Fall Peak Is Here!

Wow, have the colors popped! Just when we started to think the dryness this summer may have impacted the vibrant colors, Mother Nature came to our rescue and just in time. Last weekend was our 3rd Annual Fall Festival and not only was the event a great success, but the colors of the Laurel Highlands started to really show off.

We have been watching and each day this week, it seems as if the leaves intensify. Most "official" reports predict that our region is at about 80% peak level with the estimated period of peak season starting today, October 15, 2010 through October 24, 2010. So hurry, time is of the essence for Fall Leaf Peeping in the Laurel Highlands, but if you can't make a road trip we posted some images below to showcase the beauty of Fall across the Resort!

Pork Many Ways

PORK MANY WAYS
Brined Loin, Crispy Belly, Bacon, Cracklins’, Onion Marmalade, Sage

The dream of any Chef is to be able to do as much “in house” as possible. Take extraordinary product and take it one step higher by putting your own personal touches on it to make it unique to you and your restaurant. This dish is just that…

Pork Many Ways is made up of Brined Tenderloin, Crispy Belly, Bacon, Cracklins' and Jus. We had the amazing opportunity of purchasing an entire pig and as a team breakdown each section start to finish. Curing, smoking, brining, frying, roasting, you name it, we tried it.

By taking the larger portion of the pork belly and milk brining it, roasting it and pressing it over night we get a nice white, crispy pork belly that is then glazed with the jus that accompanies the dish. The jus was made by taking the bones of the pig, roasting them and making our own rich pork stock. Taking this stock and infusing sage, thyme, garlic and onion help to create a deliciously aromatic sauce that can accompany all of the four variations of pork.

Next, we have the bacon, by curing and smoking our own bacon in house we have the ability to control the degree of saltiness, sweetness and intensity of smoke. Also, with the addition of certain flavors like cocoa, apples and cayenne we have now created something unique that compliments other aspects of the dish like the pear puree, egg custard and the sweet and sourness of the onion marmalade.

The final two preparations of pork found on the dish are the tenderloin and the cracklins'. The tenderloin is cider and garlic brined, trussed and cooked in our wood burning oven with pork fat that we have rendered in house for additional flavor to a juicy medium. The cracklins' perched a top the slice of pork add texture, crunch and a bit of spice as they are tossed in a mix of cayenne, salt and garlic powder.

A dish representing not only the versatility of pork but the countless opportunities a kitchen has in creating new dishes with it.

Kristin A. Butterworth
Chef de Cuisine – Lautrec
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort

Preparing For Our Fall Festival Weekend!

The weather seems to be on our side (sunshine and 72 degrees) for tomorrow's
3rd Annual Fall Festival and Craft Beer Brewfest! As we drove around property today we were able to see other signs that a great event is upon us...

FROGGY Radio - Check!

Craft Fair Tables In Place - Check!

Bonfire Wood Chopped - Check!

Pumpkin Patch - Check!

Excited Associates - Check!

Everything is falling into place! Hope to see you there!

Spa October - Harvest Awakening Kur

Woodlands Spa features the Harvest Awakening Kur during October!

Regularly $180 for an 80-Minute Service - Download our Monthly Special which includes a $50 savings on the service during the month of October!

The Harvest Awakening Kur is a fantastic combination of three different treatments and is a great option for guests that are looking for multiple experiences at our Woodlands Spa.

Your service starts in one of our private rooms complete with a massage table and a hydrotherapy tub. The service begins with a full body exfoliation with a cornmeal scrub, which your therapist will use to scrub your arms, legs, feet, back and stomach. It is a great way to get rid of any dry summer skin that is lingering and leaves your skin fresh and new.

After the scrub, you are wrapped in a warm desert clay and covered with steaming hot towels that help to further cleanse your skin and remove impurities. It also begins a detoxification process within the body. While you are wrapped in the heat, you will receive an extremely relaxing facial and scalp massage. An ideal combination to enter a relaxing state for dreaming.

