Dante

Hi! I'm looking for good sources on Soul Food - style, methods, recipes. Anyone got anything they can recommend to me? Sincerely, Dante

So, yeah-- looking for vegan and/or vegetarian options in the Upper Valley area- preferably around Lebanon, Hanover, White River Junction area. Plan to dine out with new vegetarian friends and this is something I've never had to really think about before. Can anyone help me here? Sincerely, Dante

OK, so I've never used miso before, but finally got some to use as an ingredient in a sauce. I'd like to know what else I could use it for besides soup. I'm sure it has a hundred-and-one uses but I a unversed in this area. Sincerely, Dante

Looking for dining recommendations for a trip to the Newport, RI region later this year. esp looking for anywhere that has a raw bar and for "where the locals eat" info, but will gladly take any and all recommendations of any sort- fine-dining to good local holes-in-the-wall, anything's welcome. Sincerely, Dante

Well, off the top of my head- right on/by the campus are the Hanover Inn: http://www.hanoverinn.com/ and the Canoe Club: http://www.canoeclub.us/ Surrounding the campus you'll find tons of restaurants of all sorts, but those are the closest to what you seem to want that I know of. There was an excellent Italian place called Carpaccio, but it closed recently. For out of town- about how far are you willing to commute? Sincerely, Dante

Recently the Hanover Inn duplicated the Beard House's White Truffle Indulgence Dinner as recently presented by Chef Jason Marrill, and my household and a couple of guests had the honour of attending. My lovely S.O. acted as photographer for our party, giving me an opportunity to do my very first review with pictures. As we entered the Daniel Webster room we were greeted by servers carrying trays of hors d'oeuvres and wine. We had three different hors d'oeuvres in all: Smoked Salmon with white truffle foam on apple chip- quite delicious, the apple lending a delightful sweetness. Foie Gras with pickled onion and microgreens on brioche. V. good with just the right amount of each ingredient for each to speak for itself without intruding on the others 
 Caviar and creme fraiche on biscuit with pine nuts. Initial taste creme fraiche with some caviar, followed by hint of salt from the biscuit. Pine nuts came through in the finish. 
 Then, after an introduction from Chef and Sommelier, the dinner began: White Truffle Ristotto with Shaved White Truffles and Fèlsina I Sistri Chardonnay 2006 Wine was oaky, a bit acidic, very crisp bouquet. Much bolder than expected. Worked much better as a pairing with the risotto, which it complemented perfectly, than by itself.

