Fruity update

I don’t know if it is just me, but so far it seems that this summer has been excellent in the produce department (and we’re only half way through). Last summer, New England had a terrible strawberry season – too much rain led to mushy, moldy berries. Although the season was short this year, it certainly yielded some delicious fruit. Already blueberries have been pouring in – you know its summer when blueberries are buy one get one free at the grocery store! And last year, every peach and nectarine I bought turned to mush before it had a chance to properly ripen – not so this summer! I’ve had some of the best stone fruit in my memory over the past month (now, it’s not native yet, so I can’t report on western Mass’s crop). I had planned on entering a pie contest, although in the end a work event interfered, but it gave me a chance to completely perfect my peach pie recipe. Soooo good.
Of course, local farms are providing more than fruit – I have had some excellent sweet corn and some really nice herbs so far as well. I also have had a few zucchini’s – my mother would be so ashamed (she abhors squash in all shapes and forms). I have a recipe that I picked up in Burlington (remember that cooking class I went to a while back?) for egg-battered fried zucchini. Come on, mom – anything deep fried can’t be too bad! I also made a loaf of zucchini bread to share with my grandparents that came out pretty well.
Right now I'm getting really excited for my triumphant return to Vermont! Danielle's birthday is in a few weeks, so I have plans to visit her for the weekend. We're going to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals perform on the waterfront, tour a few vineyards, and yes, we already have plans to have dinner at the Bluebird Tavern. Yummmmm.

Here I Am!

Wow. Over two months. That must be some kind of record. No, I’m not dead and no, I haven’t suffered in some terrible accident. I kind of wish I had some gruesome excuse to explain my lack of diligence, but truth be told, I have just been too busy, too overwhelmed, and yes, maybe just a tad too lazy to bothering updating my blog.

Now, I do have at least a partial excuse for why I have been so busy. On top of graduating last month (yay!), I got a new job at a small local newspaper in Massachusetts and moved to the Berkshires! This changes the premise of the blog slightly – I am no longer eating my through Vermont, but rather, I have relocated and am eating there (duh). I sorely miss my dining partner, Danielle – I don’t know anybody in my new locale, so dining out has become kind of an issue and taken a back burner, at least for now. Instead my focus has been on home cooking, embracing the abundance of local foods available here.

Much like in Vermont, my new home has a strong focus on locally grown, locally produced food. There are a number of farmers’ markets every week, plus lots of farm stands, a local co-op market, and more – so obtaining fresh, local food is not an issue. I have been to a number of the markets already (I am writing a piece about the area’s farmers’ markets for the paper – what an awesome job) and I have been impressed – the vendors are all so friendly and eager to help. I bought a tomato plant the other day. I am known for my black thumb (I.e., I kill every plant I come into contact with), but I am going to give it a go.

There are a number of appealing-sounding restaurants around; I just have to work up the courage to go and dine alone, I guess (or make some friends). Several places advertise using local ingredients, which is a nice reminder of home (wait…is Vermont home? Texas? Mass.? I am a wandering nomad).There are a few seafood places – and you know how I feel about seafood – including one that advertised lobster rolls. I hold all lobster rolls to a very high standard set by the Clam Shack near my grandparent’s house, so we’ll have to see if these live up. I actually discovered a new magazine, Flavor New England, which is a food and wine mag all about this area – love it. There’s a recipe in there for a stove-top clam bake, which I am super eager to try – I have never cooked a live lobster before, but I’ll give it a go (I keep thinking about that scene in Julie and Julia when Amy Adams have to cook a lobster…”lobster killer…”).

Other recipes on my mind include anything and everything that features summer produce, esp. summer fruits. I love looking at foodie mags this time of year – all those fresh fruits and veggies, prepared simply yet deliciously. I can’t wait to dig in (honestly, it’s a little early in the growing season here –late July and August are more the height – but we have fresh strawberries, cherries on the way, and lots of greens). I had a “grilled” pizza last week (grilled on my indoor grill/griddle/Panini maker combo, but still). It had a pita as a base, topped with swiss cheese, prosciutto, and sliced nectarines, and then finished with some arugula, olive oil, and fresh cracked pepper – as pictured. Can you say yum? Super simple, and yet so flavorful. That is how I like to showcase quality items and fresh produce. I am looking forward to more options as summer progresses!

(Also pictured – my recent haul from Rubiner’s Cheesemongers and Grocers. Nice!)

Bonjour! Voila!

I have so many different things to talk about today, I should probably split it into several different posts. Oh well – I’m going to cram as much in as I can.

So, first – I have been on a bread kick lately. I mean, who doesn’t love homemade bread? I can tell you one thing – my dog is certainly among the bread lovers (he managed to steal two different loaves-in-the-making last week—long story). Anyway, I got this really neat new cookbook, My Bread by Jim Lahey. Lahey claims to have created a “revolutionary” new way to make bread in just five minutes day. At first, I was skeptical. Baking bread is an ancient art form that should not be messed with, right? Artisans have already had centuries to perfect it. Well, I have to tell you, this bread is awesome, and super easy to make. You basically mix the ingredients, let it rise over night, and bake in a Dutch oven – no kneading or extensive shaping involved. Below is a picture of my first loaf made with this method, just a basic white bread. I am not going to even try to be modest – this bread is amazing! An epiphany! It came out so beautifully, and is rich, moist and chewy – something right out of the Red Hen Baking Co. I had a chunk of it with a simple fried egg the other night, and it was heavenly. (I have also been on a bit of a French kick lately, re-teaching myself the language and experimenting with some classic bistro meals. Hence the title of the post.)

