From Apple Jam to Crabapple Jelly

We've been listening to George Harrison's All Things Must Pass a lot recently, including its largely improvisatory Apple Jam sides ("Out of the Blue"!).

 fig. a:  George's Apple Jam

But, when it comes to making tasty jams (or jellies, as the case may be) of our own, we've been singularly focused on crabapples of late.

 fig. b:  crabapples

In part, that's because there's nothing quite like crabapple jelly:  that colour, that tartness, that natural set.  Most other jellies are either notoriously finicky, or they're just not nearly as pretty.

But, mainly, it's because we've had access to a particularly fruitful crabapple tree.  When the wild turkeys haven't been shaking it down (literally), we've been free to harvest this tree to our hearts' delight.

 fig. c:  crabapple tree

 fig. d:  freshly picked crabapples

At work, Michelle makes large quantities of crabapple jelly to serve with terrines, mousses, and pâtés.  With these crabapples, she makes small batches of jelly to spread on our toast.  Either way, the method is essentially the same.

Crabapple Jelly à la Michelle

Stem, clean and sort through the crabapples, removing any that are rotten. 

Place in a medium/large pot, depending on how many apples you have. 

Just barely cover with water.  You should be able to press down on them, getting the water to cover them when you do. 

Cook for 20-25 minutes at a simmer until your crabapples are falling apart and fragrant.
Pour through a chinois and let drip.* 

For every 10 parts juice, add 6-7 parts sugar, depending on the tartness of your crabapples. 

Place the juice and sugar in an appropiately sized pot, bring to a simmer, and cook at a simmer until you reach the gel stage. 

A drop of liquid should come off the spoon in a sheet rather than a droplet. 

Place in sterilized jars and seal according to proper canning procedures. Or simply pour into any clean glass container and let set, then store in the fridge.   

Voilà!

* You can also use a jelly bag for this step, but Michelle prefers to use a chinois because it speeds up the process.

And, either way, the results are beautiful--to the eye, and to the palate.



 figs. e & f:  crabapple jelly for breakfast

Of course, it pays to have homemade bread on hand to enjoy your jelly with,

 fig. g:  pain de campagne

but that's another story.

Act fast:  crabapple season is already in full swing.

aj

Top Ten #55

1.  Washington County, VT (and environs)




2.  George Harrison, All Things Must Pass (Apple)

sample track:  "Run of the Mill"




3.  Minnesota!

4.  Lauren Collins, "The Spy Who Loved Me," The New Yorker, August 25, 2014

5.  poulet grillé au gingembre

6.  This American Life #534, "A Not-So-Simple Majority"




7.  Cape Cod!



8.  Lawrence Wright, Going Clear:  Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief



9.  David Crosby, If I Could Only Remember My Name...

10.  Boyhood (2014), dir. Linklater

aj

Toasts & Roasts

 fig. a:  holidaze 2013

We hold these truths to be self-evident:

1.  The holiday season is upon us.

2.  Good God, there's nothing like a perfectly seasoned, perfectly rosé slab of roast beef--preferably one that's then sliced extra-thin, and served with horseradish.*

Okay.  Yes, the holidays are here.  And that means it was time for our annual "...an endless banquet" Christmas spectacular.

 fig. b:  all aboard!

But, the thing is, sometimes LIFE confronts you with an unexpected storm, and, suddenly, you have to chart a new course.

That's kind of what happened this year.  Everything's fine now, there's no need to worry, but something came up that forced us to make a last-minute adjustment.  What it meant was that the Christmas spectacular didn't actually take place at our place this year.  Consequently, we toned things down a bit, scaled things back, and got "back to the basics."

The holiday bash that resulted might not have been quite as wide open as it had been in the past, it might not have been quite as extravagant, but it was still pretty spectacular, and it was much more of a collaborative effort--and all the better for it.  For all these things, we owe our undying gratitude to our hostess.  (TY, RD!)  Such a lovely apartment, such a wonderful atmosphere, such a great time!!

 fig. c:  S.S. Shamrock!

Originally, we'd come up with this vague Lake Champlain "holiday steamship" theme.  The "point of departure" was meant to be our apartment.  I guess we ended up docking just a little ways up the coast.  And we exchanged the S.S. Champlain for the S.S. Shamrock.

