As the ramps, chives, radishes and asparagus pop up, do you even remember winter? Two months ago, the snow in Minnesota was deep and I had the task of creating a meal for fifty people using only Minnesota ingredients.
Cooking with obstructions can be one of the most inspiring ways of creating a menu. After all, if you have everything to choose from, how do you focus? Minnesota winters give you more than enough barriers to really create something unique.
This video shows that February dinner. We made good use of the root cellar and the game from late fall.
The menu is as follows:
- Sunfish panna cotta, pancetta, sauerkraut
- Potato, pork tongue and mushroom pave, sheeps milk ricotta, apple butter, snow pea shoots
- Game bird consomme, savoy cabbage, duck egg, duck prosciutto, onion marmalade
- Wild rice, elk and venison, baby arugula, beet and cranberry
- Squash tart, parsnip ice cream, concord grape syrup, lavender
As spring begins to give us great foods, remember to pickle and preserve so we can enjoy these spring treats in the winter.
After learning to cook at his mother’s bed and breakfast, Daniel Klein (The Perennial Plate) went on to work and train at many of the world’s top restaurants. His culinary education brought him to Spain, France, England, India and New York, where he has worked and trained at top Michelin starred restaurants. After graduating from NYU, Daniel also pursued a career in film.