Who's Hungry? Magazine | No 12

kathryn o’malley | Editor and Writer

Kathryn’s love of food is matched only by her passion for writing about it; as part of the Who’s Hungry? ™ editorial team, she indulges in a bit of both and has contributed various pieces of work for the magazine. Her popular food blog, dramaticpancake.com, garners more than 40,000 unique viewers per month and highlights the people and stories behind great recipes.

judith mara | Editor and Writer

Judith has worked with Stephen for almost seven years and helps to lead the editorial concept and execution of Who’s Hungry? ™ Magazine. An award-winning former creative director for major ad agencies such as Leo Burnett and J. Walter Thompson, Judith sweats the details, pens Weather Permitting and literally hand writes How We Did it.

Molly Sorge | Writer

A lifelong lover of all things equine, Molly Sorge found a way to unite her greatest passions when she began writing and photographing for the weekly equestrian magazine The Chronicle of the Horse sixteen years ago. When she isn’t traveling or scooping up a story, Molly can be found galloping across the countryside on her own steed, the inimitable Elf. For Who’s Hungry? ™ Magazine, she recounts the thrill of a Virginia foxhunt and the delectable breakfast that follows.

Todd Womack | Comedian and Writer

Todd Womack is a Brooklyn-based comedian who has been a writer/performer on the gigantic YouTube series The Key of Awesome, since 2010. The series has over 1 billion views to date, and can be found on the YouTube channel “Barely Political.” His credits include Good Morning America, 20/20, Chappelle’s Show; and appearances on Bravo, VH-1, TNT, and in Esquire magazine. For Who’s Hungry? ™ Magazine, Todd gets dirty with some tantalizing food porn.

A freelance food writer and editor, Kate Bernot has contributed to NBC’s The Feast, Chicago Sun-Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Serious Eats Chicago, and BlackboardEats. She helped develop the editorial vision of Who’s Hungry? ™ Magazine and wrote about mustard plants and Chef Giuseppe Tentori’s clam chowder for this issue.

David Sedaris | Humorist, Writer, and Radio Commentator

One of America’s greatest humorists, David Sedaris is a master of satire and the bestselling author of Barrel Fever, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Holidays on Ice, and many more. He is also a playwright and regular commentator for National Public Radio. For Who’s Hungry? ™ Magazine, David treats us to a holiday fable in which barnyard animals take on suspiciously human traits.

deirdre o’shea | Production Director

If you have worked with Stephen Hamilton, you’ve worked with Deirdre. Drawing on 15 years of experience in managing photography studios, Deirdre has a hand in nearly every aspect of Stephen’s business. She’s been instrumental in organizing the magazine’s shoots, sourcing ingredients, and always keeping production on schedule.

ian law | Design

Ian designed every aspect of Who’s Hungry?™ magazine with meticulous attention to detail and typography, and helped turn static images into an interactive experience. His award-winning design work has been featured in the pages of Print, Creativity, How, PDN and Graphic Design USA

Sara Moulton | Chef, Cookbook Author, Television Personality

One of the hardest-working women in the food biz, Sara has hosted multiple Food Network shows, served as Gourmet magazine’s executive chef for 23 years, and balanced it all with family life. She has written three cookbooks, and hosts her own PBS show, Sara’s Weeknight Meals. For Who’s Hungry? ™ Magazine, Sara reflects on her long relationship with Julia Child.

Bryan Olsen | Writer and Performer

Bryan Olsen is a writer and performer for Barely Political’s “The Key of Awesome.” Additionally, he wrote for Comedy Central’s Roast of David Hasselhoff, and sold a screenplay to Paramount Pictures and Ivan Reitman. As an actor, Mr. Olsen has appeared on several episodes of Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show. For Who’s Hungry? ™ Magazine, Bryan gets dirty with some tantalizing food porn.

Inga Witscher | Dairy Farmer and Host of Around the Table

As a fourth generation dairy farmer, Inga isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Tending cattle, plucking vegetables from the garden, baking break, and making cheese: Inga does it all, and makes it all look easy. Her new PBS series, Around the Farm Table, focuses on the work of local farmers, seasonal ingredients and what to do with them. For Who’s Hungry? ™ Magazine, Inga shares her daily adventures from a bustling farm, where the sound of cows in the morning is the only alarm clock she needs.

As we slip closer to the New Year many people think back and reflect on the past year’s highlights. I took a similar approach with this issue of WH? and looked back through all 11 issues to select my favorite stories.

LETTER FROM STEVE

Since inception I’ve pushed the photography to reach higher levels of food related “experiences”. I’ve been swarmed by bees, participated in a Virginia fox hunt, stood on a vast plain in Wyoming with a herd of buffalo, seen the fabled golden corridors of mustard in Napa Valley planted by a 19th century priest, and photographed dairy cows at dawn then drank their milk in my coffee.

Some other memorable moments were spent working with amazing chefs. There are few chefs more delightful to spend time with than Stephanie Izard, Guiseppe Tentori and Rodelio Aglibot. I also got a kick out of the story by famed chef and TV personality, Sara Moulton, about her years as Julia Child’s assistant. And no one writes a holiday tale better than humorist David Sedaris.

These are the type of images and stories we are committed to in WH? magazine. Which is why we have taken a short hiatus in order to regroup and to renew the creative juices for a fresh start in 2015.

Who’s Hungry™ for more? Happy New Year!

Stephen Hamilton

A Day in the Life

by INGA WITSCHER

“Red Sky in the morning sailors takes warning”…. That’s ok! We need the rain. This time of year our pastures can benefit from all the moisture they can absorb.

With my overalls tucked into my barn boots, I head out into the field as the sun rises over Wisconsin. Dragging my feet through the morning dew, I take a mental note of what’s growing in the pasture.

There’s clover and plantain, crows foot trefoil and a few pesky thistles ready to bloom. Overall it looks good. We will be able to move the cows into this pasture after the weekend.

S T . ISIDO R E ’S M E A D Wisconsin

On our farm, St. Isidore’s Mead, we practice Managed Intensive Grazing, which means we move the cows to a fresh strip of grass every 12 hours. The cows are turned into a new pasture after the morning and evening milkings.

They spend that time eating a diverse diet of native grasses and wild herbs which give their milk a clean, grassy flavor. The cows in turn fertilize the ground behind them, improving the soils for the future.

“Ca-boss, Ca-boss, come on ladies, let’s go,” I call out to our 15 Jersey cows as, one by one, they begin to rise. First is Hannah; she stands up and immediately whips her long brown tail across her back before going into a downward dog-like stretch and then heads off to the water tank. Next Jenny and Mae stand up, arch their backs and file into the line of cows heading towards the barn.

“Ca-boss, Ca-boss, come on ladies, let’s go”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

Back at the barn, my husband Joe sanitizes all the milking equipment. Producing high quality milk is extremely important to us. We will never produce a large amount of milk, but we work to produce the best quality. To ensure that high quality, we milk the old-fashioned way, using a bucket milking system. The bucket milkers are

gentler on the cows’ udders, and also on the milk. In a conventional/factory farm system, milk is pumped dozens of times. That pumping shatters the fat globules of the milk. When handled gently, the milk stays in its truest form, creating a fuller flavored milk, perfect for making St. Isidore’s cheese.

