The latest from Twitter: @Peace_Coffee plays cupid with “Caffeinate Your Cutie,” @triplerockmpls is serving @surlybrewing Mild at $3.50 a pint, @bittercube celebrates the long-anticipated opening of Eat Street Social, and @Masu_NE will feature a suggestive little Valentine’s Day roll through Tuesday.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table / File
Do you prefer your wedge of cheese to be semi-hard or soft ripened? Mild or sharp? These and several more, all of them made locally by artisanal cheese makers, will be available for tasting at Ferndale Market, Cannon Falls, MN on Saturday, February 18 from 11 to 2 during Local, Artisan Cheese Day.
“We are so lucky to have a diverse mix of award-winning cheeses made right in our region,” said John Peterson, Ferndale Market’s General Manager. “One of the real joys of local food is having the chance to meet the producers behind these great products, and that’s what this day is all about.”
The cheeses to be sampled at this free event include Amablu Gorgonzola , St. Pete’s Select Blue, and Fini Cheddar, all aged in Faribault Dairy Company’s historic caves (below). LaClare Farms’ Evalon aged goat cheese (top) from Chilton, WI, bears a hint of asiago flavor, according to some tasters. The popular Juusto baked cheeses from Cashton, WI, bring back memories of old-style Scandinavian specialties to some of Ferndale Market’s regulars. The cheese makers themselves will offer up tastes from 11-2 and then, at noon, a few remarks and a Q & A session. They are Katie Hedric of LaClare Farms, Jeanne Kenevan from Faribault Dairy, and Bentley Lein, Pasture Pride Cheese, making them a sort of three-way summit of local cheese experts.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table / File
Widmer’s aged cheddar and traditional Wisconsin brick will be sampled by Ferndale staff, as well as the Bent River Camembert using milk sourced from Cedar Summit Dairy in New Prague. In addition to the sampling, Ferndale Market has promised to have a little fun with a cheese trivia contest that day, and a few lucky winners will take home (what else?) local cheese!
If you’re making the short drive to Cannon Falls on February 18th for Ferndale’s Local, Artisan Cheese Day, be sure to leave time for a stop at Cannon River Winery’s annual Artist Gallery that happens to be the same day. There’s nothing like a quick road trip of cheese, wine, and art to brighten the winter blues!
WHAT: Local, Artisan Cheese Day at Ferndale Market
WHERE:
Ferndale Market
31659 County 24 Blvd
Cannon Falls, MN 55009
One block west of 52 in Cannon Falls. If coming from the metro, take a right at the first set of stoplights.
WHEN: Saturday, February 18, 11am – 2pm
by sponsored on February 7, 2012
Debra Fisher Goldstein / St. Louis Park Patch
That’s right, Nordic Ware, Minnesota maker of the iconic Bundt® pan, offers classes in its beautiful Factory Store kitchen in St. Louis Park. The two-hour, Tuesday evening demonstration classes are $25.00 per person plus tax and include tastings, take-home recipes, and store discount the night of the class. In the classes, local chefs, cookbook authors, bloggers, and experienced cooking instructors teach cooking and baking techniques and sample delicious recipes.
Debra Fisher Goldstein / St. Louis Park Patch
There are great classes coming up this spring. A list can be found on the Nordic Ware website at happenings /class-schedule, and new classes are being added all the time. While you’re on the website, don’t forget to sign up to receive Nordic Ware Factory Store emails about classes and Factory Store sales.
The Nordic Ware Factory Store is also a great place for private classes. You can create your own class with a special theme or have the chef surprise you. Bring your book group, plan a bridal shower, have a company event, or just a girls’ or guys’ night out enjoying great food and learning cooking techniques from an experienced chef instructor in the intimate setting of the Nordic Ware Factory Store. Private classes range from $25.00 to $50.00 per person, not including tax, and pricing is set depending upon the selected menu and length of class.
Debra Fisher Goldstein / St. Louis Park Patch
Need to do a little shopping? Information on upcoming classes is also available at the Factory Store which is located adjacent to Nordic Ware’s St. Louis Park corporate headquarters and factory at 4925 Highway 7 in St. Louis Park (at the intersection of Highways 100 and 7). The store is frequented by home cooks, chefs, and restaurant owners and features first quality cookware and bakeware, microwave and barbeque products, and kitchen tools and accessories. as well as factory close-outs and irregulars.
