The Table at Peace Tree Farm// Kintnersville, Pennsylvania

The Second Annual Peace Tree Farm Dinner in Photos + Recipes

March 28, 2016

The Second Annual Peace Tree Farm Dinner came and went last month, and I am still reveling in my astounding community. This year the dinner benefited the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA). PASA is recognized as the largest sustainable farming organization in the country and enables viable farming systems that help provide healthy local food throughout Pennsylvania and the nation.

In the dead of winter, a collection of farmers and artisans from Pennsylvania (and the surrounding area) retreat to PASA’s annual conference held at Penn State in State College, giddy with anticipation of the season ahead. I joined PASA last year while representing Peace Tree Farm. I was there this year to promote our farm dinner and the debut of my herb salt made with Peace Tree's organic herbs. Peace Tree Farm, owned and operated by my close family friends, The Travens, offers a variety of plant starts. They focus on unusual plant varietals like cardamom, coffee, and figs as well as their staple herbs like thyme, rosemary and, of course, their famous lavender. Bringing a couple of hundred plant starts to a dreary convention center in the middle of winter, with over-wintered farmers, is best equated to shooting fish in a barrel. We've all been itching for spring, and suddenly we have all the plants your heart could desire.

PASA focuses on education and offers a series of workshops throughout the conference from regional experts. My friend Alex Traven and I scoped out the workshops and bartered shifts so we could catch the classes we were most interested in attending. I had the pleasure of witnessing Sandor Katz' fermentation demo and found myself inspired by his fervor for the art of fermentation. Katz' books were the recipe bibles at the farms I worked at in California. Unlike many other fermentation books, Katz' methods are simple and prepared without special equipment or ingredients. He goes through the entire process, and his wisdom allows for one to elaborate on the basic principles of the recipe. In true groupie fashion, I asked Katz to sign my copy of his book and gave him some of my herb salt in return. I was ecstatic, just thinking about him someday using my salt.

We left PASA after three days of exhausting inspiration and headed back East, eager to prepare for our second annual Peace Tree Farm Dinner. The week before the farm dinner, I drove back out to Central Pennsylvania to pick up food from several generous farmers who were donating to the dinner. We had some snow fall that morning when I left my home in Bucks County at dawn. I watched the sun rise over the Delaware River as I drove alongside the icy Palisades, glimmering in the morning light. Three and a half hours later, I found myself in Newport, Pennsylvania with Brooks Miller of North Mountain Pastures. Brooks serves on the board of PASA, and while I attended the conference, we conversed about making a sausage for the dinner with Peace Tree’s herbs. Alex had sent me to Brook’s onsite butcher shop with over eight-gallon bags of fresh cut herbs for us to incorporate into the sausage. Brooks already had some fatty cuts of pork from his pastured hogs, seasoned with sea salt and we added Peace Tree's organic oregano, tarragon, thyme, basil and his homemade pear cider.

Brooks in his Cure Room// Newport, Pennsylvania

Brooks' Saucisson//Newport, Pennsylvania

This was my first time making sausage, and I was taken with the process. It was a bitterly cold winter morning, and we wore our winter coats underneath our plastic aprons as we made the sausage. First, we ground the pork into a forcemeat with the herbs and then added the cider. The pork was ice cold and it stung my hands as we made sure all the ingredients were well mixed. Afterward, we went into his home with a bit of the sausage to cook it off and taste it for seasoning. Brook's wife, Anna Santini, and their three kids, Kaj, Leila and Terra, were bustling about their cozy wood-heated farmhouse as we cooked up some of the sausages. The air was perfumed with herbs, sweet cider, and rich fat. We tasted the sausage, and I thought the subtle aromatic flavor the herbs added were perfect. We went back out to the butcher shop with the kids in tow and got ready to stuff the sausages. Leila and Terra cuddled on a playmat in the slaughter room, as Kaj played Star Wars with his lightsaber. The family scene struck me as I realized we were in fact, in a butcher shop; a place where their animals were slaughtered and processed, yet the kids were just hanging out with their dad as he worked. At one point, Terra was swinging from a levered meat hook that Kaj was maneuvering to lift her off the ground as he hysterically laughed. It was inspiring to see their family as such an intimate part of their farm. This was not just a butcher shop; it was their playroom, their imagination land, and their home. It nourished them and provided them a way of life. They were living in a complete food cycle.

