There are travel bucket lists, personal bucket lists and I’m guessing several other types of bucket lists.
In my world, I have a culinary bucket list.
My desire to be a part of a Farm To Table dinner is high on that list. (There is one more huge item on that list that hopefully will be in the works in 2025. I’m such a tease, aren’t I?)
Last month, that Farm To Table dinner dream came true on a perfect evening in a bucolic setting (Fox Haven Farm & Retreat Center).
Reimagine tradition
After being approached by the farm last spring to create such a dinner, I agreed that I would do it as long as I could with a team of chefs vs doing it solo. I convinced (it wasn’t hard, really) four chefs I admire to join me in this venture.
These women worked as a team to create an over-the-top Farm-to-table dinner featuring amazing local ingredients.
No ordinary menu
From venison to turkey, autumn olives to lemongrass, heritage apples to honey, entire carrots (tops & all) to microgreens & fennel fronds, from fig leaves to fennel seeds, the chefs reimagined traditional uses of these ingredients to astound and nourish the guests.
Each course – starting with nibbles accompanying cocktails from a local distiller who uses ingredients from Fox Haven – dazzled the guests with unique flavor combinations and presentation of ingredients.
Venison tacos garnished with microgreens and crostini with local chevre & autumn olive jelly started the evening before guests toured the gardens.
When seated in the barn, strung with fairy lights at long tables, dressed in autumn neutrals and simple flowers from the fields, guests began with an amuse bouche (something to tickle the taste buds) – a mini martini glass of the sweetest cantaloupe from the farm blended with fresh cayenne peppers and garnished with a fig leaf tuile.
The table also held two types of bread from a local bakery along with chef-made compound honey-chive butter sprinkled with lava salt (NOT local, but from Iceland).
Next up was a gorgeous mixed green salad with aronia berry & blackberry vinaigrette studded with local chevre, spiced pecans and fresh raspberries.
Welcomes, thank yous and the main course
Welcoming speeches and thanks were followed by a palate cleanser of farm-grown lemongrass and ginger granita that set the stage for the main course to follow.
From bottom to top, the entree plate showcased carrot & leek risotto, topped with andouille sausage ragu.
The local turkey breast slices (brined, cooked sous vide, and seared) fanned out atop the ragu.
These were striped carrot top pesto with almonds and pecorino – a twist on the usual basil/pine nut/parmesan version.
A dusting of fig leaf powder and a drizzle of cayenne-infused oil were the finishing touches on this stunning plate.
A sweet night cap
To cap off the night, dessert featured heritage apples that were spiced and cooked then tucked inside a dome of yogurt, surrounded by bits of browned butter cake, hazelnut crunch, dollops of caramel, edible flowers and a maple tuile.
A team effort…with all the zigs and zags
To the chef (me) who had this crazy idea of teaming up to create something fabulous, the highlight of the day was the collaboration among the chefs.
This started with brainstorming sessions months in advance (via Zoom) and wish lists of ingredients we wanted to work with.
We zigged and zagged repeatedly as the fickle summer weather nixed some of those ingredients and new and unusual ones were offered.
The day of the event, the team worked seamlessly even though this was our first ever collaboration.
Chefs whose courses might be later in the evening or had already been served, jumped in without hesitation to plate up, clean up, serve, run for items stored in another area, make fun of each other and in general become part of what felt like a well-oiled machine.
The kindness, generosity of spirit, and genuine joy working in coordination with these talented women was the best payment I could ever receive.
The fact that all this hard work benefited a local farm whose mission we all firmly believe in was the icing on that proverbial cake.
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