I have officially made it to the true Midwest where people are famed for their niceness, beer is always around the corner and cheese is a staple to any meal. The event near Minneapolis was at Singing Hills Goat Dairy, right out side of Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. I camped at the park and enjoyed being engulfed by the jungle-like forest that is surrounded by farmland. I went on a run through the dense, deciduous forest which is so different than what I’m used to in Colorado. Everything is so wet and green.
Right before I left, I noticed some other campers who were heading out. Later, I found out that it was the chef and sous chef of the event that evening. What a coincidence. On the farm we got to meet some of the adorable goats and their kids on the farm. It really makes me want to have a couple of goats one day. They are just so friendly and cute. Awwww.
Patisserie 46
The next day, I packed up all my stuff and headed North to Minneapolis to waste a couple hours. One of the dishwashers at the event recommended that I check out Patisserie 46, so that was my first stop. When I got there, I was immediately impressed. Their case was filled with perfect little cakes, tarts and other French desserts and the counter was flooded with pastries. The croissants were some of the most beautiful I had ever seen and I immediately ordered one with a large cup of coffee. It was everything its appearance promised: flakey, light texture with a classic, clean croissant flavor. Beautiful.
After my short stint in Minneapolis, I headed East to Madison, Wisconsin. The drive over there was punctuated with heavy rain, but beautiful. This was America’s Dairyland and it was everything people had said it was. During the sunset, I drove through vast farmland with big red barns towered by tall silos with a pinky, orange backdrop. It honestly did not seem real.
La Baguette
While in Madison, I was lucky enough to have run into a Francophile named Stephanie who knew about all the best foodie places in the area. This morning we went to La Baguette, which was owned and operated by a French woman who had brought a little piece of Paris over to Madison. They had some delicious looking things, but I settled on the chocolatine, essentially brioche filled with a smear of pastry cream and chocolate chips. It was very rich, but definitely not overdone. I love simple but unique pastries that use traditional ingredients (ie. brioche, chocolate and pastry cream) to create something unique and delicious.
Fromagination
The next stop was Fromagination, which is a generous little cheese shop in downtown Madison packed with an incredible amount of cheese, chocolate, beer, wine and crackers. They follow you handing you samples of cheese and sips of wine as you soak in the incredible variety that Wisconsin cheeses have to offer. My favorite was the Ziege Zacke Blue. It is an aged cheddar with a blend of cow and goat milk and some beautiful veins of blue in it. It isn’t too strong but has a creamy, rich flavor that never gets old.
Madison Sourdough Company
We obviously needed a baguette to pair with our cheese so we went to Madison Sourdough Company. This was a simple bred company that offered some pastries, salads and soups and occasionally pies and tarts for the holidays. I loved pretty much everything about this place. They had a simple but artful approach that is clarified in a small booklet that they had. Andrew Hutchinson (I assume the head baker) writes about the centuries old connection between the baker, miller and farmer and how he has rekindled that in the local area. “As a baker, it strengthens my connection to the history that has inspired my baking techniques in a modern craft-revival.” Modern craft-revival. I love that.
I ordered a roasted vegetable panini which was presented with a small side salad that really tied it all together. The bread was definitely the best part about the sandwich, and when you have good bread, not much else matters. Overall, I really like Madison Sourdough Company, and one day I plan on opening one very similar.
The next morning, a Saturday, we all went to the farmer’s market around the Capitol. It put Boulder’s Farmer’s Market to shame. There were so many farmers there and almost as many bakeries, selling things from their famed spicy cheesey bread to indulgent cinnamon rolls and healthy scones. The amount of bakeries were simply overwhelming. There is no way I could document each one, let alone try one out. Note to self: do not open a bakery in Wisconsin because they already have millions. Ardem, my host from couchsurfing, has fully embraced my search for great bakeries and is more than willing to try out every baked good we pass.
The scones were amazing (the middle picture). I got a chocolate chip oat one that claimed to be healthy, but it was almost like a giant oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. Not quite a traditional scone, but it didn’t have the normal dryness that is usually covered up by clotted cream, lemon curd or strong tea. Silly British, just add more butter!
The next thing I learned about Wisconsin is not only do they love beer, cheese and bakeries, but they also have a serious enthusiasm for mustard. It just so happened that I landed in Madison on National Mustard Day. Who knew? Honestly, there isn’t much to say. Just check out the wonderful pictures.
The Bakery Bandit 