Recently we had the opportunity to work from Salt of the Earth watching and capturing the crew in preparation for the collaborative beer dinner featuring: a selection of New Holland Beer hand picked by Beervangelist Fred Bueltman, and Chef Matthew Pietch’s culinary creations. The dinner, called “The Michigan Harvest Beer Dinner,” was in celebration of the Harvest season and part of the Harvest series put on by New Holland Brewing. Salt of the Earth and New Holland are long time friends and welcome the opportunity to collaborate. One of the owners, Mark Schrock, says it best: “Roots of the relationship between New Holland and Salt of the Earth run deep…we’re family… we love the product and sell a lot of it. I mean our margarita with Hopquila…What more can I say?” The Harvest series was the perfect opportunity for New Holland and Salt of the Earth to work together and this harvest celebration dinner is the product of the relationship.
When Chef Matt thinks harvest, warmth and fall colors come to mind. This is his favorite time of year, a blend of the seasons really. The harvest season bridges the gap between the seasons with peppers, tomatoes and beans from summer combining with fresh root vegetables, squash and other fall and early winter crops. Orchard fruits are still available and it is the perfect time to take advantage of a variety of fresh ingredients. The guys explained that October in particular is prime time for meat, produce and fruit. During harvest, we are able to hold on to a little of summer while welcoming the variety provided by the amazing local agricultural resources available.
Chef Matt and Salt of the Earth celebrate harvest all year long as the restaurant prides itself on using fresh local produce whenever they can. They change the menu six to eight times a year to incorporate the seasonal ingredients ripening at different times. In addition to frequently updating the menu, Salt of the Earth has a weekly menu spotlighting local venders and products not seen in the regular dinner menu. This not only gives local venders a chance to showcase their products but also gives their patrons the opportunity to try something different and new.
While observing the kitchen hard at work, we had the opportunity to chat with the team and one topic of conversation was how to create a beer dinner, essentially the process involved. Fred explained that you could either start with the food or the beer for inspiration although they paired the beer with the food. Hops are herbs and spices of beer and if you think about pairing that way, it makes sense. Hops are a resiny flower off a vine. They give beer spice, floral tones, citrus and everything in between. At New Holland we brew a variety of IPA style beers for our annual hatter day celebrations. We are able to manipulate the traditional Mad Hatter beer into a variation very different from its origin. With the use of different hops, a transformation takes place. For example, the Farmhouse Hatter has citrus flavor that pairs well with a citrus herb chicken. Like with wine, you may either compliment similar flavors or go the opposite direction with the flavors. “I use the 4 C’s of pairing, Compliment, Contrast, Cleanse and Create. A good pairing has one or more of those elements,” says Fred.
The menu featured local pork, pumpkin, apples picked earlier in the day, organic local free range chicken, local greens and Michigan honey. We watched Chef Matt, Fred and the rest of the crew prepare the feast we would have that evening. Fred was cooking in the kitchen and it was one of his first times in the SotE kitchen. He loves to cook and was not afraid to jump right in. He made an Ichabod vinaigrette for the shaved pumpkin salad. The vinaigrette was made with Ichabod, chinese five spice, local honey, and rice vinegar, the perfect dressing to compliment this time of year. While Fred was working on his quart of dressing, Chef was creating the roasted pumpkin soup. The soup was so smooth and creamy and topped with local buffalo ricotta—honestly the best soup I have ever had! The wood fired oven was in use roasting peppers and apples. Fred’s next project was a glaze for the pork. He started with pork stock and Charkoota Rye letting it cook down for a bit. The next step was peeling garlic and Fred did this easily by shaking separated cloves between two metal bowls. Sliced onions were boiling on the stove and butter was softened and ready to be added. Once the stock and Charkoota Rye were at the proper reduction, the onion and garlic were added and blended with the “Robo Coup,” a long stick like mixer. Blending the ingredients this way thickens the sauce naturally with out using a separate thickener.
On the other side of the kitchen, another member of the kitchen crew was hard at work on the hog. The restaurant loves pork and often purchases an entire hog locally from Coach Stop Farms in Zeeland. They use every part of the animal, starting by cutting off the ham and the shoulder, putting them aside for later use and then boning out the rest of the meat. The sausage in the first course and fourth were both made from the shoulder meat. The meat was ground with oregano and garlic and then rolled and tied. The sausage is then placed in an oven for six to eight hours and then allowed to cool in its own juices. The end product is a mouthwatering country-style sausage.
Watching the process for creating the dinner was inspiring. Chef Matt and Fred say rustic is the key word in preparation but even for rustic food, much work goes into the meal. This experience has been eye opening to the importance of knowing what is available locally and knowing where your food is coming from. A big thank you to Salt of the Earth for sharing this experience with us and we look forward to many more delicious meals! The entire month of October is a celebration of Harvest with New Holland Brewery. Be sure to check the list of events on our website to further your knowledge about the season and also what beautiful West Michigan has to offer.
http://newhollandbrew.com/pub/blog/the-harvest-series-2011/