Kaj started to tease me for how slow I was tying off the sausage and quickly showed me the ropes. We finished up the 50 pounds of sausage and returned to the house for lunch. We all sat at the family’s kitchen table eating the sausages we had just made, some pickles from last season and grits. We talked shop and about the menu for the dinner. We parted ways after I scrubbed down the butcher shop and Brooks’ showed me his impressive cure room, sending me off with two links of saucisson. I looked forward to hosting them at the farm dinner that next week.

Sausage Pre Grind// Newport, Pennsylvania

Delaware RIver Valley// Milford, New Jersey

The Greenhouses at Peace Tree Farm//Photo by Rob Cardillo

Ranunculus Love// Kintnersville, Pennsylvania

Herb Salt

makes about a quart

1 cup coarse sea salt

1/4 cup packed oregano

1/4 cup tarragon

1/4 cup packed fresh lemon thyme leaves

1/4 cup sage

handful dried lavender flowers

1/4 cup pink sea salt

In a food processor pulse together sea salt, oregano, tarragon, thyme and sage until combined. Pick out any large stems or twigs. Add lavender flowers and pink salt. Store in a mason jar.

Ironbound Cider from New Jersey Cider Works// Photo by Ellie Tremble — Ironbound Cider from New Jersey Cider Works// Photo by Ellie Tremble

Kristen Jas Vietty, Bartender Extraordinaire// Photo by Ellie Tremble — Kristen Jas Vietty, Bartender Extraordinaire// Photo by Ellie Tremble

The PASA/Peace Tree Team (Left to Right Lauren, Lloyd and Candy) //Photo by James Bassett-Cann — The PASA/Peace Tree Team (Left to Right Lauren, Lloyd and Candy) //Photo by James Bassett-Cann

Chef Marta Lynch plating Apps// Photo by Rob Cardillo

Conklin Farm Chicken Liver Pate with Great Road Farm Watermelon Radish //Photo by James Bassett-Cann

Jonathan's Cultured Herb Butter with Peace Tree Farm Herbs on Bobolink's Cranberry Walnut Bread//Photo by James Bassett-Cann

Chicken Liver Pâté

adapted from Jacques Pépin

1/2 pound chicken livers, trimmed

1 small onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves

1 teaspoon herbes de provence

1 teaspoon dijion mustard

1 bay leaf

salt to taste, roughly 1 teaspoon

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, quartered

2 teaspoons Cognac/Scotch

Fresh pepper to taste

In a medium skillet, combine chicken livers, onions, garlic, spices and salt. Add water and simmer. Cover and cook on low heat for 3 minutes until livers are just pink in the middle. Remove from head and let stand for 5 minutes covered. Remove bay leaf and transfer mixture to a food processor and pulse till combined. With machine on add butter until combine and season with cognac, salt & pepper and process till smooth. Place in desired terrine or ramekin and cool in fridge until firm. You can also seal the pâté with fat such as schmaltz or butter, or with a gelee.

Alex Traven & I welcoming guests to the Greenhouse// Photo by James Bassett-Cann — Alex Traven & I welcoming guests to the Greenhouse// Photo by James Bassett-Cann

April & the Table// Photo by Rob Cardillo

Cheesin with the Table// Photo by Ellie Tremble

The Table in Action// Photo by Ellie Tremble

After months of planning for the farm dinner, my favorite part of the process finally began, cooking all that theoretical food I had been plotting for weeks. It is an odd skill to learn to produce mass amounts of food. It is something that is second nature to me now, which has come with many years of practice. It is a constant learning process, but I have always enjoyed the long hours of prep while listening to my favorite albums, cutting up hundred of pounds of vegetables, butchering meat and finding new inspirations with the unexpected results that come with large-scale food prep. There is always something that can’t be anticipated, and you have to be adaptable.

