Chapter 2

Orchard Fruits and Berries

Image

Awesome Pear or Apple Pancake

Recipe from CHAMPLAIN ORCHARDS

2-4 SERVINGS

This beautiful baked pancake is easy and elegant. A wonderful “company breakfast” dish!

Image

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Warm an iron skillet in a 425?F oven. With a handheld blender, whisk together the eggs, milk, four, salt, and extract until smooth. In a separate bowl, toss together pears, sugar, and cinnamon.
  2. 2. Melt butter in the warm skillet. Arrange the pears in a single layer on the bottom of the skillet. Carefully pour the batter over the fruit.
  3. 3. Bake for 25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. To serve, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar or drizzle with maple syrup

APPLE FACTS

From the Vermont Apple Marketing Board

Maple Apple Waffles with Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

Recipe from THE BIRDS NEST INN

4 SERVINGS

The Birds Nest Inn, tucked away in the Green Mountains in the Stowe/Waterbury area of Vermont, is an elegantly restored 1832 farmhouse. The inn offers five unique, cozy guest rooms, each with a beautiful view of the countryside, plus a scrumptious full candlelight breakfast and tempting afternoon culinary delights. Over the years the owners have seen that one of the best ways to make their full breakfasts extra special is by featuring local produce, often picked at the farm and served to the guests on the same morning. Many of the inn’s delicious creations include local products from Cold Hollow Cider Mill, Cabot Dairy, and Ben & Jerry’s. The Vermont-fresh products ensure that guests enjoy a memorable dining experience.

If you don’t have a waffle iron, use this batter to make pancakes.

MAPLE APPLES

WAFFLES

TOPPING

Instructions

  1. 1. Make the maple apples: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sugar and cinnamon and cook, stirring often, until the sugar begins to dissolve (the mixture may clump together). Add the apples and syrup. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender yet firm, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cover with foil until waffles are done.
  2. 2. Make the waffles: Preheat an electric waffle iron according to manufacturer’s instruction. Preheat oven to 200°F.
  3. 3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
  4. 4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, milk, butter, and vanilla extract until blended. Pour into dry mixture and combine well.
  5. 5. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold them into batter with a rubber spatula.
  6. 6. Ladle about 1⁄2 cup of batter onto each section of a deep-pocketed waffle grid and bake until cover opens easily, about 3 to 5 minutes. Continue to make waffles; transfer cooked waffles onto a lightly greased baking sheet and place in the oven until all the batter is used.
  7. 7. After all the waffles are done, place them on an oven rack to crisp the outsides only.
  8. 8. Transfer to warm plates to serve. Spoon maple apples on top of the waffles and add big scoops of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and whipped cream. Serve immediately.

Blueberry-stuffed French Toast

Recipe from BITTERSWEET FARM B & B

6-8 SERVINGS

Susanne Heinzerling, the owner of Bittersweet Farm, has been an active member of the Vermont Fresh Network since its inception. She visits many local farms and restaurants, attends Vermont food-related meetings, and features homegrown food and locally purchased ingredients at her country home B&B.

Bittersweet Farm is an ideal place for a summer vacation. Guests enjoy country walks, bike riding, or just rocking on the front porch with a good book. On rainy days, the B&B offers a small crafts workshop teaching knitting or crocheting. The owner of Bittersweet Farm feels that relaxation needs to be learned; guests are encouraged to stay awhile and enjoy this new lifestyle.

Bittersweet Farm uses their own blueberries and eggs from their chickens for this recipe. Fill the French toast with peaches, plums, or apples when fresh blueberries are not available.

Image

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat an 11- by 7- by 2-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray or butter. Layer half of the bread slices into the bottom of the prepared pan. Next, layer the cream cheese (if using) and half of the blueberries evenly over the top of the bread. Top with remaining bread and remaining blueberries.
  2. 2. Whisk eggs, milk, syrup, and butter in a medium bowl to combine well; pour over bread mixture. Cover with foil to avoid excessive browning, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for another 30 minutes or until bread mixture is puffed and golden brown.
  3. 3. Spoon or cut into portions and serve with warm maple syrup and sausage or ham, if desired.

Cherry Hill Farm’s Very Fruity Iced Tea

Recipe from CHERRY HILL FARM

9-11 SERVINGS

Cherry Hill Farm’s iced tea is popular at farmers’ markets and the farm’s own fruit stand. It is very refreshing, full of good-for-you ingredients, and appealing to people of all ages. The deep and exciting flavor of the black currants gives this summertime drink a particular zest that takes iced tea to a different level.