At this point, you’re probably wondering what the other pictures are, since they are clearly not of my homemade bread. Well, last night Danielle and I had dinner at Hen of the Woods in Waterbury, and I am still dreaming about it. It took us forever to get in – every time we called for a reservation, it was booked up. Now I understand why. The atmosphere was adorable, the service was good, and the food was phenomenal – definitely a meal in my Vermont top 5. The dining room is quite small and one wall is all windows that overlook the grist mill out back. Walls on either side are made of stone with tea lights embedded in them. The kitchen is in the front and most of it can be viewed from the dining room. Really, it was lovely – but enough of all that. Now on to the food! We had three different starters that we shared – a cheese plate, mussels, and a prosciutto dish. We let the waitress pick the cheese, and it was really good – solid and strong. That was served with crostini, a candied fennel relish (crunchy, sweet, vegetabley, and yet licoricey – very unique and compelling), toasted hazelnuts, and apple butter. The prosciutto plate came with more grilled bread, a thick, grainy mustard, fresh arugula, and onion jam. I didn’t care for the onions, but everything else was fantastic. And finally, the mussels. Now, Danielle orders mussels a lot; they are one of her favorites (and becoming one of mine, too). We have had some kind of mussel appetizer at numerous restaurants in the area. These were by far the best (yes, even better than the original Bluebird’s). The broth was to die for. It had bacon and I don’t know what else in it, but it was really, really good – perfect soaked up with the grilled bread. It was so good, we kept eating it even after we ran out of both mussels and bread. True story.

From there, we went on to entrees. We both had gnocchi, although mine was a goat cheese gnocchi served with a celery root puree and pine nuts, and Danielle’s had ricotta and lamb sausage in a tomato-based sauce. Both were excellent. Read that again – yes, that means I tried the lamb. Despite being a food, and a rather adventurous one, even I have my caveats – and veal and lamb are among them. I just think it’s wrong to eat baby animals. I’m sorry, and I’m not trying to start some kind of riot. I don’t push these opinions on others, but it’s a choice I make for myself. But yes, I tried one bite of her dish, and it was very yummy. Am I a lamb convert? No. Am I willing to sample something in the name of foodie-ness? Yes.

Finally, we wrapped the meal up with dessert. I was soooo stuffed by the end of all this that I didn’t think I would ever eat again (although I inevitably did). The meal was great, and so worth the forty minute drive.

Maple Open House Weekend

Last weekend was Maple Open House Weekend in Vermont, meaning all the local sugar houses welcomes guests, hosted pancakes breakfasts and sugar-on-snow tasting parties, and basically celebrated maple season. You gotta love living in Vermont.

So anyway, I simply had to go check one out. I wouldn’t have felt like my time spent in Vermont was complete without visiting at least one sugarhouse. Last Sunday, Wyatt (my dog) and I drove out to Dakin Farms. Now, Danielle says that Dakin doesn’t count, but you know what? They were the only ones to host a pancake breakfast on Sunday, while all the others were Saturday (and since I work Saturday mornings, that wasn’t an option). So, Dakin counts in my book. Besides, they were actively boiling while I was there, and isn’t that the whole point, anyway?

Wyatt hung out in the car while I ventured in. The line was super-long and snaked around the room with all the machinery in the middle. It was billowing smoke and water was dripping from the ceiling, which really just added to the whole experience. For ten bucks, I got an OJ, two huge pancakes, bacon, and fruit salad, plus, because Dakin wants to support local dairy farmers, they had huge vats of milk that were free to all visitors (quaint and quirky at the same time). Each table had jugs of fresh 2011 crop syrup to pour on to your heart’s content. Because I was there alone, I was kind of nervous about finding a place to sit, especially because it was so busy. But a group of old ladies welcomed me to their table and we all talked about Rachael Ray recipes that involved maple syrup. All in all, not a bad way to spend the morning.

Besides an operational sugarhouse, Dakin also has a store that I browsed through (you may be familiar with their catalogues; they are especially known for their holiday hams). I walked away with a piece of maple sugar candy – I mean, who could resist? – plus a jug of syrup, a maple-based cookbook, and a package of sweet Italian sausage. What’s not to like?

After I left the sugarhouse, Wyatt and I just went for a leisurely Sunday morning drive down to Middlebury and back, a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee and Frank Sinatra’s crooning serving as accompaniments. Life is good.

