Powder magazine is sponsoring a throwdown of Ski Towns and we need your vote! New Mexico is currently up against Montana and the two are neck and neck. We need your vote tonight by 10:00 pm EST to advance to the next round.
To vote for Taos Ski Valley and other New Mexican ski resorts using facebook, click here.
Thanks!
From Splurge Taos.
Check it out. A limited number of these certificates, so act now!
There are few American dishes more classic than chocolate chip cookies. Traced back to the Nestlé company, which placed the recipe for Toll House cookies on the back of its chocolate chip bags in 1939, these delicacies have been baked by Americans for generations.
I’ve run across countless recipes and variations for chocolate chip cookies, but here’s one that struck my eye, for a number of reasons. The recipe is provided by Barbara Cosgriff, whom I met when I was Managing Director of The Nasdaq Stock Market. She and I instantly became great friends and after I left Wall Street to open Bellavitae, Barbara and her husband were constant guests.
Barbara shares her recipe as guest blogger on the Behind the Scenes at La Cuisine blog. “My mom made the delicious recipe on the chocolate chip bag. This recipe has evolved from my having baked thousands of them…and the little tweaks that come from experience.”
Click below for Barbara’s recipe:
BARBARA COSGRIFF’S SCRUMPTIOUS CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Why Barbara’s Recipe is so Special (and why it works!)
High Altitude Adjustments
Of all baked goods, cookies are generally the easiest to make at high altitudes. However, once you reach 10,000 feet (as we are here inTaosSkiValley), things get a little tricky. Here are some adjustments I would make to Barbara’s recipe for readers at this altitude:
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Related:
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The editors of Forbes magazine “leafed” through the top fall foliage destinations to come up with 10 that they think are worth a look. Making the list was our own Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway; an 85-mile loop through the Southwest’s mountains, valleys and national forests that are currently covered in gorgeous fall foliage:
It’s not your run-of-the-mill autumn scene, but a trip on the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway will change your perspective of what fall foliage looks like. Aspen trees explode in bold yellows; cottonwoods transform into gold and red; and purple cinquefoil adds a little flavor. September and October are the best months to roam this 85-mile trail around Taos, Red River and Eagle Nest, and the valleys, mountains and mesas make this the quintessential Southwestern drive.
I happened to take a leisurely Sunday drive today and snapped a few pictures of Taos Ski Valley’s autumn in all its glory (click on the pictures to enlarge). It’s no wonder so many folks drive up here to experience this heaven on earth. I have to say, until recently, autumn had been my least favorite season. But moving here can change a man’s mind. Poet Paul Laurence Dunbar explains why fall has never been about death and dying, but the highest time of living!
Merry Autumn by Paul Laurence Dunbar
It’s all a farce,—these tales they tell
About the breezes sighing,
And moans astir o’er field and dell,
Because the year is dying.
Such principles are most absurd,—
I care not who first taught ’em;
There’s nothing known to beast or bird
To make a solemn autumn.
In solemn times, when grief holds sway
With countenance distressing,
You’ll note the more of black and gray
Will then be used in dressing.
Now purple tints are all around;
The sky is blue and mellow;
And e’en the grasses turn the ground
From modest green to yellow.
The seed burs all with laughter crack
On featherweed and jimson;
And leaves that should be dressed in black
Are all decked out in crimson.
A butterfly goes winging by;
A singing bird comes after;
And Nature, all from earth to sky,
Is bubbling o’er with laughter.
The ripples wimple on the rills,
Like sparkling little lasses;
The sunlight runs along the hills,
And laughs among the grasses.
The earth is just so full of fun
It really can’t contain it;
And streams of mirth so freely run
The heavens seem to rain it.
Don’t talk to me of solemn days
In autumn’s time of splendor,
Because the sun shows fewer rays,
And these grow slant and slender.
Why, it’s the climax of the year,—
The highest time of living!—
Till naturally its bursting cheer
Just melts into thanksgiving.
Jennie Iverson has just published her first cookbook, Ski Town Soups: Signature Soups from World Class Ski Resorts. I’m pleased that Taos Ski Valley is represented in this beautiful book — The Blonde Bear Tavern contributed two recipes, and The Bavarian shared the recipe for its famous Bavarian goulash (featured on the book’s cover).
