Swoon Kitchenblog

November Eats & Kitchen

2009-11-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

Just a few pics of our food and kitchen this late autumn...

on the line with Brian in garde manger, Jeff on roast and JP on veg and pasta

caramelized apple tart with sherry fig ice cream

fig breton

grilled shrimp with caramelized fennel and semolina

lamb chops with spicy carrots

JP plating sauteed brussel sprouts with bacon

Jeff

mustard glazed lamb

so deliciously sweet, nantucket bay scallops in the raw

lamb and duck resting

pappardelle

fennel bulbs

octopus on the grill

black bass with sweet potato puree, brussel sprouts...

red wine sauce with lemon thyme

order for table 28

olives and cornichon

brussels with bacon

the pappardelle with local oysters, goat cheese and arugula

Scagliola Wine Dinner

2009-05-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Earlier this spring, in March, we enjoyed the pleasure of meeting the proprietor and winemaker of the Piedmontese winery, Scagliola. Their wines are beautiful, elegant and fresh.

Jeff's Cotechino sausage was a hit and the best sausage I think he has ever made!

Everyone enjoyed themselves, including our parents.

The delicious mackerel was served with littlenecks and a spring vegetable ragou.

I made a Piedmontese specialty fennel and black pepper grissini, sprinkled generously with salt.

The dessert featured my most favorite of fruits--besides passionfruit, the Bergamot orange. I made a semifreddo with candied Bergamot orange and mocha sauce, encrusted in hazelnut meringue crisps.

The plating line in the kitchen...

Jeff slicing the richly braised beef and Jamie plating spring vegetables.

A Few Winter Foods...

2009-01-16T08:52:00.000-08:00

At lunch, a beautiful plate of roast Delicata squash and parsnips brightened with herbs, frisee and beet vinaigrette.

The always satisfying steak tartar.

A hearty and nutritious side of Tuscan kale.

Pistachio Pithiviers, before they go into the oven...

Delicate saffron poached pears.

Making Pasta

2009-01-13T13:51:00.000-08:00

First thing every morning, Jeff makes pasta for the day. It's a beautiful process to watch and quite delicious to eat!

A motor operated Italian machine helps quicken the process of rolling out the dough.

Sheets ready to shape.

Making ravioli...

Oxtail and goat cheese ravioli is the final product.

Some of the pasta cut in to pappardelle.

Here is the pappardelle with Bolognese sauce, yum!

Sunday Brunch in Late November

2008-11-30T12:32:00.000-08:00

The first snow flurries of the season fell early this afternoon in Hudson. It was almost nice to see, though I would rather it still be warm outside.

On a more positive note, it made for a lovely day to sit at the bar and enjoy a glass of champagne with some of our great brunch items.

The Duck Confit Hash W/ Poached Eggs is one of our signature brunch items, and one I am completely addicted to. I eat this almost every Sunday. With a little sriracha on the side of course.

Nina opted for the Pan Roasted Tile Fish, W/ Spicy Haricot Vert, Crispy Onions and Aioli
It wasn't the busiest day ever but sometimes its nice to enjoy a Sunday afternoon ourselves.

Breakfast of Champions

2008-10-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

I'm always looking for a tasty breakfast that will get me through a few miles of running, tennis etc. Three of my favorite things really keep me going: German whole rye bread, Greek strained yogurt and honey. I was just given this fantastic raw Sage honey as a gift. It's sooooo delicious and just feels good when you eat it. Ever had sage tea? Fresh or dried it is restorative, incredibly soothing and pleasurable.

Portland, Maine Take 3: The Fabulous Pizza at Flatbread

2008-09-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

We love a good pie. And at Flatbread they do things right, organic ingredients, a hand-made wood burning oven, fresh local greens and beer. I could go for a slice right now!

We ordered a mushroom and house-made no nitrate pepperoni.

Bresca in Portland

2008-09-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

Last week's trip we discovered a tiny gem of a restaurant called Bresca, which means honeycomb in Catalan. It was recommended to us by the owners of Rabelais--a lovely little cookbook store chock full of foodie favorites old and new. There were some luscious highlights.

Butcherblock topped tables

A dish of local ricotta, polenta, local shrooms, lardo...

Raspberry Financier

Coconut Tapioca, Caramelized Figs

Panna Cotta, Passion Fruit Broth

About Portland...Maine that is.

2008-09-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

We were just in Portland last week for a few days. If your looking for a culinary getaway, this city is the spot. One of our favorite places to eat is Street & Co. It's a seafood only restaurant with warm ambience and really good rustic fare. We always sit at the bar for some perfect local oysters. This time we also ate a little salami, excellent linguine with clams and Panna Cotta for dessert. Delicious.

Shrooms!

