Northeast Flavor Spring 2013

MORE THAN

NEW ENGLAND’S FOOD AND WINE MAGAZINE

50 NEW RECIPES!

get crackin’!

NEW ENGLAND’S EXCEPTIONAL EGGS EGGS: M k perfect Make f t omelettes, l tt healthy frittatas, French toast, bread pudding and more!

molasses A New England Classic page 56

Chef Marcus Samuelsson Rich history & pure heart page 32

plus: Try These Spring Delights: Garlic Scapes & Connecticut Shad Malbec: Comfort in a glass

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New England Chefs share their evolving Passover Traditions

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Seacoast New Hampshire’s favorite dining destinations... a little something for everyone!

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Grill 28 200 Grafton Road Portsmouth, NH www.peasegolf.com/grill28 (603)766-6466

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Departments * Spring 2013

Food + Cooking p. 66

12 CHEFS’ SECRETS Cook Like a Pro

14 HEALTHY FLAVORS

12

Frittatas to Go

By Rob Levey

16 HOW TO

16

Omelette Perfection

By Paula Sullivan

In the Glass 20 WINE FINDS Malbec: Grape Expectations

By Jonathon Alsop

48 SPIRITS Skål Days

By Spencer Smith

Northeast Traditions 56 CLASSIC Slow and Steady Molasses

By Sandra L. Oliver

Get Inspired 60 IN THE KITCHEN WITH… From Little Acorns Grow . . .

By Debbie Kane

66 THINGS WE LOVE Espress Yourself

By Elaine Tomasini

Local + Sustainable 52 SEASONAL FLAVORS Scape Artist

By Evan Mallett

54 FLAVOR FOCUS Springtime and Shad Roe

By Jean Kerr

IN EVERY ISSUE Editor’s Letter 7 Featured Contributors 8 Ask the Editors 10 The Book & Blog Club 64 Recipe Index 65 Marketplace 67 Advertiser Directory 70 Next Issue Highlights 71 Roots 72

52

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3

Chef Samuelsson’s Red Berry Cobbler Photograph by Paul Brissman.

(page 35)

Features * Spring 2013 24 Incredibly Edible

32 Chef Without Borders

36 Basking in Barbados

Local, fresh, delicious.

Nature’s perfect food?

Maybe . . .

From Ethiopia to Sweden to Harlem, Marcus Samuelsson honors his roots.

High times meet high tea in the Caribbean’s food-forward destination.

By Paula Sullivan

By Mike Morin

By Jean Kerr

On our cover: Farm fresh New England heirloom eggs.

Photograph by Tim Sullivan. Styling by Candace Perreault.

Photograph of Marcus Samuelsson by Paul Brissman.

4 SPRING 2013

42 The Passover Seder: Old Meets New Tradition meets innovation at the Seder table.

By Lisa Goell Sinicki

Join us for intimate winemaker-hosted dinners, receptions and themed brunches with some of the world’s most renowned wineries and Chef Daniel Bruce at the Boston Harbor Hotel.

NOW T H ROUGH M A RC H 29 T H

Wine Festival reservations and information at www.bostonwinefestival.net (888) 660-WINE or (617) 330-9355

FRENCH COOKING

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2

PLUS A WHOLE LOT MORE

PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER Spencer Smith EDITOR -IN-CHIEF Jean Kerr

HANDS-ON COOKING SCHOOL Chez Boucher offers a wide range of cooking classes including six-week series courses, one-day workshops & private Cooking with Friends parties.

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NORTHEAST FLAVOR | Editor’s Letter

The Egg and I

Photograph by Jerry Held

WHEN I WAS A little girl visiting my grand-

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parents in Wales, I remember being sent out to the chicken coop to collect eggs for our tea.

I brought back a half dozen eggs, just enough for us each to have a soft-boiled egg (and toast “soldiers” for me.) They were still warm with a few specks of hay still stuck to the shell. One of them was huge, a “double yolker.” To this day, I can still recall the perfect orange yellow of that yolk and a taste that was unlike any egg I’d ever had before. Since then, I seek out farm-fresh eggs whenever possible. Luckily, with our return to local sustainable eating, that’s easier than ever.

Eggs are one of nature’s most perfect foods.

Rich in minerals and vitamins and comparatively low in fat, they are one of the most versatile stars of the culinary world. I don’t eat eggs every day, but I could; I just love them. Boiled, poached, scrambled, fried, cooked in custard and quiches, I just never seem to get tired of them. Thankfully, the cholesterol worries from some years back have subsided.

New England has a lot of poultry farms, and more and more backyard farmers are discovering the joys of truly fresh eggs from hens that have been allowed to wander freely, eating what they like, their feed perhaps supplemented by good organic grain. And more and more, farmers large and small are preserving heritage breeds from Araucanas to Welsummers, preventing them from becoming extinct.

People have told me that there is no scientific difference between white eggs and brown eggs,

and I’m sure that’s true, but as a New Englander, I’m partial to brown eggs. However, heritage breeds may lay eggs that vary in color from blue green to deep chocolate brown, and that’s just fun, if you ask me.

In our tribute to all things eggs in this issue, we’ve even included a venerable New England favorite, shad roe, the eggs of the large bony fish that swim up New England rivers to spawn in the spring. This short-lived seasonal delicacy has suffered a bit from overfishing, but one meal of shad roe a year doesn’t seem too profligate.

Also, as we celebrate spring and battle cabin fever, we look at new twists on the ancient tradition of the Passover Seder. As an honorary Jew, this is one of my favorite meals and a celebration in which food is such a graceful metaphor. An important symbol in the meal?

You guessed it: the egg.

Eggs are symbols in many cultures: signs of spring, fertility and rebirth. They are an art form (see our story on Ukrainian Easter eggs on page 72), and a primary ingredient in almost any chef’s repertoire. From humble to exalted, eggs are indeed incredible.

Happy Spring!

Jean Kerr * Editor-in-Chief editor@northeastflavor.com

e’s . Natur . licious e 24 d e , g h s a fre ... p Local, Maybe ? d o fo perfect

eden to ia to Sw uelsson p o i th From E Marcus Sam . , 32 Harlem is roots, page h s r o n o h

NORTHEAST FLAVOR | Featured Contributors

Sandra Oliver * writer Favorite family food tradition: Enjoying the first of anything out of the garden as a main dish: asparagus, peas, the first cob of corn, the first ripe tomato, and so on, and really relishing it.

Favorite kitchen appliance: My beloved, circa 1930s Dual Atlantic combination gas and wood burning cook stove.

Least favorite food: Anything with unpronounceable ingredients not found in nature.

Wrote Slow and Steady Molasses (page 56).

It was fun to talk with Master Baker Steve James at Popovers on the Square in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, about his enthusiasm for molasses and the traditional New England desserts he likes to make with it. Molasses is such a wholesome, flavorful alternative to corn syrup in recipes like the one for spiced nuts in the article.

Paula Sullivan * writer Top pantry staple: It’s a three-way tie between butter, olive oil, and tamari soy sauce. Close behind those three is my jar of Sambal Oelek chili paste.

Most treasured kitchen possession: A set of vintage “Wonder Shredder” graters that were used by my great grandmother, my grandmother, and my mother. I use them all the time, and between uses, they hang decoratively on my kitchen wall.

Favorite late-night snack: Toast with peanut butter and honey.

My favorite moment [while working on this story] was when 16 year old Nicholas found a surprise turkey egg in the turkey house.

It was towards the end of the birds’ laying season, so he was surprised to find it, and he gave it to me! I fried it for breakfast the next morning.

Wrote Incredibly Edible (page 24).

Susan Tuveson * advisor/culinary editor Favorite flavor: Fennel/tarragon Most treasured kitchen possession: Japanese knives Favorite family food tradition: Pork roast instead of turkey on Thanksgiving.

See our story on Susan’s new venture, Acorn Kitchen on page 60.

During the photo shoot, I was fascinated to learn how the final images we see in the magazine are painstakingly set up for composition and function of light. What appears large in the photo on the page is actually a very close up, tight shot, every item positioned for ultimate, curvaceous, unctuous effect. “Lick the page” is the goal! My main contribution seemed the easy part — making the recipe while testing it at the same time. The hard part was my keeping from moving the serving plate to adjust the food, where much effort had gone into the perfect placement of the dish for the shot. The whole experience gives me a new eye to the plating of my own creations.

Northeast FLAVOR would like to thank all of our contributors who make these issues possible each and every time.

To learn more about our valued advisors, writers, photographers and illustrators, visit www.northeastflavor.com/contributors

ADVISORY BOARD

NORTHEAST FLAVOR | Ask the Editors

Victoria Champagne-Sutherland is the founder and publisher of ForeWord Reviews, an award-winning literary review journal.

She holds an M.S.A. from Central Michigan University (thesis pending); a B.A. in communication arts and sciences from Michigan State University, and professional certifications in publishing from Stanford University, New York University, and Yale University.

In addition, Victoria is particularly active in local literacy efforts. Reading, travel, hot yoga, fabulous food, and wine top her list of personal passions.

Ask the Editors (almost!) Anything

Mary Ann Esposito, the creator and host of PBS’ “Ciao Italia”, author of eleven cookbooks, holds a master's degree in food history from the University of New Hampshire.

She received Johnson and Wales University’s Distinguished Author Award, is a regular contributor to Boston University’s School of Lifelong Learning, and is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier. Mary Ann was granted an honorary doctorate from St. Anselm College for her dedication to teaching and preserving authentic Italian cuisine.

Stephen James, a Certified Master Baker, was the award-winning executive pastry chef at The Balsams Grand Resort in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, for 21 years.

Stephen joined the Galley Hatch restaurant group as a bakery consultant and as managing partner of Popovers on the Square in historic downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire. A gifted teacher, Stephen has lectured and performed baking demonstrations nationally. Stephen is the owner of SJ Consulting, a baking and pastry consulting company.

Susan Tuveson has been cooking for people for five decades. Educated in literature, music, and law, she left law to establish Cacao Chocolates in Kittery, Maine, known for its high-quality, artisanal creations. She loves traveling between her kitchens in Maine, Paris and rural Japan, gathering ideas about ingredients and preparations. Susan is a frequent lecturer on opera and Japanese garden design. Tuvenson has established Acorn Kitchen, a shared-use community kitchen, where budding food entrepreneurs can find help establishing new food businesses and get guidance on sanitation and best manufacturing practices.

I have a scone recipe that calls for finishing them with demerara sugar. What is that?

Demerara sugar makes a great topping for scones and cookies. It’s a large-grained, unrefined sugar made by pressing sugar cane down into cane syrup. The syrup is then dehydrated to form big golden crystals. During baking, demerara retains its crunchiness (which makes it perfect for topping baked goods) and tastes like molasses. However, it can’t be substituted in recipes calling for confectioners’ or caster sugar; the texture will throw off the recipe and make your baked goods a little too crunchy, and it won’t melt enough to make good caramel.

The name demerara comes from the town in Guyana where the sugar was first refined in bulk; while the production has largely switched to Mauritius, the name demerara has stuck. It’s a bit more expensive than refined sugars, but for the texture and flavor, we think it’s worth it for those recipes that need a special finish!

I recently had a fantastic meal out that included a demi-glace. Can I recreate this at home?

From the French word for glazing, a demi-glace (half glaze), is a rich brown

sauce that can be used to coat meats or as a base for other sauces. Demi-glace is made by mixing veal stock with espagnole sauce (one of the five mother sauces in French cooking). Making an authentic demi-glace takes a bit of time. While we agree it’s well-worth it, we don’t always have the kind of time required to prepare it properly.

That’s why we love this recipe for “Semi Glace” from Ron Boucher, of Chez Boucher in Hampton, New Hampshire.

Although he teaches the traditional method in his professional courses, this is a handy alternative for those of us short on time. Ron recommends veal bones if you can find them as they have a milder flavor.

Chez Boucher’s “Semi Glace” 5 pounds beef or veal bones 1 large onion, diced 1 large carrot, sliced 1 celery rib, sliced 1 clove garlic, peeled 1 6-ounce can of tomato paste 1 bay leaf 1 ⁄4 teaspoon thyme 8 parsley springs with stems 1 ⁄8 teaspoon black peppercorns 1 ⁄8 teaspoon whole coriander seeds 6 quarts water 3 ounces beef base, such as Better Than Bouillon brand 3 tablespoons Gravy Master 1 cup red wine 1 whole clove 5 ounces corn starch (about 1 cup)

1. Place bones in a baking dish. Roast bones in a pre-heated 400ºF oven for 45 minutes. Add vegetables, tomato paste and seasonings and roast for an additional 30 minutes.

Have a question for the editors?

E-mail us at editor@northeastflavor.com Not all questions will be published. Questions may be edited for space and/or clarity.

2. Place mixture in a large stockpot. Add water, beef base and Gravy Master. Bring the stock to a medium simmer and cook for 6 to 8 hours over very low heat, covered.

3. Strain the stock, return the broth to the heat and bring it back to a simmer. You should have one gallon of the strained stock.

4. In a separate container, dissolve the cornstarch in the red wine. Whisk this slurry into the stock, bring the broth back to a simmer and cook for an additional thirty minutes. Refrigerate or freeze and use as needed.

NORTH

of the North End.

World Class Italian Cuisine 59 Penhallow Street, Portsmouth, NH 603.436.4000 www.RistoranteMassimo.com

Makes one gallon Really, is there a difference between brown eggs and white eggs?

Only the shell color; there is no difference in flavor or nutrition between white eggs and brown eggs. Here in New England, years ago we had a commercial that featured the jingle “Brown eggs are local eggs, and local eggs are fresh,” and that has been frozen into our collective consciousness ever since.

But New England’s love for brown eggs goes back further than that, due to our seafaring history. Sailors brought chickens back from China to provide food for the return voyage on trade routes. The Chinese preferred brown eggs, as brown was the color of life and virility and white the color of death. These Chinese chickens were very hardy and survived our tough winters. These chickens, renamed Rhode Island Reds and New Hampshire Reds, are the basis for our chicken and egg stock.

Even though white eggs are exactly the same as brown eggs, and usually are a bit cheaper in grocery stores, with the New Englanders’ love of tradition, we will always favor brown eggs. Unless they are there for egg dyeing, white eggs in your fridge look . . . well, somehow wrong.

*

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We apologize for the following error: We're sorry to have mixed up Carol Travers Lummus' name in our last issue, and apologize to Carol and our readers. Her wonderful intaglio prints can be found at her website, www.carollummus.com Be sure to bring any questions or concerns to our attention!

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immediate consumption Whether you live near the seacoast or are just passing through, make South Street & Vine your stop for some of the world’s finest cheeses and wines. Ready to eat and drink tonight!

Our wines have a healthful & natural place at your table.

We can suggest successful & appetizing pairings with food.

Wine tastings are available by appointment.

• We can special order almost any wine.

• •

Our cheeses are some of the world’s most delicious!

Let us help you plan a cheese course or complement a favorite recipe.

• We provide party platters, specialty assortments & gift baskets.

•

603-430-2984 • 359 Marcy St, Portsmouth, NH • www.southstreetandvine.com NORTHEASTFLAVOR.COM

11

FOOD + COOKING | Chefs’ Secrets

Cook Like a Pro Photographs (this page, right and opposite page top left) by Kristina O’Brien, courtesy of Casco Bay Butter.

Make cooking easier with these nifty tips and gadgets

Compound Interest Compound butters are a secret weapon in the kitchen. They are limitless in variety, simple to make, can be made ahead and provide that perfect “ta da” moment when you bring food to the table.

Whether savory or sweet, for meat or breads, these finishing touches elevate the simplest dishes into dinner party fare.

The basic method for compound butters is simple. Soften butter without melting (it’s best not to let the butter separate).

Briefly cream together the seasonings in a food processor or mix well by hand. You can then serve in a small ramekin, atop hot foods, or as a sandwich or breakfast spread. To make a quantity of compound butter, use at least two whole sticks of top quality butter.

When the compound butter is well blended, spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and roll up like a sausage, twisting the ends. You can then cut off a round of the butter and serve anytime, and it freezes well.

12 SPRING 2013

Dill and Lemon Zest Butter Great on vegetables or roasted fish.

2 sticks of butter, softened or at room temperature 1 ⁄4 cup chopped fresh dill Grated zest of 1⁄2 lemon

Combine ingredients in a food processor or mix by hand until thoroughly blended. Chill and serve or roll in plastic wrap and freeze.

Bacon, Blue Cheese, and Rosemary Butter This makes a decadent topping for grilled steak but would be great on a baked potato, too!

2 sticks of butter 1 strip of bacon, cooked until crisp 1 ⁄4 cup chopped fresh rosemary 1 ⁄2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Combine ingredients in a food processor or mix by hand until thoroughly blended. Chill and serve or roll in plastic wrap and freeze.

Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery Compound Butter We are particularly fond of Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery's cultured European style butters. Any compound butter will be terrific when you start with butter this good.

Here’s their recipe for herb and garlic butter.

1 tablespoon garlic purée 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped 1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped 1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped 1 ⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 4 ounce log of cultured butter, with sea salt crystals

1. Blend all ingredients together in a mixer with a paddle attachment until well combined.

2. Place the butter onto a piece of wax paper and form into a roll. Put in refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to one week.

Fresh at your Fingertips

Casco Bay Butter’s Truffle Butter is made with black truffles and white truffle oil. It’s great on everything from eggs to pasta, to potatoes and everything in between. It’s absolutely delicious with roasted chicken (recipe below).

Roasted Chicken Breast with Truffle Butter Preheat oven to 400ºF. Salt and pepper both sides of four chicken breast halves, bone-in with skin.

Spread Casco Bay Butter’s Truffle Butter under the skin. Pan-sear each breast in olive oil for about 3 minutes on each side until brown and slightly crisp.

Roast in preheated oven until internal temperature at thickest part is at least 160ºF, or until juices run clear. This should take 20 to 25 minutes. Cover and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Top each breast with a pat of Casco Bay Butter’s Truffle Butter and serve.

Honey Butter Popcorn Pop about 1⁄2 cup popcorn kernels using an air popper or a covered pot on the stove with enough vegetable oil to liberally coat the kernels. Place in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, melt 3 to 4 tablespoons of Casco Bay Butter’s Honey Butter.

Pour butter over popcorn and toss lightly with a mixing spoon or salad tongs. Serve warm.

The combinations are unlimited: maple syrup blueberry butter? Strawberry mint butter?

Chipotle and smoked paprika butter?

If you have a favorite or create a new one, visit our Facebook page and share with us and other Northeast FLAVOR friends!