Like when we cooked the sausages, and they gave off an obscene amount of fat. A wonderful, wonderful surprise. I had over five quarts of lard by the end of it and knew it would be magical to cook the heirloom potatoes I had just picked up from Blooming Glen Farm of Perkasie, Pennsylvania.

Or like when I went to Conklin Farms in Newville, Pennsylvania and Joe Conklin & his Father Joe, unexpectedly gave me over 16 chickens, three pounds of chicken livers and a couple of pounds of chicken feet. This meant that I would not only be adding a chicken course to the menu but that I would also be serving chicken liver pâté and experimenting with chicken feet.

It's all about being flexible, and it is my absolute favorite thing, cooking with what you have. The availability of the season dictated this menu as it was what the farmers had in the middle of February. It takes some imagination to bring it all together on the table.

Alex' Peace Tree Salad Greens// Kintnersville, Pennsylvania

Alex's Green House Salad

Salad Dressing

makes about a pint

6 oz extra virgin olive oil

6 oz tahini

1 oz truffle oil

3 oz balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a pint jar with a lid and shake to combine.

Salad

A big salad bowl full of fresh greens

2-3 blood oranges, peeled and halved

handful of goat cheese crumbles

handful toasted walnuts

pepper, to taste

Assemble salad. Pour dressing over greens and sprinkle with cheese, oranges and walnuts. Enjoy!

Green House Salad// Photo by Ellie Tremble — Green House Salad// Photo by Ellie Tremble

Blood Orange, Walnuts and Chevre// Photo by James Bassett-Cann — Blood Orange, Walnuts and Chevre// Photo by James Bassett-Cann

Candy Traven's Center Peices// Photo by Ellie Tremble

Table Setting// Photo by James Bassett-Cann

Great Road Farm Watermelon Radish// Photo by Ellie Tremble

Lloyd Traven showing guests the greenhouses// Photo by James Bassett-Cann

Plants & People// Photo by James Bassett-Cann

Dinner is served// Photo by James Bassett-Cann

Kitchen Team Plating Entree// Photo by James Bassett-Cann — Kitchen Team Plating Entree// Photo by James Bassett-Cann

Blooming Glen Potatoes// Photo by James Bassett-Cann

Blooming Glen Potatoes & Braised Cabbage

Roasted Potatoes

5# good potatoes

1/2 cup good lard

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Lay on sheet pan and season with salt and pepper. If lard is solidified, glob a top, if liquid, pour over sheet pan. After 10 minutes, stir potatoes. Cook for 30-45 minutes, or until golden.

Braised Cabbage

2-3 large purple cabbages

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar or beer

salt, pepper, red pepper flake, to taste

In a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add cabbage and cook for about 5-10 minutes until soft. Turn heat to high and add vinegar or beer. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flake.

Brooks Miller + Anna Santini of North Mountain Pastures// Photo by James Bassett-Cann

Conklin Farm Roasted Chicken with Great Road Farm Turnips

Chicken

1 good 2-4# Chicken

3-5 sprigs fresh thyme

1-2 lemons, halved

1 head garlic, halved

salt and pepper

Remove any inners of the chicken. Set aside. Stuff the cavity with thyme, lemons, garlic and season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes-hour until golden or internal temperature reads 165 degrees. Enjoy!

Turnips

5# turnips

1/2 cup good lard

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut turnips into 1/2 inch cubes. Lay on sheet pan and season with salt and pepper. If lard is solidified, glob a top, if liquid, pour over sheet pan. After 10 minutes, stir turnips. Cook for 30-45 minutes, or until golden.

