The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Have you got the jones for scones?
Jones Family Farms’ Sherry Swanson shares recipes for blueberry scones and smoked salmon terrine
Sherry Swanson, 51, is the farm chef at Jones Family Farm Harvest Kitchen in Shelton (606 Walnut Tree Hill Road, jonesfamilyfarms.com), where farm-fresh local and seasonal food is prepared.
She holds a bachelor of science in psychology from the University of Central Florida and an associate of science in graphic design from Valencia College. She attended the Professional Culinary Arts Program at Cook Street School of Fine Cooking in Denver and traveled to France and Italy as part of her education.
Let’s get to know her better. Q 1. How would you describe the concept of this unique food venue? A
Farm and winery. Q 2. What kind of food events do you host? A Cooking classes, wine dinners, “Wine Down” Fridays. Q 3. What’s the most memorable meal you have ever prepared? A Before culinary school I hosted a dinner at my in-laws’ beach house — osso bucco for 12 relatives from Sweden. Q 4. In a nutshell, what is your philosophy on food and dining? A Food should be fresh, not fussy. Cooking is more great ingredients cooked simply and in a way that highlights the best of those ingredients and honoring the farmer. Q 5. Where do you go to relax? A Finger Lakes, Martha’s Vineyard, Napa, anywhere you find good food and good wine. Q 6. What is the next big trend in dining? A I think the next big trend will be food halls/markets with shared dining space. This allows new chefs to get into the business with a smaller investment. Q 7. Is there a cookbook on the horizon? A Yes, both through the farm and a chef cookbook. Q 8. What did you have for dinner last night and did you cook it yourself? A I made jerk pork pizza with caramelized onions, red bell pepper, olives and cheddar cheese. Yes, I cooked it myself using Peter Reinhart’s pizza dough recipe. Q 9. My bookshelf has room for only three cookbooks. What should they be? A “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman; “The New Basics” by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins; “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” by Marcela Hazan. Q 10. Imagine you had to prepare a meal for an old-school culinary master, like Julia Child. What would you prepare? A Seared Stonington sea scallops with an apple wine buerre blanc, garnished with crispy lacinato kale. Q 11. Your favorite food as a child? A Chicken and dumplings. Q 12. What is your favorite ingredient? What’s always in your refrigerator at home? A Parmigiano-Reggiano. Q 13. What do you like for a quick meal out? A
I love good BBQ. Q 14. What inspires you to get up and go to work every day? A The idea of creating something new and gaining inspiration from local ingredients. Each day is a new opportunity to create something new and make the most out of what you’ve been given. Q 15. Is there one compliment about your cooking that stands out as memorable? A I love when someone from my cooking class tells me that they make a recipe from one of my classes for a holiday meal like Christmas, Hanukkah or Thanksgiving each year. Q 16. At what point did you know you wanted to pursue a career in food? A I started my professional career as an art director and graphic designer. At work I was always talking about food, so when the internet bubble popped and the company that I worked for laid off everyone in our East Coast office, I decided to go to culinary school. Q 17. If you had to pick a favorite food, what would it be? A Pork, bacon, pancetta. Q 18. Name one food that reminds you of your childhood. A I’m from the South and chicken and dumplings is a dish that always makes me think of my grandmother. The smell of simmering chicken stock transports me back to my grandmother’s kitchen. Q 19. What is one signature dish you have repeated over the years on your menus? A A riff on Marcella Hazan’s risotto. I make fresh pasta and dress it in a sauce made with brown butter, porcini mushrooms, shallots, white wine and fresh orange juice and lots of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Q 20. What are some of your favorite restaurants in the region? A I’m a fan of Chris Prosperi’s Metro Bis located in Simsbury and Le Petit Café in Branford. Q 21. What changes do you foresee to keep the Jones Family Farm food events fresh and exciting? A Adding more wine dinners and special events. Q 22. Where do you like to go for culinary travel? A I love Italy. They have such a passion for food and a big part of cooking there is the search for the best ingredients. I love French islands like St. Martin and St. Barts, too. The juxtaposition of fancy food adopted and simplified for island life makes its more approachable, fresh and fun. Q 23. What is your secret on your most productive days? A On my most productive days there is a flow to my work. I am focused on the food and I know when a dish is done based on my senses. I hear the sizzle of the steak slow down, so I know the moisture has evaporated on the surface of the meat and it is perfectly browned. Or when I can smell the caramelization on the crumb of a cake and know it is time to take it out of the oven. These are the days every chef loves. Q 24. What’s your Achilles’ heel ingredient, one that you hate to work with or encounter in someone else’s dish? A I hate truffle oil. Half the time it is rancid and it’s everywhere. White truffles are wonderful, but I’ll save them as a treat when I go to Italy. Q 25. What is your guilty pleasure food? A Salt and vinegar potato chips. Q 26. What is your favorite food city to visit? A I love Napa. They have access to so many fresh fruits and vegetables and of course there’s wine! Q 27. What’s one musthave at your last supper? A
