Holiday meals are most memorable when prepared and shared with family and friends, says Chef Daniel Orr. From left: Eric Bolstridge (WTIU producer and videographer), Brooke Baker (Daniel Orr’s assistant), Chef Daniel Orr, Gretchen Marks, Mary Lu Orr, and Annie Corrigan (producer of WFIU’s Earth Eats).
Photo by Leigh Bush
BY LEE ANN SANDWEISS
During the holidays, many dream of going over the river and through the woods to a house where a fire blazes in a big stone hearth and commingling aromas of fresh cooked meats and treats fill the air.
Growing up in Columbus, Indiana, Daniel Orr, chef/owner of FARMbloomington, had that idyllic experience every year at the home of artist Gretchen Marks, a family friend who lives in a rustic wonderland between Columbus and Nashville, Indiana. Orr recently returned to Marks’ home with his mother, Mary Lu Orr, and a crew from WFIU Public Radio to recreate—and document—the kind of traditional Hoosier holiday feast he enjoyed as a boy.
Click here to see recipes for Chef Daniel Orr’s duck with kumquat rum sauce; parsnip soup with sweet potato leaves; embellished baked Brie; eggnog; goat-cheese ball with pecans, cherries, and bacon; chicken of the woods mushrooms; Christmas tree bread with oats and seeds; old-fashioned baked apples with sweet seasons spices; roasted pumpkin with cumin, cardamom, and citrus; and wild rice with almonds, dried cherries, and mushrooms.
I knew Gretchen very well when I lived in Columbus,IN for 47 years. i also knew Daniel Orr’s mother.
Loved the barn and all the good times and meals with Gretchen. I ‘m still painting, did a big show last Oct. with a sculptor friend. Sold 11 paintings. The reception was on my 86th birthday. Enjoy my life here in Richland,WA and have a third floor condo overlooking the big Columbia River.