Table Talks// Photo by James Bassett-Cann — Table Talks// Photo by James Bassett-Cann

Frecon Farm Apple & Tart Cherry Pie with Seven Star Farm Whipped Cream //Photo by James Bassett-Cann

The Cheese Line Up! Birchrun Blue from Birchrun Hills Farm, Drumm from Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse, Yellow Brick Road from Yellow Springs Goat Dairy// Photo by Ellie Tremble

This menu was also an expression of the community I find myself a part of, of the relationships I have cultivated over the years and the people who have helped me to bring food to the table. This was most encapsulated by the cheese course served at the dinner. The cheese boards themselves were handmade by my Father, Charles Briggs, an eccentrically talented woodworker, who when I start working in the cheese world, made me these elaborate cheese boards. The cheeses themselves came together organically on the boards.

First up was the Yellow Brick Road, a goat’s milk cheese washed with Victory beer, made by Al & Catherine Renzi of Yellow Springs Farm in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. I was a long time fan of their cheeses while working in Philadelphia and went out to visit their dynamic dairy farm years earlier. I had reached out to them again a few weeks before the dinner, and they were happy to support the cause.

Then there was the Drumm from Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse, a cow’s milk cheese made by my neighbors Jonathan & Nina White, who have long been littering my menus. They were happy to be a part of the board and also provided the stellar bread, served alongside the cheeses.

Then there was the finale, the infamous Birchrun Blue, a creamy cow’s milk cheese from Birchrun Hills Farm, also hailing from Chester Springs, made by Sue Miller, one of Pennsylvania’s premier cheese makers. Sue also serves on the board of PASA, and offered a wheel of cheese to support the dinner back at the conference.

The cheese board was cohesive, telling the story of three renowned cheese makers, each cheese lending itself to the next, all assembled a top my Father’s woodwork. It was a true expression of my community.

Clear Skies at Peace Tree Farm// Photo by Ellie Tremble — Clear Skies at Peace Tree Farm// Photo by Ellie Tremble

Candel Aftermath// Photo by Ellie Tremble

Cheers to a job well done// Photo by Ellie Tremble

Goodnight// Photo by Ellie Tremble — Goodnight// Photo by Ellie Tremble

These farm dinners are about focusing on the meaningful work my community tirelessly (and often thanklessly) does day in and day out. It is about engaging people to recognize where their food comes from, the people who worked so hard to produce it and to all come together in the most meaningful way possible, over a meal made from that very food. I could not have done it without my community and all the farmers PASA helps support. I look forward to the next chance I get to bring my community together for such a worthy cause.

Thank you to all of our supporting farmers, cheese makers and brewers!

North Mountain Pastures// Newport, PA
Conklin Farms// Newville, PA
Frecon Farms & Cider// Boyertown, PA
Blooming Glen Farm// Perkasie, PA
Great Road Farm// Skillman, NJ
Spiral Path Farm//Loysville, PA
Yellow Springs Farm// Chester Springs, PA
Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse// Milford, NJ
Ajiri Tea// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania
Birchrun Hills Farm// Chester Springs, PA
Victory Brewing Company// Downingtown, PA
New Jersey Cider Works// Pittstown, NJ
Homestead Coffee Roasters// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Full Moon Phở

January 5, 2016

Beat the chill Saturday, January 23rd at the Bridge Cafe in Frenchtown, New Jersey at 6PM for Phở under the full moon.
Dietary restrictions welcomed, take out available.

The Platform Restaurant made its debut at The Bridge Cafe in Frenchtown, New Jersey this spring and quickly became the talk of the Delaware River Valley. While I was traveling around the States this summer, I would call home and ask friends and family how the summer was treating them- every person would gush about the food at the Platform. It became the place to be, featuring a rotating menu of whatever region Chef Graham Miller wanted to explore. Graham a recent graduate of The Culinary Institute of America worked out in California and hit the ground running when he returned home. I had the pleasure of making it to the last Platform pop-up of the summer where I was overwhelmed and delighted by all of the familiar faces. I couldn't remember a place where people had gathered like this before.

Graham and I have been friends since elementary school and he is probably one of the most gregarious dudes I know. When I was living in Philadelphia and obsessed with Vietnamese food, I would try to lure Graham to come down to the city to explore the asian markets. After a night of barhopping, I insisted we make the pilgrimage to Washington Avenue for a bowl of the good stuff knowing he'd be as smitten with it as I was.

