In the midst of a long winter it’s very tempting to casually abandon our Beekman 1802 Creed to live each season to its fullest.   But without the pale pallete of winter, we could not, would not, should not lust for the colors of Spring.

I decided to look for a few lines of poetry to reaffirm that there’s beauty and inspiration to be found even when blinded by the white.

Dust of Snow by Robert Frost

The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

Frost by Valerie Bloom

Overnight, a giant spilt icing sugar on the ground,

He spilt it in the hedgerows, and the trees without a sound,

He made a wedding-cake of the haystack in the field,

He dredged the countryside and the grass was all concealed,

He sprinkled sugar on the roofs, in patches not too neat,

And in the morning when we woke, the world around was sweet.

Spring Mischief by Michael Whaling

Underground splashing, a steady hollow gurgle under glassy bubble ice and this winter’s snow

Uneven at first, and then the steady rhythm of the search for downhill water always takes the easy way

Especially when no one is watching

A wet glimpse as it flashes in the sunlight, winding under the rocks and edge of a roadside ditch or cut in the woods near you

Times may vary depending on lots of things

Feel free to share your favorite winter poem.  Help us make it through the next month!

The goats have their own special flair with holiday decorating…

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Since arriving at Beekman Farm, we’ve found that many of the rural aphorisms are true.

Life IS like a bowl of cherries.

You DO have to make hay while the sun shines.

And one rotten apple CAN spoil the whole bunch.

We try to be very careful at the end of each autumn when we put the remnant of the apple harvest into the root cellar. We like to have apples from the farm to eat throughout the winter.  But even at our most diligent, by the closing weeks of the season, the apples at the bottom of the barrel are starting to feel a little soft.

This simple apple dumpling recipe will please everyone.  Note:  we make this recipe only once each year.  Even on the farm we know that bathing suit season is just around the corner.

The other thing we love about this recipe is that you can use your own creativity to make it your own.    Use as your “stuffing” anything you have in your cabinet.  The ingredient list below is what we tend to use.

Apple Dumplings

Ingredients

Apple varieties of your choice, peeled

FOR CRUST

2 C flour
2 sticks of unsalted butter (plus 1/3 stick for filling)
Fistful of sugar
Dash of salt
up to 2/3 cup of milk, over ice

for our easy-as-pie crust preparation, check here

FOR FILLING (we suggest)

Walnuts, Pecans, Cinnamon, Brown Sugar, Unsalted Butter, Caramel Candy Cubes, Golden Raisins, Dark Raisins, Dried Cranberries

Instructions

1. Prepare your crust, cut into squares or circles that are about 10 inches in diameter or 10 inches on the diagonal and place in the refrigerator and allow to chill until you are ready to use them in step 3

2.  Using an apple corer, cut out the center of the apple.

3.  Butter the bottoms and sides of a deep baking dish.  Working one dumpling at a time,  place your pre-cut dough in the dish.  In the center of the dough, place your apple.  Fill the center of the apple with butter, caramel and your other ingredients of choice.  We also throw a few extra nuts and raisins on the outside of the apple at the base

4.  Bring all of the edges of the dough up to the center top of the apple and twist and pat to close completely

5.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar

6.  Continue until desired number of dumplings are made

7.  Place into oven at 450 degrees and bake until crust is golden brown (about 45 minutes)

Now, how about them apples?

By the time late August comes around, we’re usually growing tired of picking green beans from the garden. So we let whatever varieties are still growing “go to seed.” The pods swell, and then, as autumn descends, they brown and dry. We grow some variety of beans specifically for drying as well, but we’ve learned that most any sort of bean will dry nicely and can be used in recipes all winter.