Did I mention that there was a pretty significant snowstorm the day of the party?  No big deal.  We're Montrealers, we know how to deal with such situations.

Anyway, "back to basics" meant simpler preparations.  It also meant fewer last-minute preparations.  But it was still pretty plentiful.  The spread:

 fig. d:  rye!

1 spiral-cut, cob-smoked, maple-glazed Vermont ham with mostarda cherries
1 roast beef with horseradish
nordic shrimp salad
smoked trout & smoked sturgeon platter with cream cheese
crudités & herb dip
baked artichoke dip & corn chips
cheese platter (featuring 1 Jasper Hill Moses Sleeper + 1 Shelburne Farms cloth-bound cheddar)
freshly baked Danish rye & corn rye loaves 

Spanish clementines
gingerbread cookies
festive fudge 

AEB rum punch
aged egg nog

 fig. e:  fudge!

And, yes, getting back to that point #2:  a perfectly executed roast beef is a thing of beauty.  It also seemed like just the kind of thing that would have been served in the dining room of an elegant steamship back in the day.

We discovered a method for a simple roast beef that we really love--and that's proven to be foolproof--earlier this year in the pages of The New York Times.  The recipe accompanied an article on Louisville's enigmatic Henry Bain sauce.  Though the sauce was designed to be served as a condiment with everything from steaks to game, it's a stone-cold natural with roast beef.  In fact, Sam Sifton claimed that this may be the sauce's "highest use" in his article, so he turned to Tyler Kord, the sandwich master at New York's No. 7 Sub, for a killer roast beef recipe to go along with his recipe for Henry Bain.  And that's exactly what he got.  I liked the recipe for Henry Bain--it was definitely unlike anything I'd ever tasted before, and, it's true, it made for a tasty accompaniment--but I absolutely loved the recipe for that roast beef.

As many of your probably know already, getting perfect results with roast beef can be a little tricky.  Nobody likes a roast that's extremely undercooked, and overcooking a roast is all too easy.  This recipe relies primarily on ambient heat to gently warm the roast all the way to its centre, resulting in that ideal rosy hue, not to mention an extremely savoury crust, optimal juiciness, and some outrageous pan juices.

I've been impressed with Kord's recipe since the first time I tried it, but recently I made an adjustment to it that's even more to my liking:  I added ground caraway seeds to its spicy-garlicky rub, giving it a finish that was very much in tune with the nordic characteristics of our Christmas party spread.

Off-Oven Roast Beef  

1 beef roast, like top, eye or bottom round, approximately 3 lbs
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tbsp freshly ground caraway seeds
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tbsp olive oil
red pepper flakes to taste

prepared horseradish or horseradish cream

Remove the roast from the refrigerator.  

 fig. f:  raw!

In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, caraway seeds, garlic, olive oil and red pepper flakes to create a paste.  Rub this all over the roast.  

 fig. g:  rubbed!

Place the roast in a cast-iron skillet or roasting pan, fat side up, and allow the roast to come to room temperature, about 1 to 2 hours.

About 15 minutes before you want to begin roasting, preheat your oven to 500º F.

Place the roast in the oven.  Cook, undisturbed, for 5 minutes per pound.  [I tend to go a little over this recommendation:  e.g. 15 minutes for a 2.6-lb roast, and 30 minutes for 5.25-lb roast.]

Turn off the oven.  Do not open the oven door.  Leave roast to continue cooking, completely undisturbed, for two hours.

After the two hours is up, remove the roast from the oven.  Slice as thinly as possible.  

 fig. h:  roasted!

Serve with pan juices and prepared horseradish.  Or use to make whatever your preferred kind of roast beef sandwich is. 

[recipe based very closely on Tyler Kord's Off-Oven Roast Beef recipe, as featured in The New York Times, January 17, 2013] 

Just how good is this roast beef?  Well, the photos above are of the 2 3/4-lb roast we made the day after we made a 5 1/2-lb roast for our party--a 5 1/2-lb roast that completely disappeared (as tasty things often do).  You see, the next day we found ourselves still having major roast beef cravings, so I went out and picked up another roast and we whipped up another batch--this one served with roasted broccoli and a mixed greens salad.  And horseradish, of course.

