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gather Premiere Issue OCTOBER 2015

locally grown. locally sourced. locally celebrated.

The Free Press MEDIA

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Welcome.

Hunters, anglers and foragers gather the bounty of our woods and waters.

Farmers and gardeners gather crops, fresh from their fields.

Markets gather local artisans and enthusiasts.

Hosts gather guests with a warm welcome.

Cooks gather ingredients for a meal.

Children gather memories; the sound of being summoned to supper.

Gather.

It’s an age-old call that echoes in modern life.

Come together. Around the table. Friends and family.

Celebrate the gifts of our fields and forests.

It’s an impulse, especially intense in autumn at harvest.

It’s an invitation.

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gather October 2015

AN INVITATION TO RIVER VALLEY FARE

w el c o m e Ba k er s Ben c h 8 Quick breads rise to autumn occasions Co u ntry 12 Historic Carver, legendary bar food Mar k et 16 Stealing the Alps’ thunder: Tartiflette b u t c h er s b lo c k 18 Spatchcocking P antry 24 Condiments to the chef Cellar 30 Falling for brown ale s ettin g s 34 Sobremesa A g u i d e to g at h er 41 Locally sourced Street 42 Enjoy every sandwich

october 2015

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gather Fall 2015 • VOLUME 1, Issue 1 Locally grown apples!

PUBLISHER There are so many varieties to ADVERTISING MANAGER Ginny Bergerson John Elchert choose from depending on EDITOR Ginny Bergerson

what you are making.

Culinary Director Bert Mattson Associate Editor/Artistic Director Jordan Greer Schwarma Sauce, you can use it on everything!

Content Manager Joe Tougas CONTRIBUTORS Bert Mattson Joe Tougas Heather Fisher Salvage Sisters Little Rascal Studio Maggie Meixl

Tomatoes from the farmers market.

Even the green ones. Fried green tomato and bacon sandwiches?

I. Die.

Asparagus Whether lightly grilled, steamed, or sautéed with a little butter and salt, this is definitely the veggie I look for!

ADVERTISING Sales Our family Jordan Greer loves to go Marianne Carlson to Welsh Josh Zimmerman Heritage Danny Creel Farms in Paige Hoehn the fall and Deb Petterson get apples.

Jen Wanderscheid Honeycrisp Theresa Haefner is our Matt Houselog favorite.

ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Barb Wass ADVERTISING DESIGNERS Christina Sankey Sue Hammar CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Denise Zernechel

PHOTOGRAPHER Little Rascal Studio Bert Mattson

Zucchini PAGE DESIGNER Great summertime Christina Sankey veggie that works well in bread and easy to hide from the kids.

What’s your favorite local ingredient?

Gather Magazine is published by The Free Press Media bi-annually at 418 South Second St., Mankato MN 56001.

For editorial and advertising inquiries, call Jordan Greer 507-344-6337, jgreer@mankatofreepress.com To be included in future Gather mailings, call 507-625-4451, ext. 7

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The cover photo, taken at the idyllic Indian Lake, was styled by Heather Fisher, Interior Designer, IIDA and owner of Salvage Sisters in Old Town. The photography was done by Dustin Doust and Jennifer Raines of Little Rascal Studio Mankato. The furnishing and décor are all designed, repurposed and created by local artisans. They reflect the unique creativity our area has to offer and showcase the bounty that is Southern Minnesota.

Distinctive Women’s Clothing & Accessories

on the cover

They’ll ask you where you got it!

Relax and enjoy a quaint shopping experience!

Featuring New Lines by...

UNO de 50 • Scandal Robert Palazzolo Charlie B • Testimony

Shop ‘Til You Drop Event October 12 - 17, 2015 Look for our ad in The Free Press.

Fashion, Style & Personal Attention

Trail Creek Center off Hwy 22 North, Mankato 507-344-1656 • Mon.-Fri. 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Announcing a Hardcover Book!

CrossRoads 40 Years of Photojournalism

Capturing the People, Places and Events of Southern Minnesota

Enjoy our first issue. Gather around a table with your friends and family, inside or out, and sample everything that this place we call home has to offer.