When I came home this winter I was keen to work with Graham at his parents place, The Bridge Cafe, just three miles south of my parent's inn in Upper Black Eddy. Our families have been hustling in the river valley since the 80s and have been very encouraging of us young bucks trying to make our way into the game. We decided we would put on a huge stock pot of Phở for our friends, family and community to celebrate the first full moon of the year.

The Third Annual Beast Feast

November 23, 2015

I am pleased to announce the third annual Beast Feast. Join us Wednesday December 16th for an evening of food, music and community at my families inn, Bridgeton House on the Delaware in my hometown of Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania.

We will be featuring some of our favorite locals including Peace Tree Farm, Bobolink Dairy + Bakehouse, Castle Valley Mill, Homestead Coffee Roasters and Ajiri Tea. Philadelphia's The Sun Flights + TJ Kong return to Upper Black Eddy with Driftwood Soldier in tow.

\\Doors at 6, Dinner at 7, Music and Dessert at 8. Donations are greatly appreciated//

Donate

Davis Archer out for morning chores in Alna, Maine

Land + Sea Recipe Round Up

October 8, 2015

11206 km / 6963 miles travelled since July

For the last several years I have pilgrimaged to Maine each August to cook at Caravan Music Festival in Belgrade Lakes. My affection for the state is no secret. Every year I long to frolic in brisk lakes, gorge myself on pristine sea food, and reconnect to a state of peace and tranquility. Since befriending my accomplice Badger, his family, the Mansers, have welcomed me into their cabin in Belgrade Lakes year after year.

This year I arrived in Maine mid-September and fresh from a 7 hour solo drive from Pennsylvania through one my favorite parts of the country. Up the Yankee Highway, through the pine lined forests of Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire and I finally entered Maine. I was greeted by my eccentric friend Davis at his homestead in Alna, southeast of my usually destination of Belgrade Lakes. Davis showed me the kitchen in his partially renovated farm house where we would be working out of for our pig roast and his larder, bursting at the seams in preparation for winter and my room just off the dining room. I asked if I could accompany him on his morning chores as milking the goats was one of my favorite rituals in California. Greeting the crisp morning with hungry and eager animals always puts me in a good mood and I knew my soul had been craving it.

I heard Davis barreling around the kitchen at 5am and knew it was time to tend to the goats that were already hollerin' outside my window. I sipped tea as I observed his routine, trying not to get in the way and admiring the light over his neighboring fields that kiss the Sheepscot River. There was salt in the air. We fed and milked his miniature goat Louise who had had two bucks that spring. I remembered how nervous Davis was for the delivery when we were plotting the event over the phone earlier that year, now here the boys were, screaming for food, butting heads and clowning around. We headed into the lower field to feed the chickens and the last pig that remained in his herd, as our pig was had been slaughtered the day before and was already brining. We finished chores and harvesting, ate the biggest sourdough skillet cakes I have ever seen and set off for the oyster boat at Pemaquid Oyster Company.

Towing at Pemaquid Oyster Company in Damariscotta, Maine

It was early morning and the light was still captivating as it glittered on the Damariscotta River. We met Davis's boss, Carter, on the dock and asked if I could join the crew on their morning ride, he happily obliged. We hopped on the 'Oyster Girl' and headed out to the sorting docks just up river.

Once again I observed and tried to stay out of the way while the guys set up the lines and baskets for sorting. Carter drove the boat seemingly aimlessly up and down the river as we towed the nets behind us and he answering business calls for his many endeavors in the bivalve world, joking that it was his office hours.

Carter lifted out the first haul and the boys unlatched the chains. A bounty of oysters, crabs, seaweed, horseshoe crabs and rocks splattered out on the steel table before me.

"You can concentrate on pulling out the crabs" suggested Carter with a smirk. According to the boys, the crabs weren't good eatin' and messed with the oyster's growth.