The point is:  this recipe is a keeper any time of year, but it's great for the holidays.  Great for a party spread. Great for pleasing a crowd.  Great for making sandwiches.

Happy holidaze 2013!  Eat well!  Drink well!  Be well!

aj

*Actually, roast beef's a pretty lovely thing to serve with radishes à la crème, too.  In fact, the two combined would make for a pretty amazing open-faced roast beef sandwich.  Just a thought...

Top Ten #51

1.  Cape Cod!

2.  Adam Leith Gollner, The Book of Immortality (Doubleday Canada)

3.  dinner for seven at Impasto, Mtl

4.  Steve Gunn, Time Off (Paradise of Bachelors)

sample track:  "Lurker"



(And if you're lucky enough to live in the NYC area, or to be just passing through, be sure to catch Steve Gunn, along with Endless Boogie and Tom Blacklung & the Smokestacks @ 285 Kent in Brooklyn on Monday, September 23rd.)



5.  Museum Hours (2012), dir. Cohen

(watch the trailer)

6.  late-night revelry at Le Vin Papillon, Mtl

7.  Faces, Long Player (Warner Bros.)

sample track:  "Maybe I'm Amazed"



8.  AEB chicken paprikash + sourdough caraway rye (Igen!)

9.  Girls (season 2)



10.  Farm-to-Table VT (including Misery Loves Company, Pistou, and Vergennes Laundry)

aj

Win-win-win, rev. ed.

 fig. a:  Burlington Farmers' Market

The Green Mountain State's Green Revolution continues to flourish, and it's transformed our diminutive neighbour to the south into a leader when it comes to small farming, organic agriculture, and sustainable land management.  This has resulted in a teeming farmers' market scene, a thriving network of cooperative grocery stores spilling over with local organics, and a vibrant (and talented!) farm-to-table dining scene.  Everyone's a winner:  farmers, chefs, and food lovers.

You can read all about it in my latest contribution to the Montreal Gazette.

 fig. b:  print edition

Want to check things out for yourself, live and in-person?  The article comes with a concise guide to farm-to-table Vermont, plus write-ups about some of our favourite new dining spots in Vermont's Champlain Valley,

 fig. c:  roast beef sandwich, Misery Loves Company

like Winooski's Misery Loves Company,

 fig. d:  roasted plum pop, Vergennes Laundry

Vergennes' Vergennes Laundry, and Burlington's Pistou, all of which are doing particularly delicious things with that farm-to-table ethos.

We've expressed this numerous times before, but it bears repeating:  welovermont!

Check it out!

And if you like that article, you might want to check out this oldie-but-goodie, too.

aj

On the Road 4: Harpoon Brewery, Windsor, VT

 fig. a:  a world of beer

Let's just say you're in Vermont, driving along highway 91 between White River Junction and Brattleboro, or vice versa.  (I can think of at least one good reason you might be tooling around in that area.)

And let's just say you've worked up a thirst that could use some quenching.

Keep your eyes open for the signs to Windsor, VT.  Windsor's got a typically quaint New England town centre, and, if you're game, you can experience the thrill of crossing over to New Hampshire in a covered bridge.  It's also the home of Vermont's Constitution House, the place where Vermont's Constitution was signed in 1777, breaking it off from the British Empire (years before it joined the Union), and establishing a proud tradition of rugged independence.  But none of that is going to quench that thirst of yours.

Which is why you should also know that Windsor is home to the Harpoon Brewery's Vermont location.  Harpoon is based in Boston, and they're justly famous for their definitive IPA and their UFO series of unfiltered Hefeweizens, but about a decade ago they expanded into Vermont when the former Catamount Brewery, another New England craft beer legend, came up for sale.

 fig. b:  beer factory

Not only did Harpoon get a chance to expand their production capacity, but they acquired a fully-operational beer factory in an idyllic location just on the outskirts of Windsor in the lush Connecticut River Valley--a foothold in the foothills of Vermont.

 fig. c: beer menu

In addition to the beer factory (which you can tour), Harpoon's Windsor location features a pub/restaurant and an extensive beer garden that's quite active during the warm-weather months.  We didn't get a chance to try their food (we had a rendez-cue in Putney), but we did sample some of their fine beers, many of which are virtually impossible to get anywhere other than Harpoon's two main locations and attest to the talent of their brewmasters.  We recommend focusing on their limited edition 100 Barrel Series beers.  Their Catamount Maple Wheat beer was quite simply one of the best beers I've tried in years.  We were intrigued by the sound of it, but worried it might be too sweet, but it was wonderfully balanced, with some maple-caramel tones, but none of the syrupy sweetness.  They also have a store where you can purchase their entire line of Harpoon beers, as well as a wide range of Harpoon merch (if that's your bag).