2008-08-28T19:21:00.001-07:00

The Boletes are early and there are loads. Every week I play tennis in Round Top with our friend Annie. Her court is on the mountain, in the woods, surrounded by wild blueberries, moss and bluestone slabs. A keen collector of shrooms, right before I arrived in the morning Annie gathered a basketful of boletes. She cooks them fresh or slices and dries them for soups in autumn and winter. After we played, she gave me a brown bag full of some beauties. We ate them that night, sauteed in Spanish olive oil with some smoked salt, Tarragon and Lemon Thyme. Yum!!

August rain brings mushroom bounty.

2008-08-24T07:14:00.000-07:00

Jeff may think his eye sight isn't as good as it used to be, but I don't know anyone else who can spot wild mushrooms on the fly while driving. Last year it was a scattering of Chanterelles under a dark canopy of evergreens and this year, at the far end of a field, a soccer sized Giant Puff Ball and its' anomalous kin.

Check out their sculptural, alien forms!

d'Yquem & the best eggs in the valley...

2008-08-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

On the way home yesterday, I stopped by Grazin' Angus Acres to pick out dinner. Ended up with an amazing Rib Eye, some eggs for the morning and some Angus breakfast sausage.

I made an Frittata for lunch, with some left-over Corn Succotash from the night before, Jalapeno Jack cheese, a little Prosciutto and lots of herbs from the garden.

I gotta say, the eggs were some of the best I've had in a long time. They were soooo vibrant yellow and soooo ultra creamy! Wow! I think they rivaled the eggs from the chickens my parents raised when I was a kid.

To go with it, I made potato salad with the tasty breakfast sausage--really great flavor! It was unique and a little meatier than you might expect for a breakfast sausage, with a polite amount of spice.

Just as the Frittata went in the oven, Jeff came home with a bottle of d'Yquem sec. This really excited me, because I'm in love with beautiful white Bordeaux. And d'Yquem, known for their dessert wine--%100 semillon, well, need I say more? Ok, I will! Its complexity, perfumed aroma, honeyed, floral, wide, long finish, might have descended from the angels.

Corn!

2008-08-12T16:50:00.000-07:00

Well, it's August, and it's all about corn. Deliciously sweet, juicy and lightly crunchy "Butter & Sugar" Holmquest Farm corn, that is! Our friend Jeffrey Elliot picked me up a package of Japanese spice for my birthday during his trip to Japan, while checking out the production of Henckels knife making, the company for which he works. So jealous of his trip, filled with the best Uni, brilliant chefs & bizarre seafood finds at the fish markets...

Sweet butter and Japanese Spice, yes, oh so nice!

Left-overs. Oops, there's little to none!

Awesome!

Pickles & Pork

2008-07-19T10:24:00.000-07:00

Kirby cucumbers are now at all the local farm stands.

They are perfectly tiny, firm, moist and delicious. And they make a great pickle.

We did a basic 3-2-1-1 brine on the cucumbers and served them w/ crispy braised pork belly, peanuts, beans sprouts, cilantro and a spicy sauce made from the reduce pork braising liquid along with some soy sauce & sambal. This is a good one!

Cadence Wine Dinner

2008-04-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

We had our first wine dinner this year with Cadence Winery.
They are a Washington based winery who focus their efforts and passion on Bordeaux blends.

A husband and wife wine making team Ben & Gaye were on hand to discuss their wines and wine making techniques.

It was a beautiful spring day and we wanted the menu to start with that feel.

Amuse Bouche: Asparagus & Goat Cheese Tart

The first course was an English pea salad with Lenny B's smoked trout

trout roe, radish and baby opal basil.

2006 Maryhill Winery Winemaker's White Blend

The second course was a roasted Black Angus marrow bone.

We procurred theese awesome bones from Grazin Angus Acres an all

natural Black Angus farm just down the road.

We served it with some smoked toungue from the same steer, grilled bread,

poached Burgundy snails, and a parsley caper salad.

This was a seriuos plate of goodness

2005 Cadence Coda

The third course for the evening was a braised lamb shoulder,

grilled spiring onion fava bean puree and a salad of micro arugula & preserved lemon.

2005 Cadence “Ciel du Cheval Vineyard”, Red Mountain
2005 Cadence, “Taptiel Vineyard

The dessert!!

Roasted frui flan draped by crispy almond pastry.

2005 Madrone Mountain Late Harvest Gewürztraminer

Triple Bypass Decadence

2008-04-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

Some late winter early spring goodness to share.

Pancetta,flat- not rolled, dry cured and hung for 3 months.

Just look a that unctuous fat & rosey pork -What to do?
How about crisping thin strips and topping crispy sweet breads,

over potato latkes, with a smoked Bearnaise sauce.

And because that wasn't rich and decadent enough we put together

Braised Veal Cheek Lasagna with a little swiss chard & bechamel to round it out.

