Heritage Pork & Sparkling Mead Workshop

Of the many workshops offered at Slow Food Nation '08 I was of the lucky few to attend the Heritage Pork & Sparkling Mead Workshop. The highlight of my day, my only regret is that the workshop lasted only one short hour. Gordon Hull, of Heidrun Meadery, Eliza Maclean, of Cane Creek Farm, and Chef Joe Bonaparte and Marla Thurman of The International Culinary Schools presented an intriguing and thorough look into the world of Ossabaw Island Hogs and Sparkling Mead. Bonaparte and Thurman cooked and paired the pork and mead beautifully while Hull and Maclean extolled the virtues of their particular passions.



Gordon Hull is the owner, and as he joked, the sole employee, of Heidrun Meadery. Hull is a well-spoken, passionate man quite obviously consumed by his work. His short words on production methods provided a clear glimpse of just how expertly he commands his craft. The sparkling mead, produced from his small meadery in tiny Arcata, CA is an appropriate representation of just how seriously he takes his work. Not a huge fan of traditional, still meads myself I was blown away at the quality and flavor of the sparkling mead. The tantalizing aroma of honey blooms forth from the mead, teasing your senses. Orange Blossom Mead presents a backlit citrus note while the Buckwheat Blossom proffers a crisp, dry subtleness. The mead paired spectacularly with the Ossabaw Island Hog from Eliza Maclean. I had only a few moments to ask Hull about the name of his meadery, Heidrun. As soon as he started explaining it immediately took me back to high school mythology classes. Odin, the leader of all Norse gods, kept a goat named Heidrun. Heidrun fed off the Læraðr tree and produced mead instead of milk. Odin, concerned about tainted foods, drank only the mead that flowed from the teats of Heidrun. Heidrun also nourished the valkyries.



Maclean owns Cane Creek Farm in Snow Camp, NC. At Cane Creek she raises a variety of animals including the Ossabaw Island Hog. Ossabaw's are descendants of Spanish Iberian pigs left on the island of Ossabaw off the coast of Georgia nearly 400 years ago. Unable to escape the micro-habitat of the island the Ossabaw's evolved to survive. Looking at this photo of Ossabaw Island, though, it looks like an OK place to hang out for a while.



Through their adaptation the relatively petite Ossabaw's became smaller still. Their captivity on the island forced them to alter their eating habits throughout the meager spring. They developed a unique method of fat metabolism, allowing each hog to store a much larger amount of fat than other hogs. This metabolic transformation also produced a form of non-insulin dependent diabetes, making them a choice test animal for diabetes research.



Their fat is also higher in Omega 3 fatty acids than other hog fat. This larger proportion of unsaturated fats as opposed to saturated fats sure made me feel a whole lot less guilty about indulging so heavily during the workshop.

Our first pairing started with a taste of the Orange Blossom Sparkling Mead.



The heady scent of honey was most prevalent, with surprisingly strong backnotes of the citrus flower the honey is produced from. The mead was light and clear with a pleasant effervescence.



The Orange Blossom was slightly sweeter than I anticipated, but with enough acidity to cut through the fattiness of the Ossabaw.




Accompanying the Orange Blossom mead was a smoked Ossabaw pork belly over what I'm assuming was a fruit compote. The fat was truly of the melt-in-your-mouth variety and the meat smoked to perfection. The hog meat was quite obviously of an amazing quality with a firm, tender texture. That fat, though - outstanding. Definitely not the type of pork fat you'd slice away from your meat to discard. Chefs Bonaparte and Thurman did an amazing job in pairing.




Next up was a taste comparison of Ossabaw Island Hog pork shoulder and store-bought pork shoulder, both smoked and served with a type of pickled sweet corn chutney. The difference in the smoked shoulder was palpably, instantly noticeable. The commodity shoulder was tough, dry, and stringy. The smoke flavor seemed like a layer over the top of the pork, rather than the permeation the Ossabaw achieved. The smoked Ossabaw shoulder was a touch drier than I'd like, but still moist enough and tender as could be. The smoke had permeated the flesh entirely, creating a harmonious blend with the marbled meat.



Our next taste was a comparison of store bought salamis and Ossabaw Island Hog salamis. The three samples on the top row of the salami plate are Ossabaw and the bottom two were bought from a local grocery store.

I'm not sure exactly what this was, but it was outstanding.