The (new and improved?) Bluebird Tavern

Last night Danielle and I went out to the Bluebird Tavern. This wasn’t just our usual weekly get together, though – this was a special occasion? Why was it so special, you may ask? I passed my thesis defense yesterday!!!! (A little overkill on the exclamation marks, I know, but I just can’t help myself, I am so excited). You may not really care about my thesis and whether I graduate on time or not, but let me tell you, it matters a lot to me and I am telling anyone who will listen. Okay, it is out of my system now.
So, dinner. I don’t think I have mentioned before that the chef at the Bluebird changed a few months ago – it was kind of a shock, because the menu was so popular and Aaron Josinksy was nominated for a James Beard while working there, plus he had a recipe featured in a Tasting Table email – his leaving the Bluebird was big gossip in the local Burlington foodie world. He went on to do a temporary stint at the Top Notch Resort and Spa; I don’t know how he was received there. Michael Clauss replaced Josinsky. I hadn’t dined at the Bluebird since the turnover, and I have to admit I was concerned. My previous few experiences there were so good, it was going to be hard to live up to them
All and all, the two chefs came out about even in my book – I kept score. The cheese board was prettier than ever, and just as delicious (the kumquat preserve and raw honey were both really nice accompaniments, too) – so that was a point in the favor of Clauss. However, I did not enjoy his new way of preparing the mussels – an almost curry-like, spicy, creamy sauce. I much preferred Josinsky’s more traditional garlic and wine-based broth to be sopped up with Red Hen Baking Co. grilled bread, so point for him. The French fries were pretty much the same – yummy – so even scores there. And thank God Clauss didn’t mess with the ketchup. Since I have already spent time singing its praises, today I’ll simply say – it is awesome. So sweet. So tangy. Great texture. Right, I’m done. So, another even score there. The wine selection was just as good as ever, as was the specialty drinks menu (Danielle had “Sugar on Snow” – a ball of crush ice floating in bourbon, served with a little pitcher of pure maple syrup to pour over. Only in Vermont). Finally, since this was a celebration and all, I felt the need to order dessert – a walnut pie topped with maple ice cream. It was good, of course – very, very sweet – but not outstanding, as has usually been the case with dessert at the Bluebird (good but not super memorable)…with the exception of that olive oil cake I had a while back. Remember that? Soooo good. Wow, it’s a good thing its almost lunch time as I write this.
I am disappointed to admit that the service was seriously lacking last night, which is very unusual for the Bluebird. It took a very long time before our waitress came over to even take our drink orders, and then our meals took quite awhile as well. Usually, the atmosphere and excellent service are part of what makes the Bluebird Tavern standout, but last night that wasn’t really the case. Despite that pitfall, it was still a great evening. Delectable food, a good friend, and the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders – what more could a girl ask for?

Check it out!

I have developed a recipe! Furthermore, I have successfully tested the recipe earlier this evening and it was delicious – so, to summarize, I have successfully developed a delicious recipe! This made a beautiful dinner, comforting but able to be spiffed up for company too – and it is sooo simple. I’m calling it Early Spring Pasta because it features asparagus. Did you know that western Massachusetts, around the area where my grandparents live, is known for its asparagus? Kind of a weird thing to be known for, but hey, everyone deserves their five minutes of fame. I made enough for two servings (one tonight and leftovers for tomorrow) but it easily be double or tripled. Also, I used Dreamfields pasta because it’s a bit healthier without that grainy whole wheat texture, but anything will work. Anyway, here is goes:

Early Spring Pasta

Serves 2

Cook time: 15 minutes, tops

Enough spaghetti to make 2 cups, about a third of the package

1 bunch fresh asparagus

1T olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 egg

Fresh basil, cut in ribbons, for garnish

Parmesan cheese for finishing, optional

Cook the pasta according to package directions in salted water. While pasta cooks, trim asparagus – you only want the tender tips. Add the asparagus to the pasta during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking. Reserve about a ¼ cup of the starchy cooking water. Drain and return to hot pot. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper. Do this quickly because you want to keep everything as hot as possible. Quickly add the egg, stirring, so that the hot pasta cooks the egg – you need to be swift, otherwise the egg with cook in big globs instead of creating a velvety sauce. If it is too thick, gradually add the reserved cooking water until you reach the desired consistency. Top with basil and cheese, if desired. Serve with crusty Italian bread.

So there it is! Kind of a riff on pasta primavera, carbonara, and asparagus with hollandaise. Let me know what you think!

Fat Tuesday is Next Week!

Honestly, I should be ashamed. My foodie life has been a bit in shambles lately. Danielle and I haven’t been to check out any new restaurants (although we did revisit A Single Pebble, simply for the love of Peking duck, and were not disappointed). I haven’t even done that much cooking, and I miss it. I do have plans to make chicken and shrimp jambalaya sometime soon in celebration of Mardi Gras. I wish I had the guts to try and make homemade beignets, but in all honestly, deep fry in my very small kitchen seems like a terrible idea. Sigh. I’ve had a hankering to bake something yummy, but have been unable to decide what I want. Cookies? Bread? Muffins? I can’t decide – suggestions are appreciated.

Of course, I am in no way saying that foodie-ness (no, that’s not a real word, but it works) had completely left my life. I continue to work at my internship twice a week, which is going really well. I am learning a lot, and I know the experience is really valuable. I can’t wait to be done with school – I am sooo close – and start applying for jobs actually in the field. In the meantime, I’ll have to make do with blogging!