Recipes

Sautéed Vermont Apple Shortcake with Cold Hollow Cider, Maple
& Mascarpone Cream

Yield: 6 people

1 recipe Buttermilk Biscuits 

Ingredients For the Mascarpone Cream

• 1 Cup Heavy Cream, whipped to soft peaks
• 1 Cup Mascarpone
• 1 T + Brown Sugar
• To taste Lemon Juice
• ¼ t  Vanilla extract, pure

Method:

• Combine last 4 ingredients, then fold in the whipped cream in gently. Refrigerate until ready to use. (the mascarpone cream should be used within a few hours from folding in the heavy cream.)

Ingredients For the Apples:

• 8 each Granny Smith or other tart Vermont apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 t Cinnamon, ground
• ¼ t Cloves, ground
• ¼ t Nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 Cup Butter, unsalted, chilled and diced          
• ¼ Cup Maple syrup
• ¼ Cup Cold Hollow apple cider          
• Powdered sugar to garnish

Method:

• Marinate sliced apples in half of the sugar and all of the spices for 1 hour minimum.
• Heat half of the butter in a sauté pan and sauté the apples until brown. Add sugar and syrup to caramelize, then deglaze with the cider.
• Reduce the liquid to half then turn off the heat and mount with the remaining butter. 

* For easy advance preparation for a party, follow instructions, and cook the apples ahead of time, but don’t add the butter yet! When you are ready for dessert, heat up the apples gently, and then once they are hot, mount in the remaining butter. Before your guests arrive, have the biscuits baked in advance and pre-sliced on the serving plates (or platter). 

Assembly:

• Slice the biscuit in half and top with a heaping spoon of hot apples and sauce. Top the apples with a nice dollop of mascarpone cream. Top with the other biscuit half and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  

Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe 

Ingredients For the Biscuits

• 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• ½ t Baking soda
• ½ t Salt
• ½ t Cream of Tartar
• 2 T Sugar (for savory recipes, please omit)
• 1 each Lemon zest
• 6 T Butter, cold
• 1 ¾ Cups Buttermilk-just enough to come together-you may not need it all

* Buttermilk will help to create a light, airy texture, and impart a nice flavor. Always make sure your butter and cream are all very cold, just like pie dough. This will make the biscuits light and flakey. Handling the dough as little as possible will keep the biscuits from becoming tough. 

Method:

• Sift dry ingredients together, mix well.
• Add in butter, combine until the butter are the size of peas. These will melt into the biscuits as they cook, creating layers of dough and butter. That is what will create the flakiness.
• Add buttermilk-just enough for mixture to hold together
• Knead lightly for one minute-DON’T OVERWORK
• Roll or pat out gently to about 1-inch thick, cut out biscuits with a  3-4-inch round cutter and place on a parchment lined sheet pan touching each other. This will help in rising.
• Top with a bit of soft butter. 
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes until lightly golden brown.
• Cool on a rack.

Maple Glazed Lamb Chops with VT Vegetable Salad

Servings per recipe: 2

Ingredients:

• 6 ea Local Lamb Chops
• 1 t Shallots, Peeled and Chopped
• ½ t Garlic, Peeled and Chopped
• 1 T Vermont Maple Syrup
• 1 T Mixed herbs chopped
• 1 T Dijon Mustard
• 2 t Vegetable Oil
• 1 t Olive Oil
• 4 oz Local Greens
• 1 ea Medium Beet, Washed
• 1 ea Watermelon Radish, Sliced thinly
• ½ C Demi Glace
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper & Salt to taste

Method:

• In boiling water, cook the beet until fork tender, about 45 min.
• Remove the beet from the water, and chill.
• Peel the skin off of the beet and slice, then arrange the beets and radishes over a mounded plate of local greens. Reserve.
• Season lamb chops evenly with salt and pepper.
• In a medium sauté pan, heat vegetable oil until smoking, then sear the lamb chops over high heat, 1 minute on each side, then remove them from the pan and reserve.
• Pour off excess fat from the pan, and return the pan to the heat. Add the olive oil, shallots and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, being careful not to burn them.
• Add the maple syrup, mustard, demi glace and herbs to the pan, and stir together, cooking the mixture until it thickens and reaches a sauce consistency.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper
• Add the lamb chops back into the pan, cooking for an additional 30 seconds for medium rare, and constantly basting the chops with the sauce to give them a nice glaze.
• Arrange the chops on the salad, and drizzle the sauce over the lamb and salad.
• Enjoy!

* Demi glace can be found in our local gourmet food store and at your grocery store butcher department
* Use any herbs you enjoy. We love rosemary, thyme and parsley.

Potato & Ramp Vichyssoise

Yield: 6 people

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Russet potatoes, peeled and
  cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 T salted butter
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 10 each ramps or scallions, use only the white parts and 2 inches of the green, cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Remove the rest and chop; reserve as a garnish if desired.
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 1 cup whole milk
• To taste, salt
• To taste, fresh ground black pepper

Method for the Soup:

• Over medium heat, melt the butter in a sauté pan, and lightly sauté the ramps (or scallions) until they are transparent, but do not have color.
• Add the wine and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Add the potato, broth and herbs, and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium/low, and allow it to simmer until the potatoes are very tender, about 25 minutes.
• Stir in the cream bring it to a low boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper to your own taste, then remove the herbs.
• Purée the soup and strain it if you would like it to have a silky texture. This is optional—it will be delicious even without straining it!
• Pour the soup into a cold bowl and chill the soup for at least 2 hours.
• Add the milk to adjust the consistency.
  If you like it thick, you may not need it all.
• Re-season with salt and pepper if necessary.

To serve, pour very cold soup into bowls and garnish with the reserved, chopped ramp leaves or scallion tops.

For a special, decadent finish:

• Drizzle the top with a touch of white truffle oil
• Top with sour cream, diced smoked salmon and chopped chives