Photography by Greg Rannells
Several years ago, as the sixth-grade class at Wydown Middle School trudged through Lesterville’s woods, young William and Louis Hager patiently explained which tracks belonged to a coyote, which to a raccoon; which berries were edible, which weren’t. The teachers barely shuffled their feet without checking with the Hager boys first.
“They became the go-to guys,” their father, Warren Hager, recalls, beaming proudly. “It was a wonderful thing for them.”
Now 14 years old, the Hager twins were diagnosed with autism when they were 3.
They learned all about nature and its residents at the Hager family’s and Hager Hinge Company’s retreat, Raccoon Ranch. When a party was auctioned off at St. Louis Magazine’s Fever Fall Fashion Show last year, the boys’ cousin, Josh Hager, cast the winning bid to support them. His aunt (and the boys’ mother), Ellen Hager, is an active member of the board of Autism Speaks. The charity received the $37,000 raised that night.
Fast-forward to a blustery February night, when the Hagers and their guests made their way out to the ranch.
Set at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, Raccoon Ranch is more vintage-chic than varmint-filled. The ranch was established in 1898 as the Lemp Hunting and Fishing Club, owned by a number of “German businessmen from South St. Louis,” says Warren Hager. About a century ago, the Hagers bought out the other businessmen and renamed it Raccoon Ranch.
The Great Flood of 1993 put the farm underwater and took out its three houses built on stilts. The houses were replaced with one grand Bavarian hunting lodge, filled with antlers, stuffed animals (a few Ricky Raccoons, of course, and one badger), mounted deer heads, and the like. The interior, decorated by one of their own, Carolyn Hager, is tastefully done, with upholstered furniture, a grand table that seats 22, a massive fireplace, and soaring ceilings. A veritable hunt club, the house has nine bedrooms (including a bunk room) and even the requisite boot room (with an earplug dispenser).
The farm regularly hosts charity events, such as the one staged this evening, as well as family get-togethers, corporate meetings, and getaways for long-term customers. “We have people from out of town stay here, which is just great,” says Josh Hager. “They don’t have to get hotels. It is not often that you have the time to go duck hunting and then have dinner afterwards. You talk about their business, and you get to know them better. It goes a lot further than a golf course.
“It is really important for us. Being a family business comes with challenges,” he adds. “It’s a great privilege to be involved in a family business, but it is also very important to have time to spend together outside of work. We have six generations, 161 years this year, and this place has done a great job uniting the family.”
Warren Hager concurs. “Part of it is, you don’t want to be the generation that screws it up,” he says. “But we have something that binds us outside of work. And it’s this place.”
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Smoked Salmon Canapés Cajun Shrimp on Toast Points and Miniature Crab Cakes Spinach Salad With Feta Cheese, Fruit, and Balsamic Vinaigrette Smoked Beef Tenderloin Scallops Blueberry Bread Puddin’
Recipes
Courtesy of Tony Almond, Almonds
Smoked Salmon Canapés
Serves six
1 pound smoked salmon
2 cups whipped cream cheese
2 tablespoons capers, chopped
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
Juice and zest of one lemon
Kosher salt
Toast points (your choice of bread)
Black olives (garnish)
Tomato (garnish)
Combine cream cheese, capers, green onions, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add a dash of kosher salt. Mix thoroughly. Spread desired amount on toast points. Top with large, whole-flake pieces of smoked salmon.
Garnish with slices of black olive, cubes of chopped tomato, or whatever you like. Serve chilled.
Crab Cakes
Serves six
1 pound crabmeat (Bob’s Seafood, 8660 Olive, 314-993-4844)
2 tablespoons onion, chopped
2 tablespoons green bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon dried tarragon
1 cup cold mashed potatoes
Yellow cornmeal
Olive oil
Mix all ingredients except cornmeal and olive oil together in bowl. Form into patties and roll in yellow cornmeal. Pan-sauté in olive oil.
Serve with a rémoulade or mustard sauce.
Spinach Salad
Serves six
8 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
Crumbled feta cheese
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 can mandarin oranges (or other fruit)
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
2 cups balsamic vinegar (use balsamic aged at least 9 years)
4 cloves fresh, peeled garlic
Kosher salt
White pepper
Canola oil
Put the ingredients in a food processor. Emulsify. Add canola oil to reach desired consistency. Preparation should make about 2 cups.
Scallops
Serves four
1 pound fresh U-10, dry-pack scallops (Bob’s Seafood)
Clarified butter
1 fresh lemon
Kosher salt
Ground white pepper
The secret to preparing delicious scallops, Mr. Almond says, is using a pan hot enough to caramelize the shellfish’s outside surface.
In a 12-inch metal sauté pan (not nonstick), heat
2 tablespoons of clarified butter over the highest setting on your stove. When the butter is nearly smoking, place scallops flat-side-down in the pan. Sear them on one side until caramelized. They may stick to the pan. Turn them using a metal spatula. Caramelize the other side. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan to release browned residue. Zest lemon over scallops and serve immediately.
Blueberry Bread Puddin’
Serves six
8 vanilla egg buns (Breadsmith, 10031 Manchester, 314-822-8200)
8 large eggs
3 cups sugar
1 quart 40-percent milk-fat cream
Vanilla extract
4 pints fresh blueberries (or other fresh fruit)
Caramel sauce or ice cream
Preheat oven to 425. Cut vanilla egg buns into 1-inch cubes. Place half of the cubed bread into the bottom of a 9- by 12- by 3-inch baking dish or pan. Cover this layer with half of the blueberries, spread evenly. Place the remaining bread on top, then cover it with the remaining blueberries. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, crack the eggs and add sugar. Beat the sugar into the eggs for about 30 to 45 seconds or until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. In a 4-quart saucepan, heat the cream to a simmer. Be careful not to allow it to boil.
Slowly add the cream to the egg-and-sugar mixture while whipping with a wire whisk. It is important to add the hot cream to the eggs and sugar slowly, to prevent the eggs from scrambling. After the cream, egg, and sugar have been blended together, add a dash of salt and 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract.
Pour the mixture evenly over the pan of bread and blueberries.
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes on the center rack. Reduce heat to 350 and cook for an additional hour or until top is golden brown.
Serve warm with caramel sauce and/or ice cream.