Connect with us /gathermagmankato /gathermag /gather

• Hardcover, 144 pages, archival quality • Hundreds of stunning images • Photos from the 1970s through today • Limited edition, collector’s item • Ships in late November

The Free Press MEDIA

Purchase Online at: JohnCross.PictorialBook.com october 2015

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bakers bench

Quick breads rise to autumn occasions 8

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By Bert Mattson

In

light of all the different dishes hitting the dining room table at our autumn events, we like to keep a few quick and simple recipes in rotation. Quick breads are a category of baked items leavened (a process that lightens doughs and batters and makes them rise) without yeast. More than strictly breads, this family of foods includes biscuits, muffins, scones, cookies, cakes, brownies, and often breakfast items such as pancakes and waffles — some versions of these may be leavened with yeast or eggs.

The range of quick breads is thought to have expanded exponentially sometime in the mid to late 19th century. This increase owes to the commercial manufacture of baking soda and baking power, and in conjunction with a scarcity of the labor, skill, and time associated with yeast leavened bread. The particular leavening process that employs these agents is known technically (and perhaps ineloquently) as “chemical leavening.” It involves weak acid and base ingredients interacting to produce carbon dioxide, ultimately adding volume to the baked item. By many bakers, sifting is considered important to ensure even distribution of these leavening agents in order to achieve consistent shape and texture. There are, in truth, those who suppose that “sifting” and “quick” are a contradiction in terms, and that the improvement is marginal. However, both parties tend to agree on a short mixing time, as the sticky, stretchy gluten developed in mixing has adverse effects on the final product.

Quick breads tend to be compatible with a range of pans. In the first recipe we resort to that old stand-by, the cast iron skillet. It uses a loose biscuit dough and rendered bacon fat for a flavor boost. Skillet bread is a Southern specialty that sidesteps sifting by using selfrising flour.

Our second item is a cookie recipe loosely based on bannock and native ingredients. Bannock is a flat quick bread that was popular among pioneers, and lives on in Native American communities in the form of ‘fry bread.’ With its echoes of granola, we like to think this recipe creeps over the no-cookies-for-breakfast boundary. october 2015

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Cast iron renders a crisp, lacy crust and a tender crumb.

Gouda Mustard Skillet Bread Yields one 8” round

Gouda leaves soft, sweet and nutty pockets in the bread while the mustard adds a hint of heat, but both may be omitted with acceptable results.

2 tsp of bacon drippings 2 C of self-rising flour ¼ C very cold butter, small cubes 1 ½ C buttermilk, chilled 2 T butter, melted (optional) ½ C Gouda, shredded (such as Jeff’s Select from Caves of Faribault) ¼ tsp mustard powder Preheat oven to 400°F. Add bacon drippings to an 8-inch cast iron skillet and put it in the oven, setting a timer for 5 minutes. Mix mustard powder into flour. Meanwhile, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture.

Incorporate all but a healthy pinch of cheese (reserve for topping). Add buttermilk to flour mixture until mixture is slack, but still thick and not soupy. Using an oven mitt, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and quickly pour the batter into the skillet, using a spatula to spread it evenly across.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and drizzle melted butter over all. Put the skillet into the oven and bake uncovered at 400° for around 20 to 25 minutes, until top is golden brown.

KNIFE TIP: freezing the butter before dicing will make it easier to “cut in” to the flour, and help keep its integrity while mixing.

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Blue Earth Manoomin Cookies Yields 2 dozen medium sized cookies

Sweet but earthy, these cookies are reminiscent of a rustic breakfast porridge.

Cooled fully, they should exhibit a crisp crust and a chewy interior. Milk and cookies has just become a breakfast option.

3 C old-fashioned rolled oats 1 C AP flour 1 tsp baking soda 3/4 C (1 1/2 stick) butter, room temp 1 C brown sugar packed 1/2 C granulated sugar 1/4 C pure maple syrup, such a Bryan’s 1/4 C heavy cream 1 large egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 C cooked wild rice (if using canned, drain and pat dry) 1/2 C dried blueberries 2 oz (½ C) hazel nuts, chopped and toasted Preheat oven to 350°F. Chop the nuts coarsely and toast in the oven, on a baking sheet, until golden brown. Cool.

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt (if you are a sifter). Combine with oats. In a mixer with paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars on high speed until light in color and airy. Add cream, maple syrup, egg, extract, and mix at low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape bowl sides with a spatula. Still at low speed, add oat/flour mixture in two stages. Just before completely combined, add nuts, wild rice and blueberries. Mix just until incorporated.

With spoons (or a number 30 scoop), portion cookies onto a par-chment-lined sheet pan about 2” apart. Bake for 16 min or until golden brown.

Cool on pan for four minutes then finish on a wire rack. While it’s hard to wait, complete-ly cooled cookies should yield crisp exteriors and chewy interiors.