To shell a large amount of dried beans quickly, we simply put all of the dried pods into a burlap bag. We usually wait until December to do this, since we want the pods to be as dry and crackly as possible. Then we whack the entire bag and its contents repeatedly against the frozen ground. Don’t hold back – it’s impossible to hurt dried beans. Sometimes we even stomp on the bag to break up the most stubborn pods. Once the beans have separated from the pods, they fall to the bottom of the bag. The pieces of dried pods are like chaff at the top. Do this on a windy day and you can pour the bag’s entire contents onto a sheet or towel from shoulder height – the pod chaff blows away and the heavier beans fall directly onto the towel to be gathered. Any remaining bits of pod will float to the top of a bowl of water when soaking the beans for a recipe.

Here’s our simpliest, favorite bean soup for cold weather. (Use any variety, or mixed varieties, of beans. We’re always amazed at the different tastes, textures, and colors possible from our dried beans.)

Dried Bean Soup with Rosemary:

Ingredients

1 lb dried beans – any variety
4 onions, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 T cup olive oil
3 T lard
2 branches of rosemary, or 1 T dried rosemary
2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
salt & pepper to taste.

garnish:
zest of one lemon
chopped parsley
truffle oil

Soak beans overnight in medium bowl of water.  In soup pot, heat olive oil and lard, then saute onions and garlic over medium-low heat until soft. Add remaining soup ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour until beans are soft. Using hand blender, briefly blend soup in pot (do not puree – some beans should remain whole.)  Chopped parsley and lemon zest added as garnish to bowl adds bright top notes to the very earthy beans. A drizzle of truffle oil (optional) lends an added depth.

Is is possible to improve on something as perfect as a cup of hot chocolate?  We think so.  Take a trip around the world in a cup of hot chocolate with these recipes inspired by the flavors of the places we’ve been

The American

Is there a more classically American taste than that of a S’more?  Try putting all of that gooey goodness into a mug.  It’s far less messy

Ingredients

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60%) chips

3/4 cup white sugar

1 pinch salt

1/3 cup boiling water

3 1/2 cups milk

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup half-and-half cream

marshmallow cream (recipe below)

graham crackers

Instructions

1. Combine the  sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water.

2. Bring this mixture to a gentle boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes.

3. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and the chocolate and heat until very hot but not boiling. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs.

4. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.

5.  Top with marshmallow cream (toast using a crème brulee torch) and garnish with a graham cracker finger

To make marshmallow cream

Ingredients

3 egg whites

2 cups light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

In large mixer bowl, combine egg whites, syrup and salt. Beat for 10 minutes until thick. Add confectioners’ sugar at low speed. Then add vanilla extract and beat until blended

If you are feeling EXTRA ambitious, you can make your own graham crackers using our recipe here.

Latin Hot Chocolate

Here’s a recipe that will spice things up in your cup

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla

3 ounces of Mexican sweet chocolate

1 teaspoon brown sugar

dash of red pepper

Instructions

1. Add the milk to a small sauce pan over medium low heat.

2. Whisk in the cinnamon and vanilla and brown sugar

3. Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor grind the chocolate into a powder.  Whisk all of the chocolate into the milk mixture.

4. Continue whisking the hot chocolate mixture until all the chocolate has melted, and the milk is warmed to the appropriate temperature.

5. Pour the hot chocolate into two coffee mugs and add a dash of powdered red pepper

Dark Chocolate from the Dark Continent

Inspired by the rich and exotic flavors of northern Africa (and, oh yeah, that chai tea latte from Starbucks)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups white sugar

2 cups of milk

5 ounces of bittersweet dark chocolate chips

1 cup unsweetened tea (brewed)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Instructions

1. Add the milk and tea to a small sauce pan over medium low heat.

2. Whisk in the sugar and spices

3. Whisk all of the chocolate into the milk mixture.

4. Continue whisking the hot chocolate mixture until all the chocolate has melted, and the milk is warmed to the desired temperature.

Asian Hot Chocolate

If only you could get this delivered!

Ingredients

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup white sugar

1 pinch salt

4 cups milk

2 tablespoons of ginger/mint simple syrup

Instructions

1. Add the milk to a sauce pan over medium low heat.

2. Whisk in the sugar, cocoa, and salt

3. Continue whisking the hot chocolate mixture until all the chocolate has melted, and the milk is warmed to the desired temperature.