Risotto was wonderfully creamy, almost melting, done properly as the rice definitely was the main flavour, with the cheese accenting it, the truffle standing out without stepping on any of the other flavours. Quite excellent. Nantucket Bay Scallops, Shaved White Truffles, Roasted Corn Chowder, and Candied Thyme with Truchard Roussanne, Napa/Carneros, 2007 This was a major standout among the courses. Scallops has a perfectly creamy texture, with the corn and potatoes both having distinctive flavours of their own, making an excellent accompaniment to the flavour, with the cream serving as a perfect background. The candied thyme made for a most unexpected sweet/savoury contrast that I feel I must learn to duplicate. Poached Wild King Salmon, Savory Tomato Tart, Winter Truffle-Saffron Emulsion with R. Stuart Autograph Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2006 
 This one was the closet we came to a disappointment. Quite good, mind you, but the best I could conjure to say about the salmon was "It's definitely salmon." It definitely would not have been a let-down of any sort if it had been served by itself, it was just within the context of the previous quite excellent courses that it didn't stand up. The tomato tart was quite tasty - bringing out the delightful sweetness of the tomatoes. The truffle/saffron emulsion added an interesting lemony sourness to it. No knife was needed for the salmon or for the shell. The Pinot was nice, tho with an odd tingly mouthfeel to it. 
 Cavendish Farms Pheasant Crepinette, White Truffle-Wild Mushroom Strudel, Apricot Demi-Glace with Casa Agricola Roboredo Madeira, Douro, Portugal, 2006 The pheasant was wonderfully moist, very tender (though I still did need a knife to cut it- the only offering that evening that I had to do that with. Not a criticism), rich and not overly gamy- as pheasant should be, it was very much the highest expression of poultry. The apricot demiglace was quite exciting the apricot flavour being quite pronounced but not overwhelming. The strudel was perfectly tended and the mushrooms lent a splendid earthy tone to the dish. Duo of Braised Veal Cheeks & White Truffle-Dusted Veal Loin, Celery Root Puree, Heirloom Beets, Au Poivre Sauce with La Posta Malbec, Angel Palucci, Mendoza, Argentina, 2007 The veal cheek was a true standout here- so very tender, almost falling apart, with such an excellent, strong flavour and delicate mouthfeel- chewing seemed almost unnecessary. This was one of those rare occasions where I felt the need to wait for the flavour to leave my mouth entirely before having anything else. Simply put- Best red meat ever. The loin was quite good as well, tender and juicy, excellent subtle, roasted flavour. The celery root puree was quite intriguing, milky flavour and very smooth texture (neither of which I've never managed to accomplish on my own). The beets were nice as well- fresh earthy flavour. All in all I'd call this the highlight of the evening. 
 Warm Apple Cider Doughnuts, Steamed White Chocolate Milk, Sambuca-Cherry Tart, Black Pepper Ice Cream with Burmester Jockey Club Reserve Porto NV The doughnuts were the standout for me- apply, cinnamony, sugary, delicate texture, not too heavy in any respect (so good we got extras to take home). The milk was obviously high quality, fresh and local, blended seamlessly with the white chocolate. The ice cream was quite excellent as well, the pepper flavour present enough to have a voice yet to not intrude on the rest of its context. I enjoyed the sambuca-cherry tart, despite my not having much love for sambuca, the flavour was just there enough for me to like it. My health issues with sugar made it difficult for me to finish this course, despite my intense desire to. (not a criticism of the dish itself).
 for the full set of pictures, go here. All in all, this was a truly outstanding experience. Thank you, Chef Merrill, for doing this and making it available to us. 


This Halloween my S.O and I celebrated our anniversary by having dinner at Carpaccio , a fairly new Italian restaurant in Hanover, NH. Decor was quite appropriate- all one would expect from a nice, intimate, good Italian restaurant. I was quite impressed with our waitress-very friendly, conscientious and helpful (without being intrusive in the least), casual without being overly so. She obviously knew the menu well and it showed that she genuinely believed in the restaurant and was enthusiastic about it. We started out with drinks, a basic martini, but with an impressive lack of the harshness that I usually associate with such drinks. Extremely good, quality olive too. Dinner rolls and grissini first- all very tender and flavourful, and obviously freshly made. My S.O ordered the dates wrapped in pancetta appetizer over baby arugula with balsamic vinegar. The pancetta was so thin that if it weren't for the (quite amazing) taste, I would not have known it was there, the dates were perfectly sweet and soft. The arugula was tender with a good peppery flavour. Just enough vinegar to accentuate the flavour without intruding on it. I had to have the beef tenderloin carpaccio with capers, parmesan and black truffle oil- it being the dish the restaurant was named after. So wonderful and delicately flavoured, just enough of a texture to let you know it was there, with an interesting, almost honey-like note to it. Presentation was excellent, with the oil and garnishes surrounding and accentuating the main attraction without taking away from it. For my entree, I had the Fazzoletti Verdi al Ragout - delicious spinach fazzoletti- wonderful thickness, good bite to them without being too much. Lovely ground boar meat (not ground too fine- quite chunky but still not overly so) with a sweet barbecue flavour to it, accompanied by a delightful fresh porcini ragout. My S.O. had the lobster ravioli- good, thick (but not overly so) pasta, nice hint of basil and just enough pepper to enhance the taste, the lobster itself had an unusually tender texture and still had a taste of the sea to it. One of those rare occasions where I felt the need to wait until the flavour had left my mouth entirely before I would allow myself to eat something else. Extremely well done. Wine was Luigi Bosca Reserve 2006 Pinot-quite excellent, smooth and light. A good accompaniment that didn't impinge on the food but went with everything splendidly. Our dessert was a piece of a lovely flourless hazelnut torte with a bit of caramelized condensed milk, nutty and moist, almost falling apart, surprisingly complex flavour and texture for something so simple. We were quite delighted to have Chef Giovanni Leopardi himself come out to talk with us for a bit, talking to us about his philosophy of cooking, focus on fresh local ingredients, and about the restaurant itself. He came across as a very nice, down-to-earth fellow whose entire approach stemmed from what he genuinely believed in doing. I would heartily recommend Carpaccio to anyone looking for an outstanding dining experience in the Upper Valley and for anyone with a love for real Italian cuisine.