KNIFE TIP: cookies can be portioned onto a pan, frozen individually, and stored in ziptop bags for later use. In recipe tests, baked from nearly frozen, this method actually re-sulted in better browning.

Toasted hazel nuts, dried blueberries, and wild rice yield a rustic texture and an earthy element that balances the sweetness of a cookie. october 2015

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country

HISTORIC CARVER, LEGENDARY BAR FOOD Nestled, is what it is. Historic downtown Carver is an almost-improbable little stretch of old-time, nestled among the pert expanse of new homes in Carver Bluffs, a quiet bend in the Minnesota River and, lest you get lost, a Casey’s station a mile or so up the road.

But this section of the city — just a few blocks — was one of Minnesota’s first districts to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

It’s subtle, too, no hammering you over the head with preciousness. Just a smattering of storefronts and homes that still have the feel of 1800s standing in them, including a fine appreciation of the quiet and the calm.

The thing is, if you’re trying to drum up some bar business, The Carver Historic District can be too quiet.

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By Joe Tougas “I would sit from 8 to midnight with hardly a customer,” recalled Toots Lewis, who on Wednesday nights managed Lisa’s Place, a corner bar and grill in the district.

She has since solved that problem in a literally fresh fashion.

Granted, a bar serving tacos is nothing novel. It’s usually an All-U-Can-Eat event that ends up a default supper once a few beers and/or post-work fatigue set it.

But Wednesday nights in Carver have for the past three years become a destination as Lisa’s Place gets descended upon by bikers, kids, office workers, grandparents, townies, out-oftownies and others. Small one- or two-

piece bands providing live music at the front of the bar are nearly drowned out by the conversations.

Welcome to Tacos and Tunes with Toots and Tanya, where the selling point is nowhere on the signage or menus or anywhere other than word of mouth.

And everyone here knows: It’s the salsas and the sauces, all made fresh the entire day by Toots herself.

“I didn’t think in the beginning that I was going to do all kinds of salsas and sauces,” she says. “I think when it first started out I made corn salsa because I had a whole bunch of corn on the cob that I got from my son’s girlfriend.”

From the start, she was thanked so profusely that she started creating more, introducing a new sauce or two each Wednesday night. Word grew. So did clientele.

The way it works on Wednesdays is that your orders are taken by Tanya who, if you’re just meeting her, will seem wellmannered and soft-spoken. She’ll ask chicken or beef, soft or hardshell, beans or no beans.

Soon, the bare bones of what you’ve ordered are delivered and it’s time to head to the condiment bar, which has far more color than is appropriate in any place where whiskey is served. Corn salsa, mango salsa, fresh tomatoes finely diced, fresh jalapeños and then — then — the decision of what sauces to use.

There are creamy sauces in squirt bottles such as the green-tinted cilantro jalapeño sauce or the nut-based Squirrel Sauce. Homemade hot sauces in glass bottles, some of which come with warnings. And there’s no right way to mix. Best to just surrender to the color and dive in.

Jeremy and Teresa Jensen live south of Carver. Jeremy, 41 owns a powdercoating business, JDJ Custom Coatings, and Teresa, 38, is a helicopter pilot.

They make their own salsa and don’t hit restaurants all that often. Wednesday taco night is a big exception.

“Our favorite is every third Wednesday they do fish tacos,” Teresa says. And then Toots makes this pineapple salsa or watermelon salsa, I never thought existed. It’s awesome.”

“I love spicy food, and I’ve walked out of here with my mouth just tingling on fire and it’s great,” Jeremy says. “What’s even better, she makes everything out of fresh ingredients. The salsa is fresh, the way I would make it. And then everything in the crock pot, super soft, super flavorful — seasoned to just perfection.

“We go out of our way to come here and we don’t do that very often anywhere else,” he adds.

And Toots goes out of her way every Wednesday to get ready for the evening. In summer, herbs and peppers come from her own garden. Neighbors contribute as well and she also gets hot peppers and more from the Minneapolis farmer’s market. The recipes are all hers. ”Well, the watermelon salsa I got from Trisha Yearwood, but I still put my own twist on it,” she says. And like the recently introduced Spam tacos, innovations will continue, she says.

“I really just like to see the reactions of everyone to something different.