4. Stir in simple syrup

5. Garnish cups with mint leaves

To make simple syrup

1 cup granulated sugar

1 ginger root peeled and shaved

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups packed fresh mint leaves, chopped

In a saucepan bring sugar, water, ginger and mint to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Simmer syrup, undisturbed, 2 minutes. Pour syrup through a fine sieve, pressing on solids. Cool at room temperature.

Syrup keeps, covered, in the refrigerator for weeks.

The European

Perhaps the PERFECT mid-afternoon pick-me-up

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar

2 tbsp. flour

1/3 cup cocoa

2 tbsp. butter

1 cup milk

2 cups of brewed coffee

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients except coffee together into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.

2. Boil until sauce thickens. (Hot fudge sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.)

3. Pour fudge sauce equally into two mugs then fill remainder of mug with the brewed espresso and stir

Tell us which is your favorite!

When Farmer John was recovering from his hip surgery, it was impossible to keep up with all of the chores on the farm.  We decided to whip up a special soup to get him back in the saddle (or up on the tractor)—and use some of the things we had left in the root cellar.

Turnip soup is known to stimulate the appetite, and studies have shown that chicken soup can help speed up the recovery process.  Why not blend the two?  With a little garlic and onions thrown in for their natural anti-microbial powers, this delicious soup will have you feeling better even if you’re not under-the-weather.

Ingredients

1 pound chicken parts

1 whole chicken, thoroughly rinsed

1 carrot, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 parsnip, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 stalks celery, including leafy tops, cut into 3-inch pieces

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 large whole onion, unpeeled (find one with a firm, golden-brown peel)

4 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoon olive oil

2 pounds of turnips, peeled and cut into a 1/2-inch dice

1/2 cup rice, arborio

1 teaspoon of whole peppercorns

1 bunch of dill, cleaned and tied with a string

salt and pepper

parmesan

Instructions

1. Pour 12 cups of cold water into a large stockpot, and throw in the chicken parts, onion, garlic, carrots, parsnip, and celery. Bring to a boil. While water is heating, rub the inside of the whole chicken with salt.

2. Add the chicken to the pot, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Test chicken with a fork to see if it’s tender and fully cooked; then remove it from the pot, and set aside on a large platter. Leave chicken parts in the pot.

3. Add onion, salt, and pepper. Let soup simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

4. When chicken cools, remove skin and bones and cut into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

5. Strain the soup, and discard everything solid

6. Melt the butter and oil in a large saucepan and bring to a froth. Toss in the turnips and saute til brown but still firm, about 3 minutes.

7.  Add turnips and chicken pieces to the broth

8. Stir in the rice and cook, covered, over medium heat for about 15 minutes.

9. Drop in the dill for one minute before serving and then remove. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish: minced parsley and 3/4 cup fresh grated parmesan

Get well soon!!

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Tea is my other favorite beverage and if I had to give up wine (perish the thought), tea would be somewhat of a consolation. The two have a number of characteristics in common. Both provide infinite variety despite the fact that they are each made from a single ingredient. Just as wine is simply fermented grape juice, so tea is simply the leaves of the camellia sinensis. Also, like wine, the quality of tea can range from mass produced junk to rare specialties that only a few wealthy and powerful collectors will ever taste. Like wine, and unlike coffee, tea can enhance food.  But most importantly, tea, like wine, is an expression of the soil, climate and culture and people that produces it.

While I have loved tea for years and know more about it than most casual drinkers, I know it only as an imported product. Once I get off of this endless flight (I’ve been up here for about five hours with ten to go) I will start to learn about tea in its native culture. I started looking at wine differently when I started visiting vineyards and cellars, and I hope to have a similar experience with tea over the next two weeks. I’ll tell you all about it.