Image

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Prepare tea according to package directions.
  2. 2. Place mint in a large heat-proof pitcher and add tea. Set aside to cool.
  3. 3. Chill tea in the refrigerator until cold, about 1 hour. Remove mint when the tea has chilled and discard.
  4. 4. Stir in black currant purée, raspberry juice, lemon juice, orange juice (if using), and honey.

Melon Salsa

Recipe from SCOTT WOOLSEY, KILLDEER FARM

6-8 SERVINGS

A quick walk around his farm stand in mid-August gave Scott Woolsey the idea for this refreshing salsa. Sweet, salty, and spicy!

Image

Ingredients

Instructions

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Image

Strawberry Jam

Recipe from WHITFORD HOUSE INN

6-7 PINT GLASS JARS

The Whitford House Inn is a spacious, beautifully restored 1790s country home located on a quiet lane in the Champlain Valley. There are three tastefully decorated bedrooms in the main house as well as a lovely guest house. All rooms have full private baths and spectacular views. Amenities include a full hot breakfast, which guests may request at any time of day. This mouthwatering meal is known not only for its quality and freshness but also for its generous portions.

The fabulous breakfasts often feature ingredients from local farmers. The inn purchases seasonal produce from Golden Russet Farm, fruit from Douglas Orchards in Shoreham, and maple syrup from Williams Farm in Cornwall. The owners try to use organic produce whenever possible, buying from the Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op, which receives its produce from local farmers. The inn itself has organic gardens, where rhubarb, tomatoes, onions, carrots, and other vegetables all thrive. Guests might find this just-picked produce in their morning frittatas or on evening hors d’oeuvre trays.

This delicious strawberry jam is the owner’s mother’s recipe. The owner, Barbara Carson, picks her own strawberries from an organic farm to create this delicious condiment, popular among the inn’s guests. It really is more like strawberry syrup than jam, but it may be served with biscuits and toast. When making this jam, cook only one quart at a time so that it does not become too thin.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Place the strawberries in a large saucepan. Add 2 cups of the sugar and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring only at the beginning of the boil. Boil for exactly 2 minutes. (Refrain from stirring too often unless the jam begins to boil over the top of the pan. Stirring too often causes foam to form on the top.)
  2. 2. Return the strawberry mixture to a boil, stirring only at the beginning of the boil, and let cook for exactly 3 minutes. Remove from stovetop and pour strawberry mixture directly into a pottery crock or bowl and let stand at room temperature overnight before putting into clean glass jars and sealing.

STEVENS ORCHARD

Image

The Stevens family planted their orchard in Orwell in 1894. When Karen Blair and Bob Fields acquired the 90-acre orchard in 1999, they became only the fourth holders of the stately old standard apple trees surrounded by 220 acres of pebbled shores, bluffs, and mossy woodlands. Rolling up from Lake Champlain, the orchard hills provide spectacular vistas of the lake and the Adirondacks beyond.

The orchard has several microclimates that provide perfect environments for all of its apple varieties. Soon after arriving, Karen and Bob planted many antique varieties of apples to add to the crop of New England standards. They found McIntosh, Cortland, Macoun, and Northern Spy, and not-so-standard Quinte, Hume, Tolman Sweet, Winter Banana, and Fameuse. They added antique favorites like Wolf River, Golden Russet, Esopus Spitzenburg, Sops-of-Wine, Rhode Island Greening, Gravenstein, and Lady, plus two new varieties, Honeycrisp and Zesta.

Today, Stevens Orchard remains a popular destination for Vermonters whose families and relatives have been buying apples from the orchard since its earliest days. Stevens Orchard is also the go-to orchard for the best Honeycrisp around. Through word of mouth, apple fanciers, retailers, and chefs have learned of the unparalleled quality and flavor of the fruit that the orchard grows and sells. Stevens Orchard does not pick their fruit early in order to beat others to the market, nor does it allow apples to ripen off the tree in cold storage. Karen and Bob pick their fruit when it is ripe, even if that means going through a block of trees numerous times to get the color and the flavor that their customers will love. The look of amazement on the face of someone tasting a slice of Gravenstein or Tolman Sweet at a local farmers’ market for the first time is a wonderful reward!

