Farmer's Luncheon at the Four Seasons

I had the incredible opportunity to be invited to a luncheon celebrating the local 160 farmers, ranchers and producers that Four Seasons Hualalai's Executive Chef James Babian works with. I was already aware that Jim had an extensive commitment to local and sustainable food, but I really did not understand how many farmers, ranchers and producers were involved in meeting the goal of serving up 75% local food to the guests at the Four Seasons Hualalai. That is an incredible ratio, one that is larger than any other resort on the big island, perhaps in all of Hawaii.

Chef Babian and his staff created a luncheon of local and sustainable foods to thank the people that provide them with so much. While any meal I have at the Four Seasons is a true delight, this one seemed to me to be extra special because I was dining with the people who grew the lettuces, vegetables, fruits, meats, and multiple other things that we were treated to. So many comments were made by these purveyors about how they had never been recognized in such a way and how the luncheon was a very special event for them. 

The luncheon was also a symposium about local food and there was a great deal of input about the incredible array of items that are produced right here on the big island. Everything from Ice Cream to Wild Boar was discussed and on the menu. A "wish list" was provided for the guests, to let them know what additional items are needed in quantity to provide for the needs of the food service at the Four Seasons Hualalai. I have a feeling that  the 75% ratio is going to climb in the coming year. Our island is immense and has so many elevations and an agrarian history that goes all the way back to King Kamehameha. With our climate and so many farmer's dedicated to producing quality produce, meats like wild boar and beef cheeks and processed foods like ice cream, chocolate and goat cheese we are so fortunate.

I would personally like to thank Chef Babian for his commitment to local and sustainable food and for the generosity of the Four Seasons to host such a luncheon with such aloha. I am honored to have attended and I treasure the many new friends I made while dining and taking photos.

For related posts, see the story of Chef Babian's fabulous Avocado Luncheon served up for the American Culinary Federadion's Kona Kohala Chefs or check out my blog on my day spent with Nick Matracusa the Chef of Beach Tree restaurant at the Four Seasons Hualalai. We made Gnocchi and tasted many of the fun dishes that Nick and his staff have created.

Tangerine Juice

It is Tangerine season, the wonderful sweet and flavorful fruit that can be eaten by hand, juiced and made into a multitude of things. This time of year, I spend a lot of time squeezing tangerines and making juice. We drink the juice just as it is and also use it in cocktails such as margaritas and screwdrivers. I love to reduce the juice down and use it as a finishing sauce, adding just a bit of butter, tangerine zest and fresh herbs at the end of reduction.  If you have more than enough tangerines, you can make a terrific syrup which can be used on french toast or pancakes by making a simple syrup from three cups of tangerine juice and 1 cup of sugar, cook it down till it is reduced to about 1 2/2 cups and put into a bottle. This will keep refrigerated for about a month. The reduced juice can also be used in place of vinegar in a salad dressing. The zest is great in rice and grain dishes, especially those with pine nuts or pumpkin seeds..

Squeeze On!

And here is one of my favorite recipes for a Pork Loin with Tangerine Curry Sauce perfect for a holiday supper:

Pork Loin with Tangerine Curry Sauce

3 cups tangerine juice
1 carrot, finely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons chopped fresh curry leaf (optional)
2 leaves of fresh kaffir lime finely chopped
3 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, sliced
1 jalapeño chili or 4 Hawaiian chiles, seeded, minced
1 tablespoon toasted and ground cumin
1 tablespoon Thai red curry base
1 tablespoon palm sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup Thai red curry base
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled butter, cut into pieces

Combine tangerine juice, carrot, cilantro, curry leaf, kaffir lime leaf, grated fresh ginger, garlic, minced jalapeño, ground cumin, palm sugar and Thai red curry base in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil mixture until carrot is very tender and liquid is reduced by half, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Puree sauce in blender or processor in batches until smooth. Strain sauce and return to same saucepan.

Stir molasses, soy sauce, curry base and ginger in large glass baking dish. Add pork tenderloin and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove pork from marinade; discard marinade. Heat oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer skillet to oven and cook pork until thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 160°F, about 25 minutes. Transfer pork to platter. Tent with foil to keep warm.

Bring sauce to simmer. Remove from heat. Gradually add 6 tablespoons butter, whisking just until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cut pork into 1-inch-thick slices. Serve with sauce.

Brandied Cranberry Sauce

Every year when the stores start carrying cranberries in November, I start making batches of this luscious tart and spicy condiment. It is very easy to do and can be made with honey instead of the raw sugar. I have also made it with agave. You can use regular brandy but sometimes I use French Apple or Pear Brandy and other times cognac.

Ingredients:

1 package of raw cranberries (washed)
1/2 a cup of raw sugar
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (or lemon juice and increase sugar slightly)
1 Tablespoon good quality vanilla extract
zest from 1 orange
4 pieces of cinnamon sticks about 3" in length
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cardamon
1/2 cup brandy

Place the sugar and liquids in a pan over medium heat. Once the sugar has melted add cranberries and all spices, but hold off on the brandy. Cook on a low to medium heat stirring occasionally till the cranberries start to pop. Add brandy. Cook about 1 minute more. Remove from heat and chill or at least allow to cool before serving. Cranberries have natural pectin so the sauce thickens nicely when cooled.

Eye Candy: Digital Fruit Art

Here are some photos I worked over in Photo Shop. These were taken at the 12 Trees Project in Kona. You can see a full article I did about Ken Love and the Twelve Trees Project in the Fall issue of Edible Hawaiian Islands Magazine.

Here is one for my acid loving friend Sam Dooby: Pineapples

Wordless Wednesday : Hilo Farmer's Market

Ono Day.... starting in Volcano

Yesterday was an Ono (Hawaiian for good) Day! It started off with Wes, Valentine (our dog) and I driving up to Volcano at 6 am in order to get to the farmer's market there. It opens at 7 and Connie warned me that you have to get there early because it is composed of many small farmers instead of a few large ones and they sell out early. Most everything sold there is local and organic. There were lots of people there when we arrived and with Connie's advice, we drove through the first lot and into the second lot. As we drove in, there was a "No animals allowed sign" so we took Vali for a walk and then put her back in the car. Luckily it was a chilly morning up in Volcano, as you can see by the way people are dressed in the pictures. Speaking of the pictures, I had to use my cell phone camera because I left the Sony at home, so they are not the best quality.

The market was amazing and really fun. We will drive up there about one Sunday a month. There were several booths with prepared food, about 5 Thai booths, a Chinese Booth, A Japanese Booth and three or four bakers with incredible things. There were some booths selling teas and coffee and Wes bought a cup of coffee from one of them, but I did not get beans as my favorite beans are grown a few miles North of us from Hilo Sharks Coffee.

They also have a rummage sale going, which was fun. I found a fantastic German Mandoline (that is the kind you slice with, not a musical instrument) for 75 cents. I have a Swiss one on it's way in our container, but this was a nice one to use in the meantime.

The market has expanded and now is in two parts with one of the parking lots dividing it. All of the booths are under cover, so there is no need to worry about weather.

There were all kinds of ono produce for sale. We bought a few kinds of bananas, long slender green onions, beautiful baby kale, sweet onions, hard neck garlic, a white pineapple, purple shallots, deep red Roma tomatoes (picked the day before), yellow squash, spring lettuces with edible flowers and some stringless green beans. There were tons of flowers for sale and many plants and herbs too. We filled three of my Harrod's Shopping Bags and drove back home by 8:30 so Wes could go to his Yoga class.

More coming about the rest of our Ono Day... Gleaning the Sweet Potato Fields!

Fun Saturday in Hilo Town!

We had a great time with our friends Marsha and Ray on Saturday November 8th. They had spent the night at our new house the night before because we had gone to Black and White night in downtown Hilo (see pictures above of Ray and Marsha as well as our great friends Sharon and Kelly and one of many local bands who were playing in many venues).

On Saturday morning we went to the Hilo Farmer's Market and then went to Mo'oheau Park in Hilo for the E Malama 'Aina Sustainabilty Festival. There we ran into our friend Sonia Martinez who was running the Freecycle Booth at the festival. Freecycle is a network of people who post items that they have available for free to takers. Living on an island makes sustainability extremely important and Freecycle keeps things out of the land fills while also providing needed items to people.

The Hilo Veterans Day parade went right past the park and there were free folding chairs to use, so we sat and watched the parade, clapping for the various soldiers as they came by. The marching bands were also fun and I especially liked the ones in bright shirts and white pants or shorts... so Hawaiian.

It is great to be part of a town that is such a close knit community. While Hilo has 50,000 residents and it is the second largest town in Hawaii, it retains a very small town feeling. It is like going back in time at least 40 years. There are very few tourists and those that are there fit in with the locals, not your typical tourists, instead they are people interested in the volcano or other natural wonders that you can hike or kayak to around the East Coast of Hawaii. It is a land of adventure and incomparable beauty as well as lovely people from so many cultures.

Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany