Because this dough is stretched by hand, and has a tendency to keep stretching, the bakers at Le Petit Outre, in Missoula Montana, tie this Rosemary Potato Bread up with a string before baking. So cute! When it emerges from the oven it's perfumey, Rosemary-fragrant, and salty delicious.
I'm going to tie everything up with string, that I bake, from now on. What a great idea.
Check out Le Petit Outre here.
(Photo: Dimity Jones) Artwork and props: Heather Chontos
When we got to the ranch, Ed told us he had found a blood trail. That was a problem. That meant that there were possible poachers on the ranch.
The Jacobson Ender ranch in Montana is 'Predator-Friendly'. That's a term I've never heard of. It means the ranch recognizes the crucial role wildlife predators (Wolf's, Coyote's, Bears, etc) play in the delicate ecosystem and so use humane practices to keep their livestock safe, but also the sorounding wildlife as well.
Hunting on the ranch is only allowed for sustenance, and if the Deer and Elk population are low, there will be no hunting. Protecting the animals and the habitat is the most impotant priority and the family only eats hormone-free, sustainable meat. (Bre won't order a steak in a restaurant unless it's grass-fed, local, but also, importantly— from a certified predator-friendly ranch).
When an animal is killed, the whole beast is used. There is no waste. When harvesting they either do it themselves—or have a local butcher do it. The butcher can make up steaks, ground meet, sausage, or even jerky. The sausage (above) is from a recently killed Deer that was converted to 'Summer Sausage'. (Summer sausage is a sausage that exists without refrigeration, and uses leftover scrap and organ meat that would otherwise be wasted). This particular sausage has cheese and Jalapeño in it. It's taste is reminsce of Salami, and it's great with German Mustard, Cheddar and pickles. (We had ours with Cherry Chutney).
As we were leaving, Bre and her dad were putting up the cameras to observe all the animals on the ranch. It's their version of "hunting". That way they can monitor and protect their livestock and their local wildlife. So far they have seen grizzly and Black bears, Mountain lions, Wolves, Elk and Deer.
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To learn more about 'Predator-friendly' click here.
Big thank you to Bre and Ed Ender for allowing me to come out to their beautiful ranch and learn about their practices.
(Pics: Dimity Jones)
Soft snow falling from tall towering peaks, low hanging grey clouds, swirling. White dashed roads, like morse code, snaking up and over. I'd never been to Montana, and yet here I was; Three plane trips and a three hour car ride later I was in Missoula, Montana at the front door of prop stylist, painter, and illustrator Heather Chontos, with a felt, draw-string bag that contained two cameras, flannel pj's and an oyster shucker.
By the age of 21 Heather was illustrating for Issey Miyaki, Spoon, Jalouse magazine, and had three major painting shows under her belt. Originally schooled in England at the University College, London, she now has regular gigs at Williams and Sonoma, Anthropologie and Rachael Ray, and in the past, was a regular contributor to the now defunct Gourmet magazine. (RIP)
Thanksgiving day started with a leisurely hike up a nearby mountain, to spot deer with Heather, her two daughters and their dog (Marvin). Then we sat down and sketched out our plan for the day. Here's what we decided:
THANKSGIVING MENU, MISSOULA MONTANA, 2011 Baked Feta in Phyllo dough with Slow Roasted Tomatoes in Garlic Homemade baked bread inspired by Jim Lahey Brined Turkey Crispy Brussels Sprouts in Bacon, Pecans, and Blue Cheese Stuffed Pumpkin with Parsnips and Carrots Andouille Sausage Stuffing Garlic Cream-infused Mashed Potatoes Kody's Homemade Plum, Yuzu and Cinnamon Ice-cream Rhea's Apple Pie Pumpkin Creme Brulée and Pecan Pie.
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RECIPES:
ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE STUFFING: Since I got in very late the night before Thanksgiving, the local Seafood place had only 6 oysters to offer us, not enough to make my traditional Oyster stuffing! So we decided a better idea would be to break with tradition and opt instead for a simple bread stuffing, using local Montana Andouille sausage. Which was more appropriate, quick to make, and delicious.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sauté in about 1 tablespoon of Unsalted Butter, 1 finely diced medium White Onion, a half a cup of finely diced Celery. When Onion is translucent, add 2 cloves of finely minced Garlic. Add about 1.8lbs of Andouille Sausage that has been removed from it's casing. Smash down with the back of a wooden spoon to evenly distribute. Season to taste with Salt and Pepper. (Mixture should taste a bit too salty, as once the bread is added this will lessen.) When mixture is just cooked through, move to a buttered baking dish. Add one entire packet of Arrowhead Mills Organic Savory Herb Stuffing Mix, and mix through. Then add 4 cups of Chicken or Turkey stock. Stuffing should be wet through, but not soupy. Make sure each nugget of bread is covered with liquid. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Check after 20 minutes.
RHEA'S APPLE PIE: Rhea Dahlberg, who was raised in Montana, bought her homemade Apple Pie for us all to eat, a recipe from her mother.
This is enough for 1 crust: You'll need to make 2 for the pie. Blend together 2 and a half cups of Flour, 1 tablespoon Sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon Salt. Then add 1 cold stick of Butter and half a cup of Shortening (also cold). Work with a fork or pulse in a food processor until dough looks crumbly. Slowly add 1/4 cup of ice cold water. Work until dough comes together. Dump onto a floured surface and form a disk. Chill for 20 minutes and then roll out on a floured surface. For the filling: Peel 10 Apples and slice them thin, squeeze half a Lemon over the apples to prevent browning. In a saucepan combine: half a cup of Brown Sugar, half a stick of Butter, 2 teaspoons of ground Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of ground Ginger. Stir until melted together. Mix into apples. Put first pastry into pie dish. Pour apple mixture in. Put second pie crust on top. Make two slits into the top crust. Bake for 45- to 1 hour at 325 degrees.
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Photographs from top: Baked Feta in Phyllo dough with Slow Roasted Tomatoes in Garlic, Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread, a bowl of chocolate covered almonds and my 'o' polaroid, Rhea's Apple Pie, Stuffed Pumpkin with Parsnips and Carrots, Crispy Brussels Sprouts in Bacon, Pecans, and Blue Cheese, the chalkboard Menu, view from the outside: it's cozy inside.
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All props, plates, linens and other fine tableware seen in these shots are available at: Milk Farm Road
Click here to see Heather's website, which also includes her blog.
(Photographs: Dimity Jones)
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I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who subscribes to, follows or reads my blog. (Especially some of the early subscribers, who've hung in there, no matter what!) I really appreciate your support. Thank you! —d x