 1” pieces.


Lightly saute the veggies

Heat olive oil in a pan and saute the leeks, mushrooms and asparagus until asparagus is just crisp/tender and the colors have brightened. Season with the dill, salt and pepper. Cool slightly, toss with the cheeses and place into the bottom of a lightly buttered 10” deep dish pie pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream and mustard. Add the cream. Add another pinch of dill if you like and lightly season with salt and pepper to taste (the cheeses will contribute more salt – don't go crazy).

Carefully pour the custard mixture over the veggies and cheeses in the pie pan. Place the dish in a preheated, 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes until the custard is set and the quiche is golden brown. If the center looks like it is still liquid, give it more time. Think pumpkin pie.

Little pockets of melted cheese run throughout the quiche

Once the quiche is ready, remove it and cool slightly before serving. It may be served warm, cool or at room temperature. It also keeps well in the refrigerator and reheats nicely (30 seconds at a time) in the microwave for a quick breakfast. 6-8 servings

Recipe Notes:

Overbaking the quiche will make the custard break and result in a rubbery texture. Bake until the center is just fully set and the top is golden brown.
Experiment with different flavor combinations and cheeses:
- diced ham, swiss cheese and diced green onions
- chorizo sausage, cheddar cheese, red onion and peppers
- spinach, bacon, artichokes, shallots and fontina cheese
- butter-sauteed, diced green onions and crabmeat with Gruyere or Emmental Cheese
Lightly oil the baking dish or you will create a 'fried egg' crustiness on the bottom of your quiche.
Cremini mushrooms are simply Portabella mushrooms that haven't grown up yet. You will sometimes see them labeled as 'baby bellas'.
rGBH is a hormone given to dairy cattle to make them produce more milk. There is a great deal of information available on the web and Monsanto, its maker, has gone to great lengths to keep negative information about its affects on both cows and humans wrapped up tightly. If your milk carton is not labeled rGBH free, it isn't. Check your local COOP for great sources of local rGBH free milk in your area.
Leeks grow in layers and can hold onto sand from the soil. To keep grit out of your lovely custard, always wash leeks thoroughly after slicing, separating the rings.
Buy your cheese from a reputable shop. A good cheese monger will allow you to taste before you buy, will know how the cheeses should be best used and can direct you to others you might like. Morey's Market in Baxter is the best source for quality cheese in my area. Beats the heck out of guessing in a mega-chain grocery store.
If you are worried about a bad egg ruining your dish, break them into a dish, one by one, before adding them to the main mixing bowl. I rarely, if ever, come across bad eggs.

Taking a Dip: Roasted Red Peppers with Creamy Goat Cheese

2011-03-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

Roasted Red Pepper Dip with Creamy Goat Cheese

“Cooking is easy – you just add heat.” - Don Booth

Don Booth is one of the most animated characters I know. I cannot say his name among our friends without smiling. His colorful antics and determination to make life something more exciting than the life of the average Joe turn even the most common of meetings into occasions. In three simple words: Don loves life.


Three perfect companions: onion, pepper & tomato

His abandon in cooking is a gift that I wish I could pass along to those of my friends who enjoy food but are intimidated by the kitchen. He is correct when it comes to culinary arts: cooking doesn't have to be complicated. You can spend a lot of money and a lot of hours in the kitchen, only to be left frustrated and standing in a mess – or, you can simplify things and 'just add heat'. A few basic ingredients combined and simmered are often the most rich, satisfying and memorable.

Roasted red peppers are, to me, one of those unforgettable flavors. I have never been a fan of peppers eaten raw, but the transformation that takes place when they are roasted over a flame, or slow simmered on the stove is a miracle of cooking. Their sharp acidity softens and the essence of the bell pepper flavor is exposed. Combine this with other vegetables that behave similarly; onions, tomatoes; and you have a whole new flavor experience.

This is a dip that I often make when end of summer garden produce is plentiful and freeze to use later when I am craving summer sun (now). I have used this as a stuffing for Baked Chicken Breasts, tucking a pat of goat cheese inside as well and I have cooked Italian Sausages in this versatile mixture (sans goat cheese). Those of you who hate the kitchen ~ you know who you are ~ I dare you. Pour a glass of wine or your favorite cocktail and give this a whirl. All you have to do is add heat.

Cheers, Don.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip with Creamy Goat Cheese

Quick and easy fare, this red pepper dip is devoured by my guests whenever I serve it. You can make this from ingredients you probably already have on hand in less than an hour, start to finish.

Julienned peppers and onions

5 Tbsp Pure Olive Oil

2 Large Fresh Red Bell Peppers

1 Large Sweet Yellow Onion

3 Roma Tomatoes

1 tsp Crushed Garlic

¾ cup water

1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Kosher Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste

6 oz Chevre Cheese

Julienne cut the red peppers and onions. You should have approximately equal amounts by volume. Trim the stem end off the tomatoes and cut them into quarters. Set tomatoes aside. Sip some wine.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Once the oil is good and hot, add the peppers and onions. Stir over high heat for about 5 minutes. (The goal is not to brown the veggies, only to quickly break them down.)

Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the garlic and tomatoes. Continue to stir periodically. As veggies begin to release their juices, they may begin to stick. Add water and balsamic vinegar. Continue cooking until veggies are soft.

Once the veggies are soft (15-20 minutes), use a potato masher to crush them into a chunky texture.

Taste the mixture and season to taste with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Pour into a oven-proof dish. Place the Chevre cheese into the center of the dip and bake the dish at 375 degrees until hot and bubbly (about 20-25 minutes). Serve with crackers or toasted bread rounds.

Recipe Notes:

Julienne cutting vegetables simply means to cut them into approximately equal size, thin strips. The French are VERY precise when they do this and create perfectly exact little matchsticks. The more uniform the cut, the more evenly they cook. That said, I am not French. Don't worry about perfection.
Chevre is a creamy white goat cheese about the consistency of cream cheese. It is not too strong and pairs well with the dip.
Crushed garlic is a puree of fresh garlic. I love the way it cleanly dissipates into a dish vs. minced garlic whose flavor is sharper and stands out more (and gets stuck in your teeth). You can buy a special tool or use a mortar and pestle to crush your own. I buy mine ready to use.
If you decide to freeze this, leave out the goat cheese until you bake it just before serving.
If you still hate to cook after making this, come over we'll have a glass of wine together. Consider it therapy.

