Onward, Haute

As promised, I've more information regarding the upcoming wine dinner next week at Union City Grille featuring a tribute to Amish Heritage.  The menu is complete, and I'm excited about the choices of wines to complement the dishes. 

More than usual, I've enjoyed researching this dinner, and learning about the traditions and lifestyle of the Amish.  It's an odd obsession, I confess.  I'm currently reading Rumspringa: To Be or Not To Be Amish, about the Amish rite of passage from adolescence to adulthood.  It's nothing short of fascinating.  But, that's another post.   Here's the line-up for next Wednesday:

A Tribute to Amish Heritage

September 23, 2009

 A Wine Dinner at Union City Grille with

Frank's Union Wine Mart

Reception
Chef’s selection of passed snacks and starters

Le Marchesine NV Brut Franciacorta ~ Lombardy, Italy

First Course
Apple and Rutabaga Soup

with candied pecans

Thumbprint Cellars 2007 Rose of Syrah ~ Dry Creek Valley, CA

Second

Egg-Noodle and Kennett Square Mushroom “Casserole”

hand-made noodles with local fall mushrooms and

Highland Farms grated Romano cheese

St. Clement 2005 Napa Valley Merlot ~ Napa, CA

Stags Leap 2005 Napa Valley Merlot ~ Napa, CA

Main
Apple-Cider Brined Pork Chop

grilled with garden corn relish, Amish potato salad and

Dijon-cornichon demi-glace

Tamaya 2005 Reserve Viognier/Chardonnay ~ Limari Valley, Chile

J Mauceri 2006 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ~ Sonoma County, CA

Dessert
Whoopie Pies

with rich cocoa and sweet cream filling; melted ice cream “sauce”

Sunce 2006 La Rochelle Vineyard Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc ~ Russian River Valley, CA

We'll be making our own egg noodles, and going right to Kennett for the shrooms.  Also, we'll be brining the chops in apple cider and Apple Jack with star anise and clove.  The garden relish is also known as "chow chow", and is kind of like the scrapple of veggies.  It's all that's left over after canning, quick-pickled and served as a side dish.  The potato salad I'm pumped for, if for nothing else because it's make with bacon and celery seed.  Naturally, we'll be getting all our pork products from Amish farmers.  And all our produce will come from nearby farms, as well.  This event is only $75, inclusive of wine and gratuity. 

For more event information, check out this link in today's News Journal/Delaware Online

I like to post links to funny or interesting articles I've seen.  This one would qualify as "funny", and it would also be timely.  The Tractor Driver or the Pothead?

Feeling Kinda Amish

As a chef, one of the biggest challenges we face is educating ourselves continually about food, wine, trends, and the latest in new ideas or burgeoning cuisines.  If we don't, we get stale.  So, one of the more interesting trends for me is the idea that "less is more", when it comes to cooking.  Certainly, using quality ingredients and treating them with a deft hand and respect (don't muscle or mute them) allows you to appreciate flavors as they were meant to be experienced.  It's a common theme among the most respected dining establishments and food gurus.  The French chefs, in particular, Christian Delouvrier, formerly of les Celebrites and author of Mastering Simplicity, do it best.  But what about locally?  


The Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish communities throughout the Mid-Atlantic and North East are all about simplicity.  So much so, that they've continued for generations without losing their identity to the information and technology age.  

(If you don't count Rumspringa; and I'll get to that in another post)




I know their obvious beliefs.  And I've been shopping and eating from local farmer's markets for decades.  But, what kind of food would you eat if you sat at the table of an Amish family for supper?  Supper is their dinner, btw; dinner is their lunch, and it's usually a small meal.


When we were looking for a September wine dinner theme at Union City Grille, I wanted to feature local foods.  I wanted to get the full bounty of late summer and I wanted it to be fun and culturally relevant.  Wine dinner themes can get a little tired after awhile.


My eyes have been opened to something that's been right in front of me my whole life.  And I've become a little obsessed with learning more about their way of life.


The Amish raise and produce only what they need.  They are efficient growers and storers of food, and the most dedicated laborers.  They are the ideal locavores.  We owe a debt of gratitude to this culture, simply because we directly benefit from their hard work.  Standing in line at the farmer's market butcher 20 years ago, no one asked "if the sausage is organic".  It just was.  As were the vegetables, home-baked pies, jams, preserves and other food products they sold.  And it's the same today.  No elaborate, trendy packaging, fresh as it gets, priced to sell.  So, why aren't chefs shopping the Amish markets more?  Getting a hold of great ingredients is always an inspiration in itself, but what if you are looking to replicate and even experience a true Amish meal?



The Amish Cook is a remarkably down-to-earth cookbook with traditional recipes, lovely photos, cultural references and clever anecdotes from an old order Amish family.  Elizabeth Coblentz was one of the first Amish women to capture the essence of meals and life in a traditional Amish family.  She passed away in 2002, and her daughter, Lovina Eicher took up the pen and carried on her column, The Amish Cook, and later penned a follow-up cookbook, The Amish Cook at Home.  Both of these books are full of super recipes and ideas for eating locally and seasonally.  They're laid out according to the four seasons and the meal periods of the day (respectively).  And my favorite part: you'll actually read these books.  So many cookbooks are coffee table fodder or have beautiful covers with not much practical material in between.  They're personal by way of the voice they're given.  And the true test of a great cookbook?  It makes you hungry just turning the pages.



Stop back soon for a glimpse of the final menu for the September 23rd wine dinner, A Tribute to Amish Heritage, at UCG...