Everybody is so appreciative and they love the surprises.” october 2015

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Cilantro Lime Jalapeño sauce

Corn Salsa Ingredients: 1/4 C red onion 1/4 C red or orange bell pepper 1/4 C jicama 1/4 C mango (or pineapple or peach) Chop red onion, bell pepper, jicama, mango into small pieces Fresh corn (2-3 ears cut off the cob or frozen corn, thawed) 2 T minced fresh cilantro Juice of 1/2 lime Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

quiet Wednesdays around, Toots started taco night at Lisa’s Place

In a food processor purée Handful of cilantro 1 clove Gallic 1/2 fresh jalapeño 1/4 white onion 1 inch chunk of English cucumber Sea salt to taste Add 1 C Greek yogurt and mix again

in Carver.

Mango/Pineapple Salsa

Squirrel Sauce

Watermelon Salsa

1 fresh mango 2 C fresh pineapple 1/2 C English cucumber 1/4 C red onion 1/4 C red bell pepper Combine 1tbs fresh mint 1tbs fresh tarragon 1 tbs fresh basil Juice of 1/2 lime 3 tsp agave

In food processor 1 T fresh chopped ginger 2 T white onion 1 clove garlic 1 tsp crushed red pepper 3 T of almond butter or peanut butter 3/4 coconut milk from can

2 C watermelon 1 mango Diced in chunks 1/4 cup red bell pepper 1/4 cup red onion 1/4 cup English cucumber Diced in smaller chunks not quite minced 2 T fresh mint 2 T fresh basil 1 small fresh jalapeño All minced Juice of a lime 2 T of raw sugar or agave Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Dice mango, pineapple, cucumber, onion and red bell pepper into small chunks Mince herbs.

Combine all. Add sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

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Purée till smooth

Chipotle Sauce 1/2 C mayo 1/2 C sour cream 2 tsp chipotle puréed Mix all together

Wednesdays at Lisa’s Place are packed — with flavor

er b o t c O

Full line dealer of Toro mowers.

Gather Minnesota is a community organization representing Southern Minnesota, coinciding with a month long celebration of harvest and community in October.

A Month Long Celebration, Events, Fun Activities & Fun Things To Do

Learn More Visit:

www.GatherMinnesota.com www.facebook.com/ GatherMinnesota/

october 2015

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market

Stealing the Alps’ thunder: Tartiflette

Roll the word around on your tongue for a minute:

Tartiflette.

The name, probably derived from the word for potato in a dialect native to a region of the Alps bordering France and Switzerland, is all that’s foreign about this dish. It is a gratin — the culinary term for a baked dish, browned on the top, which is often comprised of potatoes. Hence we speak of this sort of preparation, colloquially, as au gratin potatoes. It is baked and served in a piece of cookware called a casserole. And if there is one dish universally familiar in our modest corner of the world, it is the casserole.

Tartiflette is traditionally made with a washed-rind, smear-ripened cheese called Reblochon, the import of which is not allowed within U.S. borders.

Fortunately, the cheesemakers at Alemar Cheese in Mankato have modeled their squares of Good Thunder (with its rind washed in Surly Brewing Company’s Bender American Brown Ale) on the style of Reblochon.

How might one improve upon — to bluntly put it — cheesy-potatoes?

Bacon, of course.

This fancy sounding but straightforward dish allows the works of local artisans to take center stage. These ingredients easily elevate the dish from side to center plate (perhaps served with a side salad), should one so choose. Some traditional versions call for cream, which has been replaced with béchamel here to achieve the creamy consistency without the adding richness to an already rich dish. Bread crumbs are optional, and not strictly traditional, but add a pleasant contrast of texture.

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By Bert Mattson

Traditionally, this side dish is made into a main course by pairing it with a simple salad.

Tartiflette 6 servings

Smoky bacon such as that from Schmidt’s Meat Market counters the funky richness of this dish.

2.25 lbs Waxy Potatoes, such as Yukon Gold 8 oz Bacon, sliced 1 square (7oz) Good Thunder Cheese, cubed ½” Bechamel 1 large shallot (or small yellow onion), sliced thinly 2 T Flour 2.5 T Butter 2 cup Milk salt and pepper 1 T Bread Crumbs Preheat oven to 400° Boil the potatoes whole in water salted to the point of being seasoned but not salty. Remove and strain potatoes when just tender to a fork’s piercing and allow them to cool enough to be handled. Dice potatoes to roughly half an inch thickness.

Arrange slices of bacon on a baking sheet with a rim. Bake until slightly browned but still supple 10-12 minutes. Cut bacon into quarter inch strips across the slice.

Warm the milk in a microwave-safe container.