There are many reasons to buy eggs from farmers’ markets, CSAs, and local farms. Freshness is the top reason, of course; a fresh egg tastes so much better than a mass-produced, grocery store egg. But we also buy for variety and novelty; a display of pale blue Araucana eggs makes a simple and elegant display or centerpiece.

Farm fresh eggs also have the advantage when it comes to storage. While there is a debate about egg storage and safety, it seems that farm fresh eggs (not mass produced) can be stored safely on the counter for several days. In some parts of Europe, storage on the counter is the norm; eggs are usually not refrigerated.

If you do want to store your eggs on the counter, we recomEgg Skelter from MannaPro mend this fun and useful egg skelter. (A skelter, or helter skelter, $29.95, www.mannapro.com is a tall tower with a slide on the outside. The Beatles’ made it famous outside of the UK with their song, “Helter Skelter” “When I get to the bottom, I go back to the top of the slide, where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride, till I get to the bottom . . .” ) When you bring home your fresh eggs, you load them into the skelter with the narrow ends pointed in. When it’s time to restock, put your new eggs at the end of the line, that way, you’ll always eat the oldest ones first; the new eggs will slide right down, patiently and beautifully waiting their turn.

0

Brunoise with the Best Most of us wish we had truly chef-like knife skills, but mostly don’t fuss too much about the difference between finely chopped and diced. There is a difference though. And for a lot less than a class at culinary school, The Obsessive Chef’s Cutting Board from Fred and Friends is just the thing if you want to get that slicing and dicing down to a science.

This 9- by 12-inch solid beechwood cutting board is divided into inches and subdivided into half- and quarter-inch fractions. The interior area provides precise guidelines for classic French cuts like batonnet, alumette, brunoise, and julienne, as well as proper chopping and dicing. On one of the corners, a perfect quarter circle arc will help you cuts rounds, and a guide to right and acute angles will take the guesswork out of even the most arcane recipe guidelines. And even if you know all this, it’s the perfect tool for any less experienced helpers.

Looking to mak e a precise dice, a proper julienn e, or perfect batonn et?

NO PROBLEM!

Obsessive Chef’s ) The Cutting Board, $24.99, www.amazon.com and other leading retailers

NORTHEASTFLAVOR.COM

13

FOOD + COOKING | Healthy Flavors

Frittatas to Go

BY ROB LEVEY

SIMILAR TO QUICHES (but without the heavy cream and unwanted calories), frittatas are easy to make and can be made with ingredients you probably already have in your fridge. To further simplify this concept, how about making minifrittatas? They cook faster, and make the perfect healthy breakfast on the go.

All you need are eggs, vegetables, cheese and, of course, some seasoning. As for what vegetables work best, Personal Chef Patti Anastasia, owner of Anastasia’s Table in Londonderry, New Hampshire, suggests broccoli, red, yellow or green peppers, red onions, spinach, mushrooms and kale. For herbs, try crushed red pepper, parsley, dill, chives, scallions, rosemary and thyme. Meat lovers can add a few slices of cooked and crumbled bacon, chopped ham or crumbled breakfast sausage.

In terms of filling combinations, Patti cites broccoli and Cheddar cheese as her favorite and says sprinkling Parmesan cheese on top provides “a nice, nutty flavor boost.” Other possible combinations include asparagus with Swiss cheese and thyme; sautéed spinach and onion with feta cheese and fresh or dried oregano; and red, green or yellow peppers and onion with pepper jack cheese.

Patti says the great thing about minifrittatas is they can also be prepared in advance by cooking extra vegetables with dinner the night before. “You should definitely cook the vegetables first or it will take too long,” adds Patti, who suggests chopped scallions if you do not have any cooked onions on hand.

While sautéing the vegetables is certainly one method, steaming them in the microwave is even easier. “I know people sometimes shy away from using their microwave to do any cooking, but for steaming vegetables, I think it makes sense,” she says.

14 SPRING 2013

KITCHEN TIPS • Ingredients may be mixed ahead and stored overnight in a covered bowl. Uncover before baking and allow mixture to sit at room temp while the oven (and pan) preheat.

• Use an oil-spray pump, which allows you to control the type and quality of oil.

• Mini-frittatas freeze well. If you want to make some for the freezer, double the ingredients and use a 12-cup muffin pan.

After the frittatas are fully cooled, freeze the frittatas on a parchment or wax paper To use your microwave, place the vegetables in a microwave-safe colander within a bowl and an inch or so of water, and then cover and microwave on high.

As for how long you should steam your vegetables, the amount of time will vary greatly depending on the type and how small they are cut. One rule of thumb is to set the microwave for half the time you expect they will need to cook.

Noting they reheat nicely in a microwave or toaster oven, Patti says frittatas taste

lining the baking sheet. Once they are frozen, pack them in a ziptop freezer bag.

Defrost overnight in a covered container in the refrigerator.

• If you only have a 12-cup muffin cup, you can still make just 6 at a time. Just spray and fill only the inside 6 muffin cups; they will cook more evenly that way.

• A muffin scoop is a handy tool for filling the muffin cups with the frittata mixture.

• To reduce calories and cholesterol even further, feel free to use egg substitutes. just as good at room temperature or even cold. “My husband and I pack them up the night before, so we can eat them in a pinch or anywhere else we need to be,” she says. “They make a great pre-workout breakfast food, too.”

Acknowledging frittatas taste great, but sometimes do not look so pretty, she suggests placing the muffin pan in the oven while it preheats. “It browns the frittatas nicely, so it will look as good as it tastes,” says Patti.

Broccoli and Cheddar Muffin Tin Frittatas 5 large eggs (or equivalent egg substitute) Salt and pepper 1 â „2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 2 cups cooked chopped broccoli 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese Olive oil spray

1. Preheat oven to 375ÂşF. Place a 6-cup nonstick muffin pan in the oven while the oven is heating.

(Starting with a hot pan will help the frittatas brown.) Heat the pan for 15 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, add the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs until frothy. Add the cheese and broccoli and mix to combine well.

3. Carefully remove the hot muffin tin from the oven and spray the muffin cups with olive oil spray.

Divide the egg mixture among the muffin cups.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of Parmesan cheese on each frittata.

4. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the frittatas puff up and are golden brown around the edges. Let cool slightly. To remove the frittatas from the pan, run a spatula around the edge of each frittata to release.

Makes 6

*

NORTHEASTFLAVOR.COM

15

FOOD + COOKING | How to

Omelette Perfection B Y PA U L A S U L L I VA N

IF SOMEONE WERE TO ask me what was the most difficult dish I learned to make in culinary school, my response would be the classic French omelette (actually, it ran a close second to fluting mushrooms). This may come as a surprise when you think of the array of technically challenging dishes one makes at culinary school — everything from consommés to emulsifications to pâtés — but a classic French omelette, as presented by my culinary instructor, must be formed into a perfect ellipse, must achieve a particular degree of moistness on the inside, must be completely smooth on the outside without a speck of browning and must be produced in 30 seconds or less. I’ve since watched Julia Child make an omelette, and while I realize my instructor was being a bit fussy, there definitely is a technique involved.

Continued on page 18

16 SPRING 2013

Break the eggs into a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and beat lightly with a fork. Heat an 8-inch skillet, preferably nonstick. When the pan is hot, quickly brush a little melted butter over the inside.

Pour in the beaten eggs and cook for 5 to 10 seconds, until they are just beginning to set very lightly on the bottom.

Immediately scrape the sides toward the middle, using the side of a fork. Carry on stirring almost constantly, gently shaking the pan with your other hand, until the omelette is cooked to your taste.

Allow 1 minute for a lightly cooked “runny” omelette; 11⁄2 minutes for a firm omelette, or 2 minutes if you prefer a well cooked omelette.

Allow 2 eggs per person for an appetizer or light meal; allow 3 eggs per person for a main course.

Get creative with your fillings! The options are truly endless. Here are some favorite combinations: • Mushrooms and fresh herbs • Spinach and caramelized onions • Cheddar cheese and sweet peas • Salsa and avocado • Tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella cheese • Smoked salmon and asparagus • Sausage, yellow/orange/red peppers and Provolone cheese To roll the omelette, flip one half over toward the middle, while tilting the pan.

Add the filling, if you are using one, then roll the omelette over itself completely. Roll the omelette onto a plate or serving platter. Using a knife tip, make an incision down the whole length to expose a little of the filling, then brush with a little melted butter.

Recipes on the following page.

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FOOD + COOKING | How to

My omelettes don’t always come out perfectly (sometimes they are a bit misshapen, the way Julia’s were) but the most important characteristics of a classic French omelette are a moist, creamy center and a tender exterior with no browning. Sometimes I don’t even make a classic French omelette at all, but instead will make a country-style omelette, which is stirred less and allowed to brown. Other times I’ll make a baked, open-face omelette (known as a frittata in Italy or a tortilla in Spain).

But whenever I attempt a classic French omelette, regardless of how perfectly (or not perfectly) they come out, I always think of that old culinary instructor and his quest for omelette perfection.

Mussel and Chive Omelette 1

⁄4 cup dry white wine 1 thyme sprig 16 fresh mussels, scrubbed 3 tablespoons heavy cream 1 tablespoon snipped chives 4 eggs Salt and freshly ground pepper Melted butter to brush (optional)

A classic French omelette, as described in the time-honored classic The Escoffier Cookbook and Guide to the Fine Art of Cookery, is simply, “scrambled eggs enclosed in a coating of coagulated egg.” The basic technique is to pour beaten egg into a buttered nonstick pan and stir briskly until the mixture begins to thicken into scrambled eggs. When the eggs are still moist and a bit runny, the mixture is allowed to set for barely a second to allow the bottom to coagulate, then sort of rolled/folded into a semi-circle and inverted onto a plate. The pan must be hot enough that the butter is sizzling and on the verge of browning, but not so hot that the omelette will brown.

For a filled omelette, the filling should be prepared in advance and added just before

18 SPRING 2013

the omelette is rolled over. Classic fillings include minced herbs such as chervil, parsley, chives or basil, sautéed mushrooms, chopped or puréed spinach, cheese, diced ham or asparagus. If desired, chopped herbs can be stirred into the beaten egg rather than added as a filling. Escoffier filled his omelettes with everything from caramelized onions to crayfish tails to kidneys, so it’s fair to say you can pretty much put whatever you want in an omelette, as long as the filling is prepared before you start the omelette.

1. Put the wine, thyme, and mussels in a small pan, cover tightly, and cook for a few minutes until the mussels have steamed opened. Shell them immediately and place in a bowl, discarding any mussels that have not opened. Strain the juices through a cheesecloth-lined strainer into a small clean pan, to eliminate any sand.

2. Simmer the mussel juices over low heat until reduced by half, then add the cream and let it bubble until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Turn off the heat, add the chives and mussels, and keep warm (but not hot).

3. Beat the eggs in a bowl, season lightly, and use to make an omelette.

4. Half-roll it, then add the creamy mussels and push them into the middle with a spoon. Roll the omelette and slide it onto a warm large plate.

Brush it with a little melted butter if desired.

Serves 2

Recipes and images are reprinted with permission from Eggs by Michel Roux, photography by Martin Brigdale (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), 2005.

Pear and Cinnamon Omelette This unusual omelette with ‘pickled’ pear will surprise and delight your taste buds. Serve it as an unexpected and harmonious appetizer.

1 very ripe large pear, or 2 small pears, about 81⁄2 ounces total weight Juice of 1⁄2 lemon 4 tablespoons butter Scant 1⁄3 cup superfine sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 ⁄4 cup white wine vinegar 4 eggs Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Peel, halve, and core the pear(s), then cut into about 12 segments and toss with the lemon juice.

2. Melt the butter in a skillet, add the sugar, and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, until the butter and sugar amalgamate and boil to a pale caramel.

3. Add the pear segments, sprinkle with cinnamon, and cook in the buttery caramel, turning them delicately with a fork every few minutes. When they turn an amber caramel, add the wine vinegar and cook for another 3 minutes until the caramel lightly coats the pears. Set aside four good segments for the garnish.

4. Beat the eggs in a bowl, season lightly with salt and pepper, and use to make an omelette.

5. Half-roll it and arrange the pear segments along its length. Roll up the omelette and slide it onto a plate. Arrange the four reserved pear segments on top and serve at once.

Serves 2

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IN THE GLASS | Wine Finds

Malbec: Grape Expectations B Y J O N AT H O N A L S O P

APRIL IS NOT THE cruelest month. February is, and March isn’t far behind. Even April, technically and astronomically spring, features damn few picnic days. Let’s face it: around here, a lot of people don’t even start thinking about white wine till Mother’s Day, much less drink it. We wine lovers survive New England’s hellishly long winter by self-medicating with big brawny red wines that seem to bring their own warmth to the glass.

Malbec, mostly from Argentina, is the perfect red for the end of winter, thanks mainly to this grape’s weight and intensity.

A bottle of Malbec seems to have its own gravitational field, like some celestial object, that concentrates flavor and fruit and dark matter into wine richness.

Malbec-Braised Beef Short Ribs

20 SPRING 2013

France used to be thick with Malbec until a killing freeze in the 1950s carried off three-quarters of the vines. Cahors is a little southern French town with fewer than 10,000 acres of Malbec left that makes a wine nicknamed Le Vin Noir (black wine), not to be confused with merely red wine. In Bordeaux, Malbec appears as a minor blending grape, practically invisible behind the much more famous Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Malbec, mostly from Argentina, is the perfect red for the end of winter, thanks mainly to this grape’s weight and intensity.

Going international made Malbec what it is today, which is the archetypical immigrant success story. Argentina is the prime overachiever with almost 80,000 acres, dwarfing the old world, but everybody wants to get in on the Malbec bubble, and you find it growing worldwide today in California, Washington, Australia, South Africa, Chile and more.

People describe Malbec many different ways, but words like intense, inky and rustic keep coming up. Any fruit flavors are overwhelmingly dark: blackberry, date, fig, that sort of thing. It’s ideal with the reddest red meat, and because Malbec is usually going to be the strongest, driest, heartiest wine on the table, I like to pair it, instead of Port, with an intense Blue cheese like Stilton, Valdeon or Fourme d’Ambert and a drizzle of honey, another comfort food classic.

Malbec-Braised Beef Short Ribs 4 boneless short ribs of beef (about 2 pounds) 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and ground pepper to taste 1 medium onion, diced 2 carrots, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 4 garlic cloves, peeled 2 tablespoons dried rosemary 1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, drained 1 ⁄2 bottle Malbec 1 ⁄4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. 2. On stovetop, warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven (or other heavy baking dish with a lid) over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the short ribs, brown them on both sides in the olive oil and remove to another plate.

3. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and rosemary.

Brown for 5 minutes, stirring now and then.

4. Return the short ribs to the pot, add the tomatoes and wine, reduce the heat to medium and cover.

Cook on top of the stove just until the ingredients bubble nicely, then put the dish in the oven.

5. Immediately turn the heat down to 275°F and cook for 4 to 6 hours. Serve over polenta, risotto or your favorite pasta. Garnish with parsley.

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BON APPÉTIT

Serves 4

Cooking tips: Check now and then and add more wine if the dish is drying out. Look but do not stir!

When serving, pick out the garlic first, and make sure everyone gets a whole clove of garlic right on top.

*

TASTING NOTES

AVAILABLE AT

2010 Secreto de Viu Manent Malbec (Colchagua, Chile). Ripe and spicy, smells like anise and brown sugar, tastes like date nut bread. Best kept secret in a country much more famous for the grape Carmenère. About $10.

2010 Zuccardi [SERIE A] Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina). Dense, dark, deep flavors that feel like layers of solid tasty sediment. About $15.

AND YOUR LOCAL CHEESE SHOP

2011 Susana Balbo “Crios” Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina). Fresh and full of black fruit, the hard-core red wine lover will enjoy this one on its own, without food, which is rare for muscular Malbec. About $15.

1994 Weinert “Estrella” Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina). I recommend a $100 bottle of wine about once a decade, and this is it. After aging the Malbec for 15 years in new wood casks custom built from 100-year-old wood, you taste more than wine here — you can actually taste the passage of time.

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NORTHEASTFLAVOR.COM

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Every Spring, leading winemakers, renowned chefs and wine & food enthusiasts flock to the island of Nantucket for a collection of over 50 prestigious events —

© 2013 Kerry Hallam

The Annual Nantucket Wine Festival!

Signature Festival Events Great Wines in Grand Houses Charitable Wine Auction The Harbor Gala The Grand Tastings La Fête Food and Wine Seminars Cooking Demos

W W W. N A N T U C K E T W I N E F E S T I VA L . C O M Sponsored by

Photographs © Gene Mahon

Great Wines in Grand Houses

Unforgettable wine dinners and wine tastings hosted in the unique setting of private, historic, and elegant Nantucket homes — Wine Dinners Château Margaux/Jay Murray, Grill 23 Château Angélus/Robert Sisca, Bistro Du Midi Domaine Bertrand Ambroise/Richard Garcia, Renaissance Hotel Robert Sinskey Vineyards/Barbara Lynch, Menton Vega Sicilia/Will Gilson, Puritan & Co. Waters Winery/Lydia Shire, Scampo Elvio Cogno/Dante de Magistris, Restaurant Dante Cos d’Estournel/Chris Coombs, Deuxave Stag's Leap Wine Cellars/Michael Ginor, Lola Cain Vineyard/Susan Regis, UpStairs on the Square Penner-Ash Wine Cellars/William Kovel, Catalyst

Purchase tickets and see the complete listing at www.nantucketwinefestival.com

Incredibly Edible B Y PA U L A S U L L I VA N

One of the many reasons I love eggs is because they remind me of one of my favorite mealtime memories from childhood.

Growing up in a family of seven children, mealtimes did not generally offer a lot of choice. You ate what was served, or you went hungry. The exception to this rule was the occasional Sunday morning when my mother would cook eggs to order. I would gather orders from my brothers and sisters and deliver the list to my mom, who would then work the stove with the swiftness and efficiency of a short-order cook. There she’d be, scrambling, poaching, boiling and frying like a pro as I looked on in awe. My order was usually soft boiled, accompanied by buttered toast sliced into strips for dipping. That is still my favorite way to eat an egg, but it is by no means the only way I like to eat an egg.

24 SPRING 2013

A happy hen produces the best eggs. At Pete & Gerry’s farm, hens are allowed to roam freely, scratch at the ground, and live in clean and well-ventilated coops and barns.

I’m not alone in my love of eggs.