25 mg of Lipitor as a digestif

Domaine Lucien Crochet

2008-03-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

We had the great pleasure of meeting Gilles Crochet, expert wine maker of the benchmark Sancerre estate Domaine Lucien Crochet. We have caried Lucien Crochet's Sancerre's on our list since the day we opened. Gilles stopped by Swoon last week as part of his Up-state/Berkshires tour. He brought with him all his current releases. Domaine Lucien Crochet has always been the standard bearer of what Sancerre should be-in my opinion anyways, a nose of chalk and citrus, bracing acidity, and a roundness in the finish that few others can achieve. The most remarkable of all the wines was the 2002 Vendange du 19 Octobre. This is not a typical late harvest wine.This wine is picked just 2 weeks after his normal bottling and fermented completely dry. The extra 2 weeks on the vine add such a greater richness in color and flavor. A must try, if you can find some. The regular Sancerre bottlings were as great as always with the La Croix de Roy, exhibiting surprising depth and the 05 Le Chen showing off it's trademark muscular minerality.He brought 2 reds with him as well the 05 La Croix du Roy Rouge, an elegant quaffer for any meal as well as the 03 Sancerre Rouge Cuvee LC, which had that trademark 03 ripeness, combined with the acidity and balance that is Gilles style.
What a fun afternoon, to be able to drink the wines of and speak with one of the great winemakers today here at Swoon was fantastic.
Thank you Gilles for stopping by.

Like visiting a friend

2008-02-13T18:29:00.000-08:00

Martinborough, New Zealand is one of the only places in the world outside of Burgundy that makes Pinot Noir worth drinking. Ata Rangi is my favorite. The nose shows real terroir, a dusty, fruity, freshness and a little stinky--kind of like the sheep that cover the landscape.
Its not Burgundy and its not trying to be. The fruit is ripe. Not over ripe though. It's juicy, not over extracted and not stewed. Instead, it is a bright red, with great acidity and a long finish across the entire palate. And it's in that finish, that the minerality and slight funk (the terroir), return and finish each sip with a sense of place.

In January of 2001, Nina & I went to New Zealand for a few months of adventure and a journey through the different Kiwi wine regions. By mid-March, we hit the south end of the North Island and in Martinborough, scored a couple weeks work at Ata Rangi. We plucked leaves to let in the sun, pulled fencing staples, ran irrigation lines and all sorts of other farm labor. We were just happy to be in such a great place and be outside in the warm sun in March. So naturally, I have a bias toward this wine. Clive Patton, the owner and wine maker at Ata Rangi was fantastic to us. He went out of his way to spend time with us, talking about the growing and wine making process - over a beer or two of course. The 01 is our vintage. We sweat on those grapes-maybe that's what some of the funk is in the nose??? A sniff, a sip, takes us right back to that beautiful land on the other side of the planet.

Pork Belly Goodness

2008-01-30T19:56:00.000-08:00

Pork belly-fresh bacon-whatever you want to call it, is probably one of the most decadent cuts of meat there is. Layers of tender meat and unctuous fat, stacked on top one another and when braised very slowly, for hours, these layers seem to join in one happy unison.

But the rich decadence of the belly was not enough for us, so we decided to wrap it in a sheet of fresh pasta with a little swiss chard, sauce it with a smokey bacon & parmesan cream and top it all with an egg yolk, which we basted with the hot cream until almost "over easy".

Pork belly "Carbonara" -it might stop your heart, but you will have a smile on your face when it does.

Happy New Years Eve

2008-01-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

All hands were on deck for New Years Eve. We created 4 & 6 course menus for the night with multiple choices available for each course. That meant A Lot of prep work from all of the kickass crew.

We had BIG lists. We eventually got most of it checked off.

There was seared foie with a beet & red wine syrup & curried quince.

Nantucket bay scallop ceviche w/ baby fennel, tangerine & black olive puree.

We even pulled out the crispy duck neck terrine w/ raisin chutney & pickled winter vegetables

This was our white on white study.Citrus risotto w/ warm Maine crab & pink peppercorn cream.

If you weren't there you were square.

Happy 2008

Bounty of the Season

2007-12-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

Though the local farm production has just about come to a halt, this time of year brings a few treats on its own. The cold waters to our Northeast produce some of the most decadent, delicious morsels of the year. The tiny pink sweat shrimp from Maine and the plump little perfect Nantucket bay scallops. We are getting these beauties less than 24 hours out of the water-they are so awesome that when they first arrive I just get a little soy sauce and snack for a minute-how could I not?

Pristine bay scallops, can you still see them twitching?

Pan seared with Jerusalem artichoke puree, sauteed beet greens

and a bacon mustard vinaigrette

Raw Maine Sweet Shrimp

Crispy deep fried-tossed with Urfa Bibier, Smoked Paprika & other goodness.