At the age of 61, my father, a third generation dairy farmer, became a licensed Wisconsin State cheese maker. Now, when the cows are eating grass as the seasons allow, we transform our grass-fed, organic, high quality milk into a farmstead raw milk cheese. Today is one of those days when we can deliver the milk to him, still warm from the morning’s milking.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

After 8 hours of stirring, then adding the rennet and cultures, the curd comes together. The cheese is then pressed and wrapped in butter-soaked cheesecloth, then pressed again to form 20-pound round truckles. A label is sewn into the cheesecloth with the date, the name of the pasture the cows were grazing in, a description of the weather and the names of the cows who produced the milk. The cheese is then moved into a cave with the correct temperature and humidity. The truckles are turned and brushed continuously throughout a one-year hibernation in the cave. This

guarantees even moisture throughout the truckle. Mold will grow on the cheese which will provide flavor.

After the evening milking, Joe follows the cows to the field and I make a pit stop to make martinis and grab some curds out of the fridge from this morning’s cheese make. Sitting with Joe in the clover, cocktails in hand, we listen to the cows graze—this is a tradition my father started when we first moved to St. Isidore’s Mead. With the last sip of gin, the rain starts to sprinkle, and we head for home.

PHOTOGRAPHY

by KATHRYN O’MALLEY

Stephanie Izard knows success. She is the first female winner in Top Chef history, owner of one of Chicago’s hottest restaurants, Girl & the Goat (inspired by the Izard surname, which is French for a Pyrenean goat-antelope), and is about to launch a spin-off restaurant-diner, Little Goat, this October.

Izard’s laid-back style and swoonworthy flavors draw flocks of hungry fans and food lovers from across the country. Her cooking is bold and complex, yet completely unpretentious–much like the chef herself. Izard’s infectious enthusiasm and warm, no-fuss personality makes her one of the most likeable culinary rock stars you will ever meet.

We invited Giuseppe Tentori, the subject of last issue’s “Portrait of a Chef,” to submit questions he was curious to ask Stephanie…and it seems they both have a great sense of humor.

what would you do if you weren’t a chef?

Scuba instructor.

what’s one of your funniest moments in a kitchen?

Not sure if it was funny, but it was awkward: When a guest started talking to one of the male line cooks, thanking him for the meal, convinced it was me. Do I look that manly? Hmmm.

what do you look for in chefs who apply to work in your kitchen?

We like line cooks that love what they do and are also fun. 12 to 14 hours is a long time to spend with people that are not fun.

what’s one ingredient that you’d rather not ever cook with? why?

Green bell peppers. For no other reason than they just do not taste good.

what do you miss the most about your days on the line?

When I start to miss it I just go back there and cook.

Quite possibly the most popular item on the Girl and the Goat’s menu is Stephanie’s Sautéed Green Beans with fish sauce vinaigrette and cashews.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

by KATHRYN O’MALLEY

BISON is back

“This scenery already rich pleasing and beautiful was still farther heightened by immense herds of buffalo, deer, elk and antelopes which we saw in every direction feeding on the hills and plains. I do not think I exaggerate when I estimate the number of buffalo which could be comprehended at one view to amount to 3000.”

— Meriwether Lewis, September 17, 1804, near present-day Chamerlain, South Dakota

Once upon a time, the great American bison—often mistakenly called buffalo—flourished in the tens of millions and covered the Great Plains in a blanket of shaggy brown. By the late 19th century, however, settlers had killed some 50 million bison for food, sport and to deprive Native Americans of their most valuable natural resource. Enormous herds were reduced to near extinction.

BISON FACT

Bison are the heaviest land animals in North America, often weighing a ton or more and standing 5 to 6 feet tall at the shoulders. They have large heads, massive humps and sharp curved horns that can grow up to 2 feet long. Despite their formidable size and bulk, bison can sprint at speeds up to 40 miles per hour.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Propelled by the efforts of early conservationists, the bison population began a slow bounce back in 1905. Recent interest in the animals as a healthy, sustainable alternative to beef

has only quickened their resurgence. Today, bison can be found at parks, reserves and ranches around the country, as well as on the plates of adventurous eaters.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

Joe Ricketts, entrepreneur and philanthropist, has played a powerful role in returning the meat to our menus. In 2003, Ricketts founded High Plains Bison, a retailer of natural bison meat and the official bison vendor at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. At Ricketts’s quiet Wyoming ranch, his bison graze in lumbering herds, heads bowed, with shoulders as broad and jagged as the mountains that stand in the distance. Though much has changed since the days of Lewis and Clark, one thing remains the same: the undeniable thrill at seeing these majestic creatures at home in their natural habitat.

PHOTOGRAPHY STEPHEN HAMILTON

BISON FACT

Bison has a delicious, delicate flavor—lighter and somewhat sweeter than beef—and an impressive nutritional profile. Bison-industry regulations require that bison raised for their meat are never treated with artificialgrowth hormones, chemicals or unnecessary antibiotics. Moreover, bison meat contains far less fat, calories and cholesterol than beef, but higher levels of iron, omega-3’s and other nutrients.

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

BISON FACT

Because bison is so lean, its preparation requires a little extra care to ensure it doesn’t dry out. This means that steaks should never be cooked beyond medium, and tougher cuts (such as chuck, brisket and short ribs) are best cooked low and slow for the most tender and flavorful results.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

SWEET SHADES OF GOLD

BY KATHRYN O’MALLEY

My mom’s brother was an accountant by day and a mad scientist by night. He and his son conducted chemistry experiments as entertainment, and their small Oklahoma garage doubled as a sewing room for my uncle’s most prized invention, a ventilated beekeeping suit. He was relentlessly curious and endearingly quirky, and after years of backyard beekeeping, he created and marketed the kind of bee suit he himself wanted to wear: one that was durable, protective, and breathable—even at the height of an Oklahoma summer.

When my uncle passed away unexpectedly, my mother took over the bee suit business and has been running it ever since. Thanks to a gift from my uncle, I also grew up sharing a backyard with some 30,000 Italian bees. And though the yellow-streaked stunners have been circling my family for a while now, it wasn’t until I set out to write about them that

I realized how little I knew of their secret, mysterious lives—and the remarkable effort involved in creating just a single spoonful of honey.

Stock your pantry with different varieties, and let the following recipes help guide you to your favorites.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

HUMBLE WORKERS

Bees work hard. Really hard. To make just one pound of honey, bees must visit some 2 million flowers. We depend on them for one of our favorite sweeteners, but they are also responsible for over $16 billion worth of agricultural product through pollination. Our supermarkets would look much different had honeybees not appeared on the scene more than 100 million years ago.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

Raw comb honey, courtesy of Heritage Prairie Farm in Elburn, Illinois

FROM NECTAR TO HONEY

A forager honeybee stores nectar in a special region of its gut called a crop. When fully loaded, the bee returns to the hive and transfers the nectar to the aptly named receiver bees that are waiting on the front porch for delivery. The receiver bees take the nectar, now mixed with enzymes from the forager’s special stomach, to the honeycomb, where they complete the process of transforming nectar to honey.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

View recipe on page 136 » honey nougatine by geovanna salas

View recipe on page 137 » milk honey pudding by meg galus

A Seasonal TREAT

It’s easy to forget that honey is a seasonal food since it lasts indefinitely. But honey is entirely dependent on local climate and the nectar of blossoming flowers, which influence the color, flavor and aroma of honey much like the sea shapes an oyster or a barrel impacts wine. As a general rule of thumb, light honeys are faintly sweet (clover), amber honeys are richly mellow (blueberry), and dark honeys are bold and robust (buckwheat).