When I mentioned writing about tea, Dr. Brent’s reaction was “that sounds fascinating…I really don’t like tea very much.” He then added that he probably had never had really good tea. Most people haven’t. It’s not that good tea is hard to find or make.  But good tea lags behind good coffee in America and it probably will until someone invents a convenient tea machine that can be programmed the night before so that one can wake up to a fresh pot. Teabags are to tea as instant coffee is to coffee, an unacceptable substitute for the real thing and to brew a decent cup of tea still requires a little more time and effort than most people are willing to give it.

As I mentioned above, tea is the dried leaves of the camellia sinensis. Anything else — mint, chamomile, lemon verbena or yerba matte – is not tea, although we often use the word for convenience to describe any beverage made with any dry leaves. And all tea, whether green, white, black, oolong, Darjeeling etc., is made from the same plant. The difference is all in where it is grown and how it is treated after harvest.  The younger and fresher the leaves, the better the flavor, so the harvest involves cutting only the leaf-buds and the two leaves below. This happens every ten days to two weeks from spring to fall. Great value is placed on tea from earlier in the season (first and second “flush”) and quality diminishes toward the end of the season

Another indicator of quality is the condition of the dried leaves. Whole leaves make better tea because they take longer to re-hydrate. In that longer time, they infuse flavor and aroma into the water before they start to release much tannin (oh yes, tannin, another characteristic tea has in common with wine), which makes the tea bitter and harsh.

If you pack a bunch of dry leaves into a box, or a sack, some of the leaves will be crushed, leaving a residue of dust and small leaf fragments at the bottom of the container. That’s basically what’s in teabags, no matter that they may have a fancy, English sounding brand name. Whole leaves can’t be used because they need too much room to expand, so teabags are made with scraps and with chopped up leaves from the end of harvest that can no longer be sold as loose tea. This tea has very little aroma or flavor and lots and lots of tannin.  Recently, some “whole leaf” teabags have appeared on the market. They are in an attractive pyramid shape that allows for better water flow and expansion, but they are prohibitively expensive and only sold in fancy stores.

So, now let’s talk about real tea. Once the leaves are harvested, they are treated in one of several ways to determine the style of the tea. The most common style in the west is “black tea” so called for the color of the dry leaves. The Chinese call this style “red tea” because the beverage made from it is a rich red color. To produce black tea, the leaves are passed through rollers to thoroughly bruise them. This starts a process of enzymatic oxidation that changes the color of the leaves from green to brown. In the tea business, this process is called fermentation but the word is not accurate as there is no microbial action (a few kinds of tea actually are fermented, but we’ll get to that another time).  When desired oxidation is reached, the leaves are dried in kilns. Common varieties of black tea include Keemun, from China (also called English Breakfast) Assam, from India (sometimes called Irish Breakfast) and Darjeeling, which some people consider the finest tea in the world (but not when it is in a teabag!)

For green tea, oxidation is avoided. The leaves can be dried immediately upon picking, but more often they are steamed to neutralize the enzymes that cause the process. Steaming also make the leaves flexible so that they can be rolled into various shapes (little pellets or thin needles) that further slow the brewing process for greater aroma and flavor. Finally, steaming preserves the bright green color of the leaves. Green tea is especially popular in Japan, although China produces quite a lot of it and one can sometimes find a green Darjeeling tea.

In between black and green tea is Oolong tea, a specialty of China. Oolong is slightly oxidized and thus is between green tea and black tea in flavor and color with some tending more to green and others tending more to black. The leaves are lightly bruised after picking – classically this is done by tossing them in wicker baskets to bruise – and then dried after a short “fermentation”. Oolong is characterized by floral or nutty aromas without the grassiness of green tea or the heartiness of black.

Finally, white tea is named for the silver-gray color of the unopened leaf buds from which it is made. This requires very careful and gentle harvesting; so white tea is almost always expensive. White tea is all about aroma, there is very little flavor and it is really a connoisseur’s drink. Almost all white tea is Chinese.