Squeeze the lime and eat them whole! Unbelievably great

A 31 Year Old Beauty

2007-12-07T07:01:00.000-08:00

Nina & I had the pleasure of sharing a bottle of 76' Giscours the other night. Nina had bought it for me as a gift a few months back, and we finally had the right night to relax and enjoy it.
For a 31 year old 3rd growth, with a messed up label-looking like hell, it sure drank great. When we first opened it the nose was young, tight almost, full of leather, wet earth and ripe fruit. The palate was rich and lush, drinking beautifully, long finish of tobacco, chocolate & licorice. Over the hour or so that we drank it, the fruit softened, deepened and the finish became more focused, great minerality.

We ate Osso Bucco with baby brussels sprouts, onions, tomato & pasta. An awesome 1 pot meal.

Highlights from the past week

2007-11-26T10:48:00.000-08:00

My fish monger Dan, in Portland Maine, sent me these beautiful wild oyster mushrooms. They were foraged just outside of Portland and were huge & meaty. They smelled like Maine also, a hint of pine and a sea water freshness. We simply roasted them whole and deglazed the pan with a little mushroom stock afterward for the sauce-a real treat.

A new addition to our pate roster is the duck neck terrine. Jamie came up w/ this one and it's great. We confit the duck necks, then pull the meat and press it w/ brandied raisins & wrap it all in the neck skin. Served with pickled beet greens, and a raisin chutney.

The charcuterie plate has been chock full lately as well. Seen here with house cured coppa, lomo, duck prosciutto, as well as our country pate, and a lamb/hog head cheese.
Perfect Maine day boat cod, served with baby fennel, fingerlings, escargot and a herb fumet.

Nina newest addition to the dessert menu. Polenta quince cake, pomegranate granita & creme fraiche with fennel pollen.

Taste of the Hudson Valley

2007-11-21T05:33:00.000-08:00

We had a table at the taste of the Hudson Valley this past Sunday. It was at the Grandview in Poughtown this year instead of at the CIA where is has always been before.

We were paired with Chateau & Estates, and were pouring Trimbach Fredrick Emile Riesling 2000 & 2001. I love these wines! Nobody makes dry Riesling the way Trimbach does such austere minerality, bright acidity & lush mouth feel. The 2000 was drinking pretty close to perfect, the 01 was still a little tight but will no doubt be great in a year or two.

We whipped up some pates for the occasion. A classic pairing in my mind.

Country pate made from ground pork shoulder & duck liver as well as a duck & chicken liver mousse pate. Delicious and low maintenance on site.

Roumier-The master of elegance

2007-11-14T13:51:00.000-08:00

Nina & I drank an 04 Roumier Bourgogne Rouge last night. It was incredible. If you have ever seen my wine list at Swoon you know I am a HUGE Roumier fan. I think he is making some of the purest, most elegant & beautiful Burgundies of any winemaker today-Period! The 04 Bourgogne Rouge is a baby Chambolle Musigny-where Roumier is based and his heart is centered. The nose-dirt, wet stones, cherries & plums(fresh plums not stewed plums like some over ripe pretentious Carneros pinot). Fabulous in the mouth as well, starts w/ spicy earth & fruit, rounds out mid palate w/ decent weight for a Bourgogne Rouge, and finishes long w/ great minerality.

This wine is not easy to find, but worth seeking out, like any Roumier. I could get only one case, we now have 11 Bottles left.

What Happened to the Martini as a Cocktail/Aperitif???

2007-11-05T17:26:00.000-08:00

Tonight I start a new "Label" that will allow me to express my opinions on drink, which are at least as strong as those on food. A Martini has long been a great aperitif, but in recent years it has become not an aperitif or even a cocktail, it's straight chilled alcohol, be it gin or vodka. If you order just a "Martini" in a restaurant these days there is no vermouth it's just booze shaken or stirred w/ ice. This is not a cocktail or an aperitif , it's a chilled shot in a martini glass & usually way too big, the supersize me, Sams Club mentality has even taken over the cocktail. What's the point of a 14oz Martini if its warm by the time you are half way through?? & at $13-$14 a pop? why not a traditional portion at a more reasonable price, that is still cold on your last sip? I enjoy a proper Martini as an aperitif before dinner. My Vermouth of choice is Vya, it is made by Andrew Quady, a California winemaker best known for his sweet wines. This Vermouth BLOWS AWAY Martini & Rossi or any other high production-mass market vermouth out there. Vya's floral & herbal notes bring the martini back to the aperitif it was meant to be! Don't worry it's not sweet, it's not cloying, it has FLAVOR-Depth & Finesse. Try a Proper Martini I think you will enjoy it as much as I do!

It doesn't hurt to have a little Neal's Yard Stilton & crusty bread to go with it!