The Spice of Life: Thai Green Curry Chicken

2011-03-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

Thai Green Curry Chicken

Another thick blanket of snow covers the garden. Though Spring is here on the calendar, the teasing glimpses of bare muddy ground, covered the next day in white bring me back to reality. In truth, Spring in the north woods is more an idea than a season. It will be May before pots of Pansies will sit on the porch steps here; another 5 weeks or more to go and snow is not unheard of, even then. But the days are brighter now as the sun continues to climb higher into the sky.

Chamomile in the herb garden

This is the time of year that I pour over seed catalogs and read through page after page on the Friends School Plant Sale website. This is the largest plant sale in the Midwest, held every Mother's Day weekend on the state fairgrounds in St. Paul. Looking over the online catalog, I swoon at descriptions of Vietnamese Coriander and Thai Basil, Lemon Verbena and Winter Savory. I can almost smell their heady fragrance as I warm my chilly fingers, curling them around a second cup of coffee. Living in a small northern Minnesota town where such flavors may as well come from the moon, the prospect of planting 'exotic' herbs in my own garden this spring is no small excitement. In the mean time, I look to my pantry for inspiration.

I rarely use prepared ingredients when I cook, but there are some things that are so foreign to this part of the world that the procurement of the fresh ingredients to make them would be a formidable task. Mae Ploy Thai Curry Paste is one of the items in my refrigerator that give me an instant burst of flavor and warmth whenever I reach for it.

In Minnesota there is a level of spiciness that I call “Minnesota Hot”. It is any degree of even the most minor of heat in food. Freshly ground Black Pepper falls into this category for some of our citizens. Therefore, if you are not a fan of hot food, be warned. Thai red and green curries tend to be very hot even to practiced tastes. If you like some degree of heat, add a little curry paste and taste it. As for any seasoning or spice, you can always add more but you cannot take away once it is in the dish. Alternately, try a different paste such as Panaeng curry paste, generally much milder than green curry, but the same rules apply.

Though there are a half dozen or more different kinds of curry in Thai cuisine (red, yellow and panaeng curry are just a few examples) my favorite is the citrusy-sweet-hot flavor of green curry. When I need a burst of spice in my life to warm up both body and soul, this quick curry is one of my favorites. It can also be made in an astonishingly short amount of time.

Thai Green Curry Chicken

This is an Americanized version of a traditional Thai dish. This type of curry is usually served with rice. If you can find fresh Thai Basil, it is a marvelous addition.

1 can Coconut Milk

1 cup low sodium Chicken Stock

1 tsp to 1 Tbsp Mae Ploy brand Green Curry Paste

½ tsp Lemongrass puree, if desired

2 Chicken Thighs, skinned, boned and cut into bite size pieces

1 Carrot, split lengthwise and bias cut

Handful of Snow Peas, fresh or frozen

½ Red Pepper, julienne cut

½ Yellow Onion, julienne cut

1 cup Fresh or Frozen Peas

Kosher Salt, to taste

Jasmine Rice

If you are serving rice, start your rice cooking first. The curry cooks very quickly and will likely be finished before the rice. 1½ cups of water to ¾ cup of rice should be ample quantity for 4 people. If you dislike starchy rice, rinse the dry rice until the water runs clear before cooking.

In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk and the chicken stock over medium high heat. Add the curry paste and lemongrass, if using, and stir well to dissolve into the liquid. If you are making this for the first time, start with a small amount of curry paste, taste the mixture and add more until the desired heat level is reached.

Add the chicken to the coconut milk mixture and simmer a few minutes. Add vegetables, hardest texture to softest, a few minutes apart as the curry simmers. Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender. Season with salt to taste. The entire cooking process will take only about 15 minutes. Serves 4.

Recipe Notes:

I have used generally available local organic vegetables in this curry along with homemade chicken stock. Play with the ingredients as you wish.
Cutting the vegetables into approximately equal thickness looks great and allows them to cook at a relatively even rate.
Jasmine Rice is my preference for this dish. It is beautifully fragrant and pairs well with the curry.
You can find Mae Ploy curry pastes online, or at Asian and specialty groceries.
Chicken thigh meat lends itself much more to spice than does breast meat. It also has a more pleasing texture in soups. Buy bone in thighs, trim them and add the bones to the 'future stock' container in your freezer. Not only will you save money per pound on the chicken, once you have enough bones, carrot, onion and celery trimmings you are ready to make stock – for free.

Of Painted Eggs and Chocolate Bunnies

2011-03-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

Lamb kebab with a spring green salad to celebrate the Equinox

I have always been a history geek. Perhaps it is the influence of my military upbringing or family roots in Celtic countries but I love to see the way we have remade ourselves and reinvented our histories, generation after generation.

Spring greens indoors

History is written by the victors, they say, but those overthrown are never completely willing to give up their own stories of place and purpose. Native American peoples are an example. You can force them onto reservations, place their children in missionary schools and punish them severely if they do not speak English, but you cannot take away who they are as a people.

In 735, it was noted by the English historian Bede (a monk) that the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre had a festival lasting several days, and that her name was adopted for the Christian holiday of Easter, which falls on the Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox.

Spring peas, shallots and dill

Christianity, as it became the dominant religion of Europe, developed a strategy of 'if you can't beat them, join them' when it came to ritual festivals of the ancient world. Eostre, the goddess of Spring and Fertility (Ostara in Celtic lands) was not going to cease to be an important festival, so it was adopted by the church instead; much as was done with the winter solstice and christmas celebrations. The spring lamb, bunnies, baby chicks, hunts for painted eggs and decorating with fresh flowers on this date are all carry-overs from these ancient roots of the celebration of the earth's renewal and rebirth.

