the 17th vermont brewers' festival

two weeks ago, andrea asked if i'd be interested in going up to burlington for the annual vermont brewer's festival. does a dog have fleas? lisa drove up from connecticut and we left on friday afternoon. after traffic miscellaneously up 93 and 89, we stopped for dinner in downtown burlington. it was dark when we got to the campsite, but we sat under a tent canopy intended for small trucks and drank rum and coke and i poured surreptitious shots of basil hayden's for people who would appreciate it. more than two inches of rain fell on friday night; by 1am, the gradually rising water level at my end of the tent drove me out into the back seat of the car where i eventually fell asleep on top of a pile of cd cases.

we camped with people who care about food. (photo by brennan guerriere.)

next morning, there were stacks of bacon and ziploc omelets, and i made a batch of sourdough pancakes with the starter that's been doing its thing for two weeks, massive blueberries andrea picked at home, a half cup of bacon fat, and dark grade B maple syrup we got from the bulk bin at the local co-op. they were stunningly delicious--softly-crisp outside, tender and fluffy within. the next pancake sunday, east coast edition, is way overdue. it was noon by the time breakfast was over; i got an extra large cup of chuck's home brewed ryePA (a stunningly good, crisp, floral, dry-hopped rye IPA) and we went down to the lake to doze on the sand before grilling burgers for an early dinner before beer.

when we got to the fairground, there was already a line stretching at least 300 yards. we got our beer tickets (15 tickets, each redeemable for a pour) and a glass to drink beer from. after this, my memory begins to haze over. i vaguely recall an abundance of really beautiful dogs, having a seagull do a small poop on my arm, and having many excellent beers, including (but probably not limited to)

• dogfish's chicory stout and raison d'etre
• harpoon's munich dark
• allagash's tripel
• dieu du ciel's route des epices, rosee d'hibiscus, and aphrodisiaque
• north coast's pranqster
• ommegang's rare vos and hennepin
• magic hat's brown rice lager
• long trail's blackbeary wheat
• rock art's belgo-american ipa and the sunny and 75
• vermont pub and brewery's epinette and forbidden fruit
• trout river's double time and whitewater

i had 5 tickets left when they announced the imminent closing of the festival, so we cut a couple of lines and pounded our last beers--this was a crime, especially for the double time and white water. the skies were clear by the time the police kicked us out. we walked back along the lakefront trail with fireflies glowing in the bushes and the milky way a bright sash across the sky.

zucchini

apparently, some people who cultivate the zucchini plant are overwhelmed by its plenitude, to the point where they creep up to porches in the dead of night to leave bags of the squash hanging, unwanted, from doors. i have never had this problem but, even if i did, zucchini pancakes are clearly the solution. the ny times recently had an article about zucchini pancakes but i found their version rubbery and insufficiently delightful. these i inflicted on the unsuspecting crowd at tory and elizabeth's easter dinner last night; happily, the modifications i made this morning (much less egg, much less flour) produced a truly transcendent version, delicate and crisp.

pancakes
2 medium zucchini
1/4 cup onion
1 egg
1 tablespoon dry dill (or 2-3 if fresh)
handful crumbled feta (large lumps are sort of nice)
handful grated parmesan

after grating the zucchini and the onion, salt liberally and allow to drain for about 10 minutes, then wring as much water out as possible. wrapping the mass of shredded zucchini in a clean towel helps. zucchini shrinks dramatically when wrung out. this is normal. in a medium-ish bowl, mix the zucchini and onions with the egg, dill, feta, parmesan. the mixture should be an appealing spring green and be a slightly runny mass. proceed now to make the sauce.

sauce
5 hefty cloves garlic
dash each cayenne, dry mint, cumin, black pepper
1 cup whole milk yogurt (thick greek style is best)

peel and mince the garlic, combine with spices and yogurt, refrigerate. this stuff will also slay a good lamb burger.

assembly
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder

after putting the sauce to bed, dust off your local cast iron skillet and heat a tablespoon of oil in it. add the flour and baking powder to the zucchini and eggs. resist the urge to overmix. drop about a tablespoonful of the batter into the hot skillet and flatten it out (3" diameter is a good size). an 8-inch skillet fits 3 of these at a time. allow one side to brown before flipping using a thin metal spatula. drain on wire rack on top of newsprint or paper towels, and serve with sauce. these deflate in a particularly dispiriting way when they are allowed to get cold.

friday night taco (beta)

pancake sunday has a new friend. last night: a stack of freshly-warmed corn tortillas with spanish rice, black beans, shredded braised chicken, cilantro, chopped tomatoes and onions, lime, and shredded cabbage, and an enormous tray of enchiladas. and 24 coronas. the nap afterward was epic.

pancake poet

The heart of real buckwheats, after all, is fragile, gentle, slow-beating, and indisputably alive ... Made into a batter sparked to life with some sourdough starter, left to ferment and mellow overnight, then sweetened in the morning with a little molasses, and baked on a griddle, the resulting soft, flannel-textured flapjack, with its delicate flavor and nutty, tangy aftertaste, is the pancake ethereal.

john thorne, serious pig

the return of pancake sunday

pancakes again today, for the first time in many months, during which we used every plate, mug, and champagne glass in the kitchen. we are now also the happy custodians of a bottle each of elderflower and boysenberry syrup, collectively divers and arguably exotick. pancakes are an eminently scalable weekend breakfast food particularly the mix is home-made in bulk. alton brown's formula is foolproof, but his instructions for wet ingredients are unnecessarily fiddly.

1. buttermilk is expensive and what else do you use it for? -- a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in the milk works just fine;
2. for that matter, no need for milk. water makes a fine, light pancake with a crisper surface;
   
3. eggs can be beaten in whole. separating them makes for a tenderer pancake (or, at least, so it appears) but is not worth the trouble;
   
4. melted butter is messy, especially without a microwave. a dribble of olive or canola oil is just as good and significantly easier.
   

my theory about cooking food for many people is that it is a fine pretext to inventory and draw down the contents of the fridge, use all the crockery and cutlery, and then clean everything after. it's a bit like taking the vintage car out for a turn around the mountain every couple of weeks, just to keep the fluids running right -- healthy in general, and good for the tubing.