Chef to Farm Dinner at Rosedale Farms

NO I didn’t fall off the face of the earth, I am here! I haven’t posted AT ALL this week and it feels so strange…I have been pretty busy and haven’t really made anything worth mentioning on here. However, I will have some really great things for you next week. I will be attending a Halloween themed Chili Cook-Off which I am SUPER excited for. I love dressing up for Halloween I think it is a blast 😀

Btdubs, I got SNOW last night. Yes, snow. At my house. On the ground. Snow. They are predicting 8-10″ tomorrow. It is October! Don’t get me wrong, I LOOOVE snow. Like ♥ it (don’t hate me – I know it’s weird)! It is just a tad early for me, however that means that the snowboarding season will start early. WOOT!

OK, so this post has been a long time coming because this dinner took place back in September, but I just haven’t had time to sit down and put all the pictures and descriptions into a post. So here it is!

This was a dinner that was hosted by a restaurant group and what they do is, they select a Farm/Winery and they have a chef go to that Farm and they create a dinner that is centered on local ingredients from the Farm and area. Really cool series actually. They call it Chef to Farm Dinners. Really awesome concept and you get to meet really great people.

Here is the dinner that Patrick and I had when we went…

First we started off with a reception before dinner, where they served wine and appetizers.

I enjoyed the Lou’s Red which is a California Merlot which had a complex fruit forward with a complex berry nose and subtle tannins. (I love red wine)

Karabin Farms Chicken Burger Sliders – pickled onions, eggplant, harissa aioli

There were a few other items for reception that I didn’t get a picture of. Like the Smoked Stonington Blue Fish Patè, Blackened Fluke Tacos, Chilled Noank Oysters, Littleneck Clams, and Parsnip Beignets.

Quite a spread for a cocktail hour I must say!

Amuse Bouche:

Taylor Shellfish Farm Geoduck Crudo – Urban Oaks Hot Peppers, Concord Grapes, Garlic Chives, Sea salt.

I have to admit I was not a fan of the Geoduck (pronounces Gooey-Duck), it was a little too “of the sea” tasting for me.

First Course:

Rowland Farms House Cured Bacon – Celeriac, Cider, Pickled Mustard Seed, French Butter Pears.

This was TO DIE for! It was amazing. The sweet and salty and then the creaminess of the celeriac puree was outstanding!

Second Course:

Bromster Brothers Seared Sea Scallops – Maine Sea Urchin and Whitewater Mussel Risotto, Cato Corners Veal Marrow Bordelaise.

The scallop was cooked perfecting and the risotto was good, slightly undercooked for my taste. The sea urchin was a little over the top for me, but Patrick really enjoyed it.

Entree Course:

Broad Brook Beef Short Ribs – Hosmer Mountain Root Beer, Purple Top turnips, Grilled Leeks.

The sides included: Braised Cavalo Nero (kale), Black garlic vinaigrette and grilled fall squash, fig syrup, fennel pollen.

I enjoyed each and every one of the sides and the short rib was really good. Extremely tender. However the portions were VERY small. I know they were feeding a lot of people, but I barely got one good bite. One gal at our table didn’t even GET any beef, poor girl haha.

Dessert Courses:

Connecticut’s Finest Cheeses – Beltane Farm of Lebanon (Goats Milk), Cato Corners of Colchester (Jersey Cows Milk), Sankow Beaver Brook Farms of Lyme (Jersey Cows Milk). Served with fresh biscuits and crackers.

Tart Tatin – Caramelized Apple tart with a fresh whipped cream and fig

The dessert was amazing! Really sweet and the addition of the fig I really enjoyed.

All in all it was a great experience we had a great time and meet some awesome people at table #16 hehe. I think we will probably do this again in the coming years. Always nice to see what your state has to offer!

Have a great weekend everyone!!