Ready for planting

Today is the Spring Equinox and while I am not a religious person of any persuasion, I do love the thought of honoring this oldest of feast days with traditional foods and celebrating a bit of nearly forgotten history. I will plant my herb seeds and then, a Spinach Salad with chopped Shallots, Spring Peas, Eggs and Dill along with Lamb Skewers with Baby Onions and Potatoes will bring together the flavors of the season.

If only I had some Mead to pour onto my garden...

Lemon Marinated Lamb Kebabs with Pearl Onions & Potatoes

Serves 2

Nothing beats the flavor of local grass fed lamb

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Zest and Juice from ½ small Lemon

Few leaves of Dried Oregano

Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

3/4# cubed Lamb pieces

6 Pearl Onions

6 tiny Potatoes, cooked and cooled

Oregano from the pantry

Mix together the olive oil, lemon zest and juice. Rub the oregano leaves in your palms over the bowl to release their flavor. Add the lamb, onions and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss together until well coated. Cover and place in the refrigerator 1 hour or more to marinate.

Alternate marinated lamb pieces, onion and potatoes onto skewers. Grill over a hot fire to desired doneness. Serve with a spring salad.

My Little Lamby Pie

2011-03-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

Shepherd's Pie

As a young child visiting her grandparents at their Georgia farm for the summer, my mother once asked her Irish grandmother where their family was from. The stern reply came in two sharply punctuated words: North Georgia.

In the 1930's in the southern United States, if one wanted employment it was unwise to advertise the fact that your family was Irish and it was clear to my mother that she was never to ask about it again. Later, her mother Sadie took her aside and pointed on a map to County Limerick in Ireland. She quietly explained her family's geographical roots and then, like her mother, apparently never spoke of it again.

When I queried my own mother about her roots while reading The Oxford History of Ireland, she recounted the story and lamented that she did not know more. Her mother was 100% Irish and her father nearly so.

Nothing beats a wind-up fire breathing Nun

for entertainment

My own generation, like so many other latter generation Irish-Americans, has wholeheartedly embraced this Emerald Isle heritage, now diluted but none the worse for wear, especially once a bit of Irish Whiskey is applied. So today, we cook up the last of the potatoes from the root cellar, pour the Guinness and 'the good whiskey', toast the ancestors and celebrate our Irish-ness, real or imagined.

While Corned Beef and Cabbage is standard fare on the 17^th of March in this country, it is not often eaten in Ireland and certainly not on St. Patrick's Day. A more common (and to me much more palatable) Irish dish is Shepherd's Pie. Traditionally made with lamb, it can be made with ground beef, lamb or a combination. I have also used 'Gimme Lean' to make a vegetarian version with great success.

Look for local producers of grass fed animals for the best flavor

Because I happened to have beautiful, local grass fed beef and lamb in my freezer, my choice was simple. Shepherd's Pie is an easy, relatively quick dish with lots of flavor. It also freezes well for future dinners. Brown the ground meat, toss in some veggies, herbs and a little stock while you are boiling the potatoes in another pan and in about an hour, you have dinner.

Whether you are celebrating your own family heritage or the Saint Himself, pour a toast and tip one back to the Old Country:

“Here's to Cheating

Here's to Stealing

Here's to Fighting

Here's to Drinking

If you cheat, may you cheat death;

If you steal, may you steal a ladies heart;

If you fight, may you fight for a brother;

and if you drink, may you drink among friends.”

Slainte'!

Shepherd's Pie

Modify this dish as you wish with what you have on hand. Ground beef instead of lamb and frozen veggies from last season's garden work just fine. This is sized for an Irish Catholic size family and may easily be halved for smaller portions.

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 c. Celery, chopped

1 c. Onion, chopped

1 c. Carrot, chopped

1 c. Frozen Peas

½ -1 c. Leek, Parsnip, Fennel, chopped, if desired – use what you have

1 Sweet Potato, chopped, if desired

Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

Fresh or dried Thyme

Fresh or dried Rosemary

2# ground Lamb

1 # ground Beef

1 tsp Crushed Garlic

2 Bay Leaves

2 c. Beef Stock

Mashed Red Potatoes – These should be mashed until soft with a bit of butter and milk to make them easily spreadable. Or use up leftover mashed potatoes if you like.

Saute chopped veggies and peas in olive oil just until softened. Season with herbs, salt and pepper.

Brown meat in a separate pan. Add garlic and stock, and stir in veggies. Adjust seasonings.

Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and top with the mashed potatoes.

Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and brown, about 30-40 minutes.

Recipe Notes:

Whenever using dried herbs remember 2 things; you will need less volume of dried than you would fresh, and always rub the dried herbs between your palms to release their flavor.
If you are making a vegetarian version with 'Gimme Lean' or a similar product, I find the sausage style has the best flavor.
This recipe is made to be improvised. Substitute what you have in your refrigerator or freezer. Lamb too expensive? Use Hamburger. No Sweet Potatoes? Leave them out. This is a peasant dish.
I leave the skins on the potatoes when I mash them as a matter of preference. Mashed red skin or Yukon Gold potatoes work best for this dish.

Date Night

2011-02-28T19:13:00.000-08:00

After vacationing in Palm Springs in the dead of winter, returning to below zero weather seems somehow exaggerated. The cold is colder, my coat seems bulkier and my once shiny tropical colored pedicure is now dull *sigh*. I confess that I was awestruck by the palm trees, colorful citrus trees hanging heavy with fruit in nearly everyone's yard and the overall opulence that is California.

The stars in my eyes have faded but luckily, I did have the foresight to pack some wonderful reminders of that magical land to cook with when I returned home. I brought home a few pieces of incredible citrus, some olive oil and orange blossom honey from the farmers market and dates; beautiful, golden Halawy and deep brown Khadrawy dates grown just a few miles from where I was staying. But, what to do with dates in Minnesota?

I could definitely stuff them with goat cheese and bacon wrap them. YUM. I have already added them to Apple Crisp and tossed them into a cabbage slaw with nuts and citrus and I will have a batch of oatmeal cookie batter with walnuts and dates in the freezer to bake later.

But now, I am thinking dinner. Being a giant fan of Mediterranean flavors and North African flavors in particular, it wasn't hard to decide on Moroccan Date and Apricot stuffed Chicken Breasts.