A Few Highlights From The Weekend

2007-11-04T18:59:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of the plates I got a chance to shoot over the weekend.

Our version of a Green Tomato "BLT"

Tuna Tartare, Seasoned w/Harissa & Tangerine, Local Celery Broth

I know tuna tartare is totally over done, but this is fuckin delicious & sells great.

House Cured Gravlax, Pickeld local baby beets, cucumbers & creme fraiche

Nothing innovative, a nod to the Eastern Europeans.

My Favorite Entree of the weekend

Pan roasted Monkfish, w/ squid, chickpeas, merguez & celery leaves

Rhone Wine Dinner

2007-10-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

Wine Tasting Dinner with Jean-Paul Autard & Dominique Courbis
Reservations Required$75/PersonSunday, Oct. 14 5 p.m. ~ Sharp
Swoon Kitchenbar340 Warren StreetHudson, New York
Call for reservations:518-822-8938

We are truely honored these great winemakers are joining us in Hudson to share their wines and wisdom.
Winemakers Jean-Paul Autard (Domaine Paul Autard) and Dominique Courbis (Domaine de Courbis) are two of the most celebrated wine makers of the Rhone Valley. Meet them as they showcase their stunning 2005 vintage at our October 14 winetasting dinner.Please join us for an unforgettable 5 course meal, paired with 9 exquisite Rhone Valley wines.

Don't miss this opportunity to taste the fantastic 2005 Rhone Valley releases of Domaine Paul Autard and Domaine de Courbis, as well as a selection of older vintages from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Saint Joseph, and Cornas.

Hope to see you there

Street & Company

2007-09-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

We were in Portland Maine last week for a couple of days. Portland is one of our favorite eating destinations on the east coast, lots of good restaurants-tons of fresh seafood.

Street & Company is the smaller sister restaurant to Fore Street-a Portland institution.

The bar is the place to be, beautifully designed with polished concrete and an ice trough built in to house the oysters and tended by friendly knowledgeable bartenders. Our new friend Blue pictured above.

We drank Chateau La Roque, a Kermit Lynch wine, from the Languedoc, w/ our oysters and other seafood. It was perfect, great acidity & enough body & funk to make it interesting.

Summer's here, I'm for that

2007-08-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

Summer is here, in full glory, which means the farm van is full of natures goodness.

The farm stands are chockfull of all the summer bounty we've been waiting for.

Sweet corn from Holmquest Farm has flovored our risotto, been pair with bacon & onion rings in a salad, and cook with chanterelles as a ragout with duck.

Sweet corn risotto w/ olive oil poached shrimp & cherry tomato sauce.

Montgomery Place is the source for the greatest variety of heirloom tomatoes!

They, like the corn are everywhere on the menu right now.

Maine "Peeky Toe" Crab Salad
with heirloom panzanella & tomato water

New Zealand Wine and Local Food

2007-08-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like a cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc on a hot afternoon in the dog days of summer. As I watch the condensation roll down the outside of my glass, it takes me back to our trip last January to the wine country in New Zealand. I thought I would depart from our usual topic of local food from farm to plate, to talk about my favorite wine to have with these great meals.

Now, the basic and only rule of wine is that if it tastes good, it is good. Which wine goes with what dish can be a great source of fun experimentation. However, if you are not into experimenting the staff at Swoon Kitchenbar takes great pride in helping you find a wine that will complement the food you want to eat. Some pairings can astonish you, which is why Swoon holds regular wine tasting dinners. Wine tasting dinners give you the chance to learn and experience food and wine together in a relaxed atmosphere, and they give Swoon a chance to extend its culinary artistry in ways you might not otherwise see.

Last January, Kathy and I went to Australia and New Zealand on a three week vacation. We have been wanting to go to the down under wine country since an experience we had at a wine tasting event held before the annual Tanglewood Wine and Food Festival (this year on Saturday, August 11). A distributor of wines from New Zealand partnered with Old Chatham Shepherding for a joint wine and cheese tasting, pairing different wines and cheeses. We had our first taste of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and we were hooked after many years of drinking Italian Pinot Grigio. What we saw and tasted after we arrived in Australia and later in New Zealand was far beyond our wildest dreams.

We toured the Hunter Valley just outside Sydney with our mate Haley who taught us the words and music to the theme for the TV show "Skippy the Bush Kangaroo" and tried to get us to have some Vegemite. (By the way, they are as repulsed by peanut butter and jelly as we are by Vegemite) Haley also clued us into the local slang created by just saying enough of a word to get the meaning. So Sauvignon Blanc became a Savi and the cooler for the beers is an Eski (from the brand name Eskimo Cooler). We spent more time in New Zealand than in Australia, so we have more work to do on Australian wines.

