Member-organized event - 2006 Heartland Gathering

[tammylc]

Desserts:

Palladion made some really amazing plum dumplings, topped with fried bread crumbs and sugar. Outstanding. Lisa made her decadent English trifle, and her husband jmsaul whipped up a bunch of peanut butter ice cream. Which we served with CaliPoutine's chocolate cookies.

Now the dishes are being washed. It's a lot of dishes. We served about half of the courses as individually plated items and the rest family style. moosnsqrl's heirloom tomato soup was the most impressive looking of the plates - she did a double soup, with red tomato on one side and yellow tomato on the other, with a dollop of avocado sorbet in the middle. It tasted at least as good as it looked, which was fabulous.

Pictures... well, it's like this, see. We have a lot of people taking a lot of pictures, but the photographers are all post-processing and color correction types, not post the quick and dirty types. So they'll be coming, just not as "live" as we'd hoped.

Edited August 6, 2006 by tammylc (log)

[ulterior epicure]

Heirlooms from dan & denice may in MIlo, MO - I consulted with tammylc prior to driving up and the heirlooms are really just starting up here so the quantity I needed would've been difficult to round up.

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It's great to see the Show Me State get some representation at the Heartland Gathering! Thanks moosnsqrl for being our ambassador!

u.e.

[edsel]

The charcuterie was provided by Ronnie and Edsel.

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All the Charcuterie was ronnie's work except for the Andouille I brought. Ronnie's terrine was absolutely gorgeous, and his pastrami was amazing.

Also, I don't think anyone has mentioned the bread that tino27 brought. It really made the cheese and charcuterie courses extra-special.

[torakris]

Also, I don't think anyone has mentioned the bread that tino27 brought. It really made the cheese and charcuterie courses extra-special.

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Edsel's words do not describe how good this bread was. This was honestly some of the best bread I have ever had in my life. I am going home with some (ok, most) of the leftovers.

It is 11:00pm and there are still 10 of us hanging around enjoying each others company. I have a feeling there won't be too many comments or pictures until well into tomorrow.

[tammylc]

So, the only thing wrong with Heartland eGulleteers is they all go to bed too early. It's not even midnight yet, and it's just tammylc, NancyH and Bob, and Edsel still holding down the fort.

Of course, it was a very long and busy day, and we'll be at it again tomorrow with bruch at 10...

[ronnie_suburban]

'Twas a great time today with absolutely gorgeous weather . . . mid 80's, low humidity, abundant sunshine and a few white puffy clouds.

I really enjoyed the market and I do have a few photos, which I'll try to post soon. Like most farmers markets I visit, this one was far better than my home market Anyway, there were some great offerings and the place was bustling with all sorts of activities, negotiations and deal-making. It was like a weird alt version of Araby. Some of our purchases were pre-planned and some were inspired by what we saw at the market and as the time passed the menu -- or at least the general plan for it -- took form.

The lunch from Monahan's was absolutely amazing. I also split half a smoked turkey and pepper ham sandwich from Zingerman's with Steven. But, Monahan's was turning out some absolutely incredible treats, including some stellar calamari (with an intoxicating peanut sauce), near-perfect fish & chips -- the chips were fantastically crisp and, I'm told, tossed in herb butter. That did not hinder their crispiness one bit. Their chowder was also quite tasty. A fourth item was also served -- and it looked good -- but I was too full to try it and don't remember what it was.

The wine tasting was very cool. Having a chance to taste 21 "really good" wines, and receive solid information about all of them was wonderful -- thanks also for the nicely-produced, pre-printed notes on the wines. It was fun and informative and a great way to spend part of our time together. Rick (last name unknown to me) was a great "guide."

Prepping the meal was also a lot fun -- without a doubt my overall highlight of the weekend so far. It was great having Tammy, Steven and everyone else chart it all out for us. A lot of folks who don't normally cook (or shop) together combined to make a truly incredible and inspired meal and even managed to keep it pretty much on schedule -- and this was a long menu containing many dishes which required a multitude of steps. Someone else will have to confirm but I don't think we got to the last course more than 15 minutes later than scheduled. Considering again that we were new to each other, (mostly) working in an unfamiliar kitchen, and keeping it all going for 3+ hours, I'm truly impressed with what this group accomplished. Not that it mattered, really . . . because it would have been fun either way. But it was cool seeing it all come together so successfully.