Jennie is a wife and a mother of two boys; she tells how her family savors days on the mountain. Not only does she love the snow, but she has a general adoration of winter. She’s enthusiastic about making soups, stews and chilies in cold weather, and relishes a cup or bowl in front of the fire with her family.
Over the past three years she embarked on a journey to hunt down the best soups as she traveled to Sun Valley, Jackson Hole, Mt. Bachelor, Mt. Hood, Whitefish Mountain., Big Sky, Moonlight Basin, Heavenly, Northstar-at-Tahoe, Park City, Vail, and Beaver Creek. What grew from these travel experiences was what she describes as a perfectly balanced recipe for life: a ski town, a comfortable restaurant, and a yummy bowl of soup. As she likes to say: “Although soup is typically meant to simmer, life is meant to boil!”
The Ski Town Soups cookbook is a must-have souvenir for skiers and foodies alike. The book is a beautiful, colorful rendition of 60 North American ski resorts, restaurant dining rooms, renowned chefs, and over 100 unique soup recipes with ultimate regional flare.
I’ve had a chance to preview this cookbook before it’s available to the public and I’m happy to recommend it to anyone who loves soups, chowders, bisques, and chilies. The recipes are conveniently categorized in these sections. Each recipe is rated with a “difficulty level” from “easiest” to “most difficult”. The recipes were shared by some of the best chefs in North America’s mountain resorts and features beautiful photographs not only of the delicious dishes, but of the continent’s most beautiful mountain getaways.
The book’s foreword is provided by Kelly Liken, who, along with her husband, owns Restaurant Kelly Liken in Vail, Colorado. She begins by saying, “It has been said that the mark of a great chef can be found in their creation of a great soup.”
You can order the book from Amazon by clicking here. For a preview, check out Jennie’s blog at www.skitownsoups.com.
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Oktoberfrest is a 16-day festival held each year in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It runs from late September to the first weekend in October. Oktoberfest is one of Germany’s most famous events and is considered the world’s largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. Countless communities across the world also celebrate this beer festival, and Taos Ski Valley is no exception! Our celebration is Saturday, September 15th.
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History of Oktoberfest
Crown Prince Ludwig, who later became King, married Princess Terese of Saxe-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810. Everyone in Munich was invited to the festivities held on the fields at the city gates. The fields were named Theresienwiese (“Theresa’s Meadow”) in honor of the Princess. The locals refer to the field as Wies’n.
Horse races in the presence of the Royal Family marked the event’s closing that was celebrated as a festival for the whole of Bavaria. The decision to repeat the horse races in the subsequent year gave rise to the tradition of the Oktoberfest.
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Two Classic Dishes
Along with the ubiquitous bratwurst, pretzels, and (of course) beer, there are two other dishes that abound during Oktoberfest season: Obatzda (cheese and beer dip on rye bread) and Datschi (fruit-topped cake).
I turned to The Blonde Bear Tavern’s Consulting Chef, Andreas Dirnagl, for these classic recipes (klassischen Rezepten). Andreas’s parents (pictured above) are Bavarian natives, who moved to the United States shortly after their 1957 marriage.
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Obatzda
Chef Andreas gives us background:
A Bavarian specialty in the beer gardens, Obatzda is really more of a spread than a dip. Use a good hearty rye or dark bread (sliced works best). Place a slice of bread on a plate with a scoop of the spread on top. Garnish with onion, chive, and paprika. You can also serve radishes with salt and butter on the side. Yum!
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Ingredients:
Preparing Obatzda
Note: For a more authentic texture, set aside about 1/3 of the Camembert in a small dice and then fold it into the finished product. You may also use a bit of the rind.
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Datschi
Datschi (pronounced dah-chi) is a Bavarian word that means any of a variety of fruit-topped cake. Again, Chef Andreas gives us background:
Commonality is that the dough is pressed into a straight sided pan (Datschi comes from the verb detschen, which means “to smoosh”). There is no rim built up on the edges of the dough, and it is topped with some form of fresh fruit. Streusel topping is optional. The dessert is served simply on a small plate, usually topped with a dollop of whipped cream.
