Trauger's Strawberries// Kintnersville, Pennsylvania

Spring in Photos + Recipes

June 27, 2016

Rabbit Terrine// James Beard House// New York, New York

It is difficult to believe how much can happen in just a couple of weeks. Sorry if I left you hanging dear reader (you're the reason why I take the time to update this thing right?).
This winter I started plotting the season ahead. For those of you keeping score at home, I have remained in the state of Pennsylvania for the summer. Though I still have debilitating wanderlust, I am now focusing on my passion for cooking and have found the opportunity to apprentice at a restaurant tucked away in the Lehigh Valley.
The modest 200 year old stagecoach inn is home to Bolete Restaurant; the blood, sweat, and tears of the Erin Shea and Lee Chizmar, a dynamic couple, producing one of the finest dining experiences in the region. I have been appointed to apprentice with Chef Lee as a part of the James Beard Women in Culinary Leadership Initiative, where I will be working with Chef for 6 months.
I first discovered Bolete 3 years ago while on tour with Outstanding in the Field and I was excited to return to my home state. The dinner was held at Blooming Glen Farm and Chef was preparing fresh mozzarella for the first course and planning to pull the curds minutes before plating... for 200+ people. Our crew was prepared for a delayed and chaotic start to the dinner.

When I saw Lee directing his crew, I was in awe of his composure, his tact and his ability to thoughtfully communicate his vision to his crew. He plated the first course effortlessly, and our crew was taken aback. I knew then he was both a great Chef and teacher.
I am wholeheartedly passionate about cooking and bringing people together to celebrate food. I have a deep and intimate understanding of food and have spent my life learning as much as possible about the culinary arts. Professionally I have always found myself working in the front of house while longing to work in the back of house, but I had never found the right opportunity to do so. However, through self-education and entrepreneurship I have begun to build myself a basis in the back of house. At my own events I both manage the front of house and lead the back of house, but I know that I have much more to learn in my craft. This grant is the opportunity to discipline my skills by working professionally in an inspired kitchen.

Shiitake Oysters at Bolete//Bethlehem, PA

Noodle Pop Art at Mr. Lee's// Easton, PA — Noodle Pop Art at Mr. Lee's// Easton, PA

My father  and I crafted these extra long wooden spoons for our stock production at Mr. Lee's noodle bar. The flat top allows for scraping the bottom of the pot and the burned detailing a Japanese method called 'Shou Sugi Ban', our homage to ra… — My father and I crafted these extra long wooden spoons for our stock production at Mr. Lee's noodle bar. The flat top allows for scraping the bottom of the pot and the burned detailing a Japanese method called 'Shou Sugi Ban', our homage to ramen's cultural roots.

I was ushered back into the food scene of Philadelphia at the start of spring and reconnected with many of my old friends in the city of brotherly love. I was asked to curate the Demo Kitchen at The Philly Farm and Food Fest (PF3) and was excited to put together a dynamic schedule of Philadelphia's premier movers and shakers to educate the public.

It was important to me to bring together an eclectic mix of chefs, butchers, farmers, mycologist, fermentors and apiarists in an attempt to represent an entire food system.

The weeks leading up to the festival were packed with meetings with chefs and farmers planning their demonstrations, which lead me all over the city and the countryside. I was particularly excited to work with Bryan Mayer and Andrew Wood of Russet for their Whole Lamb Butchery demonstration. Before the fest we went out to Wyebrook Farm in Honey Brook, Pennsylvania and slaughtered the first lamb of the season under the expertise of Bryan and Andrew. It was an honor to watch them work with such skill, and they were sure to educate the entire team during the process. Bryan performed a highly efficient and mindful slaughter, exemplifying the methodology I aspire to in all of my butchering projects.

Bryan wanted his demonstration at fest to be both educational and personal. He wanted to give reference to the animal, showing that it was once a living creature that was raised with care in idilic conditions. Andrew taught us about preparing the blood with vinegar for sausage making. He walked us through the organs and demonstrated that you could actually re-inflate the lungs after they were removed from the cavity. I had never seen an animal so expertly broken down and came out of the slaughter with a greater understanding and appreciation of the art of butchery. This is the drive guiding my journey: facilitating the propagation of this sacred knowledge to make the sacrifice of an animal worthwhile not only as a means for consumption but as a way of reconnecting on deeper level with the circle of life.