The meal itself was incredible and, more so than by the group's effort, I was impressed with the food that was turned out. I love eGS gatherings because a bunch of people who love food get to 'do their thing.' The result is that a ton of delicious dishes emerge and each course is one to look forward to. I'm sure there will be some pics of the food but it was all delicious. There wasn't one course I didn't enjoy. Some of my personal highlights were Edsel's Berkshire Pork and Wild Boar Andouille Sausage, Tammy and Steven's Zucchini Trio (especially the roulade with grilled zuke and goat cheese), torakris and Steven's Grilled Peach and Seared Foie Gras salad, moosnsqrl's Heirloom Tomato Soup with Avocado Sorbet, NancyH and Bob's Beef with Chiles and Cherries and I'm sure I'm leaving a few out. Dessert-wise, Kitchen Chick and jmsaul made a killer, from-scratch Trifle (blueberries, lemon curd) and an over-the-top Peanut Butter Ice Cream. CaliPoutine's Chocolate Cookies were amazing -- a great accompaniment to the aforementioned ice cream -- Palladion's Plum Dumpling's were terrific and sweintraub and Deborah did a terrific job selecting a top-notch group of cheeses. And tino27, your breads were absolutely out of this world.

There was so much more -- the salads, the wines, the little touches, etc. -- and it was all just wonderful. What a great time it was. I wish we could wake up tomorrow and do it all over again. I'm so glad to have been a part of this and I look forward to hooking up with my fellow eGS members and doing this again soon -- hopefully, before next summer.

Tammy -- and family, and co-housing mates -- thank you again for taking this on and so graciously hosting us. Your extraordinary effort is greatly appreciated. I hope that I can someday reciprocate.

=R=

Edit: Because Rick is Rick, not Tom . . . D'OH!

[jmsaul]

Sorry I couldn't make it, Heartlanders.  Eat some Zingerman's pastrami for me.

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How about homemade Wagyu pastrami, courtesy of ronnie_suburban?

No, I'm not joking. Wow.

Oh. My. God.

Edited August 6, 2006 by jmsaul (log)

[jmsaul]

So, the only thing wrong with Heartland eGulleteers is they all go to bed too early.  It's not even midnight yet, and it's just tammylc, NancyH and Bob, and Edsel still holding down the fort.

Of course, it was a very long and busy day, and we'll be at it again tomorrow with bruch at 10...

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Hey, we were driving Fat Guy to the airport. Cut us some slack.

We missed one hell of an accident by about 10 minutes, too. On our way back, there were emergency vehicles everywhere -- they were actually turning airport-bound traffic around into our side of the highway.

[jmsaul]

I hate replying three times in a row, but since everyone else is either brunching, in transit, or nursing an absinthe hangover, it falls to me to tell you... it was wonderful. The cameraderie, the food, everything.

No review for now (off to Mexicantown to meet some friends) but in the hopes of encouraging others to do the same, here are links to recipes for the desserts Kitchen Chick and I brought (she did the trifle, I did the easy one...). Neither of these were shot at the gathering, they're from earlier www.kitchenchick.com posts:

Trifle:

Link to recipe for the Trifle

Peanut Butter Ice Cream:

Link to recipe for the Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Edited August 6, 2006 by jmsaul (log)

[Fat Guy]

I love how my name has been attached to various dishes. I assure you my net contribution was zero, in that I made one dish a little better but another a little worse. I got lucky cooking the foie gras for the grilled-peach-and-foie-gras garnish for Kris's salad -- pure, dumb luck. For whatever reason, I pulled the skillet off the heat at the right moment and the foie came out a delightful medium rare. I take no credit for this. I had no idea what I was doing. Tammy's squash trio was coming along fine until I screwed up a third of it by altering the plan to use guanciale instead of pancetta. The guanciale was just too salty. We should have blanched it before cooking it, but I didn't have my thinking cap on. It was a good idea in theory: chopped up crispy-chewy bits of guanciale with fig jam stuffed into individual pattypan squashes. But in the end it was too salty. The other two thirds of the squash trio -- the ones I had nothing to do with -- were wonderful, though.

I also want to emphasize that the rave reviews for tino27's bread are totally legitimate. Let's face it, praise for bread is always suspect: most people are suckers for any homemade bread even if it sucks. Well, I'm here to tell you that tino27's bread was totally up to top-tier professional artisan bakery standards. We all ate so much of it we almost died. I think the majority favorite was the roasted pepper bread, but personally I think the one that showed tino27's talent to the fullest was the basic French. It wasn't technically a sourdough -- he made it with a poolish -- but the end result was similar to a mild, subtle sourdough and the crust and crumb were texturally amazing. I've observed some professional baking classes and tino27's work was definitely A++, extra credit, honor roll, Phi Beta Kappa, MENSA level work.

