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.