During the Whole Pig Butchery demonstration lead by Heather Thomason of Kensington Quarters and Brooks Miller of North Mountain Pastures, three vegan protesters started yelling in front of them. Shocked, I scrambled to tell these protesters that this wasn't the right fight, Brooks' pigs were the real deal, I had been to the farm, these pigs were loved and raised in the most humane way possible. Single-mindedly ignoring my pleas, they continued to yell. Dumbfounded, I saw a man and his family standing behind the protesters continuing to watch the demo. I then realized, there were more people there wanting to learn about butchering than the three vegans who were protesting against it. I motioned to the audience to rush the stage and displace the protesters, they dashed to the front and then stood, continuing to watch Heather and Brooks' work.

I understood why those vegans were there; industrial farming practices are a disgrace to our society. It is my hope that the animals that we sacrificed for the demonstrations at the Philly Farm and Food Fest were for a purpose, not just for human consumption but for educating the public. We need to shatter the absent referent surround meat; we must acknowledge that the meat we eat was once a living animal and that we should be honest with ourselves about the conditions in which was raised. It is my mission to promote the dismantling of a food system that is unconcerned with the unspeakable cruelty suffered by animals in the service of our addiction to a profligacy of cheap meat.

Adrian Galbrith-Paul of Heritage Farm and Chef Charles Parker of Talula's Garden talk Greens

Worksheets for the Kids Corral by Philly Orchard Project and Everybody Colors

Salad Green Games at Broad Wing Farm// Morgantown, PA

Berks County Beauty// Broad Wing Farm, Morgantown, PA — Berks County Beauty// Broad Wing Farm, Morgantown, PA

Wash //Broad Wing Farm, Morgantown, PA — Wash //Broad Wing Farm, Morgantown, PA

Pig Friends// Broad Wing Farm, Morgantown, PA — Pig Friends// Broad Wing Farm, Morgantown, PA

Pennsylvania Rye Berry Salad

Salad

1 cup rye berries

4 cups water

3 carrots, julienned

1 bunch ramps, sliced

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted & chopped

1/2 cup mushrooms, sautéed

Salad Dresing

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

red pepper, salt & pepper, to taste

In a medium pot or a rice cooker, add rye berries and water. Bring to a boil, once boiling, cover and cook on low heat for 40 minutes. Checking every 15 minutes for firmness and water evaporation. Remove from heat and prepare salad.

In a small jar, mix together cider vinegar, olive oil, mustard, honey, red pepper, salt, and pepper.

Combine, carrots, ramps, mushrooms and walnuts. Toss in salad dressing. Add to prepared rye berries. Mix till combined.

Old Friends// Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I enjoyed the bounty of Spring in Philadelphia at the Clark Park Farmers Market while curating small bites for Marta's Potluck for Psychedelic Science.

Clark Park Farmer's Market Haul// Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Valley Milk House Cheese Plate// Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Rhubarb Compote

5 stalks rhubarb, sliced

1 cup sugar

1 lemon

In a small pot over medium heat, add rhubarb, sugar and lemon. Cook for 5 minutes until rhubarb is shredded. Allow to cool. Serve along side cheese.

Fiddlehead Ferns// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Trametes aka Turkey Tails// Upper Black Eddy, PA

Scar Tissue// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Forest Groceries// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Forager's Elixir

1 lb stinging nettles

1 lb dandelion greens

1 bunch garlic grass/chives

1/2 cup mint leaves

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 onions

1 bulb fennel, chopped

1 cup cauliflower florets, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4 cups chicken stock

salt and pepper, red pepper flake, to taste

In a medium stock pot, over medium heat bring 4 cups water to a boil with salt. Add garlic grass, dandelion green and nettles. Add onions, fennel and cook for 5-10 minutes. Add garlic, and cauliflower. Cook for 5 more minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add mint and lemon juice. Blend with a blender until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flake to taste.

Buttermilk Grapefruit Cake

Cake

4 eggs

3 cups cake flour*

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 grapefruits, peeled

Make sure your eggs and butter are at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degree. On a large cookie sheet, lay out parchment paper and grease with butter.

Measure out all ingredients. Separate eggs.

In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar. Fold in egg yolks and in thirds add flour mixture while slowly adding milk. Add vanilla. Beat egg whites until they form glossy peaks and fold in. Pour batter onto pan.

Bake for 25 minutes, rotating racks in oven around the 10 minute mark. Remove from oven and let cool. Run knife around sides of sheet pan. When completely cool, gently cut out desired cake size. I did 9 inches. Transfer the cake to desired serving plate lined with parchment paper.