Everything else I didn't cook was great -- someone must post photos of Ronnie's incredible, amazing charcuterie creations -- and it was terrific to see everyone and to meet new people. Thanks, Tammy, for making this happen. I know how much work you put into it.

[tammylc]

Fat Guy understates his contribution to the squash trio - I was planning to stuff the squash with smoked salmon, and he just "wasn't feeling it." He suggested combining something pork fat-y with something sweet. I did send him off to Zing to get pancetta, but the guanciale was calling his name. It was salty, but the portion size was small, so it wasn't overwhelming.

We finished brunch a little while ago and there's a group of about 8 people over touring Zingerman's Coffee Company. I'm not a coffee drinker, so I decided to spend some quality time with Liam (my two-ear old) who's been missing his mom this busy weekend.

[tammylc]

While we're waiting for the people with the pictures to get back to their computers and get things uploaded, I can tell you about the wines we tasted.

I've been going pretty regularly to the monthly special dinners that Zingerman's Roadhouse hosts, and I've always been really impressed with Ric Jewell's wine selections. So when I was thinking about events to include in our weekend, asking him to host a wine tasting was a no-brainer. I gave him a pretty small budget, so was amazed to see him putting 21 different bottles of wine on the table! Thanks to Ric and Zingerman's for donating the difference.

I'm mostly just going to list the wine names here. But I'm taking those names from a detailed 10 pages document Ric created to accompany the tasting. The wines are from all over the world, and the breadth of grape varieties is huge. Ric was kind enough to include a few of my favorites from previous wine dinners.

Oxidized

1. Vin Jaune, Henri Maire au Chateau Boichailles, Reserve Catherine de Rye, Chateau-Chalon AC, Jura, FR 1986

2. Bodegas Alvear, Carlos VII, Amontillado, Montilla-Morales SP, NV

White

3. Arrabako, Xarmant, Arabako Txakolina SP, 2004 (Ric - smartly - didn't even try to pronounce the full name of this one! It's a Basque wine.)

4. Vin de Savoie, Pierre Boniface, Apremont, Savoie FR, 2004

5. Bodegas Cerrasol, Esperanta, Estate, Rueda SP, 2004

6. Claude et Bernard Greffier, Chateau Tertre de launay, Entre-de-Mers AC, Bordeaux, FR, 2004

7. Domaine des Cassagnoles, Reserve Selection, Gascogne FR, 2004

8. Cusumano, Sicilia IT, 2004

9. Tokaj-Oremus, Mandolas, Tokaji HUNG, 2003

Rose

9.5 Rose de Pinot Gris, "Les Rouesses" Domaine des Rouesses, Reuilly, Loire FR, 2004 (Re. the 9.5 - Ric was only planning on serving 20 wines, but somehow this extra rose slipped in. Pinot Gris is usually vinified as a white wine, but this version is an incredibly pale rose with huge flavor.)

10. Les Domaniers de Puits Mouret, Ott, Cotes de Provence FR, 2005

Red

11. Domaine de la Chanteleuserie, Cuvee Beauvais, Bourgueil AC, Loire FR, 2003

12. Domaine Charles Joguet, Cuvee Terroir, Chinon AC, Loire FR, 2003

(11. and 12. presented a really interesting comparison. Although they are from two different ACs in the Loire, the vineyards are only about 20 (or was it 30?) miles apart, and the both used the same grape - cabernet franc. In the hot 2003 year, one wine maker decided to work to create a wine that's more typical for the region, where the other went with the flow of the incredibly ripe grapes and produced a wine that's far more New World in style.)

13. Weingut Gernot Heinrich, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee AUSTRIA, 2004

14. Villa Zorilor, Vinarte, Estate, Dealu Mare ROMANIA, 2000

15. La Posta del Vinatero, Estela Armanda Vineyard, Guaymallen, Mendoza ARG, 2003

16. Counoise, McCrea Cellars, Red Mountain WA, 2002

17. Cheatue des Erles, Cuvee des Ardoise, Fitou AC, Cotes de Languedoc FR, 2002

18. Quinta de Roriz, Prazo de Roriz, Douro PORTUGAL, 2004

19. Scala Dei, Cartoixa Reserva, Priorat SP, 2000

20. Azienda Agricola Cosimo Taurino, Notarpanaro, Salento IT, 1999

Fat Guy and I took turns going round the room pouring out splashes of each wine into glasses while Ric talked about the wines. We had about 30 people attending the tasting, so they were really just splashes. But splashes of 21 different wines still add up, especially over the course of just an hour and half, so I for one was quite giggly by the time the tasting was over.