Keep Vermont Beered!

Harpoon Brewery, 336 Ruth Carney Drive, Windsor, VT 05089

aj

Southern BBQ! Southern VT?

 fig. a: magical barbecue bus

It's true!  Read all about it:  an honest-to-goodness Southern barbecue social in Southeastern Vermont run by a veteran pitmaster with over 45+ years of experience managing his rig.

 fig. b: pitmaster in action

You can find my latest contribution to the Montreal Gazette's Life section in this weekend's edition.  On newsstands now.  Online, too.  Just click on this link.

And you can find Curtis' Barbecue in Putney, VT, at the following address:

Curtis' Barbecue, 7 Putney Landing Rd., Putney, VT

aj

Extra! Extra!!

fig. a: pie by Parker Pie

We've waxed poetic about the joys of pizza in Vermont on more than one occasion, but if you pick up today's Montreal Gazette, you'll find a new, more comprehensive article on Green Mountain pizza, featuring three of our very favorite establishments:

fig. b: al fresco, American Flatbread

fig. c: decor, American Flatbread

American Flatbread (of course), Parker Pie Co., and Pizza on Earth.

fig. d: pizza by Pizza on Earth

• If you prefer the ease and convenience of the online edition, you can find that version of the article (alas, with fewer photographs) here.

aj

Our Own Private Vermont

fig. a: Michelle, Shelburne Farms

Our own private Vermont is an awfully nice place. It's made up of many of the sites we've visited over the last ten years, as well as many of the tastes we've tasted. It consists of numerous trips and countless memories. 2010 had its fair share, so when we tried to figure out what we'd be serving at this year's AEB holiday bash, we ended up settling on a Vermont theme. Which, of course, meant we had to pay yet another visit to the Green Mountain state to stock up on Green Mountain goodies. And although we made sure to hit a few old favorites--like Al's for lunch, Shelburne Farms for aged cheddar, and Dakin Farm for ham and bacon--we also got a chance to visit a few new places and further expand our Vermont.



figs. b & c: Jericho sunset, Jericho shadow

We arrived at Jericho Settlers Farm in Jericho Center just as the sun was setting, and consequently the light was as gold as it gets and the shadows were as long as can be.

fig. d: Settlers' farmstand

We'd read some great things about Jericho Settlers Farm's pastured meat, and especially their pastured heirloom pork. We'd also read that you could get their meat in Burlington, but we were curious to see what the farm looked. And with that sun setting, and fresh snow on the ground, it looked pretty heavenly.

There was no one around, but Jericho Settlers Farm has a farmstand that's open to the public 365 days a year, and it runs on the honor system (!).

fig. e: Settlers' birds

We stepped inside, took a look around,

fig. f: Settlers' freezer

and made some selections. We were pretty focused on their pork, beef, and chicken,

fig. g: Settlers' sweet carrots

but we were happy to see that they had some root vegetables for sale too, so we added some beautiful multicolored carrots and some fingerling potatoes to our bag and logged our purchases. We noticed that we were the first farmstand customers of the day, which is hardly surprising, I guess, because Jericho Settlers Farm operates primarily as a CSA.

fig. h: Jericho Center Country Store

Just down the road, in the very center of Jericho Center, we found the Jericho Center Country Store, one of the oldest continuously operating country stores in all of Vermont (since 1807!). The interior is a true treasure trove--it's filled to the rafters with antiques and memorabilia from its 203-year history--and in addition to all the usual country store staples, they also carry meat from Jericho Settlers Farm, in case the farmstand happens to be closed.

