Friday, April 24, 2009
Events Earth Day: Keeping it Local at Marché
Posted by Lee Stabert on Fri, Apr 24, 2009 at 9:15 AM
I celebrated Earth Day the only way I know how: with food. Marché Artisan Foods and Woodland Wine Merchants hosted an organic wine dinner to honor the day, but it was in the locally sourced dishes that the event really shined. Lemme break it down, course by course, after the jump.
1. This yogurt crème fraîche soup, paired with a delicate selection of greens, was much more delicious and exciting than it sounded. In some ways it was like an inverted salad, with the "dressing"--a mild, tangy, spoonable blend of local dairy and fresh herbs--taking center stage over a beautiful bibb lettuce, romaine and micro-greens topper. We asked for bread and wiped the bowls clean. It was a simple yet creative dish--a sign of things to come.
2. Here was another simple plate of food that relied on beautiful product to sing. The "Bread Crumb Fried Egg" burst open with an exquisite yellowy-orange yolk (just ask Michael Pollan, the better the yolk, the happier the bird) and was perfect paired with the bite of grilled Swiss chard. Again with the plate wiping.
3. The main course was a trio of local grass-fed spring lamb. I got to eat something I had never eaten before--lamb baby-back ribs--which was very exciting. The tiny little rib (my companion compared them to those of her papillon) was amazingly flavorful, slightly reminiscent of beef jerky (I mean that in the best possible way). It was paired with a pinky-thin lamb sausage (the table next to us proclaimed this the highlight), pan-seared and dotted with fennel. The final preparation was slices of roasted lamb leg. They were tasty and well cooked, but not quite as tasty as the other two stars.
4. The evening closed out with a light goat's milk cheesecake that benefited from the aggressive zip of lemon. It was a refreshing way to end a delightful meal.
And hat tip to Woodland Wine Merchant--the wines were delicious. The 2006 Loacker Brillando was my favorite.
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