According to the American Egg Board, Americans eat about 250 eggs per person per year, with a combined consumption of over 75 million eggs each year in this country. The majority of these eggs are produced in high-volume commercial egg factories that house literally hundreds of thousands (sometimes millions) of confined birds living in inhumane conditions.

While there are a hundred or so breeds of chicken in the world, the factory egg industry relies on just four or five highly specialized hybrids that have been bred for the traits of speedy maturation of the hens and high volume egg production.

Luckily, there are alternatives. Nowadays, it is not difficult to purchase eggs that come from cage-free birds, often that are raised organically and, perhaps, even allowed to forage outdoors for grass and grubs.

My favorite place to buy eggs is from a local farmers’ market or farm stand. These are the eggs that most often come from chickens that graze outdoors, and the difference in flavor, color and general appearance of these eggs can be vastly different than a factory produced egg, particularly if the hen’s diet consists of lots of fresh vegetation and bugs. Crack a fresh egg from a grassfed chicken into your skillet and you are looking at a sunrise in a pan. The flavor of the yolk will be much richer than your typical grocery-store egg, with a thicker, almost custard-like

texture, and the whites will be firmer and less prone to disperse into a watery pool.

Not only is the flavor of a fresh farm egg often superior, but it also may have come from a heritage or heirloom bird. According to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (www.albc-usa. org/about.html), a heritage chicken is one that “comes from parent and grandparent stock of breeds recognized by the American Poultry Association prior to the mid-20th century and whose genetic line can be traced back multiple generations.”

In other words, these are old-world chickens whose genetic makeup hasn’t been messed with. They are the chickens your great-grandparents, and maybe even their great-grandparents, might have had running around their yards.

— Rob Gibson and Joseph Marquette, owners of Yellow House Farm, in Barrington, New Hampshire, specialize in the production of heritage birds. They supply heritage hatchlings to fledgling farmers around the country, then encourage those farmers to become breeders as well. Gibson says the biggest difference in a heritage breed compared to a commercial breed is in its ability to, well, act like a chicken. “A heritage breed is much more adaptable to changes in weather and other environmental factors.

They can forage for food. They have naturally strong immune NORTHEASTFLAVOR.COM

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Clyde Wenger and family, Mannheim, Pennsylvania Clyde Wenger was raised on a dairy farm and has always enjoyed farm life.

He took over his father’s 58-acre farm in 2011 and with the help of his wife, Regina, produces eggs for Pete & Gerry’s.

Clyde still works off the farm as a mason, but he plans to build another poultry barn and become a full-time farmer. He likes working with hens and looks forward to the day when he can spend all his time on the farm with his four kids working with him.

“Farming keeps the family together,” he says.

Bryan & Phil Ward Ward Brother’s Farm Monroe, New Hampshire Born into a farming family, Bryan and Phil Ward have worked on farms since high school. As members of Pete & Gerry’s family of 37 organic egg suppliers, the Ward brothers take pride in their chickens and the quality of the eggs produced on their farm.

Sugarmomma’s Maple Farm, Northwood, New Hampshire Nicholas and his hen (left) and Caleb with two of his quails.

systems,” says Gibson. “A small farmer could purchase commercial breeds and try to raise them as free-range birds, but they probably wouldn’t thrive and most likely wouldn’t be able to reproduce successfully.”

Many people swear that, all things being equal, a heritage egg will in and of itself taste vastly different than an egg from a commercial breed, but Gibson believes that the real difference comes from the chicken’s diet and lifestyle, and he theorizes that people who raise heritage breeds are more likely to raise them in a healthy fashion — i.e., eating grass and bugs — thus producing tastier eggs. For me, part of the benefit of buying heritage eggs is in knowing I’m helping support the preservation of the heritage breeds. Plus, they often come in pretty shell colors like blue, green, pink, dark brown or even speckled.

— As much as I prefer to buy my eggs from a local farmer, my schedule doesn’t always accommodate my lofty aspirations to buy local. One grocery store brand I feel good about is Pete & Gerry’s. While Pete & Gerry’s could technically be described as a commercial producer, with a combined flock of about 900,000 birds, their eggs are supplied by a collective of smaller family farms with flock sizes that average between 5,000 and 10,000 birds. Karl Johnson, marketing director for Pete & Gerry’s Organics, explains that they want to be an accessible alternative for the conscientious consumer. “We don’t pretend we’re the kind of small farm you’d see at the farmers’ market,” says Johnson,

26 SPRING 2013

“but we want to be the next best thing.” Pete & Gerry’s also offers heirloom eggs from Ameraucana and Maran hens that are fed a diet that includes marigold and alfalfa grass.

While the majority of eggs consumed in this country come from chickens, chicken eggs are by no means the only kinds of eggs we eat. Duck eggs, goose eggs, turkey eggs and quail eggs are all produced for consumption and here in the Northeast, it is not difficult to find sources of these alternative eggs.

One such source is a small family farm in Northwood, New Hampshire. The farm is best known as the home to Sugarmomma’s Maple Farm, run by Debbie Locke, but Debbie’s sons, Nicholas, 16, and Caleb, 14, oversee an impressive egg production that comes from their small coveys, gaggles and flocks of quail, duck, geese, turkey and chickens. Nicholas started raising laying hens about four years ago and now has a flock of about 200 layers, along with smaller gaggles of ducks, geese and turkey. He is also raises meat birds. Caleb, proprietor of Caleb’s Gourmet Quail, raises a covey of about 100 quail, mostly as layers but also as meat birds. Both boys sell their eggs at farmers’ markets alongside their mom’s maple products, but Debbie says the birds are completely the boys’ domain. “I don’t have time to care for their birds,” she explains with a laugh, partly due to maple production in the spring, but also because she is too busy growing, harvesting and canning a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for her family, the peels and seeds of which help feed the boys’ birds.

Duck and goose eggs have a richer flavor than chicken eggs — some describe it as gamey — while turkey eggs taste similar to chicken eggs. Unless I had an abundance of them, I would not recommend using duck eggs or goose eggs for cookies and cakes, but rather for custards and savory dishes where the flavor can be appreciated. Duck and goose eggs make a delicious spaghetti carbonara, for example, and, of course, they are wonderful fried and served with country bacon and toasted slices of rustic bread.

Quail eggs taste similar to chicken eggs, but with a higher yolkto-white ratio. They are often served atop tapas or raw sushi.

Growing up, we enjoyed eggs in a variety of incarnations.

They were offered as breakfast, as egg salad, occasionally as

deviled eggs or they were an ingredient in dessert. Sometimes boiled eggs would be chopped and added to a cream sauce for salmon or stirred into an egg drop soup, but it would never have occurred to me as a kid that you could serve a poached egg on a salad, or in a soup, or that a grilled burger or even a pizza could be embellished with a fried egg.

Heck, you can even place a raw egg yolk inside a hamburger, a technique that food blogger Peter Ryan shares on the Pete & Gerry’s website. When executed correctly, the result is a juicy burger that oozes warm yolk when you bite into it. If you’re like me, this will also result in a yolk stain on your shirt, but if you like eggs as much as I do, it will be worth it.

Farmer’s Omelette

Egg-in-a-Frame

Linda Dimmick of Neighborly Farms in Randolph Center, Vermont swears by this recipe. She makes it for her family as a hearty evening meal using her award-winning Neighborly Farms Monterey Jack cheese.

Need a quick, kid-friendly breakfast idea for tomorrow morning? Your kids will love this yummy organic breakfast! This simple and delicious breakfast is known as Egg-in-a-Frame. We enjoy it as much as the kids do!

3 cups frozen organic hash brown potatoes 18 large Pete & Gerry’s Organic eggs, beaten 21⁄2 cups chopped organic cooked ham, such as Vermont Smoke and Cure 11⁄4 cups chopped tomato, divided 1 cup chopped green pepper, divided 1 ⁄3 cup chopped onion 11⁄2 cups (6 oz) shredded Neighborly Farms Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

1. Cook potatoes according to the package directions. Drain well.

2. Combine potatoes, eggs, ham, 1 cup of tomato, 3⁄4 cup green pepper and onion in a large bowl. Stir well.

3. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 13” x 9” x 2” baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 325°F for 40 minutes.

4. Top with remaining tomato and green pepper. Sprinkle evenly with cheese.

Bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

2 slices white or whole wheat bread 2 teaspoons organic olive oil 2 Pete & Gerry’s Organic Eggs Salt and pepper

1. Cut out center of each bread slice, using a 21⁄2 to 3-inch heart, round or other shape cutter; reserve cutouts. Coat large nonstick skillet lightly with oil.

2. Toast bread slices and cutouts on one side in skillet over medium-low heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Turn bread pieces over.

3. Break and slip an egg into center of each bread slice. Cover pan and cook slowly until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard, 5 to 6 minutes. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

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Recipes and images on this page and page 27 courtesy of Pete & Gerry’s Organic Eggs.

Maples Inn Blueberry Stuffed French Toast This signature dish comes from the Maples Inn in Bar Harbor, Maine.

French Toast 10 Pete & Gerry’s Organic Eggs 12 slices of Barowsky’s Organic White Bread 2 8-oz packages of organic cream cheese 1 cup of organic fresh or frozen wild Maine blueberries 1 ⁄3 cup Maple Grove Farms Organic Maple Syrup 2 cups Stonyfield Farm Organic Milk

1. Remove the crusts and cube the bread. Spray the bottom of a 9”x13” glass baking dish with vegetable spray and place half of the bread cubes in the pan.

Cube the cream cheese and put it on top of the bread. Distribute the blueberries over the cream cheese. Put the remaining bread cubes over the blueberries.

2. Beat the eggs, add the maple syrup and the milk. Pour this mixture over the bread and cheese. Place foil over the dish and refrigerate overnight.

3. In the morning, place the covered dish in the middle of a preheated 350°F oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes

28 SPRING 2013

or until the French toast is puffed and golden. (While the French toast is baking, make the blueberry sauce.) Let the French toast sit for about 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with warm blueberry sauce.

Blueberry Sauce 1 cup water 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons corn starch 2 cups organic fresh or frozen wild Maine blueberries 1 tablespoon butter

1. Mix water, sugar, cornstarch and one cup of the blueberries together. Cook until it thickens. Add the second cup of blueberries and the butter.

2. Pour the warm blueberry sauce over individual servings. Twist a lemon slice over the top of each serving for garnish.

Serves 9 to 12

Gougères These classic French savory pastries are perfect with a glass of red wine.

1 cup water ⁄2 cup butter 1 tablespoon salt 1 ⁄2 teaspoon sugar 1 cup flour 4 eggs 3 ⁄4 cup shredded Gruyère or other Swiss-style cheese 3 ⁄4 cup shredded aged Parmesan or Asiago 1 teaspoon dry mustard Pinch cayenne 1

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan with the butter, salt and sugar.

2. Add the flour, and stir vigorously until the dough becomes a ball and pulls from the edges of the pot.

Remove to a mixing bowl.

3. While the mixture is still very hot, beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing until completely combined after each addition.

4. Add the Gruyère, 1⁄2 cup of the Parmesan, the mustard and the cayenne and mix well.

5. Drop small spoonfuls onto a buttered baking sheet and sprinkle the reserved Parmesan over the top of the gougères. Bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until puffy, golden and crisp. Serve warm with your favorite wine.

Makes 5 dozen

Caramelized Onion and Quail Egg Tartlets 6 tablespoons butter 4 cups thinly sliced red onion (about 4 small or 3 medium onions) 1 ⁄4 teaspoon salt, more to taste 1 ⁄2 cup medium dry sherry 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme Black pepper, to taste 1 package (2 sheets) defrosted puff pastry, refrigerated 18 quail eggs

1. In a large skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and the salt, and toss to coat onions with the butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent and soft.

2. Increase heat to medium high and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until

the onions begin to brown (if onions are not browning, either stir less frequently or increase heat; if they char, reduce heat).

3. Add the sherry and continue cooking and stirring until the sherry cooks off and the onions begin to brown again, about 7 or 8 minutes.

4. Add the thyme and cook for about 5 minutes.

Remove the onions from the heat, season to taste with black pepper and additional salt if needed.

Cool completely.

5. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Lay the sheets of puff pastry on the counter and, using a 3-inch diameter cookie cutter, cut 18 rounds (3 inches is about the perfect size for a quail egg, but a wee bit bigger or smaller is fine). You should get 9 rounds per sheet.

6. Using a fork, pierce holes across the entire surface of each round. Place about 11⁄2 tablespoons of the caramelized onion mixture on each round, spreading the mixture evenly over the round.

Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown (rotate the pan after 5 minutes).

7. Remove the pan from the oven. While the tarts are still very hot, use the back of a teaspoon to gently press the center down to form a bit of a well. Crack one quail egg into the center of each tartlet.* 8. Return the tartlets to the oven and cook for about 5 minutes more, until the whites of the eggs are set but the yolk is still soft. Serve immediately.

Makes 18 tartlets

*Tip: Quail eggs are more difficult to crack than commercial chicken eggs, but it is important to refrain from whacking the egg too hard, as it is easy to break the yolks due to the higher yolk-towhite ratio.

More recipes on the following page.

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Apple & Caramel Bread Pudding

Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs It seems like everyone has their own way of making “perfect” hard-boiled eggs, but the most foolproof method I have ever found was taught to me by Jasper White. The reason I swear by it is because you don’t have to time the eggs based on when the water starts to boil. Instead, you place the eggs in already boiling water (or pour boiling water over the eggs, like I do), and simmer for exactly 11 minutes. Drain, chill thoroughly in cold water, and you have perfect hard boiled eggs every time. I like to place the eggs in an empty pot and then, separately, bring my teakettle to a boil. I pour the boiling water from the kettle over the eggs, place the pot over the flame and simmer for 11 minutes. This method makes for fewer cracked eggs than when I try to lower the eggs into the water, particularly if I’m boiling a quantity for deviled eggs or for decorating.

4 cups cubed day-old Italian bread or baguette 1 tablespoon butter, more to butter pan 2 apples, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick 6 whole eggs 3 ⁄4 cup sugar 1 ⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon 3 cups milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup (scant) warm caramel sauce (recipe follows)

1. Place the bread in a large bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and cook for about 10 minutes, until they are tender and have caramelized a bit (if they are browning too quickly, reduce heat). Add the apples to the bowl with the bread.

2. Whisk together eggs, sugar, cinnamon and milk until smooth to form a custard. Pour over the bread and apples, toss well and soak for 1 or 2 hours, until bread is completely saturated.

3. Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease an 8”x 8” baking pan. Pour the custard into the pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until set. It’s fine if the pudding browns a bit on top. Let the pudding sit for about 10 minutes. While the pudding is still quite warm, pour the warm caramel evenly over the top.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

For the Caramel Sauce: 3 ⁄4 cup sugar 1 ⁄4 cup water 1 ⁄2 cup heavy cream 1 ⁄4 teaspoon salt

1. Place the sugar in a small saucepan. Pour water evenly over the sugar and let sit for a few seconds without stirring, until the sugar has absorbed all the water.

2. Place the pot over medium high heat, and bring to a boil without stirring. Reduce heat slightly and simmer rapidly for several minutes, until the liquid begins to turn amber around the edges. Once sugar beings to turn amber, stir gently and carefully, being careful not to spatter, until it is a deep amber color.

3. Reduce heat to low and add the cream, being careful to avoid the burst of steam and boiling sauce that will occur when the cream hits the sugar (sugar will seize up a bit). Stir gently for about a minute, until the sugar dissolves into the cream.

Caramel can be kept warm for a few minutes over

30 SPRING 2013

very low heat, or it can be kept at room temperature for several hours and then rewarmed as needed. Caramel can also be refrigerated for several days and reheated as needed.

Serves 6 to 8

Baked Eggs Over Roasted Root Vegetables 8 slices thick cut bacon, cut into two-inch pieces 4 tablespoons bacon fat, more as needed* 4 cups any mixture diced beets, carrots, and turnips 4 cups any mixture diced potatoes, sweet potatoes, and parsnips Salt and black pepper, to taste 1 ⁄2 cup thinly sliced red onions 1 ⁄2 cup thinly sliced fennel 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon whole fennel seed 1 teaspoon whole cumin seed 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme 8 eggs

1. In a 12-inch cast iron fry pan or ovenproof skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until just crisp. Place a strainer over a heatproof bowl or Pyrex measuring cup and drain the bacon into the strainer. Do not discard the fat. Set both the bacon and bacon fat aside. Set aside the fry pan without washing.

2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the beets, carrots, and parsnips and cook for five minutes, or until they just begin to soften. Drain the vegetables and transfer them to a large bowl.

3. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Add the potatoes, sweet potatoes and parsnips to the boiled vegetables in the bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of bacon fat and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to coat the vegetables. Transfer to a large baking sheet and bake at 450°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until vegetables are tender and have begun to brown.

4. While vegetables are roasting, heat 2 tablespoons bacon fat in the iron fry pan over medium-low heat.

Add the sliced fennel and onion and cook for five minutes or until they begin to soften, allowing the moisture from the vegetables to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the fry pan.

5. Add garlic, fennel and cumin seeds and cook for five minutes more.

6. Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and add to the onion mixture in the fry pan, along with the bacon and thyme. Add salt and pepper if necessary. Toss everything together, then gently press the vegetables evenly into the pan. Place the fry pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and carefully crack 8 eggs over the roasted vegetables, being careful not to crack the yolks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

If desired, drizzle a small amount of bacon fat over each egg. Place back in the oven and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, until whites are set and yolks are still runny. Serve immediately, using a spatula or large spoon to lift out a portion of vegetables with a whole egg on top.

Serves 4 to 8

*Note: The bacon fat for this recipe comes from the process of cooking the bacon. If the cooking process does not yield 4 tablespoons of fat, butter or olive oil may be used to make up the difference.

Duck Egg Carbonara 6 ounces pancetta or bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic Freshly ground black pepper 1 pound fresh spaghetti, cooked al dente 2 large eggs, beaten 2 duck egg yolks, beaten Salt 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

1. In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, cook the pancetta until crisp. Remove and drain. Pour off any rendered fat in the pan except for 2 tablespoons.

2. Add the garlic. Season with black pepper. Sauté for 30 seconds.

Add the pancetta and the pasta. Sauté for 1 minute. Season the eggs with salt.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs, tossing quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble. Add the cheese and re-season with salt and pepper. Mound into serving bowls and garnish with parsley.