Lemon Curd

4 lemons

1 cup sugar

1/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature

4 eggs

1/2 cup lemon juice(reserved from zested lemons )

salt, to taste

Zest 4 lemons. Combine with sugar. Cream butter and lemon sugar and add 1 egg at a time. Add lemon juice and salt.

Pour mixture in a small sauce pan and cook over low heat until thickened, stiring constantly until reached around 170 degrees. Remove from heat and pour through a sieve. Cool in fridge.

Whipped Cream

4 cups heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp vanilla extract

In a large mason jar. Add one cup of cream of time and shake until whipped. *You can also use an electric mixer.

Set 1st cake layer on pan and smooth out a dollop of lemon curd. Lay out a ring of grapefruit and repeat. Ice the outside of the cake with whipped cream.

*Lets be real, who has cake flour lying around? To substitute simply take all purpose flour and for every cup replace 2 tbsp with corn starch. Be sure to sift the mixture thoroughly (1 cup all purpose flour - 2 tbsp replaced + 2 tbsp corn starch, sifted 3 times over)

Robert H. Treman State Park// Ithaca, New York

Feet Meet// Watkins Glen, New York — Feet Meet// Watkins Glen, New York

Morning Love// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Slumber// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Morning Light// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Evening Light// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Worship the Sun// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Tree Tops// Milford, New Jersey — Tree Tops// Milford, New Jersey

Elderflower Beauty// Milford, New Jersey

Adventure Club Feast// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Pulled Pork Sandwiches on Ciobatta with Duck Fat Pesto// Milford, New Jersey

Love em' and Eat em' at Bobolink Dairy// Milford, New Jersey

Spring Pea Salad

salad

2 quarts spring peas

1bunch radishes

1 bunches mint

handful chives

1 cup goat cheese, crumbled

slice radishes and peas. mince mint and chives. In a large bowl, stir everything together.

dressing

1/4 cup mustard

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon red pepper flake

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper to taste

In a small jar, mix together all ingredients. pour atop salad.

Corn Cake with Strawberries and Wildflower Cream by Chef Robin Song at Front Porch Farms in Healdsburg, California — Corn Cake with Strawberries and Wildflower Cream by Chef Robin Song at Front Porch Farms in Healdsburg, California

May Daze

May 20, 2015

Miles Traveled in California to date appox. 2346 km/ 1457 miles

Well its that time of year again folks, farm dinner season is upon us! I have been moving about the central coast and once again find myself working with Outstanding in the Field. The culinary circus kicked off their public tour a couple of weeks ago and we have been galavanting in some of the most pristine pockets of California. The days are long in the hot sun where we set our tables but I have remained grateful for my time in these magical places. The long drives, heavy lifting and as my pedometer recently informed me, an average walk of over 10 miles during service, keeps me fit and the food we serve, leaving me inspired.

Our first week brought us to the rolling hills of Pescadero, to a 6th generation cattle ranch called Markegard Family Grass Fed. The family farm is home to a substantial herd of Belted Galloways that graze on the otherworldly 6,000 acres of preserved coastal pastures.

I had just finally got around to finishing one of my required California readings, The Grapes of Wrath and the novel gave words I could never find to the breathtaking landscapes of California. As we set the table in the pastures of Pescadero, I stare into the hills and remember Steinbeck's words, "The full green hills are round and soft as breasts".

Belted Galloways at Markegard Family Grass Fed in Pescadero, California

Spring Gem Lettuce + Strawberries + Walnuts & Wildflowers by Chef Robin Song at Front Porch Farms in Healdsburg, California — Spring Gem Lettuce + Strawberries + Walnuts & Wildflowers by Chef Robin Song at Front Porch Farms in Healdsburg, California

Springtime has leant itself to wildflowers, spring onions, lamb and strawberries littering our menus and the hot days are soon blanketed with thick fog coming off the Pacific and the cool breeze has me craving hearty stick to your bones food.

Spring Onion Ragot with Fava Beans + Chicken Apple Sausage

3 chicken apple sausages, sliced

5 small spring onions, sliced

3 heads green garlic, sliced

1 garlic scape, sliced

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup fava beans, roughly chopped

1/2 cup fresh Chèvre

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

salt & pepper, to taste

In a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, sear the sausages. Once browned, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and scapes and sauté until hot. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Add chopped fava beans. Cook for another 5 minutes and serve. Top with fresh chèvre, olive oil and salt and pepper.