After a brief stop in Auckland, NZ, we spent several days in Marlborough, NZ, which is at the North end of the Southern Island. We took advantage of another tour, and we enjoyed the local knowledge provided by the guide. We also enjoyed being able to let someone else drive among the wineries and then get us back to our hotel!

Marlborough is renowned for its white wines, most notably in the U.S. its Sauvignon Blancs, which have a characteristically citrusy flavor. The wineries we visited were the smaller artisanal wineries that do not bottle enough wine to be viable as exporters. Most of them wanted us to try their Pinot Gris and other wines so that we would have a broader view of them as wine producers. The tastes of the people in Australia and New Zealand for sweets is dramatically less than the tastes of the people in the U. S. and their wines showed the difference. The desert wines in New Zealand were quite different from desert wines from other regions. Marlborough is also starting to grow Sangiovese grapes and might soon challenge Italy as they now do France with their Pinot Noir.

If Marlborough is for white wine then the Otego Valley outside Queenstown, NZ, is for reds. The Pinot Noirs and other reds we tasted the the Otego Valley were outstanding. This area is on the Southern part of the Southern Island and is the mecca for skiers in June, and other extreme sports all year round. Keep in mind that in this part of the world, the further South you are the colder it gets.

Again, we toured the smaller wineries that take great care and pride in producing their wines, but don't produce enough to make shipping to the U.S. a viable option. So wines from Chard Farm or Gibbston Valley that we loved while we were there might only be found rarely in the U.S. There is one other issue that comes up often with wines from New Zealand and Australia, and that is the screw cap closure. Some people have an emotional attachment to cork. A distributor for New Zealand wineries told me that he regularly lost 20% of the wine he imported from New Zealand due to TCA cork rot. Screw caps have come a long way from the 1960s gallon jug of Gallo wine. They seal the bottle better preventing oxidation and taint, and reseal better after opening without the need for a vacuum stopper.

On several occasions while traveling on business I have been chosen to pick the wine for the group at dinner. I almost always pick a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, and get rave reviews. In fact last night we opened the last bottle of NZ Pinot Noir we had left over from our wedding a year ago. Come on, unscrew a cap and give it a try.

David Jackson

Hudson Valley Country Ham

2007-07-31T17:14:00.000-07:00

After 13 months of patience, allowing the magic of salt & air to do its work we finally sliced into our first country ham. It seemed like the right time as Jamie just finished curing a new ham & hung it to dry.

It really was a thing of beauty!

Properly dried, smelling just funky & meaty enough, but not too much.

We decided to serve it rather simply.
Sliced thin with a salad of watercress & some watermelon pickle.
We're proud.

Come & try some while it lasts.

The next one will not be ready for another year.

What's Hangin

2007-07-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

In the cavernous depths far below Swoon Kitchenbar & Warren Street lies a secret cave. A cave so secret outsiders must be anesthetized in order to enter, very similarly to Batman's. It is in this cave that we hang various cuts of meat to cure.

The process actually begins in the kitchen. The meat is first rubbed in a spice mix & placed in the refrigerator for 2-4 days depending on size. Then it is packed in salt for another 2-12 days.

After the salt cure has worked its magic it is then hung in the cave to dry.

The House Made Charcuterie plate, a menu staple, always includes cured duck breast"Prosciutto"as well as country pate & whatever other treats may be done Hangin

Culatello served with local baby escarole
in a green olive & caramelized onion vinaigrette

2007-07-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things we're cooking this weekend

1. Soft Shell Crabs

2. North Wind Farm Cornish Game Hens

3. Holmquest Farms Bi Color Corn

4. Montgomery Place Orchards Plums & Apricots

5. Migliorelli Farm Thumbellina Carrots

6. House Made Linguine & Littelneck Clams

7. Braised Veal Ribs

8. Local Rabbit Rittettes

9. Cherry Tomatoes, every kind

10. Maine "Peeky Toe" Crab Salad

11. Maine "Day Boat" Cod

12. Stone Church Farm Duck Confit

13. Black Raspberry Martinis

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Backyard Garden Goodness

2007-07-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

We pulled all the Swiss Chard out of our garden this morning

to give the tomato plants more room to grow.

This evening it became a Swiss Chard & Ricotta Tart.

Topped with micro herbs & the pickled stems.

The Simple Way to Good Fruit

2007-07-07T05:18:00.001-07:00

Nina was making ice cream from red raspberries, and Jeff was doing prep work for lunch. The week at Swoon was starting, and the kitchen was busier than usual. It's not a good place to stand and talk because you feel like, or you actually are, in the way. Jeff suggested I go down to Montgomery Place Orchards, just south of Tivoli and Bard College on 9G. "That's where Nina gets all her fruit, and we should do something with them," Jeff said while wrapping a block of cheese he had just sliced. I headed south out of Hudson on Third Street, a quick jog on 23 and a left turn put me on 9G.

