Weekend Kitchen | Fine Cooking Accoutrements

archives

Last week I got to experience on of the now famous Dinners at the Farm (www.dinnersatthefarm.com). What a truly magical evening it was at the Stanton-Davis Farm in Stonington CT. If you are not familiar with the Farm Dinners they are run by Jonathan Rapp of the River Tavern in Chester CT and Drew McLachlan of Feast in Deep River CT. These guys know how to cook and know good food. The premise of the dinners if to source locally produced meats, poultry, seafood and vegetables for the meal. The settings are rural farms where they set up a large tent and feed up to 100 guests. Everyone sits at the long tables under a magnificent tent. You meet lovely people along the course of the evening and may even bump into people you already know. I met a wonderful couple from Greenwhich CT and had a thoroughly enjoyable time.

The dinners are benefits which also raise funds to support their non-profit partners. This particular dinner was to support the Stanton-Davis Farm and Homestead. Whit Davis the owner was a delight to meet. He's the 11th generation to farm this land first worked in 1654 until the present. They grow salt hay and various vegetables including ancestral Indian corn. Which by the way, was made into the most fabulous corn bread dessert at the dinner.

Whit was a wealth of knowledge about farming and a genuine "fire cracker" of a guy in his red suspenders. The Homestead is the oldest house in Stonington and is in need of extensive renovations. Their goal is to eventually make it into a working agricultural museum.

We wish Dinners at the Farm the greatest of success this season and hope that many people take advantage of this unique opportunity to eat locally, support local farms and meet new friends.

Continue reading Dinners at the Farm.

After finding a container of squash blossoms at the farmer's market I decided to try something that I've never made or even tasted before. I looked at many different recipes but on the day that I thought "it's now or never" for the blossoms I had to go with what was already in the house so I have modified this recipe:

12 large squash blossoms
8 oz. goat cheese, room temperature
1/4 c. finely minced fresh herbs (thyme, basil, chives, sage, or others)
1 large shallot, finely minced
salt and pepper
2 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1/2 c. corn meal mix or flour
Freshly ground pepper
1 c. vegetable oil- I used sunflower oil and a table spoon of butter

Place the goat cheese in a small bowl. Mix in the minced herbs, shallots and salt. You can either use the cheese at room temperature or once mixed, cover and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes or until firm again.

Beat the eggs and milk together in a shallow bowl. Place corn meal or flour in another shallow bowl and mix in the freshly ground pepper. Depending on where your blossoms have originated you may want to check the insides for dirt or critters. Luckily mine were bug free.

Place about a teaspoon of the room temperature mixture into the blossom or if you've chilled the mixture take teaspoon size amounts and roll into small balls with your hands and place a ball into the center of each blossom then twist the ends of the petals together to fully enclose the cheese.

Dip each blossom is into the egg mixture and quickly dredge in the corn meal or flour. You can put them into the fridge while preparing the oil.

Place vegetable oil and butter in a skillet and heat to approximately 350 degrees. This can be tested by dropping a pinch of four or corn meal into the hot oil and waiting to hear a sizzle. Carefully place half the blossoms into the hot oil. Turning to brown them evenly on all sides. When golden brown, remove and place on a paper towel to drain. Bring oil back up to temperature and fry the remaining blossoms.

Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and serve immediately.

Continue reading Fried Squash Blossoms.

search

recent posts

categories

archives

Dinners at the Farm

Fried Squash Blossoms