*

NORTHEASTFLAVOR.COM

31

CHEF WITHOUT BORDERS

BY MIKE MORIN

His is an unexpected journey unlike any other in the world of food. Chef Marcus Samuelsson began life as Kassahun “Joar” Tsegie in Ethiopia in 1971. Sadly, tuberculosis took the life of his mother when he was a baby. Soon after, Kassahun and sister Fantaye (rebaptized as Marcus and Linda, respectively) were adopted by a Swedish family and were raised and exposed to fresh local foods by their grandmother, Helga. Combining his love of Ethiopia’s spiritual approach to food and his grandmother’s kitchen nurturing, Samuelsson has truly become a world-renowned chef without borders.

“My grandmother was a homemaker, and she’s really the one that got me and my sister into cooking,” Samuelsson says.

“Today, I’ve traveled all over the world, cooked all over the world and to think I’m still connected to the food that I was taught in my grandmother’s kitchen 30 years ago is something that I treasure.”

Combining rich global roots and American influences, Samuelsson’s restaurants reach from his adopted Scandinavian homeland to sites in the U.S., including Red Rooster in Harlem, which opened in late 2010. Red Rooster is the name of a long ago neighborhood speakeasy in a richly cultural neighborhood once frequented by American icons like Nat King Cole and James Baldwin. Red Rooster’s menu is true to Harlem’s heritage with Samuelsson’s own unique adaptation; the staff is composed of close to 70 percent local residents.

“I’m very happy to work here in Harlem and happy that my staff comes from this magical place.

It works to benefit (people) in many ways. If you’re a guest here, and you want to ask what there is to do after you’ve had dinner at Red Rooster, it’s a big chance for our staff to tell you where to go. It’s also an authentic experience that the consumer today is very much looking for,” says Samuelsson.

32 SPRING 2013

The deeply thoughtful chef, like many, was forever impacted by the September 11, 2001 attack on New York City, giving the future restaurant owner pause to examine his own inner response to the life-changing tragedy.

“It shook everyone in New York and around the world,” he remarks. “For me, I asked questions like ‘what is my role as a chef? What type of environment, what kind of restaurant do I want to create?’

I really wanted to be local in New York in the area that I love, and I wanted to create a restaurant that would be more inclusive than exclusive.”

It’s his goal of accessible and inclusive dining for all classes that helped lead Samuelsson to partner with American Airlines. Realizing the preferred treatment that fliers receive in first class, he created a handful of signature sandwich choices for service in coach. A dining upgrade?

“Absolutely. Good food shouldn’t always have a price tag that starts dividing people with experiences they can have. I understand some things cost more than others, but I think good food should be good food. If you sit in first class, you have so much catered to you, and if you sit back (in coach), a sandwich can actually be the difference in a happy trip or not, so I wanted to be in coach and it’s something in which I take a lot of pride. Traveling can be tough as is already. We serve about 35,000 (sandwiches) a week.

That’s great, but we take a lot of care and pride in

My Mother’s Spaghetti with Peas (recipe on p.35)

ry Red Ber le b Cob r

p. 35 (recipe on

)

“Good food shouldn’t always have a price tag that starts dividing people . . .” making these sandwiches. It (traveling) can be hectic so if we can provide a little bit of comfort, I’d gladly do it,” he says.

In addition to feeding thousand of fliers every week at 35,000 feet, Samuelsson was invited to feed Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and wife Gursharan Kaur at President Obama’s first state dinner in 2009. He and other chefs were asked to provide a menu suggestion that would take into account the vegetarian nature of the guests’ native cuisine.

“It was obviously one of the highlights of my career, cooking at the White House, and it is something I will always remember and cherish with my team,” he recalls.

“It was fun, but it’s also (great) to be able to add something to the state dinner. We focused on Michelle Obama’s garden in terms of the salad course. We served the bread course that had never been served at a state dinner before. There were some challenges because the prime minister is

34 SPRING 2013

vegetarian, so I’m happy and proud that we got to do the menu, but also proud we were able to bring some of our own values and ideas to the dinner, and I will never forget that.”

Realizing that doing his homework ahead of time would help to secure the honored assignment, Samuelsson, along with sous chef Michael Garrett, went grocery shopping in Jackson Heights, Queens, due to the great spice selection in a neighborhood known as Little India.

Among his 14-sample tasting menu were Samuelsson’s paneer eggplant salad, curry-rubbed chicken and tandoori smoked salmon. There was, however, an unexpected complication.

Prior to notification that he had been selected to produce the state dinner feast, Samuelsson had committed to participate in the TV series Top Chef Masters. Unable to leave the West Coast during production, his trusted team of 10 worked quietly to

make all necessary preparations prior to the banquet. Samuelsson took the red eye from L.A. to Washington the night before for the prestigious event, which went well.

Teamwork has become a trademark that the chef has used on more than one occasion to help spread the brand and nurture a growing food empire.

“It’s obviously balancing (commitments), and I have a big team that cares equally about the issues that I care about, otherwise we wouldn’t work together. If I did not have a good team, I would not be able to talk to you right now, and I think that’s the key, you know? Finding passionate chefs, finding passionate people in the space that want to be a part of the Samuelsson Group is the core to all of our success.”

Samuelsson’s growing network of enterprises is tied together under the umbrella of the Marcus Samuelsson Group, which has, as part of its goal, to share culinary cultures while integrating and respecting local providers of ingredients.

“Part of it is that we’re very passionate about food, so the restaurant has one tone and feel and taste, the books have one and the online experience has a different tone altogether. The products are another step, as are the charities. But it’s all done with a lot of authenticity and craftsmanship,” he adds.

Relentlessly uncovering new cultural ideas and products, Samuelsson recently discussed coming across the recipe for an unlikely drink, a kale smoothie.

“It’s interesting where the next food trend comes from, and it’s trending one place (where) it’s just comfort food somewhere else,” says Chef. “You know when you go to the islands, even when you go to Africa, vegetable smoothies are something they’ve done forever and never thought about its trendiness. It’s the cleanest way of eating. You never underestimate where the idea of where one food comes from; it can come from where you least expect. And that’s something I learned from going to the islands and going back to Africa.”

It’s exactly what you’d expect from a chef without borders.

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti 2 tablespoons olive oil 11⁄2 cups peas 2 egg yolks 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons heavy cream 1 ⁄2 cup diced pancetta 1 onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped Zest of 1⁄2 lemon 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 6 basil leaves, torn Salt Freshly ground pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and simmer until al dente, about 8 minutes, or according to directions on package.

Strain and toss with olive oil.

2. Prepare an ice bath by filling a bowl with water and ice cubes. In a small pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the peas and simmer for 30 seconds.

Remove the peas with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the ice bath to keep their fresh, bright green color.

3. Whisk together the egg yolks, Parmesan cheese and cream. Set aside.

4. Heat a large sauté pan over low heat. Add the pancetta and sauté until crispy, about 8 minutes.

Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, another 4 minutes. Add the spaghetti and cook until heated through, about 4 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and toss with the egg-Parmesan mixture and lemon zest. Garnish with parsley, basil and peas and serve immediately.

Serves 6

Red Berry Cobbler Apple pie always gets the shout-out as our national dessert, but to my mind, cobbler is just as American. These fruit and pastry desserts — and regional variations like pandowdies, grunts, slumps, buckles, sonkers, and crisps — were created by early American settlers who turned to the simple ingredients they had on hand to create tasty homemade desserts. This child-friendly classic has a crunchy texture that is delicious served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 3 ⁄4 cup packed light brown sugar 1 ⁄2 teaspoon baking powder 1 ⁄2 teaspoon baking soda 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt 1 ⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom 1 ⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 1 cup buttermilk 1 vanilla bean 1 ⁄2 cup honey Zest of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 ⁄2 cup dry red wine 2 cups dried sour cherries 2 cups fresh raspberries 2 cups strawberries, hulled and cut in half 3 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 2. Stir together the flour, granulated sugar, 1⁄4 cup of the brown sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the butter and blend with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and stir with a fork until a dough forms.

Photograph court esy Yes,

My Mother’s Spaghetti with Peas

Chef (Random Ho us

e), 2012.

“My grandmother was a homemaker, and she’s really the one that got me and my sister into cooking.”

Marcus, growin

g up in Sweden

.

3. Divide the dough into 12 pieces and pat each into a 2-inch biscuit. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until the biscuits are golden, about 15 minutes.

4. With a sharp knife, slice the vanilla bean lengthwise, then use the back of the knife to scrape the seeds into a medium bowl. Add the vanilla bean, honey, lemon zest, and cornstarch. Set aside.

5. Bring the red wine to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the honey mixture and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cherries, raspberries, strawberries, and 1⁄2 cup of the brown sugar and cook until the sugar dissolves, another 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Remove and discard the vanilla bean.

6. Butter twelve 4-ounce ramekins. Divide the biscuits in half and evenly distribute half of the biscuits in the bottom of each dish. Spoon equal amounts of the berry filling over the biscuits and crumble the remaining biscuits over the top. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until bubbling.

7. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

Dust the tops with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately.

Serves 12

*

Recipes and images courtesy of Marcus Samuelsson, New American Table (Wiley, 2009).

NORTHEASTFLAVOR.COM

35

Local Kingfish tuna, fried plantain, fried breadfruit,”pie” and greens

A classic Bajan Rum shop

Classic Bajan bill of fare

Basking in Grilling in Oistins

36 SPRING 2013

E

ven by Caribbean standards, the day we left Barbados was spectacular. The sky was a deep clear blue, and the waters of Carlisle Bay were a sparkling turquoise skirted by sugar white sand. I tucked my still-wet bathing suit into my carry-on and tried to remind myself that there’s no place like home.

Barbados seems to have two well-blended personalities.

There is certainly an island time, no-problem-mon attitude, but as a former British Colony, it is interwoven with a distinctly English flair. Think driving on the left, a national obsession with cricket and acres of polo fields. Towns and “parishes” with names like St. James, Christchurch, Hastings and St. George reflect the island’s British occupation, which began in 1624. (I could even buy my favorite brands of British tea in the local supermarket!) Whatever the elements that make up its unique charm, Barbados had me at the first friendly hello.

Photographs opposite page top right, bottom left and bottom right by Andre Baranowski.

The beach at Carlisle Bay

Barbados is English speaking, though the residents have an English-based patois that is difficult to follow. (Kind of like my mom and dad speaking French when they didn’t want me to be party to their conversation.) In general, Barbados seems safe, hospitable and prosperous, and seems to lack the huge discrepancies of wealth and racial tension that is a reality of some of the other Caribbean islands. Just about all the beaches are open to the public.

We had been invited by the Barbados Tourism Authority to come down for their third annual Food & Wine and Rum Festival held each year in November. But before we launched into the festivities, we stayed in a guesthouse with a shared kitchen. As always, one of the first things on my list is to find out what the locals are eating and to learn as much as I can about their ingredients, traditions and food culture.

Barbados

BY JEAN KERR

NORTHEASTFLAVOR.COM

37

Top left, right: Friday night in Oistins.

Bottom left: A baby sea turtle headed for the sea. Center: Jean and Chef Marcus Samuelsson.

The guesthouse Villa Marie is in the village of Fitts on the west and leeward coast, with a good grocery store and a few restaurants an easy walk away. Having arrived on the island fairly late in the afternoon, we walked to the closest eatery, El Tempio, an Italian café right on the beach.

As often happens on my culinary travels, little adventures happen. On our first night, chatting with vacationing Brit Janet Rix and her husband over a nutmeg-dusted rum punch, she invited me for a short walk down the beach to help a marine biologist and sea turtle specialist, along with a few other visitors, to “excavate” newly hatched sea turtles (Janet supplied the photograph of the baby turtle above). No bigger than the palm of your hand, these little hatchlings were scrabbling their way up out of the nest. The babies were counted (51) and then gently helped along into the ocean. Later in our trip, I was able to get up close and personal with several mature sea turtles who swam gently around our boat. To be in the water with them was an experience I’ll never forget.

38 SPRING 2013

Local Fish, Local Food When we returned to our quarters, our landlord, Peter, and some of the other guests were busy making flying fish “cutters” or sandwiches. We were invited to taste the crunchy and flavorful fillets, which would be served on salt bread rolls with lettuce and tomato and Bajan (the adjective used for all things native to Barbados and pronounced “bay-jan”) hot sauce. Flying fish is definitely a Bajan thing — served with cou cou, a corn porridge like grits with okra, it is virtually the national dish. But there are several other local favorites that are also on the list.

In Barbados, if you order “pie” you’ll be served a form of baked mac and cheese.

I’m not sure why this tastes so good; maybe it’s the grated onion or hot English mustard that are a part of the original recipe. Fried chicken and fried fish of all sorts — grouper, mahi-mahi, marlin, amberjack — are standard street food along with sides of fries and breadfruit.

Food trucks are found throughout the

island, like Chillers on the Bay, where we ate fish cutters and salt fish cakes, and drank ice cold Banks beer, the local brew.

Sally Miller, author of Bajan Cooking in a Nutshell says, “Bajan offerings of fish and chicken are almost always exceptionally delicious,” for three reasons: “they are soaked in lime, salt and water during preparation; they are then marinated and stuffed with savory Bajan seasonings; and they are fried in soft, home-seasoned breadcrumbs.”

There are lots of great restaurants on Barbados — far too many to list here.

While our travels didn’t take us to the east coast, all along the west coast you’ll find restaurants ranging in style and price from the casual and inexpensive to the elegant and pricey. A good example of the former is Just Grillin’, with two locations: one in Holetown and one in Hastings.

At the other end of the spectrum are the gorgeous oceanfront venues like The Cliff, Daphne’s, Cin Cin by the Sea, Waterside and many more. For good information on

A local rum shop: the traditional Barbados watering hole.

great dining venues, have a look at www.visitbarbados.org and www.caribbeanedge.com for photos, menus and reviews. (Bear in mind that most prices are in Barbados dollars, about two to one on the U.S. dollar, so don’t panic when you see the prices!)

Food, Wine and Rum

RUM SHOPS AND FISH FRYS On any given Friday night, the village of Oistins on the south coast of Barbados comes alive with fishmongers frying and grilling a large assortment of locally caught fish. Depending on the season, you might find marlin, albacore, yellowfin tuna, shark, snapper, flying fish, wahoo, barracuda and mahi-mahi (locally known as dolphin, but not even a distant relative of Flipper’s. This is fish, not a mammal.)

Numerous vendors cook your fish to order and sides of fries, breadfruit, “pie” or cou cou come alongside. There are communal tables and plastic chairs, music, often reggae or calypso, and Banks’ beer and rum punch. Although old-timers claim that Oistins is not what it used to be, with too much new construction and a shrinking fishery, it’s still a great party. Don’t miss it.

On just about any night of the week, more than 1,000 “rum shops” are open for business throughout the island. These may be small markets with a bar, but are generally a neighborhood hangout where people (wait for it) drink rum, debate local issues and share news, something like a warm weather version of the local pub that you’d find anywhere in Britain. These are often colorful, literally and figuratively, and are an essential part of Bajan culture.

Photographs this page and opposite page top left and right by Andre Baranowski.

After three days, we relocated to the luxury of the Hilton resort on Needham’s Point, near Bridgetown, which is the capital of Barbados and a bustling city. Though we weren’t able to attend all the festivities, I did take in hugely talented celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Saturday morning cooking demo, under the shade of a large tent with views of the ocean. (For more on what makes Marcus tick, see page 32.)

Chef Marcus was followed by the ever-effervescent Ann Burrell. Both chefs also cooked at one of the highlights of the festival, the “Ambrosia III” at the Lion Castle Polo Estate in the parish of St. Thomas, with Chef Samuelsson serving up Jerk-Spiced Snapper Sandwiches with Fried Capers, and Chef Ann a Seared Mahi-Mahi with Tangerine Compote. A panoply of other chefs at the Ambrosia event included Aaron McCargo, Jr., of “Food Network Star” (2008) and now the host of his own show, “Big Daddy’s House,” as well as James Beard award winners, wine experts and others. (For the full lineup, visit www.foodwinerum.com.)

On Sunday, we joined a few other journalists at the Polo Estate with hundreds of other visitors and locals to sip Mount Gay Rum concoctions and feast on local specialties prepared by Barbados’s own great chefs. Included in this talented lineup was the Hilton’s Executive Chef Angela Garraway-Holland, whose dishes prepared with locally raised Blackbelly lamb were a highlight of the feast. (See recipe on p. 41) Then, of course, there’s the rum. Barbados is home to Mount Gay Rum Distilleries. Master Blender Allen Smith describes Mount Gay as Barbados’ “black gold”. Founded in 1703, Mount Gay is widely regarded as one of the premier rums in the world.

A note on their history: the original deed for the plantation that would become the Mount Gay distillery accounted for “one boyling house, one still house, and seven coppers.” The plantation was sold in 1749 to Cumberland Sober (I kid you not), who divided his time between England and Barbados, and whose friend, Sir John Gay, ran the distillery in Sober’s absence. Their Extra Old rum, which we tasted in several forms, is aged from 8 to 15 years in charred oak bourbon barrels. Mount Gay credits its superior quality to “rich sugar cane molasses and pristine coral filtered spring water from their 260-foot hand-dug well.”

Whatever the science and skill behind it all, Mount Gay is still producing some of the tastiest, smoothest and most complex rums in the world.

Fried Fish Bajan Style Macaroni Cheese

Fried Fish or Chicken, Bajan Style

The following recipes and images for Macaroni Cheese, Fried Fish or Chicken, Bajan Style and Cou Cou are reprinted with permission from the book Bajan Cooking in a Nutshell by Sally Miller.

Macaroni Cheese Referred to in Barbados simply as “pie,” macaroni cheese, served daily all across the island, is always a winner, especially with children.

Variations of this dish include using different kinds of pasta such as penne or rotini. Adding two tins of tuna is also an option to make a one-pot meal served with salad.

8 ounces macaroni 1 tablespoon butter or margarine 11⁄2 pounds sharp Cheddar cheese, grated 1 egg 1 cup evaporated milk 1 small grated onion 1 teaspoon hot Coleman’s mustard 1 tablespoon yellow mustard 1 teaspoon white pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 ⁄2 teaspoon red pepper sauce or cayenne pepper (optional) 11⁄2 tablespoons tomato ketchup 1 finely chopped sweet pepper (optional)

40 SPRING 2013

Garnish: 2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs 2 teaspoons butter 2 tablespoons grated Cheddar cheese

1. Bring water to a boil. Break up macaroni and add to boiling water with salt. Boil it uncovered until it is just tender, but not overcooked (about 8 minutes).

2. Preheat oven to 350ºF. 3. Drain the macaroni thoroughly, put it back into the same hot saucepan it was cooked in, and mix in the butter.

4. Grate the cheese, and mix it in with the macaroni a bit at a time, while it is still warm.

5. Whisk the egg until fluffy, and add the milk, onion powder, white pepper, salt, pepper sauce and mustard. Pour in with the macaroni and mix.