View recipe on page 138»

honey mandeleines by sarah kosokowski

View recipe on page 139 honey vanilla ice cream by sarah kosokowski

One of the simplest and easiest ways to enjoy honey is on its own—scooped up by the spoonful—or stirred into a hot cup of tea. The sweet, molten gold can also be spread over buttered toast, drizzled atop oatmeal and baked into breads. Or it can be used to more decadent effect, as evidenced in these desserts.

View recipe on page 140 »

milk chocolate honey ganache by sarah kosokowski

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

STORY & RECIPES by SARA MOULTON SARA

photo by BillAdler

Think you’ve read or seen everything there is to know about Julia Child? Well, there’s always something new. Sara Moulton looks back on her long relationship with Julia and how she will always be influenced by Julia’s natural thirst for new ways, ingredients and gadgets.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

View recipe on page 141 » rhubarb potstickers MOULTON

I’m inspired by many things and many people: eating out, traveling, cookbooks, online information, and my family and friends… not to mention my own personal lifetime of taste memories. But nothing and no one was more important to me than Julia Child, the first person who taught me how to develop a recipe.

As the chef/manager of a catering operation in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1979, I happened to be in the right place at the right time. One day I was peeling a lifetime’s supply of hardboiled eggs when I started chatting with Berit

Pratt, one of my teammates, about Julia’s method of cooking hard-boiled eggs (which is not to boil them). Berit mentioned that she was a volunteer on Julia’s PBS TV show. I wondered if Julia might ever need another volunteer (namely me), and Berit said that they were just about to tape another season and she’d ask Julia.

The next day Berit told me that she’d talked to Julia, and that Julia wanted to hire me. I was astonished that Julia Child would even consider offering me a paid job without having met me. So I trotted down to the corner pay phone and dialed her right up. She picked up the phone herself, said she’d heard all about me, and asked if I “food-styled.” In truth, I didn’t really have any professional experience in food styling, but I figured, heck, as a chef, I certainly take care to land my food attractively on a plate. So what did I say? “Yes, Julia. I’m very good at food styling.” And I got the job. BY STEPHEN

How did I dream up these spring desserts, presenting seasonal fruits in unusual new recipes?

That was the beginning of the most important relationship of my career. I worked with Julia on that show, Julia Child and More Company, and on the cookbook that was published with it. Afterwards, I assisted her at various industry events. In the mid-eighties, I became Julia’s prep cook/food stylist whenever she appeared on Good Morning America. We remained friends until she died, and I was lucky enough to host a special on her for the Food Network in the last year of her life.

But back to JC and More Company, for which I was supposedly the food stylist. I learned a ton on the job, mostly from Julia, but also from the executive chef, Marian Morash. I thought we’d just sit at the feet of a master and be told what to do, but that wasn’t the

way Julia worked. We were all in it together. Recipe development was a group effort, although Julia of course always had the last word.

She was endlessly curious about everything culinary, including all new gadgets. When Carl Sontheimer was developing the original Cuisinart in the late seventies, Julia made a point of using it on air so that home cooks could learn more about it. I don’t know who first put a blow torch in Julia’s hands, but it became her weapon of choice for crème brûlée. She was reliably fascinated by new ingredients, too. The first time any of us tasted a sugar snap pea was when someone brought it to Julia on the set of her show. The same was true of spaghetti squash and string cheese.

Julia was also on a mission to introduce her viewers to all of the wonderful ingredients to which she’d first been exposed in France, including monkfish, rabbit, and celery root. I’d never cooked with any of them before and each one was a real eye-opener. Julia never hesitated using hard-to-find ingredients as long as they were worth it. She encouraged home cooks to become activists in pursuit of better eating. I can still see her looking dead into the camera and saying, “Tell your produce man you need leeks and shallots, and he must carry them. Tell your fishmonger that monkfish is a delicious alternative fish to the usual options.”

This isn’t to say that Julia was merely trendy. She always tempered her curiosity with a strict reliance on the scientific method. Here’s how she boiled it all down in Julia Child and More Company:

I took that advice to heart a generation ago and it continues to guide me today. It happens to be spring again, the season of renewal. Why not try something new in the kitchen?

Don’t take things for granted. Keep searching for better techniques, new applications, new ways of combining flavors. Try things out. One’s imagination can play one false—the only real test is to taste.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

TALLY HO!

by MOLLY SORGE

Molly Sorge, an equine journalist from Ruther Glen, Virginia and her horse, Elf, often spend autumn mornings on a fox hunt. Molly shares with us a story that transports us into her world of hunts, horses, hounds and a hunt breakfast.

Stephen Hamilton recently traveled to Middleburg, Virginia to photograph and experience first hand a traditional fox hunt and all its trimmings. By his photos you’ll see he didn’t go hungry.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON | RECIPES BY JOSEPHINE ORBA & MICHAEL MARTIN

Hunting mornings start early, drenched in fog and spiked with light as the sun makes its way through the trees. As I ready my horse, I chat with friends, catching up on all the news and sharing stories. After swinging a leg over my horse and setting off amidst the field of riders, I pause a moment and close my eyes, smelling the sharp, tangy sweat of my horse and the smoky musk of the leaves underfoot.

The air has a piercing chill. We’ve stopped at a check, which means we are waiting for the hounds to pick up the scent of a fox. I lay my hand quietly on my horse’s neck, murmuring, seeking to calm him because he lives to chase the pack. He chews on his bit excitedly, creating a metallic music of his own.

The 20 or so riders of the hunt field all standing, waiting, listening. A friend hands me a flask filled with liquid warmth and courage. The huntsman in charge of the pack of hounds urges them on with a soft voice and short blows of his horn. They’re looking for the fox.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON | RECIPES BY JOSEPHINE ORBA & MICHAEL MARTIN

The huntsman in charge of the pack of hounds urges them on with a soft voice and short blows of his horn.

The joyous voices of the hounds draw us dashing through the woods and leaping over stone walls, the thrill of the chase giving wings to our horses’ feet.

A melodic cry splits the air—a hound has caught the scent. The crisp fall air echoes as the pack of hounds gives voice in tune like a choir—not barking, but literally singing their delight at giving chase. The horses swing their heads high and pull on the reins. We’re off, galloping over the fields. My horse’s hooves beat out a staccato rhythm as the wind whistles in my ears and blood races through my veins. The joyous voices of the hounds draw us dashing through the woods and leaping over stone walls, the thrill of the chase giving wings to our horses’ feet.

The hunt flies by, hours of mad gallops interspersed with quiet checks as the hounds alternatively discover the fox’s scent, then lose and have to search for it again. The cry “Tally ho!” reverberates across the field as a sleek, crafty fox darts through the meadow, circling back on his tracks in full view of all of us, but giving the hounds the slip.

BY STEPHEN HAMILTON RECIPES BY JOSEPHINE ORBA MICHAEL

At the end of the day, the fox merrily finds his way home, having given us grand adventures, and we walk back to the gathering of trucks and trailers, sweaty, sated, and hungry. Sometimes we eat right outside the trailers, but today we will be at a beautiful home in the hills. I untack my horse and tie him to the trailer, leaving him to contented hay-munching. It’s time for the hunt breakfast.

