Jane Stern - Elegant Comfort Food from Dorset Inn: Traditional Cooking from Vermonts Oldest Continuously Operating Inn

Elegant Comfort Food
from the
DORSET
INNElegant Comfort Food
from the
DORSET
INNJANE & MICHAEL STERN Copyright 2005 Jane & Michael Stern
Recipes copyright 2005 Sissy Hicks All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Published by Rutledge Hill Press, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, Tennessee, 37214. Rutledge Hill Press books may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fundraising, or sales promotional use. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Stern, Jane.
Elegant comfort food from the Dorset Inn / Jane & Michael Stern.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-4016-0198-7 (hardcover)
1. Cookery. I. I.

Stern, Michael, 1946 II. Dorset Inn. III. Title.
TX714.S771 2005
641.5dc22 2005009606 Printed in the United States of America 05 06 07 08 09-5 4 3 2 1 To the wonderful spirit
of my sister smebs
Deborah P. AxelrodCONTENTS
BREAKFAST T he Dorset Inn had been a town landmark for a few centuries when we came across it some three years ago. We were dazzled: first by breakfast, then by dinner, then by a few more meals that seemed to us the epitome of elegant Yankee comfort food.

Then, when we got to know the place itself and Sissy Hicks and her wonderful staff and adorable dogs, we were convinced that here was exactly the sort of restaurant we yearn to discover... and love to write about. So, when we say that putting together a book about this place was a pleasure, we mean it. We loved every minute, whether hanging around the inn for leisurely breakfasts or trying out the excellent recipes at home. We are so grateful to Sissy for her willingness to contribute whatever was needed all along the way. She is what hospitality is all about.

We thank Rutledge Hill Press for having made a reality of our dream of commemorating favorite restaurants around the country in a series of Roadfood cookbooks. In particular, we are grateful to Pamela Clements, Roger Waynick, and Larry Stone, who have shared our passion for great meals around the country, and whose support and belief in this series make it happen. We also thank Geoff Stone for his scrupulous editing and Bryan Curtis for his good ideas to spread the word. The friendship and guidance of our comrades at Gourmet magazine are a constant inspiration as we travel around the country researching our Roadfood column. Like many writers, we tend to write with particular readers in mindreaders who motivate us to do our best. In this case, Ruth Reichl, James Rodewald, and Doc Willoughby are muses who are always at our side.

We never hit the road without our virtual companions at Roadfood.comSteve Rushmore Sr., Stephen Rushmore and Kristin Little, Cindy Keuchle, and Marc Brunowho constantly fan the flames of appetite and discovery along Americas highways and byways. As the Web site has grown, we have found ourselves part of a great national community of people who love to travel and explore local foodways as much as we do. For the support and encouragement of all those who take part in the ongoing adventure of Roadfood.com, we are deeply obliged. Thanks also to agent Doe Coover for her tireless work on our behalf, and to Jean Wagner, Jackie Willing, Mary Ann Rudolph and Ned Schankman for making it possible for us to travel in confidence that alls well at home. Q uite simply, I love food. I have had a wonderful journey these last thirty plus years being able to devote my time, as well as my passion, to the preparation and serving of a vast variety of food.

My focus has evolved to an emphasis on mostly organic and locally grown products. I have become dedicated to supporting dairy farmers, farmers markets, bread makers, etc. Loyal customers, both local and those who come to stay at my inn, have helped to create a terrific restaurant. The atmosphere has remained casual with an emphasis on quality and consistency, and I am fortunate to have a great staff that knows and interacts with everyone. Breakfast is my favorite meal, both to cook and to eat! My cuisine is often described as "comfort food," most likely because I really do cook from my heart and try to stay away from "trendy" dishes. Most recently, I have become involved in the Slow Food movement, which has greatly enhanced my philosophies in the kitchen.

The mission of Slow Food is to support artisans who grow, produce, market, and prepare wholesome foods. The movement also supports the revival of the kitchen and the table as centers of pleasure, culture, and economy. I am most grateful to Misse and Chris as inspirations for the induction of the Slow Food movement into my cuisine. It is a joy to be able to share my recipes with you, and my hope is that you have as much pleasure in preparing them as I have had. There is so much that goes into the development of the interpretations of food, and I am incredibly lucky to have been surrounded by some wonderful sous-chefs and interns throughout the years. They have each given more than they have taken away.

The remaining "cogs-in-the-wheel" of my staff are also invaluable-my bartenders, front desk staff, housekeepers, landscape technicians, wait staff-their net worth is incalculable. I hope that Elegant Comfort Food from the Dorset Inn will make cooking for you a little easier, a little better, a lot more fun, and it will encourage you to seek adventure in your own kitchen. Sissy Hicks T he Dorset Inn sings of Green Mountain character. Its two-century history, its setting on the village green, its broad front porch just right for rocking, its inviting hearth and broad-plank floors all contribute to an enveloping sense of place that could be nowhere else. When you eat herebreakfast, lunch, or dinneryou are savoring Vermont at its very best. Chef and owner Sissy Hicks calls the meals she makes comfort food, and they are.

But like the town of Dorset itself, this is a very fine kind of country comfort with an unmistakable air of elegance. Yes, you can have meat and potatoes for supper, but the meat may be pot roast Provenale and the potatoes may be roasted reds stuffed with pured yams. Not that there is anything ostentatious about the food service here. The dinner tables, especially in the tavern, are as cozy as a club room. While the Dorset Inn is a destination for travelers in search of good food (and traditional accommodations for the night), it is also where locals come for lunch and supper to enjoy each others company as well as the delicious meals. It is not easy to define the Dorset Inns cuisine.

It is categorically local in terms of ingredients, from Green Mountain maple syrup for morning waffles to small farm beefsteak and wild fiddlehead ferns at dinner. But Chef Hicks doesnt make a fetish of Vermont cuisine. I pick up ideas here and there, she says. I throw stuff together; I always find ways to put leftovers to good use. I cook the way it feels right. I never ventured off into nouvelle cuisine or anything like that.