The Third Annual Peace Tree Farm Dinner

January 7, 2017

Bask in the warmth of the greenhouses at Peace Tree Farm for our third annual farm dinner!

For the second time, our dinner will benefit 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.

Last Year's Table//Photo by Ellie Tremble

Tickets include appetizers, libations, a four-course sit-down dinner highlighting local foods, and tours of the greenhouses of Peace Tree Farm. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to PASA.

Join us Saturday, February 18th at 6 PM.

Tickets

The Fourth Annual Beast Feast

December 1, 2016

I am pleased to announce the fourth annual Beast Feast. Join us Wednesday, December 14th 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. We are also happy to welcome Philadelphia's own Heritage Farm and Mycopolitan Mushrooms to the menu. The one and only TJ Kong will also be gracing us with his trio in his much-anticipated return to Upper Black Eddy.

\\Doors at 6, Dinner at 7, Music and Dessert at 8. //

Autumnal Shift// Pipersvile, Pennsylvania

Summer in Photos + Recipes

November 11, 2016

Where have I gone, dear reader? I seem to have disappeared the last few months, but here I am again! Back to fill you in with a few photos, some recipes, and whatever words I can piece together.

As you probably guessed, I've been busy. I've driven over 20,000 miles, ping-ponging along the eastern seaboard chasing my passion for food, nature, and love.

For the last six months, I have been putting in sixty hours a week with the back of house warriors of Bolete Restaurant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Between that and trying to take care of myself, there simply hasn't been time for anything else.

In my hibernation last winter I decided that it was time for me to concentrate on cooking as much as possible and applied for the James Beard Foundation's Women in Culinary Leadership Grant. To my great fortune, I was placed with the endlessly talented Chef Lee Chizmar.

Chef Lee is an inspiring mentor with an amazing palate and a wealth of information when it comes to the kitchen (and feminism, I happily learned). He has a way of effortlessly bestowing his knowledge on those around him and leads his kitchen with grace. I am forever grateful for my time at Bolete and their sister restaurant, Mister Lee's Noodles. The wealth of knowledge I gained in my short time in these kitchens has forever changed me as a cook and my perspective on the culture of brick and mortar restaurants.

In my time in those kitchens, I was often left to ponder my original intention with Eclectik Domestic. I know that I am passionate about food, music, community, farming, and photography. I want to help inspire our culture to reconnect with the importance of long-term sustainable food producing ecosystems and distribution models. It is my hope to facilitate connections within our evolving community by bringing people together at events to celebrate the bounty of this magnificent world.

Over the last few years, I've been attempting to build a life around these passions. I've devoted myself to hospitality in any way I could find, and it has been quite a journey. I have followed my hunger, and it has taken to places I could have never dreamed.

I now have been grappling with a major divide in my passion for hospitality. I want to be two places at once. I want to cook the food and serve it. And if you really want to get complicated, I'd also like to grow it, oh and travel the world at the same time if possible. My dreams have always been eclectic, hence my moniker.

So what does this mean for Eclectik Domestic, dear reader?
I'm too exhausted to know. Long hours in a windowless kitchen have fried my brain, and I need some rest.

In the next few weeks, I will come back to myself and reevaluate. I am returning to events with more intention for what I'd like to share with my community and what my values are. I hope to catch you at one of them this winter and to fill your belly with honest and delicious food.

Thank you for following the journey, it means more to me than you will ever know.
xoxo
Katie Briggs
The Eclectik Domestic

MAINE

The eighth annual Caravan Music Festival came and went this August and it was a true culinary marvel. Chef Pat Boyer and I collaborated on the festival's kitchen this year and it was an extraordinary community event. Last year Chef Pat finally brought down the kitchen from the family cabin on top of the hill and engineered a kitchen in the quarry next to the stage. This allowed the kitchen become a part of the festival in a more outright way and allowed festival goers to contribute to the food program.