6. Place in a greased ovenproof casserole dish. Top with a little butter, some grated cheese and fine breadcrumbs. Bake in the center of the oven for about 30 to 45 minutes.

Fish fillets or chicken parts to serve 4 2 limes (use one if they are large and juicy) 2 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons Bajan seasoning (available online) 1 egg 1 cup extra-fine breadcrumbs 1 cup flour Salt and white pepper to taste 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon chicken or fish multipurpose seasoning (optional) Canola oil for frying Water Salt Breads*

1. Squeeze the limes into a bowl with ¾ cup of water, add the salt and place the fish or chicken to soak for about 1⁄2 hour. Remove the fish or chicken, rinse and pat dry.

2. Whisk the egg in a medium bowl with some salt and white pepper and if you are doing fish, the seasoning. Put the fish into the egg and seasoning mixture. If you are doing chicken, make a couple of incisions in each piece, insert some seasoning and place in the egg. It is best if the fish or chicken is allowed to sit in the egg for an hour or so to allow the flavors to permeate.

3. Mix the flour, breadcrumbs, white pepper, paprika and a little salt. This is one of those occasions when you can add various seasonings out of your kitchen cupboard like onion and garlic powder, dried herbs or whatever takes your fancy.

4. Heat a very shallow layer of oil for fish and slightly deeper for chicken, in a large frying pan over a medium/high heat. Shake off excess egg, coat in the breadcrumb mixture, shake again and place in the oil when it is hot enough (it should sizzle slightly when the item is placed in it).

MORE RECIPES! Visit www.northeastflavor.com for more recipes from this story including Stewed Down Salt Fish and a delicious Mount Gay Rum Punch.

5. Fry the fish over medium/high heat for a couple of minutes on each side. Fish needs very little cooking and is overcooked very easily. If frying flying fish, place it skin side up first. Fry chicken over a medium/low heat to allow it to cook through without burning or getting too dark (10 to 15 minutes on each side depending on how large the piece of chicken is).

6. Drain on absorbent paper and place on a warm dish.

Serves 4

*Note: Fried fish is often sold sandwiched in a soft, chewy Bajan salt bread and is known as a “fish cutter.” Any good, crusty and chewy roll will do.

Cou Cou In this cou cou recipe, the cornmeal is blended with cold water ahead of cooking it with the okras. This makes it smooth and quick to prepare.

21⁄2 cups cornmeal 1 or 2 teaspoons salt Water 8 ounces okras 2 tablespoons chopped onion 2 ounces butter

1. Process the cornmeal and 1 teaspoon salt with 3 cups of water in a blender.

2. Cut the tops off the okras, wash and slice thinly into circles. Place okras in a medium saucepan with 3 cups of water and chopped onion. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and set water aside. Place the okras back into the saucepan along with the butter and blended cornmeal.

3. Cook the cornmeal over medium heat and very gradually add the okra water, stirring to blend.

4. Once all okra water is added, lower the heat, cover and steam.

Cou Cou

2 medium carrots, cut into ¼-inch dice 1 celery stalk, diced into quarters 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 tablespoons curry powder 1 tablespoon turmeric powder 11⁄2 tablespoons coriander, ground 1 teaspoon scotch bonnet, minced (hot peppers) 1 pound sweet potatoes 1 quart water or chicken stock 11⁄2 tablespoons tomato paste Salt and pepper, to taste 2 leaves of lemon grass or cilantro

7. Add diced sweet potatoes and leave to cook.

Add salt and pepper as necessary. Finish stew with lemon grass or cilantro just before serving.

Serves 4

The Cliff’s Mar-tea-ni The Cliff is one of the finest restaurants in Barbados with a view and an ambience that is nothing short of breathtaking. The Festival wound up with a sold-out dinner, but we were able to stop in for one of their signature cocktail. Jules, the Bar Manager, shared his recipe.

Serves 4

Blackbelly Lamb Stew Used courtesy Angela Garroway-Holland, Barbados Hilton 11⁄2 pounds Blackbelly lamb for stew, cubed or diced into 1⁄2” cubes 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 2 medium onions, peeled and cut into 1 ⁄4-inch cubes 3 tablespoons flour

1. Season the lamb with the garlic, salt, coriander, 11⁄2 tablespoons curry and 1⁄2 tablespoon turmeric.

2. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil and add rest of curry and turmeric. Add onions and cook until softened.

3. Add the lamb and cook until brown.

4. Add the flour, mix well, and cook for an additional minute.

5. Add carrots, celery and tomato paste.

6. Add water or stock, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer.

2 ounces Hendrick’s Gin 11⁄2 ounces lemon juice 1 ounce simple syrup (optional) 1 ⁄3 ounce passion fruit purée 2 ounces chamomile tea 2 ounces apple juice

Pour all the ingredients into a small teapot and chill. Serve in teapot with a large chilled martini glass. Decant and serve with a lemon twist if desired.

*

NORTHEASTFLAVOR.COM

41

The Passover Seder: Old Meets New

Photograph by Michael Diskin.

BY LISA GOELL SINICKI

Tradition meets innovation at the Seder table.

Editor’s Note: Ordinarily, different spellings of the same word in an article would drive me nuts. But after a bit of research, and allowing for personal preference, we decided to let some people call it matzoh and some matzo. You say charoset, I say haroset. Let’s call the whole thing off . . .

42 SPRING 2013

G

rowing up, I looked forward to the various Jewish holidays. They were bright spots on the calendar, breaks from the monotony of my typical adolescent routine. While every holiday had its rewards, when it came to food, Passover was my hands-down favorite. This annual commemoration of the Jews’ exodus from slavery in Egypt is celebrated not in a temple, but around the dinner table, with a large part of the Seder ritual revolving around edible symbols and metaphors. Parsley, a symbol of spring and rebirth is dipped in “tears” of salt water. A nibble of horseradish, sometimes elevated to a gulp as a dare between siblings, represents the bitterness of slavery.

And then there is matzo, the flat, cracker-like bread that represents the unleavened bread that our ancestors baked in haste as they fled a life of slavery in Egypt.

The dietary rules say that no wheat flour or leavening can be eaten at Passover time, so matzo was our bread. I liked matzo better than bread anyway, so I chain-crunched one sheet after another, ignoring Mom’s warnings about ruining my appetite.

As I sat scarfing, I hoped my grandfather or whichever elder male family member was leading the Seder ceremony, would move through the readings quickly so we could get to the charoset, a concoction of chopped apples, walnuts, cinnamon and wine which recreates the mortar our Jewish ancestors used to build the pyramids.

During the Seder, it gets layered with a thin schmear of the aforementioned horseradish and piled on top of a slab of matzo. There were slivers of hard-boiled egg served in a shallow bowl of salt water (the joy of new life contrasted against more tears). Next came gefilte fish, a quenelle or dumpling of ground whitefish.

Everyone’s favorite arrived next: a big bowl of steaming chicken soup sporting a pair or trio of matzo balls sometimes with a token slice or two of carrot or celery. I ignored the needless vegetables and went right for the dumpling. “Sinkers or floaters?” Dad whispered. It was our game. Dad, who dabbled in cooking back then, seemed to be the only person who recognized that the popular belief that matzo balls can be cooked hours ahead and then sit in their broth until serving time was wrong.

When you first add my mother’s raw matzo balls to the boiling broth, they sink to the bottom. After a few minutes of cooking, they rise through the broth and bob at the surface like a toddler wearing water wings in the pool. After about three more minutes, the matzo balls are done. If you fail to remove them from the pot, they will continue to float for a few more minutes.

Then, they lose their buoyancy and slowly submerge like a leaky dinghy. Thanks to Dad’s guidance, Mom’s matzo balls were better than anyone else’s. Not light really, but less dense. And

slightly doughy, which was perfect for the household of raw batter eaters that we were.

The soup was the apex of the meal, which meant that the main course suffered like a concert headliner who had made the mistake of hiring too strong an opening act. The protein was typically braised or roasted beef, or occasionally, roast chicken. My mother, who had fully embraced the convenience food movement, made pot roast by braising a hefty slab of London broil in a pool of Lipton Onion Soup. It wasn’t gourmet, but from my 10-yearold perspective, it was the best meat I’d ever eaten.

My epiphany came after my husband, Ron, and I had bought our first house. We were preparing to host our own Seder.

“Do we have to serve gefilte fish?” asked Ron. “It’s disgusting.”

I began scouring magazines and cookbooks for recipes, and what I found enlightened me. What I had come to think of as mandatory Jewish cooking turned out to be traditional American Jewish cooking. There were dishes from all over the world that reflected the native foods and spices of the region: Mexican Passover recipes where fish is served with green sauce and Mediterranean recipes where poultry is served with cinnamon, cloves, and tomato.

So I let my menu evolve. Overall, I’ve kept my family’s menu as the bones of the meal, if you will. But I’ve added my own touches. Yes, I cook my pot roast in onion soup mix, but I also add apricots and figs. For my husband, pickled salmon has replaced gefilte fish. And for dessert, I look for great recipes that just happen not to have flour, like fruit tarts with nut crusts, meringues and flourless chocolate cakes.

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Matzo Ball Soup This is the recipe my mother and grandmother made, which comes from the 1951 edition of The New Settlement Cookbook, where it is called Matzo Kloese (dumplings) No 2. It differs from most matzo ball recipes in that it uses fewer eggs and less fat per cup of matzo meal.

The resulting texture is less dense and congealed than the other matzo.

My mom would throw in a carrot, peeled and sliced, and a half stalk of celery, sliced thinly, when she started heating the soup. Sometimes she sprinkled dill on top.

2 tablespoons chicken fat 1 egg, slightly beaten 1 tablespoon salt 1 cup matzo meal 1 cup boiling water Pepper and nutmeg to taste 1 teaspoon chopped parsley 1 quart chicken stock

1. Pour boiling water over matzo meal, stir until water is absorbed. Add fat, then egg and seasoning. Mix well. Cover and chill several hours or overnight.

2. Roll dough into balls the size of a walnut. When the dough sticks to your hands (and it always does) wet your palms with cold water. Cover and return matzo balls to the refrigerator until ready to use, up to 8 hours.

3. Bring chicken stock to a boil in a large pot. About 10 to 15 minutes before serving, drop the matzo balls into the boiling soup. Matzo balls will sink to the bottom of the pot at first, then rise to the top a couple of minutes later.

Simmer 2 or 3 minutes, then remove one matzo ball and take a bite to test for doneness. The matzo balls are done when they are cooked through, but still soft. Serve immediately.

Matzo Ball Soup

Serves 4 The following recipes and images for Tricolor Fish Terrine Boeuf Bourguignon are reprinted with permission from a wonderful book The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen by Levana Kirschenbaum.

Tricolor Fish Terrine

Tricolor Fish Terrine

This dish will make you look like a chef without too much hard work. You will like the freedom it gives you on party day, as you can make it a day or two ahead of time and keep it chilled. If you get ambitious, layer the mixture in a dozen greased muffin tins and invert them at serving time.

Please do not be alarmed at the use of the plastic wrap in the mold.

I use it to make the un-molding easy, it remains intact throughout the baking. At serving time, just pull up the sides of the chilled mold by the plastic wrap, it will come right up! Editor’s note: We prefer non-stick aluminum foil or a non-stick pan.

2 pounds salmon or tilapia fillets 1 ⁄2 cup olive oil 4 eggs 1 ∕3 cup potato starch or tapioca flour 1 ⁄2 cup dry white Kosher wine 1 medium onion, quartered Zest of 1 lemon Pinch nutmeg

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Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup frozen spinach, squeezed thoroughly dry 1 ⁄4 cup basil leaves 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, briefly soaked in warm water and squeezed thoroughly dry

Boeuf Bourguignon

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 11⁄2 quart rectangle mold and line it with plastic wrap, letting the sides overhang.

2. Grind the fish mixture ingredients in a food processor until perfectly smooth.

Divide the mixture in three. Process one-third in the food processor with the spinach and the basil. Scrape the bowl of the food processor thoroughly so you won’t have to wash it to mix the red layer.

3. Pack tightly and neatly in the mold. Tightly pack the second (white) third on top of the green layer in the mold. Process the last third with the sun-dried tomatoes or tomato paste until perfectly smooth. Pack on top of the white layer in the mold gently, so as not to disturb the layers beneath.

4. Fold the overhanging plastic over the top of the mold. Bake for 1 hour or until the top is firm.

5. Serve chilled, alone, or with your favorite sauce.

Serves 12

Boeuf Bourguignon My secret ingredient here is cassis, the wonderful black currant liqueur. This dish reheats very well and improves with age, so go ahead and make it a day or even two ahead.

4 pounds beef or bison shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes for stew 6 cups water 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 6 cloves garlic, peeled 2 cups dry red wine 1 ⁄4 cup cassis 2 large tomatoes, diced small 1 tablespoon coarsely ground Black pepper 6 bay leaves, or 1 teaspoon ground 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only (or throw the sprigs in whole, but don’t forget to discard them at the end of cooking) 2 pounds very thin long carrots, peeled (about 20) 20 very small organic potatoes, scrubbed (only organic potatoes are safe with skins on) 2 dozen small or pearl onions, peeled and left whole (or use frozen: they are already peeled)

Matzo Buttercrunch (recipe on p.46)

1. On a stove top, place beef, water, and oil in a heavy, wide-bottom pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 2 hours.

2. Add the garlic, wine, cassis, tomatoes, pepper, and bay leaves and cook 30 more minutes.

3. Add thyme, carrots, potatoes, and onions and cook 30 more minutes. The meat should be fork-tender.

4. Transfer meat and all vegetables on platter with a slotted spoon. If the liquid left in the pot is too thin, reduce it on a high flame until it is thickened, the consistency of maple syrup.

5. Pour the reduced liquid over the whole dish and serve hot.

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Matzo Buttercrunch These recipes have been reprinted from Arthur Schwartz’s wonderful book, Arthur Schwartz’s Jewish Home Cooking: Yiddish Recipes Revisited, (Ten Speed Press, ©2008, photography by Ben Fink) this recipe was originally created by Marcy Goldman of Montreal.

The recipe is sublime when made with butter, but then it would not be possible to serve it at the usually meat-based seder meal.

It still tastes pretty wonderful when made with unsalted pareve Passover margarine.

4 to 6 unsalted matzo boards 1 cup unsalted butter or unsalted pareve margarine 1 cup firmly packed Passover brown sugar 12 ounces semisweet Passover chocolate chips, or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line a baking sheet completely with aluminum foil. Lay parchment paper on top of the foil. This is very important, as the mixture becomes sticky during baking.

2. Line the bottom of the pan evenly with the matzo boards, cutting extra pieces of matzo, as required, to fit any uncovered spaces.

3. In a 3-quart, heavy saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Continue boiling 3 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and immediately pour over the matzo.

4. Place the matzo candy in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350˚F. Bake for 15 minutes, checking after 10 minutes to make sure the mixture is not burning. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the matzo with chopped chocolate.

Let stand 5 minutes, then, with an offset spatula, spread the melted chocolate evenly over the matzo.

5. While still warm, cut the candy into squares or odd shapes. I just break it into pieces. Chill in the refrigerator until set. Covered tightly with plastic, it should keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

Bring back to room temperature to serve.

Makes one 12- by 15-inch sheet

Variations • Use white chocolate (which is dairy), coarsely chopped (or both white and dark chocolates).

• Sprinkle chopped toasted nuts — almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, or pecans — over the chocolate.

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Chefs and Seders: Why is This Night Different from All Others?

Just as home cooks have been updating their Passover menus, numerous chefs throughout New England are doing the same. We caught up with a few notables to talk about their evolving Passover dishes.

Newton, Massachusetts’ award-winning restaurant, Lumière, and Chef/Owner Michael Leviton will team up with Rabbi Lev Ba’esh for an inclusive, interfaith Seder meal entitled “A Journey Toward Freedom in 4 Acts and 4 Courses,” for he says, “anyone who appreciates a good story, a good song and good food.”

Having grown up in a conservative Kosher Jewish family, Chef Leviton remembers the traditional Passover meal as, well, “boring.” At Lumiere, he describes his meal as “short and sweet and a lot of fun.” Throughout the year, Leviton is inspired by traditional recipes, but he brings his unique philosophy and style to bear on his menus. He says that he’s been “obsessed” with the idea of a restaurant level Seder meal for more than 20 years.

“The best way to create community is through food and drink. There is significant comfort in tradition, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be modernized and twisted a bit.”

This year’s interactive four-course Passover meal on March 25th and 26th will be served family-style with open seating to encourage people from all walks of life to sit together and celebrate the holiday.

The dinner includes the traditional four questions regarding the story of Passover, as well as singing with a live band in between and during courses.

Lumiere’s menu will feature Matzoh Ball Soup (of course) but with vegetable and chicken options. Moroccan Spiced Haddock with Fava Beans and Roasted Peppers stands in for gefilte fish, and two types of charoset with Area Four Wood

Oven Baked matzoh will be served. The main course features Joyce’s Roast Chicken with Orange, Lemon and Ginger and a Spring Vegetable Ragout with Mint & Shallots, Glazed Carrots, Pine Nuts, Capers and Golden Raisins. The meal ends with a flourish with Valrhona Manjari Chocolate Soufflé Cake, Coconut Sorbet, Toasted Coconut Macaroons, and Rum Caramel Sauce for dessert. Chef Leviton shared both a traditional and a Persian recipe for charoset.

Aunt Sharon’s Charoset 11⁄2 cups coarsely chopped Granny Smith apples 2 ⁄3 cup toasted walnuts 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar 1 ⁄4 – 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon kosher sweet wine or port Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to desired consistency and adjust the seasoning with the salt and pepper.

Persian Charoset 12 dates (Deglet Nor or Barhiif if available), diced as finely as possible 1 ⁄2 cup toasted pistachios, coarsely chopped 1 ⁄4 cup sliced, natural (skin on) almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped 1 ⁄4 cup golden raisins, plumped in hot water for about 10 minutes Zest and juice from 1 orange 1 tablespoon port or Concord grape wine (Manischewitz) 1 ⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon Salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Season to taste and enjoy.

For details on Passover events at Lumiere, Beacon Hotel and Bistro and others, visit www.northeastflavor.com.

Photograph by Michael Diskin.

Chef Leviton’s Wood-Oven Baked Matzoh and Charoset (Ashkenazi and Persian)

In another New England tribute to Passover, Chef Josh Lewin of the Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro, will also be offering a special, prix fixe Passover dinner on Monday, March 25th and Tuesday, March 26th.

A bread service of house made matzo will be followed by a three-course menu. We caught up with Josh to ask about his own traditions.

“I grew up celebrating mixed holidays throughout the year. And on occasion that meant having an Easter ham just a few days after Passover matzoh! So my Passover celebration at the hotel is not by any means Kosher. And we are not out to really headline the religious aspect of the day, which is really a home and family event. But what I do want to offer is something inspired by those traditional meals around my grandmother’s table, that will be fun and maybe comforting to anyone else who will recognize the flavors, and the feeling.”

“The real inspiration behind the menu is literally the food we ate with Bubbe, my grandmother,” says Lewin. To that simple idea, we’ve brought seasonal New England ingredients like foraged mushrooms, local sunchokes and sage. Passover is early this

year but we're hoping for some ramps by then so we can revisit one of our favorite dishes of last year: Matzoh Brei with local eggs, ramps and a little smoked salmon roe. We’ll have Matzo Ball Soup with hen of the woods mushrooms, Braised Beef Short Rib with melted red cabbage and sunchoke latkes. For dessert, we’ve looked outside of normal European traditions to Jewish flavors of the Middle East, another inspiration from my grandmother who’s desserts often revolved around dried fruits and nuts. I won’t be attempting her apricot cake though, that one is all hers.”

Sunchoke Latkes 4 cups (about 1 pound) whole sunchokes, (Jerusalem artichokes) no need to peel 1 ⁄2 cup diced white onion 1 tablespoon finely sliced chives 1 egg, whisked 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 teaspoon kosher salt Rendered lamb or chicken fat (you can use olive oil if you prefer)

1. Using a box grater (which you may need to borrow from your grandmother) grate sunchokes over

the largest holes. Using a tea towel, or cheesecloth wring out any liquid from the grated sunchokes.

2. Combine all ingredients. Portion into 1⁄4 inch thick rounds, about two tablespoons each.

3. Heat fat or oil over medium heat in a heavy pan until nearly smoking and carefully add latkes, without crowding the pan. Cook on one side until evenly browned. Repeat on second side. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Glenn Karow, chef owner of Kosh in Stamford, Connecticut says that “the connection to the Jewish people in our journey from slaves to our arrival in the Promised Land of Israel and living this with friends,” is one of the things that makes the Passover holiday so special to him. In terms of his favorite dishes he tells us “we love taking time to smoke brisket with exclusive Montreal-style seasonings. We cook one whole brisket with our special rub with salt, pepper and spices along the lines of Schwartz’s in Montreal.”

His brisket recipe may be proprietary but he was kind enough to share his favorite libation recipe with us. For his Passover margarita recipe, visit www. northeastflavor.com.

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IN THE GLASS | Spirits

Sk책l Days B Y S P E N C E R S M I T H | P H O T O G R A P H S B Y T I M S U L L I VA N

48 SPRING 2013

ALMOST ALL DRINKS HAVE their rituals and associations, but aquavit, that peerless Scandinavian tipple, is twice or even thrice blessed with traditions.

First of all, aquavit is one of the very few drinks that is usually handcrafted at home, but don’t think bathtub gin! It’s not made by experts or connoisseurs, but by average people who want to put their own stamp on the aquavit, in the same way that good cooks would rather create a meal than have their dinner delivered.

Drinking aquavit is highly ritualized and is partaken of with that unique Scandinavian combination of seriousness, ponderousness, and just plain silliness.

Aquavit is a drink for occasions: birthdays, St. Lucia Day, Christmas, Midsommar Day. It’s usually accompanied by a smörgåsbord of traditional Scandinavian dishes . . . more on that later. It is drunk as toasts and is accompanied by singing.

But the toasting is serious. The drinkers raise their small glass of aquavit, everyone looks each other firmly in the eye, says “Skål!” in a loud voice, tilts their head back and empties the glass. They then lower the glass and again look each other in the eye. (For photos of famous people demonstrating “skåoling” go to www.amateurgourmet.com/2009/06/skoal ing.html. The inimitable Swedish actor, Max von Sydow, has impeccable technique.)

After a few toasts, the singing is likely to begin, and, of course, there are a number of traditional aquavit drinking songs.

Drinking aquavit is highly ritualized and is partaken of with that unique Scandinavian combination of seriousness, ponderousness, and just plain silliness.

Any variation of “Helan Går” is popular: Helan går, Sjung hopp, faderallan lallan lej.

Helan går, Sjung hopp, faderallan lej.

Och den som inte helan tar, Han heller inte halvan får.

Helan går!

Sjung hopp, faderallan lej!

In English: Now for the First!

Sing hop, faderallan lallan ley.

Now for the First, Sing hop, faderallan ley.

And those who won’t the First One take, they also Number Two forsake.

Now for the First!

Sing hop, faderallan ley!

In other words, it’s time for the first drink and if you won’t drink the first drink, you won’t get the second drink, either. It goes on in the same vein, with everyone joining in. Feeling silly? Just pretend you’re a Viking.

SMÖRGÅSBORD SPECIALTIES According to Helene Henderson, author of the wonderful book, The Swedish Table, “The smörgåsbord knows no season, no culinary boundaries, but it comes with plenty of customs. This is no leftovers meal — everything is made fresh. And unlike an American all-you-can-eat, where diners overload their plates on the first run and mix all the courses at once, the Swedish smörgåsbord is eaten in a specific order, each trip to the buffet requiring a clean, small plate.”

Beginning the feast is pickled herring, perhaps in sour cream, with mustard sauce or pickled onions, along with boiled new potatoes with dill. This would typically be followed by an assortment of cheeses: Emmenthaler, Jarlsberg, Gjetost, Gruyère or a seed-laced cheese served with a crisp bread, like Wasa. Next, the gravlax is served with more boiled new potatoes, followed by an assortment of cold meats, pâtés, salads and egg dishes.

Next up are the hot dishes: meatballs, roast lamb, venison, cabbage rolls and, of course, more potatoes. Finally, there is a parade of sweets: apple cake, cheesecake with cloudberries, an assortment of cookies and bullar, a traditional Swedish cinnamon roll scented with cardamom. And as Henderson explains, “Throughout the smörgåsbord, you drink aquavite or beer while proclaiming ‘Skål!’ after each trip to the buffet table.”

Infusing Vodka Aquavit is simply vodka infused with spices, herbs or fruits (potato vodka is preferred). If you buy your aquavit at the liquor store, you might think that the only way it comes is infused with anise, caraway and cardamom spices; these are the flavors of the two most popular brands, Aalborg and Linie. But there is a whole world of infusions open to the home producer.

The technique is the same for all the infusions (see recipes below): • Put the flavoring ingredients in a liter or larger glass jar that has a tight lid.

• Add one liter of vodka. (We used Vikingfjord, a mid-priced potato vodka from Norway.)

• Place the jar in a dark, room-temperature place (not in the refrigerator) and leave it undisturbed for 2 to 3 weeks.

• Strain the mixture through cheesecloth into the serving bottles. Place in the freezer until serving, at least 24 hours.

• For visual effect, we put a sample of the ingredients in the serving bottle: a few cranberries, a sprig of dill or mint, whatever the recipe called for.

• Keep on ice while serving.

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IN THE GLASS | Spirits

Cranberry-Ginger This one has a lovely red color and the sharpsweet flavor of New England cranberries.

Our tasting panel (a mixture of experienced and novice aquavit drinkers) thought this one was a winner.

“THE VIKINGS ARE COMING!” AQUAVIT This method, from one of our Rhode Island-based Swedish-American friends, produces infusions in 24 hours.

1. Add the ingredients to a cup of vodka.

1 cup halved, washed cranberries 2 sticks cinnamon Peel from 1⁄2 an orange 1 tablespoon sliced fresh ginger 1 liter vodka

Anise-Fennel-Cardamom This infusion produces a light tea-colored aquavit. The flavors approximate the most familiar commercial aquavits but with more depth and complexity. A tasting panel favorite.

2. Allow them to infuse at room temperature for 24 hours.

3. Strain the mixture, add three cups more vodka and put in the freezer.

You won’t get the same depth of flavor or color as the longer infusions, but if the Vikings are storming the castle and you need some quick, peace-keeping aquavit . . .

Mint-Lemon 1 star anise 2 teaspoons fennel seeds 1 teaspoon crushed cardamom pods 4 whole cloves 1 teaspoon sugar Peel from 1⁄2 a lemon 1 liter vodka

Toast the spices for 2 minutes over medium heat, until their aroma begins to be released; don’t overcook.

Raspberry-Mint The raspberry and mint flavors blend beautifully. The soft pink color reminds us summer is a mere few months away.

1 cup washed raspberries 2 sprigs fresh mint Peel from 1⁄2 a lemon 1 liter vodka

A mint julep for northerners, this one features clean and refreshing flavors 4 sprigs fresh mint ⁄2 sliced lemon 1 tablespoon sugar 1 liter vodka 1

Horseradish-Dill Pungent flavors that some loved, some found too strong. Our first batch had four strips of horseradish, which was too much; two strips proved better. This would also make an excellent vodka for a spicy Bloody Mary.

3 sprigs fresh dill 2 31⁄2-inch strips of fresh horseradish 2 quartered lemons 1 liter vodka

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NEW ENGLAND SOURCES FOR SCANDINAVIAN SPECIALTIES IKEA 1 IKEA Way Stoughton, MA 02072 1-888-888-4532 www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/IKEA_ Food/swedish_food_market.html (Or any IKEA store) Simply Scandinavian 19 Temple Street Portland, ME 04101 (207) 874-6768 www.simplyscandinavian.com

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Karl’s Sausage Kitchen One Bourbon Street Peabody, MA 01960 978-851-6650 www.karlssausage.com Online Sources:

Ingebretsen’s www.ingebretsens.com Scandia Food and Gifts www.scandiafood.com Scandinavian Specialties www.scanspecialties.com

250 Market Street Portsmouth, NH 03801 603.431.2300 sheratonportsmouth.com

Sheraton

Portsmouth Harborside HOTEL

LOCAL + SUSTAINABLE | Seasonal Flavors

Scape Artist B Y E VA N M A L L E T T

WHATEVER ASSOCIATIONS YOUR BRAIN may conjure surrounding the plant Allium ophioscorodon, better known as hard-neck garlic, every spring delivers hope and beauty in the form of an innocuous, almost comical curly shoot, commonly known as a “scape”, sent up by the subterranean bulb. The pale green scape, which bears a single lanceolate flowerhead, may be viewed as a peace offering after a long cold winter or as a prize for the farmer who plunged cloves into the dirt during the frosty postseason of the previous year.

Whether it is considered dating bane, vampire repellent or simply a social faux pas, garlic has stood the test of time against all odds. The plant’s sinuous, seductive scapes might offer just the mighty makeover garlic has been waiting for.

HISTORY In order to appreciate the bright green flavor of garlic scapes (or its more common bulb form, for that matter), one must embrace the plant’s rich history. Long before Bram Stoker’s bloodthirsty count first cowered at the scent of the world’s most aromatic member of the lily family, garlic has managed to garner a bad reputation and mystical properties at the same time. Dr. Gary L. Huber, vice president for scientific communications at the Texas Nutrition Institute, argues that “garlic has been employed for medicinal purposes by more cultures over more millennia than any other plant product or substance.”

According to Huber, the first recorded use of garlic was by the Sumerians of Mesopotamia, generally regarded as the first farmers of the Fertile Crescent, the birthplace of agriculture. In Egypt, garlic has been found in the tombs of the Pharoahs. In The Codex Ebers, written in 1550 B.C., there were at least 22 different medical recipes that included garlic.

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The pale green scape, which bears a single lanceolate flowerhead, may be viewed as a peace offering after a long cold winter

HEALTH BENEFITS

PREPARATION METHODS

With the advent of modern medicine, most curative plants have lost momentum, if not relevance, during the last century.

Garlic is clearly a bold exception to this trend.

Louis Pasteur determined that garlic possessed antibacterial qualities in the late 19th century, and Albert Schweizer used garlic to treat dysentery, typhoid fever and cholera in Africa almost 100 years ago. Today, the National Cancer Institute’s website boldly asserts, “Preliminary studies suggest that garlic consumption may reduce the risk of developing several types of cancer, especially cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.”

When you compound all the medical research with the flavor-enhancing effect of garlic in almost any savory dish, it is no surprise that garlic has become a household staple, yet most American households wouldn’t recognize a garlic scape if one sprouted on their kitchen counter.

Here are a few ways to hold on to the delicious, inimitable flavor of garlic scapes throughout the season:

WHEN TO BUY Garlic scapes (which are also marketed as garlic flowers, greens and whistles) have become, by way of our blossoming farmers’ market culture, one of the most beloved beacons of spring. For those of us who have planted garlic in the hard and frigid ground in late fall, we know the payback comes in the form of the stately spikes that rise from the ground in April and May. Of the dozens of varieties of garlic available now through seed catalogues (many of which have their origins in Eastern Europe and Central Asia), the best bets for growing long, juicy scapes in the Northeast’s cold, wet climate include any of the rocambole varieties, which tend to stand up to the harshest winters and the wettest springs.

Unlike garlic cloves, scapes do not store or travel particularly well, although they can be held in a refrigerator for over a week if necessary. So, in order to capitalize on a short season of availability, we have to be resourceful.

Scape oil: Poach scapes in oil (olive and grapeseed are best) at very low temperature and preserve.

Smoked scape jam: Smoke scapes slowly over fruitwood chips, chop them up and add them to saucepan with sugar, water, a hint of cider vinegar and a pinch of salt.

Simmer for 1⁄2 hour over very low heat and transfer to Mason or Weck jars, filling to the top of the jars. Secure the lids threequarters of the way and boil for 10 minutes.

Tighten the lids, turn off the burner and let cool in the water bath until the water is room temp.

Scape pesto: Chop scapes and sauté them for a few minutes in olive oil. Let cool and puree in a food processor with blanched nettles, arugula, sorrel and olive oil.

Pickled scapes: Blanch 2-inch sections of scapes in boiling water for 30 seconds, and then shock them in ice water immediately. Mix a cup of white wine vinegar, a teaspoon of sugar, 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt and any spices you desire. Place the scapes in pickling jars and cover to the rim with the pickling liquid. Boil the sealed jars according to your favorite pickling recipe and store indefinitely.

Grilled scapes: Grill 6-inch sections of scapes until pretty much black on the outside. Season generously with salt and pepper and store in olive oil, refrigerated, for up to 3 weeks, making sure the scapes are fully submerged in the oil. Reheat in an oven or on a grill when you are ready to serve.

Tempura-fried scapes: Capitalize on the season by blanching the scapes in water, shocking in ice water and then dipping in tempura batter and deep frying them for a fun spring snack.

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LOCAL + SUSTAINABLE | Flavor Focus

Springtime and Shad Roe

BY JEAN KERR | PHOTOGRAPHS BY CECILIA STOUTE

MASSACHUSETTS HAS ITS SACRED

Shad Roe in Lemon-Caper Butter Sauce

cod, but the state of Connecticut has its shad. Although only designated as the state fish in 2003, shad was an important food source long before the first white settlers landed on New England shores.

Native Americans saw shad as a seasonal gift and were known to have large springtime gatherings to roast shad over open wood fires, often planking them much as salmon is in the Pacific Northwest; this technique is often used to this day in springtime Connecticut shad bakes.

Typically, among the early settlers, food that was in an overabundant supply and consumed by the natives was viewed with skepticism. In the early colonial days, like lobster and other bounties of the sea, shad was considered poor people’s

If you are lucky enough to see shad or shad roe at your fishmonger’s this spring, be sure to try it; you won’t be disappointed! food and was fed to servants and used as fertilizer. In fact, thousand of barrels of shad were shipped off to the Revolutionary War troops and reputedly staved off hunger in some very lean times.

Shad spend most of their lives in the ocean but begin to make their way up freshwater rivers when it comes time to spawn. Shad begin to appear in rivers of the Northeast as early as March and appear in the Connecticut River between April and June.

Shad is a member of the herring family and is valued not only for its flavorful meat, but for its excellent roe. The biggest drawback to enjoying shad is the number of bones — some 1,300 in an adult fish, which grow to roughly 30 inches and typically weigh in at 3 to 5 pounds. And to make it even more challenging, the bones do not follow a neat pattern as they do in

54 SPRING 2013

other bony fish, but run both horizontally and vertically. Old time shad boners guarded their techniques carefully, and for most of us, buying boneless fillets — or getting invited to a Connecticut shad bake — is the best bet.

The return of the shad is such a reliable harbinger of spring that the shad bush and the shad frog, which both flourish in the early spring, commemorate the shad’s return to the rivers. The roe is only available in the spring months and by summer, the shad are headed back to sea.

Americans don’t eat a lot of fish roes these days, but someone, somewhere eats just about every kind of roe: herring, lumpfish, whitefish, flying fish, haddock, pollock, salmon, cod, lobster, tuna, urchin and shad and many more are all popular.

Japanese, Koreans and Scandinavians may be the most enthusiastic roe consumers.

If you are lucky enough to see shad or shad roe at your fishmonger’s this spring, be sure to try it; you won’t be disappointed!

Shad roe usually comes in two roughly symmetrical lobes that are surrounded by a thin membrane.

Each lobe is generally considered enough for one serving. The roe is often wrapped in bacon and pan fried or broiled and served with lemon or with scrambled eggs. Shad roe has a delicate flavor that bears little relation to the strong, briny taste of caviar.

Shad Roe in Lemon-Caper Butter Sauce This recipe is from Cecilia Stoute and her fun blog at www.onevanillabean.com.

2 lobes of shad roe 1 stick of unsalted butter Juice of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons capers

3. Mix the flour, salt, and pepper on a plate. Dredge the shad roe in this seasoned flour, shaking off any excess.

4. Increase the heat to medium and add roe to the pan. Fry for about 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

5. Serve hot, with the pan juices poured over and garnished with crumbled bacon, chopped chives and lemon wedges on the side.

Serves 6

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. 2. Rinse the shad roe under cold water and dry well with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the connective tissue by pulling it very carefully.

3. Melt the butter in a very small skillet, big enough to just fit both lobes. Add the lobes and place the skillet in the oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, carefully flipping the lobes half way through cooking. They are done when the center is firm.

4. Remove skillet from the oven and pour out half of the butter, and set aside. Over medium high heat, brown the shad roe on both sides, remove them from the skillet. Add the capers and lemon juice to the now brown butter. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Pour the lemon-caper butter sauce over the shad roe and serve.

BONUS RECIPE: Visit northeastflavor.com for a recipe for Connecticut Stuffed Baked Shad.