In the village square, directly across the street from the country store, Michelle noticed a historical marker that told the story of Wilson Alwyn "Snowflake" Bentley. I had no idea who she was talking about, so she filled me in (scientist, photographer, snowflake specialist) on the ride out of town.

fig. i: Moonlight on Vermont

A few minutes later, in Jericho (not to be confused with Jericho Center), we spotted an old red mill and decided to take a closer look.

fig. j: snow crystals by "Snowflake"

And inside the Old Red Mill (a.k.a., the Jericho Historical Society), not only did we find reproductions of the work of "Snowflake" Bentley for sale, but we also found a small museum display on his life and work. It included quite a number of Bentley's original photographs and slides of (what else?) snowflakes,

fig. k: 19th-century Op Art

but it also included this magnificent quilt made by old mother Bentley.

On the way back home to Montreal, we listened to some episodes of This American Life that we'd collected on our mp3 player. One of the segments was a story of fate, faith, and destiny, chance and coincidence, and much of the segment focused on events that occurred in and around the town of Snowflake, AZ--a town that had been founded by two men, one named Snow and the other named Flake. Apparently, still to this day, half the town is named Snow and half is named Flake. Presumably there are a few Snow-Flakes there too.

When we got back to our neighborhood, I dropped Michelle off at home and then set off again to find a parking spot. When I returned our dining room table looked like this:

fig. l: L is for loot

And a few days later we threw our Our Own Private Vermont party, featuring a smoked country ham from Vermont glazed with a mustard-maple syrup concoction, a selection of Vermont cheeses (Shelburne Farms' nutty, crumbly 2-year cheddar and Jasper Hill impossibly creamy Moses Sleeper and Bayley Hazen blue, Lazy Lady's lovely ashed Trillium, and Von Trapp Farmstead's [yes, those Von Trapps] washed-rind Oma), and some baked beans made all the more succulent with 100% pure maple syrup and a smoked ham hock from Jericho Settlers Farm. Completing the scene was a white birch.

Martha's Maple-Mustard Glazed Ham

1 whole (18-lb) bone-in, fully cooked, smoked ham, room temperature
1/2 cup champagne vinegar
1 cup 100% pure maple syrup
2/3 cup Dijon mustard
2 tbsp apricot jam
pinch of kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a roasting pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Rinse ham under cool running water. Pat dry and wrap with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil; place in prepared roasting pan. Transfer to oven for 4 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat vinegar over medium-high heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 6 minutes. Add maple syrup, mustard, jam, and salt; season with pepper. Cook, whisking, until well combined, about 2 minutes. Set glaze aside.

Remove ham from oven and uncover. When cool enough to handle, cut off rind using a sharp knife. Slice off most of the fat, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick layer. Score fat on top of ham in a pattern of 1- to 2-inch diamonds.

Brush ham evenly with one-third of the glaze and return to oven. After 20 minutes, brush ham again with half the remaining glaze. Cook for 15 minutes and brush with remaining glaze. Continue baking ham until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of ham reaches 145 to 150 degrees, about 15 minutes more.

Transfer to a cutting board. Let ham cool 30 minutes before carving.

Serves a whole lot of people.

Note: We used half a ham (9 lbs) and adjusted the recipe accordingly. We fed 30+ guests.

[Martha Stewart ain't from Vermont, but she makes an awfully good maple-mustard glazed ham. This is pretty much exactly her recipe]

Jericho Settlers Farm, 22 Barber Farm Road, Jericho Center, VT, (802) 899-4000

Jericho Center Country Store, 25 Jericho Center Circle, Jericho Center, VT, (802) 899-3313

The Old Red Mill, Route 15, Jericho Village, VT, (802) 899-3225

If you're intrigued by the sound of Jericho Settlers Farm's pastured meat, but you can't make it out to Jericho Center, you can also find their meat at a massive health food store in South Burlington called Healthy Living (which lies in close proximity to Al's French Frys and South Burlington's Dakin Farm outlet, conveniently enough). They've got an outstanding meat counter with a wide range of organic, pastured, and artisanal meats on offer, and a talented butcher who offers workshops on everything from butchering to sausage-making.

Healthy Living, 222 Dorset St., South Burlington, VT, (802) 863-2569

For more on Jericho Settlers Farm's heirloom pork, as well as the state of sustainable, humanely raised pork production in America, please consult Edward Behr's in-depth report in The Art of Eating #84.

aj