At the intersection of 9G and Route 199 is the Montgomery Place Orchards Farm Market, where there has been a farm stand since the turn of the last century. I found Telea Fincke in the back sorting fruit while her daughter, Caroline, was taking the seeds from red raspberries to make jam. Telea and Doug tend the orchards with heart, and people say their fruit tastes better than what they can get down the road. "If we could just teach our trees to have the fruit ready on the weekends," Telea explained, people who visit would be happier. We started to talk about the seasonal nature of local fruit and produce, and that people are accustomed to having seasonal items at non-seasonal times. "We could grown more, but the heart would go out of it. Doug likes to touch every tree."

Our conversation turned to the economics of growing and farming, and the relationship with the way people want to buy food. Telea is as passionate about educating people as she is about being involved in the whole process of growing fruit and veggies: selecting the right piece of land, the right variety of trees, planting, tending, harvesting, and finally selling at the stand. We talked about the economic bind farmers are in, having to constantly produce more to keep their cash flow going at a rate that will sustain their business, only to have the increased production drive down the prices making it harder the next year to stay in business. "But, how do you change it?" she asked.

I learned a lot, and I knew there was more to learn. I bought two pints of the black raspberries. I could tell there was more to them than just fruit from a roadside stand. As I headed north to Hudson, I realized that the only thing simple about this fruit was finding Montgomery Place Orchards Farm Market on 9G.

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Hudson Valley, NY

Two Ways to Dine in the Hudson Valley

2007-07-04T06:03:00.000-07:00

There is a hummingbird feeder outside my window. I put it up after a hummingbird came to the window in late May and looked inside as if to say "There used to be a feeder here". Now I can watch the different hummingbirds come to the feeder and they all seem to eat in different ways. This sparked me to think about the different ways we eat.

1. Inflight refueling (Some hummingbirds come to the feeder and never perch.)

This reminds me of the industrial eating we do while carrying on our busy schedule. These meals usually comprise cheap fast food, eaten without attention to the food or how it tastes. If the food can be handled with one hand while driving with the other, so much the better. I use the term industrial eating because production of this food comes from U.S. Government subsidized agribusiness, based largely on corn and consumption of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are used in the machinery to plant and harvest the corn, to create the liquid nitrogen used to fertilize, and herbicides to keep weeds out of the field. Some of the corn goes to the feedlot by truck where it meets a steer that also arrived by truck. Some of the corn goes to wet milling and becomes high fructose corm syrup and other byproducts used in creating a fast food meal from food science. The fast food calorie wastes most of the calories that are directly available from the corn itself before all this processing takes place. The food industry burns nearly a fifth of all the petroleum consumed in the United States. It takes between seven and ten calories of fossil fuels energy to deliver one calorie of food energy to your plate.

Think globally, eat regionally.

In our first article "Proximity to the plate", we talked about the carbon footprint of your plate, and other reasons we get our supplies from local farms. You might wonder why we emphasize bioregional food and not "Organic" food. Some bioregional food is organically grown, but not all Organic food you can buy locally is regional. Dutchess and Columbia Counties have many Organic farms and orchards which deliver fine products. "Organic" food has become an $11 Billion industry with major corporations involved. The USDA, heeding the influence of "corporate Organic", has defined what "Organic" means, that is, what is acceptable in processed food while still able to be labeled "Organic". Organic food production is still industrialized, and distributed via regular large scale shipping. The big Organic suppliers are in California, and other states in the West. Organic beef can still be readied for slaughter in massive feedlots. The largest Organic dairy is in Idaho, and milks a heard of thousands around the clock, milking each cow three times a day. "Organic" has more to do with the way the land is treated rather than the way the food is processed. While organic farmers use about a third less fossil fuels than conventional operations, they can catch up quickly if their compost is not produced onsite or nearby. Organic growers don't use petroleum derived fertilizers and pesticides, but industrial organic growing operations can use more diesel fuel than conventional farming hauling compost and cultivating fields for weeds.

2. Sit, Relax, Enjoy (Some hummingbirds sit on the perch and drink long from the feeder.)

At Swoon Kitchenbar we think we are pretty skilled at this kind of dining. This is the other side of dining that is equally important, your experience and how the plate gets from the kitchen to you. We take great care in understanding what gets into your food before it gets to us, and then to you. We want to make sure you can come to Swoon Kitchenbar to sit, relax, and enjoy.

Resource: Information for this article came from The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, published by The Penguin Press. Try your local bookstore first before ordering it online and having it shipped across the country.

Au Pied de Cochon ROAD TRIP

2007-06-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

We took a road trip to Montreal in order to eat at chef Martin Picard's temple of gluttony

We had a 6:30 reservation. By 7: the place was packed

We started with the Plateau des plateaux, a 2 tier extravaganza of goodness

The appetizer special that evening
Toast soaked in roasted meat jus, topped with morels, Parmesan & a poached egg

One of the best things I've ever eaten!