Nordic Ware is a well-known name here in Minnesota and around the world. This family-owned, American manufacturer of kitchenware products was founded in 1946 and just celebrated its 65th anniversary. Today, two out of three American households own and use Nordic Ware products. The Nordic Ware website offers a complete line of products and feature recipes that focus on current food trends using Nordic Ware’s products.
by sponsored on January 24, 2012
Sewell Photography
IN(DY)SPIRE, the Independent Wedding Fair, is giving Heavy Table readers and others the opportunity to win a $1000 Miniature Dessert Table from Cocoa & Fig — the perfect indulgence to share with your guests on the big day. (Some restrictions apply — see below.)
To enter, go to IN(DY)SPIRE’s website and leave a comment on their contest post — one random commenter will be chosen to win on Feb. 6, 2012.
About the fair: IN(DY)SPIRE takes place Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Hotel Ivy in Minneapolis from 11am-3pm. It features photographers, caterers, florists, and other local, creative wedding vendors in a casual, no-pressure setting that features samples, demonstrations, and a variety of workshops. For tickets or more information, visit independentwedding.com.
About our prize: This custom designed dessert table will serve 100 guests and feature your choice of various miniature desserts from Cocoa & Fig’s diverse menu, including cake lollipops, French macarons, mini cupcakes, layered desserts shooters, and more. A custom table spread will be designed to fit the theme, look, and vibe of your wedding and includes Cocoa & Fig’s distinct styling, cake stand and platter rental, custom signage, day-of delivery and set-up, and next day retrieval. The winner will also receive a free tasting consultation and planning meeting with the owner of Cocoa & Fig.
*Events outside the Twin Cities metro will incur additional delivery fees.
*Must be used in 2012 — some date restrictions apply.
*No cash value.
To enter: Post a comment here! We’d love to hear your favorite wedding food recommendations.
Sewell Photography
by sponsored on December 1, 2011
Lucia Watson inside of Lucia's Restaurant / John Seymour-Anderson
This article was sponsored by Shepherd Song Farm and written by John Seymour-Anderson.
I arrived at Lucia’s Restaurant around 9:30 on a sunny late October morning. What awaited me was Lucia Watson’s patient (I brought my camera), real-time, side-by-side preparation of Braised Lamb Shanks with Roasted Root Vegetables and Pizza with Lamb Sausage, Feta, Tomato, and Herbs.
The pizza was the visual definition of the word “robust.” The lamb sausage — ground lamb seasoned in the pan — was heaped atop a handmade crust that had already been drizzled with olive oil and covered with a brilliant wheel of sliced red and gold local tomatoes. It was topped with crumbled feta cheese and sliced kalamata olives.
Lucia's Pizza with Lamb Sausage, Feta, Tomato, and Herbs — from start to finish (photos by John Seymour-Anderson)
Once out of the oven, Watson (pictured, top) sprinkled it with chopped fresh parsley and mint. The flavor was rich, multifaceted and delicate. “Delicate” was not exactly what it looked like, but I happily savored the incongruity! On the lamb shanks, the meat achieved the silky texture — and the broth from the braise acquired the glossiness — that Watson prizes in lamb, particularly the shipments that regularly make their way to the restaurant’s kitchen from Shepherd Song Farm. Both were suffused with subtle flavor.
Our entire interview and both recipes appear on the Shepherd Song Farm website. Click the link (bottom of this page) for the interview — from her recollections of her mother’s kitchen to musings about the versatility of lamb chops and her long-time appreciation for the partnership of local farmers. Over the past 26 years, Watson has succeeded in blending together those and other sensibilities and gifts to create a Midwestern dining destination, one that brings together local, sustainably raised ingredients and inspired classic cooking.
Lucia's Braised Lamb Shanks with Roasted Root Vegetables — from start to finish (photos by John Seymour-Anderson)
JOHN SEYMOUR-ANDERSON: And how about the first lamb that you remember cooking? Was that at home?
LUCIA WATSON: It was actually, it was home when I was little. I cooked a lot when I was little, and I really wanted to make lamb shanks, oddly. So my Mom went and bought them, and we made them, and I just loved them. I’ve always loved them.
JS: Can you think of a preparation of lamb that you’ve experienced or know about that is about as unique as you can imagine— unusual?
LW: I think some of the things that Indian cooking does with lamb are pretty unique, like putting it into certain doughs, like fried breads or things like that. They are pretty interesting and delicious. And then serving those with like a yogurt cilantro dip or something like that.
JS: It sounds like the consistency of the meat and the portions and the cutting is good, then?
