The Farmplate Blog

The holidays are over, the price of oil is climbing and the mercury is heading down. What's a Vermont blogger gotta do to warm her hands and her spirit?

The holidays are over, the price of oil is climbing and the mercury is heading down. What's a Vermont blogger gotta do to warm her hands and her spirit?

The remedy can be found at a new wood-fired brick oven bakery in Vergennes--Vermont's littlest, oldest and some say greatest city. Vergennes Laundry on Main Street opened on December 3. The bakery/cafe is dominated by a double-deck hearth built by William Davenport of Burlington's Turtlerock Heat. The Scandinavian-style design is unique to this region. Needless to say, it's warm there.

The cafe/bakery with its welcoming, radiant warmth is the brainchild of owner/baker Julianne Jones, a recent Middlebury grad. Everything baked at Vergennes Laundry comes out of this big oven, from the exquisitely chewy pains au levain to buttery, flaky croissants and pains au chocolat to local vegetable tarts and signature Canelés with their soft custard centers and caramelized crust (shown above). Jones learned her way around bread baking from Gérard Rubaud one of Vermont's (and possibly the world's) best artisan bread bakers, and she follows his natural yeast, slow-rise, wood-oven rhythm. “Bread baked in a wood oven retains nutrients, tastes better and lasts longer,” says Jones.

The bakery includes a full-service coffee bar. The coffee beans are sourced and roasted  by Intelligentsia in Chicago. Teas are imported by local tea importer John Wetzel in Middlebury. The Aqua Vitea Kombucha is microbrewed in Salisbury, Vermont. Sweets are made in Vergennes by Didier Murat.

Vergennes Laundry is a CSE, Community Supported Enterprise, and membership shares are still available.

Vergennes Laundry is open 7 am to 6 pm, Wednesday - Sunday • 247 Main Street, Vergennes, VT 05491 • 802.870.7157

ONION AND BEER SOUP
from the FarmPlate Kitchen

Pick up a loaf of pain au levain while visiting Vergennes Laundry, then stay warm and happy by making a batch of delicious soup later at home.

4 tablespoons butter
2 pounds onions (4 or 5), thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
12 ounces ale, such as Otter Creek Copper Ale
3 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley
Hearty country bread, such as the pain au levain from Vergennes Laundry, cut into large croutons and toasted
Grated Ascutney Mountain cheese or other favorite Swiss-style cheese

Melt the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium to low heat until lightly caramelized, 30 to 40 minutes. Add the garlic and the potato and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes.

Pour in the beer and stock. Add the bay leaf and thyme sprig. Simmer for 30 minutes. Ladle about 2 cups of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Return to the pot. Season to taste with salt, pepper and parsley.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with several croutons and a generous sprinkling of grated cheese.

Serves 4 to 6