Another month has flown by and we have been very busy at the Hearth & Vine--not only in terms of making and serving good food--but in making good friends and wonderful connections. I am not at the cafe as often as Paul is, but when I am able to pop in and visit with our customers, I always enjoy learning where people are from, what they do, how they found us, and why they keep coming back. They love Paul's food. So many times I hear people say, "We just love it here--the food is excellent and we feel so relaxed," "Best pizza outside of New York," or "Our salads were so incredibly fresh!" In the coming months, we will be able to talk more openly about a very exciting project for 2012, but in the meantime, we are busy harvesting our heirloom tomatoes and eggplants, and trying to keep our basil healthy, trimmed and productive. I am past trying to keep up with the weeds in our perennial beds, but fortunate enough to have flowers still worth picking.
Paul has been making some incredible dishes featuring our tomatoes (the green zebras have been a big hit) and educating interested diners on the differences in taste and texture. He and Mickey have also been creating flavorful pizzas, one of which features olive oil, caramelized onions, Gorgonzola, fingerling potatoes and fresh rosemary--so delicious! Back when garlic scapes were in season, we featured a wood-fired pizza with fresh, local asparagus, scapes, olive oil and fontina. We miss that pizza and will have to wait until next year to enjoy it again.
One of the most challenging (yet I suppose most rewarding) things about working with seasonal food is the waiting game--the anticipation for the fruits and vegetables to hit their peak. As much as I crave a good piece of watermelon or a flavor-packed tomato in February, I know that purchasing such from a grocery store will only result in disappointment. So instead, we wait. And that waiting makes the food all the more special and cherished. We are currently flush with tomatoes--they are all over our counters at the house and at the cafe and Paul calls them his kids. Rightfully so, since we raised them from seed under lights in our basement. A lot of work went into those tomatoes.
Last week, I had a salad at a local restaurant and they had the right idea: greens with dried cherries, walnuts, Gorgonzola ... but they added a few pale, mealy tomato wedges on the side. And there they sat (along with about 1/3 of the greens, wilted and starting to decompose a bit). What was the point? The pale, mealy wedges added nothing to the salad and were, quite frankly, a waste. Very little irritates me more than wasting food. If it is on the plate, it should be there with purpose, not as an afterthought or just because that's the way it's always been done. And
quantity does not make up for
quality. Ever.
Speaking of cherries, when the sweets were in season, Paul experimented with a recipe and soaked freshly picked sweet cherries in a brine (similar to an olive brine--can't give away the secret--sorry) and wow are they incredible. You can get them on the Antipasto platter now and they practically jump off the plate--an unexpected burst of sweet and sour tang. Rumor has it Mario Batali got a kick out of them on his last visit, too.
Stay tuned--September is shaping up to be a pivotal month for us: In addition to playing with blackberries, grapes, apples, pears, plums, squash and yes,
more tomatoes, Paul and Mickey will be participating in the
Epicurean Classic gala to be held in Traverse City, September 8 - 11. We will provide more details soon, but do check out the
Epicurean Classic website when you have a chance. There are a number of
presenters you won't want to miss including
Maxime Bilet, co-author of Modernist Cuisine and
Jennifer McLagan, author of Odd Bits and FAT (critically acclaimed in 2008 and awarded the James Beard Cookbook of the Year) as well as local culinary representation from
Myles Anton (Trattoria Stella), Guillaume Hazael-Massieux (La Becasse), Eric Patterson and Jennifer Blakeslee (Cook's House) and Randy Chamberlain (Blu). We are looking forward to participating in this wonderful culinary event and we are looking forward to talking about our new plans for 2012.
Enjoy each and every day, eat well, be good.