Moroccan Date and Apricot stuffed Chicken Breasts

2 Bone-in, Skin-on Chicken Breasts, pounded to an even thickness

Stuffing:

1 c. low sodium Chicken Stock

¾ cup plain Couscous

½ Orange, skinned, seeded and chopped

½ cup diced Dates

½ cup diced dried Apricots

2 Tbsp Moroccan Olives or other dry cured black olives, chopped

2 Tbsp toasted Pinenuts

1 tsp Cumin

½ tsp each Cinnamon and Ras el Hanout*

Kosher Salt to taste

Heat chicken stock to a simmer over a medium heat. Add couscous and stir. Add remaining ingredients, toss together and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

Lay out the pounded breasts, skin side down. Mound the couscous stuffing on the chicken breast and pull the ends up over the couscous. Use skewers or tie the breasts to hold the meat in place.

Brown the rolls briefly, skin side down in a little olive oil in a saute pan, then turn each skin side up into an ovenproof pan.

Place the chicken breasts in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Let the chicken rest 10 minutes. The temperature will continue to rise until it exceeds 165 degrees (essential for chicken to be cooked thoroughly). Remove the skewers and slice the breasts into thick slices.

Sauce:

Juice and pulp of ½ of an Orange (about ½ cup)

¼ cup Chicken Stock

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 – 1½ Tbsp Honey

1 tsp Ginger Puree or grated fresh ginger

1/8 tsp each Cinnamon, Cumin and Ras el Hanout

Kosher Salt to taste

While the chicken is roasting, squeeze the remaining orange half into a small saute pan. Add the chicken stock and olive oil. Heat together to a low simmer. Add honey, ginger and spices and heat through. Taste and season as needed.

Pour a little of the sauce over the roasted, sliced chicken breasts. Serve with any remaining couscous and a salad. Think warm California thoughts.

notes:

*Ras el Hanout is a middle eastern spice blend that translates to something like 'top of the house' or the 'house blend'. You can buy it ready made or find a number of recipes on line with which you can experiment and create your own 'house blend'.

Save those bones! Buying bone in poultry is almost always cheaper than boneless. Whether you are roasting whole birds or creating your own boneless cuts, save the bones in a container along with onion peels, celery and carrot trimmings. This gives you the makings of chicken stock whenever you are ready to make it without any additional cost.

Fresh ginger can be kept in the freezer and grated as you need it or you can often find ready to use ginger puree in a tube near the herbs in your local market.

Pinenuts are best toasted in a small saute pan over medium heat. Keep the nuts moving in the pan to avoid burning them until they are warmed through, lightly brown and fragrant.

Local Flavor

2011-02-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

An Orange tree in your backyard? Welcome to California.

The Coachella Valley in Southern California is about as far from the reality of Northern Minnesota as possible. Countless varieties of citrus trees, laden with fruit, stand in yard after yard; as ubiquitous as apple trees in the north. Towering date palms, their long fruit-bearing tendrils hanging overhead stand on the street corners, unfathomable to my Midwestern senses.

Poolside in Palm Springs

When I received an invitation from my summer neighbors, Steve and Kevin, to join them for a few weeks in February at their home in Palm Springs, I was not about to decline. Kevin and Steve are the ultimate hosts. No detail is missing when you visit and their dinners and dinner guests, at home or on the town, are always memorable.

At the Wednesday market in Palm Desert

Note that with a foot and a half of snow standing in my yard at home, I was visiting the local farmers market yesterday down the road in Palm Desert, awestruck by fresh golden raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, an endless array of citrus fruit and oooh, the vegetables. Artichokes the size of softballs, fresh ripe tomatoes covering whole tabletops, gorgeous greens and perfect root vegetables; this is FEBRUARY?

As we walked from booth to booth I looked for fruit and vegetable varieties I had never seen before, like a cross of Mandarin oranges and Kumquat called a Mandarin-quat. These tiny citrus fruits are eaten skin on. The interior is bitter and the skin sweet, creating an amazing burst of flavor in each bite. We bought a couple of Arkansas Black apples and were surprised at their amazing perfume and interesting texture. We tasted (and bought) 2 bottles of absolutely stellar olive oil from Malibu Olive Company, one with a slightly peppery finish and one with a much more floral finish, both perfect for salads or, even better, dipping bread.

Malibu Olive Company

Sharing a scone from L'Artisan

Did I say bread? We were lucky enough to run across L’Artisan Bakery from Thousand Palms, California who displayed an astounding array of breads, focaccia and pastries. This stuff is RIDICULOUSLY good. Blue Cheese Walnut Focaccia? Caramelized Onion and Parmesan Loaf? Fig & Pistachio Boulot? Who does that? We bought a delicious scone to share as we walked and a Tomato, Kalamata and Feta Focaccia loaf for later in the day. These guys are definitely on my OMG list.

Tomato, Kalamata & Feta Focaccia from L'Artisan Bakery

Bautista Family Organic Dates were selling an array of date varieties, from the more common Medjool and Deglets to Zahidis and Honey Dates. We chose Halawy and Khadrawy dates along with Medjools for a variety of texture and flavor. Nearby was everything from locally grown olives to honey and cheese.

Locally grown olives

Also at the market was guest chef David Schy who was showing off the beauty of the fresh oranges, herbs and olive oil that were sold in the booths surrounding us. As we chatted, he tossed together this colorful and flavorful salad.

Orange & Olive Salad with Red Onion & Cumin

Recipe by David Schy

1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

½ -1 tsp Ground Cumin (to taste)

¼ tsp Crushed Red Pepper flakes

1 Tbsp cilantro, Italian Parsley or Mint or any combination of the 3, chopped

Pinch of Kosher Salt

1 Tbsp good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Organic Navel Orange, peeled and cut into pieces

1 Organic Blood Orange, peeled and cut into pieces

2 Tbsp Red Onion or Shallot, very thinly sliced

2 Tbsp Green and Black Olives, minced

Cut the peel from the oranges and slice into small pieces.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, herbs, pepper flakes, cumin and salt. Whisk in olive oil.