I separated out the feisty crabs from the oysters and reserved them in a bucket where they would later be disposed of. We sized up the oysters, put them into according baskets and got ready for the next haul. We did this repeatedly for about two hours, the boys taught me lingo and Davis passed me bites of that mornings left over sourdough skillet cakes.

We were then joined by Smokey, Carter's business partner of 33 years and a local photographer named Heather, who was doing a piece on the company. We staged some shots of the oysters being dropped, played with lighting screens and laughed at the silliness of the situation.

Smokey suggested I go for the along for the tour down river with Heather to see the rest of the oyster beds. Carter gave me a mesh bag and told Smokey to make sure I took home some oysters in exchange for my hard work. I loved these people. We scoped out the oyster beds down river and Smokey open a few oysters for us and I was smitten. I was excited to work with their bivalves at the pig roast.

Other Worlds at Pemaquid Oyster Company in Damariscotta, Maine

Oyster Beds at Pemaquid Oyster Company in Damariscotta, Maine

Sizing baskets at Pemaquid Oyster Company

After being dropped ashore I ventured around Damariscotta collecting various goods for the pig roast. I stopped by Davis's friend Austin's farm to pick up some of his cabbage and onions. The brilliant man has been farming the area for decades and taught Davis' a thing or two when he first came to Maine.

I was excited to finally cook with Davis after 3 years of working together on pig projects. The extent of our friendship was limited to parking lot exchanges of a slaughtered pig once a year and a handful of phone calls throughout the year to see how the pigs were fattening up and to shoot the shit. Caravan was one of the first entities to buy Davis's pig and his pig Olivia was first whole pig I had ever butchered. It felt like everything was coming full circle. I had also long admired Oxbow Brewery, as it has a large connection to Philadelphia. Since I had started heading to Maine for Caravan I had heard of the 'loud beer from a quit place' and after seeing my pig being raised on the property 3 years earlier, I knew I wanted to work with them.

I snuck away to Belgrade Lakes for lunch with the Manser men and to pay my respects to the Caravan stage I had so missed back in August. We enjoyed the porch overlooking the Great Pond and headed into town for the mandatory lobster roll.

As I drove around the winding backroads between towns, I admired the soothing hues of green in the woods. I kept seeing apples littering the roadside. It had been a relatively dry summer and the apples were abundant. When I headed back to Alna to prepare for the event and it occurred to me that we should make use of the wild apples. We had already ordered some fennel to stuff the pig with and the apples would compliment them well. I gathered a bushel from several roadside trees around Oxbow.

I got back to Alna with the produce and got ready for the night of prep we had before us. We were to camp out at Oxbow overnight to make sure the pig went off without a hitch. We pulled in the smoker that Davis had borrowed from one of his friends and speared the pig. The pig had been brining in salt and spices and after we settled the pig to the smoker, we closed the enormous door and finished prepping the rest of our menu.

Davis' Heritage Hog in the Smoker at Oxbow Brewery in Newcastle, Maine

All Night Preparations for the Pig Roast at Oxbow Brewery, Newcastle, Maine

Davis and I rolled out dough for bread and checked on the pig every so often. Before we called it a night, we checked the pig one last time and realized the smoker was doing one hell of a job. In just two hours the legs were already starting to fall off the bone. We tasted the meat and were thrilled with the flavor.

I posted up in my hammock for the night above the Oxbow Tiki Bar and Davis slept next to the smoker to make sure it was set for the night. When we woke up the pig was cooked to perfection.

We set up our kitchen in a U shape, with Davis's red pickup truck bed as the mussel station. We were fortunate to have Davis's friend Melissa Hunnibell join the crew last minute as she had suspected we might need the help. Melissa, a restaurant vet, held my hand and organized my thoughts as I attempted to write out the final menu on the chalk board, floundering on little sleep and struggling with verbiage. We all got along like old friends in the kitchen, laughing as we clambered to figure out the flow of the kitchen and our call and response ordering and pick up system.