I tend to throw potential stock-makings (limp carrots, celery bits, cheese rinds, leek greens, poultry bones) in to the freezer and wait for them to reach critical mass and then make stock with them. I've plans to do that with what I have in there right now. Now, one things that I can't seem to do is get people to eat the ice cream that's taking up the entire door of the freezer (I swear we've got to have at least a dozen pints!). You'd think that that of all things wouldn't pose much of a challenge. I think that when my wife and I have our Waif over for dinner after she's recovered from the flu, we'll have to feed her ice cream for dessert (she's a fanatic about the stuff- she could help us out). Sincerely, Dante

I've realized that I can maintain my standard of quality of cooking while using only what's on hand. and that I should strive to keep in mind that I do tend to have a lot of ingredients on hand that I should make the most of. I'll try to remember what I have on hand that's not earmarked for a meal and see if I can incorporate it in to what I have on the menu for the week (yes, I do plan a weekly menu before I go grocery shopping- I also keep a pantry, household-products and staples inventory that I check while making the shopping list- I'm a geek, I admit it). I do tend to forget what I have laying around until said items have passed their prime, and I need to correct that situation. This has been loads of fun. I have doubts that I can continue it for another week (well, maybe I can, I still haven't managed to get the barn door open so the chest freezer remains untapped- but I don't know how much more I have in there right now except for some frozen veggies and a full-sized frozen turkey that I'm not willing to use without at least five or six more people on-hand as I don't like the idea of eating turkey every day for the next week) Right now, my freezer is decimated (not a bad thing, considering how much I had in there that I wasn't using) and my fridge has little more than condiments, picked items, cheese and drinks in it. Sincerely, Dane

Results so far: Sunday- Turkey Vindaloo Monday- Chicken Piccata over whole wheat couscous Tuesday- Mignons de Porc a L'ail Wednesday- Red Beans and Rice (OK- I had to fudge a bit, lacking sufficient quantities of savoury sausages, I snuck some apple breakfast sausages in- no-one noticed) (and, yes, I do realize that I broke with tradition by serving read beans and rice on Wednesday instead of Monday- obviously I didn't think this through all that well) Tonight's meal was a pure improv- I took the buffalo burgers that I'd found in the back of the freezer and used them to make a very basic bolognese-esque sauce, reducing it until it was thick enough to pass for an entree. and had two side-dishes- Mashed garnet yams baked with a crust of crushed praline Edamame and french-cut green beans sauteed in sesame oil

Thanx! I'll check that one out too. Hmmm...maybe I'll see if I can get one or more through Inter-library loan and scope them out first before committing to buy one (or more). Sincerely, Dante

lovely! I'm a great fan of learning regional cuisines, and I'll confess to occasionally taking pleasure in having the ability to give looks of disdain (tho I only occasionally actually give such looks- it's more about the ability to do so for me. ) Now I want both of those. Maybe I can volunteer t build a new bookshelf in the kitchen when/if we get around to remodeling it... Sincerely, Dante

