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North Pond Newsletter
December - January 2006
Tips from the Green Market
The Season Winds Down...

This is it. The end of the Green City Market for the year. Shuttering up 'til late May. Packing it in.

Fear not! There are still some great local products at the market until the boards go up. Consider leeks, celery root, parsnip, carrots and exceptional winter spinach. The cold of the coming months provides great reason to snuggle in with a comforting braised meat or vegetable dish. The wonderfully mellow, earthy flavor of celeriac (or celery root) provides a great foil for apple and seasonal game, while parsnips and carrots work miracles together, especially when roasted. Snug Haven (see Farm of the Month) provides unparalleled sweet hearty spinach, where the sugar and flavor in the stem(!) often surpass that in the leaf. If you haven’t yet tried this stuff, you really must.
Tips from the Fish and Meat Market
Dive Into Scallops!

As the frigid Midwest temperatures sweeten the stems of our winter hoophouse spinach, so too, do the chilly waters in the Northeast sweeten up scallops, making them a perfect option for the next few months.

Luscious, rich large sea scallops can be cooked in so many different manners -and still turn out remarkable. Another really special treat this time of year are the unique and succulent Nantucket Bay scallops, only available for a very limited time. Here at North Pond, we're smoking the large sea scallops and serving them as part of an assorted chilled seafood platter, and we're ever-so-briefly caramelizing the Nantucket Bay scallops over parsnip-creamed spinach and finishing the dish with an orange emulsion.

A very important concern for purchasing scallops, however, is the method by which they're harvested. Most often, scallops are dredged off the seafloor, destroying critical habitat and large amounts of unintended marine bycatch. The scallops used here at the restaurant are sold as "hand-harvested", meaning they are individually plucked from their habitat without residual damage to their neighborhood. Rope-cultured and suspended scallops are another responsible choice, as they have minimal environmental impact.

For more on scallops, click here
News from North Pond

Green City Market Cooking Demonstration
Wednesday, December 20
This month, I get a second chance at a demonstration at the market. The scheduled October date was rained/deluged out. This time, it’s planned indoors at the Nature Museum, so chances are good it will actually happen! Please come by to catch the theatrics of this year’s last market demo -- and maybe even pick up a helpful tip or two.

Exceptional North Pond Opening
As in the past holiday seasons, North Pond will be open for dinner service on the Monday prior to Christmas, December 18th. We will be closed both December 24th and 25th, then remain open through the end of the year, culminating with our special New Year’s Eve meal on Sunday the 31st. That evening we will be offering an extra special 6.5-course meal to celebrate the coming of another year. Dinner will be $110 per person, exclusive of beverages, tax and tip; reservations are available by calling the restaurant at 773.477.5845.

Annual North Pond Closing
We will briefly close for hibernation and cleaning the first two weeks of January, but will reopen revitalized and refreshed on Thursday, January 18th for the restaurant’s ninth year of service. Happy 2007!

Green City Market Winter Calendar
North Pond Charity of the Month
Lakeview Pantry 773.525.7718

Lakeview Pantry is a non-profit organization with the mission of eliminating hunger in the community by providing food to those in need, working to increase the independence of clients through self-help initiatives and other innovative programs, and raising awareness of poverty and its solutions.

Lakeview Pantry provides on-site food distribution, as well as delivery service for the homebound. The organization also distributes free clothing and maintains a case management program in order to help clients connect with other services they may need. The organization serves people of every race, religion, age and background.

By serving the poorest sector of our community, Lakeview Pantry strives to increase the independence of the neediest.

Lakeview Pantry
Recipe of the Month
Vanilla Wafers, Hazelnut Mousse

Serves eight; prep time 45 mins, plus baking and cooling times

Ingredients

  • 3/4 stick butter, softened (3 oz.)
  • 1.5 c. confectioner's sugar
  • 4 egg whites
  • 3/4 c. flour
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 c. vanilla sauce or melted ice cream, warm
  • 1/3 c. praline paste (hazelnut or almond paste, or sub Nutella)
  • 1 gelatin powder envelope (7g)
  • 1/2 c. whipping cream

  • 1 orange (Temple or any juice orange)
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 clove
  • 1 cinnamon stick, broken


  • 1/2 c. hot fudge sauce (available at finer foodstores)
Preparation:
For the wafers
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cream the softened butter and the confectioner's sugar; add in egg whites and vanilla; cream again.

Sift the flour and incorporate it into the egg mixture to form a homogenous mix.

On a well-greased cookie sheet, place small dollops of batter and flatten with the back of a spoon into thin even rounds of 2-3 inches in diameter. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the cookies turn golden brown around the edges, about 2-3 minutes. Remove immediately and cool before removing and reserving them.

For the mousse
Dissolve the gelatin in the still-warm crème anglaise. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps and pour it over the praline paste or nutella. Whisk well to remove any lumps.

Let the mixture cool to tepid; whip the cream to medium firm peaks.

Whisk roughly one-third of the whipped cream into the base mixture to incorporate it fully and then carefully fold in the remaining two- thirds with a rubber spatula, being careful not to over-mix. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for at least one hour to “set”.

For the orange sauce
Wash and dry the orange. Stick the orange 8-10 times with a toothpick or trussing needle, piercing the skin but not the flesh. Place the fruit in a pot just large enough to hold it and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer the fruit, submerged, for 45 minutes. Then, drain the liquid out of the pot and refresh the fruit in cold water. Drain again.

Cut the fruit into wheels 1/8” thick, removing whatever seeds you may find. Place the wheels in a clean pot, in layers, sprinkling some sugar on top of each layer as you stack. Add a bit of water to just cover the oranges. Bring to boil again and place on a very low simmer for an additional 45 minutes. Add in the cinnamon and cloves and simmer for another 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat after this time and carefully pick out all of the spices. Place the fruit in a blender, carefully puree completely and then pass through a fine mesh strainer. Add water and sugar to achieve the consistency and flavor desired. Chill and reserve for later use.

For service
Place a single wafer in the middle of a plate. With an ice cream scoop or large tablespoon, scoop a serving of the mousse on top of the wafer. Place a second wafer on top of the mousse. Now spoon some of the orange sauce around the perimeter of the plate. Drizzle the chocolate sauce atop the cookie "lid". Serve, perhaps garnished with a mint sprig.
Farm of the Month
Snug Haven Farm, Belleville WI

Snug Haven Farm, owned and operated by Judy Hageman and Bill Warner, is located in south central WI on property that has been in Judy's family for over 100 years. They have transitioned from the original dairy operation to one utilizing intensive low- tech organic farming and work as a family together with daughters Danielle and Hannah.

In 1989 Bill put up his first hoophouse; today, the farm has grown to nine hoophouses, occupying just under one acre. The idea of utilizing hoophouses for extended and early season crops evolved from the area's shortened traditional growing schedule. Snug Haven's best known product, spinach, is sown in early September and harvested weekly from November through April. Heat is used only to warm up the air to allow for cutting; the seasonal freezing and thawing conditions increase the natural sugar content of the plants, causing the vegetable to develop a highly unusual sweetness. Judy and Bill also use the hoophouses to grow early- season tomatoes, radishes and cut flowers.

In addition to selling directly to Chicago restaurants, Judy and Bill sell at the Green City Winter farmers' market where you can find Spinach Saturdays through the end of December. Also, they have started a "Spinach CSA" to Chicago, providing spinach mailed to your door through mid-April. More info is available by emailing spinach@snughavenfarm.com.

Bruce Sherman
North Pond -- Chefs Collaborative -- Green City Market
North Pond phone number: 773-477-5845