Cookery Maven Blog

The Respite Of A Foggy Day

Sunny days are easy, what's not to like about sunshine and a blue sky? The expectations can be high though, you feel like you should be productive— clean the car, brush the dogs, go to the beach, have a picnic. I can come up with a myriad of things to do on a sunny day. A foggy day, on the other hand, is a whole different beast. The pressure is off. The blessing of a day shrouded in mist and fog is the slower cadence of normal rhythms. I can spend my day inside reading, cooking or just sitting and it seems like time well spent.

Will took both pictures in this post. He and Ted came home from school, picked up his camera and headed straight down the harbor to capture a few pictures. I love that my fourteen year old son appreciates the wild beauty of this place and wants to capture it on film (or memory card...film sounds better).

I bet you didn't know today is World Poetry Day?? I can't think of a better poetic subject than the shifting shapes and hues of a bank of fog. I like this poem, The Breathing, by Denise Levertov....something about the 'breathing too quiet to hear' that resonates with me.

An absolute

patience.

Trees stand

up to their knees in

fog. The fog

slowly flows uphill.

White

cobwebs, the grass

leaning where deer

have looked for apples.

The woods

from brook to where

the top of the hill looks

over the fog, send up

not one bird.

So absolute, it is

no other than

happiness itself, a breathing

too quiet to hear.

Shorts At The Skihill & Swimsuits At The Beach...In March!

Saturday was the last day at Ashwabay for the season and we headed up to join the fun. There were cardboard box races (Charlie won third fastest and Meg's 'ride' never made it down the hill), an easter egg hunt, a costume contest, tubing down Portway (Ted took third place) and a water skipping event. It was 77 degrees and sunny- unbelievable! Charlie was skiing in his shorts, t-shirt and a smile from ear to ear. It was a surreal afternoon, my brain knew it was March 17th but the warm breeze and sunshine felt like June. We sat outside the T-Bar with friends, had a couple of beers and cheered on the water skippers- it was one of the best St Patrick's Day I can remember.

The summer in March fun continued today with the first beach day of 2012. It was 70 degrees on the beach with sunshine and a warm breeze. The kids went swimming, built sand castles, dug holes and took turns burying each other. Will awed and amazed Sadie with his one-handed cartwheels and George reprised his role as Retriever Extraordinaire with the Chuck-it. I sat on the beach, listening to the water and thanked every lucky star I could think of for this taste of summer.

All the sun and sand made me think about Florida, which made me think about key lime pie (I liked the pies from Publix), which led to a trip to the grocery store and pie for dessert. The kids had smores when we got home from the beach and I headed into the kitchen to whip up dinner (chicken fajitas) and the aforementioned pie. I am sure we will get another cold snap and maybe a snowstorm but this respite from the cold and damp has been a godsend. While I will miss braises, stews and soups, this weekend reminded me how much I love grilling, sitting around the fire outside looking at the stars and of course, key lime pie and smores!

Key Lime Pie

Pie Crust

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 tbsp sugar

5 tbsp butter, melted

Filling

4 egg yolks

2 cans sweetened, condensed milk

1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice or Nellie and Joe's Key Lime Juice

2 tbsp lime zest

Make Crust

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl with a fork until combined, then press mixture evenly onto bottom and up side of a 9-inch pie plate.

Bake crust in middle of oven 10 minutes and cool in pie plate on a rack. Leave oven on.

Make Filling and Bake Pie

Whisk together condensed milk and yolks in a bowl until combined. Add juice and zest, whisk until combined.

Pour filling into crust and bake in middle of oven 15 minutes. Cool pie completely on rack (filling will set as it cools), then chill, covered. If you are in a hurry, you can put the pie in the freezer after you pull it out of the oven. It will set within a couple hours.

A Fond Farewell To Winter

Wham, bam, thank you ma'am- winter came and went in a hurry this year. I took this picture last week, before the string of 60 degree days made short work of what little winter we had. Sleds and well worn snow are giving way to spring, copious amounts of mud and tender green shoots and buds. I am hoping to find all the boots and shoes George brought outside in the past five months but neglected to bring back....his idea of productivity and mine are startlingly different at times!

