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THE HAY DAY COUNTRY MARKET COOKBOOK
By Kim Rizk
Workman Publishing; Paper: ISBN 0-7611-0025-3

My first exposure to the Hay Day market came in 1982 when we moved from New York to the suburbs of Westport, Connecticut. The small, quaint wooden shack of a building on Route 1 (The Boston Post Road) housed a cornucopia of wonderfully farm fresh produce, baked goods, and flowers. In the years to come, more items were added to the delight of the customers. But I really hated to see the old wooden shack become a thing of the past when Hay Day Market moved to newer and shinier quarters just up the road. Although the quality of the foods sold at Hay Day Market remain the absolute best quality, to me, something esthetic was lost in the transition to the more modern surroundings. Sometimes change is good, but I would have still loved to be browsing and shopping through the old wooden shack.

The author of this book is a professionally trained chef and longtime employee of Hay Day and her inventive dishes have become some of the stores' signature creations such as the Walnut-Crusted Camembert Cheese and nutty Mochaccino Brownie Wedges. Kim is also a food writer who contributes to The Hay Day Rural Times, a monthly newsletter available for free at the Hay Day Markets. Now that Hay Day has merged with Sutton Place Gourmet there are 12 shops in five locales (Connecticut, New York, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.)

The Hay Day Country Market Cookbook is a collection of recipes to please any taste or occasion. Familiar ingredients, down to earth flavors, and a welcoming style are all noticeable features of this book. Kim Rizk, worked with the markets' chefs, bakers and specialty supplies to develop this collection of recipes. "We look for the best quality in all the foods we sell," Kim says. "John Minard's family-owned farm in the Hudson Valley supplies our apple cider, the Jersey cow Cheddar comes from Peter Mohn's Grafton Village Cheese Company in Vermont, and our maple syrup comes from Vermont sugar maker, Vernon Grey."

The following recipes are excerpted from Kim Rizk's Hay Day Country Market Cookbook, Copyright Š1998. Used by permission of Workman Publishing Co., Inc. NY

Wild Rice and Cranberries (page 123-124)

Serves 6 - 8

This is both a natural with post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches and elegant enough for any holiday buffet. Hearty and refreshing, it's best served warm or room temperature (not cold) for the most delicious flavor. By all means, substitute dried sour cherries or coarsely chopped dried apricots if you can't find dried cranberries.

3 cups water
1 ˝ cups wild rice, rinsed well
˝ cup dried cranberries
ź cup fruity red wine (such as Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Beaujolais)
cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Coarse salt (kosher)
6 scallions, white and light green parts, coarsely chopped
2 large firm-ripe pears, preferably Comice, cored, peeled, and diced
˝ cup coarsely chopped pecans, preferably roasted

1. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Lightly salt the water, and add the wild rice as soon as it comes back to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender but still firm to the bite, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain the rice well of any excess water.

2. Meanwhile, place the cranberries in a small bowl, cover with the wine, and set aside to plump.

3. Whisk the oil, vinegar, mustard, and ź teaspoon salt together in a small bowl.

4. Toss the warm cooked rice in a large bowl with the scallions, dressing, pears, and cranberries and their soaking wine. Season to taste with additional salt as needed. The salad can be prepared a day ahead to this point. Cover and refrigerate; allow the salad to come to room temperature, and toss the pecans in just before serving.

Arborio Rice Pudding (page 228)

Serves 4

Just wait until you try this fresh, creamy short-grain rice pudding. The vanilla bean gives it the intense flavor of really good vanilla ice cream, and serving it with fresh fruit is a revelation -- the result is more like peaches and cream than traditional rice pudding. We're using the juicy, plush texture of ripe mango here, but a soft, ripe Hachiya persimmon would be excellent, too. So would fresh peaches, for that matter.

1 quart whole milk
6 tablespoons sugar
1 whole vanilla bean
ž cup cold water
˝ cup arborio rice
Diced flesh of 1 large ripe mango

1. Combine the milk and sugar in a large saucepan. Using a small paring knife, split the vanilla bean open lengthwise. Scrape the seeds from the bean into the milk, then add the bean to the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring continuously to prevent scorching.

2. Stir in the water and rice, and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer gently, stirring frequently, until the mixture is creamy and has thickened to the consistency of a hearty porridge, 35-40 minutes.

3. Remove and discard the vanilla bean. Serve the warm pudding in small bowls, topped with the diced mango. To serve it cold, spoon the pudding into four lightly buttered ramekins, cover, and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. When ready to serve, dip the bottoms of the ramekins into warm water, run a hot knife around the inside edge, and turn the puddings out onto serving plates. Top each serving with a scattering of the diced mango.

_{Copyright Š
2006 Ann Hall Every, CCP}