Maître d’Hôtel Butter Maître d’Hôtel butter is one of the most classic additions to fish of all kinds. It’s simple and elegant and brings out the best in fresh seafood. Store some in the refrigerator and serve on cooked shad roe.

Broiled Shad Roe This recipe is from the Herald Tribune’s Home Institute Cookbook, a classic and bestselling American cookbook originally published in 1937.

3 pairs of shad roe 1 ⁄2 cup butter, melted Salt and pepper to taste Lemon wedges

One stick of butter at room temperature 1 tablespoon minced parsley 11⁄2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 ⁄2 teaspoon sea salt Dash of white pepper

Cream butter until soft. Add remaining ingredients and beat until fluffy. Form into log, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill until ready to serve.

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. 2. Brush roe with melted butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and broil 5 minutes on each side.

3. Serve with Maitre d’Hotel Butter (recipe follows)

Excerpts reprinted with permission from Mystic Seafood, Great Recipes, History, and Seafaring Lore from Mystic Seaport, Globe Pequot Press, © 2006.

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Serves 6

Serves 2

Variation: I fried some slices of bread in a skillet with the remaining butter, then sliced one of the lobes on the diagonal and served it over the fried bread. Then I spooned over some of the lemoncaper butter sauce.

Sautéed Shad Roe with Applewood Bacon Classic preparations for shad roe are generally pretty simple and often include bacon, which adds a nice salty, smoky touch.

2 strips of applewood-cured bacon 1 tablespoon butter 1 ⁄2 cup sliced shallots 1 ⁄4 cup flour 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt Fresh-ground pepper 3 pairs shad roe Chopped chives, for garnish Lemon wedges, for garnish

1. Cook bacon in a large frying pan until crisp.

Remove the bacon and drain it on paper towels.

Add the butter to the frying pan and melt.

2. Add the shallots and sauté until soft.

ROES BY ANY OTHER NAME “One can be unhappy before eating caviar, even after, but at least not during.” — Alexander Korda Caviar is, of course, the queen of fish roe. It is the eggs of sturgeons, those prehistoric armored bottom feeders. The highest quality caviar, like the wildly expensive beluga, sevruga and osetra, have come from the Caspian or Black Seas.

But in the past 30 years, the stock of sturgeon in the Caspian Sea has plunged to 10 percent of its previous stock, due to rampant overfishing. So with the extension of the U.N. ban on export of most caviar (except Iranian) from the Caspian Sea, true beluga caviar is hard to find. Now other sources of caviar are taking up the slack, including American farm-raised caviar. Some experts predict that America will again become a leading caviar producer.

Caviar is almost as famous for its astronomical prices as its exquisite, briny flavor. But this wasn’t always the case.

If you went in to a tavern in New York City in the early 1800s, you might well have been given a free supply of caviar so that its saltiness would encourage you to purchase more libations than you had planned — much like popcorn or salted nuts might be served today.

In those days, the Hudson and Delaware Rivers teemed with massive sturgeon, and caviar became known as “Albany beef.” But by the early 1910s, the fishery was virtually non-existent — the usual culprits of overfishing and environmental destruction had taken their toll.

The term “caviar” should really only apply to sturgeon roe, but you can find it applied to all kinds of roe sometimes called “American caviar.” Varieties include bowfin, white fish, salmon, paddlefish and sometimes sturgeon itself.

Inexpensive jars of lumpfish and salmon roe that are available in most grocery stores make good caviar substitutes and can be mixed with sour cream or cream cheese with a squeeze of lemon to make a nice appetizer. Topping deviled eggs with caviar is also a great way to spruce up standard party fare.

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NORTHEAST TRADITIONS | Classic

Slow and Steady Molasses

BY SANDRA L. OLIVER

Indian Pudding (recipe on p.58)

56 SPRING 2013

IT’S WONDERFUL HOW MOLASSES has survived 400 years of American history and is still a chosen ingredient for contemporary cooks who are dedicated to honoring New England’s food heritage.

Certified Master Baker Chef Steve James of Popovers on the Square in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is a vocal proponent of molasses, led to it by his affinity for classic New England regional dishes that he fears will be lost. Raised in Texas, trained in culinary arts at Johnson and Wales in Rhode Island, Steve has lived in New England for over 20 years now.

“I learned to be proud of Indian pudding and other New England desserts when I worked under Bill Learned at the Balsams Resort in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire,” he says. Popovers’ menu offers Indian pudding, usually served warm with vanilla ice cream. Even though it is not a classically elegant dessert to look at, James reports, “It sells like crazy,” as do the café’s eponymous popovers, another old-fashioned dish. Seasonally, the café’s bakery turns out soft molasses cookies and other molasses-sweetened treats.

James wishes that more New England chefs understood molasses’ role in New England cuisine. In fact, the flavor of molasses has been largely usurped by a modern fondness for chocolate, with brownies favored now over gingerbread and chocolate mousse taking the place of Indian pudding. Despite this, there are still diehard New England spots that hold fast to heritage dishes like Popovers, the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts, and Durgin Park in Boston.

Molasses is what remains when the juice of sugar cane is boiled away and sugar crystals form. Today, the molasses is extracted from the sugar granules by centrifuge. Further boiling of the molasses will make more sugar, and the darkest molasses, called blackstrap, is molasses with virtually all the sugar removed.

Nutritionally speaking, molasses is high in calcium, iron and carbohydrates. Traditionally speaking, molasses-sweetened dishes are high on the list of New England comfort foods.

Bittersweet molasses created the characteristic flavor of many early New England dishes and was the main ingredient of rum,

Hot Water Gingerbread (recipe on p.58)

the beverage popular with Early American colonists and craved by sailors on sailing ships around the world. From the 1600s through the 1800s, sugar plantation development exploded to meet demand for sweetening. But inherent in the wealth created and the pleasures of eating and drinking was a great deal of brutality,

misfortune and suffering. Molasses and rum were by-products of growing, harvesting, pressing and evaporating sugar cane, making for a brutally laborious production process that greatly expanded the growth of slavery in the West Indies and American South and perpetuated the transatlantic slave trade.

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NORTHEAST TRADITIONS | Classic

Spice Glazed Nuts

Hardly anyone alive today ever puts molasses-sweetened cream on apple dumplings or has eaten molasses-sweetened apple pies. And pumpkin pie is more often than not sweetened with brown or white sugar instead of molasses. But thanks to tradition-loving chefs like Steve James, molasses use is thankfully alive and well.

Indian Pudding This is a very traditional recipe reprinted from The Union Oyster House Cookbook © 2008.

5 cups milk, divided 2 ⁄3 cup yellow cornmeal 3 ⁄4 cup molasses 1 ⁄2 cup brown sugar 3 ⁄4 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons butter 11⁄2 teaspoons ginger 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 ⁄2 cup raisins 3 eggs, beaten

Seemingly safe, in at least one instance, molasses proved dangerous . . .

During the 1800s, rum was demonized

by Temperance workers and cane sugar was deplored by Abolitionists, but molasses was cheap and popular and was poured copiously into Indian pudding, brown bread, molasses cookies, gingerbread and baked beans. Nicknamed “long-tailed sugar,” molasses figured among the regular rations on American sailing vessels, and was used for sweetening coffee and tea, and as sauce for sailors’ duff, a boiled pudding.

Seemingly safe, in at least one instance, molasses proved dangerous. In 1919, a two million-gallon molasses storage tank owned by a Boston distilling company ruptured, drowning 21 people in a flash flood of a 15-foot wave of sticky molasses.

A number of horses died, and over a hundred people were injured; it took weeks and millions of dollars to clean up the mess.

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With time came change. At the turn of the 19th to 20th century, steamed gingerbread puddings gave way to chocolate steamed puddings. Marble cake was originally made by swirling together yellow cake and molasses-sweetened batter, but in the mid-20th century, marble cake was made with chocolate supplying the dark batter. Molasses cookies yielded to chocolate chip. Corn syrup has taken over taffy, popcorn balls and nut brittles, all formerly made with molasses.

Children growing up in the 1940s and 1950s often enjoyed molasses spread on buttered bread for a snack. In some corners of the Northeast, relics of molasses sweetening continue, as in molasses doughnuts and molasses blueberry cake in Maine.

Anadama, oatmeal and brown breads all rely on molasses and enjoy continued popularity.

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Scald 4 cups of the milk by heating until a skin forms on the top.

2. Whisk cornmeal together with 1⁄2 cup milk and slowly add to the scalded milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 15 minutes until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat.

3. Add molasses, sugar, salt, butter, ginger, cinnamon, and raisins, stirring well until butter melts.

4. Allow to cool slightly and beat in eggs.

5. Pour into a deep casserole dish and bake for 1 hour.

6. Stir in remaining 1⁄2 cup milk and bake for another 11⁄4 hours. Let stand for half an hour and serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Serves 6 to 8

Hot Water Gingerbread This recipe is from my grandmother and appears in my new cookbook, Maine Home Cooking: 175 Recipes from Down East Kitchens. There are actually quite a few versions of this gingerbread in existence, and it is moist and rich. Serve this with whipped cream or applesauce. Garnish with chopped candied ginger.

21⁄2 cups flour 1 ⁄2 teaspoon cloves 1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons ginger 11⁄2 teaspoons baking soda 1 ⁄2 cup sugar 1 ⁄2 cup butter 1 egg 1 cup molasses 1 cup hot water

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 x 9-inch pan. Turn on the tea kettle to heat water.

2. Sift together the dry ingredients.

3. Cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, add the molasses and beat all together.

4. Stir in the dry ingredients, making a stiff batter, then add the boiling water, stirring out any lumps.

5. Pour into the baking pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the center is raised and firm and a tester inserted comes out clean.

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Spiced Glazed Nuts

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This recipe will not put a huge dent in your molasses supply, but the 2 tablespoons required are enough to give a rich, warm flavor to the nuts. The spicing is moderate, so if you like a bit more zip, add more. Almonds, pecans, walnuts and cashews all work well in this recipe.

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MaineSpringVacation.com

1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons molasses 1 tablespoon sugar 11⁄2 teaspoons ginger 11⁄2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 ⁄4 teaspoon cloves Pinch cayenne or a few grinds of black pepper 1 ⁄3 teaspoon salt 2 cups raw nuts, your choice

1. Preheat the oven to 300ºF. In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the molasses and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

2. Cook at medium heat until the mixture bubbles, then add spices, salt and nuts. Stir to coat the nuts completely.

3. Spread the nuts on a parchment-lined baking pan in a single layer, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the nuts don’t scorch.

4. Cool, and then break up any that are stuck together.

Makes 2 cups of glazed nuts

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GET INSPIRED | In the Kitchen with…

From Little Acorns Grow . . .

Inside the sunny kitchen of a small house in Kittery, Maine, something wonderful is cooking.

B Y D E B B I E K A N E | P H O T O G R A P H S B Y T I M S U L L I VA N

CALLED ACORN KITCHEN, IT’S the latest creation of Susan Tuveson, chef, teacher and former owner of Cacao Chocolates.

A home of sorts for area chefs, aspiring chefs, bakers and food entrepreneurs, Acorn Kitchen is southeastern Maine’s first community kitchen — a place to experiment with ideas of all kinds related to food.

“This kitchen came out of my community involvement,” Tuveson says. “I originally envisioned it as a small business incubator.”

Tuveson is no stranger to running a small business. After a brief stint as a divorce attorney in Minnesota, she moved to Maine in 1997. While studying to take the Maine bar exam, inspiration struck.

“I pulled down my chocolate cookbooks, and soon I had the concept and name for my new business,” she says. Instead of practicing law, Tuveson turned to making chocolate (“It’s totally creative and more satisfying than legal work,” she says). She started Cacao Chocolates in 2000 with business partner Greta Evans. For nine years, the duo developed a reputation for creating handmade truffles and chocolate bars. Tuveson, who claims to have her own “flavor vocabulary,” experimented with different flavors to her customers’ delight, creating such tantalizing taste combinations as basil and crème brûlée or rosemary and juniper. “Chocolate is a great substance,” she says. “It offers so many creative opportunities.”

But for Tuveson and Evans, opportunities eventually meant pursuing interests other than chocolate. In 2009, they closed Cacao. For the next two years, Tuveson explored her passions. She taught cooking classes at Stonewall Kitchen and competed in local chef competitions and fundraisers. She shared her passion for classical music and opera by hosting a program on WCSA, Portsmouth, New Hampshire’s community radio station.

She also joined Kittery’s planning board.

60 SPRING 2013

“There are so many people who are unemployed, underemployed or have an idea they want to test,” Tuveson notes. “I created this space so they can get started.”

As time passed, Tuveson wanted to share her knowledge of cooking and business with others and the idea for Acorn Kitchen soon developed (the name “acorn” evolved from her love of all things botanical and the fact that the kitchen and its clients are small, but have the potential to be big).

So she redesigned her home, creating a large open kitchen for personal use (though commercially certified) on one

side of her home and turning the former site of Cacao Chocolates into Acorn Kitchen’s commercial cooking and demonstration area. At 320 square feet, the professional kitchen is warm and intimate, with banks of windows fronting Government Street and cinnamon-colored walls. The kitchen includes two professional ovens, a six-burner gas cook top, ample prep space, a commercial dishwasher and a stainless steel table that doubles as a kitchen island and can be moved back and forth as needed. Tuveson provides top-quality cooking tools (a Kitchen Aid mixer, baking sheets, spoons, measuring tools, etc.) but kitchen users are expected to provide their own knives and cooking ingredients. Seating for demonstrations is provided around the cooktop counter.

“There are so many people who are unemployed, underemployed or have an idea they want to test,” Tuveson notes.

“I created this space so they can get started.” Aspiring foodies learn how to manage overhead, pricing, product packaging and marketing. In addition to sharing her business know-how, Tuveson offers moral support and mentoring, including dealing with what she calls “the monotony of production.”

“Some people have the dream, but then you have the reality of production,” she says. “At Cacao, some days I had to make 800 truffles. I loved doing it but you have to get into the mode of ‘get it done.’ That’s not always easy.”

Tuveson rents out Acorn Kitchen by the hour, day, week or month. The kitchen is used for a variety of reasons: an area chef experimenting with bottled sauces for fish; nutrition classes for new moms; cooking demonstrations; even food photography and video shoots (Northeast Flavor Editor Jean Kerr taped a cooking segment for Portland’s WMTW, News Channel 8, in Susan’s kitchen).

Country French Chocolate Cake (recipe on p.63)

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Warm Mocha Luxury

) (recipe on p. 63

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No matter who uses Acorn Kitchen, Tuveson knows it’ll make a difference in people’s lives. “It’s a good, creative space,” she says. “I’m excited about it.”

Country French Chocolate Cake If there is one cake recipe I’ve turned to a hundred times, it is this one. Dark and delicious, with a satisfying dense crumb, it goes together in 15 minutes with a minimum of fuss and can be flavored countless ways. Make this cake your own!

Equipment you will need: 9-inch springform pan, 21⁄2-quart heavy saucepan, a medium-size whisk and a handheld or stand mixer with whip attachment.

1

⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar, separated or regular granulated sugar, pulsed a few times in a food processor 10 ounces German bittersweet or semisweet chocolate or other good quality bar chocolate, roughly chopped 11⁄2 sticks unsalted butter (3⁄4 cup), cut into squares 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; optional additional flavorings such as 1 tablespoon or more Cognac, Amaretto or grated peel of 2 oranges 5 large eggs, separated 1 ⁄3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted Pinch of salt Dutch-process cocoa powder or confectioner’s sugar for dusting Whipped cream, crème fraîche, fruit sauce or other desired topping, optional

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Butter the springform pan, and toss in 2 tablespoons sugar to coat the pan. Tap out any excess and add to reserved sugar.

2. Place about half of the reserved sugar, the butter and chopped chocolate in a medium heavy saucepan. Set pan over low heat, stirring occasionally to combine and heat gently until chocolate and butter are melted and sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

3. Remove pan from the heat, and add the vanilla and additional flavorings, if using. With a whisk, beat in egg yolks one at a time until well blended, and then stir in flour until just incorporated.

4. Place egg whites into a very clean mixing bowl and affix whip attachment; add the salt and mix on medium speed until frothy. Add reserved sugar and whip on high speed until whites are stiff and glossy. Take care not to overbeat!

5. With a rubber spatula, add 1⁄3 of the whites to the chocolate mixture and fold in to lighten.

Add remainder of the whites and gently fold until uniformly incorporated.

6. Pour mixture into prepared pan, smoothing very lightly if uneven, taking care not to press the delicate air and chocolate suspension too hard.

7. Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until well risen and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Gently rotate pan halfway through baking if it appears the cake is rising unevenly.

8. When done, remove cake to a wire rack, and remove the detachable ring. Let cool completely.

Cake will settle during cooling.

9. To serve, remove cake from the metal base, and place on a plate or cake stand. Place cocoa or powdered sugar into a small fine sieve, and generously dust the cake. Enjoy as is, or add desired topping.

Serves 12

Warm Mocha Luxury Before the Easter Bunny gets here, celebrate the arrival of spring with this luxurious chocolate drink, which can also do double duty as dessert and after-dinner coffee.

Flavor the mixture your favorite way.

6 ounces good-quality semi- or bittersweet chocolate, such as Barry Callebaut or Valrhona, chopped fine or grated 1 ⁄2 cup half-and-half or light cream 3 cups hot freshly brewed black coffee Pinch cinnamon (optional) 1 tablespoon or to taste, liqueur, such as Frangelico, Kahlua, Amaretto (optional) Whipped cream (optional) Dutch-process cocoa powder to garnish

1. In a microwavable 2-cup measuring cup, combine chopped or grated chocolate and the milk or cream. At half power, melt the chocolate in the microwave, stopping to periodically give the mixture a stir. (Do not leave the mixture unattended during melting as it will burn quickly!) Blend mixture thoroughly.

2. In a large glass bowl or 2-quart measuring cup, combine hot coffee and the chocolate mixture, adding cinnamon and liqueur (if using) and whisk vigorously until foamy.

3. Serve hot in warm mugs or tall glasses, spooning a dollop of whipped cream and/or a sprinkle of cocoa powder.

Serves 4

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GET INSPIRED | Reviews

The Book & Blog Club Eggs Gone Mild

BY BRENDA GAUDET

Elegantly Easy Crème Brûlée

Meringue

The Incredible, Edible Egg

By Debbie Puente

By Linda K. Jackson and Jennifer Evans Gardner

www.incredibleegg.org

When eating out, I can usually pass up dessert (I’m more of a savory girl), but my willpower is no match for crème brûlée of any kind. If I see it on the menu, I immediately think of the wonderful feeling of cracking the sugar with my spoon, revealing the creamy goodness underneath, and then I am powerless.

