It's February in the Northeast in 2015. Unless you live under a rock, you know it's been brutally cold and snowy this winter. This leads to a lot less traveling, unless you're going way down South...and we didn't this year (bummer, next year for sure). So instead, my friends and I decided to get together at home (a well heated home!) and do what's called a Farmer's Table dinner. Here's how it worked.
Each couple took part of the dinner (appetizer, entree or dessert), planned it, bought ingredients and took it to the dinner. We cooked each course there as we visited together and sipped our favorite beverage. It was nice for everyone. While you were cooking, everyone else got to relax and we all enjoyed each others company.
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| John, Suzanne and Bob relaxing and sipping beverages. |
Deb and Todd did the appetizer, Suzanne and John did the entree and Bob and I planned dessert. Our dessert was a cobbler that you cook in a Mason Jar. We prepped the strawberries and blueberries by cutting it up and putting it in bags. The flour, sugar and salt was mixed together and put in a bag as well. We took the butter along to add later. Our actual prep and cooking at the dinner was easy.
First Suzanne and John served a pre-appetizer. They just got into
salt block cooking. It was completely new to me. The pre appetizer of fruit, fresh basil and cheese was prepared and served on a chilled salt block. There were so many flavors. The salt block really brought them out.
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| Fruit cheese and fresh basil on the chilled salt block |
Deb and Todd chose fondue. We had fresh vegetables and home made bread to dip into swiss and provalone cheese fondue. It was delicious.
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| Todd working on the fondue |
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| Presentation is important! |
Next came the main course, which started with home made mozzarella cheese. John set up his iPad and played the step-by-step video while he prepared it. Who knew that all you need to make this is cheese curds and warm water. Yum.
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| Home made mozzarella with some flavored oils and bread |
Next was shrimp and scallops cooked on a heated salt block. It had to be heated to over 300 degrees on top of the stove. Then Suzanne just placed the seafood on the block and it cooked. Very tasty.
Italian John made homemade ravioli stuffed with cheese, herbs and spices. The dough was run through a pasta maker while we watched and then placed in a pasta mold, stuffed and covered with another layer of dough. It was topped with a Primavera sauce. So delicious!
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| John making very home made ravioli |
While all that was going on, our
mason jar cobblers were baking in the oven for an hour. We had mixed the fruit, topped that with flour, sugar and salt and topped it off with a pat of butter. They needed to cool for half an hour. We topped them with a little whipped cream and served. Everyone liked them. I was a little afraid no one would have room for dessert, but everything had been served in small portions so no worries!
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| Our mason jar cobbler before the oven.... |
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| and after |
Our Farmer's Table dinner was a success and took our minds off the blizzard like weather, at least for a little while. It's always warm wherever there are good friends and good food!
Try a Farmer's Table dinner with your friends and family. Let me know how it went and what you had.
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