Outstanding In The Field Dinners

It is hard to blog when I am traveling across the country. We have back-to-back farm dinners and on days off we are on the bus traveling. August seems to be crazy- but I will update the best I can. Here are details from some amazing dinners over the past few weeks. We have had some crazy experiences and we have had some of the top dinners so far this season. It is an amazing experience to traveling with a group of people across the country. I am learning so much about food and eating different things. I am also seeing part of the country I have never seen before.

Some Dinner Details:

Blue Willow Farm – Stevensville, MT
July 25th, 2009

Blue Willow Farm has dried and fresh flowers at the market. Chef Scott Gill with Scotty’s Table was our guest chef for the evening. He is originally from northern California and grew up in the restaurant business. Blue Willow Farm also plants vegetables for chefs in the area including Scott. They have a great relationship and work to bring fresh ingredients and food to the city.

The table was placed in the middle of the Farmer’s (Kevin and Kimberly) flowers with an incredible mountain view. It was one of our smaller dinners- but the location was great. The guests enjoyed the meal with a small rain storm. For about 15 mins a beautiful rain storm approached the farm - non of the guests cared and went about their dinner. The rain blew over and an amazing sunset ended the evening.

MENU: Larry Evans late season stuffed morels
Bitterroot Organic Farm Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Cucumber Salad
Pasta Wrapped Braised Paradise Farm’s Beef Field Greens with Life Line Farm Feta
Braised Pork Belly with Wild Huckleberries
Lemon Pound Cake with Local Berries

Munson Farms - Boulder, CO
Monday, July 27th, 2009

Munson Farms was a beautiful site in Boulder. We ate fresh sweet corm as farmer Mike showed us around his property. Mike’s folks started the farm in 1976 on 2 acres. It has since grown to over 70 acres and now grow spinach, green, sugar snap peas, beets, beans, tomatoes, melons, 20 types of winter squash and pumpkins, summer squash, 15 varieties of sweet corn, popcorn, and herbs.

Lachlan MacKinnon-Patterson with Frasca Food and Wine was the guest chef. He won the 2008 James Beard Winner- Best Chef of the Southeast.

Our Boulder dinner was a great time with a crazy rain storm. Jim pulled our his Doppler Program on his iPhone and saw the storm approaching. Some of the guests went into the barn to wait out the storm some pulled out their umbrellas at first; however, eventually went to the barn. When they walked back to the table after the storm there was a beautiful perfect rainbow over the table.


Powell Gardens – Kingsville, MO
July 29, 2009

Powell Gardens is a beautiful botanical garden in Missouri. Executive Chef Jonathan Justus with Justus Drugstore was out guest chef for MO. He is the former Executive Chef of La Motte du Couchant outside Montpellier, France, Executive Chef of The Liberties in San Francisco, CA, and the Charcutier of Golden Gate Meat Company. He is a former designer (including restaurant and retail design in cities such as San Francisco, Tokyo, and Singapore).

We set the table along a path that over looked the garden. Chef Jonathan Justus steamed pork shoulders in a pit he dug on the property. The guests watched him pull the pork out of the pit halfway through dinner.

MENU:
Caramelized Onion & Apple Berkshire Pork Corn Cake, Rhubarb, Pecan, with Port Cinnamon Clove.
Squash Blossom with Bourbon Red Turkey & Berkshire Pork Mousseline
North Farm Terrine Suckling Kid with Wild Gooseberry, Sumac Mustard
Watermelon with Dawn Sherman’s Goat Cheese, Basil, Hemp Seed, Mulberry Red Clover Vinegar Gastrique.
Wild Juniper & Eastern Gamma Pork Two Ways- Newman Farm Berkshire Rib Eye Chop & Forage Prairie Grass Steamed Shoulder with Wild Elderflower, Polenta, Mint Scented Zucchini and Lemon Vanilla Vinaigrette
Torte- Blueberry, Basil, Lemon Ginger, Gelee, Sabayon

Now we are off to West Star Farm in Madison, WI. These past few weeks have been incredible experiences with good company. Starting tomorrow the whole crew will be back together as we tackle August. Please follow me as I write about our journey..or meet me in the field!