NMC Culinary School "Final Exam" dinner

"Sister" company, Cherry Capital Foods, provided a whole Mangalitsa Pig to Northern Michigan College's Culinary School for the "final exam" dinner

It was billed as Nose to Tail

Entryway : an Iced Pig - nicely done

With Mangalitsa Riellette:

Note the "icing" ... yup it's

Lard

De-licous !!!

eyes were rolling all around the room and big smiles

First course "Nose"

Mangalitsa country pork pate, house-made brioche, guanciale,

pickled onion, cornichon, ramps, micro-kohrabi and "kreamy" mustard

(note that I used ambient light - not the best shots)

very nice

This was served with Shorts Brewing Magician Red

First time I can recall beer in a Champagne flute !

Next was Shoulder

Bellaire Brown ale braised pork shoulder and jowl ravioli, braises

turnip greens, chives...

with house made bacon and roasted pork consomme'

Good enough to demand use of bread to swab up the consomme'

Then "Trout" (not a normal cut of the pig)

Pan roasted Glacier Springs trout, flageolet bean ragout, morels,

fennel herb pistou, "craklins" (the pork) and spring onion veloute

Hard to deny anything with Morels (G)

Then a break while they re-set the tables

Pause to mingle and digest

Next was "Ears"

Werp Farms frisee, mache, crispy pig's ear (like bacon), glazed

baby turnips, one hour poached egg, Zingermann's chevre and

bacon-sherry vinaigrette.

Note : we wondered about the one hour poached egg

Must have been warm water, the egg was neither runny nor hard

Very nice dish

Then the dish we all waited for : Belly !

Confit of Mangalitsa pork belly, celeriac puree, barley risotto,

glazed baby carrots, asparagus, carrot fronds and eau de vie jus

Bada Bing

Delicious

Finally ... Tail End

Brioche pain perdu, creme fraiche ice cream, bacon brittle,

Marcona almonds, carmalized rhubarb, lime zest and rhubarb syrup

A very nice ending to the dinner

On my way out, the "iced pig" was melting down

On keeping it simple

from behind the stove: Primary Principles

Eric writes on his philosophy of simple foods

"A happy life comes from simple expectations.

Now, in my food, which I think of as the culinary equivalent of that primary principle of Epicurus, I try to walk the same path. I take what I have or is brought to me and make something of it. As most of you know, we have chosen to limit ourselves to what can be grown or produced in this great state of Michigan and by limiting ourselves to a certain geographical location we also limit ourselves to what is available. I don't spend my days wishing for ingredients I cannot obtain. And in keeping in line with Epicurus I aim for simple flavors, relying entirely on the quality of the ingredients I work with to provide the goodness of a dish. "

I agree

basics

This one may be from the other side of the globe - Aus, but some nice stuff

A mineral worth its salt

But don't forget that you can source at Earthy

Salts of the World @ Earthy.com

Murray River is one of the best

Check it out

Update :

F.D.A. Plans to Force a Salt Cutback - Diner's Journal Blog - NYTimes.com:

"The Food and Drug Administration is planning a 10-year initiative to bring down sodium levels in processed foods, The Washington Post reports. Scheduled to begin later this year, the program “would eventually lead to the first legal limits on the amount of salt allowed in food products,” Lindsey Layton writes."

Suggestion : low sodium foods, salt to suit on your own.

That's what I do, cook for ourselves as much as possible, finish with a dash of salt at serving

The Atlantic

I'll let it speak for itself

On the Rampage: Cooking with Wild Leeks - Food - The Atlantic

And I guess I have another food blog to follow

WWF Chef Smackdown

Trattora Stella 2nd Annual Chef Challange

Two of Northern Michigan’s favorite chefs will once again go dish for dish in their respective traditions. In one corner representing France: Chef Guillaume Hazaël-Massieux of La Bécasse in Burdickville. In the other corner representing Italy: Chef Myles Anton of Trattoria Stella. Six courses, a base ingredient for each, and two dishes served side-by-side six times each paired with a French wine and an Italian wine.

We started with flutes of Larry Mawby's Blanc de Blancs : Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan

Menu
French: with the wine pairings

Bay Scallops Provencal : Seared bay scallops served atop a bed of ratatouille served on a blini
Albert Bichot Clos de l'Eglise 2008 Chardonnay, Macon-Villages, Bourgogne

Quenelle de Sandre a la Lyonnaise : Baked pike-walleye dumpling in seafood sauce
Les Rouesses 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Quincy, Vallee de la Loire

Galantine de Volaille avec Sauce Poulet : Chicken stuffed with white meat, and pistachio forcemeat, poached, then baked and served warm with a lemon, tarragon and chicken liver sauce.
Albert Bichot Domaine Adelie 2007, Premier Cru - Champs Martin, Pinot Noir, Mercurey, Bourgogne

Saute de Veau avec Sauce Marengo : Sauted veal with carrots and pearl onions
Les Hauts de Lynch-Moussas 2005, Cabernet-based Blend, Haut-edoc, Bordeaux

Tournedos avec Sauce aux Truffles : Tenderloin with truffle demi-glace, wrapped with bacon and leek leaf
Albert Bichot Domaine du Clos Frantin 2005, Pinot Noir Vosne-Romanee, Bourgogne


Italian:

Atlantic scallops, Montasio polenta, saffron brodetto, sumac
Perusini 2007, Ribolla Gialla, Collli Orientali del Friuli

Walleye, "potato insalata", dandelion greens, spinach
Lo Triolet 2008, Pinot Grigio, Vallee d'Aoste

Chicken "Finanziera", tajarin, shiitake mushrooms, cream
Bisson Marea 2007, Bosco - Vermentino - Albarola, Cinque Terre, Liguria

Veal Short Rb, veal agnolotti, peas, pea shoots, mint
Cigliuti Briccoserra 2006, Nebbiolo - Barbera, Langhe, Piemonte

Beef Costoletti, roasted tomato risotto
Ciacci Piccolomini Pianrossa 2004, Brunello di Montalcino, Toscana

Joint dessert : Walnut & Fig Crostata & Baked Goat Cheese, with chocolate truffles with essence of Herbs de Provence

Geoges Vernay Maison Rouge 2004, Syrah, Cote-Rotie, Vallee du Rhone
Ciacci Piccolomini Fabivs 2005, Syrah, Sant' Antimo, Toscana

Our table scored it as follows

Myles on the Scallops, Guillaume with the walleye
But ties on the Chicken, Veal and Beef

This calls for a re-match


All in all, served about a 100 people

Green & White

OK, disclosure ... I'm a fan of Michigan State basketball, so I'll call this a green and white dinner



Ingredients
1/2 lb Diver Scallops
1/2 bag baby spinach
1/2 box Vita-Spelt angel hair pasta
Yuzu juice and some Wasabi sauce

This takes only about 10-15 min
The angel hair only takes 4 in once the water is boiling

Sear the scallops



then cover to steam them



Angel hair, top with steamed spinach
Lay on the scallops, a splash of Yuzu over the mix and "dots" of Wasabi creme



Served up with Paul Hobbs Chard - '07