Spring Farmer's Market Dinner

Wine Dinner

April 28^th, 2012

Spring Dinner—with (mostly) locally sourced food in season

paired with Washington State Wines

Hosted by: Doug & Peggy

Appetizer

                                                                                                               

Baked Artichokes with Gorgonzola, homemade mascarpone and fresh thyme

Fresh local oysters

Main Course 

Roasted Rack of Icelandic Lamb with rosemary, garlic and bread crumbs

served with braised leeks and homemade earlobe pasta with wild mushroom butter

Dessert 

Cheese Blintzes with homemade ricotta cheese served atop a rhubarb compote

Lemon balm tea 

From the garden:  Thyme, rosemary, lemon balm

From Olivia’s preschool:  parsley

From Gabriel’s backyard chickens: eggs for the crepe batter

From Stokesberry Farm in Olympia: the Icelandic lamb

From Snohomish:  leeks

From our kitchen: mascarpone and ricotta cheese

From Washington farms: flour for the earlobe pasta, local organic rhubarb, wild mushroom butter

and most likely some asparagus

From Bainbridge Island: Inchelinn red garlic

Wine Dinner Extra: Liqueur Tasting: Pear Tart

Bacon Dinner: Chocolate Dipped Almond Bacon Brittle

From: I Love Bacon by Jayne Rockmill

Ingredients

¼ lb. bacon

2 cups smoked almonds

1 ¼ cups sugar

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water

1 cup room temperature unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon crushed pink peppercorn

8 oz. 60% cacao chocolate, chopped

Directions

Cut bacon into bite size pieces. Place the pieces in a large sauté pan and cook over medium heat until crispy, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Coarsely chop the smoked almonds and set aside. Line a baking sheet with Silpat or waxed paper.

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook this mixture on medium high heat for 4 minutes, or until the sugar turns thick and syrupy. Slowly add the softened butter and continue stirring until the mixture emulsifies. Keep cooking and stirring until mixture is golden brown, about 4 minutes longer. Remove the pan from the heat. If the mixture is not smooth, whisk until it is smooth. Stir in the baking soda, salt, peppercorns, crispy bacon bits, and almonds. Quickly (but carefully) pour the brittle onto the baking sheet. When cool and hard, break into pieces.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring at 30 second intervals. Cool the chocolate to room temperature. Either dip the brittle into the chocolate or drizzle the chocolate over the toffee pieces. Chill until the chocolate is set.

Bacon Dinner

Hosts: Doug and Peggy

Le Diner Bacon

Saturday, March 19^th

Roasted Oysters with Bacon Crumbs

Bacon and Tuna Poke - Fresh ahi tuna and bacon with a soy-sesame dressing served on a fried wonton wrapper with avocado

Wine: Monique and John

French Onion Soup with Bacon

Wine: Dorte and Mark

Baby Leaf Salad with Bacon

Baby greens with a lemony garlic dressing and bacon, of course!

Wine: Jean and Dale

Pasta with Cavolo Nero, Pancetta, Mushrooms, Almonds and Blue Cheese

Wine: Monique and John

Wine: Dorte and Mark

Pig Candy Maple Ice Cream

Chocolate Dipped Almond Bacon Brittle

Wine: Jean and Dale

Coffee and Tea!

Spanish Wine Dinner

Hosts: Doug and Peggy

Tapas:  Sherry-Braised Chicken (Amontillado sherry is used in this recipe) Wine: Jean and Dale
            Baked Oyster and Pancetta Empanadas--Wine: Dorte and Mark
            Portobello-Cabrales Empanadas--(Cabrales--Spanish blue) Wine: Monique and John
            Tortilla Espanola with Romesco Sauce

Main Course:
            Paella with Chicken, Chorizo, Prawns, Clams and Mussels
            Served with classic Spanish green salad with vinaigrette
            Wine: Monique and John
                      Dorte and Mark

Dessert:
            Chocolate al Vapor--Steamed Chocolate Cake served with fresh whipped cream
            Oranges in Red Wine
            Wine: Jean and Dale

Pie and Tart Dinner

Hosts: Doug and Peggy

Pie and Tart Dinner

Appetizers:

Oysters on the Half Shell (aha, you say, these are neither a pie nor a tart....but it's January, the oysters are great and what the heck!)