LORI [Lucia’s staff person in charge of purchasing]: Shepherd Song is always able to provide whatever we want, or some fantastic alternative — when we need it, you know. And then, I think there is the consistency, like you said, which is really important. When we get chops, we know that every chop is going to be exactly what we need.
For more of our wide-ranging, illuminating conversation, read the whole interview.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
This post is sponsored by Hennepin County Library.
Hennepin County Library is pleased to work in partnership with the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture to present Talk & Taste, a series of free talks and food tastings about sustainable agriculture. This is your chance to meet and learn from local food activists, including farmers, restaurateurs, university students, and professors.
All programs include a presentation followed by a food tasting (3:45pm) featuring restaurants that source local ingredients, which is followed by another discussion / presentation at 4:15pm. See you there!
Talk & Taste: Sustainable Agriculture and Farmstays
Ridgedale Library
Saturday, Dec. 3, 3–5pm
Learn about raising animals humanely as well as unique vacation experiences at farms. Presenters: Wayne Martin, U of M Extension Program; Brett Olson, Renewing the Countryside. This event features Jim Grell from Modern Cafe.
Crystal Liepa / Heavy Table
Talk & Taste: Urban Gardens
Minneapolis Central Library
Pohlad Hall
Sunday, Dec. 4, 3–5pm
Learn about the benefits of starting urban vegetable gardens and precautions that should be taken. Presenters: U of M Master Gardener Karin Ciano; Courtney Tehide, U of M student. This event also features Pastry Chef Christian Aldrich from HauteDish.
Talk & Taste: Farm to School Programs and Eating Local
Southdale Library
Saturday, Dec. 10, 3–5 pm
Learn about the wisdom of buying and eating local at home and in our schools. Presenters: Annalisa Hultberg, College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences and Jane Jewett from the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture. This event features Golden’s Deli, friend of the St. Paul Farmers Market.
Becca Dilley Photography
This story is sponsored by Fuji Ya.
Recently, a 754-pound Bluefin tuna sold at auction in Japan for almost $400,000. Would you pay that much for a fish? What if you knew it was in danger of vanishing forever?
For Tom and Carol Hanson, no amount of money is worth contributing to the possible extinction of a species. That’s why their restaurant, Fuji Ya, recently announced that they’ve eliminated Bluefin tuna from their menu.
It was no small decision. Sushi lovers are willing to pay serious cash to wrap their taste buds around Bluefin. It’s one of the most sought after fish for its buttery texture and rich taste (a result of the fish’s fattier diet).
But the explosion in popularity of sushi across the world in the last ten years has led to an even bigger explosion in demand for Bluefin. And now these coveted fish are disappearing from the oceans in alarming numbers.
Becca Dilley Photography
Why are they disappearing? Mr. Hanson says overfishing and bad fishing practices are contributing factors. Limits on Bluefin fishing have failed to stem the tide of Bluefin loss and Bluefin farms off the coasts of several countries may be aggravating the issue. The practice, known as tuna “ranching” often involves catching fish while they’re young, keeping them in ocean pens, and feeding them until they reach a more salable size. The issue is that these fish aren’t reaching a mature enough age to reproduce. And breeding Bluefin in captivity has proven to be a nearly futile task.
Top sushi restaurants around the country, such as Fuji Ya, are leading the way on the issue. Even if it means losing customers in the short term. The Fuji-Ya owners realize that’s a possibility. But they’re hopeful that as more people become aware of the problem, they’ll make more informed choices about the variety of sushi they’ll eat (and where they’ll go to get it).
Becca Dilley Photography
Can the Bluefin be saved? Mr. Hanson is optimistic that sustainable Bluefin is around the corner, pointing to a university in Japan that has recently made a breakthrough in breeding the fish. But until then, Fuji Ya will point patrons to other equally tasty and sustainable sushi alternatives.
Excellent Bluefin Alternatives at Fuji Ya: Mr. Hanson says Ahi and Bigeye tuna are both excellent, sustainable sushi options on the menu at Fuji Ya. For people who prefer an even richer, oily texture, the Albacore toro or Bigeye toro may also be good alternatives.
Fuji Ya
Web: www.fujiyasushi.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fujiyasushi
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Fuji_Ya
Minneapolis:
600 West Lake St
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612.871.4055
Saint Paul:
465 Wabasha St (7th & Wabasha)
Saint Paul, MN 55102
651.310.0111
Becca Dilley Photography
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