Three Leaf Farm Summer Bounty Dinner

     Last Saturday we treated ourselves to a farm to table dinner at Three Leaf Farm in Lafayette.  I have never been to one before but have always wanted to try it.  My brother and sister in law were in town which provided an opportunity to indulge as they are also foodies.
     Three Leaf Farms is owned by Sara and Lenny Martinelli of the Huckleberry, Zucca, Dushanbe, etc. restaurant group and the chef for the farm dinner hailed from Zucca.  The evening festivities began with two passed hors d'oeuvres as well as a refreshing lemon beverage while we toured the farm with Sara.  The zucchini involutini was a well seasoned housemade rabbit sausage with local chèvre and radish pesto wrapped with paper thin zucchini in a perfect bite size skewer.  I helped myself to two of those.  The other hors d'oeuvre, herb profiterole with braised pork belly, arugula slaw, and a sweet pea mustard, was slightly more substantial.  Having made chou paste for eclairs in school, I can appreciate the beauty and lightness of the profiterole.
    The sky was threatening rain that evening, so we dined in the shelter of the barn with the horses.  This  added to the rustic experience and everyone quickly got over the horse scent.  Entertainment was a lively string duet.  Wine was provided by the Talon Winery at a very reasonable rate of $5 a glass or $15 for a evening's worth of pairings.  
     The first course was a lovely deep fuchsia beet soufflé atop a tarragon goat cheese fonduto with a pea shoot salad and pistachios.  Although it did not have the height typical of a classic soufflé nor a developed beet flavor, it was moist and delicious.  Unfortunately, the next course was not my favorite.  It was a chilled soup of arugula and dill with a visually unappealing turnip puree and duck confit tortellini.  I am a big fan of duck confit, but in this presentation, it was difficult to distinguish the richness of the confit.  Also, the arugula and dill soup base was too bitter for my palate.  However, the smoked turnip puree had an unusually deep and rich flavor.  I eagerly awaited the main course as I adore lamb. The singular rack of lamb was substantial in size, perfectly seared, and accompanied by a light offering the sorrel pesto.  It was lovingly plated atop what was called a Roman gnocchi which I determined to be a grilled polenta cake.  Additionally, it was served with my favorite Hazel Dell mushrooms and a subtly bitter side of mustard greens.  For the finale, a simple chocolate butter cake with creamy mascarpone gelato and a hint of mint syrup provided the perfect ending to a very enjoyable and educational evening.

   

At Last!

     I am finally feeling the groove!  I feel like I belong in culinary school instead of an impostor.  It's actually fun! I look forward to each day now and sleep soundly at night.  Our lectures are a mini history lesson versus strictly a technique lesson.  I still have lots of homework but rather than feeling overwhelmed, I find myself doing extra research out of curiosity.  I still have a lot to learn, but I feel I can get there.  My classmates also seem more relaxed and less confrontational.  Everyone seems to be digging this block.  I credit chef Janet for this change.  She is truly an exceptional educator.  I don't even mind making mistakes, because it's a chance for her to show me how to fix it.  How refreshing.  
     One day I took on more than I could chew and made pecan pie from dough to finish as well as fried catfish.  I stayed busy the entire 4 hours of cooking.  It was bordering on overwhelming; however, I found that day to be the most rewarding.  My tendency is to have such a sense of urgency that I am usually ahead of everyone else.  I then have to wait for the others to catch up so we can all fire to serve at the same time, usually 11:00.  This makes me frustrated because I detest waiting.  I am trying to overcome this flaw, and have been willing myself to slow down and smell the mirepoix.
     Here are a few items of what I have made so far.

Fisherman's Stew/Cioppino

Key Lime Curd and Chantilly Crem on Italian Meringue

Farm to Table Baby Carrots 

Oysters Rockefeller

Indian Fry Bread Taco

Shrimp and Grits

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Empanadas

Regional Cuisine

  After a welcome week of summer break, we are back in the kitchen.  Today is the first day of our third block called Regional Cuisine.  We will be exploring cuisines from different parts of the United States as well as the world.  I have been looking forward to this block, and was not disappointed.  Not only do I love ethnic foods as they are deeply connected to the community from where they originate, our new chef is equally passionate.  
     Our chef this block is unique on multiple levels.  She is first and foremost, a female chef.  I am curious to see if her teaching skills would be different from her male peers.  The culinary world is still male dominated, so I am excited to learn from a female perspective. I already love her teaching style.  She is well read and makes her own food videos.  She incorporates art and beauty into the lectures with a humorous touch.  She has the most cacophonous laugh which can be heard two kitchens down.  She is inspiring with her passion for regional foods, and she imparts wisdom and nuggets of knowledge continuously.  She is encouraging and kind, but reasonably austere.  Interestingly, she has celiac disease, an autoimmune disease where wheat ingestion causes severe gastrointestinal distress.  For a chef, this could be tricky.  In fact, she did not taste any of our food today.  The class before us "glutenized" her three times.  We surely do not want to repeat the same.
     I loved the meal we made today for the Pacific Northwest.  The freshness and healthfulness really resonates with me.  Sometimes the food we make can be very heavy and almost physically draining after consumption.  Today we made a spring salad with blackberry dressing topped with a lovely piece of breaded pan fried goat cheese, cedar plank  fresh caught salmon with farro and turnip salad, a fisherman's stew with cod, mussels, and prawns, and for dessert: a strawberry shortcake with macerated strawberries and whipped cream and salted caramels.  I can't wait to see what's ahead!  (My production is in bold).

Fisherman's Stew/Cioppino

Spring salad with blackberry dressing and goat cheese cake

Cedar Plank Salmon with Farro turnip salad