Fantastic Applesauce

Recipe from STEVENS ORCHARD

ABOUT 9 CUPS

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Core and cut the apples into small or large chunks.
  2. 2. In a large pot, combine the apples, sugar, and 1⁄2 cup of water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook until the apples are tender, about 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally to bring cooked apples to the top and uncooked apples to the bottom of the pot.
  3. 3. Coarsely mash the apples with the cooking juice and adjust taste with sugar if desired. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Blueberry Mint Relish

Recipe from BAILEY’S RESTAURANT AT BOLTON VALLEY RESORT

4-6 SERVINGS

Blueberries and mint combine beautifully in this salad. It works very well as a garnish or relish for the Rosemary Seared Lamb Loin.

Ingredients

Instructions

In a medium bowl whisk together mint, lemon juice, syrup, oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Add blueberries and gently toss to combine all ingredients well. Adjust seasonings as needed and serve immediately.

Field Greens with Candied Apples, Roasted Walnuts, and Apple Vinaigrette

Recipe from CHAMPLAIN ORCHARDS

6-8 SERVINGS

The orchard owner’s mother, Audrey Suhr, created this recipe. The warm apples and walnuts add a nice contrast to the bed of cool field greens. The salad is lovely served as a first course for company or special occasions.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Bring apple cider to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Lower heat and simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until juice is reduced by half and appears slightly syrupy. Remove from burner, set aside to cool. Once cooled, vigorously whisk in vinegar, oil, chives, and salt and pepper to taste.
  2. 2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place walnuts on a baking sheet and toast stirring frequently, until crisp and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Coarsely chop walnuts.
  3. 3. Meanwhile, melt sugar in a heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until it just begins to turn golden and melt. Carefully add oil and then apples. Sauté apples, stirring constantly, until they are slightly soft but still crisp. Remove from pan and transfer to a plate until you are ready to use.
  4. 4. Place greens in a large bowl and drizzle with the vinaigrette, lightly coating all ingredients. Add the walnuts, candied apples, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle additional vinaigrette over the top to taste, and serve at once.

Apple - Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe from LET’S PRETEND CATERING

10-12 SERVINGS

Let’s Pretend is a catering company in Burlington, Vermont, that offers fresh, delicious food and professional service. The co-owners, Daniel Samson and Liane Mendez, both graduates of the New England Culinary Institute, were drawn to catering because they love the challenge of listening to customers’ concepts and then designing memorable affairs that more than meet expectations.

The owners believe that fresh seasonal foods, simply cooked, have a universal appeal that works for a catering company. They are committed to using locally grown produce and working personally with area farms. Samson and Mendez have built a particularly strong business relationship with Half Pint Farm. Once the season begins they communicate by phone every week. They also touch base with Half Pint during the winter to find out what is in store for the upcoming season, as well as to add a few special requests of their own. Many side dishes and salads are tailored to take full advantage of Half Pint’s offerings, supporting and promoting the concept of sustainable farming practices.

Try garnishing this soup with maple-glazed toasted squash seeds, sautéed apples, or caramelized mushrooms with fresh thyme and crème fraîche.

Image

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, apple, salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Cover and cook until vegetables are slightly tender, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. 2. Remove cover and add squash, water, cider, and lemon juice, stirring to combine well. Simmer over medium-high heat for about 40 minutes or until squash is fork tender, stirring occasionally.
  3. 3. Working in batches, if necessary, transfer squash mixture to a blender and purée until texture is silky smooth. Transfer purée back to the stockpot, slowly whisk in the half-and-half, and heat through. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Ladle into warm soup bowls.
  4. 4. For best results, make one day in advance to allow flavors to meld. Heat through to serve.

Strawberry Soup

Recipe from CHURCHILL HOUSE INN

4 SERVINGS

This strawberry soup was created one summer when the owners of the Churchill House Inn were a little too enthusiastic in their berry picking. There’s nothing like an overabundance of fresh, organic fruit for inspiring new and exciting recipes. This soup is a hit any time of the day. It can also be enjoyed as a delicious smoothie.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Purée strawberries, sour cream, sugar, and red wine in a blender until smooth. Transfer purée mixture to a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
  2. 2. Stir soup until well combined. Ladle into chilled soup cups or bowls. Garnish with mint and serve at once.

CHAMPLAIN ORCHARDS

Image

Champlain Orchards is a family-owned and family-operated farm located on a lovely hilltop in the Champlain Valley. They grow 25 varieties of apples, plums, peaches, cherries, blueberries, and raspberries, and they press their own sweet cider. The owner, Bill Suhr, cares for the land and the trees using methods that date back to the first American settlers. He also practices integrated pest management, has a transitional organic orchard, and always works to be a responsible steward of the land.