The differences between the Ossabaw salami and the store-bought was like comparing Gloucester Cheddar to Velveeta - night and day. The store bought salami was plastic-like and had an odd offputting smell. The taste was unremarkable and again possessed an odd aftertaste, probably from the large amount of nitrites used. The Ossabaw on the other hand, was remarkably velvety. The salami tore easily and the fat practically melted on my tongue. Here you can see the drastic difference between the two.



The Ossabaw on the right is noticeably darker and fattier than the commodity salami on the left.

For our final pairing we tried Gordon Hull's Buckwheat Blossom Sparkling Mead.



The Buckwheat Blossom mead was darker and much drier than the Orange Blossom with more effervescence. The honey scent was still noticeable, but not nearly as prevalent as in the Orange Blossom. The Buckwheat was crisp and clean with a refreshing bite - slightly reminiscent of grass.



The dryness of the Buckwheat mead coupled perfectly with the next pork presentation, Braised Neckbones with Pickled Okra and Collard Greens served over Cheese Grits.



I've never had neckbones before, but I always thought they'd be much tougher than what I was presented with. I'm assuming this is in large part due to the tender Ossabaw hog, but I imagine Joe Bonaparte's expertise in the kitchen lends a hand as well. The neckbones were firm but tender and filled with flavor. The okra and collards were delicious, with the cheese grits providing a perfect base.



I actually enjoyed the cheese grits so much I made them a couple days later - not nearly as good as Bonaparte's, but they were delicious nonetheless.

This foray into the world of heritage pork was eye opening at the very least. Ossabaw Hogs are considered critically endangered. Thankfully caring individuals like Eliza Maclean are taking the needed steps to ensure the survival of such an amazing breed. The loss of such an amazing, and tasty, creature would be a great loss.

I felt equally notable was the intriguing look into the very tiny world of sparkling mead. I will no longer hold the belief that mead must be still, heavy and unpalatable. I only hope that Hull will one day be able to expand his business - if only so I can try all of the many flavors he produces.

In fact, I enjoyed the mead in the workshop so much I ordered a couple bottles of the Orange Blossom Mead soon after arriving home.



Thank you to Gordon Hull, Eliza Maclean, Joe Bonaparte, and Marla Thurman.

Coro Mendocino Wines & Elk Creamery Cheese Workshop

In sleepy Mendocino County lies a well kept secret that's starting to burst at it's seams - Coro Mendocino Wines. The Coro Mendocino line is an amazing and unique collaboration between 10 vintners to create a truly remarkable style of wine. Brutocao Cellars, Dunnewood Cellars, Eaglepoint Ranch Winery, Fetzer Vineyards, Golden Vineyards, Graziano, McDowell Valley Vineyard, McNab Ridge Winery, Pacific Star Winery, and Parducci Wines have all joined together to breathe life back into an ages old method of blending wine.



In a Workshop at Slow Food Nation 2008 Joe Golden, of Golden Vineyards, and Julia Kendrick Conway, of Slow Food Mendocino County, articulately presented three vintages of Coro Mendocino wines paired with Elk Creamery Organic Black Gold. Working through from '03 to '05 Joe and Sally articulately described the truly unique process of Coro Mendocino Wines and how this collaborative came to be.

Northern California in the late 19th century was not a kind place to miners who sought their fortune in the gold rush but found little in the form of riches. It was these settlers who planted the first grapes in Mendocino County, seeking to replicate the wines they enjoyed in Europe before immigrating to the United States. In the United States it most common to enjoy a bottle of wine produced from a single varietal, thought by most to be the purest way to enjoy a wine. Europeans however, have long enjoyed blends of grapes - artfully pairing each grape to bring out the subtle nuances lost when a grape stands alone. The vintners of Coro Mendocino wines strove to imitate the methods of European wine makers and blended the grapes grown in Mendocino county. The Coro Mendocino partnership came into being in 1998 with their first production of wine in 2001.



Each vintner grows and produces their own wine, but each is subject to a strict protocol developed by the collaborative.

The base of the Coro Mendocino wine is the grape that put California on the global viticulture map, Zinfandel. A Coro wine must be no less than 40% Zinfandel, but no more than 70%. The remainder of the blend is at the discretion of the specific vintner, but must be composed of either Syrah, Petite Sirah, Carignane, Sangiovese, Grenache, Dolcetto, Charbono, Barbera, or Primitivo. These grapes must not outweigh the Zinfandel, though and all must be grown in Mendocino County. Each wine must be bottled and labeled in accordance with the Coro Mendocino Production Protocol and must then survive 5 blind tastings to finally achieve the coveted Coro seal (pictured above).