Poutine, the Canadian national comfort food of fries, gravy & cheese curd.

Picard's version with foie gravy, awesome!

Pickled venison tongues.

Rib of bison. Tender, meaty and delicious.

And the Piece de Resistance

Whole fried pig's foot stuffed with foie gras

Montreal is a fun little city, Au Pied de Cochon is a great restaurant.
Take a road trip!

Head Cheese 101

2007-06-28T18:12:00.000-07:00

Head Cheese is our favorite thing to make when we get the chance.

We brine the head w/ aromatics for 4 days

Slowly poach the head for hours on end.

Until it's all tender & delicious

After cooling we pick the meat from the bones

The poaching liquids are reduced and strained.

The picked meat and poaching liquid are chilled together in terrine molds.

Once chilled, sliced & served w/ hericot vert & fresh horseradish

Peas Glorious Peas

2007-06-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

Migliorelli Farm is one of our stops every week for a great variety of vegetables.

The're picked the morning we arrive and waiting for us in their garage.

Sugar snaps, sweet like natures candy

A quick blanch

Served cool, with Old Chatham sheep ricotta & duck cracklins.

The Making of a Pork Chop

2007-06-14T18:18:00.000-07:00

We just got a whole hog from North Wind Farm in Tivoli as we do several times a year.

Richard was just arriving back from the slaughter house when I got to the farm.

Our hog weighed 137 pounds, kind of small, but none the less delicious.

The slaughter house cuts the hog in half & I break it down the rest of the way.

The rib rack we brine in a brown sugar brine for 24 hours. These pork chops are always huge hits.

Pan Roasted Pork Chop, Horseradish Turnip Cake, Local Russian Kale

Other cuts roasted, confited, cured & smoked, coming soon.

Proximity to the plate

2007-06-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

How much do you think about your food?

Do you think about what to put on the shopping list for the store? When you pick that item up at the store, do you think about what it will taste like or where it has come from?

Our life at Swoon is closely tied to the food we prepare and serve. That was our choice when we started in this profession. Over the last few years we have broadened our view beyond just our business to the interrelatedness of all the businesses that touch us and the people that we in turn provide service to. We are a small business in Hudson, NY. We depend on the local economy and the local spirit. We believe that local, sustainable producers of artisanal quality goods are better for the dishes we prepare, and we believe that you know the difference too.

Some of the reasons for our focus on proximity to the plate are just common sense. Some reasons have a broader meaning:

If produce, fruit, vegetables, fish, or meat are produced close to us they are fresher when we prepare them.

We want to keep our business and money in the community. We hope you will do the same.

Local farms are disappearing as the small farm subsidies diminish and land values for property development increase.

The "Carbon Footprint" of your plate is a concern and should as small as possible.

We like to focus on simple preparations of local items, and the freshness comes through in the taste. Proximity is relevant, and while we try to keep the distance our food has traveled to us at a minimum, fish must come from the ocean.

We think there is a great spirit for dining in Hudson. It wouldn't be right for us to ask you to dine with us locally, and for us to then not support other local businesses. Our local counties have a good reputation for the agricultural products produced here, so whether you are dining with us or choosing food for your own kitchen, support your local farm stands and farm markets.

It wasn't too long ago that there were hundreds of farms in the area surrounding Hudson. The town started as a shipping port for farm products and other items from the Hudson Valley since Hudson was the northern most navigable port on the Hudson River at that time. Farming and Dairy are turning into large corporate business, with emphasis on production volume and reduced cost.

If your food didn't come from local sources, it had to be moved here to be available to you. More and more fossil fuels are used in the production and delivery of food in the United States. The Climate Crisis is real, and buying local is one step you can take to reduce your impact on the environment.

In the last 10 years there has been an educational awakening about food. More people are "foodies" today than ever before, and recognize the value of better quality artisanal food. This awareness is allowing a new generation of small artisinal farms to flourish in the Hudson Valley and elsewhere. We all take the extra care in producing, selecting and preparing food simply to bring out its taste. That's why we think you care about proximity to the plate.

So that's the story we want to tell in the articles and pictures in this Blog. We make weekly runs to the local farms and as the seasons progress, we want to share with you what is in season and how we use it in our kitchen. We will show you pictures from the fields, and then show you how that product is used at Swoon Kitchenbar. We will write articles like this on various topics that interest us and hopefully you too. We hope you will comment so that we can have a dialog about what we do.

Shad Roe

2007-05-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

May is shad roe season in the Hudson Valley.We went to the Possum Lodge to acquire the freshest shad roe available.Out of the water for only hours before we got it in our hands.Perfect!

2007-05-31T17:36:00.000-07:00