As hungry as foxhunters are for thrills, they’re just as ravenous for a fulfilling repast after a hard gallop. One by one each of us takes a turn scraping the mud off our boots on the cast iron boot scraper. Then we clomp loudly as we walk up the steps of our host’s large frame farmhouse. The door swings open and a gush of warm air touches our cheeks and our fingers as we peel off damp leather gloves. We rub our hands together to relieve the numbness and in anticipation.

assorted artisan cheeses & fruit

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON | RECIPES BY JOSEPHINE ORBA & MICHAEL MARTIN

Across from the stone fireplace an antique table creaks under the platters of ham biscuits—a must on any Virginia menu, quiches, baked apples and a marvelous cheese and fruit plate. It’s a feast fit for a king, and our hosts have also included a steaming hot stew and roasted vegetables from their fields. The beguiling scent of autumn and tradition surrounds us.

No hunt breakfast is complete without a few sips from the flask; each foxhunter has his or her own personal concoction for the day. I am soon balancing a plate full of decadent morsels on my lap, feeling the adrenaline of the chase fade and a deep sense on contentment flood over me.

“That was quite a leap over that wall! Did you need a parachute to land?” jokes a fellow hunter. I wink at him and ask how he’d been able to see me, since his horse had been accelerating rapidly, which looked unintentional.

View Josephine Orba’s recipe on page 143 »

boeuf bourguinonne

Make biscuits according to your favorite recipes. Heat and slice the ham. While still warm, spread a split biscuit with whole grain Dijon mustard, watercress and sliced Virginia ham. Serve with cornichons.

Recipe courtesy of Josephine Orba ham biscuits

View Michael Martin’s recipe on page 144 » baking powder biscuits (cat head biscuits) BY STEPHEN HAMILTON RECIPES BY JOSEPHINE ORBA MICHAEL MARTIN

View Josephine Orba’s recipe on page 145 » roasted vegetables

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON | RECIPES BY JOSEPHINE ORBA & MICHAEL MARTIN

This breaking of bread is much like a family dinner, with teasing and congratulations flung about against the background of camaraderie. The end-of-day banter lets us relive each moment, laugh at each other, and soak the experiences into our bones.

baked apples

Baked apples are stuffed with chopped dates, raisins, chopped pecans, butter, brown sugar, and sweet spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves).

View Josephine Orba’s recipe on page 146 » panna cotta with jelly

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON | RECIPES BY JOSEPHINE ORBA & MICHAEL MARTIN

The Virginia hunt breakfast is actually served later in the day after a full morning of fox hunting. By that time, guests are ravenous and the “breakfast” more closely resembles a hearty feast. On our menu you’ll find delightful autumn dishes from ham to roasted vegetables to baked apples to panna cotta. And of course, there has to be some eggs.

hunt breakfast buffet menu

- assorted artisan cheeses fruit

- classic quiche lorraine

- baked virginia biscuits

- baking biscuits

- baked

- boeuf bourguinonne

- egg noodles, not shown

- roasted vegetables

- panna

virginia hunt breakfast BY STEPHEN HAMILTON | RECIPES BY JOSEPHINE ORBA MICHAEL MARTIN

THE ART of the

CHAMPAGNE CORK POP

by KATHRYN O’MALLEY

The pop of a champagne cork often signals one thing, and one thing only: the celebration has begun and it’s time to let loose. And yet, photographing a cork pop is a different story entirely. The shot needs to look natural, but controlling and capturing a

split-second of action requires careful planning, precision timing, and a complex set-up from special effects guru Geoff Binns-Calvey. Needless to say, this isn’t your average bottle of bubbly. Click the bullets to the right for more on our methods.

THE SPRAY

Although you can’t see it here, the bottom of the champagne bottle is connected to an elaborate set of pipes and tubes. With the push of a button, compressed air sends champagne rushing through the bottom of the bottle and up through the neck, erupting in a splash of bubbles and vapor.

THE FLYING CORK

THE DROPLETS

Take one part water, one part glycerin, mix them together…and spritz! The drops of liquid look just like beads of champagne, but they don’t evaporate as quickly or trickle down the bottle.

A thin, stiff wire holds the cork in a fixed place a few inches from the bottle opening, ensuring it doesn’t budge (and that no one loses an eye!). The wire eventually disappears behind the spray of champagne so it isn’t visible in the final shot. STEPHEN

The Cow Turkey and the

by DAVID SEDARIS intro and captions by Kathryn O’Malley

In this allegorical tale from famed humorist David Sedaris, an innocent turkey has the last laugh over the selfish, greedy cow who didn’t get him anything for Christmas. But as most of us (hopefully) know, the holiday season is less about taking and more about sharing, connection and generosity. That means if you’re serving dinner for family and friends, you’re probably going to plan for too much food. And that, of course, means plenty of leftovers just waiting to be reinvented.

The cow was notoriously cheap. So it surprised everyone when she voted, yes, for the secret Santa program. It was the horse’s suggestion and she backed it immediately saying, “I choose the turkey.”

“That’s not exactly the way it works,” the pig explained. “It’s secret, see? So we each draw a name and keep it to ourselves until Christmas morning.”

“Why do you have to be like that?” the cow asked.

And the duck sighed, “Here we go.”

“First you ask me to give someone a Christmas present,” the cow continued, “And then you tell me it has to be done your way. Like, oh, I have four legs so I’m better than everyone else.”

“Don’t you have four legs?” the pig asked.

“All right, just because you have a curly tail,” the cow said. The pig tried looking behind him. But all he could see were his sides.

“Is it curly, curly?” he asked the rooster, “Or curly, kinky?”

“The point is that I’m a little tired of being pushed around,” the cow said. “I think a lot of us are.” This was her all over. So rather than spending the next week listening to her complain, it was decided that the cow would give to the turkey and that everyone else would keep their name a secret.

There were, of course, no shops in the barnyard, which was a shame as all of the animals had money—coins mainly, dropped by the farmer and his children as they went about their chores. The cow once had close to $3 and gave it to a calf the farmer planned on taking into town.

“I want you to buy me a knapsack,” she told him, “Just like the one that the farmer’s daughter has, only bigger and blue instead of green. Can you remember that?” The calf had tucked the money into his cheek before being led out of the barn. “And wouldn’t you know it,” the cow later complained, “Isn’t it just my luck that he never came back?”

She’d spent the first few days of his absence in a constant, almost giddy, state of anticipation. Watching the barn door, listening for the sound of the truck, waiting for that knapsack, something

that would belong only to her. When it no longer made sense to hope, she turned to self-pity then rage. The calf had taken advantage of her, had spent her precious money on a bus ticket and boarded thinking, so long, sucker.

It was a consolation then to overhear the farmer talking to his wife and learn that taking an animal into town was a euphemism for hitting him in the head with an electric hammer. So long, sucker.

Milking put the cow in close proximity to humans, much closer than any of the other animals. And she learned a lot by keeping her ears open—local gossip, the rising cost of fuel oil, and countless little things, the menu for Christmas dinner, for instance.

The family had spent Thanksgiving visiting the farmer’s mother in her retirement home and had eaten what tasted like potato chips soaked in chicken fat. Now they were going to make up for it. “Big time,” the farmer’s wife said. And with all the trimmings.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

The turkey didn’t know that he would be killed on Christmas Eve. No one did, except for the cow. That’s why she’d specifically chosen his name for the secret Santa program. It got her off the hook and made it more fun to watch his pointless, fidgety enthusiasm.

“You’ll never in a million years guess what I got you,” she said to him a day after the names were drawn.

“Is it a bath mat?” the turkey asked. He’d seen one hanging on the clothesline and was obsessed with it for some reason.