These cakes are a mainstay of every Bavarian bakery and major open air festival, as they can be made in big sheets. Fruit topping is variable, although plum is the most common. If you want authenticity, you need Italian plums. Remember in baking – if it eats sour, it bakes sweet and vice versa. Italian plums look kind of like plum tomatoes (as opposed to regular plums, which are round) and are quite sour if you eat them raw. When you bake them they become sweet / sour.
This recipe is from my mom, Inge, and is quite common in the Bavarian neighborhood where she grew up:
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Ingredients:
For the Cake
For the Optional Streusel
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Preparing Datschi
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For optional streusel:
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Variations:
If using apples, use a tart variety. Peel, core, and slice into about 1/2″ wedges. You can also use about a 1/4 inch layer of apricot or raspberry jam or jelly if you have no fruit on hand. If using jam or jelly topping, then streusel is no longer optional – rather double the streusel recipe and completely cover the jam/ jelly topping with streusel before baking.
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Oktoberfest at Taos Ski Valley
This year looks to be the biggest and best Oktoberfest in Taos Ski Valley. And it’s FREE fun for all ages.
The day will feature an authentic Schuplatter band and dancers, German beer and food, activities for kids, Brat eating contest, Yodeling contest, Alpenhorn blowing contests, and more.
Our Village stores will be offering pre-season blowout prices on ski gear and sporting apparel.
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*A Note about the Black and White Photo Above:
At my request, Andreas sent me an Oktoberfest picture with his mom (whose Datschi recipe she graciously shared) and dad (who is now deceased). He sent the following accompanying message, which I think bears repeating:
The year was 1957 and Mom was 28. This is Oktoberfest as it used to be. Mom is on the left with my dad immediately behind her. They would have been married all of 4 months at this point. Behind my dad is my grandfather (mom’s dad). The woman on the right is my Aunt Maria and the man with his arm around her shoulder is her husband, my Uncle Siegried (my dad’s brother). The other man is a stranger who photo bombed the picture.
Mom says that she and my Aunt went for a walk to see the sights at Oktoberfest and the men stayed back in the tent to save the seats. By the time they got back, the men were ripped and as she passed by to sit down my uncle grabbed her beret and wore it for the picture.
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In a paper published by Science (subscription required), researchers give the answer:
It’s the redness.
The New York Times’ Gina Kolata explains:
The unexpected culprit is a gene mutation that occurred by chance and that was discovered by tomato breeders. It was deliberately bred into almost all tomatoes because it conferred an advantage: It made them a uniform luscious scarlet when ripe.
The very gene that was inactivated by that mutation plays an important role in producing the sugar and aromas that are the essence of a fragrant, flavorful tomato. And these findings provide a road map for plant breeders to make better-tasting, evenly red tomatoes.
The discovery “is one piece of the puzzle about why the modern tomato stinks,” said Harry Klee, a tomato researcher at the University of Florida in Gainesville who was not involved in the research. “That mutation has been introduced into almost all modern tomatoes. Now we can say that in trying to make the fruit prettier, they reduced some of the important compounds that are linked to flavor.”
Dr. Ann Powell, a lead author of the Science paper, said there is a way around the issue. Heirloom tomatoes and many wild species do not have the uniform ripening mutation. “The idea is to get the vegetable seed industry interested,” she said.
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In 1784, Thomas Jefferson struck a deal with one of his slaves, 19-year-old James Hemings. The founding Father was traveling to Paris and wanted to bring James along “for a particular purpose” – to master the art of French cooking. In exchange for James’s cooperation, Jefferson would grant his freedom.
Thus began one of the strangest partnerships in U.S. history. As James apprenticed under master French chefs, Jefferson studied the cultivation of French crops (especially grapes for winemaking) so they might be replicated in American agriculture. The two men returned home with such marvels as pasta, French fries, champagne, macaroni and cheese, crème brûlée, and a host of other treats. This narrative nonfiction book tells the fascinating story behind their remarkable adventure – and includes 12 of their original recipes.
