734.663.3400
www.zingermanscatering.com

May 2009 • 4th edition

Calder Dairy: A Gift from the Heart of the Farm to the Center of Your Plate

Here at Zingerman’s Catering, our mission is to provide you with the best food we can find, and sometimes that means that we don’t need to look further than our own backyard. So gather round all, and come with me on a stroll of our own back yard. While we’re walking, I’d like to share with you a bit about some of the unsung heroes of the Zingerman’s Catering Menu – the many lovely, luscious products of Calder Dairy.

There is a dairy farm, nestled in the rural landscape of Michigan’s Monroe County that has seen this past half-century through many changes, all the while meeting its many peaks and valleys with a steady hand and a sound rate of growth. Their success is due to their commitment to producing good, nutritious dairy, and to providing their goods to the regional public as if everyone in the area were their next-door neighbor.

I am speaking of the Calder Dairy Farm, located in Carleton, Michigan.

On this farm the cows have names, not numbers. Not only are the Calder cows given some indoor living space, but newborn calves are able to stay with their mothers longer – and who doesn’t benefit from a little extra mother’s love? If you visit this farm, you can even meet the cows that produce the milk that you drink – the milk that is used in so many components of our daily meals.

So, which products are enhanced with the gastronomic loveliness of Calder Dairy products? Let’s take a gander…

Imagine a day where you were able to indulge in rich, satisfying Zingerman’s food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Your journey could begin by ordering something as simple as real Zingerman’s Bakehouse Bagels and Zingerman’s delicious Creamery Cream Cheese. Or, you could choose the more meaty option of our Smokin’ Fish Trio, which not only features Zingerman’s Creamery cream cheese, but also includes our smoked whitefish salad, bound together with sour cream. Now, you know that with either option you will have waves of delicious flavor rolling over your taste buds with every bite. What you may not know is that your breakfast wouldn’t be half of what it is without the Calder Dairy milk that is the main ingredient in our cream cheese, or the Calder sour cream that gives our whitefish the perfect blend of body and flavor. Starting your day with these menu choices will give you what you need to get through the rest of the morning right up until lunch time. (*Just a note for the vegetarians among us – our traditional Cream Cheese is made with vegetable rennet after it is pasteurized in-house at Zingerman’s Creamery.)

So, now that you have your food settled, what about that old standby accompaniment to the morning that so many of us have come to rely on? I am talking, of course, about coffee! Here’s a suggestion on how Calder Dairy products can bring that old standby into a new realm. Most of us associate dairy with coffee in the form of creamer, and indeed, if you order a quart of half & half to go with your Zingerman’s Coffee, it will be Calder half & half; but what about an outside-the-box option to make your coffee break sweeter? It can be as simple as whipped cream. We offer a decadent sidecar to your coffee hog: Terra’s Transcendent Coffee Bar. With these accompaniments, your morning will never be routine again. To dress up your cup of joe, why not heap on a healthy dollop of Calder whipped cream? We also include Scharffen Berger chocolate syrup, Mexican vanilla syrup, and chocolate shavings. Calder whipped cream can easily stand on its own, or function as the silky cloud-like base for your constellations of chocolate and your milky ways of vanilla syrup.

As your day segues into lunch, you won’t be disappointed by your choices. Whether you are in the mood to get your deli on and mow down on a delicious Deli Tray or if you are feeling like something lighter, Zingerman’s Catering can soothe the savage beast of hunger. All of our Deli Trays come with side salads and condiments that give that extra kick to satisfy your cravings. What isn’t so obvious is that our famous Russian dressing and our Zingerman’s Potato Salad are both made with sour cream from Calder. Velvety and scrumptious, our Russian dressing is hard to get enough of. And, our Zingerman’s Potato Salad, well, let’s just say if it could be sold by the vat, I know we’d have some takers.

On a more waistline-friendly note, Zingerman’s Catering can bring you a delicious Crudité Tray, comprised of crunchy seasonal vegetables and served with our roasted red pepper sauce and our homemade ranch dressing. You guessed it – Calder makes our ranch better too. Not only does our ranch dressing need Calder sour cream to make it all it can be, but our recipe also includes Calder buttermilk, which makes Wilbur the Pig in Charlotte’s Web not the only thing that buttermilk has helped to make shine. In a mood for bite-sized, almost guilt-free goodies? Paulie’s Petite Zcobb Salad combines scrumptious veggies, our smoky and delicious applewood smoked bacon, Amish chicken, and avocados, all topped with our Cobb dressing and wrapped in Belgian endive. The Calder link? Our Cobb dressing has Calder sour cream and Calder buttermilk, which gives this dish that little bit of extra pizzazz.

Now, the big finish – appetizers, dinner, and dessert. Whether your evening is casual or gourmet, Zingerman’s Catering can accommodate you. For a completely satisfying meal that gives new meaning to the phrase “comfort food,” we offer a truly dynamite Macaroni and Cheese, and Pot Pies that would make Paul Bunyan sit down and weep. Our Macaroni and Cheese, as well as our chicken and turkey pot pies, infuse a taste of home into their fillings with Calder heavy cream. If you are in the mood for soup, our Deli has piping hot Cream of Tomato Soup available daily, which also includes…wait for it…Calder heavy cream.

Looking for a more high-end appetizer selection? Let us bring the Zingerman’s Experience to you with one of our Creamery Cheese Terrines, some Blue Cheese Grapes, or a bundle of our Feta Kisses. Each of these delectable treats provide unique and different ways to enjoy Calder milk, as our Creamery Cream Cheese is a star ingredient in each of the three recipes.

For an entrée, you could choose one of our most popular dishes, Lex’s Roast Chicken, which comes with creamy Au Gratin Potatoes on the side, or for something new, you could go with our Chicken Paprikash. The Au Gratin Potatoes are made with Calder whole milk and our Chicken Paprikash is made with Calder sour cream. This makes each choice a delicious option for an evening feast.

To round out the night on a sweet note, Zingerman’s Creamery has prepared many light and flavorful Gelatos for you to enjoy; all made with Calder Dairy milk. With flavors like Roadhouse Vanilla, Dark Chocolate, Burnt Sugar, Strawberry, and Dulce de Leche, how can you go wrong? And if you want a real treat to warm you to your toes, stop by Zingerman’s Next Door and ask the barista to make you a Calder Dairy hot chocolate. Divinity, thy name is Calder Dairy chocolate milk. My personal favorite is simply steaming up some Calder chocolate milk, no frills. It is to die for!

So, next time you have an afternoon to explore our great state of Michigan, maybe take a swing down to Carleton and visit Calder Dairy Farm. Visit the gift shop and sample their many flavors of ice cream, feed a calf, or just pet one of the cows to show some appreciation for what they give us every day. If you can’t make it out to Carleton to visit the farm in person, no worries! Calder provides traditional home dairy delivery services throughout the region (check their website www.calderdairy.com for details!). And, you can always experience the great flavors of their milk, cream, buttermilk, and sour cream when you place your next order with Zingerman’s Catering. Hopefully now you will feel a little bit closer to your food and to your community. It takes all of us: the farmers, the cows, and the consumers, to create a truly marvelous feast.

Liz
Catering Menu Consultant
734-663-3400