Chef's Treat

Today I'm cooking with odds and ends from an event.

I spent the last three days feeding 11 writers at the historic Rivendell house on Monteagle. During the drive up, I realized our incredibly fortuitous timing; we would arrive at the retreat just as Fall hit its prime. Crispy mornings, beautiful colors (shout out to oak trees, WOW!), dancing leaves, a wood burning fireplace and good company all made for a weekend to remember. I came home yesterday with not only an intense feeling of gratitude, but also a few freezer bags stuffed with quite the assortment of leftovers.

I’ve decided to use the best first— a couple cups sticky, rich, gelatinous stock from braising whole turkey legs in cloudy apple cider. Because what is a chilly November mountain getaway without a Friendsgiving meal, am I right? This morning I sauteed half a leek, a couple carrots, and some frozen shiitakes from my R&D. In went the stock along with tiny bits of ultra tender meat at the bottom and about 1/4 cup Japanese curry gravy. A soup has never come together faster. Later I’ll add kale from the garden and cooked wild rice, plus plenty of chopped herbs.

For dessert, another top tier leftover! Long Island Cheese pumpkin I poached in an outrageous amount of brown sugar with whole cinnamon, cloves and orange peel. I’ll serve it over Greek yogurt (also leftover) with a drizzle of its own syrup and a dash of cinnamon.

If you’re interested in attending a retreat like this in the future, consider joining The Porch, a non-profit that organizes lots of events for writers in the Southeast.