Add butter to sauce pan of a quart capacity and melt over medium-low heat. Sweat shallot slices until translucent. Add flour to butter and blend to a uniform consistency with a wooden spoon.

Add warm milk, increase heat to medium-high, and whisk until mixture begins to bubble and thicken. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

For a cleaner presentation, bake tartiflette in ramekins or individual casseroles.

Combine ingredients — save bread crumbs — in a bowl large enough to lightly toss them together. Spread filling in a casserole and bake for 20-25 minutes until it begins to brown and bubble. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and continue to cook to desired crispiness. Allow a few minutes for resting, then serve.

KNIFE TIP: Reserve bacon drippings for Skillet Bread.

RAISE THE BAR: Enjoy with a malty, well carbonated style of beer, dry cider, or dry white wine.

Good Thunder imparts a subtle funkiness to the dish. Be sure to reserve a bit to smear on bread for the full effect. october 2015

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butchers block

spatch·cock ’spaCH,käk noun A chicken or game bird split open and grilled. verb Split open (a poultry or game bird) to prepare it for grilling.

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Spatchcocking birds makes them more amenable to being grilled by allowing them to lay flat and exposing more skin to the grate. It’s a straightforward process, eased by a pair of solid poultry shears. One pitfall when grilling a spatchcocked bird is the potential for it to dry out. Buffer against this by using a brine.

Basic Poultry Brine 5 garlic cloves 1 tsp peppercorns 2 sprigs thyme 1 bay leaf 3/4 C kosher salt 2/3 C brown sugar 1/2 tsp celery salt 1/2 gallon warm water Ice

Mix ingredients well. Add to 1/2 gallon warm water to dissolve. Add the balance of a gallon in ice. Brine the bird at least 8 hours. Rinse and pat dry before grilling.

Brine poultry back(s) along with spatchcocked bird and smoke it immediately or freeze it for later smoking.

To one side of charcoal grill add hot coals and several chunks of apple wood (or preferred smoking wood) to achieve around 275°. Smoke for 3-4 hours on the portion of grate opposite the coals (not directly over them).

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Braised Kale 8 servings

Smoky bacon such as that from Schmidt’s Meat Market counters the funky richness of this dish.

2 bunches kale, chopped Pinch red chili flakes (to one’s taste) 1 neck or back of poultry 6 cloves of garlic, sliced 1 1/2 C water 2 T olive oil Kosher salt Cracked black pepper Add olive oil to pan and sweat garlic over medium-low heat. Once garlic is beginning to look translucent add chili flake. After a few minutes add water, kale, salt, pepper and smoked poultry scrap. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until greens are tender and pan is almost dry of juices.

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pantry

Condiments to the chef

Condiment

is a broad classification: Something used to add flavor to food. It’s a concept almost inclusive enough to be meaningless yet we have a deeply intuitive understanding of it. So universally significant are condiments that they become iconic.

Before an improbably prosperous advertising campaign asked, “Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?” grocery shelves were stocked mostly with plain, yellow mustard. These days the variety available shocks the synapses.

Abandoning the battle for a recipe of universal appeal, manufacturers have since set about creating versions from every conceivable angle –- to the extent that as some exciting new condiment stands out on the shelf, such as sriracha, mustard quickly cannibalizes it. Evidently, squeezing from two separate bottles has

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become too inconvenient for the average consumer.

explains how some people can get excited about, say, peach ketchup Ketchup has more or sun-dried tomato adeptly avoided ketchup yet remain adulteration of its reluctant to taste icon status. For any homemade some, ketchup version of Pressing even eclipses their favorite the case for the items it is brand. (It cider syrup. intended to could be enhance. interesting With it roots in the Many would to apply northeast U.S., pass on a this cider syrup seems burger and theory to destined to become fries if the turkey a staple of Southern condiment bacon Minnesota’s cider were but that’s producing region. unavailable. for It’s a great way to another add sweetness to a There is a story.) dish and complexity concept in

with its intense aesthetics On the apple undertones. called other Buy Welsh Heritage “Uncanny hand, few Farm’s version or valley” which among us make it at home hypothesizes seem at all from locally that as an reluctant to pressed cider. imitator incorporate becomes similar a prized enough to the condiment into object of its dishes attention, observers considered, in actually become some circles, to be physically revolted by it. national treasures: BBQ, The idea was tested with meatloaf, baked beans. an experiment in which a Tradition suggests BBQ robot was made to look sauce is an item better human, but I suspect it made at home, but

commercial offerings continue to have strong appeal. Commercial BBQ sauce production has experienced growth despite economic uncertainty. To be fair, sometimes it makes sense to buy an ingredient when one hasn’t the time, space or ability to make it any better (not to mention inclination).