The Caravan Kitchen//Belgrade Lakes, Maine

Station// Belgrade Lakes, Maine — Station// Belgrade Lakes, Maine

In the thick of pizza night//Belgrade Lakes, Maine

a thing of beauty//Belgrade Lakes, Maine

Pitmaster// Chickens and Ducks// Belgrade Lakes, Maine

Apricot, red onion, ricotta and roasted garlic//Belgrade Lakes, Maine

Caravan Pizza

Dough

3/4 cup warm water

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

2 cups, plus more for dusting, all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

Pour 3/4 cup of warm water into small bowl; stir in yeast. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes.

In another bowl, Mix flour, sugar and salt together. Then brush a large bowl lightly with olive oil. Add yeast mixture and 3 tablespoons oil; process until dough forms a sticky ball. Transfer to lightly floured surface. Knead dough until smooth, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is very sticky, about 1 minute. Transfer to prepared bowl; turn dough in a bowl to coat with oil. Cover bowl with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Punch down dough.

Toppings

1 Head Roasted Garlic

3-5 Halved Apricots

1 cup fresh Ricotta

1/2 Red Onions

Olive Oil

Roll out dough on a greased 9* 13 sheet pan, starting in the center of dough, working outward toward edges but not rolling over them. In layers add garlic, apricots, ricotta and red onion. Pour olive oil atop. Bake at 450 until golden, about 10 minutes.

Wild Maine Blueberries//Belgrade Lakes, Maine

Dock// Belgrade Lakes, Maine — Dock// Belgrade Lakes, Maine

Griddle Greatness//Belgrade Lakes, Maine

Caravan Hot Cakes

1190 grams flour

298 grams sugar

42 grams baking powder

8 eggs

5 egg whites

300 grams melted butter

Mix together dry ingredients. Melt butter. Stir together eggs and melted butter. On a hot griddle, pour out about 1/2 cup of batter. Flip when small bubbles appear. Cook till golden.

Raspberry Goodness// Belgrade Lakes, Maine

Raspberry Topping

1-pint raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

pinch salt

tablespoon lemon

3 tablespoons balsamic

In a medium bowl, add all ingredients. Stir together and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Once juices are flowing, pour atop hot cakes.

Lakeview// Belgrade Lakes, Maine — Lakeview// Belgrade Lakes, Maine

Downtime with Papa Manser// Belgrade Lakes, Maine

Pennsylvania

Chanterelle Bliss// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Bolete Still Lifes// Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Eggplant Match// Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Apple Cider Cake

2 cups sugar

1-1/2 cups butter, softened

6 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup apple cider

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325F. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Combine all dry ingredients and add to butter mixture. Add cider and vanilla and mix until combined. On a parchment paper lined sheet pan (13*9), pour dough in center and making sure it is even. Bake at 325 for about an hour or until firm. Allow to cool and cut cakes to desired size. Serve with caramel or vanilla ice cream!

Overgrown & Delicious//Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Dads Globe//Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Buckeye// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Mile High//Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Summer Harvest// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Fractal// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Dead Leaves// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

NEW YORK

Lobsta// James Beard House, New York, New York

Russ & Daughters// New York, New York — Russ & Daughters// New York, New York

Main Street Farms Salanova// Cortland, New York

Biscuits

Biscuits

3 cups flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 stick (3/4 cup) cold butter, cut into 8 pieces

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

red pepper/chili powder to taste

In a bowl add flour, baking powder, and salt. Knead or in a food processor, add butter until a crumbly mixture forms. Add buttermilk and seasoning. Roll or press dough into 1-2 inch balls and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden. Makes about 20 biscuits.

*I used butter for this batch but animal lard can be substituted in equal parts.

New Jersey

Hoedown at Lady Luck Flower Farm

October 14, 2016

Tickets

In a beautiful Appalachian cove in Western North Carolina, sits Lady Luck Flower Farm. For the past nine years, Mike Adams and Katie Grear have worked with the land to produce specialty cut flowers as well as medicinal herbs, heirloom squash, and corn.

