Summer in Vermont is berry season! Blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries make appearances in farmstands, at farmers markets, and on restaurant menus all around the state.
Hen of the Wood, with locations in Waterbury and Burlington, is no exception. Known widely for their high quality offerings, Hen of the Wood is driven by their partnerships with local producers, with a menu that changes daily to incorporate products and ingredients that are available from nearby farms.
Hen of the Wood’s Pastry Chef Laura Schantz works with local producers to bring Vermont-grown berries, maple syrup, honey, cream, and other products into the restaurants’ dessert programs and offerings.
Celebrate Vermont summer with Chef Laura’s recipes for macerated berries and basil honey, served over cheesecake mousse!
MACERATED BERRIES
Recipe courtesy of Pastry Chef Laura Schantz
Ingredients:
- Recipe courtesy of Laura Schantz, Pastry Chef at Hen of the Wood
- 4 cups of berries of your choice
- ¼ cup sugar or maple syrup
- 2 TBS apple cider vinegar or kombucha
Toss berries, sugar and vinegar together gently and let sit at room temperature covered for up to 3 hours.
Toss again gently occasionally as well as before serving.
BASIL HONEY
Recipe courtesy of Pastry Chef Laura Schantz
Ingredients:
- 1 cup honey
- 2-3 stems of basil leaves
In a pot, slightly warm the honey over very low heat. While warming the honey, chop the basil leaves till very fine.
Remove the honey from the heat, add the basil and stir to combine. Set aside to cool.
CHEESECAKE MOUSSE
Recipe courtesy of Pastry Chef Laura Schantz
Ingredients:
- 16 oz (two blocks) cream cheese (room temp)
- 7oz powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lemon, zested
- 2C heavy cream
- 1 TBS honey or maple
In the bowl of an electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest till light and fluffy. Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a large bowl and set aside.
In the same bowl you used to whip the cream cheese, add the heavy cream and sweetener of choice. Whip the cream mixture with the whisk attachment till stiff peaks.
Using a soft spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture one half at a time. The mousse is finished when there are no streaks of whipped cream visible.
Portion the mousse into Individual cups or bowls, or do one large bowl for a party.
The mousse can be served right away or you can let it set in the fridge covered for up to 3 days.
To serve: remove the mousse from the refrigerator up to a half hour before serving. Spoon the macerated berries over the top, and drizzle with the basil honey.
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This recipe was provided as part of a farmers market tour series, supported by Specialty Crop Block Grant 02200-SCBGP-18-05, awarded to Vermont Fresh Network by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets.