In a Q&A with Food & Wine Magazine, Gabrielle Hamilton, celebrated Chef at Prune and author of the memoir “Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef,” was unashamed to admit her restaurant uses, among other things, Hellmann’s mayonnaise. She sums it up, “I’ll continue to let Goya make the chickpeas, just as I let Lafite make the wine; I don’t feel the need to crush my own grapes.”

Well said.

All the aforementioned condiments bring acidity to a dish. For good reason: often if a dish seems like it is missing something, that something is acidity.

Cooks usually mistakenly reach for more salt. Chefs achieve great success with dishes that balance flavors. In addition to acidity mustard may add heat and spice. Hot sauce

obviously adds heat.

Malt vinegar cuts the fatty fish and chips. Ketchup’s broad appeal is probably not coincidental: it features at least three of four of our basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter) and uses a base of tomato paste which is known as a source of the more recently adopted fifth taste(umami, a savory sensation).

So, while they clearly may become subject to habit, condiments, as ingredients or an afterthought, are more than superficial. Often, they contribute that little something that makes a dish more than the some of its parts.

While it’s obvious to conceive of salty, sour and even bitter as natural components in a savory dish, seeing sweet as a balancing element can be counterintuitive. Consider syrup with waffles or honey-glazed ham: demonstrably nondesserts. Plenty of preparations that call for sweetness will settle for sugar or simple syrup.

Pause to entertain alternatives that, along with sweetness, can add depth and complexity.

Cider Syrup 1 cup

This syrup holds for at least a week under refrigeration. It may be heat-process canned for lengthy storage.

24 oz apple cider In a saucepan over medium heat, reduce cider to 1/3 its volume. Cool, cover, and store refrigerated.

Along with cider and cider syrup, Welsh Heritage farms also markets apple butter and apple butter barbeque sauce.

Cider Butter 8 servings

A pat of cider butter is an easy way to elevate baked acorn squash, mashed sweet potato or a slice of pumpkin bread.

1 tbsp cider syrup 1 stick butter, room temperature In a medium bowl thoroughly combine butter and syrup with a rubber spatula. Spoon the mixture onto parchment paper, roll into a cigar shape, twist ends, and refrigerate.

Alternatively, if serving with baked items, pipe butter into a mold or ramekin.

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Cider Cabin Fizz 1 cocktail

This is a variation on the Sours family of cocktails. Rather than club soda, it relies on hard cider for effervescence. “Cabin� in the recipe title is appropriated from Cabin Still Bourbon, an underappreciated brand favored by the recipe writer’s father.

1 oz bourbon White of 1 large egg, beaten until frothy 1/4 oz cream 1/2 oz lemon juice 1 oz cider syrup 2 oz dry cider Pinch freshly grated nutmeg In large cocktail shaker, combine bourbon, egg white, lemon juice, and cider syrup. Shake vigorously for 25 seconds. Add a large chunk ice and cream and shake for 30 seconds more.

Add hard cider to chilled glass (highball being traditional).

Strain the shaken mixture into the glass. Grate nutmeg on top for garnish.

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Warm Cider Vinaigrette 8 servings

Serve with blend of hearty greens such as baby kale, spinach, Swiss chard, or young root vegetable tops, and julienned apple and carrot.

1 oz apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp cider syrup ½ tbsp Dijon mustard 1 clove garlic, minced 1 oz salad oil 2 oz rendered bacon fat Warm bacon fat to a liquid consistency.

Combine ingredients in pulse in a blender or food processor or shake vigorously in a sealed jar. Warm over low heat and toss with greens in non reactive bowl.

october 2015

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Cider-Glazed Roasted Winter Vegetables 8 servings

Crispy sage leaf and savory brown butter add a salty counterpoint to cider syrup and sweet roasted root vegetables in this cozy classic. The mix of vegetables isn’t critical, substitute turnip, rutabaga, yam or salsify as available or according to taste.