After your facial and scalp massage, you will soak in our hydrotherapy tub enveloped in the steamy aroma of cedar and frankincense. The tub has high pressure water jets to massage key areas of the body, including your lower back, neck, shoulders and legs. It is a great way to experience a variety of services while never leaving the room.

Join us at the Woodlands Spa and celebrate the fall harvest with us!

Lori Shubert
Director of The Woodlands Spa
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort

Golf Is A Reaction Game

To most of us golf seems like a deliberate, planned exercise where we act on the ball or we initiate the motion. Unlike baseball where we react to the ball hit our way or the pitch thrown at us; or tennis where we react to the serve of the opponent, in golf it seems there is no need to REACT simply because the ball is just sitting there. You could not be more mistaken.

In golf every shot we hit, every stroke we make, is a reaction to one of two things:

1. Either the shot you have just hit.
2. Or the shot you usually hit!

If you slice the ball, you will instinctively aim or swing to the left. If you hook the ball, you will instinctively aim or swing to the right. What’s more, these are involuntary responses; knee jerk reactions, not at all dissimilar to ducking from something coming directly at our head!

This is the very reason you are having difficulty with your alignment. I see no end to golfers on the lesson tee who think they are aimed at the target and, in fact, are not even close. And it’s not just aiming that is the problem. If, for example, you release the club too early in your downswing, you will instinctively pull up through impact. The problem is you are not aware you’re doing this! Unless it’s observed in a golf lesson or on video, you will never know the problem or the extent of it.

What to do? First of all, take a lesson. Get a look at your swing on video. You will be amazed at what you see! The only way to properly correct these flaws is to change the ball flight that causes them. The correction for a slice is hook. If you want to change your left-aiming, left-swinging habits, you need to start drawing or even hooking the ball. Your pro will help will this, but the sooner you do it the better. You probably have years of that ugly, over-the-top move that has held you back for so long, so get started with a lesson to correct it.

Remember this: YOUR DESIRE TO HIT THE BALL AT THE TARGET WILL ALWAYS EXCEED YOUR CAPACITY TO AIM AT IT!


Dennis Clark
Director of Golf, PGA Master Professional
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort

Fall Is Here!

And so are the colors of Fall. In the last week or so the Laurel Highlands have really begun to showcase the beautiful fall foliage. Yellow hues were the first of the colors to begin showing at the tops of trees, but over the past week bright reds from the Maple trees which cover the area are the boldest.

Fall foliage viewing has begun early this year especially in the higher elevations as a result of the dry summer conditions. Regardless the foliage is beginning its' breathtaking transformation and really deserves a road trip. Foliage reports are predicting October 9 - 20, 2010 as the peak time for full color.

A Delicious Ending To Your Next Meal...

CHOCOLATE TERRINE
Dark and White Chocolates, Cherries, Dehydrated Mousse

A twist on a classic French dish we take dark chocolate, cream, agar agar and gelatin and layer it with white chocolate, cream, agar agar, gelatin and cherries to create a contrast of flavor and color in our chocolate terrine. A terrine by definition is either a loaf made from force meat or the vessel for which it is created in. In the case of our dessert it is in reference to the vessel.

The creation of this dish is a process consisting of proper tempering, timing and patience to create perfectly balanced layers. Accompanied by a savory yet subtly sweet cherry sauce made from cherries, vanilla, brown butter, Black Muscat wine and balsamic, the sauce helps to lighten the dish slightly with acidity to cut through an otherwise rich end to the meal. The texture on the dish is the dehydrated mousse and the silver mint from the chef’s garden adds color and an additional depth of flavor.

Though simplistic looking in appearance this dessert start to finish takes over 4 hours to create and hopefully will help to show the guest that time and a whole lot of commitment went into making the finish of to their meal memorable.

Kristin A. Butterworth
Chef de Cuisine – Lautrec
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort