Farm Fresh

Wow, been crazy busy lately and haven't had time for posting (busy is good, so I can't complain).  Couple things I want to share with you from the past couple weeks.

If you've been following this blog, you know that I started doing Farm to Table dinners with Lisa Marvier at Farm Girl Nursery last month.  You might also remember that we were brought together by food blogger extraordinaire, Karen Pavone.  Two weekends ago Karen put together a beautiful evening at Farm Girl Nursery that included nine women involved in the SLOW Food movement (think the opposite of fast food....local, seasonal, organic, real food).  She called it "The Farmanistas' Dinner," and I was fortunate enough to be among this group of wonderful women....

We each brought a dish that was grown in our own gardens, farms or from local purveyors that highlighted the season.  Not sure if the food was delicious because it was clearly made with love or because it was made with fresh, local and seasonal ingredients or because these women certainly know their way around the kitchen.....I think it was all of the above!  I ate more than I should have, and didn't regret it one minute!  We laughed, shared our stories and dreams for the future, drank wine, and made new connections and friendships...a magical evening....

How do I top that?  Well, with another magical evening..... September's Farm to Table dinner at Farm Girl Nursery. 

This dinner was extra special; 32 guests (word got out and we stepped it up big time from the 18 at our first dinner last month!) and a very special guest, Agnes Kwenda, the founder of Precious Lives Foundation in Zimbabwe. Agnes started Precious Lives at the tender age of 29 in response to the overwhelming problem of abandoned babies in the region in which she lives.  She soon realized that there was just as great a need, if not greater need, to help the poor young women (often victims of rape, and mercilessly ousted from their villages because of that) who gave birth to these babies, but had no means to provide for them.  Here is the beautiful Agnes and my wonderful team of chefs who helped me that night, Wesley, Tom and Britt:

We started with an amuse bouche of my mushroom pate while the guests mingled and enjoyed some wine and a walked around the farm.  Once seated they were met with a panzanella bread salad,

followed by a sweet corn bisque topped with crispy shiitakes (recipe below)

 then individual rounds of my summer vegetable gratin ( my spin on Ina Garten's VegetableTian) and roasted halibut served on a bed of baby greens, juicy cherry tomatoes and crisp cucumber.

I came out before each course to a joyful group of people to talk about where the food came from and how it was prepared and answer their questions...and share their wine...they were so generous and lovely!



And we topped off the meal with my wack-a-doo Orange-Infused Chocolate Chia Pudding topped with a berry compote and a bit of whipped cream...

I was so immersed in the evening (and always a little nervous), getting the food out on time, properly plating the dishes, helping clean up and set the next course, and talking to the guests about the meal that I hadn't even noticed that all the plates came back licked clean, until Tom pointed it out to me.  That's a good night!  It turned out to be another one of those magical nights that you wish would never end.....

Our next Farm to Table dinner is scheduled for October 20th and is almost sold out, so if you're interested, email me at suzanne@cookingbythebay.com.  In the meantime try this simple, yet delicious Sweet Corn Bisque....

Sweet Corn Bisque

Serves 4

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 ears corn, kernels removed from cob

½ cup chopped onion

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons vegetable broth

¼ cup half & half

Salt & pepper to taste

·         Heat oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

·         Add onions and corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.

·         When brown bits begin to appear in bottom of pan, deglaze with a little vegetable broth, scraping up the brown bits.  Continue to do so until corn and onions are lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes.

·         Add vegetable broth, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

·         Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.

·         Return to pot and stir in the half and half.

·         Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Soup's On!

I'm working on my ideas for fall classes, and soup comes to mind first.  It's one of my most popular classes.  Tonight I used two of my favorite birthday gifts, my new ceramic knives and my Vitamix, to create a delicious smoky corn bisque.  If you're not familiar, a Vitamix is essentially a blender on steroids.  It can cut through anything, make frozen desserts and drinks, hot soup, even pizza dough (trying that soon!).  As for ceramic knives....all I have to say is go out an get one!!  They are so sharp and so lovely that I'm looking for any excuse to cut stuff since I received these on Monday.

I start most soups with a mirepoix, a classic French combination of two parts onion to one part carrot and one part celery.  This is a classic base for many sauces, soups and stocks.

As soon as those flavors start blending and heating up, I am immediately taken back to my grandmere's kitchen.  This was the foundation for so much of her cooking.  It's the smell of home and it warms my heart instantly.  I cooked the onion, celery and carrot for about 8 minutes until softened.  Then I added a tablespoon of chopped garlic and one chopped and seeded jalapeno pepper.  If you're going to puree your soup, don't worry too much about your knife skills, but try to keep the pieces about the same size so that they will cook evenly.

Next I added fresh corn from four ears.  Cut the kernels off the cob and then use the back of your knife to scrape the cob and get all that sweet milk into the pot.  Next add vegetable stock, six cups in this case.  Six cups of stock turns into eight cups of soup once cooked and blended.  I also added a cup of chopped cauliflower, which is a brilliant way to make a soup creamy without adding any cream.  I added a couple pinches of salt, brought it up to a boil and then reduced the heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, I added a teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme from my garden and a teaspoon of smoked paprika. I let that hang out for another 5 minutes to infuse the soup with that smoky herb flavor.

Then into my new best friend, my Vitamix.  Whether you have one or a blender or food processor, doesn't matter.... just puree the soup in batches until smooth.  Put it back in your pot and add 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.  This one is going on the books for October's classes....so creamy, smoky and smooth.

Smoky Corn Bisque
Serves 8

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups fresh corn kernels (use frozen when corn isn't in season)
6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

• Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium high heat.
• Add onion, celery and carrot and saute, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes until softened slightly.
• Add jalapeno, garlic and salt and saute an additional 2 minutes.
• Add corn and stir to combine.
• Add broth and cauliflower.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.
• Add smoked paprika and thyme and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
• Working in batches, puree soup until smooth in a blender or food processor.
• Return to pot and add white wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
• Garnish with thyme sprigs.

What's your favorite soup????