“It’s a towel for the floor,” he kept telling everyone. “I mean really, isn’t that just the greatest idea you ever heard in your life?”

“Oh, this is a lot better than a bath mat,” the cow said, chuckling as the turkey sputtered, “No way,” and “What could possibly be better than a bath mat?”

“You’ll see come Christmas morning,” she told him.

View recipe by John-Gustin Birkitt on page 147 » twice baked potatoes

TWICE BAKED POTATOES

This isn’t your mother’s baked potato. Chef John-Gustin Birkitt incorporates everything good into these stellar, twice-baked spuds: crème fraîche, ricotta, eggs, bacon and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

NEW MEXICAN GREEN CHILE TURKEY Justin Brunson drew on flavors like chile, cumin and lime to create this Southwestern spin on turkey, perfect for nestling into warm tortillas and topping with cheddar, sour cream and cilantro.

THE COW AND THE TURKEY BY DAVID SEDARIS

View recipe by Justin Brunson on page 148 »

new mexico green chile turkey

Most of the animals were giving food as their secret Santa gift. No one came out and actually said it, but the cow had noticed them setting a little aside. Not just scraps, but the best parts—oats from the horse, thick crusts of bread from the pig. Even the rooster—who was the biggest glutton of all—had managed to sacrifice and had stockpiled a fistful of grain behind an empty gas can in the far corner of the barn.

He and the others were surely hungry, yet none of them complained about it. And this bothered the cow more than

anything. How could they be so corny? She looked at the pig who sat smiling in his pen and then at the turkey who’d hung a sprig of mistletoe from the end of his waddle and was waltzing across the floor saying, “Any takers?” Even to other guys. It was his cheerfulness that irritated her the most. And so, on the morning of Christmas Eve she pulled him aside for a little talk about the future.

“The farmer will be cutting your head off at around noon,” she said. “His son wanted him to use a chainsaw, but he’s a traditionalist so we’ll probably be sticking

with the axe.” The turkey laughed, thinking it was a joke. But then he saw the pleasure in the cow’s face and knew that she was telling the truth.

“How long have you known?” he asked.

“A few weeks,” the cow told him. “I meant to tell you earlier, but what with all the excitement, I guess I forgot.”

“Kill me and eat me?” The cow nodded. The turkey removed the mistletoe from the end of his waddle. “Well, golly,” he said, “Don’t I feel stupid?”

Not wanting to spoil anyone’s Christmas, the turkey announced that he would be spending the holiday with relatives, “The wild side of the family,” he said, “Just flew in last night from Kentucky.”

When noon arrived and the farmer showed up, he followed him out of the barn without complaint saying, “So long everyone,” and “See you in a few days.” They all waved

goodbye except for the cow, who lowered her head toward her empty trough. She was just thinking that a little extra food might be nice when a horrible thought occurred to her.

The rooster was standing in the doorway and she almost trampled him on her way outside shouting, “Wait, come back. Whose name did you draw?”

“Say, what?” the turkey said.

“I said, whose name did you get? Who’s supposed to receive your secret Santa present?”

“You’ll see,” the turkey said, his voice a little song that hung in the air long after he disappeared.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

THANKSGIVING PUDDING Tim Havidic

View

An obsession with seasonal ingredients, Italian technique, and fresh seafood has earned him a Michelin star and the title of Food & Wine’s Best New Chef 2008. But it’s his warm hospitality that makes each meal at his restaurants especially memorable. We invited Sarah Gruene berg, the subject of last issue’s “Portrait of a Chef”, to submit the questions she’s been dying to ask Giuseppe…. and forced him to answer them.

what’s your most embarrassing kitchen moment?

My most embarrassing moment happened when I was working at Charlie Trotter’s in 1998. I was working the vegetable station, and I was using white truffles. I just put two pieces of shaved white truffle on a dish, because they’re very expensive. I thought I was doing the guy a favor. And I remember Charlie yelling at me: “Are you Italian or what?” I learned that if you’re going to use something, you better really use it.

what ingredient do you cook with that would surprise people? Licorice. At BOKA I used to do short ribs braised in licorice—not even fennel, just regular black licorice.

what’s the secret ingredient in your legendary clam chowder? Really, Sarah? Okay. It’s bacon and cornstarch.

when mentoring, what’s the trait you most look for in a young cook?

Their care and passion. The other night, I had to yell at one of my guys on the line because he put a dish up for the server and he knew it wasn’t cooked right. I pulled him aside and explained to him, it’s very important that you do this right, because at the end of the day, you have to be proud of what you do. And he understood that.

if you were going to open another restaurant, what would the concept be?

An Italian steakhouse. That’s my dream.

AT GT Fish & Oyster, Giuseppe Tentori serves seasonal King Crab legs with clarified butter and aromatic citrus wedges.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

From a childhood spent on his grandmother’s farm in Italy to a career at the helm of Chicago’s BOKA and GT Fish & Oyster, Giuseppe Tentori has always let his passions guide him.

RAW Chicken

Trent Reznor’s Thanksgiving turkey, pictured here, was also featured in the film Saw 3 .

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

Oh, god. This place is a total sausage fest.

PHOTOGRAPHY STEPHEN HAMILTON

Enough with the tantalizing pictures! Can someone develop a machine which teleports that shit to the empty plate I have sitting in front of me already?? I mean, mmm, wow, those looks good.

CREAMED

This is the hottest soft corn food porn we’ve ever seen.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

Prosciutto Mozzarella

Sweet. This is a total FMS. ( Folded Meat Sanctuary )

PHOTOGRAPHY STEPHEN HAMILTON

Sashimi

Sally sells sashimi by the seashore, so send seven sheckles to Sally C. Shore for a sample.

PHOTOGRAPHY STEPHEN HAMILTON

POMEGRANATE

Oh, pomegranate, so intensely flavorful. If it did not take an entire sweatshop’s worth of work to separate the seeds from the good stuff, I would you eat you every day. Unless of course on that day I am wearing my white pants.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

Born in the Philippines and raised in Hawaii, chef Rodelio Aglibot, aka “The Food Buddha,” has opened over 40 restaurants across the country, including Chicago’s acclaimed Earth + Ocean and the stylish hotspot Sunda. Now, he’s putting his passion for flavor and appetite for innovation toward yet another delicious project: a dim sum restaurant called Yum Cha, slated to open early this April in Lakeshore East. We hear the menu will offer an eclectic mix of traditional Cantonese dishes—like sweet and sour pork and shrimp with lobster sauce—in addition to more playful, modern twists—such as coconut-stuffed fried taro balls and crispy pumpkin fries with salted duck egg.

do you have a culinary mentor and, if so, how has that person influenced you as a chef?

My parents have both been instrumental in developing my style and palate. My father was a cook in the U.S. Navy and he taught me at a young age how to handle a knife and get around in the kitchen. My mother is also an amazing cook. She taught me that to cook for someone else is a gift—sort of like an edible kiss or an “I love you.”

how would you describe your cooking philosophy?

I draw a lot of inspiration from the Buddhist monastery, where there is a person responsible for the cooking and nourishment of the monks known as the tenzo (which translates to “heavenly monk”). The tenzo accepts food and products with gratitude and respect, nothing is ever wasted (even the water to wash rice is used to water plants) and nothing is ignored. He cooks with intention and is connected to each ingredient, and his hands—not a machine—are used to prepare every dish.

what has been your best street food experience? Too many to share, but the one that stands out most was in Cambodia on my visit to Angkor Wat in 2006. It was dawn and 100 degrees out with humidity to match. My friends (also chefs) and I were about to start our hike through the temples but decided to eat first.