And given sweintrub started pouring out the absinthe shortly after the tasting, the fact that we pulled dinner off so well becomes even more impressive!

[Fat Guy]

Number 7 and number 19 were, in my opinion, the best white and red respectively. Both exceptionally complex, unusual, not expensive wines that I'm going to seek out.

[tammylc]

Prepping the meal was also a lot fun -- without a doubt my overall highlight of the weekend so far.  It was great having Tammy, Steven and everyone else chart it all out for us.  A lot of folks who don't normally cook (or shop) together combined to make a truly incredible and inspired meal and even managed to keep it pretty much on schedule -- and this was a long menu containing many dishes which required a multitude of steps.  Someone else will have to confirm but I don't think we got to the last course more than 15 minutes later than scheduled.  Considering again that we were new to each other, (mostly) working in an unfamiliar kitchen, and keeping it all going for 3+ hours, I'm truly impressed with what this group accomplished.  Not that it mattered, really . . . because it would have been fun either way.  But it was cool seeing it all come together so successfully.

Thanks for saying this Ronnie. I worried sometimes that the level of focus and coordination required to put together the meal would seem too onerous and like it took away from the fun and social aspects of the event, so I'm really glad to hear it was a highlight for you!

[edsel]

I'm gradually uploading pictures. I'll start with today's.

Tammy's husband Eric hosted the final event of the weekend - a coffee cupping at Zingerman's Coffee Company. "Cupping" is coffee geek speak for evaluating a coffee.

We started with demonstration of the roasting process. This is some serious drum roaster:

We take a look at some green (unroasted) beans.

The roasted beans are dumped for cooling.

Samples are pulled every few minutes during the roast.

This batch was a Papua New Guinea (PNG) that Zingerman's uses for a cold-extracted iced coffee. We tasted some from a previous batch. Very nice!

[edsel]

Coffee Cupping Part 2

Hot water is poured on the grinds.

We compared two "mystery" coffees. One was the Brazilian Daterra that Zingerman's uses for their espresso roast. The other was from a Cup of Excellence auction lot that Zingerman's was lucky enough to get in on. (COE coffee's are top-rated coffees from a very prestigious competition).

Coffee grinds steeping. Spoon at the ready.

Slurping is encouraged!

We also evaluated the same two coffees brewed in a conventional manner. The flavor and aroma is somewhat diminished when the coffee is filtered. It is , however, somewhat less chewy.

Many thanks to Eric for setting up this event!

[Palladion]

Well, I'm safely back home. I had an absolutely wonderful time, though I still feel incredibly full. I ate no breakfast and had a single, unadorned bagel for lunch. There was no way I was going to be able to eat brunch at 10:00 this morning. But, because I've heard so much about the grits from Zingerman's on this board, I bought a can of it Friday night and brought it back home to try for myself.

Dinner at Bella Ciao was great. After dinner, a group of us went to Zingerman's Deli so we'd be able to browse the store while it relatively empty (there were still many more customers than I expected for 9:45 at night). It was packed during the farmer's market the next day. That little manuever was a wonderful plan, Tammy; it was so much nicer to be able to wander around inside the deli.

They were giving out their old bread and bagels for free, and many of us snagged some for breakfast or for the dinner the next day. They also had a bunch of condiments, oils, and vinegars for available for sample. In addition to the grits (which I've been thinking about for quite some time), I also bought a bottle of vinegar.

I was in the right place at the right time and somehow lucked into getting to taste one of Zingerman's old balsamics (they're out of stock on their less-pricey balsamics). A tiny dab was laid on the top of my fist with a straw. A dab was all I needed. It tasted wonderfully complex, musty, and had just the right sweetness.

And now, more pictures. We left off with the 1st course, the caprese.

Next came the prawn and arugula salad:

The salad was dressed in an orange vinagrette that Destroit said was Asian-inspired, if I remember correctly.

Next came the entrees, of which there were four choices.

Striped sea bass with Peruvian purple mashed potatoes:

Scallops with smoked sea salt:

Beef of some sort:

A very similar yellow squash showed up in our dinner the next day.

And the dish that I (and more than half of my table) chose, the stuffed quail:

Stuffed with sauteed greens, pancetta (or a differnt Italian meet), garlic. This was my first quail, and it was quite good. Not something to order during a business meal, but tastey.

People:

Check out the stack of plates at the bar. We really made our servers work, carrying heavy loads up and down the stairs.

Desserts, ready to go:

Dessert:

The planned dessert was canolli, but the freezer broke, forcing Destroit to improvise. He called this chocolate pate, and it was chocolate, with nuts and caramel. Very delicious and rich, so the small portion was the perfect size to top off the night (for us lightweights who didn't journey off to Tammy's for additional conversation, food, and drink).