Well, you see, as I have a housemate who has essentially threatened to rend the flesh from my bones if I add more cookbooks to our already-voluminous collection (not that she doesn't appreciate them, it's a question of storage space), I have to be really-eally-picky as to what I add I'm looking for Indian, and I don't mind fluff as long as its fluff-with-content- I like having more in-depth info on the cuisines I study. Sincerely, Dante

OK- back from NOLA, just did fridge and freezer inventory. I'm doing four dinners this week (lunches at work are always leftovers from previous night's dinner, and we rarely do a full breakfast, but we've got two dozen eggs in the fridge and two loaves of bread which, when combined, would equal one-and-a-half loaves) Bu I've got enough stuff on hand to do sides for every dinner using frozen veggies (from the local co-op's caselot sale) and a couple of veggies left in the fridge and for main courses... Turkey waterzooi (frozen a while ago from a huge batch) Red Beans and Rice Ground Turkey vindaloo Chicken Piccata over whole wheat couscous If we can get the barn door open (it's frozen shut) we've got lots of fish and various meats and veggies in the chest freezer in there for other meals. This is, of course, torture as I've brought home two new cookbooks from NOLA and I can't make anything out of them now that I've thrown in with this little challenge. Sincerely, Dante

So, if I were to get only one cookbook by Madhur Jaffrey, which would I get? Sincerely, Dante

I'd love to do this, but it's a bit ill-timed in regards to me as I'm on vacation in New Orleans right now (BTW- I'm reading Asian Dining Rules in my spare time here. ) But I'm all too willing to try it when I get back to the Frozen North next Friday. (assuming that the housemates left at home haven't done exactly this and eaten everything in the fridge and freezer by then) (and if I can chisel the ice off of the barn door to get to the chest freezer when I get home) Sincerely, Dante

