Traverse City Record-Eagle

Life

November 16, 2009

New book explores local cuisine

By MARTA HEPLER DRAHOS

TRAVERSE CITY -- Chefs Eric Patterson and Jennifer Blakeslee are known as much for their philosophy of cooking in the context of life and living as for the dishes they serve up at their Cooks' House restaurant.

So it's not surprising that their first cookbook is a product of Spirituality and Health Magazine, published by friend Victoria Sutherland.

In "Cooks' House: The Art and Soul of Local, Sustainable Cuisine," that philosophy comes shining through. Set for release Sunday, the book is seasoned with stories, musings, poetry and insights into a chef's life and finished with evocative photos depicting the art of food and cooking through the year, from the field to the plate.

"The book is kind of our whole cooking manifesto," said Patterson, who calls cooking his search for what is true and beautiful. "We didn't really want to do a cookbook that had just recipes. For us the recipes are the least important part of it."

Besides being encouraged to use the recipes to find their own "voice," readers are treated to everything from a history of plum pudding, to poems on drink, to a treatise on why perfect foods are better when presented unadorned than manipulated. They're also introduced to Chin Shengt' an, a 17th-century scholar who wrote 33 happy moments while trapped in a temple by harsh weather. Patterson and Blakeslee sprinkle their own 33 happy moments throughout the book.

"We spend probably 60 to 80 hours a week together, cooking in the kitchen, so a lot are things we've talked about, observations we've made," said Blakeslee, who also oversees the partners' Wellington Street Market. Other writings are taken from Patterson's blog, "From Behind the Stove," subtitled "Random Thought of an Obsessed Chef."

"He's more the eclectic-dreamer-word guy and I'm more like, here's what to pair with this," Blakeslee said. "We fuel each other's strengths and weaknesses."

Menus and recipes are organized by seasons and culled from years of traveling and cooking in places like Traverse City, Las Vegas and Mexico.

"I wanted to start with winter, because I think in life, winter is most important. Without winter you have no spring," said Patterson. "But they thought that was a little too dark."

Patterson's long career in "ultra-high-end French restaurants" is reflected in dishes like foie gras in brioche with pear compote while balanced by everything from simple stews to soups.

Almost all the ingredients are available locally, Blakeslee said, including the ginger and cilantro now being produced by hoop house farmers.

"We're so fortunate to be in this area and to have local farmers and to have seasons," she said, adding that the cookbook is a sort of thanks to the seasons and their bounty.

The book is the third for Spirituality and Health Magazine, which has offices in downtown Traverse City. Publisher Sutherland and husband Matt, founder of the Epicurean Classic, became friends with the authors after the chefs began working with the event.

"Between the two magazines I run, we see a couple hundred cookbooks a year, and we felt an opportunity existed to help food lovers and home cooks better understand the unique qualities of many of the unfamiliar heirloom varieties of fruit and vegetables now appearing in farmers markets across the country and how to translate that into incredible meals season by season," Sutherland said. "That, and Eric's blogs reminded us about understanding the spiritual component in preparing locally grown or raised foods for friends and family. Even a brief conversation with Eric and Jennifer will reveal their food knowledge and passion for cooking authentically."

A launch party for the book, which has already won praise from the likes of Zingerman's co-founder Ari Weinzweig and chef and local food champion Mario Batali, is set for Sunday from 2-5 p.m. at Wellington Street Market. It will feature music by Don Julian and a cassoulet dish from the book. Copies can be purchased at the event for $24.95 or picked up there if pre-ordered ($20 at www.spiritualityhealth.com/books).

The book also will be available at Cooks' House and at local bookstores.

This is a variation of a classic East Indian dessert that is made on special occasions.

Warm Indian Creamed Rice with Pomegranates and Pistachios

1 qt. milk

1/3 c. short grain rice

1-inch piece of whole cinnamon

1 clove

3 cardamom seeds, gently ground; don't make a powder out of it

6 T. sugar

1/2 c. pomegranate seeds

1/2 c. pistachios

2 T. orange water

Bring the milk to a boil in a 2-quart pot. Remove it from the heat, dip out a 1/2-cup of the liquid and reserve.

Give the rice a good washing in a colander and add it to the milk still in the pot. Put the milk and rice mixture back on low heat and cook, stirring, for 20 minutes. Add the cinnamon stick, clove and cardamom. Cover the pot and continue to cook on low heat for 1 hour, stirring the rice every 15 minutes.

Wait, we're not done: add the sugar and the pomegranates and cook for another hour. At this point you'll need to keep a close eye on the pot. Continue stirring every 15 minutes. If it starts to get too thick or stick to the pan, add a splash more milk from the reserve.

When that second hour is finished, remove the cinnamon stick and the clove.

Stir in the pistachios and orange water. Now, spoon the rice mixture into four bowls and let it cool down completely. We personally don't like this chilled. Give it a taste and choose what suits you.

This dish is a shining example of our cooking philosophy. There are only seven ingredients in the dish, counting the salt, but if these seven ingredients are put together correctly and with care, the soup is amazing. Not "amazing" in the sense of mind-spinning complexity, but in the totality of its simplicity. Turnip is what you will taste, and that's the whole point. The bacon is there to act as a balance, to offer some relief, much like an acid would do in a buerre blanc.

Turnip Soup with Turnip Greens and Bacon

1 lb. fine white turnips with their greens

1 onion

3/4 c. butter

1 T. salt

1 qt. milk

6 slices bacon

Olive oil

Cut the turnips and the onion into medium-sized pieces and chop in a food processor until very fine.

In a 4-quart saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter over low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the turnip/onion mixture. Stir in the salt, cover and cook slowly for about 12 minutes. Make sure you stir it every 3 minutes or so to keep from browning, which will ruin the color of the soup.

After 12 minutes, add enough milk to just cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes more.

Puree in batches in a blender. Add the rest of the butter and adjust the seasoning. Keep warm.

For the turnip greens and bacon:

Put the bacon and a small splash of olive oil in an 8-inch frying pan and turn the heat to medium. The touch of oil will get the bacon started, plus add a little extra for sauteing the greens.

While the bacon is cooking, chop the turnip green into half-inch pieces. Once the bacon has crisped nicely, add the greens and a little salt. Turn the heat up to almost high and saute the greens until they're tender.

To serve:

Divide the soup into bowls and place a good portion of the sauteed greens and bacon in the middle of each serving.

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