From world-renowned cheddar cheeses to the delectable dinners turned out by talented chefs, the Green Mountain state is rich in exciting eating. Learn new ways to use maple syrup, re-create that meal you enjoyed at a fancy restaurant, bake tree-ripened local apples into crumbly-sweet desserts, and find out how the farmers growing the tastiest micro-greens like to eat them. It’s all here for your tasting pleasure!
1: Seasonal Vegetables
2: Orchard Fruits and Berries
3: Milk and Cheese from Vermont’s Dairy Farms
4: Beef, Pork, Lamb, and Game
5: Poultry and Game Birds
6: Maple Syrup and Honey
7: Desserts and Other Baked Goods
The sharp tang of cheddar cheese and the earthy sweetness of maple syrup are Vermont's signature flavors. But they're just the tip of the iceberg. Dairy farms support cheese production that goes far beyond classic cheddars. Farmers coax an impressive variety and quantity of produce from land that’s buried under snow for many months of the year. Game animals, rabbits, and traditional livestock thrive on small family farms committed to using sustainable, organic methods.Taking advantage of this wonderful food are innovative chefs trained to bring out the best in their ingredients, B&B owners who take pride in their robust country breakfasts, and the farmers themselves who love sharing the recipes that make their products shine. Dishing Up® Vermont, a collection of recipes from a broad range of cooks dedicated to sustaining and enriching local culinary traditions, celebrates the classic tastes of the Green Mountain state with fresh interpretations of everything from blueberry pancakes sweetened with maple syrup to a savory tart made with onions, apples, and Grafton Cheddar.This insider's view of Vermont cooking is rounded out with profiles of the people and places that make the state’s food scene so exciting. Here are classically trained chefs, home bakers, farmers, winemakers, comfort-food cooks, beekeepers, orchard and sugar-shack owners, and craft brewers who keep Vermont traditions alive while developing vibrant new flavor combinations that respect the integrity of the raw ingredients.
“…a window into the vibrant and vital network of chefs, farmers, growers, and producers that defines the Vermont Fresh Network. By recording their stories and recipes, Tracey Medeiros pays tribute to the diversity and significance of their contributions to Vermont’s environmental and culinary landscape.” –from the Foreward by Molly Stevens, President Vermont Fresh Network and author of All About Braising
A beautiful, inexpensive cookbook; recommended for libraries building a regional collection.
The most cutting-edge book of the recent New England crop is Dishing Up Vermont by food writer Tracey Medeiros, which showcases the products and recipes of farms, orchards, restaurants and inns in that increasingly food-centric state. The Vermont Fresh Network, which benefits from a portion of the book's proceeds, was the nation's first statewide farm-to-restaurant program.
Sometime this fall, you simply must put aside your normal brunch dish for the book's exquisitely decadent Vermont Croque Monsieur. This version of the traditional French bistro sandwich, contributed by a chef from Cliff House at Stowe Mountain Resort, features cinnamon-raisin bread cooked in egg and slathered with a spread of mascarpone cheese blended with chives and a bit of maple syrup, then piled high with ham, turkey and Gouda and baked.
The book's flourishes are fun, but some of the best food in Dishing Up Vermont is simple. With just eight basic ingredients, the Flip-Over Apple Cake is a good example. Its slightly crunchy yet buttery underbelly serves as a fine foil for its tender, pretty apple topping. Though the book's recipe, contributed by owners of a 114-year-old Vermont orchard, calls for Northern Spy or Rhode Island Greening apples, I found that a combination of Ginger Gold and tasted just fine.
Dishing Up Vermont brings to life that food community across the state through appetizing dishes like mini frittatas with zucchini, goat cheese, and tomatoes from Does' Leap Farm in East Fairfield, grilled quail salad with maple vinaigrette from The Inn at Weathersfield in Perkinsville, and gingerbread cupcakes with orange-cream cheese frosting from Izabella's Eatery in Bennington.
As Medeiros says, "It puts a face on the farmers and chefs in Vermont who grow, market, prepare, and cook the state's freshest foods." Not only is it great food, she adds, "but we care about how we grow it.
“Page through Dishing Up Vermont and you’ll get a vivid picture of this state’s colorful, vibrant cuisine.”
Vermont chefs have long appreciated the culinary benefits of local, seasonal fare. Dishing Up Vermont includes contributions from restaurants and farms around the Green Mountain State.
Tracey Medeiros is a food writer, food stylist, and recipe developer and tester. Her recipes have appeared in Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, Eating Well, and Hampton Roads magazines. When she relocated to Vermont several years ago, she immediately became interested in the exciting local food scene there, and her interest led to the development of Dishing Up® Vermont.
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
Distributor: Workman Publishing Company
Publication Date: 04-09-2008
Pages: 288
Measurements: 9.25in X 7.44in X 0.70in X 1.69lb