Just got this in from the local ag bulletin- resources and such. I've tried most of these at some point or another, and now feel the need to hunt down the ones I haven't tried: Marketplace - Cheese Boggy Meadow Farm Walpole, NH (603) 756-3300 marcus@lovellsmith.com boggymeadowfarm.com Produces Alpine Swiss, Smoked Swiss, Tomme, Salsa, Jack and more. Made using milk from their own herd. Try our rare farmstead Swiss. See website for details. store open all year round. Also available at the Milkhouse at Great Brook Farm in Walpole. For more information Cabot Creamery Cooperative Cabot, VT (802) 229-9361 jdavis@cabotcheese.coop cabotcheese.coop Cabot Creamery, known for their "World's Best Cheddar," makes cheese from cow's milk supplied by members of their farmer-cooperative. They offer a broad range of specialty, traditional, flavored, and reduced-fat cheeses in a variety of ages, flavors, forms and sizes. Cabot cheese is available in most grocery stores, through mail order, and on the internet at www.shopcabot.com. Their three stores include the visitor's center at the original creamery in Cabot, plus The Cabot Annex on Route 100 in Waterbury, and the Cabot Quechee store on Rt 4 in the Quechee Village Stores. Visit the website for directions and hours. Cabot Creamery celebrates 90 years of cooperative heritage in 2009. As a cooperative, 100% of their profits go to their farmers. For more information Cobb Hill Cheese Hartland, VT (802) 436-4360 jbush@together.net cobbhill.org/cheese/ Cobb Hill cheese is made with raw whole milk from the farm's small heard of grass-fed Jersey cows. Available in two varieties, award-winning Ascutney Mountain and Four Corners. Ascutney Mountain is an Alpine-style cheese, aged over 7 months with a rich and nutty flavor, while Four Corners is a cheddared cheese based on a Welsh Caerphilly recipe that is lemony and bright. Cheeses are available year round on the farm and is also found in many grocery stores and specialty shops in New England. In the Upper Valley, it is carried at the Coops in Hanover, Lebanon, and White River Junction, at the Woodstock Farmers Market, and the Taftsville Country store. For more information Fat Toad Farm Brookfield, VT (802) 279-0098 fattoadfarm@gmail.com www.fattoadfarm.com Fat Toad Farm specializes in fresh goat cheeses (chevre) made from milk produced by their small herd of Alpines and Saanens. Rotationally grazed in season with supplemental feeding of local hay and grain, their goats produce milk that is notably sweet and mellow, so much so that their fresh cheese is often humorously referred to as "goat cheese for people who don't like goat cheese." The cheeses produced include plain chevre, a collection of savory flavored chevres, and two unique dessert/breakfast cheeses, Maple Chevre and Heavenly Lemonly Chevre. Cheeses are available from March through December at many local coops and stores, Montpelier Farmers Market or their own farm. Please call ahead for farm hours. For more information Frog City Cheese Plymouth, VT (802) 672-3650 frogcity@vermontel.net frogcitycheese.com Frog City Cheese is a family-owned and -operated cheese manufacturing business located at the Plymouth Cheese Factory on the President Calvin Coolidge Historic Site in Plymouth Notch, VT. The cheeses are made from raw Jersey cow milk supplied by a farm in Reading, VT. Their Plymouth cheese comes in four different ages, available in a variety of flavors. Frog City Cheeses can be purchased at Hunger Mountain Co-op, Dan & Whit's, Gillingham's, Springfield Co-op, and more. Internet purchases are also available at http://frogcitycheese.com/store.html. For more information Hillside Lane Farm, Ltd. Randolph, VT (802) 728.0070 cathy@hillsidelane.com www.hillsidelane.com Hillside Lane Farm produces a variety of VT specialty products including cheese spreads. Made from fresh low-fat VT cheese, their spreads come in a variety of flavors including ginger garlic, roasted red pepper, and horse radish wasabi and spreadable cheddar. Their cheese products can be found at outlets in Randolph, Co-op food stores, King Arthur flour and more. For a full list of retailers or to purchase online, please visit their website. For more information Jericho Hill Farm White River Junction, VT (802) 295-5333 vtcheese.com/members/jericho/jericho.htm Jericho Jack Farmstead Cheese is manufactured entirely with unpasteurized milk from our cows. It is a saltwater-brined cheese that has a firm body and soft, smooth texture. The wheels are aged for sixty days and beyond. Available at Lebanon/Hanover/WRJ Food Co-Ops, Dan & Whit's, King Arthur Flour, Norwich/Hanover/Lebanon Farmers' Markets, Cabot Store in Quechee, Gillingham's, Woodstock Farmers' Mkt. For more information Mack Hill Farm Marlow, NH (603) 446-6261 lisa@mackhillfarm.com mackhillfarm.com Mack Hill Farm's Icelandic sheep are raised on pasture and hay only and are only milked in the summer. Yogurt, mozzarella, and farmhouse cheddar cheese are available on the farm in the summer and sell out quickly. Please call for an appointment. For more information Organic Valley Family of Farms LaFarge, VT (888) 444-6455 jamie.johnson@organicvalley.coop organicvalley.coop Organic Valley offers award-winning certified organic cheese produced by family farmers without antibiotics, synthetic hormones or pesticides. Their Vermont Cheddar Cheese is made in Vermont from locally pastured cows' milk and is available in a range of medium, sharp, and extra-sharp and more. Please visit their website at for local retailers. Customers should contact consumerrelations@organicvalley.coop for more information. For more information Sugarbush Farm Woodstock, VT (802) 457-1757 contact@sugarbushfarm.com sugarbushfarm.com Fourteen varieties of aged or smoked cheese. Gift boxes can be ordered by phone or by stopping by the farm house from 9-5. Most cheeses available at Lebanon and Hanover Co-op, Dan & Whit's, and Laro's in Quechee. For more information Taylor Farm Londonderry, VT (802) 824-5690 taylorcheese@comcast.net www.taylorfarmvermont.com Taylor Farm is a family-owned and -operated dairy farm that takes pride in the humane treatment of animals and sustainable agriculture. The herd consists of 55 milking Holstein and Jersey cows, each individually named and lovingly cared for in a free stall barn. They offer a line of Dutch-style Gouda cheeses available directly at the farm from 10 am to 5pm, seven days a week. They can also be purchased from retailers throughout VT, and online from their website. For more information Thistle Hill Farm North Pomfret, VT (802) 457-9349 info@thistlehillfarm.com thistlehillfarm.com Thistle Hill Farm offers their French Alpine Tarentaise Cheese made from the certified organic milk of their grass-fed Jersey cows. Every aspect of Tarentaise-growing hay, milking cows and making cheese-is done on the farm by the Putnam family. Tarentaise is available at local co-ops, farmers' markets, and can be ordered from the farm directly through their website. For more information Vermont Butter and Cheese Websterville, VT (802) 479-9371 awolf@vtbutterandcheeseco.com vtbutterandcheeseco.com All-natural goat cheeses available as chevre log (herb, pepper), creamy goat (plain, roasted red pepper, olive and herb), and goats' milk feta. Available at most local co-ops, City Market in Burlington, LACE, Price Chopper, Shaw's, Hannaford's, Squash Valley and many more. For more information Vermont Water Buffalo South Woodstock, VT (802) 457-4540 info@bufaladivermont.com www.bufaladivermont.com Vermont Water Buffalo uses 100% all natural water buffalo milk from their own farm to produce a variety of cheeses including mozzarella, ricotta, asiago, ravello, muffaletta, farmstead, and serantino. These cheeses are available in some VT stores, in Boston, New York, and on the farm. Farm hours are Mon-Frifrom 9am-5pm and on weekends by appointment. For more information West River Creamery Londonderry, VT (802) 824-6900 westrivercreamery@tds.net West River Creamery is a small family operated farmstead cheese plant that uses milk from its own cows. These Holstein and Jersey cows are BGH-free and pastured from May to Nov. They offer a variety of natural rind, European style cheeses, as well as American style cheddar, cloth-bound, Cheshire, natural rind baby Swiss, Middletown tome, and more. Their cheeses can be found at the Hanover and Lebanon co-ops, Lebanon Health Food Store, Green Mountain Smoke House, Londonderry Clark's IGA, Lisai's Market, Harlow's Farmstand, Walpole Grocer, and many more locations. A small self service is available at the farm; pease call ahead for farm hours. For more information