We were warned the evening before to carry small bills, since the kids from the village tend to ask for money or sell trinkets as their way to help their families. So, we obliged and took out 100 onedollar bills. As we approached the food stalls, we were mauled by some 30 to 40 kids asking for money. But, instead of handing out cash, we decided to feed them. We approached a street vendor, who let us take over his makeshift kitchen of propane burners, warped sauté pans and tray of seasonings. And we killed it. I made eggs scrambled with noodles and vegetables, enough to feed the whole crowd. Definitely a great day.

where is your dream food location?

Or, where would you go if you had one week to eat whatever you wanted?

I’ve been fortunate to travel the world and have visited over 50 countries and counting—eating, learning and most of all living. More travel to South America is in my near future, but quite frankly, anywhere new is a dream location.

tell us about your new restaurant, Yum Cha. What was your inspiration?

I’ve always loved going out for dim sum and, as a chef, have been inspired many times by my experiences. So very I’m excited to bring a refreshing and “food buddha” take on dim sum and Cantonese cuisine.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

Aglibot’s signature dessert Avocado Mousse.

Hungry for more details? Dive into Aglibot’s interview led by our previously featured chef, Lars Kronmark.

by KATE BERNOT

MUSTARD VALLEY

While the grapevines sleep and the days gradually become filled with more sunlight, the vineyards of Napa unfurl a blanket of lush greens and golden yellows. It’s early spring, and it’s mustard season in the Valley.

The Biblical parable of the mustard seed speaks to the enormous power of one of the world’s smallest seeds. From a dot the size of a pinprick, a mustard plant can grow nearly nine feet tall, cascading down the mountains and hills of Napa in a blaze of brilliant yellow. But no one understands the potential of the mustard plant like Napa’s winemakers, who rely on the black mustard plant for much more than just its chartreuse blooms.

Three months after the last of the autumn’s rains, long after the last grapes have been plucked from the vines, the first shoots of mustard spring from between the rows of brittle, empty grape branches. Winemakers know that these plants are as crucial to their grapes’ health as proper rainfall or rich soil; they help the grapevines absorb nutrients and water, repel damaging nematodes, and prevent soil erosion. While the grapevines slumber, the unseen roots of the mustard plants work quietly beneath the earth.

California vineyards began to plant mustard as a cover crop at the turn of the 20th century, but the plant has an even longer history in The Golden State. Locals tell the story of Father Junipero Serra, a Spanish priest who came to the coast in the 19th century as a missionary. As he traveled north across the sparsely populated expanse, he scattered Spanish mustard seeds behind him on the path. When the Franciscan made his return trip the following year, he needed no map, simply following the bright swath of the blooming mustard flowers. (continued on page 22) BY STEPHEN HAMILTON | RECIPES BY RUTH SIEGEL

While the grapevines slumber, the unseen roots of the mustard plants work quietly beneath the earth.

Most of you don’t think about making your own mustard from scratch. Why not? It’s actually easy if you are willing to wait a couple days. The main ingredients are mustard seeds or powder and liquid (water, beer, wine, cider, vinegar). You let that soak for a day or two, then add your seasonings. Done.

mustard seeds

There are three primary types of whole-grain mustard seeds: yellow/ white is the mildest and used mainly in American-style mustards and for pickling; brown, which is zestier and used in European-style mustards, for pickling, and in Indian cooking; and black, which is also used in Indian food. (Black mustards seeds are interchangeable with brown.)

mustard powder

Is nothing more than ground mustard seeds. The most common brand is Colman’s and is a blend of brown and white seeds.

whole-grain beer mustard (makes 16 oz.)

1/2 cup brown or black mustard seeds, 1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds, 3/4 cup dark beer, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Click to view complete recipe »

dijon-style mustard (makes 10 oz.)

2 cups dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc or Chablis), 1 large onion, finely chopped, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 4 ounces mustard powder, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Click to view complete recipe »

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON RECIPES BY RUTH SIEGEL

Now, those blooms guide not Spanish priests but tourists and photographers, who flock to wine country in January, February, and March to witness the hills’ transformation. For vineyards, the mustards’ annual arrival is a sure portent of spring, enriching the soil before the Merlot and Malbec vines snap to life for another season. The mustards’ deep roots cling to the earth, preventing soil erosion while improving water penetration.

For organic and biodynamic winemakers especially, mustard is worth its weight in gold. The plants give nitrogen and other beneficial nutrients back to the soil, reducing the need for chemically-based fertilizers. The plants’ leaves and flowers also create an Edenic refuge for birds and insects that eat harmful species among the grapes. In a seemingly wild burst of vine and flower, an entire symbiotic ecosystem silently pulses, one plant supporting the other, each playing a natural role in a delicate relationship.

A platter of cured meats, tiny spring vegetables, hard-boiled eggs and capers is the quintessential companion to just about any type of mustard. BY STEPHEN HAMILTON | RECIPES BY RUTH SIEGEL

Of course, most people have no opportunity to witness this silent cooperation. Mustard reaches them in its edible form: the seeds left whole or crushed, bruised, or ground into a paste that adds a familiar tangy flavor.

More than likely, this mustard did not come from a vineyard, but it could have come from the same plant, the Brassica nigra. The raw seeds come to life with just the addition of salt, vinegar, and sugar, lending a spicy and sour counterpoint to richer meat dishes, and subtly coaxing the nuances out of lighter vegetables when whisked into vinaigrette.

two mustard cornish hen (makes 2 servings)

2 small lemons, 1 Cornish hen (about 1 1/2 pounds), 3 tablespoons apricot preserves, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper

Click to view complete recipe »

facts for cooks

1. Cooking mustard significantly reduces its pungency.

2. Mustard adds flavor to dishes without adding fat or sugar.

3. Mustard seeds can also be fried or toasted and added as a garnish.

4. All parts of the mustard plant are edible, not just the seeds. Mustard greens are exceptionally tasty.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON | RECIPES BY RUTH SIEGEL

by JUDITH MARA

Glamgating is what happens when you add a dash of glamour to your traditional tailgate—with sensational results. It is also the latest twist on our Stone Soup feature, a semi-regular series based on the iconic tale of villagers coming together to create a grand meal that feeds the entire town.

Rain and chilly weather was predicted, but the Midwest likes its curveballs: The sun came piercing through the skyline at the very last minute, and it turned out to be the kind of autumn afternoon that Chicagoans can’t resist. It was a great day for sporting newbies and football fans alike to mingle together and enjoy the outdoors.

Because it’s tailgating season, a “glamgating” party seemed to be the perfect way to mix things up at our latest Stone Soup gathering. Of course, it took

some planning to get that “glam” part in place—we wanted to make sure this tailgate was unlike anything our guests had ever experienced. To that end, all the stops were pulled: a gleaming new Airsteam trailer; a roasted pig infused with aged maple syrup; an amazing guest list including eight of Chicago’s finest chefs; over twenty side dishes and desserts contributed by the chefs and other guests; hot apple cider spiked with Buffalo Trace Bourbon; and a surprise guest of honor––the venerable TV anchor, Bill Kurtis.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON | GLAMGAITING PORTRAITS BY JUSTIN PARIS

Friends of WH? came from far and near. First to arrive was Tim Burton of Burton’s Maplewood Farm. Tim came all the way from Medora, Indiana, bearing the gift of a 45-pound pig and his La Caja China (pronounced la caha cheena) pig roaster.

