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.