Steak au poivre. Q 28. When you just want to prepare something simple, quick and delicious, what would you make? A Cacio e pepe (a pasta dish from Roman cuisine). Q 29. Rapid fire: Ketchup or mustard? Ketchup. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate. Coffee or tea? Coffee. Burger or hot dog? Burger. Q 30. What are some of your most memorable moments around the table? A My husband and I love to cook together. One night we had guests over for dinner. We served dinner outside, we brought the kitchen table out and strung lights overhead and in the trees. The setting was beautiful. We served veal saltimbocca with roasted fingering potatoes and haricot vert. We still talk about that night. Q 31. I cope with stress by... A
Reading. Q 32. What advice would you give to a young person interested in a career like yours? A Work in a kitchen before culinary school. Just because you like to cook doesn’t mean you’ll like working in a restaurant. Make sure you’re OK giving up evenings and weekends and holidays. You have to thrive on the stress of a busy service. Q 33. What dish from the Harvest Kitchen will you be making today to share with the readers? A Blueberry scones — it’s a natural for me. Growing up in the South, biscuits are a specialty of mine and scones are really just fancy biscuits. Also, smoked salmon terrine — it’s perfect with a glass of our chardonnay.
For many, when you hear the name Jones Family Farms, Christmas trees probably come to mind. It did for me until I visited the farm where the Jones family, for more than 150 years, has been farming their 400 acres.
Families from throughout the region and beyond visit to pick their own strawberries, blueberries, pumpkins, seasonal produce and, yes, Christmas trees too! At their winery, you can enjoy “Sip and Savor” wine-education classes where you can taste different wines produced at the farm and enjoy a meal Chef Sherry prepares using the freshest of the farm’s crops. The popular Harvest Kitchen cooking classes sell out quickly, so check the website for upcoming classes.
These recipes are perfect for your Easter brunch.
Smoked Salmon Terrine INGREDIENTS
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced (reserve some for garnish) 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish, drained 2 tablespoons capers (reserve some for garnish) ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ½ cup roasted red peppers chopped ¼ cup minced pickled red onions, save a few sliced for garnish ¼ pound smoked salmon, minced
INSTRUCTIONS
Cream the cheese in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until just smooth. Add the lemon juice, dill, horseradish, capers, salt and pepper, and mix. Pipe into a 4-ounce mason jar until half full, top with a layer of roasted red peppers (you can also add some of the smoked salmon), pipe more of the cream cheese mixture until jar is full. Top with ribbons of smoked salmon and garnish with fresh dill, capers and sliced pickled red onions. Chill and serve with crudites (sliced, raw vegetables such as celery, carrots, peppers, etc.) or crackers. Makes 3 jars.
Blueberry Scones INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided 1 cup frozen blueberries (can be fresh that have been frozen) 1⁄3 cup sugar 2½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoons lemon zest, grated ¾ cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½-inch pieces (or grate frozen butter into dry ingredients) 1 cup chilled buttermilk 2 tablespoons milk 2 tablespoons sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss frozen blueberries with 1 tablespoon of the flour and set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift remaining flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a large bowl. Mix in lemon zest. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add buttermilk, tossing with fork until moist clumps form. Add floured blueberries and lightly fold into dough. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead briefly to bind dough, about 4 turns. Form dough into two 1-inch-thick rounds. Cut each round into 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to the prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Brush tops of scones with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until tops of scones are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let stand on baking sheet 10 minutes. Serve scones warm or at room temperature. Makes 16 scones.
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