The specific guidelines and rigorous testing of each wine results in a distinct blend for each of the 10 wines, but the standard is unparalleled. Each wine tasted at the Slow Food Nation Workshop was individually excellent, but having the advantage of tasting nine wines of three wineries of three vintages allowed a unique glimpse into the consistent quality of the Coro Mendocino style.




The nine wines, of Graziano, Golden Vineyards, and Pacific Star Winery, paired with The Elk Creamery's Black Gold cheese revealed pleasant notes in each component. The wine accented the creaminess of the Camembert style goat cheese. Unique with it's organic vegetable ash coating, the Black Gold is a truly remarkable cheese. Lush and smooth with a subtle tang the small wedge proffered for the wine pairing was hardly enough to sate my appetite. After aging for 9 weeks the cheese is runny enough to spread on a crusty baguette, but with enough elasticity to provide an amazing texture. The Black Gold is an outstanding cheese alone or accompanied by a glass of wine.



The Elk Creamery was the first, and is still the only, organic goat dairy in the state of California. Certified by the USDA, they specialize in artisanal farmstead style cheeses (meaning made by hand and with only milk from their own farm). Located on the Pacific coast in Mendocino County, Elk Creamery has been supplying local stores and restaurants with their delectable cheeses for three years. Their products are also available in a small selection of other stores scattered throughout the country.



Edited 9/4/2008: Correction of name of co-host to Julia Kendrick Conway of Slow Food Mendocino County.

Slow Food Nation '08

When I started this blog my goal was to simply document my trials and tribulations in the kitchen, learn some stuff along the way, and hopefully meet some really cool people interested in the same things I am – food! I had no idea there would be some choice perks along the way…

The awesome folks over at FoodBuzz were kind enough to send me to Slow Food Nation ’08 in San Francisco over the weekend. Since first hearing about SFN a few months ago I’d been dying to go. At the time it seemed like it would just be a teensy bit out of our budget, what with it coinciding with the beginning of Fall semester. When the opportunity arose to attend the festival on FoodBuzz‘s behalf I simply could not pass it up. San Francisco’s only a couple hours away, a very small price to pay (and distance to drive) to attend one of the nation’s greatest food festivals.



The main event of SFN was the Taste Pavilion,a collection of over a dozen different artisanal foods in an enormous enclosed pier within eyeshot of Alcatraz.



Inside the Pavilion each different food was in it's own little area, pickles and chutney, olive oil, fish, beer, cheese, etc.



It was really quite overwhelming to be presented with so many choices and only a few hours to explore everything. I never did end up getting to everything because I had a workshop to attend in the evening - more on that later.

My first stop was at the wine section all the way in the back. Of course there was a crush of people waiting to be served. It's 5:30 on a Saturday night and they're giving you wine - heck yes there were a lot of people clamoring for some grape booziness. I ended up selecting a Woodward Reserve Cabernet from the Walla Walla Valley in Washington state. The list of choices was enormous and people were pushing in on me from all directions so I chose something I knew I liked. Plus it was like a little taste of home, goodness do I miss Washington.

My next stop was the cheeses.



I was very thankful I chose the wine first because it enabled me to sip on something while standing in the ridiculously long line. I did happen to meet a nice couple and their two children while waiting, very nice people. The husband was quite the character and kept me laughing nearly the whole time - there was even some chat about gangster seagulls. Don't ask.

The three selections proffered from the cheese maids were a washed rind of some kind from New York, a bleu from Minnesota, and a goat something or other from Wisconsin.



Generally speaking I'm not a fan of washed rind cheese. I just can't get past the smell. I don't ever want to put someone's dirty ripe feet in my mouth so it goes the same for cheeses that smell like dirty ripe feet. I don't want to put it in my mouth. Right after I tried it I knew I'd made the mistake in thinking that I'd feel differently about this one. Blech. Glad I had the wine close at hand. The goat cheese wasn't outstanding in my opinion, pretty standard. I'd prefer to get something much better, and local, from The Elk Creamery or Cowgirl Creamery.

The bleu, on the other hand, was pretty delicious. I like all kinds of bleu cheese but I'm pretty picky, too. This one had the right balance of creaminess and tang. Altogether a pretty great cheese - especially on these great little organic crackers they were serving it with.