With a three-hour head start on smoking the pig, Tim filled the parking lot with the warm, smoky scent of maple and pork.

Meanwhile, Bryan Kendall of Airstream of Chicago in Joliet, Illinois, hitched up a new International Serenity RV trailer—a gorgeous silver backdrop for the feast that was about to unfold.

PHOTOGRAPHY STEPHEN

We love to see the magic that happens when chefs, food ambassadors and regular cooks contribute a dish to the same table. As always, the results were astonishing: bulgur wheat and Brussels sprouts salads, fresh spinach and artichoke dip, hot beef and vegetable stews, red wine caramel glazed apples, oatmeal cookies, banana bread, baklava and a glorious apple, persimmon and cranberry crisp. Slowly, a fall food theme emerged that had nothing to do with typical football fare.

PHOTOGRAPHY STEPHEN

Introductions were made as soon as dishes were handed off and cocktails were poured. Chefs enjoyed reconnecting with other chefs they don’t see very often. Everyone was happy to see chef Rodelio Aglibot (TLC, Food Buddha) and congratulate him on his newest restaurant. It was also fun to see chef Dale Levitski (Top Chef alum) the day after he returned from a cooking-filled summer in Montana. Plus, he brought the most gorgeous vegetable market salad ever seen in a concrete parking lot.

Chef Ina Pinkney (Ina’s, Taste Memories) reigned over the crowd and treated everyone to pumpkin cheesecake and heirloom tomato bruschetta. New dad, chef Giuseppe Tentori (GT Fish & Oyster, BOKA), went super-casual with a creamy and very cheesy shrimp mac and cheese that appealed to the child in all of us. Chef Michael Mech (Bungalow Chef) outdid himself with his grandmother’s German potato salad.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN HAMILTON

But the real showstopper—even in the eyes of the seasoned professionals—was the moment when Tim Burton and his son pulled the golden, glistening whole pig from its roasting box and carried it ceremoniously to the carving table. The pig was moist and juicy, the salted meat blending flawlessly with sweet maple syrup. Thirty pounds of tender pork disappeared fast––snout, cheeks, ears and all.

We can’t do it every year—and at some point we’ll have to settle for beer and chicken wings—but that’s exactly what made this glamgate so special.

GLAMGATING MENU

WHOLE

Tim

CHINESE ALMOND

Sam

MARKET

Chef Dale

BULGUR

Carol Hojem

BUFFALO

Ashley

GERMAN POTATO

RED

Chef

OATMEAL

Chrissie

HEIRLOOM TOMATO

Ina

MINI

Meg

MAC

Chef

BEEF

Doug

SPINACH

APPLE

The

PHOTOGRAPHY BY HAMILTON

Combine sugar and honey in a heavy sauce pot and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stop stirring and bring syrup to 360°F. Remove from heat and stir in butter and nuts. Scrape the mixture onto baking sheet lined with lightly oiled parchment paper. Spread evenly with an oiled spatula, or press into the pan with a lightly oiled piece of foil. Be careful, it’s hot! Let cool until set. Chop coarsely.

honey nougatine by Geovanna Salas, Pastry Chef at Table Fifty-Two

milk honey pudding

by Meg Galus, Executive Pastry Chef at Park Hyatt Chicago and NoMI restaurant

ingredients:

Egg yolks 120g

Local raw honey

Cream

Nonfat milk powder

Gelatin sheets

To bloom gelatin: Completely submerge gelatin sheets in ice water and wait until they soften, about 5 minutes.

Bring the cream, honey and milk powder to a boil over high heat. Using a whisk, slowly temper the hot liquid into the egg yolks, making sure not to curdle the yolks in the process. Add to the cream mixture and cook until it reaches 82°C or nappe, when the liquid is thick enough that when you run your finger down the back of the spatula it holds a line.

Remove from heat and strain the mixture into an ice bath (an empty bowl set over a bowl of ice). Add the bloomed gelatin after about a minute, and whisk. Chill in the fridge until set.

Mix lightly and portion into cups.

honey madeleines

by Sarah Kosokowski, Corporate Pastry Chef at Valrhona, Inc, Eastern Region

Cream butter, sugars and honey until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Mix in all sifted dry ingredients until just combined. Pipe into Madeleine molds and freeze until ready to bake. Bake at 325°F for 10 minutes, turn, then bake 4 more minutes until golden brown. Unmold and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

honey vanilla ice cream

ingredients:

Milk | 2700g

Cream | 1430g

· Vanilla extract | 25g

Vanilla beans | 3ea. Honey | 550g

Sugar | 200g

Glucose powder | 310g

Milk powder | 170g

Salt | 8g

Stabilizer | 12g

Egg yolks | 840g

Butter | 225g

Combine milk, cream, vanilla extract, vanilla bean, and honey in a heavy saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Combine sugar, glucose powder, milk powder, salt and stabilizer in a mixing bowl. Add yolks to the powdery mixture and temper into hot liquid. Over medium heat and stirring frequently with a spatula, cook to nappe or until mixture thickens enough that when you run your finger down the back of the spatula it holds a line. Remove from heat and whisk in butter until melted. Strain with a fine strainer to catch any bits. Allow to chill.

*For orange ginger ice cream, to 3 liters of honey vanilla ice cream base, add:

1 teaspoon orange extract Ginger puree | 50g

· Fabbri mandarin delipaste | 170g

by Sarah Kosokowski, Corporate Pastry Chef at Valrhona, Inc, Eastern Region

milk chocolate honey ganache

Boil cream, vanilla, and honey in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and pour over milk chocolate and mix until smooth. Add softened butter and burr ??? and mix again until smooth. Pour into two ½ sheet pans lined with silpat or aluminum foil, shiny side up; let set overnight before cutting into small pieces. rhubarb ea.

by Sarah Kosokowski, Corporate Pastry Chef at Valrhona, Inc, Eastern Region

Serves 4 rhubarb potstickers by Sara Moulton

ingredients:

1 cup sliced rhubarb

3 tablespoons sugar

· 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange rind 12 wonton wrappers (3 ½ by 3-inches)

1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil

· 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional)

Toss the rhubarb with the sugar and the orange rind in a medium bowl and let stand for 30 minutes. Drain and save the liquid separately from the rhubarb.

Spread out the wonton wrappers on a work surface. Place a small mound of the rhubarb in the center of each wrapper. Brush the edges of each wrapper with water; lift two opposite corners of each wrapper and press together above the center of the mound of rhubarb; bring the other two opposite sides up and press them together. You should have shaped the wonton into a little pyramid with the mound of rhubarb inside. Pinch the wrappers together very tightly at the seams to make sure they are well sealed.

Heat the oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until bubbly, then arrange the pot stickers, seam sides up, in the skillet. Cook them 2 to 3 minutes or until the bottoms are pale golden. Add 1/3 cup water, reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet with a lid, and cook 5 to 6 minutes, adding more water if necessary to cook the wonton wrappers through.

