First and foreleast, my hard drive crashed. And man, it takes a lot of time to get your digital life back in order.

But! That was not all that happened between eggnog season and now. Incidentally, do you like eggnog? I don’t. But maybe I need to try fancy Cocktail Revival Eggnog.

So after several December trips, including a Hanukkah jaunt to Miami and a holiday party in my hometown, we made our way to Woodstock, Vermont for a week of skiing, snowshoeing, comfort food, and Bananagrams. Pretty much in that order, though the eating and Bananagrams may have superseded the snowshoes. Despite my earlier grumbling, I’m all for comfort food in the proper context. To that end, there was biscuit-topped chicken pot pie, chili and cornbread, and some very tasty pizzas topped with smoked mozzarella from Maplebrook Farm and a sprinkling of gruyere-style Ascutney Mountain from Cobb Hill. Both excellent choices for pie, though the latter is a little pricey and was only used because we were cleaning out the fridge.

Those two cheeses were part of an all-Vermont cheese tasting bonanza, which we conducted over the week. I’ll go into some detail about that in the next post.

Meanwhile, should you find yourself hungry in Woodstock, there are three excellent restaurant/cafe options:

1) The Red Rooster. The new-ish house eatery of for the Woodstock Inn opened in 2008, serving cuisine that can best be described as Vermont-modern. Or perhaps Vermont-”modern,” as it’s still pretty traditional fare. Locally sourced, very seasonal, and hearty, but full of clean, bright flavors. It replaced a fusty old restaurant that matched all your deflated expectations of hotel dining, and perhaps this is partly why I’m so amazed at how good this place is. Hightlights: Jersualem Artichoke Bisque, Maple-braised shortrib with roasted roots, “Northern” Fried Chicken, and a simple, lovely endive and watercress salad with goat cheese, apples, and quince vinaigrette. The most surprising gems are the vegetable sides, which are huge and priced at a remarkable $2.50 each. Sweet potatoes with candied pecans, fries, roasted Brussels sprouts, etc. Try the lentils. Even if you’re not a lentil person, they will turn you into one.

2) Pane e Salute Osteria and Wine Bar. So authentic, you’d think you were in Tuscany. I wish I could tell you more, but I have been unable to snag a reservation since the place moved from its casual cafe space to newer, fancier digs a couple doors down (they are open Thursday-Sunday only, and closed November and April. Hmph.). Still, by all reports, this place is excellent (“One of America’s 50 Best Wine Experiences,” according to Food + Wine). Back when it was just a bakery/cafe, the extraordinary breads and pastries made me consider moving north.

3) Alléchante. This bakery/cafe took over the old Pane e Salute space, and while I can’t say it reaches quite the heights of its predecessor (I miss the rack of Tuscan-style breads, and the quirky regional cookies), we’re talking about the difference between an A+ and a A-. It’s a great place to grab a pastry for breakfast or a ham and gruyère sandwich for lunch, and they host monthly “supper clubs” with some very impressive menus.

3. Cupcake Bakeries

Sure, cupcakes are cute, fun, and tasty. I have no problem with the product. In fact, I enjoy the occasional swing by  Kickass when I’m over in Davis Square. But we’ve reached saturation and there’s no more need for a bakery devoted solely to one product. Because guess what? Cupakes are made with sugar and butter just like every other pastry. They are not a separate class of baked good. Eating mini-cakes at a “cupcakery” doesn’t make them any more fun or virtuous than a brownie or lobster claw.

Hypocritical confession: I’m actually psyched that a new fro-yo place moved in down the street from me. I know we’re saturated there, too, but what can I say? It’s dessert without guilt.

4. Fake Locavorism

Word to the wise: When a restaurant tells you it serves “local, organic produce when possible,” or makes a big show of a single Verrill Farm tomato on the menu, be suspicious. Chances are, they’re not really walking the walk. The local/seasonal/sustainable mantra is hot stuff, but it’s a tough road to walk, much harder than just getting all your veg from a single distributor. Despite the efforts of many, New England lacks really efficient farm-to-table networks. Chefs like Tony Maws and Tim Weichmann spend a lot of time on the phone with individual growers, tracking down ingredients. Chefs already work crazy hours, and many aren’t able/willing to scout free time scouting. Others can’t afford the price differential.

So fine. Don’t do it if you can’t. But don’t try to snow us, either.

…to be continued.

1) Comfort food

Until, say, 2 years ago, I liked mac n’ cheese, short ribs, and steak frites as much as the next emotional eater. Before they achieved ubiquity, these high-fat indulgences were a lovely, naughty, occasional treat. Now they’re just your typical dinner at an average mid-price restaurant.

I’m tired of meals that seem designed to leave diners feeling sleepy and weighed down. I’m concerned that dining out is an increasingly hazardous habit. At the end of the day, adding more fat to a dish is a cheap trick, guaranteed to make food taste great at the cost of our health.

Of course, the blame doesn’t rest solely with restaurants. Customer tastes drive this train, too.

So here’s my new motto: More inspiration, less sedation! Yes, the ’00s were a very traumatic decade for everyone. Can our appetites please move on now?

2) Pork Orgies

A few months ago, I was a judge at a nose-to-tail cooking contest, in which chefs had to prepare a number of dishes from a single pig. The resulting courses were a study in expert technique and inspired creativity. And I was sick for several days afterward.

The human body is designed to digest only so much meat.