Sugarbushing

We spent Wednesday afternoon at Julie and Charly's sugarbush. It was warm, sunny and smelled like wood smoke and maple syrup. All in all, a glorious afternoon and evening. I grew up in Minneapolis and my experience with syrup involved a plastic bottle, shaped like a kind, matronly lady named Mrs Buttersworth. We had 'real' maple syrup at home but the über sweet syrup from the missus was my favorite. Fast forward 35 years to a bucolic piece of property near Lake Superior with buckets attached to spigots in trees- this is where 'real' maple syrup come from?? A revelation- sap from trees boiled (or evaporated) into syrup. I have to admit, I did know where syrup came from prior to my sugarbushing afternoon. However, this was my first opportunity to be a sap hauling cog in the syrup making machine. As I was emptying the buckets, I thanked the trees for sharing with us.

Of course, there was food. I brought a few of my favorites- Irish cheddar, Fromager d'Affinois, smoked salmon and chorizo from Northern Waters Smokehaus and prosciutto. The kids ate all the bread while we were hauling the sap but I was able to find a little piece in the bottom of the bag. Julie made chicken and wild rice soup (delightful), warmed up over a fire the kids made. We drank a little beer, ate good food and watched the sap transform into syrup.

The sugarbush is timeless. I was struck by the generosity of the trees, the elemental nature of sap turning to syrup and the blessing of friendship. The effort that goes into producing a quart of syrup is formidable but it is the effort that makes it special. In my mind, absolute perfection.

Spring Break Has Sprung

We had a mellow day ahead of us. No one got out of bed until 9:30 (we are still getting used to the 'spring forward' time change). I walked into the kitchen to make coffee and then BAM- the dogs went crazy, slammed the door open and flew outside. Here we go, I thought and followed them outside with some trepidation. They had made a new friend, a hound I didn't recognize but seemed happy to be hanging out at the Dougherty's. It was raining, he looked hungry and I had extra turkey in the refrigerator. I ushered him into the porch, made him a snack and started to think, five dogs isn't too much, right?? I swear, I am a beacon for lost dogs. They know I will take them in, feed them lunch or dinner and give them a little love until they find their way home.

I remember the first dog I wanted to rescue, he was a Golden Retriever from the Golden Valley Humane Society named King. Ted and I had just started dating and I used to be a frequent visitor to the Humane Society (just to visit, not adopt). I thought I would bring my brand new boyfriend along for the ride and test his dog loving mettle. The afternoon quickly dissolved into tears. I met King and I was immediately smitten. I did not understand why on earth Ted would not adopt an 80 pound Golden for me. Needless to say, lunch at Shelly's Woodroast was a poor substitute for King and I went home empty-handed. Ever since that day 23 years ago, I have found countless dogs and wanted to rescue even more. While Ted did not adopt King, he has agreed (more or less) to sharing his house and bedroom with four independently minded dogs.

Back to the latest lost dog to find me. I took a picture of him and posted it to Facebook- no luck. I called the Bayfield Police Department and left a message for the police chief. This was not my first message to Bud. About five years ago, we had just moved up here and I was completely unfamiliar with wild animals- particularly bears. I swear I read bears that are not afraid of humans have dementia and are dangerous. Well, one lovely spring morning, a bear ambled into my yard about 20 feet from my daughter and to my untrained wildlife eye, appeared completely nonplussed by Sadie's presence. What's a girl to do?? Leave a phone message to the police chief about demented bears and could he come up here and do something about it? Bud drove up, gave me a toll-free number for the DNR and assured me he has never seen a bear with dementia. At least the message I left today was much more mundane- just a lost dog. The dog's owners called the police to report the wandering fellow and Bud knew just where to direct them. There was a 12-year-old boy in the car with an enormous smile on his face when he saw his pal, it was a good ending.

Spring has sprung in Bayfield, it was a gloriously rainy day. Trees that were covered in snow a little over two weeks ago were glistening with raindrops this afternoon. While the mud is enough to drive me mad (five dogs would have been too much), my first afternoon spent in the garden can't be far off. After all the dog wrangling, I was famished. I made myself a proper lunch of pâté, cornichons, dijon mustard, baguette and a generous slice of Fromager d'Affinois (it has a raw honey like finish...amazing!). All in all, it was a good start to our spring break.

The Day After The WinterDash

I did something extremely out of character yesterday- I participated in Ashwabay's first ever 5K WinterDash. Basically, it was an obstacle course on the ski hill, in the woods and in the snow. While athletic prowess is not one of the top ten things about Mary, it was a grand adventure. My friends Ellen, Meghan and Tammy tackled the course with me and we finished the race with great style and panache. My friend Julie captured the 'Final Four' finish. Last but not least, right??