I took some time to venture to San Francisco with a girlfriend and as we drive up the iconic Highway 1, I beheld the raw coastline that no matter how many times I drive along it, still leave me breathless. We bopped around San Francisco, relishing the ethnic food that is somehow void in Santa Cruz, admire the architecture and I slept on my friends fire escape in her camping hammock. Awoken by the sun we head to my favorite boutique Japanese knife shop Bernal Cutlery to cash in my free sharpening I earned last year, leaving me itching to practice knife techniques in the kitchen.

Soba Noodle Bowl with Spring Peas, Radish and Carrot

Serves 2

6 ounces soba noodles

1 cup spring peas, sliced

5 radishes, cleaned & sliced thin

2 large carrots, julienned

1 handful micro greens

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

chili flakes, salt, fresh ground pepper, to taste

Cook soba noodles to packaged instructions. Place noodles in serving bowls. Place peas, radish, carrots and micro greens in little bundles atop of the noodles. Drizzle sesame oil, soy sauce and vinegar over top. Season with chili, salt and pepper. Serve immediately or top with broth. Add a poached egg if you're feeling frisky!

Ramblings at Alan Chadwick Gardens at UCSC Santa Cruz, California

Meat & Cheese Spread in Oakland, California

I then found time to stage with the infamous Pickle Girl of Felton, Emily Eder at the Cremer House and learned some of the tricks of her pantry. We broke down 20 pounds of carrots and reminisce about our days at Camp Joy. I am lucky enough to make off with one of her legendary recipes.

Toasty Pickling Spices for more depth of flavor — Toasty Pickling Spices for more depth of flavor

Front Gate at Camp Joy Gardens in Boulder Creek California

Emily's Dill Pickled Carrots

1 lb Carrots, cut into sticks

1/4 cup picked dill

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 tbsp chili flakes

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp celery seed

1/4 tsp mustard seed

1 tsp dill seed

Brine-

1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 cup Water

3 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tbsp salt

In a large mason jar intermittently layer carrots, dill, garlic, and seasonings. In a medium sauce pan combine Apple Cider Vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over carrots. Keep in fridge for a week and enjoy for up to a month. If canning, prepare jars and store to packaged instructions.

The Outstanding tour soon moves north into Petaluma and the hills become grander and more immense and we watched the cattle parade home for feeding and milking. Steinbeck's dreamy white farm houses of California echo in my mind at Dolcini Ranch.

Doug Dolcini a 5th generation rancher whose family has been on the land since the 1870's, took a shine to me after we shared a beer on his porch and talked raising animals for slaughter. The ranch has seen many hands and I wonder about the family that has defended, shepherded and protected this land and moved it for over a 140 years. The fog cooled our bones and David Retsky of County Line Harvest who leases land from the Dolcini's for vegetables offered us his insulated yurt, complete with a fire place and outdoor kitchen. We rest for the night, all 12 of the crew packed into the tiny yurt, giggling with joy that we do not have to brave the chilly night. We awake with the fog and cook a feast of last nights leftover rabbit meatballs topped with Kitty Dolcini's pastured eggs atop. It is Mother's Day and we all take time to make contact with our mamas and thank them for brining us to this beautiful earth.

Strawberry Rhubarb Galette

Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Zest of half a lemon

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/4 cup ricotta, yogurt or sour cream

3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

Combine flour, salt, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add butter pieces and work into a coarse meal, so the butter turn into roughly the size of a pea. Add water to ricotta and knead into dough. Make a ball and wrap in plastic. Flatten into a disc. Chill for at least an hour.

Filling

makes 6 pints
3 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

2 pound fresh rhubarb stalks, leaves removed

3 1/2 cups granulated sugar

METHOD

Wash & clean berries and rhubarb. Hull berries and slice in half, set aside in bowl. Chop rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces and place in the bowl with the berries. Cover with sugar and stir. Set aside for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.

When the juices are released from the fruit pour into a large skillet over medium heat. Bring to a rapid boiling, stirring often for about 10 minutes or until the juice is thick. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On parchment paper roll out dough until about a 1/4 of an inch thick. Cut into pentagon shape. Lay strawberry rhubarb mixture atop of dough and gently fold dough around filling.

Glaze
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

coarse sugar, for sprinkling

With a pastry brush, brush yolk mixture on outside of pastry and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool & enjoy!