I was glad to find this nifty little book by Debbie Puente, which makes crème brûlée easy to do at home and, once perfected, would make a great and showy presentation for dinner parties. (I have a feeling I’m even going to enjoy my experiments!) This book contains a lot of classic recipes like Milk Chocolate Caramel and Coffee Bean Espresso, but also has some interesting alternatives like Non-fat Crème Brûlée and a Lavender Flower Crème Brûlée that is served in an ice bowl infused with real sprigs of fresh lavender, just in time for a spring celebration.

There are even recipes that are savory instead of sweet, which you can make as showy side dishes to your main entrées. The Sweet Corn Crème Brûlée would be perfect in summer months when fresh corn is abundant, and the Carmelized Onion sounds intriguing, as does the Roasted Sweet Garlic. The Roasted Bell Pepper Crème Brûlée uses hollowed out peppers instead of ramekins for an even more delicious and creative twist on an old classic. Get your spoons ready!

Simple yet elegant describes so many wonderful things, and I’m including meringues in that group. While the basic recipe is simple (egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar or vinegar and air), meringues can instill fear in even the most experienced of home cooks. This cookbook will take the mystique out of meringues and boost your confidence.

Filled with beautiful photography, this book contains tips and techniques to guarantee success (use room temperature eggs, and make sure there’s no fat residue anywhere). Recipes include Cookies (the Brown Sugar Crisps recipe only uses two eggs and a little sugar and makes 100 cookies!), Pavlovas (old-world charm updated for new taste palates), Pies (move over Lemon Meringue and Key Lime . . . I can’t wait to try the Blood Orange Curd Meringue Tart with Dark Chocolate), Vacherins (named after the wheels of the French and Swiss cheeses, and a favorite of Marie Antoinette) and many more delicious ideas.

Once you’ve mastered meringue, why not attempt a Baked Alaska? Or transport yourself back to that Parisian pâtisserie by whipping up a batch of macarons?

Celebrate the British by making one of their favorite desserts, the Eton Mess. It’s a good thing there are fresh eggs at the farmers’ markets . . . with all the recipes I have bookmarked, it’s going to be a busy spring!

The year was 1977. Jimmy Carter was president, Star Wars was breaking box office records, and we all learned a jingle that would never leave us: we sang about the “incredible, edible egg.” While the American Egg Board is now offering a newly updated jingle on their website (funny, but just not the same), eggs remain a healthy staple, and we’re so very glad.

Eggs have taken an unjustified bad rap over the years, but they are a good source of nutrition, and are used in a myriad of recipes, from breakfast, to appetizers, snacks, main courses and, of course, desserts. This website has many delicious recipes for you to try, divided into categories such as Fast and Easy Breakfasts (the Omelette in a Bun looks both tasty and easy), Brunch and Entertaining (I’m definitely making Mini Orange Maple French Toast Casseroles), Main Dishes (yay for Seafood Soufflé), and many others.

The site also provides nutritional information about how eggs can be included in a healthy diet and can help with weight loss.

There are egg facts and history, tips on egg safety, information on the egg industry and a section on the Good Egg Project, where egg producers get involved in the farm-totable movement and help eradicate hunger.

This website contains so many good things in one small package . . . just like an egg!

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Soups and Starters Caramelized Onion and Quail Egg Tartlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gougères . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Honey Butter Popcorn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Matzo Ball Soup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Spice Glazed Nuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tricolor Fish Terrine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

page 29 page 29 page 13 page 44 page 59 page 44

Main Courses Baked Eggs over Roasted Root Vegetables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 30 Blackbelly Lamb Stew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 41 Boeuf Bourguignon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 45 Broccoli and Cheddar Muffin Tin Frittatas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 15 Broiled Shad Roe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 55 Connecticut Stuffed Baked Shad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Cou Cou . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 41 Duck Egg Carbonara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 31 Egg-in-a-Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 27 Farmer’s Omelette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 27 Fried Fish or Chicken, Bajan Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 40 Macaroni Cheese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 40 Malbec-Braised Beef Short Ribs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 21 Maples Inn Blueberry Stuffed French Toast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 28 Mount Gay Rum Punch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mussel and Chive Omelette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 18 Pear and Cinnamon Omelette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 19 Roasted Chicken Breast with Truffle Butter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 13 Sautéed Shad Roe with Applewood Bacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 55 Shad Roe in Lemon-Caper Butter Sauce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 55 Spaghetti with Peas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 35 Stewed Down Salt Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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“A wonderful book about fish and shellfish cookery” —Mary Ann Esposito

“A feast for the eyes and the stomach” —Jasper White

$16.95

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Sauces and Sides Aunt Sharon’s Charoset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bacon, Blue Cheese and Rosemary Butter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Blueberry Sauce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Caramel Sauce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chez Boucher’s “Semi Glace” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dill and Lemon Zest Butter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Maître d’Hôtel Butter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Persian Charoset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sunchoke Latkes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery’s Compound Butter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

*

page 46 page 12 page 28 page 30 page 10 page 12 page 55 page 46 page 47 page 12

“You can’t go wrong with Union Oyster House Cookbook” —Bobby Flay

$12.95

Sweets Apple & Caramel Bread Pudding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Country French Chocolate Cake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hot Water Gingerbread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Indian Pudding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Matzo Buttercrunch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Red Berry Cobbler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Warm Mocha Luxury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

page 30 page 63 page 58 page 58 page 46 page 35 page 63

Cocktails Anise-Fennel-Cardamom Aquavit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 50 Cranberry-Ginger Aquavit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 50 Horseradish-Dill Aquavit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 50 Mint-Lemon Aquavit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 50 Mount Gay Rum Punch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Passover Margarita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Raspberry-Mint Aquavit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 50 The Cliff’s Mar-tea-ni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 41

* *

For more great recipes, visit our website: www.northeastflavor.com

$17.95 “An innovative cookbook” —Bon Appetit

Our books are widely available through all good bookstores, through internet retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM, IndieBound, and through distributors around the world.

Prices may vary.

Smith/Kerr Associates, LLC One Government Street, Suite 1 Kittery, ME 03904 Visit our new site: www.smithkerr.com

GET INSPIRED | Things We Love

Espress Yourself Is there anything better than the aroma of freshly ground coffee, before, during or after being freshly brewed?

Whether you sip coffee to perk you up in the morning or to wind you down after dinner, we’ve come across some great products to help you achieve the perfect cup.

BY ELAINE TOMASINI

)Capresso EC100

,Krups XP 2280

The Capresso Cappuccino/Espresso maker from Jura is a wonderful little machine that easily allows you to make delicious espresso at home. If cappuccino or latte is more to your liking, this coffee maker features a steaming arm.

With the black sleeve on, the milk will froth; remove the sleeve, and you get plain steamed milk. Its compact footprint is ideal for smaller spaces.

Suggested retail is $149.99.

While this top-of-the-line cappuccino/espresso maker may be a little complicated (okay, very complicated) to assemble out of the box, once you get it set up, you’ll have a superior drip coffee maker side-by-side with an espresso machine that will have you dreaming of your favorite European café and barista. It gurgles just like the rig in your favorite boutique coffee shop, but it has a much smaller footprint on your counter.

You can make a pot of regular coffee and two demitasses of cappuccino or espresso at the same time.

The steamer nozzle froths the milk for the perfect foam so you can practice your latte art!

Suggested retail is $399.

)AeroPress Sometimes the simple answers are the best. And making great coffee couldn’t be simpler with the AeroPress by Aerobie. They believe that coffee should be made quickly because extending the brewing time just adds to the coffee’s acidity; their brew time is only about 30 seconds using very hot, not boiling, water. Using finely ground coffee instead of a coarse grind releases coffee’s full-bodied flavor, and eliminates grit in your cup. Similar to, but (we think) better than a French press, this coffee maker is easy to use with just a little practice and very easy to clean and store.

Suggested retail is $29.99.

*Capresso Burr Coffee Grinder 559 Grinding your own beans does take a bit of extra time, but is the ultimate for freshness and aroma. This easy-to-clean grinder has an ample holding tank for beans. You program in the number of cups you want and it automatically grinds the right amount of coffee. The fineness selector can be set to grind your perfect cup of coffee, from drip to espresso.

Suggested retail is $49.99.

66 SPRING 2013

Note: These products are available from multiple retailers and web sites, and prices may vary.

NORTHEAST FLAVOR | Marketplace

To Buy Buy or Sell 6033-3 382-8770 www.youravon.com/vhaggett /vhaggett

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NORTHEAST FLAVOR | Marketplace: Destination Portsmouth — PA R T I C I PAT I N G R E S TAU R A N T S I N R E S TAU R A N T W E E K —

TAPAS ~ WINEBAR ~ ALFRESCO DINING

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World Class Italian Cuisine 603.436.4000 603 436 4000 59 Penhallow Stree Street Portsmouth, o ts out , N NH www.RistoranteMassimo.com

Chef Inspired Cuisine Two Great Restaurants One Great Location

99 Bow St Portsmouth, NH

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401Tavern 401T Tavern Agave Bistro Agave Mexican B istro Annek ke Jans Anneke B G’’s Boat Boat House BG’s B lack Trumpet Trumpet Black B lue Mermaid Island Island Grill Grill Blue B onta Restaurant Restaur Restaurant Bonta Brazo Brazo Caf fe Mediterraneo Mediterrraneo ane Cafe Caf fe Nostimo Cafe Carriage House C ava Cava Common Man Demeters Steakhouse Dinnerhorn The District F our Four Gr eat American Gri lle Great Grille Gr een Monkey Monkkey ey Green Gri Grillll 28 Harbor ’s Edge Harbor’s Jumpin’ Ja y’s Fis sh Caf fe e Jay’s Fish Cafe Library Restaurant Restaurant Library Martingale Wharf Mombo Moxy Moxy Oar House Orchard Street Street Chop Shop Orchard Pimentos P ortsmouth Brewery Brewery Portsmouth P ortsmouth Gas Light Portsmouth R adici Radici RiR a RiRa Ristor ante Massimo Ristorante Riv er House River Grill R obert’s Maine G Robert’s Grill R udi’’s P ortsmouth Rudi’s Portsmouth Stage Neck IInn nn Str eet eat/drink 360 Street Surf R Restaur estaurant Restaurant Surf Sushi B ar Bar Thr ee Chimneys Inn Inn Three T ulsi IIndian ndian R estaurant Tulsi Restaurant Wellington R Room oom Wellington

Rest RestaurantWeekPortsmouth.com aurantWeekPortsmouth.com Pr Present esent this coupon to yyour our serv server er during Restaurant Restaurant Week Week and E EH HQWHUHG LQWR D GUDZLQJ IRU D GLQLQJ JLIW FHUWL¿FDWH H HQWHUHG LQWR D GUDZLQJ IRU D GLQLQJ JLIW FHUWL¿FDWH!

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NORTHEAST FLAVOR | Advertiser Directory

Allagash Brewery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Anneke Jans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 68 Ariston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Attar Herbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . This Page Avon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Bar Harbor Regency Oceanfront Resort & Marina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Black Trumpet Bistro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Boston Harbor Hotel Wine Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The Brooklin Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . This Page Cava . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 The Centennial Hotel and Granite Restaurant & Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Chez Boucher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Ciao Italia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Cotton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover David Virtue Jewelry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Downeast Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Drew’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Eagle Mountain House and Eagle Landing Tavern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 The Ethan Allen Hotel and Fairfields Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 The Exeter Inn and Epoch Restaurant & Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Expert European Skin Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Formaticum Cheese Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Galley Hatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Grill 28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Harbor’s Edge/Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Harborside Hotel, Spa and Marina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Hay Creek Hotels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Kennebunkport Resort Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover King Arthur Flour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover Maine Foodie Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 McKinnon’s Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Nantucket Pasta Goddess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Nantucket Wine Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Northern New England Home, Garden, Flower Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Ocean Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 The Orchards Hotel and Gala Steakhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Popovers on the Square . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Portsmouth Restaurant Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Ristorante Massimo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 68 Samoset Resort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Smith/Kerr Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65, 71 South Street & Vine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Surf Restaurant and Sushi Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 The Wellington Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 West Street Hotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 The Wolfeboro Inn and Wolfe’s Tavern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

CREDITS:

Since 1969, New England’s trusted source of quality herbs, spices and essential oils.

Visit us online www.attarherbs.com 70 SPRING 2013

P.8: Photograph of Susan Tuveson by Tim Sullivan P.10: iStockphoto.com/ytwong P.12 (right): iStockphoto.com/HeikeRau P.13: Product imagery provided courtesy of manufacturers PP.14-15: Recipe preparation by Susan Tuveson; food styling

by Candace Perreault; photographs by Tim Sullivan P.16: Photograph by Tim Sullivan; food styling by Candace Perreault P.20: Recipe preparation and food styling by Candace Perreault; photograph by Tim Sullivan P.24: iStockphoto.com/stuartbur P29: Can Stock Photo Inc./msheldrake P.30: Can Stock Photo Inc./margouillat P.31: iStockphoto.com/nicolebranan P.42: iStockphoto.com/RuslanDashinsky P.43 (top): iStockphoto.com/emyerson P.52: iStockphoto.com/YinYang P.56 & 58: Recipe preparation and food styling by Candace Perreault; photographs by Tim Sullivan P.57: iStockphoto.com/ sf_foodphoto PP.60-62: Recipe preparation by Susan Tuveson; food styling by Candace Perreault P.66: Photographs provided courtesy of product manufacturers.

TASTE for yourself why Maine is a culinary destination!

Coming next issue. . . * The Todd English Empire * Traveling the Connecticut Wine Trail * Perfect Paella * Lobster Then and Now

Look for our Summer issue on newsstands in June!

We offer a variety of fun-filled and tasty tours in Portland and Kennebunkport.

One of the "9 Best Foodie Walking Tours in the USA" (AOL Travel)

Until then, be sure to visit www.northeastflavor.com for new and seasonal stories, recipes and our flavor of the month!

Visit online or call to reserve yours today: 207-233-7485 mainefoodietours.com

Photograph courtesy of Todd English.

pa mper yourself...

Since 1986 we have been the New Hampshire Seacoast area's premier personal care spa, offering skincare treatments in the European tradition

NOW’S YOUR CHANCE TO COOK LIKE ONE! Join Grammy®-nominated Smash Mouth as they tour the world, bringing home great recipes from great restaurants

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603-430-0005 www.experteuropeanskincare.com

Available wherever books are sold Smith/Kerr Associates, LLC www.smithkerr.com NORTHEASTFLAVOR.COM

71

ROOTS

Culinary Arts: The Gift of Eggs B Y B R E N D A G A U D E T | P H O T O G R A P H S B Y T I M S U L L I VA N

For thousands of years, eggs have been viewed as the symbol of new life.

Eggs were colored to symbolize fertility and were a perfect way to bless the planting of the new crops at the time of the vernal (spring) equinox.

While every region has its own eggdecorating tradition, it has been raised to a true art form in Eastern Europe and most notably, Ukraine. Known as pysanka (one egg, pronounced puh-saun-kah) or pysanky (plural), the name of this tradition comes from the verb pysaty, meaning “to write.”

Traditionally, this was a woman’s craft, done at night during Lent, after the children had gone to bed. Groups of women would gather to work, and patterns were handed down from mother to daughter.

Karen Brouillette, docent at the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, Massachusetts, (www.museumofrussian icons.org), has been decorating pysanky for years and teaches the art to both children and adults. The process begins when

72 SPRING 2013

the artist takes a white chicken egg, either whole or blown out, and divides it into quarters by drawing pencil lines on the surface of the egg, for scale and symmetry.

The pattern is then drawn on. There are many traditional, symbolic and geometric patterns used: ladders for prosperity; flowers to symbolize beauty and elegance; deer and horses are for wealth and prosperity; and birds (always at rest, never in flight) denote fertility. Colors, too, convey specific emotions: white is purity, green for spring’s hope and fertility, red is happiness and love and sky blue calls to mind healthy, fresh air.

The artist uses a stylus called a kistka, which is a stick with a funnel and needle on one end. The artist scoops beeswax into the funnel and holds the funnel to a candle to melt the wax. The wax runs down the needle part of the funnel, and the artist outlines the first of their designs

with the melted wax (this art uses a waxresist or batik method). The egg is then submerged into the first color dye bath; what was covered by the wax will remain white as that part of the shell is protected by the wax. More wax designs are added, protecting the preceding dye color, until the entire egg is decorated. (The dye baths start with the lightest color first, and proceed incrementally to darker shades.)

When done, most of the egg will be covered in wax.

The artist reveals the decoration by holding the egg near the candle flame for a few seconds and wiping off the wax a small portion at a time. The eggs can be sealed using a quick-drying (non-latex) varnish.

These eggs are traditionally given as gifts, wishing family and friends health, fertility and good fortune during spring’s renewal.

*

Th e l o o k . T h e t a ste. T he feel of C O TT ON. there’s really nothing quite like it

COTTON features the cooking of multi-award winning Chef/Author/Owner Jeffrey Paige. Located in Manchester NH’s Historic Millyard District, Cotton is known for exceptional food, friendly yet professional service and an inviting, casual upscale atmosphere.

It’s the place the New York Times calls “hip”. Both a classic neighborhood restaurant (named “One of the ten best neighborhood restaurants in the Northeast” by Bon Appetit Magazine) and a destination for diners throughout central New England, Cotton features sophisticated and eclectic American comfort food and an extensive wine list featuring over 40 wines by the glass, and has held the distinct honor of “Best Martinis in New Hampshire” eight years in a row. Reservations are accepted for all

meals, and are strongly recommended on Friday and Saturday evenings. 6 0 3 . 6 2 2 . 5 4 8 8

1 1

y e a r s

a n d

c o u n t i n g

In the Historic Millyard District at 75 Arms Street, Manchester, NH • Lunch: Mon- Fri • Dinner: Nightly at 5pm w w w. c o t t o n f o o d . c o m

TASTE, ENJOY, LEARN… AND BAKE Discover our new campus in Norwich, Vermont. Take a class at our stunning Baking Education Center. Watch the bakers at work in our state-of-the-art Bakery. Relax in our Café with a warm croissant. Explore every aspect of baking in the all-new King Arthur Flour store – filled with ingredients, tools, and pans for your very best baking. Come and visit. The pure joy of baking lives here.

LET THE

%$.(5< 6&+22/ 6725( &$)e

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LEARN MORE kingarthurflour.com/ourstore