Destroit, the waitstaff that attended our group, and the rest of the crew at Bella Ciao really put together a fun evening for us.

Next up, the farmer's market and lunch at Monahan's.

-------

Alex Parker

[Susan in FL]

Thanks, I'm glad to see the photos start! Would you guys be willing to let us know who's who in some of the pictures? It would be cool to have faces to attach to names.

[molto e]

How about homemade Wagyu pastrami, courtesy of ronnie_suburban?

No, I'm not joking.  Wow.

Oh.  My.  God.

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I was lucky enough to try just enough of Ronnie S's wagyu pastrami and it was out of this world. Most deli's do not serve that quality of a product. Ronnie, how about a shipment out west

Molto E

[CaliPoutine]

Here are some of my pictures of Ronnie's Charcuterie. Absolutely amazing.

[tino27]

Hello everyone!!!

I just wanted to say what a great time I had at all of the events this weekend. Starting with the wine tasting all the way through to the coffee roasting/tasting this afternoon, it has been an amazing time. And it's finally great to put some faces and names with those screen names.

In the spirit of sharing, I thought I'd share some of the bread photos I took on my bake-a-thon 2006 on Friday night for all of the breads.

Without further ado ...

First, the mise en place for the French bread dough. This was the only dough that I used a pre-ferment (poolish) in.

Next, this is the French dough after it's first fermentation -- so nice and silky smooth!

The French batards have been shaped, proved, and are ready to be loaded onto the peel, slashed, and into the oven they go. Notice the containers of flour in the backround. My roommate (and the owner of the house) thinks I am completely off my rocker because I have nine different kinds of flour. I mean, WHO DOESN'T have nine kinds of flour at any given time, right?

Next, we have the honey whole wheat boules that are proved and ready to go on the peel. Not sure what the dark spot of the left loaf is all about -- must be a shadow.

In the next shot, we have the roasted red pepper and black peppercorn bread, proved and ready to go into the oven (at least the boules on the towel).

A look at the cornucopia of finished breads. I took this one right before loading up my bags and heading up to A2.

Finally, I had many discussions with some of you about the quality of the oven I used to bake all of this wonderful bread in.

First, a shot of the whole thing. It's a gas GE range that came with the house. Not sure the model. It's about the same quality of oven you'd find in most apartment complexes.

And, finally, a shot of the inside. Notice the stone on the bottom of the oven. Since it's a round pizza stone, it isn't big enough for me to do any serious baking. It's there mostly to work as a capacitor -- keeping the oven at a very even temperature. The inverted sheet pan on the top rack is my cooking surface and the regular sheet pan (which I have dutifully sacrificed to the bread gods and goddesses) is what I use to create steam whenever I throw water into the oven.

Now that I've finished posting my little bit, I'm going to re-read the entire thread and catch up on what I've missed.

[edsel]

As expected, my photos are totally outclassed by Palladion's. I will post a few that don't duplicate one's we've already seen. The rest will be in albums in ImageGullet.

Here's the beginning of the wine tasting.

This was a great way to start the afternoon. We were just back from shopping at the farmers' market, and many of us were preoccupied with cooking matters. The wine tasting really set the right tone, and it was informative to boot. I can see why Tammy is such a fan of the wine service at Zingerman's.

p.s. to Susan - I'll try to fill in names in my posts, and will put some additional notes in the captions on ImageGullet. If I screw up any names, someone PM me so I can correct it!

[edsel]

Grilling peaches on the patio. Note the two-to-one ratio of photographers to cooks!

Ye shall know him by his Fish Pants.

MMMMmmmmmmm.... Grilled peaches.

Kitchen Chick and torakris watch on while FG tends the grill.

[edsel]

I love how my name has been attached to various dishes. I assure you my net contribution was zero, in that I made one dish a little better but another a little worse. I got lucky cooking the foie gras for the grilled-peach-and-foie-gras garnish for Kris's salad -- pure, dumb luck. For whatever reason, I pulled the skillet off the heat at the right moment and the foie came out a delightful medium rare. I take no credit for this. I had no idea what I was doing.

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The foie was dead-on perfect. Better than I've had in some serious restaurants. Here's a slightly blurry photo of the plated peach-and-foie salad. (hopefully someone has a better pic)

Edit to add: The combination of the peaches, foie, greens, and dressing was truly first-rate. This was an absolutely awesome salad.

Edited August 7, 2006 by edsel (log)

[CaliPoutine]

Here is another