Lunch for me is usually a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich and coffee. On Tuesday I found myself at the Marriott Hotel in Springfield with Gazette food columnist Lucy Pickett dining on pinnekjott lamb on an apple slice, rainbow trout mousse and vodka marinated sirloin.
We were there as part of a group of media people, event organizers and business representatives getting a preview of the Scandinavian menu by celebrity chef Andreas Viestad for the annual WGBY’s Wine Lovers Weekend to be held March 10 and 11 at the hotel. It’s an annual fundraising event for the western Massachusetts PBS station.
When Pickett and I arrived we were greeted in the commercial kitchen by sous chef Kevin Carkey, who had a dozen square white dishes out on the counter before him. He was spooning a dollop of smoked rainbow trout mousse — which looked like tuna fish and smelled like dill — onto a bagel chip on each plate and placing a bit of salmon caviar on top of each.
He was one of three Marriott chefs preparing the food for the tasting. The two-day March event will feature over 300 wine, craft beer and specialty food vendors the first day, and a seven-course meal the next day, overseen by chef Viestad, host of PBS’s New Scandinavian Cooking show.
“It’s a chance for supporters of public television to get out, socialize, meet local food artisans and brewers, and taste hundreds of fine wines — all in the name of quality public media,” said Lynn Page, WGBY’s interim general manager.
We were told that the Viestad, and Marriott’s executive chef Bill Rounds teamed up to create the menu using a combination of seafood imported from Norway and local products from New England.
“What isn’t sourced from Norway is sourced directly from local farmers,” said Marie Waechter, community relations and special events director. The Norwegian Seafood Council donated much of the seafood for the tasting and the dinner in March, she said.
I had never had Nordic cuisine, so I had no idea what to expect. I have to admit, I imagined that slimy creatures were involved, not the gastronomical wonders we were served.
We entered the dining room where two candle-lit tables with about a dozen seats each were set up.
Charley Rose, WGBY’s development services support coordinator, urged us to comment on the food, make suggestions and help decide on the wine pairings.
The first appetizer was a plate with three small hors d’œuvres — traditional fudge cheese, pinnekjott lamb on an apple slice, and rainbow trout mouse on toast with sour cream and dill.
Pickett sampled the trout mousse toast first.
“I can’t think of anything wrong with that,” she said, “That is delicious.”
Then, she bit into the pinnekjott lamb: “Mmmm, kind of gamey — in a good way.”
The cheese fudge is a heavy goats milk cheese sliced and served on toasted rye bread. The name is deceptive; there is no fudge, only cheese garnished with sea salt. We learned from the menu that this cheese is called “Ekte gjetost,” a name I don’t dare try to pronounce.
Soon we were all chowing down on king crab drenched in brown butter and sitting near a small mound of creamy pureed peas.
“The humble pea, it is so delicious,” a woman nearby said, scooping up the last bit from her plate.
We didn’t have much feedback for Rose. Mostly there was just the occasional ‘mmmm’ as we made short work of the food. There were no criticisms from this crowd as everyone at our table agreed the dishes were wonderful with layers of flavor, both sweet and savory.
The first wine we tasted was a sparkling Champy from California. It was dry, not too sweet and went well with the rainbow trout. Five other wines, including white rhone, chardonnay and riesling, and one champagne followed.
Next up was beet soup made with a goose stock and bits of cured duck.
“Wow, no complaints so far,” Pickett said, taking a sip.
An undetectable amount of puree carrots gave the soup its sweetness, we were told. It was thick, rich and very concentrated with a dab of sour cream on top.
It was paired with a pinot noir.
“Hell of a way to spend a workday,” said Pickett, eyeing the next plate: a vodka marinated sirloin steak with oven-dried tomatoes.
This was served with a cabernet sauvignon.
Michael Quinlan, a sales manager from Table and Wine in Springfield, sat at the table next to ours. He felt the pairing on this wine and dish was a little off.
“This needs something riper, southern Italian,” he says. “We can work on that one.”
Finally, seemingly hours later, dessert arrived. It was a baked golden delicious apple with the milkiest ice cream I have ever tasted.
Still piping hot from the oven, each bit of apple seemed to melt in my mouth.
In a food delirium, Pickett and I headed back to the car, got lost in the parking lot, made it back to our office in Northampton, resisting the urge to nap in the back conference room rather than settle back in at our desks.
“That was a lot of food,” Pickett said, “A few thousand calories at least.”
Tickets to the Friday, March 10 tasting event are $49 each; tickets to the seven-course gourmet dinner Saturday, March 11 are $175 each. Both are available online at WGBY.org/wine or at Table & Vine in West Springfield.
Money from ticket sales will go to fund educational programming on PBS member station WGBY.
Below are recipes created by celebrity chef Andreas Viestad’s for the tasting menu.
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 red onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 pounds beets, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
2 bay leaves
2 carrots, chopped
5 cups goose stock
1 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup sour cream or yogurt
In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions and garlic until soft and light brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the beets, bay leaves, carrots, and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, until the beets are soft. Remove the bay leaves.
Transfer the soup to a blender, in batches if necessary, and puree until smooth.
Return the soup to the pot and reheat. Season with the chili powder, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
Pour the soup into bowls. Add a tablespoon of sour cream to each and serve.
One 4-pound boneless sirloin roast or beef tenderloin roast
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons crushed black peppercorns
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup grain vodka
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Rub the roast with the salt and pepper. Place it in a resealable plastic bag.
Add the parsley, 2 tablespoons of thyme, and the garlic and pour in the vodka and olive oil.
Seal the bag and place it in a bowl in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days, turning the bag twice a day so the meat marinates evenly.
Let the meat stand at room temperature for one to two hours before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Remove the meat from the plastic bag; reserve the marinade.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and heat until hot. Sear the roast on all sides, about 4 to 6 minutes.
Transfer the meat to a baking pan. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast. Roast in the middle of the oven, turning once, for about 1½ hours, until the thermometer (or an instant-read thermometer) registers 130 degrees for medium-rare; before the roast is done, pour the reserved marinade over it.
Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let it rest, uncovered, for at least 20 minutes. Set the baking dish aside.
Just before serving, pour the cooking juices into a saucepan and heat gently.
Stir in the butter. Season it with salt, pepper and the remaining thyme.
Strain the sauce and discard the herbs. Carve the meat and arrange on a platter with the sauce on the side.
Serve with a fruitful wine red – something that will add an extra dimension.