Add the orange slices, olives and onion to the bowl and quickly toss together.

This can be served immediately but is better if left to marinate for an hour or more.

Tomatoes that taste like...tomatoes. Crazy.

Did I mention the Orchids?

Last night Kevin and I feasted on a simple salad of Mixed Greens in Ruby Grapefruit-Balsamic Vinaigrette with the focaccia we purchased from L’Artisan Bakery, bringing together the treasures from our morning foray to the market; a delightfully local meal in the desert.

Our farmers market dinner

Mixed greens in Ruby Grapefruit-Balsamic Vinaigrette

This vinaigrette would also be fantastic on a salad with that classic combination of dates, goat cheese and bacon.

1 oz fresh Organic Pink Grapefruit Juice (from ½ of a small grapefruit)

1 oz Balsamic Vinaigrette

½ tsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp local organic honey

1 sprig of fresh Thyme or a pinch or two of dried thyme

Kosher Salt and fresh ground Pepper to taste

3-4 oz good quality olive oil

Squeeze the grapefruit half and measure 1 oz (1/8 cup). Remove any seeds and pour into a medium size bowl. Add Balsamic vinegar.

Whisk in Dijon mustard, then whisk in the honey.

Add fresh thyme or if using dried thyme, rub between your palms over the bowl to release more flavor from the herbs.

Taste mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the olive oil slowly whisking constantly until mixture begins to emulsify. This will take a few minutes.

In a large bowl, toss the greens in a little of the vinaigrette. Plate the greens and top with fresh citrus fruit sections, nuts and cheese.

Fresh local berries in February were irresistable

Soup Night

2011-02-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

Wild Mushroom Soup with Truffle Oil

When I was 10 years old, my father retired from the military and moved our family of 11 to Omaha, Nebraska where his parents and our aunt's family lived. We lived in a small house on the far north side of town and each day, unless it was bitterly cold, my sister Barbara and I walked the four blocks to Blessed Sacrament School and back home for lunch.

I remember the walks vividly. Kicking through the piles of leaves in the gutters in the fall with the dry leaves shoosh-shoosh-shooshing in waves over our feet and later in the year, rushing to get home through the snow to the hot lunch that we knew would warm us, right down to our mittened-but-still-freezing fingers.

Perhaps it is every northern kids lunch memory but there is nothing for me, to this day, like the smell of grilled cheese sandwiches and steaming bowls of creamy tomato soup. Pulling off our coats, rubber boots, snow-encrusted mittens and scarves and laying them next to the heater to warm and dry, we sat together, made kid small talk and dipped our sandwiches into the pools of orange-red cream.

On other days, after a holiday dinner or Sunday roast chicken, mom would simmer stock for hours, filling the house with the rich aroma of chicken and onions and herbs. Hers was not only a true appreciation for good food but more important, a way to use everything she could to feed her 6 strapping boys and 3 growing girls.

Use your freezer to save ingredients for stock

If eggs were cheap enough, she would make a mound of flour on the table, mix in eggs and begin to hand roll great sheets of pasta. Once the sheets were lightly dry, she rolled up each one and cut great ribbons for soup or to serve with homemade gravy from a pot roast. Today we marvel at people who take the time to make such 'gourmet' items. She did it because it was cheaper than buying pasta for her brood of kids.

I, too, make my own stocks and soups. Mine are more likely pressure-canned or frozen for future use, as my 'brood of two' enjoy their own homes these days but I did take away many mental notes on frugal cooking from my childhood. For instance, I keep a container in my freezer for onion skins, carrot tops, pepper and celery trimmings and other items that can be added to stock. When I find myself with bones enough, I have the remaining ingredients at the ready without purchasing a thing.

Once the stock is finished, all I need to do is grab a jar off the shelf, heat it up and add whatever veggies I have on hand. Gourmet soup in 20 minutes? No problem. One of my favorites for days in a hurry is Wild Mushroom Soup with Truffle Oil. This are not your run of the mill leftover-user but rather a hot meal that features the best of what is in season. This soup is also a great way to lower the amount of meat your family eats without making them feel deprived. Pair a steamy, fragrant bowl of stew or soup with an artisan salad and fresh, crusty bread and ‘Soup Night’ becomes something to look forward to.

Wild Mushroom Soup with Truffle Oil

This soup is fast and fabulous. It also freezes well. Serve this with tiny Taleggio cheese sandwiches and a big whole leaf Caesar Salad for an exceptional dinner.

3Tbsp Olive Oil or Butter, or a combination

2 Large Sweet Yellow Onions, julienne sliced

1 ½# Assorted Wild Mushrooms of your choice, sliced

½ TBSP ground Dried Porcini Mushrooms

Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Fresh Rosemary, minced – to taste

Fresh Thyme Leaves, minced – to taste

1 Bay Leaf

5-6 cups beef stock, low sodium

1 tsp Beef or Veal Demi Glace*

White Truffle Oil

Saute onions and mushrooms in olive oil until soft. Add porcini powder, herbs and seasonings. Continue cooking until lightly browned. Add beef stock and demi glace.

Simmer to reduce slightly and allow flavors to blend. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Drizzle a few drops of Truffle oil into each bowl as the soup is served.

Notes:

mixed dried mushrooms

• You can also use a dried mushroom blend but make sure it contains those lovely, fragrant porcinis. I keep a coffee mill in my pantry specifically for grinding spices. It also works beautifully for grinding dried mushrooms.

• Demi glace is a form of super-concentrated stock that adds great depth of flavor to soups and sauces. You can make your own but it is time consuming. I buy mine from Williams Sonoma. The soup can certainly be made without it.

Dried mushrooms ground to powder
give deeper flavor to soups and stews

• Truffle oil is, in my opinion, food of the gods. A tiny amount goes a long way and there is nothing that can compare to its fragrant earthiness. Yes, it is expensive. Yes it is worth every dime.

• Taleggio cheese is a wonderful, soft, slightly 'stinky' Italian cheese. It is GORGEOUS made into little (I use baguette rounds) grilled cheese sandwiches and drizzled with a tiny bit of white truffle oil.

• If you use dried herbs, use whole leaf style (half as much as fresh – you can always add more, you can't take away) and rub them between your palms over the soup to wake up the flavors.

The Root Cellar

2011-01-24T15:13:00.000-08:00

I have always loved the feeling of rich black soil in my hands. Cool, damp and crumbly, smelling of last years maple leaves and spring rain, it warms my soul. Perhaps it rests in my genetics, (the great granddaughter of Nebraska pioneers) or perhaps it is some crazy hippy-Aquarian trait, but I am always restless in the spring until I can dig my fingers into the earth and reconnect with my garden.

Twenty five years ago, our little family rented an old farmhouse west of Minneapolis near Cologne, Minnesota from a very successful German dairy farmer named Charlie. He had managed to buy up several adjoining properties and grew his active herd to over 100 cows that he milked twice a day. This area is home to a number of 'century farms', passed down for generations and also of truly black dirt, as deep down as you can dig it. A farmer's dream.

Fresh greens at The Farm at St. Mathias

The barn on our rental property was a bit run down but all of the machine sheds were in good condition and still functioned as storage for numerous tractors, trucks and an old plow-horse yoke, now forgotten, still hanging and ready for service. A metal windmill standing on the edge of the front yard was once the water source for the property, it's pump mechanics now dismantled. It still lent an occasional long violin-squeak when a breeze blew, a sort of soft music I still find reminiscent of of that place whenever I hear it.

The house was old but sturdy, a basic two-story Midwestern farmhouse with one fantastic feature; a true root cellar. The house was likely built in the 1920's or 30's and whomever designed it completely understood winter food storage. Covered steps led from the outdoors into the basement of the house directly to the heavy wooden door of the cellar. Most of the floor was open dirt, designed to control humidity with the addition of water as needed, and the rest cool concrete. A low vent from the heated basement let in just enough warmth to keep the room from freezing and another high vent on the opposite side let air flow to the outside. This kept cool, humid air circulating around the room, the perfect environment for storage of root vegetables, winter squash and rows of home canned tomatoes, jams, jellies and salsas. A single light bulb illuminated the room with its hanging pull-chain tinkling against the glass each time the string was pulled.

Yam, Purple Peruvian, Yukon Gold, Pinks and Russian Fingerlings

When Arlene Jones showed up a few days ago with a bag of potatoes from the root cellar at The Farm at St. Mathias, my first instinct was to smell them. And there it was. I took in another full breath. The smell of earth. Even in January, after months in the cellar, these sleeping beauties - Russian Fingerlings, Yukons, Purple Peruvians and a pink variety I had not seen before, still held the scent of the dirt from which they had been dug.

The smell of soil in mid winter seems a luxury in northern Minnesota when the garden lays hidden under feet of snow and will not show itself for months to come.

There is great satisfaction for me in preserving and storing food, independent of the local grocer. I think back to that little rented farm; Josh, learning to push a roto-tiller that was as tall as he was, both he and Justin eating peas right off the plants as they 'helped to harvest', and the daily winter ritual of going downstairs to the cellar to see what was for dinner. Preserving is to me, at once, life as it used to be and life as it is still. It is a connection with my great grandparents, who had no grocery store down the street to depend upon and a connection to those who grow the fresh local greens and roasted potatoes that

will become tonights supper from the cellar. Small world.

Mixed Potato “Hash”

This is a fun dish to make when you have access to a number of potato varieties and colors. Each lends it own texture and flavor to the dish. If you wish you can also add other root veggies such as parsnips and carrots. They need no preparation and can go directly into the saute pan with the onion and celery (but may need a little longer cooking).

2 pounds mixed yams, Russian Fingerling and other heirloom variety potatoes, separated by type, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

4 uncured organic bacon slices
3/4 cup rough chopped onion
3/4 cup rough chopped celery
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Peel Yams. Add potatoes, one variety at a time; cover partially and cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes (or use several pots). Potatoes will cook further in saute pan with remaining ingredients.

Lift potatoes using a strainer, transfer potatoes to a large bowl. Return water in pot to boil, adding more as needed. Add sweet potatoes; cover partially and cook until potatoes still retain their shape and are about ½ cooked, about 5 minutes. Drain. Transfer to bowl with other potato varieties.

Meanwhile, cook bacon over medium heat until almost crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Rough chop and set aside.

Rough chopped veggies

Pour off all but 3 Tbsp drippings from skillet. Add onion and celery; cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes and chopped bacon to pan. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender and heated thoroughly.

Add brown sugar and vinegar and cook uncovered until potatoes are coated with glaze, about 2 minutes, tossing carefully as they cook. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer potatoes to serving bowl. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Serves 6 as a main dish along with a fresh herbed mixed green salad. This is wonderful as part of a breakfast buffet.

Ingredient Notes:

Boil potato varieties separately as they vary in firmness.
'Rough chop' means to cut randomly and not too small
The parsley gives a fragrant note to the dish at the end. I use fresh herbs whenever I can.
This can be made as a vegetarian dish by substituting soy bacon and a little olive oil

ABOUT THE FARM:


Meow

The Farm at St. Mathias is a CSA - a privately owned community garden. They give free tours, host an annual Celtic Festival and are a leader in the Farm to School program in Northern Minnesota which brings fresh local organic foods to children direct from area farms.

You can also purchase food from the farm (as you would from a farmers market) when you visit even if you are not a subscriber to the CSA program.

I encourage you to take your kids, tour the farm (or one in your area), learn about local organic agriculture and shake the hand of the person who grows your food.

The Tomato in Winter

2011-01-19T08:30:00.000-08:00

When Kevin dropped off the perishables remaining in his cabin's refrigerator before he left to return to California recently, it was as if California itself was dropped at my door. Beautiful fresh lemons and limes, most of a dozen eggs from Carrie's birds at Petals and Beans, some fantastically fruity grape tomatoes and, with the very scent of summer itself in the midst of winter, fresh basil peeked out from one corner of the bag.

