Visit to Vermont
Say "Vermont" and most New Englanders will instantly think maple syrup, Cheddar cheese, and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Or maybe you picture skiing, hiking, or strolling lakeside. Or all of the above! This month's Bibliobites title, My Vermont Table by author, pastry chef, and ex-Hollywood producer Gesine Bullock-Prado takes us on a culinary tour of Vermont's six seasons (yes, there are six!) with sweet and savory recipes featuring many of Vermont's iconic ingredients. How did our virtual tour of the Green Mountain State stack up?
First of all, this is a beautiful book. The photos are striking and show off both the food and the area to their absolute best advantage. The text is large enough to easily read, with the requisite chatty headnotes. Scattered throughout the book are several longish essays about the author's personal journey. Many of us enjoyed these detours into the author's experiences; her writing is upbeat and fun and gives the reader a real feel for her life. A few in our group don't care for this memoir/cookbook combo; you are forewarned! Other general comments: "recipe timing was accurate," "I didn't like the seasonal organization [of the book]," "some recipes were complicated...I wish someone would make it for me!" There were complaints about the near-constant use of maple syrup, and the frequent mention of local artisanal ingredients that aren't readily available. This contributed to a feeling that the author (though quite likable overall) was "persnickety" or "snooty" in her choices. But despite these flaws, how did it go in the kitchen?
Though there are six seasonal chapters (for spring, summer, fall, stick season, winter, and mud season), since it was October, most of us focused on fall and stick season, defined as that time between when the leaves fall and the first snow appears. Main dishes were, as usual, in the spotlight; hits included sumac baker's beer can roast chicken ("very easy! very good!"), onion saffron tart ("very good, looked like the photo!"), ice-fished fish chowder ("really really liked...very smooth!"), shaker chicken soup ("velvety smooth flavor"), and vermont cheddar soup ("pleasantly rich and cheesy...so good!"). Two people tried vermont baked beans; for one person they were an "epic fail" (the beans refused to cook through), but for another they were "fantastic, great flavor combo." Main dishes that didn't quite make the grade included ooey gooey mac and cheese ("too much velveeta, kind of bland"), goulash-ish ("not enough beef...a lot of ingredients...too liquidy"), spicy maple buffalo wings ("I didn't like the butter in the sauce"), and butternut squash fritters ("too plain-- they needed something"). We tried a couple of sides: arugula, radicchio, and farro salad was "really good!" Unfortunately, the soaked cashews used in the dressing "broke my blender! I needed to soak them longer." Maple glazed carrots were "fine, tasted like roasted carrots."
There were some definite successes in the baking department. A few sweets came to our meeting and were highly praised: barbara's apple squares ("yummy!" "similar to others"), oat crisp lace cookies ("makes a lot!" "delicate...buttery!"), cranberry crumble shortbread ("crust stayed nice and crisp" "nice and tart...fruity!"), and sugar and spice almonds ("tasty!" "recipe had too much sugar-- a lot got left in the pan.").
Though we had some successes, this wasn't a book that called to most of us. Many of the recipes were a bit fussy, time-consuming, or had specialty ingredients that were effortful to obtain. There was a lot of maple syrup and cheddar cheese going on, which was a turnoff for some. And the overall tone of the book could be a bit much at times; we can't all be out foraging for fiddleheads, buying duck eggs from our neighbor, or growing crocuses for saffron. In that sense this is an aspirational cookbook, if you're looking for a somewhat self-sufficient, sustainable, yet upscale lifestyle. So, as you might expect from all of the above, when it came to a vote, we averaged out to a less than stellar 2.7 (out of a possible 5).
Next month we'll have a combined November/December meeting on Sunday December 8 at 1 PM. The meeting will feature a potluck lunch of recipes from our current title, Treasures of the Mexican Table by noted Mexican chef and PBS star Pati Jinich. If you are not already on our mailing list and would like to attend, please email group leader Andrea Grant, email hidden; JavaScript is required for potluck details. See you there!