My next stop after the cheese was ice cream. Usually I avoid ice creams and other frozen treats, the coldness really bothers my teeth, but I was feeling adventurous and took the plunge anyway. Plus, it was a really short line. Game on.

I forgot to take a picture because my first bite was like heaven. I tried a flight that included a Kiwi, Lemon Chiffon, and a Triple Cream something or other. The Lemon Chiffon was pretty meh, but the Kiwi and Triple Cream could have me eating ice cream at every meal for the rest of life. My only disappointment was I didn't get any information on who produced these wonderful creations. Bummer.

After Ice Cream I headed on over to the Tea pavilion and met these two lovely ladies.



Inside the tea section there were several rooms sectioned into intimate tasting areas with diaphanous white cloth. The two ladies were quite knowledgeable about their teas and for the first time in the day I felt like I was really learning something. They served a small group of us two different teas, a Keemun Reserve and a Pu'erh. I drink Keemun regularly at home, though this was of a higher quality, but the Pu'erh - what an experience!



So earthy and sweet with just a hint of smokiness. It's easy to see the niche this tea fits into.

The ladies performed a truncated version of a traditional Chinese tea ceremony. They extolled the benefits of washing tea and the preparation of the teaware before brewing.



I was very impressed with their demonstration - and boy did they make some delicious tea!

I popped over to Honeys and Preserves and Spirits after this, but the ladies at honey were kind of rude to me and there were so many people at the Spirits pavilion I got out of there as quickly as I could. I'm very claustrophobic and being surrounded with that many people is extremely uncomfortable.

My next, and final, stop was at Coffee. My husband and I enjoy coffee quite a bit, though he much more than I. He is what I would describe as a connoisseur of coffee. Though he would've hated all the people around he most definitely would've enjoyed the coffee pavilion.

I met Edwin Martinez, proprietor of Finca Vista Hermosa in Guatemala.



When arriving at the coffee pavilion there was next to no line so it gave me the opportunity to speak to one of the volunteers about the two sections in the pavilion, brewed coffee and espresso. No sooner had the volunteer started speaking than two, seemingly intoxicated (and strung out on something very illegal), people walked straight into me with nary a glance in my direction, barreling straight for the rear of exhibition. The volunteer's attention now focused on directing the very scary junkie couple in Courtney love-Macabre chic I was left standing alone and slightly confused as to where I should be going or what I should be doing. At that moment Edwin noticed my consternation and convinced me to try out the brewed coffees first. He was a very nice gentleman, greeting me with kind eyes and a firm handshake. Upon arriving at the counter for brewed coffee tasting he left me in the knowing care of Andy, of Barefoot Coffee Roasters.

Andy served up some outstanding tastes of three very different coffees. An El Salvadoran bean sundried in the heat of the equatorial sun inside the cherry, producing a cloying sweetness that's quite provocative on the bitter parts of the tongue. He also served up an Ethiopian bean, Washed Ethiopian Sedoma, that was quite nutty and square. A great coffee for sipping. My favorite, by far, was the Guatemalan coffee from Finca Vista Hermosa. It was quite a surprise discovering that the man I thought was just a nice volunteer was actually from Guatemala and grew the coffee I was drinking. The el Eden was a fantastic coffee, and no I'm not advertising for them, but I can't wait to order a pound or two for my husband and I. Edwin also runs a blog detailing the coffee grower's life and the happenings at Finca Vista Hermosa in Guatemala. This post in particular had me laughing.

After trying out the brewed coffees Edwin took me over to the other side of the pavilion to meet Bobby, the best espresso slinger in the joint.



Bobby's from Portland, and on top of being a pretty cool guy, he makes a mean espresso. Like some of the best espresso I've ever had.



I mean, look at that. It's so sexy with it dark, bittersweet tones. The oils of the coffee just laying right on top of the liquid, presenting themselves to your tongue in all their sultry glory. Snap. It was delicious.

It was sadly, at this time, that I had to depart the Taste Pavilion to head on over to a workshop with only half of my "Slough Dough" (the form of 'currency' used at the event) used up. I did find a nice couple outside to bestow it upon, much to their delight.

Much more to follow with a couple workshops I attended, so stay tuned.

EDITED 9/5:

Husband and I just received our package of el Eden from Barefoot Coffee Roasters.



After brewing a pot last night we were delighted to discover the same amazing nuances I loved so much at Slow Food. This truly is an outstanding coffee.