The next day, while Kevin was 'enjoying' driving through western Nebraska in the snow, I opened my refrigerator to that same summery-mint scent of basil. I thought of tearing a few of the leaves into a salad and then I remembered the grape tomatoes.

The flavors of summer

It seems odd to me to cook with fresh tomatoes in the winter, mainly because grocery store tomatoes at this time of year rarely taste anything like tomatoes. And also because if you grow your own during those few steamy months when they thrive in the northern garden (or more likely the greenhouse, this far north), you may have dozens of jars of canned tomatoes, salsas, sauces and relishes in your pantry, as I do, and don't often consider buying them in the winter.

The siren song of these remarkably fragrant fruits called for one thing alone – the freshest of tomato sauces over a small, twisted pile of Cappellini with a quick shaving of Parmigiano Reggiano on top. Fast, light, fresh and amazingly delicious, this is also an inexpensive meal and can be tossed together for one person or a crowd. If you think you don't have time to cook fresh food, here is proof positive that you can.

Fresh Tomato Basil Sauce

This is normally a quick fresh-from-the-garden summer dish. If you can find fresh tomatoes that taste like fresh tomatoes in the winter, this sauce will transport you back in time to a warm summer day. It is best with just a touch of good Parmigiano Reggiano cheese shaved on top.

2 Tbsp Pure Olive Oil

1 medium Shallot, julienne sliced or Sweet Yellow Onion

3 cups rough chopped Fresh Tomatoes

½ tsp Crushed Garlic

Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper

4-6 Fresh Basil leaves, julienned

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan or saucepan. Add the sliced shallots and saute until softened but not browned.

Add the tomatoes.

Ready in a flash

Cook over medium-high heat until the tomatoes begin to soften. Add the crushed garlic and a little water, if needed to keep the sauce from sticking.

Taste and season with salt and pepper. If you wish, use a potato masher to press the tomatoes in the pan and break up the fruit, or leave it 'chunky'.

In the last few minutes of cooking, turn the heat to low and add the basil.

Serve over cappellini (angel hair) pasta and shave some Italian Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on top.

This is the ultimate fast food. By the time the pasta is finished cooking, your sauce should be finished.

Ingredient Notes:

For as much press as “XVOO” has received in recent years, it is a delicate creature and should really be reserved for salad dressings or other fresh preparations. It is not intended to be heated. Save your money and buy 'Pure' olive oil for cooking, which will withstand a little higher temperature without losing its flavor.

Make this dish only with fragrant, flavorful tomatoes and fresh basil. This dish is all about fresh flavors. Any type of tomato is fine.
I love crushed garlic for the way it dissipates into the sauce instead of leaving little hot 'bits' of garlic in a dish as minced garlic does.
Italian Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is arguably the best of its kind on earth. It is not inexpensive but you only need a little of this hard grating cheese to add spectacular flavor to delicate dishes. And save the hard rind! You can use it to give richness to soup, stock or sauces. Ditch that nasty, powdered, fake 'cheese' that's been sitting in your refrigerator door for months.

Why use Kosher salt? Here's a test. Taste a little kosher salt. Tastes like salt, right? Now taste table salt. Taste like chemicals? That's because it is, in large part, chemicals. Using a purer product will give your food fresher flavor. Your body won't lack for iodine or 'anti-caking agents', I promise.

Stonehouse Roastery Part 2

2011-01-15T22:39:00.000-08:00

Food of the gods - a Stonehouse Scone

I sit, golden retriever at my feet, sipping on a steamy cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, mulling over my latest visit to Stonehouse Roastery in Nisswa, Minnesota. Occasionally Maggie lifts her head, growls softly at some unseeable-to-me potential menace (squirrel) outside, then lays her head back down.

Is there anything better than a really good cup of coffee on a bright, wintry day? Yes. Coffee and scones.

Before you say anything, I am not talking about those nasty, ubiquitous, rock-hard scones, left languishing for days in the glass case of an ordinary coffee shop. Stonehouse Roastery, besides hand-crafting great coffee, happens also to be the home of what is, in my opinion, the best scone anywhere. Tender on the inside, chock full of fresh berries with a light sugar crust – this one goes on the OMG list. You won't believe it until you try it. I dragged my sister, visiting from Nebraska last summer, into the shop kicking and screaming to get her to taste one of these. She expected what we all have come to expect, a dry biscuit that even my dog would sooner bury than eat. But these...ooh la la. Mary still begs me to mail them to her.

The grinding stone

The 'new baby'

But I digress. I promised you news on the latest Stonehouse venture and you shall have it. A week ago, I stopped in and asked Mike French, owner of Stonehouse, about a rumor I had heard. As an over-enthusiastic baker, I was dying to know. Was it true?

“Come with me”, he said, “You've got to see this”. We walked down a back hallway to what I thought must be a storage room and he unlocked the door. In the middle of the room stood a huge, 7+ foot tall, lemon-cream colored machine. “This is the new baby”, he said. A true stone mill for grinding wheat flour.

To the right, dozens of bags of Minnesota-grown hard red spring wheat* from the Red River Valley were stacked and ready for grinding. I was utterly impressed. FRESH, ORGANIC, STONE GROUND WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR in my own backyard? Life just got better.

I brought home a few pounds to play with and this is a beautiful thing. It is virtually impossible to find freshly ground whole grain flour in this part of the state. The issue is that the fatty acids in the wheat germ in whole grain flour will go rancid after a couple of months of shelf life (or you can refrigerate/freeze it to preserve it longer) so major producers don't like to deal with it. But once you compare the flavor and texture of stone ground wheat in your breads, especially freshly ground flour, you will be hooked.

*(To you bread geeks out there: flour from hard red wheat is often preferred for artisan bread because of its relatively low protein levels, giving breads a crispier crust and a nice crumb. It also has a more defined 'wheaty' flavor.)

If you love whole grain seeded breads, this recipe is a good starting place. This makes a very wet dough that will keep in your refrigerator for days until you are ready to bake. It makes 3 good sized loaves.

Sharon's Stonehouse Wheat Oatmeal Bread

Don't let the ingredients list fool you. This is a simple to make, NO KNEAD hearty whole grain bread.