All that exercise got me thinking about grocery shopping. Ted suggested a trip to Duluth today and that means a stop at one of my favorite places- Northern Waters Smokehaus. The first time I stepped in that store a few years ago, I thought I had died and gone to heaven- country pâté, bacon, pancetta, chorizo, andouille and the best coriander and black pepper smoked salmon I have ever eaten. They use local meats and fish- Berkshire pork from Iowa, bison from North Dakota, free range turkey from Minnesota and fish from Lake Superior. I am a sucker for smoked and cured meats wrapped in white butcher paper. Seeing all those packages in my refrigerator gives me a thrill.

The next stop on our provisioning trip was a stop at Tetzner's Dairy to pick up milk. Tetzner's is a dairy farm about 10 miles from my house, outside Washburn. They sell the milk and ice cream in an outbuilding on the honor system. You write your purchases (in pencil) on an envelope, put the money in the envelope and deposit it in a black box attached to the counter. The cows have a stunning view of Lake Superior and Chequamegon Bay- I think that is why the milk tastes so good. Of course, my favorite part of the stop is the friendly black lab who meanders up to say hello.

Last stop in the provisioning tour was picking up the eggs my friend, Jennifer, gathers from her hens. I can say with absolute certainty, once you taste fresh, local eggs you will never be satisfied with grocery store eggs. We go through at least a dozen a week. My son Charlie loves scrambled eggs but will only make them if they are 'local eggs'. The eggs are dropped off in a cooler in the basement of a house a couple blocks over. You bring your empty cartons back (I am horrible at remembering to do this), cross your name of the list and head home with Jennifer's hens hard work nestled in a carton.

In the interest of full disclosure, Ted and I ate at Culver's (I like the onion rings) on the way into Duluth and stopped at Sam's Club (the kids eat hundreds of granola bars and thousands of bowls of cereal a week). Life is a series of small steps forward and few steps backward....I think we are making progess.

Snowy Morning

My dogs are an alarm clock, every morning we get up and take a walk outside. Well, they run around and I typically stand in one place, attempting to wake up. This morning was particularly beautiful. Two or three inches of fluffy snow on the ground and snowflakes drifting downward. I guess sometimes it pays to get up early.

A Trifecta of Polar Plunging, Ribs and Big Break Zinfandel

It is a long winter in Bayfield. We have at least 5 months of cold and snow (hopefully) and what better way to raise money for the Bayfield Rec Center than jumping in the water on March 3rd? This was the second plunge for Sadie and I have to admit, my daughter is far more adventurous than me. After she climbed out the frigid water, Sadie wrapped herself in a sleeping bag and watched the other jumpers....while she was still soaking wet. In light of her heroic act, I decided to make one of her favorite meals for dinner- smoked pork ribs. As I am sure you are beginning to surmise, I am always looking for a reason to make a special meal or throw a party. Lord knows, jumping into freezing water with snow blowing sideways is enough of a reason for a rib dinner.

About 10 years ago, I decided I wanted to learn how to barbecue and smoke meat. Have you noticed the men 'manning' the grill are drinking beer, laughing and hanging out outside? That's for me, I thought. While I love time spent in my kitchen, there is nothing like starting the grill and cooking outside. I wish it was that easy for me. I have a tendency to complicate everything and research, pick apart and dive head first into the details of whatever it is I am fixated on. Let me tell you, there are a lot passionate barbecue pit masters out there with endless theories and rules for success. A couple of things I have learned: the rub matters, low and slow is the only way and sauce goes on AFTER the meat comes off the smoker. When we were visiting Ted's Mom in Alabama (a good place for barbecue research, among other things), we bought nearly every rub we could get our hands on. I settled on Bad Byron's Butt Rub as my favorite.

I put the rub on the ribs and let them sit for a couple of hours to let the salt and spices flavor the meat. I used my electric smoker, it is easier to maintain the temperature when it cold out than my Kamado grill/smoker. Since Sadie was plunging and I wasn't sure when we would be back, I smoked the ribs at 200 degrees for 3 1/2 hours and I wish I would have had the temperature at 225. The ribs were good but not as tender as I like. I put them in a covered Dutch oven and popped them in the oven for about 45 minutes. As I was pulling the ribs out of the oven, Bonnie Raitt's song, Angel From Montgomery, was on Pandora. It was a good omen for a good dinner.