And then there are flavored and scented teas. Scented tea can be any kind of tea that has been tossed repeatedly with flower buds, such as jasmine chrysanthemums or roses, which are discarded immediately lest they rot and spoil the tea. The dried flowers you sometimes see in scented tea are only there for decoration and you will not see them in the best examples. Good scented tea can be costly, as it takes quite a lot of jasmine or roses to give tea a strong enough aroma. Lapsang Souchong is black or oolong tea that has been scented with the smoke of a wood fire. It’s not to everyone’s taste, but I love it.

Flavored teas can also be any kind of tea to which fruit or fruit oils, spices or herbs have been added. Some famous examples are Earl Grey tea (black tea flavored with oil of Bergamot) and Indian “Chai” (black tea with aromatic spices). Like everything else, you will pay more for an Earl Grey that is made with good tea and real bergamot peel (bergamot is a citrus fruit) than one that is made with leaf scraps and industrial grapefruit oil. However the additional flavor or aroma can hide poor quality in the tea, so Earl Gray or Jasmine teabags may not be as terrible as those of pure tea.

OK, enough for now and I’ve only just begun. I need to take a nap. More soon.

If you want a source for excellent teas of all kinds, I recommend Serendipitea. They are great people and they have great products. You can find them online at www.serendipitea.com and I always receive my order within a day or two.

See what Ross learns next on his Beekman 1802 tea excursion to Hong Kong.  Click here

Since arriving at the Beekman Farm three years ago we’ve seen our fair share of brilliant winter mornings, but nothing came close to “wonderland” ecstasy…until the hoar came calling.

The term “hoar frost”  (hoar:  white or gray-white in color) is a cold weather phenomenon where ice crystals form on objects that are below the dew point. The result is that the objects are covered in a sparkling white coat of ice crystals that can be spectacularly beautiful.  Overnight, nearly every inanimate object on the farm sprouted a fine coat of white whiskers.

In order for the phenomenon to occur two things must happen.  There must be a prolonged period of sub-freezing temperatures so that the surface temperature of outdoor objects is below freezing AND the relative humidity in the air is at 100%.  In other words, the formation of hoar frost is similar to the formation of dew with the difference that the temperature of the object on which the hoar frost forms is well below 0°C, whereas this is not the case with dew.

We decided to celebrate the occasion by mixing up a German cocktail called “Hoar Frost”, so named for the icy appearance of the glass in which it is served.  An appearance of hoar frost is given by rubbing the glass with lemon juice and afterwards in sugar crystals

Hoar Frost Cocktail

25% Gin

25% Curacoa (Triple Dry)

25% Lemon Juice

15% Jamaica Rum

10% Grenadine

Shake with ice and strain into glass.

I am not one of those people who find the holidays stressful and depressing, I don’t object to the commercialization of a religious holiday and I even like good fruitcake, but I do not understand why people of normally good sense and good taste have to spend two months wallowing in kitsch and sentimentality starting every November.

But this blog is about wine, so how does my misanthropic rant relate? Well, there are certain seasonal drinks traditions that can have the same effect on me as the fifty-seventh hearing of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in a single day.  I can stomach one glass of commercial eggnog a year but the one Chris Kringle cocktail (cranberry juice, crème de Menthe and sparkling wine) I once had was enough for a lifetime.  The ingredients do not belong in the same sentence, let alone the same glass and the only reason anyone ever thought of it was the color scheme.  I would not want my birthday celebrated with such a drinks and it would not surprise me if Christ’s wounds bleed afresh and the angels weep each time one is served.

However, tradition is stronger than I am, so let’s examine a few seasonal drinks that, made with a little attention to detail, aren’t half bad.