I then find myself in Healdsburg, California in Sonoma County, land of Olive Oil and Fine Wine. I hang my hammock in the tree tops along the Russian River and serve Miyagi Oysters to thrilled guests at Front Porch Farms. I relish the biodynamic plants that are perky and abundant at Preston Vineyards and we serve dinner amongst the 60 year old grape vines that produced the fermented juices I am pouring into guests glasses, directly in front of them.

OITF Dinner in Healdsburg at Preston Vineyards

OITF Dinner in Pescadero at Markegard Family Grass Fed — OITF Dinner in Pescadero at Markegard Family Grass Fed

I arrive back to Santa Cruz exhausted from the back to back dinners and find myself hosting a potluck of young, ambitious, healthy farmers who have all decided to gather at my house. We throw together whatever we please and the dinner is impressively cohesive. Deanna's Salade Niçoise steals the show with its hearty & salty nourishment. I fall into a deep slumber and awake to the Pacific Ocean out my window and am once again grateful for my community and the beautiful food that seems endlessly abundant in California.

Salade Niçoise

Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 stalks green garlic, minced

1 cups flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed and minced

3/4 cup of tarragon, loosely packed and minced

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients and shake together in mason jar. Set aside.

Salade

5 bunches fresh garden greens

20 anchovy fillets

2 pounds of tiny new potatoes, steamed & sliced

5 farm eggs, hard-boiled, peeled & sliced

1 cup radishes, halved

1 cup steamed beets, sliced

1 cup niçoise olives

salt and pepper, to tast

In a large salad bowl, lay salad greens. Lay anchovies, potatoes, hardboiled eggs, radish, beets, and olives atop. Dress with vinaigrette and toss. Serve immediately.

Six Feet Under in Moore Creek Preserve in Santa Cruz California

Miyagi Oysters + Green Garlic Mignonette at Front Porch Farm — Miyagi Oysters + Green Garlic Mignonette at Front Porch Farm

Path to Santa Cruz in The Moore Creek Preserve at dusk — Path to Santa Cruz in The Moore Creek Preserve at dusk

Spring Time: Fiddlehead Ferns

April 17, 2013

Watching springtime roll into the Delaware Valley is truly a sight for tired winter eyes. Pale greens, pinks, purples, and florescent yellow litter the rolling hills of Bucks County. One of my favorite evolutions in the landscape is the budding heads of the whimsical ostrich fern, better known as fiddlehead ferns. These curled little nuggets of peppery sweet goodness are immense in my parents neck of the woods. For the past two weeks I have been religiously checking the usual locations of these magnificent spring treats, coming up with nothing but more and more anticipation.

This past week brought in a spastic weather change and a soon following downpour. I knew fiddles were on their way. Today I wandered into the woods and lo and behold my beauties were awaiting me! I scrambled, filled my pockets and ran home. I diced up some shallots, garlic and butter, add a touch of white wine, and I tasted spring for the first time this year.

If you live in the Philadelphia area, you can probably find some ostrich ferns in your local woods. Look for clusters of reddish brown peels with bright green spirals of green. I often find them in loose and wet soil, in shady areas. If you're a newb to foraging, please please please, don't go pulling random ferns out of the ground if your not sure what an ostrich looks like. Do some research and you should be able to spot the little guys. If you are not the foraging type, you can sometimes find fiddleheads at speciality stores. Expect to pay a premium, but it is oh so totally worth it.

Sautéed Wild Fiddlehead Ferns

3 tablespoon butter

2 shallots, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 cups well washed fiddleheads

Splash dry white wine

Salt & Pepper to taste

In a pan melt down butter, add shallot, cook till translucent, add garlic. Add fiddleheads and wine, and cook for 3 minutes. Enjoy your taste of the season!

The Time of the Season

March 25, 2012

Spring has sprung, Philadelphia! Over the last few absurdly warm weeks I have been planting and preparing for an amazing grow season! I have about 3 different lots this year but have only gotten my crops in on my stoop. This year I have container gardens filled with spring lettuces, flowers, and herbs. I picked up my spring lettuce starters from Urban Jungle on Passyunk for a nice $6.99 and some pansies and herbs (rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme) in the Italian Market from a vendor for about $5. The key to container gardening is good hearty organic soil (which you can also pick up at Urban Jungle) and making sure your soil has the right nutrients.

Stay tuned for tutorials on planting your cold crops and how to make a raised bed!