     Wine:  Jean and Dale

Trio of Pizza Pies--Pissaladiere (French tart with carmelized onions, anchovies and olives), Pizza with spicy Coppa, blue cheese and roasted peppers, and Pizza with figs, Taleggio cheese and honey

    Wine: Mark and Dorte, Monique and John

Salad:

Green Salad 

Main Course:

Dungeness Crab Shepherd's Pie

    Wine Note: (from Union Square Cafe cookbook--"Calls for an opulent, buttery Chardonnay.  Look for a rich example from the Napa Valley or celebrate with a luscious Meursault or Puligny-Montrachet.)  Monique and John

Steak and Kidney Pie

     Wine: Mark and Dorte

Dessert:

Cranberry Chocolate Pecan Tart (with vanilla ice cream)

    Wine: Dale and Jean

Fondue Dinner

Hosts: Doug and Peggy

Classic Swiss Fondue with a Twist—Emmentaler and gruyere cheeses with carmelized shallots. 

Wine:  A dry crisp white perhaps?  As background, the Swiss used to use Neuchatel wine in the fondue, which is described as dry, pale gold, light-bodied, lively, crisp.  These days they use the most available local wine.  I assume this also goes for wine to drink with the fondue.

(Monique and John) 

Cilantro Clam Broth with Seafood—

Wine:   Dry white again suggested…

(Jean and Dale)

Roasted Pear and Radicchio Salad with Gorgonzola Cream and Toasted Hazelnuts

Wine:   Who in the heck knows…

(Monique and John)

Mixed Grill Fondue—Hot oil fondue—lamb, beef tenderloin and one other as yet to be determined meat.  Side dish—potato gratin.

Wine:  Something like a Burgundy—at least that’s the traditional choice—it’s open though—let’s say “red.”

(Jean and Dale--Dorte and Mark)

Fondue Chocolat-Noisette—Bittersweet chocolate fondue with hazelnuts.

            Wine:  You’re the experts.

             (Dorte and Mark) 

St. Patrick's Day Dinner

Hosts: Doug and Peggy

Appetizer: "Dublin Lawyer"--Lobster (but maybe a NW version using Dungeness 
crab) sauteed with Jameson whiskey and cream.

Wine suggestion:  Light, crisp, cold and maybe Sparkling.  (like a winter 
day...in Dublin,      perhaps??) Mark/Dorte and Monique/John


Fish Course:  Salmon with Cider and Cream

Wine Suggestion:  Surprise us! Jean/Dale and John/ Monique

Meat Course:  Beef in Guinness

Wine Suggestion: Something that will stand up to this robust and earthy 
dish.  Sounds like it will be a loud and raucous dinner, eh?  Dorte/ Mark 
and Jean/Dale

Dessert:  Homemade plum ice cream and Irish Coffee
Wine suggestion: Jameson Irish Whiskey!!  We've got that covered......

Morrocan Dinner

Hosts: Doug and Peggy

Bastilla

Main Course: Tagine

Italian Dinner

Hosts: Doug and Peggy

Appetizers:
     Mozzarella Grilled on Skewers Roma Style
     Bresoala (thin-sliced, saled, air dried beef from Lombardy)
     Wines:  Mark and Kim
                 Dale and Jean

First Course:
     Potato Gnocchi with Butter and Sage
     Wine: John and Monique

Main:
     Ossobucco alle verdure - Ossobucco in a vegetable sauce
     Wine: John and Monique
              Dale and Jean

Dessert:
     Bonet - Molded Chocolate Cream
     Merinque conla panna - Meringues with cream
     Wine: Mark and Kim
 

French Bistro Dinner

Hosts: Doug and Peggy

broiled oysters with cheese

Bouillabaisse

Pre Wine Dinners Dinner: An Idea was Born

Hosts: Peggy and Doug

Thai Cucumber Radish Salsa
Mango Salsa

Leg of Lamb

Apple Galette