So, what exactly is coffee tourlino and how does one make it? A co-worker of mine asked me and I had to embarrass myself by saying I had no idea. Sincerely, Dante

OK- I did this and it turned out wonderfully! Thanx for the tip. i'll have to jot this one down in my notebook! Sincerely, Dante

So, since Molly's in Hanover, NH took their Monte Cristo variant off of the menu,I'm looking for other places in the Upper Valley that carry them. Anyone out there able to help me out? Sincerely, Dante

Wow. Never thought of that. I'm in to Wu Shu (Tai Chi Chuan , Hsing Yi Chuan, Pa Kua Chang) the I Ching (and similar systems- Tai Hsuan Ching, Ling Chi Ching) and Nei Tan. Never thought in terms of tea in respect to this, tho. Sincerely, Dante

= OMG that is so very brilliant I may need to steal it... Sincerely, Dante

Cheese lineup for 12th Night: Roaring 40’s Blue, Epoisses, Limburger, Vermont Shepherd’s, Brillat-Savarin, Chevre Noire and, BTW, the Barick Obama from Lazy Lady Farm was quite pleasant- slightly dry, firm, mild, smooth flavour with a bit of sharpness in the finish. and she's gone back to making her Cowurce, because 'tis the season for such things. Must pick some of that up next time I go shopping. Sincerely, Dante

I'll have to do a recount, as I've neglected to update on this thread as I got new stuff, but I got a copy of Alinea from my wife as a 12th Night present. Sincerely, Dante

that could work, indeed. I usually use a blend of black, white, red, green and szechuan with a bit of allspice blended in. (yes, that's my table pepper- I'm a geek, can't help it) yeah-wouldn't use honey- wouldn't work for texture. anyone out there ever try using, say, turbinado or something similar? Some demerara derivative? Sincerely, Dante