We served a taste of Land + Sea, Pemaquid Oysters on the half shell or 'al cochon', an oyster baked with pulled pork (an amazing combination we had discovered the night before) Pemaquid Mussels steamed with Oxbow Beer, a Pulled Pork Sandwich on Davis's freshly baked buns (which he finsihed baking at 2am) Blueberry Slab Pie with an Apple Cider Caramel I had made with Louise's milk, and some simple Golden Raspberries grown by Austin. We had a wonderful response to the food, with locals showing approval. We made the local paper and even farmer Austin made an appearance, apparently a rare sight. I was honored to pull him off the farm and to feed him his bounty that made our food that much more special.

In true Caravan Family fashion the Manser men took a break from fishing to come show their support. Posted up on the side of pickup truck next to our kitchen they slurped mussels, and gobbled up pulled pork as we reminisced about Caravans past. How lucky I am to have them on my side. The guests slowly started to leave and the remaining crew built a fire near the tiki bar. We swam in the pond behind the smoker and admired the full moon making its way through the trees. We soon got back to it and packed up all the remaining food and headed back to the farm house to take inventory.

Pemaquid Mussels steamed with Oxbow Beer

Beer Steamed Mussels

serves about 2-4

1 pound Mussels

1 bottle dark beer

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons butter

A handful pulled pork, optional

3 large sprigs parsley, chopped

METHOD

In a large sauce pan, caramelize onions with a bit of butter, about 10 minutes. Pour in beer and scrap up the bottom of the pan. Add mussels, garlic, butter and pork (if using) and cover with a lid for about 5 minutes or until the mussels open. FInish with chopped parsley and serve with a piece of crusty bread.

Pulled Pork

Rub

2 pounds Bone In Pork Shoulder

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

3 tablespoons Salt

1 tablespoon crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Mix all ingredients and generously rub onto shoulder. Set aside.

BRAISE

2-3 bottles of beer

1/2 head cabbage, chopped

2 onions, chopped

1 bulb fennel, chopped

olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop vegetables into large 1/2 inch chunks and set aside. In a Dutch oven or large cast iron, heat a heavy pour of olive oil and add prepared pork shoulder until golden. Add vegetables. Pour in beer. Place uncovered in oven. Cook for two hours or until tender.

BBQ SAUCE

1 cup reserved braising drippings

1-1/2 cup apple cider

1-2 cups ketchup

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Mustard

3 tablespoons Soy Sauce

3 cloves Garlic

Remove shoulder from braise. Drain vegetables and place remaining juice in a gravy separator. The jus and the fat will separate. Pour off as much fat as possible and reserve. In a medium sauce pan heat pork jus on medium heat. Add all ingredients while constantly tasting. Adjust flavors to your liking. Simmer until thick. Pour atop pulled pork. Serve immediately.

Davis and I plottin' at Oxbow//Newcastle, Maine

Blueberry Slab Pie

Dough

makes a crust and topper

470 grams good flour

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tbsp salt

340 grams cold butter, diced

3/4-1 cup cold water

Mix flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and knead. Slowly add water until dough is smooth. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours until firm.

Filling

2 cups sugar

3 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup water

6 cups fresh blueberries

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice & zest

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes or until mixture reduces and thickens. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350. On a floured surface, roll out prepared dough. Roll out dough to cover a parchment paper lined 10 x 15in cookie sheet (or similarly sized). Push the dough up the sides of the cookie sheet to create a crust. Pour filling on to sheet. Roll out remaining dough and cut into lattice strips or simply cover with another sheet of dough.

Egg Wash

1 egg yolk

A splash water

2 tablespoon demerara sugar

Mix together water and egg yolk. Brush a top crust. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

The dream team, Celeste, Davis and Melissa, the morning after with Golden Raspberry Fingers at Oxbow Brewery //Newcastle, Maine — The dream team, Celeste, Davis and Melissa, the morning after with Golden Raspberry Fingers at Oxbow Brewery //Newcastle, Maine

Sunset // Alna, Maine — Sunset // Alna, Maine

Hammock Hideout at Oxbow// Newcastle, Maine — Hammock Hideout at Oxbow// Newcastle, Maine

The stage at Caravan Belgrade Lakes, Maine

The Manser Men fishing on the Great Pond Belgrade Lakes, Maine

The next morning we ventured back to Oxbow and I packed up my campsite. We cleaned up the remaining odds and ends from the event and talked about how happy we were with the event and agreed to do it again soon and parted ways. I was grateful for the hard work Celeste and Davis had put forth in planning the event at Oxbow and for Melissa for helping on the line. I could not have done it without them.