You, too, can dig into a multi-course pig-packed tasting menu at any number of local eateries. But I wouldn’t recommend it. In fact, I’d like to see the whole thing go the way of the fern bar.

I’m all for nose-to-tail eating. If you’re going to eat meat, you have a moral obligation to eschew waste and consume as many parts of the animal as possible. Why raise and kill three pigs when one would suffice? Not only are cheeks, bellies, tail, and ears edible, they’re downright tasty.

But the nose-to-tail ethos shouldn’t be an excuse to kill as many animals as possible in an atavistic fit of machismo. How about a return to the concept of a fair share?

What I’d really love to see in the ’10s? All that same effort skill and creativity applied to the humble veggie, which you can eat to your heart’s content.

More tomorrow…

Fishing tournaments were, and remain, the major draw of the Derby. But for us, the pinnacle of the whole to-do was the crowning of the Shad Derby Queen. Watching the Court roll by on a flatbed float—it was the parade that launched a thousand dreams. By the time I was old enough to enter, I had decided that the whole thing was an offense to womankind, but now I’m sure I’d enjoy the spectacle.

I digress. Unless you like tasty, bony fish, Windsor has fairly modest food options. There are a couple of diners, an independent donut shop, a cafe, a surprisingly solid Indian restaurant. And now, to my parents’ delight, there’s a pizza place that might well be worth a special trip.

The Tunxis Grill looks the kind of American “Bar and Grill” you see everywhere these days, with lots of exposed brick, a few too many flat-screen TVs, and black-painted woodwork—the ’00s equivalent of the fern bar. But it has a lively, neighborhood-y vibe, friendly service, and, most importantly, really fine pies with good sauce, crispy-chewy crust, and fresh toppings. Our sausage/onion/olive combo hit all the right notes of smoke and tang. I can’t say they rank on the same level as New Haven’s finest, but they did remind us of Santarpio’s here in East Boston. And that’s saying something.

This sauce is incredibly easy to make—just pay close attention to the timing, so you don’t over-steep the tea.

Sorry it has taken so long to write back but I have been inundated with emails recently as I have been seeking employees for the new restaurant.  I unfortunately cannot give an exact date due to the unpredictability of restaurant openings, but I would like to open either in mid-December before the holidays or wait until just after the new year.  Thank you very much for taking interest in the opening of my restaurant, I am very excited about this project.

I can’t wait…

Catching up on reading, and noticing some seriously late-to-the-game food reporting lately. You?

——Original Message——
From:     Jolyon Helterman
Subject:     Breaking News!
Date:     November 19, 2009 1:14:55 AM EST
To:     Amy Traverso

Scan-It-Yourself: Local Grocery Stores Let Customers Play Cashier!

——Original Message——
From:     Amy Traverso
Subject:    Re: Breaking News!
Date:     November 19, 2009 1:55:36 AM EST
To:     Jolyon Helterman

Pesto: The Next “It” Ingredient!

——Original Message——
From:     Jolyon Helterman
Subject:     Small Plates Go Bigtime
Date:     November 19, 2009 2:14:41 AM EST
To: Amy Traverso

Once upon a time, fickle diners had to content themselves with choosing from amongst a handful of appetizer or starters from the top of the menu. No longer. Local chefs are giving graze-o-philes a  boon with menus full of small plates, or “tapas.”

——Original Message——
From: Amy Traverso
To: Jolyon Helterman
Subject: Re: Small Plates Go Bigtime
Sent: Nov 19, 2009 2:23 AM

Crazy for Cocktails!

Forget the Island Oasis margarita slushies you’ve been drinking up ‘til now: Today’s bartenders are turning out retro elixirs using quality spirits and the freshest mixers. One sip of these sidecars and Cosmos and you’ll be saying, “You’re so money and you don’t even know it!”

IMG_4597

Originally uploaded by Amy Traverso

Active time: 30 minutes; Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes: 8 to 10 servings

For the dough:
2 1/3 cups (330 g) flour
3/4 cup (225 g) sugar
4 teaspoons (40 g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (4 g) table salt
15 tablespoons (213 g) butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs (about 55 g each), at room temperature

For the filling:
1 lb. (454 g, about 2) firm-sweet apples (such as Golden Delicious or Jazz)
2 tablespoons (30 g) sugar
1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
2 tablespoons (30 ml) apricot jam
Garnish: 2 tbsp (4 g) sliced almonds mixed with 1 teaspoon (5 g) sugar and 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350º, and position rack in center of oven. Butter and flour a 9- or 10-inch Springform-style pan with removable sides.

2. To make dough, sift dry ingredients into the bowl of a standing mixer (or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer). Add butter and mix at medium-high speed for 30 seconds. Add eggs and mix until ingredients form a ball, another 30 seconds (dough will be very soft). Using a spatula, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into two equal pieces, wrap each in plastic wrap, and chill 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, peel, core, and slice apples into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar and lemon juice over apples and stir. Set aside 10 minutes.

3. Press one ball of dough into prepared pan so that it covers the bottom. Cover with sliced apples. Top all over with small dabs of jam. Divide the remaining ball of dough into 10 equal-sized balls and distribute evenly in top of apples (the dough will rise up around filling as it bakes). Sprinkle with almond garnish. Bake until dough is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Remove to cooling rack and let cool 10 minutes, then remove sides of pan and serve.

Also, lesson: Don’t get soapstone counters if you’re not prepared to oil them semiweekly.