Remove the lid and continue to cook until the bottoms of the pot stickers are crisp and golden. Gently loosen the pot stickers, and lift them out onto a serving plate. Stir 1/4 cup water into the reserved juice. Add the mixture to the skillet, bring it to a boil scraping up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan, and drizzle the liquid over the pot stickers. Serve hot with a spoonful of sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

ingredients:

3 navel oranges

2 juice oranges

1 ½ ounces vodka (optional) serves 6 orange jellies by Sara Moulton

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

Cut the oranges in half crosswise and squeeze out the juice. Strain and measure. You should have about 1 ¾ cups juice. Add more juice if you have less than this amount and remove juice if you have more. Carefully scrap out and discard the pulp from the navel oranges to form six half shells.

In a small saucepan combine 1/4 cup of the juice with the gelatin and set it aside for 5 minutes to dissolve the gelatin. Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the gelatin is dissolved and the mixture is clear, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in the remaining juice and the vodka, if using. Transfer the liquid to a measuring cup or small pitcher so it is easy to pour.

Arrange the orange shells, cut side up, in muffin tins or ramekins and pour the mixture half way up the side of each shell. Put the muffin tin holding the shells in the fridge and finish filling them, carefully pouring the remaining orange mixture all the way up to the top of each shell. (Note: depending on how large the navel oranges were, you will be able to fill 5 or 6 shells.) Cover the filled shells with plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight. Cut each half in 3 wedges before serving.

makes 16 servings boeuf bourguinonne by Josephine Orba

ingredients:

olive oil

4 - 5 pounds beef (top sirloin or top round) trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes.

4 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

2 cloves of garlic minced (optional)

1 bag frozen white pearl onions

1 - 2 cups beef stock

2 - 3 cups red wine

1 pound button mushrooms, cleaned, cut in half if they are large salt, pepper

Beurre Manié (equal parts flour mixed with soft butter, added to thicken the sauce, you’ll need 1- 2 tablespoons)

Chopped fresh thyme and parsley

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Pat beef dry. On the top of the stove, brown the meat in a little olive oil in a large skillet. Place into heavy casserole dish and season with salt and pepper. Cook onions and carrots in same pan until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook a few seconds and add the vegetables to the meat. Deglaze sauté pan with wine, then pour wine and stock over meat and braise in slow oven for 2 - 3 hours.

While meat is braising, sauté mushrooms in a little butter, set aside.

After the meat is tender, remove from oven add the Beurre Manié to the pot. Stir well and return to oven. Add mushrooms and heat through. Check seasoning. Stir in fresh thyme and parsley.

baking powder biscuits (cat head biscuits)

by Michael Martin

Michael Martin is an owner/rider/trainer from Franklin, TN. He has fox hunted for years in Virginia and Pennsylvania. They call these Cat Head Biscuits “Cause they’re as big as a cat’s head”.

makes 12-15 biscuits

ingredients for brine:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

· 3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Using fork, cut shortening into flour until consistency of coarse meal. Add milk; stir with fork until mixture leaves sides of bowl and forms a soft, moist dough.

On floured surface, toss lightly until no longer sticky. Roll out to 1/2 inch thick, and cut with 2-inch round, floured cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Makes about 12 to 15 biscuits.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub carrots and parsnips (cut into 2-inch pieces if large). Slice red onion in rings. Peel and slice sweet potato into wedges. Trim Brussels sprouts and cut in half. Peel garlic cloves and toss all vegetables in generous amount of olive oil. Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Spread onto a large baking sheet and roast, tuning occasionally until cooked and browned, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

panna cotta with jelly by Josephine Orba

ingredients for brine:

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons gelatin

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups raspberry jello or fruit juice with raspberries

for the panna cotta

Sprinkle gelatin onto 1/2 cup cream to soften. Heat 2 cups of cream with 1/2 cup sugar –do not boil. Combine hot cream and cream with gelatin and cream. Add vanilla and stir until thoroughly dissolved. Pour into small, clear serving containers. Cool and refrigerate until set.

for the jelly

Make raspberry Jello or add 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons gelatin to 2 cups fruit juice. Allow to cool but not set. Place single raspberry on surface of set cream and pour raspberry Jello or gelatin over it. Return to fridge to set.

makes 6

ingredients:

6 large Russet baking potatoes

1/4 cup crème fraîche

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

· 2 teaspoons garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Juice of half a lemon

garniture:

· 6 scallions, sliced

6 strips of bacon, cooked and chopped

2 ounces grated cheddar cheese, divided

1 tablespoon lemon confit, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash potatoes well and pierce several times with a fork. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Wrap in foil and place directly onto oven rack for approximately 1 hour. When potatoes are cooked through, you should be able to easily pass a pairing knife into the centers. Cut the top third off the potatoes, scooping out approximately 80% of the “flesh” and set aside. You should now have canoe-shaped potato shells. Pass potato flesh through a food mill into a mixing bowl. Add all ingredients from the crème fraîche to the lemon juice. Fold together until well combined but without over-mixing. Reserve one third of mixture and place in piping

bag fitted with a large star tip. Add all remaining ingredients: bacon, cheddar (reserving half an ounce), scallions, tarragon, lemon confit & garlic salt. Fold to combine.

Using a spoon, fill each cavity of potato shells a little past full. Now using the piping bag with reserved potato mixture, pipe the top of each potato. Sprinkle reserved grated cheddar cheese on top of each potato.

Baked stuffed potatoes for 15-18 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the center reaches 155 degrees. Garnish with a sprinkle of chives.

twice baked potatoes by John-Gustin Birkitt, The French Hound Chef and Owner

makes 8

ingredients:

1 ½ pounds New Mexico green chile peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons grape seed oil or other clean-flavored cooking oil

4 pounds leftover turkey meat (dark meat is preferable)

3 cups yellow onion, peeled and diced

8 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and sliced

· 2 tablespoons ancho or other dried chile powder

1½ tablespoons ground cumin

12 ounces green tomatillos, husks removed and finely diced

· 4 cups turkey or low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup canned tomatoes, drained

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

· 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

optional toppings:

· 8 eggs, poached, over-easy or sous vide

16 ounces grated cheddar or pepper jack cheese

3 limes, quartered

· 1 cup cilantro, chopped

3 jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced

12 each corn and flour tortillas, warmed

· 8 ounces sour cream

Shred turkey into bite-sized pieces. Pour the oil in a large, heavy pot; over medium heat sweat the garlic and onions until translucent. Add the tomatillos and continue to cook an additional 5 minutes before adding all remaining ingredients except the turkey and lime juice. Cook at a low simmer for 1½ hours. During the last ten minutes, add the leftover turkey and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place your favorite toppings in small bowls and serve alongside the turkey.

new mexican green chile turkey by Justin Brunson, Old Major Executive Chef

thanksgiving pudding by Tim Havidic, iNG Executive Chef

makes 4

ingredients:

2 cups half and half

4 egg yolks

2 whole eggs

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

1 small onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 large sage leaves

1 cup turkey leg meat, shredded

4-5 small dinner rolls, cut into 1-inch cubes

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Make the custard base: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the half and half, egg yolks, eggs, and salt. Set aside.

In a small sauté pan, add the butter, onion, garlic and sage, and cook over medium-low heat until the onion softens and becomes translucent. Remove from heat and add the shredded turkey and cubed dinner rolls. Mix together and divide into tall ramekins (for individual portions) or a small hotel pan (for one large bread pudding).

Pour the custard base over the bread pudding and press down. Let sit at least one hour, but preferably overnight. Cover with foil and bake in a water bath for 30 minutes. Remove foil and glaze the pudding with cranberry sauce. Return to oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until slightly browned. Serve with leftover gravy, if desired.

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