Vegetables 1 lb butternut squash, peeled ¾” dice 1 lb carrot, peeled ¾” dice 1 lb sweet potato, peeled ¾” dice 1 lb parsnip, peeled ¾” dice 12 oz shallots, peeled, split, and quartered if large 2 tbsp peanut, canola or any neutral flavored oil with a high smoke-point 1 tsp coarse salt like sea salt or kosher salt ½ tsp cracked black pepper Glaze 4 oz butter 2 tbsp cider syrup Crispy Sage ¼ cup peanut or canola oil 1 bunch sage pinch coarse grained salt Preheat oven to 425°. Toss vegetables with oil in a large bowl. Spread vegetables in a single layer on two sheet pans or large baking dishes. Apply an even sprinkling of salt and pepper. Roast until lightly browned and tender, stopping once to toss and rotate pans (if using a conventional oven), 40 to 50 minutes.

While vegetables cook, pluck sage leaves from stems.

Add oil to a pan such that it is 1/4 in. deep and place over medium heat. Fry sage for a few seconds until crispy. Cook in batches so that leaves don’t overlap in the pan. Remove leaves to drain on a piece of paper towel and sprinkle with salt immediately.

When the vegetables are almost done, add butter to a sauce pan over low heat and swirl, cooking slowly, until it begins to brown. It will continue to cook a little after it comes off the heat. Aim for amber-brown with a nutty aroma. Let it cool slightly before adding cider syrup.

october 2015

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cellar

{ } falling for brown ale

By Bert Mattson

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Autumn is a feast for the senses.

Crisp air carries the earthy aroma of freshly fallen leaves and the sweet smell of harvested hay. From above come the occasional calls of migrating geese.

Below is the rattle of leaves drifting and skipping on the street. Along roadsides, hunters hope to flush a few pheasants from stands of grass the harvesters haven’t reached. At pick-your-own patches, kids climb on bails or listen for the hollow thump of pumpkins. Textures have mostly transitioned to dry and brittle. Seasonal debris — stems, leaves, husks and seeds — crunch underfoot.

An acorn might hit, like hail, on the hood of a poorly parked car. Earth tones abound: brown, auburn, straw… the burnt orange of a Harvest Moon.

Darkness arrives earlier now, and with it the smell of wood-smoke and the crack of bonfires as sparks sail into the night sky. Around the fire, the smell of singed sugar from a sizzling marshmallow or the thick steam of hot cocoa give comfort.

It’s an easy scene to fall for, and one where outdoor activity is hard to imagine without a beer at the end.

Happily, autumn offers up a deep roster of seasonal beers. One obvious choice is Marzen/Oktoberfest — tough to turn down. Another, with an ever-growing wagonload of acolytes, is pumpkin ale. It has found its place in the panoply of uniquely American ales. Yet, to echo the intensity of the season, it’s hard to beat brown ale. Sure, it’s a style often criticized for its lack of exciting qualities, but a couple of local breweries put a dent in that complaint.

Brau Brothers Brewing Company brews The Ring Neck Braun Ale with toasted oats, which manifest notes of nuts, cocoa and coffee. The beer pours a deep brown and takes a second to settle. Inspired by the English style, it is

complex with a strong malt backbone, very light bitterness, and a dry finish.

Alcohol content of this English-style Brown Ale comes in at just under 7 percent. The Ring Neck gives a muchmaligned family of beers something to crow about.

Reflecting a fall campfire feel, Mankato Brewery’s Leaf Raker Nut Brown Ale has hints of caramel (which is basically sugar stopped just short of burning; the goal of any good marshmallow chef) and brings a comforting bit of smoke character. It contains the style’s characteristic malt sweetness, nutty character and restrained hop bitterness.

This too rates at around 7 percent alcohol; don’t be a rookie and rake all those leaves in one session.

Most hunters intuitively understand that searing meat is a foundation of flavor.

(Hence, when not afield, they’re often found huddled by the grill). The phenomenon is known among professional chefs as the “Maillard reaction.” It is responsible for the formation of hundreds of flavor compounds. It transpires in parching, which imparts a nutty flavor to wild rice.

It renders roasted squash that much more savory. In a nutshell, it makes fall meals more complex. These big brown ales easily match up to that sort of intensity.

Take a fall drive to one of these brewery’s tap rooms, or bring a bottle on an autumn picnic, and tote along the following snack. You’ll find it fits nicely, with little fuss. The whole grain, caramelsweet apple butter, and smoky cheese combine to compliment either beer… or both.

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Apfel-Butterbrot Apple Butter Toast With Smoked Cheddar 6 servings 4 oz apple butter, Welsh Heritage Farms or similar 3 oz cheddar, preferably smoked (pictured:Carr Valley Apple Smoked Cheddar) ½ whole wheat French loaf Slice the bread on a bias about a half-inch thick. Toast slices in a toaster or under the broiler (remembering to flip). Spread a generous tablespoon of apple butter on each slice. Top with thinly sliced smoked cheddar.