2 ¼ c lukewarm Water

1 c whole Milk

½ c pure Maple Syrup (I use Severt's Woods Maple Syrup – local and delicious)

2 Tbsp Yeast

1 Tbsp Kosher Salt

1/3 c melted Butter OR cold pressed Sunflower Oil

½ c Malted Wheat Flakes (available from King Arthur Flour)

¼ c Flax Seeds

½ c Sunflower Seeds

½ c Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

½ c Oat Bran

1/3 c Wheat Bran

1 c organic Rolled Oats
1 ½ c Stonehouse organic stone ground Whole Wheat Flour

3 ¼ c Unbleached organic AP Flour

1 c Raisins

1 c lightly toasted Walnut pieces

Ready for the oven

This is a no-knead bread. Simply mix the ingredients together until well combined to make a wet dough. Let the dough stand, covered, at a warm room temperature for about 2 hours. It will rise and fall – perfect. It is just doing it's job. Once the dough has fallen you can either bake the dough immediately or place it in your refrigerator to bake in the next few days.

Shape the loaves, let them rise and give them a 'slash' with a sharp knife or clean razor just before baking to prevent a torn look to the dough. Bake at 420 degrees for 20-30 minutes until a deep golden brown. Makes 3 big loaves.

Notes:

If you bake the dough the day you make it, you may wish to bake it in a pan to give it more shape. Once chilled, the dough becomes firmer and can easily be shaped into free form loaves and baked on a stone.
You can vary the type of seeds, nuts and grains to suit your taste and what you happen to have on hand in your pantry.
Store whole grain bread uncovered, cut side down on a clean countertop or bread board. The bread will keep well for days. Storing the bread in plastic encourages moisture buildup and mold as well as 'messing' with the texture.
I use a preheated bread stone inside my oven. You can purchase unglazed clay tiles that work just as well for about 50 cents each at your local home store.

Learn more about no-knead breads from my previous blog: 'What Happened to my Peanut Butter Sandwich'

A Sense of Place

2011-01-14T09:04:00.000-08:00


Artwork in basket by Samantha French

For as long as I can remember, my mother has sat down in the afternoon for what she has always described as “a nice hot cup of tea”. Perhaps it was a holdover from her childhood, some symbol of her Irish heritage passed on to her from her grandparents or perhaps it was just her personal celebration of quiet.

For many years at that time of day, the current baby of her nine would likely be napping and the older children not yet home from school. Was this her time to come back to center before the hectic second half of the day?

I tend to be something of a hermit if left to my own devices (that ritual cup of tea, or more likely afternoon coffee at home, having been passed down to me) but on this lightly snowing winter day, I do what all the locals do and head to the neighborhood coffee shop.

nectar of the gods

In my day (do those three words make me look old?) the local coffee shop was Harold's in Florence, on the corner of 30^th and State streets in Omaha, Nebraska. More like Hemingway's 'A Clean Well Lighted Place' in my mind, 'old people' sitting alone drinking coffee seemed depressing; surely they had no place else to go, nothing to do.

As I enter Stonehouse Roastery in Nisswa, a few miles from my house, I greet Lyle from the City Council, chat for a moment with Dianne, a local caterer, then sit alone with my coffee and my thoughts quite contentedly.

I move over a little to allow a young couple, shopping for a new French press to look over the selection. They smile at me and give me a sort of sad, apologetic look, as though I have become one of the 'old people' having coffee alone at Harold's. I smile at them and suddenly in my mind, there is a paradigm shift. I begin to have a different take on Harold's and its place in my universe.

Maybe 'alone' is perspective. This isn't depressing, it is calm; warm; familiar. The artwork on the walls, beautiful impressionistic paintings of people swimming underwater or standing together at the beach, contrast starkly with the snow that now blankets my car just outside the window. The images capture a moment in time. Maybe this cup of coffee fills that same need for me. It slows me down and allows me to stop, breathe and celebrate my own quiet on a snowy January afternoon.

About Stonehouse Roastery

When Mike French started roasting coffee some 10+ years ago, his successes were spread among his undoubtedly very happy friends. “There was a lot of bad stuff too,” says Mike, “but that got dumped in the woods”. Luckily for us, he mastered the skill of coffee roastery and now brings us his beautiful blends. Black Pearl, his best selling coffee is a blend of 3 carefully selected beans in a medium-dark roast. It's rich deep aroma fills my head and there is no hint of that burnt-black bean so commonly sold in coffee shops elsewhere. This is coffee art.

Mike invites me into the roastery, introduces me to his son Nathan (who now does most of the roasting) and produces a gorgeous product from green, almost herbal smelling beans to a perfectly even-roasted and finished bean before my eyes in about 15 minutes. As the beans come to the final stage of roasting they being to pop, popcorn-like, as they cool. The room is filled with the strong scent of freshly toasted coffee beans as they pour out of their roasting chamber. To my astonishment, the entire batch is cool to the touch in a matter of minutes.

About 75% of the beans Stonehouse buys are Organic or Fair Trade coffees but Mike insists that this is not by design. “I buy the best coffee I can find and it happens that most of it is organically grown.” As a chef, I appreciate his candor. It is great to support an important cause, but can I get a good product too?

His beans are sourced from around the world, including a Kenyan bean with a price tag of over $1000/bag or about $10 per pound as a raw product. Consider that beans shrink by about 1/3 in the roasting process and you can easily do the math on the finished price. Is it extraordinary coffee? Yes.

Another spectacular find was from PT Toarco Jaya in Sulawesi, Indonesia. This is a difficult to find, very high quality bean also produced by certified organic standards. The farm uses only 60% of their property for cultivation in coffee and retains 40% naturally forested lands.

If you really dig your Folgers, this type of coffee is clearly a waste of your money but if you do appreciate the good stuff, ditching the chain stores and savoring a hand roasted product is definitely the way to go.

Do they ship, you ask? Yes, but you have to know someone. Okay, okay, you don't actually have to know someone, you just have to call them: 218-961-2326.

Check back tomorrow for news on

Stonehouse Roastery's NEWEST VENTURE.

Hint: You bakers are going to love this...