Zinfandel is the obvious choice for barbecue. It just so happened, I had a lovely Zinfandel just waiting for the perfect opportunity to come to dinner. I must admit, I have a prejudice against 'supermarket wines' and I was not too keen on trying the Cline Big Break Zinfandel. I am glad I did; it is a spicy, complex, 100 year old vine zinfandel. The second glass was much better than the first, this wine definitely needs air and space to breathe in order to come to life. Zinfandel is becoming one of my favorite wines- I love its boldness and complexity.

Dinner was a hit. We turned off all electronic devices and sat around the kitchen table. Of course, there were ten different conversations going on at once, George was making the rounds begging for scraps and Ted announced, 'I bought a vintage lifeboat on Craigslist today.' It was a typical Dougherty dinner.

In Like A Lion On Leap Day

Mussels with Bacon, Cilantro and Tomato

What is the first thing I do when I hear a snow storm is coming? I start planning dinner. I collect cookbooks and there is a series I am particularly fond of- The Best American Recipes. They were published annually and included the best recipes from newspapers, magazines, books and the internet. You can pick them at used book stores or Amazon.com, I believe they are out of print. I pulled the 2003 - 2004 cookbook off my shelf and ran across the perfect snow storm dinner- Mussels with Bacon, Cilantro and Lime. Although, the snow didn't start until well after dinner, it was the perfect precursor to the biggest snow storm we have had all winter.

After dinner is situated, the next hurdle to the perfect snow storm experience is the wine. I need to stop here and explain my deep and profound love of wine. There is something about uncorking (or unscrewing) a bottle of wine- you are unleashing the winemaker's intentions into your kitchen, dining room, sauna, etc. Think about it, winemaking is a little like raising a child- you tend the vines, pick the grapes when you think they are ready and hopefully create a wine that is meaningful and resonates with the wine drinker. The beautiful part of winemaking is that is a leap of faith- you provide the raw materials for greatness but it is what happens in the bottle and environment that ultimately determines the outcome. How can you not be awed when you have that first sip and it hits you, 'this is something special'. Don't get me wrong, I am a mere babe in the woods when it comes to wine knowledge. There is so much more to learn but like all good students, I have a healthy amount of awe and appreciation for the teachers and subject. Now back to the snow storm dinner. When I came in the kitchen, Ted had opened a bottle of wine. I have to admit, I was a little flummoxed. First of all, he is a resolute amber-colored liquor imbiber. Secondly, I am a little controlling when it comes to what we we drink with what we eat. He opened a bottle of 2008 Bogle Phantom- a gnarly blend of old vine zinfandel, petite sirah and old vine mourvedre. Outstanding choice for the mussels with tomatoes and bacon. Bogle Phantom is one of my favorites- it definitely needs times to 'gather itself' but once it unwinds- it is a great wine. If I had the self-control, I am sure it would improve with age in a cellar.

When we woke up on the 29th, the snow was just starting. It was one of the best days we have had all winter. The freedom a snow day gave us was a gift and we made sure to enjoy every minute.

Mussels with Bacon. Cilantro and Tomato

1/4 pound bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (use the best bacon you can find)

2 large shallots, thinly sliced (I substituted yellow onion)

1 large jalapeno, thinly sliced (I used the seeds)

14 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes, drained

1/2 cup dry white wine

3 1/2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1/4 cup butter

Cook the bacon in a large enameled cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Pour off all but 2 tbsp of the fat. All the shallots and jalapeno, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half. Increase the heat to high and add the mussels. Cover and cook until the mussels open, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, lime juice and cilantro and serve with crusty bread.

And So It Begins

I have to tell you, writing the first blog post of your very own blog is a little mind bending. Where should I start? A funny aside about my food obsessed yellow lab, George? A touching story about taking my two daughters and their friends to Minneapolis for the weekend? A tidbit from our family archive when we took our five kids across Lake Superior, in a boat, to Isle Royale? I opted to keep it short and simple. A first blog post should be a little like cocktail party conversations- a brief overview, a funny anecdote and a promise to get together soon. Here are the players you will get to know over the course of my blogging adventure. Trust me, they are a brilliant bunch of people, critters and places.

Ted- captain of the ship, leader of the pack and the man with a plan.