The book, scheduled to be published September 12, is by Thomas J. Craughwell, who provides a synopsis in the latest issue of The American Spectator:
Jefferson’s desire for a French chef was not a sign that he was a food snob. He enjoyed plantation fare, so much so that while he was in Paris, he developed a Hankering for smoked Virginia ham and Indian corn. But he also had a taste for the best, and French cuisine was said to be the best in the world. His passion for good food was a natural extension of his passion for gardening and his fascination with plants. His gardens were not simply decorative; they produced the fruits, vegetables, and herbs that fed his family. They were also botany laboratories where he experimented to see which varieties of fruits and vegetables would thrive in Virginia. In 1770, behind Monticello, he had his slaves cut a large terrace from the side of the mountain and clear the ground for a kitchen garden that ultimately would grow to be 1,000 feet long and 80 feet wide. In time, it would produce more than 300 varieties of vegetables.
Other books by Craughwell include The Greatest Brigade: How the Irish Brigade Cleared the Way to Victory in the Civil War (Fair Winds, 2011) and Stealing Lincoln’s Body (Harvard University Press, 2007).
Order now and enjoy Amazon’s Pre-order Price Guarantee: If the Amazon.com price decreases between your order time and the end of the day of the release date, you’ll receive the lowest price.
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I loved when Celeste came to Bellavitae. Bright blue eyes and a beautiful smile, she was as lovely inside as she was to the eye.
Full of grace and charm, she could sweep any man off his feet, even in her 90s — and I indeed swooned. She died the other day at 95.
She won the Academy Award in 1947 for best supporting actress for her performance in “Gentlemen’s Agreement” and received Oscar nominations for “Come to the Stable” (1949) and “All About Eve” (1950).
Ann Althouse provides this quote:
“I walked onto the set of ‘All About Eve’ on the first day and said, ‘Good Morning,’ and do you know her reply? [Bette Davis] said, ‘Oh shit, good manners’. I never spoke to her again – ever.”
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At Bellavitae in New York, we enjoyed serving the many celebrities who dined with us. As I wrote when we closed, “I’ve never been star struck, but it was always fun to have famous people in the restaurant, many of whom became regulars.”
Here in northern New Mexico, we dine with different kinds of stars – thousands of them twinkling above in the heavens. At an altitude of nearly 10,000 feet, the dry Southwest sky is virtually free of humidity, dust, and manmade pollutants, enabling brilliant stars to penetrate the velvet darkness above.
This summer, The Blonde Bear Tavern will be serving a gourmet dinner on a moonless night to celebrate the stars: August 11th at 7:00 pm. Joining us will be Geoff Goins and Night Sky Adventures, who will show us the night’s universe, in real time, with our own eyes. After dessert, we’ll explore the night sky through one of the largest telescopes in New Mexico – with one of the best astronomy guides in the country.
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The Menu
The prix fixe menu is Piedmont-inspired – an Italian region also known for its spectacular Alpine night skies. And the dates correspond with Taos Ski Valley’s local chanterelle season – so if Mother Nature cooperates, these fabulous mushrooms will be a part of the menu.
Insalata di Lattuga con Pinoli e Parmigiano
Lettuce Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts, Parmigiano Shavings and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Fagiano con Chanterelle e Funghi Selvatici
Pheasant with Taos Ski Valley Chanterelle and Wild Mushroom Sauce
Gnocchi alla Parigina
Parisian-style Gnocchi
Verdure di Stagione
Seasonal Vegetables
Composta di Frutti di Bosco con Gelato
Mixed Berries sautéed in Balsamic Vinegar with Vanilla Gelato
Price: $28.95 per person + tax and gratuity, beverages not included.
We will be offering several specially selected wines by the bottle and glass.
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The Night Sky
Geoff promises a spectacular summer sky:
“Depending on the time of year, the rings of Saturn, Jupiter’s great red spot and moons are all plainly visible. The polar ice caps, surface color variations and dust storms of Mars, the crescent phases, and beautiful cloud tops of Venus and the green disk of Uranus all show their beauty through the eyepiece. The space walk feel of the surface of the Moon at over 300 power is simply breathtaking.”
He encourages questions and guests are welcome to bring their own binoculars and to share their experiences.
One interesting note: The annual Perseids Meteor Shower – the most famous of all meteor showers – will be peaking around August 11th. It never fails to provide an impressive display and, due to its summertime appearance, tends to provide the majority of meteors seen by non-astronomy enthusiasts.
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Please Join Us!
Pardon the pun, but if the planets align on this date, we’re sure to have a magical evening.
Seating is limited and reservations are essential. For more information or to make your reservation, call 575-737-6900.
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