Starting with wine, there is a tradition of  “mulled wine” (hot spiced wine) at the holidays season, but let’s be clear that they originated as ways to use wine that was unfit to drink in any other form. By adding sweeteners and spices, one could cover up the off-flavors and get it out of the way just before the first wines of the next vintage started coming in.  Technical improvements in winemaking, storage and transportation mean fewer bottles with flavors that must be masked, but there is one perfect candidate: Beaujolais Nouveau. This wretched product, which was invented as a marketing gimmick, makes a much-ballyhooed arrival on the third Thursday in November.  Most of it is unfit to drink in unadulterated form, but it is just fine for mulling. It is fruity, low in tannin (which can become more aggressive when the wine is heated) and not good for anything else

A Basic Mulled Wine Recipe

Start by mixing equal parts of sugar and (water, let’s say 2 cups of each) and bring it to a boil. Add a few sticks of cinnamon, a few (very few) cloves and the zest of two oranges and lemons. Turn off the heat and let it all steep for about 15 minutes. Some recipes will tell you to use the orange juice as well, but I think this makes the finished drink too acidic. Pour two bottles (or more) of cheap red wine into a large pot and heat until warm but not too hot to drink.  Add the spiced syrup to taste.

There are many variations on mulled wine. In Sweden, they add raisins and almonds for something called Glogg (This is served every year as part of Brent & Josh’s Boxing Day Raclette), which is sometimes also spiked with brandy or vodka. Don’t let me stop you. It is one of the traditional drinks for the feast of Saint Lucia, when young Swedish girls dressed all in white and wearing a crown of burning candles serve coffee and special saffron flavored buns to their families in the pre-dawn hours (which in a Swedish December ain’t necessarily all that early). But once everyone is caffeinated, why not add some hot wine, especially to celebrate the fact that nobody’s hair went up in fames.

The Basic Hot Toddy Recipe

Hot Toddy is another drink that was invented to redeem the undrinkable. In this case it involves diluting, heating and sweetening distilled spirits. Originally made with Scotch, I like it better made with Bourbon or Irish whiskey (and you could use brandy or rum, too) but as with mulled wine, don’t use the good stuff. The simplest way to make it is to pour a healthy shot of whisky into a mug, add some sugar, a clove and a stick of cinnamon, fill the rest of the mug with hot water and garnish with a slice of lemon. However, you may get a more flavorful result if you make syrup as described above, mix equal proportions of that with your liquor of choice and then add the hot water. And since whisky is not acidic (as wine is) you may well want to add a good squeeze of lemon. Tradition has it that this drink is an excellent cure for the common cold. In fact, it will probably make your cold worse because it has a dehydrating effect, but you won’t realize it until the next day, when you can have another.

The Basic Hot Buttered Rum Recipe

Then there is hot buttered rum. Cream together some unsalted butter, sugar and other flavors of your choosing (ground cinnamon, clove, nutmeg,lemon zest, etc) and then chill the mixture. For each drink, scoop some of the sweetened and flavored butter into a mug, add some rum and fill the mug with hot water. As you can imagine the butter melts into the rum for a highly aromatic drink. However, the fat also floats to the top forming greasy globules. Oh, it must have been something when made with authentically rancid Victorian butter and it just goes to show that they would drink anything back in the days of roast goose and fyggie pudding.  There are some more palatable modern recipes that use vanilla ice cream instead if butter, but that’s not exactly “buttered”, is it?

The Basic Irish Coffee Recipe

Or you could make yourself a nice Irish coffee, probably the best of all hot cocktails. Pour a shot of Irish whiskey into a mug. Add some sugar, if you want it. Fill the mug most of the way with freshly brewed, strong coffee and top with cream that has been whipped to the point of starting to thicken but no farther. You may want to pour the cream onto the coffee over the back of a spoon to make sure it floats. And do not top it off with a drizzle of crème de Menthe or a Marischino cherry or any other such green and red horrors just because it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

I would add a ‘Bah, Humbug’ were I not feeling so warm and cozy from practicing all of these recipes.  Everyone at Beekma 1802 hopes you enjoy a “cup of good cheer”.