Three wagging tails and a chorus of woofs are the first greetings to Ross’ Teal Lake Lodge. Peter, Sassy and Duncan, the resident Labrador retrievers. bound out a few steps ahead of Tim and Prue Ross, the genial owners of this rustic compound that’s snugly planted in one of Wisconsin’s northern pine forests. The dogs scamper out from who knows where, the Rosses from the red-stained log lodge and all extend different, but no less enthusiastic, expressions of hospitality.
Prue Ross notes, with years of proof to back her claim, that Teal Lake Lodge works its magic on visitors almost from the minute they turn from the highway onto the 220-acre spread set deep in the Wisconsin wilderness, 20 miles northeast of Hayward.
In this unspoiled area around the Chequamegon National Forest, magic takes many subtle forms. The rustle of wind in the pines or the cry of loons can cast a spell; a cluster of wildflowers or an eagle’s aerie can enchant. For determined anglers, some of the best muskie fishing in the state is the irresistible lure.
Make no mistake: The magic of the surroundings easily gives way to the most compelling of human realities. A big, fresh air-fed appetite is an important part of Teal Lake Lodge and, not coincidentally, food, whether line-caught or served up in the dining room overlooking the lake, is an integral part of the experience.
Tim Ross says, “We’re the image of another era–northern Wisconsin in 1925, except we have indoor plumbing.”
That summarizes many things at Teal Lake, not the least of which is the food.
Indeed, Milt Dieckman’s shore lunch, prepared out on Knott’s Island, a small, uninhabited jot in Teal Lake, could have been prepared at any point in the last hundred years or so. Dieckman, known in these parts as a skilled fishing guide with an inside track on where the biggest muskies might be lurking, says that some things are best not tampered with, shore lunches being high on the list.
“There’s not one thing you could do to make this any better than it already is,” Dieckman says. “It’s darn near perfect.”
The basic foodstuffs are simple: pristinely fresh walleye, wild rice that Dieckman hand-harvests from northern lakes although he won’t say just exactly where because it’s a dear and scarce commodity, copious amounts of thick, smoked bacon from an old-time German butcher, crispy fried potatoes and a pot of pitch-black coffee, made Swedish-style with an egg so it’s as clear as glass.
Add to the list an open fire and a good dose of fresh air and it turris into a spell-binding outdoor repast. Along with a full cast of fishing paraphernalia that Dieckman has on his small boat, he’s apt to have stowed a picnic basket and three huge cast-iron skillets, blackened to a dull patina from age and use. When the fish bite and hunger sets in, he totes out the cooking gear, builds a fire and sets his mind to the meal, preparing what Tim Ross describes as the best and most “antique” shore lunch in Wisconsin.
Dieckman’s techniques are simple and unfettered by modern nods to style. If certain health imperatives have developed since he learned the ropes, he appears not to notice. A combination of lard and bacon fat are used to cook the fish, resulting in a splendidly crisp finish and sublime taste. Likewise, the potatoes and wild rice are seasoned with some bacon, too. As for quantities, there’s more than enough. A crowd larger than four on the picnic means that three pounds of bacon are slated.
Teal Lake Lodge is heavily bound with culinary traditions, ones that have been in place since Tim Ross’ grandparents took over the lodge in 1923. Then, it was a collection of three hand-built log cabins, a barn, guide shack and ice house, all surrounding the main lodge.
Ross, a burly sort with ready opinions and a quick, sharp sense of humor, explains that it essentially started out as a fish camp but gradually the fanlily has added comforts and amenities.
“Not too many moms were content with old-fashioned, north woods ‘roughing it’ while dad was having a grand time out fishing on the lake,” he says. They added a full slate of services to spoil guests and keep children occupied.
“Now, we’re the last of the dinosaurs,” Ross says, referring to the full-service lodges that are all but gone in the north woods.
The dining room is a big draw, a testament to good, old-fashioned meals that are heavy on the comfort-food factor. Abundance and simplicity are defining characteristics, a tactic that works especially well since the owners make every effort to start out with top-rate ingredients.
Consider the breakfast table. The bounteous bowls of raspberries and blueberries often are provided by an old-timer from the area who brings them over when he has enough to harvest. Rhubarb is plucked from the property and, time allowing, there have been years when the Rosses have boiled their own maple syrup. Hollandaise sauce is made from scratch with the full rich complement of butter and egg yolks. The chocolate chip cookies and gingersnaps are homemade, a breakfast tradition that has been in place for years, much to the delight of kids and grown-ups alike.
For dinner, guests pour their own cocktails on the honor system, prime ribeye steaks are dry-aged for 35-days, the pike and trout fresh , the oven-fried chicken the same as it has been since Teal Lake Lodge opened, the cherry glaze on the ducks homemade and the rum rolls made fresh daily .