KNIFE TIP: Use a vegetable peeler for paper-thin cheese shavings.

Picinic Pair: Enjoy with Mankato Brewery’s Leaf Raker Brown Ale

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This is a regional twist on a

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German classic, capturing the

flavors and aromas of autumn.

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Butterbrot is the German name for a slice of bread with butter, or open-faced sandwich, eaten as a snack.

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Apfel Butterbrot translates to Apple Butter Bread.

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settings

sobremesa (n.) the time spent around the table after lunch or dinner, talking to the peole you shared the meal with; time to digest and savor both food and friendship.

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Furnishings & Decor By Salvage Sisters Photography By Little Rascal Studio october 2015

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If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.

- J.R.R. Tolkien

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There is no sincerer love than the love of food.

- George Bernard Shaw

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october 2015

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WELSH HERITAGE FARMS

& PIE SHOP

ORCHARD

NOW AVAILABLE:

TAKE HOME

Haralson Honeycrisp & Caramel Apples

One of our famous homemade pies!

Open Daily: 10am - 6pm 20758 528th Ave., Lake Crystal | 507-726-6562 | welshheritagefarm.com

The

Cheese & Pie

• THE BEST PIES MONEY CAN BUY • 30 KINDS OF PIE AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR!

Mongers Saint Peter

Minnesota

• MORE THAN 130 VARIETIES OF CHEESE •

Great Local Products:

• Granite Cutting Boards • Apple Butter • Honey • Popcorn • Spring Grove Soda Pop

Hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, & Sunday 11am-4pm

cheeseandpie.com

507-934-9066 317 MN Ave., St. Peter

a guide to the ingredients found in

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Cellar Falling for Brown Ale The Ring Neck Braun Ale Brau Brother’s Brewing, Marshall.

Leaf Raker Nut Brown Ale Mankato Brewery, Mankato Welsh Heritage Farm’s Apple Butter The Cheese & Pie Mongers, St. Peter Welsh Heritage Farms, Lake Crystal Pantry Condiments to the Chef The Cheese & Pie Mongers, St. Peter Welsh Heritage Farms, Lake Crystal Baker’s Bench Quick Breads Jeff’s Select Gouda, Caves of Faribault The Cheese Cave, Faribault Brian’s Maple Syrup, Eagle Lake The Cheese & Pie Mongers, St. Peter Market Stealing the Alps’ thunder Good Thunder, Alemar Cheese, St. Peter Food Co-op, St. Peter Schmidt’s Meat Market Bacon Schmidt’s Meat Market, Nicollet

locally grown. locally sourced. locally celebrated. october 2015

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street As he faced his own mortality, the great songwriter Warren Zevon was asked what he saw as the key to best appreciating our time on earth. His reply:

“Enjoy every sandwich.”

In the hopes of making that task easier (and thus your life fuller) we asked a few area residents where they go to for the best (retail) sandwich.

By Joe Tougas

Juana Arias

Clay Director, Arts Center of St. Peter

The Chimayo at St. Peter Food Co-op.

The Co-op sandwiches are awesome because the employees create them. The Chimayo is a new favorite of mine because of its cheesy, saucy goodness.

Leslie Dupree-Cady

MHP and community theater director, Mankato

Grown-up Grilled Cheese at Friesen’s Friesen’s Grown-Up Grilled Cheese gives you that decadence you crave with its three cheeses and garlic infused bread. This is not your mama’s grilled cheese and tomato soup, but it’s terrific with one of Friesen’s homemade house soups. Bring on the goo, and get in my belly!

Kirby Hurd

Graduate Student Minnesota State Mankato

The Schwarma at Massad’s.

As a quasi-vegetarian for seven years, I was able to resist the famous chicken schwarma for quite some time. However its allure and reputation remained, and in a moment of weakness, I caved and tried one. That was the end of my meatless days.

Shawn Schacherer,

Tech Support, Verizon, Lake Crystal

The Lakes Burger at The Lakes, Lake Crystal The Lakes Burger has the PERFECT amount of heat — from the Cajun seasoning, Pepper Jack cheese and jalapeño mayo.

Combine that with the cooling, smooth taste of the guacamole, and the perfectly toasted bun, and you have the best burger in South-Central Minnesota. Totally worth the trip.

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