FOOD
Chef Kevin Lobene serves dessert from the wild at Reinstein Preserve
There were Lemon Raspberry Muffins, mock Mint Juleps and Carrot Cake made with black walnuts. There were apples that had been dipped in birch honey, grapes that had been dipped in sugar, and for a grand finale there were Reinstein Floats made from birch beer and maple walnut ice cream.
Delicious treats, all of them, but they were there for a reason. All of the items appeared on the seven-station Dessert Trail that accompanied the “Meander in the Morning” event Saturday at the Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve because they are made from ingredients similar to the ones that grow wild on the 292-acre complex of forests, ponds and wetlands in Depew.
Bear in mind that these plants grow on our very doorstep. The Reinstein Reserve is walking distance from suburban homes and businesses.
The trail was good fun despite a drizzling rain, and it was good eating, too, and well attended.
“I could use a whole platter of that,” said John Zloty of North Tonawanda, who was trying some Carrot Cake with Black Walnuts at station one. Zloty and his wife, Sally, had attended the Friends of the Reinstein Nature Preserve fundraiser last year, too, and liked it just as well.
Saturday’s cake was made with garden carrots, true, but was meant to remind everyone that wild carrots (also known as Queen Anne’s Lace) grow on the preserve in profusion and that the wild carrot root is not only edible in both a raw and cooked state but can be used as a coffee substitute. The cake also contained black walnuts, which grow wild on the preserve and were much valued by Native Americans.
At the same station, the Zlotys also enjoyed Lemon Balm Tea. The aromatic herb grows wild along the woody trails in Reinstein, although it, too, was made from commercial sources. Many of the wild foods aren’t fully grown yet and picking them from the preserve is prohibited, anyway.
The unbrellaed and enthusiastic crowd moved along past the lily pond, which was so loaded with vivid pink flowers it looked like a Jell-O mold. They tasted sugared grapes to remind them of the wild grapes that even now are climbing the trees on the trail; they saw the strawberry plants hiding there; they drank wild rose hip tea.
They ate Black Cherry Streusel and looked at the black cherry trees in the woods with their dark “potato chip” bark and, having finally completed the walk, indulged themselves in a “Reinstein Float,” a drink containing ingredients that can be found in three trees on the property — sugar maple, birch and black walnut. (Just mix some birch beer and swoosh some maple walnut ice cream in it to approximate the taste.)
“I’m loving every minute of this,” said hiker Maria Fabbiano of Clarence. And so was the young chef who had prepared the food, although the homey stuff may have been quite different from the food he’s more accustomed to preparing.
Kevin LoBene, 23, who runs the line at La Tee Da on Allen Street, has an impressive culinary background. A graduate of Amherst High School and Erie Community College, he’s cooked at some of the most upscale restaurants in the area, from Oliver’s to Hutch’s, and also spent time in the Perry Street Restaurant in Manhattan with uber chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
No question that LoBene likes to experiment with molecular gastronomy — the trendy scientific investigation into food that was pioneered by famed Spanish chef Feran Adria in his El Bulli restaurant, that’s brought us unusual techniques and ingredients.
But he also enjoyed making the homey dishes served on the Reinstein Trail, adapting them from recipes provided by Friends of Reinstein volunteer Karen Smith, who collected them, she said, from old cookbooks. He enjoyed visiting farmers’ markets and picking out the finest ingredients he could find.
“I predict that the most popular item will be the Lemon Raspberry Muffins,” he said before the event — the muffins exemplify the wild raspberries that will soon ripen in the preserve. Here’s a recipe for that, along with a couple more to help you appreciate the richness of our land. (Locally grown fresh raspberries will be at markets in July.)
Lemon Raspberry Muffins
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2 cups raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup lemon yogurt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Line muffin cups with papers.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the yogurt, butter, egg, lemon peel and vanilla until blended.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the yogurt mixture and stir just to combine. Stir in the raspberries, spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups.
Bake in preheated 400-degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes Makes 12 muffins.
Mock Mint Juleps
2 cups cold water
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
5 cups ice cubes
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 large mint sprigs
2 1/2 cups ginger ale, chilled
Crush the mint between your fingers to release the flavor. Combine it with the water, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl. Let stand for several hours or overnight.
Strain the mixture and discard the mint. Place ice cubes in two 2-quart pitchers; add half of the lemon mixture and the ginger ale to each. Garnish with lemon slices and additional mint if desired. Makes about 6 servings.
Carrot Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
1 package (18.25) ounces plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounce ) vanilla instant pudding mix
2/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs 2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, black walnuts if possible
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Generously grease two round 9-inch cake pans and dust with flour.
Place cake mix, pudding mix, juice, oil, eggs, cinnamon, carrots, raisins and walnuts in a large bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for a minute. Increase mixer to medium and beat two minutes more. The batter should look thick and well blended. Divide the batter between the pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes; cool on rack 10 minutes.
Run knife around the edges and invert onto a rack, then invert onto another rack so cakes are right side up. Allow to cool completely.
Prepare frosting below. Place on cake layer on serving plate; top with frosting; repeat and spread remaining frosting on sides and top of cake. .
Place cake uncovered in the refrigerator until frosting sets. Then cover it and store in the refrigerator for up a week.
Fresh Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
1 package cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
Blend cream cheese and butter on low speed until combined. Stop the machine. Add the sugar a bit at a time, blending with the mixer on low speed until mixture is combined. Then add the orange juice and zest. Increase speed to medium and beat until the frosting lightens and is fluffy. Makes 3 cups.