Chi-chi chef food is not part of the menu. Ross says if they can’t pronounce it, they don’t serve it. Summing it up, he says, “We’re basically old-fashioned. We’ve had 75 years to get the recipes right. We’ll just stick to that.”
HOW TO COOK THAT MUSKIE (AND OTHER WHITE FISH)
Jeff Wiggen drove to Teal Lake from Boulder, Colo., in pursuit of the mighty muskellunge, commonly known as muskie, This fierce fighter whose mane in Ojibway dialect means “Ugly fish,” is among the most sought-after of all game fish, an elusive and pugnacious prize for the interpid angler. On Wiggen’s last morning at the lodge, he bagged one.
It was of concern to him that it was a throwback, just shy of the minimun of 34 inches. Accordint to Tim Ross, owner of Teal Lake Lodge, more than 90 percent of muskies caught there including many that pass the minimum are returned to Teal Lake. That tradition fosters the muskie’s reputation as not the best-eating fish.
Ross begs to differ, saying that it’s supreme eating, “with a taste and texture unlike anthing in the world,” a snowy white fishwith a delicate, sweet flavor. His detailed plan for cooking the big one includes soaking, stuffing and baking over several days, a ritual his repeats each New Year’s.
For many cooks, all fish cookery is as awesome and intricate as Ross’muskie recipe. But in practice, it is fairly simple, summarized by a few guidelines that apply to most species.
The Canadian method, a catchall formula devised in the 1960’s by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans, is useful and easy to remember. Ten minutes per inch is the rule, and surprisingly, it works for almost all methods and temperatures.
In “A Seafood Celebration,” authors Sheryl and Mel London rightly note a that overcooking is perhaps the greatest downfall. Because few cuts, save expertly protioned swordfish or tuna steak are uniformly thick, they suggest that it’s necessary to measure the thickest part then begin to test it after it has cooked 8 minutes per inch. For example, a cod fillet might be 3/4-inch at the center, then slope down on the sides.
Based on 10 minutes per inch, figure that the maximum cooking time for broiling, grilling, baking or poaching, would be 7 1/2 minutes. By the Londons guide, start testing after roughly 80 percent of the cooking has elapsed–or after about 6 minutes.
To check for doneness, test the fish at the part nearest the bone or at the thickest part of the fillet. Pierce it with a sharp skewer or the tip of a paring knife. The center should have just a touch of translucence remaining because the fish will continue to cook after it is removed for the heat.
TEAL LAKE PAN-FRIED WALLEYE
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 8 to 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
1/2 cup each: cracker meal, all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
8 walleye fillets, about 3 ounces each
2 tablespoons each: bacon fat, lard
1. Mix cracker meal, flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper in a pie plate or other shallow dish. Put the egg in another shallow dish and the milk in a third.
2. Dip the fish first in the milk, then the egg, then the flour mixture, coating both sides.
3. Heat the bacon fat and lard in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. When hot, add fish, skin side down, in a single layer. Cook, turning occasionally, until the fish is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories…..520 Fat……………20 g Cholesterol…..260 mg
Sodium….735 mg Carbohydrates…..32 g Protein………..49 g
BRANDIED PORK TENDERLOIN
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Marinating time: 2 days
Cooking time: 25 to 35 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
This marinade is the same one Thomas Jefferson used for venison.
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup each: brandy, fresh lemon juice, sugar
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon coarsely cracked black pepper
3 juniper berries, crushed
1 bay leaf
2 pork tenderloins, about 1 1/2 pounds total
1. Mix all ingredients, except pork, in medium bowl. Transfer to a large plastic food bag and add the pork. Seal tightly and refrigerate for 2 days, turning the bag over occasionally.
2. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry. Cook over a medium-hot charcoal fire or in a heated 400-degree oven until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees on a meat thermometer, 25 to 35 minutes. Cut into thin slices to serve.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories…..305 Fat……………10 g Cholesterol…..135 mg
Sodium…..95 mg Carbohydrates……1 g Protein………..48 g
CORNMEAL PANCAKES
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 4 to 5 minutes per batch
Yield: About 24 5-inch pancakes, or 6 servings
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon each: baking powder, baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 cup each: buttermilk, sour cream
Butter and vegetable oil for cooking
Pure maple syrup for serving
1. Mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg, then add buttermilk and sour cream.
2. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add liquid ingredients and stir lightly, just until smooth.
3. Heat equal parts butter and oil on a large griddle. When hot, cook pancakes, using 2 tablespoons batter for each. Cook, turning once, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes total. Serve with maple syrup.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories…..300 Fat……………10 g Cholesterol…..55 mg
Sodium….575 mg Carbohydrates…..50 g Protein………..5 g