I headed back north to Belgrade to swim in the Great Pond last time and take a boat ride with the Mansers'. We motored along the water and I admired the view. Clark cast his line and I lounged in the rear of the boat, feeling the exhaustion from the pig roast setting in. We watched the sun set over the hills and headed back to land. The Great Pond had worked its magic. I then headed south again for Pennsylvania, enjoying the scenic drive back to my home state, plotting my next adventure in the great state of Maine.

Pork + Beans

Baked Beans

2 cans (28oz each) kidney beans

1 can (28 oz) cannellini beans

3/4 cup tomato sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup pork stock

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

METHOD

In a large sauce pan, add beans, tomato sauce, garlic, stock and heat over medium heat. Once bubbly, add maple syrup, brown sugar, mustard and red pepper flake. Cook until thick, about 10 minutes. Serve with Pork Belly or Pulled Pork!!

The pond at Oxbow Brewery//Newcastle Maine

A Full Moon Feast

June 23, 2015

I have been surrounded by francophiles my entire life. I remember devouring croquembouche made every Christmas by my beloved neighbor Pastry Chef Michael Lynch, eating stinky cheeses for lunch with my Mother, and how my Father coveted duck fat. I then began working for a French couple down the canal when I was 12 and was schooled in proper French water & bread service, garde manger and dessert presentation. Michael's daughter Marta, the closet thing I know to a sister, went abroad to Paris and I quickly followed. I had been heavily studying the cheese revolution in the States and was constantly learning about the traditional French cheeses they were based upon. We ran around the country, picnicking in Van Gogh ruins and dancing through wine country and my eyes dilated at the open air markets. I wanted to know everything about the cheeses, each so specific to its region and with my very limited vocabulary, Marta did her best to translate with the amused fromager who stared at us curious American girls.

I am continually enamored with French cuisine and always find myself coming back to French classics when writing menus. My favorite feasts being ones that end with cheese and are littered with excessive amounts of butter. That being said, when I was asked to prepare a dinner for the lille aeske's Supper Table Series, I immediately thought of all my preferred French recipes. This feast also happens to fall upon a Full Moon, which is one of my favorite moments in time, a phenomenon many forget navigates our world and reminds us of the magic of our home. Join me for a celebration of French fare & the full moon next Thursday!

A Full Moon Feast

Fruits de Mar

Salade Niçoise

Mama's Tomate Tarte

Devil's Gulch Grilled Quail

Tickets

I will also be showing a collection of photography titled 'Memories Returned' on July 3rd at lille aeske. Photography for me has always been a way of pausing moments in my ever moving world, it allows me to acknowledge and savor them. I had become attached to capturing moments, remembering a place and a feeling through a photo. I can be a bit sentimental sometimes. In the last 2 years I have traveled over 30,000 miles across the United States in search of local flavors and to develop my style as a cook. Out West in the Spring of 2014, my camera found its way into the hands of another in San Francisco. I don't know if its possible to express the disorientation of having your memories taken from you.

When I lost my camera with over 6 months of work, I lost a great deal of those memories. It wasn't so much the camera I was sad to have lost but the CF card with the photos on it. I felt like apart of my brain was taken away from me. I had reluctantly accepted that my camera was no longer apart of me and I tried not to think about it. I kept remembering photos I had taken but they weren't there. Then suddenly in the Winter of 2015, I heard that my camera had magically reappeared. The man from San Francisco who had been resold my camera searched the internet community to find me once he discovered the photos. It took him less than a week. It was as if my memories were being returned, I had forgotten how much they meant to me.