For 11 months of the year Champlain Orchards delivers apples, apple slices for baking, apple cider, and fresh-baked pies three times a week to restaurants, the University of Vermont campus and dining hall chefs, deli chefs, and produce managers at small groceries, food co-ops, and supermarkets throughout the state of Vermont. Their business has grown tremendously since the days when they delivered only to farmers’ markets in the fall. They now make refrigerated deliveries of 1,000,000 pounds of fresh apples and 70,000 gallons of cider annually.

Biweekly communication with their customers has helped them to match their apples to specific culinary needs. This direct contact with their customers has helped them tailor their apple varieties to stay current with changing tastes and trends.

Apple, Blue Cheese, and Walnut Pizza

Recipe from CHAMPLAIN ORCHARDS

3–4 SERVINGS OR 12 APPETIZER PORTIONS

Most people think a pizza must have tomato sauce and toppings on a crust of pizza dough ... and it usually does, but tomatoes didn’t even exist in Italy or Europe until the 1500s, when they were brought from Peru by sea captains. In the sixth century BC, when Persian soldiers of Darius the Great were marching great distances, they baked a kind of flatbread on their shields and then covered it with cheese and dates. While an apple and blue cheese pizza is unusual today, maybe it really is close to the original!

Image

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly grease a 15-inch pizza pan. Set aside.
  2. 2. Place 3⁄4 cup of warm water in a small bowl. Stir in yeast with a wooden spoon and let rest until yeast begins to bubble, about 5 minutes.
  3. 3. Combine the flours, sugar, salt, and pepper in a separate large bowl. Make a well in the flour mixture, and add the yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Transfer dough to a clean, lightly floured work surface and knead gently 20 times.
  4. 4. Lightly oil a large bowl with remaining 1⁄8 teaspoon of oil. Transfer dough to the oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave dough at room temperature and let rise until double in size, about 45 minutes. Punch down the dough. Transfer dough to a lightly floured, clean work surface, and roll out to a 13-inch circle. Transfer to prepared pizza pan; build up edges slightly.
  5. 5. Bake the crust for approximately 10 minutes or until it just begins to brown. Cover the crust with apple, cheeses, rosemary, walnuts, and white pepper to taste. Bake an additional 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.

WOOD’S CIDER MILL

Image

Wood’s Cider Mill and Farm is located on 170 rolling acres in Weathersfield and has been in the Wood family since 1798. Over the years the owners have raised farm animals, produced corn, oats, apples, maple syrup, and honey, as well as run a sawmill. When the demand for lumber declined in the 1880s, the old sawmill was converted to a cider mill.

Today, the family supplements apples grown on the farm with fruit from several local orchards to make their apple products. Mclntosh apples are used for the boiled cider and cider jelly, while a blend of Roxbury Russets and Baldwins are used for the drinking cider. The apples go from a bin or truck through a washer/brusher, then up a conveyor to a grinder. From the grinder, they go to a hopper, and then to the press cloth. A pressing takes fewer than 30 minutes on the mill’s small press and two to three hours on the big press, which produces 200 gallons of cider per pressing. Production is limited to September through November, when apples are ripe and at their peak. The business produces and sells four main products; cider jelly, maple syrup, boiled cider, and cinnamon cider syrup, which is a delicious blend of half maple syrup and half boiled cider complemented by a stick of cinnamon.

This hardworking family continues to carry on the traditions started by their ancestors so many years ago. They raise and sell lamb, beef, chicken, and garden products as well as hay, making the most of everything the land has to offer.

Harvest Stuffed Squash with Apples and Cranberries

Recipe from WOOD’S CIDER MILL

4–6 SERVINGS

In the fall, the Woods live on the squash that they have grown. They prefer the simple ease of baking the squash but are always looking for ways to dress up the vegetable. Here is baked winter squash, all dressed up!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly butter a baking sheet; set aside.
  2. 2. Wash and cut squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and stringy portions with a spoon. Place cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet and bake until squash is fork tender, about 45 to 60 minutes.
  3. 3. Meanwhile, combine the chopped apple, cider, walnuts, sugar, and cranberries in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Simmer mixture. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes or until apples are tender.
  4. 4. When the squash is baked and cooled slightly, keeping skins intact, scoop out the squash flesh and put in a large mixing bowl. Mash with an old-fashioned masher or handheld mixer until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. 5. Add the apple mixture to the squash and gently mix together, combining well. Spoon mixture evenly back into squash shells. Place a pat of butter on top of each squash shell, return to the oven, and bake for 5 minutes or until heated through.

Note: Boiled cider is concentrated cider with no sweeteners or preservatives. To make your own, boil 2 cups of unpasteurized fresh cider until reduced to 1⁄4 cup.