Ode to Buttermilk

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

I tend to think of the seasons affecting my diet strictly in terms of what local foods are available, but, really, the relationship is more subtle than that.  The seasons also prompt me to want to certain foods: a crisp fall morning makes me reach for a commensurately crisp, tart apple; the first warm days of spring have me looking for baby lettuces and asparagus; an oppressive summer day is alleviated by an heirloom tomato salad.  In the winter, I crave pureed and mashed root vegetable, meat stews, and freshly baked bread.  About fifteen minutes after slipping the dough into the oven, I can start to smell the baking, which soon permeates our small home.  Suddenly, gas-heated, forced air doesn’t seem so stale, and cold, dry hands will be soon be warmed by a steaming chunk - who can wait to slice?

Being a limited baker (both in skill and interest), I set out to improve my skill and deepen my reserve.  Thankfully, each of the three recipes I attempted was a success - not always a gaurantee when it comes to baking.  More importantly, in my third year of Farm to City’s Winter Harvest, I have finally discovered buttermilk.  I suppose I eschewed it in the past because I perceived it as having limited use and spoiling quickly.  Thankfully, I was wrong. 

In the first, instance, I made English muffins, straight out of the The Bread Bakers Apprentice. (An indispensable guide that has made me a much better baker than I was.)  Here, the buttermilk’s acidity melded with the salt and sugar of the dough, tasting like something between a savory muffin and a bread.  The second was buttermilk biscuits from the King Arthur Flour website, a perfect accompaniment to poached eggs and cottage bacon from Meadow Run Farm and sautéed spinach from Winter Harvest.  Here, the buttermilk was the defining ingredient: it’s creamy sharpness the most important factor.  The third was scones from the Metropolitan Bakery Cookbook, using half white flour and half spelt flour from the Fair Food Farmstand and butter and maple sugar also from Winter Harvest.  Although much sweeter than the previous uses, the buttermilk was equally fantastic. 

With Spring rapidly approaching, I may be losing the urge to bake such breads, but next November, I suspect the cold weather will prompt me again.