An Authentic Vermont Cookie

  

And when it comes to these kinds of cookies, you best bet on the butter quotient, simply because in this case, butter does make it better! Gesine Bullock-Prado, who is the author of the new cookbook, My Vermont Table, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about how these self-described "cozy" cookies, and the butteriest you'll ever make. Gesine told Tonia that these are Maple Tuiles, a French cookie by heritage, kicked with the seasonal flavor of maple, arguably one of Vermont's most famous exports. Gesine told Tonia that even though these cookies are fancy French, you only have to bake them for three minutes. Your reward, a crispy, buttery cookie you'll adore!

4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick; 57 g) unsalted European butter (I use Vermont Creamery cultured butter), at room temperature.

1⁄2 cup (96 g) maple sugar (I use Choice Maple out of Hartford, VT)

1 large egg white, at room temperature

1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1⁄2 cup (60 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur)

1⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the butter and maple sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix until smooth. Scrape the bowl and add the egg white

and vanilla bean paste. Mix until combined. Scrape the bowl again, add the flour and salt, and mix until combined. Alternatively, you can mix this by hand in a bowl with a flat, wooden spoon. In that case, make sure your butter is slightly softer than room temperature.

Place about a teaspoon of the batter on a silicone baking mat and spread into a very thin 2-by-4-inch rectangle. Bake for 1 to 2 minutes, until the batter is golden brown. While the cookie is still warm and pliable, roll the cookie around a chopstick into a tight cylinder. Once you get a hang of the process, you can graduate to making two cookies at a time.

Excerpted from MY VERMONT TABLE: Recipes for all (Six) Seasons by Gesine Bullock-Prado Copyright © 2023. Used with permission of the publisher, Countryman Press. All rights reserved.

Raymond Prado photo credit

An Easy Beef Wellington

  

It's not easy to make Beef Wellington, in fact it's one of the trickier mains to master, simply because you need to get the beef tenderloin to a certain temperature while it's wrapped. Not a simple task when you're trying to create a visually stunning masterpiece. But Gesine Bullock-Prado, who wrote the new cookbook My Vermont Table told Tonia's Kitchen that there's a way to warm the Wellington, while not giving up its visual appeal. Gesine told Tonia she sub heats the cut of tenderloin before searing it. That way, the job is about 9/10ths of the way done while cooking. This takes place in the oven, and allows the tenderloin to be tender, flavorful and juicy!

A True Vermont Cookie

 

And when it comes to these kinds of cookies, you best bet on the butter quotient, simply because in this case, butter does make it better! Gesine Bullock-Prado, who is the author of the new cookbook, My Vermont Table, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about how these self-described "cozy" cookies, and the butteriest you'll ever make. Gesine told Tonia that these are Maple Tuiles, a French cookie by heritage, kicked with the seasonal flavor of maple, arguably one of Vermont's most famous exports. Gesine told Tonia that even though these cookies are fancy French, you only have to bake them for three minutes. Your reward, a crispy, buttery cookie you'll adore!

4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick; 57 g) unsalted European butter (I use Vermont Creamery cultured butter), at room temperature.

1⁄2 cup (96 g) maple sugar (I use Choice Maple out of Hartford, VT)

1 large egg white, at room temperature

1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1⁄2 cup (60 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur)

1⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the butter and maple sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix until smooth. Scrape the bowl and add the egg white

and vanilla bean paste. Mix until combined. Scrape the bowl again, add the flour and salt, and mix until combined. Alternatively, you can mix this by hand in a bowl with a flat, wooden spoon. In that case, make sure your butter is slightly softer than room temperature.

Place about a teaspoon of the batter on a silicone baking mat and spread into a very thin 2-by-4-inch rectangle. Bake for 1 to 2 minutes, until the batter is golden brown. While the cookie is still warm and pliable, roll the cookie around a chopstick into a tight cylinder. Once you get a hang of the process, you can graduate to making two cookies at a time.

Excerpted from MY VERMONT TABLE: Recipes for all (Six) Seasons by Gesine Bullock-Prado Copyright © 2023. Used with permission of the publisher, Countryman Press. All rights reserved.

Raymond Prado photo credit

The Easy Beef Wellington

 

It's not easy to make Beef Wellington, in fact it's one of the trickier mains to master, simply because you need to get the beef tenderloin to a certain temperature while it's wrapped. Not a simple task when you're trying to create a visually stunning masterpiece. But Gesine Bullock-Prado, who wrote the new cookbook My Vermont Table told Tonia's Kitchen that there's a way to warm the Wellington, while not giving up its visual appeal. Gesine told Tonia she sub heats the cut of tenderloin before searing it. That way, the job is about 9/10ths of the way done while cooking. This takes place in the oven, and allows the tenderloin to be tender, flavorful and juicy!

A Vermont Twist On a Classic Sandwich

  



It's called the VER-MONTE Cristo (see what we did there?)Today we travel north to Vermont, to learn about an artisan cheesemaker take on a breakfast classic, French Toast.  But now we add the element of creamy cheddar cheese.  Chef Jimmy Kennedy with the Cabot Cheese Creamery of Vermont came by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about his recipe for the Ver-monte Cristo.  Essentially, its French Toast with sharp cheddar cheese, sautéed onions or shallots, brought together in a sandwich, topped with maple syrup and maybe served with sausage or ham.  It's both sweet and deliciously salty, quite the combination!

• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 4 slices favorite local bread, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons Cabot Unsalted Butter, divided
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced
• 1 whole shallot or very small onion, julienned or thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 4 ounces Cabot Sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 cup)
• 2 large cooked sausage patties or thick slices ham

Directions

1. In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half and vanilla. Add bread slices, turning to coat with mixture, and set aside to soak.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in small skillet over medium-high heat; add apple slices and shallot or onion and cook until tender. Add vinegar and cook for one minute longer. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Melt remaining butter in large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Remove bread slices from egg mixture (discard remaining egg mixture) and cook in skillet for about two minutes on each side.
4. Layer cheese, sausage or ham and apple mixture evenly over two of bread slices. Top with remaining two bread slices.
5. Cook for one minute or until golden on underside. Turn sandwiches over and cook for one minute longer, or until sandwich is golden on second side and cheese is melted. Cut in half and serve warm.

Not All Cheese Is Created The Same...

...just ask the folks at Cabot Creamery. While cheese lovers in the Midwest and western states may not be familiar with this crafty cheesemaker, people in the Northeast have been enjoying the quality and craftsmanship of Cabot Cheese for generations. Sarah Pastula is an Experience Guide with the Cabot Cheese Factory in Waterbury Center, Vermont. She told Tonia's Kitchen what makes their products special, is the milk. 

Rich and buttery milk that comes from cows raised on over 600 farms which are part of the Cabot Collective, which in and of itself is 100-percent farmer owned. Better milk translates to better cheese. Don't believe us? Just Look at the awards Cabot has won over the years, including best Cheddar in the world. And she adds Cheddar is so versatile, with all the varieties they've made from the same basic recipe over the years. Once you get beyond that, there's all sorts of flavors and textures they've made from it. The key, says Sarah, is aging the cheese. From 6 months to 5 years, depending on how long it's aged, the Cheddar gets sharper, and the flavors become very bold. Learn more about Cabot Cheese and what they do at the Cabot Cheese Visitors Center

The Non-Tricky Beef Wellington

It's not easy to make Beef Wellington, in fact it's one of the trickier mains to master, simply because you need to get the beef tenderloin to a certain temperature while it's wrapped. Not a simple task when you're trying to create a visually stunning masterpiece. But Gesine Bullock-Prado, who wrote the new cookbook My Vermont Table told Tonia's Kitchen that there's a way to warm the Wellington, while not giving up its visual appeal. Gesine told Tonia she sub heats the cut of tenderloin before searing it. That way, the job is about 9/10ths of the way done while cooking. This takes place in the oven, and allows the tenderloin to be tender, flavorful and juicy!