Join us Sunday, November 6 at 3 pm for a celebration of the end of another season, of where we've been and where we're going- individually and collectively! Featuring eats by Eclectik Domestic, live music from Hearts Gone South, Zach Bryson and Todd Day Wait's Pig Pen, and a bondfire! We'll be dancing and feasting rain or shine.
\\Donations are greatly appreciated//

Trauger's Strawberries// Kintnersville, Pennsylvania

Spring in Photos + Recipes

June 27, 2016

Rabbit Terrine// James Beard House// New York, New York

It is difficult to believe how much can happen in just a couple of weeks. Sorry if I left you hanging dear reader (you're the reason why I take the time to update this thing right?).
This winter I started plotting the season ahead. For those of you keeping score at home, I have remained in the state of Pennsylvania for the summer. Though I still have debilitating wanderlust, I am now focusing on my passion for cooking and have found the opportunity to apprentice at a restaurant tucked away in the Lehigh Valley.
The modest 200 year old stagecoach inn is home to Bolete Restaurant; the blood, sweat, and tears of the Erin Shea and Lee Chizmar, a dynamic couple, producing one of the finest dining experiences in the region. I have been appointed to apprentice with Chef Lee as a part of the James Beard Women in Culinary Leadership Initiative, where I will be working with Chef for 6 months.
I first discovered Bolete 3 years ago while on tour with Outstanding in the Field and I was excited to return to my home state. The dinner was held at Blooming Glen Farm and Chef was preparing fresh mozzarella for the first course and planning to pull the curds minutes before plating... for 200+ people. Our crew was prepared for a delayed and chaotic start to the dinner.

When I saw Lee directing his crew, I was in awe of his composure, his tact and his ability to thoughtfully communicate his vision to his crew. He plated the first course effortlessly, and our crew was taken aback. I knew then he was both a great Chef and teacher.
I am wholeheartedly passionate about cooking and bringing people together to celebrate food. I have a deep and intimate understanding of food and have spent my life learning as much as possible about the culinary arts. Professionally I have always found myself working in the front of house while longing to work in the back of house, but I had never found the right opportunity to do so. However, through self-education and entrepreneurship I have begun to build myself a basis in the back of house. At my own events I both manage the front of house and lead the back of house, but I know that I have much more to learn in my craft. This grant is the opportunity to discipline my skills by working professionally in an inspired kitchen.

Shiitake Oysters at Bolete//Bethlehem, PA

Noodle Pop Art at Mr. Lee's// Easton, PA — Noodle Pop Art at Mr. Lee's// Easton, PA

My father  and I crafted these extra long wooden spoons for our stock production at Mr. Lee's noodle bar. The flat top allows for scraping the bottom of the pot and the burned detailing a Japanese method called 'Shou Sugi Ban', our homage to ra… — My father and I crafted these extra long wooden spoons for our stock production at Mr. Lee's noodle bar. The flat top allows for scraping the bottom of the pot and the burned detailing a Japanese method called 'Shou Sugi Ban', our homage to ramen's cultural roots.

I was ushered back into the food scene of Philadelphia at the start of spring and reconnected with many of my old friends in the city of brotherly love. I was asked to curate the Demo Kitchen at The Philly Farm and Food Fest (PF3) and was excited to put together a dynamic schedule of Philadelphia's premier movers and shakers to educate the public.

It was important to me to bring together an eclectic mix of chefs, butchers, farmers, mycologist, fermentors and apiarists in an attempt to represent an entire food system.

The weeks leading up to the festival were packed with meetings with chefs and farmers planning their demonstrations, which lead me all over the city and the countryside. I was particularly excited to work with Bryan Mayer and Andrew Wood of Russet for their Whole Lamb Butchery demonstration. Before the fest we went out to Wyebrook Farm in Honey Brook, Pennsylvania and slaughtered the first lamb of the season under the expertise of Bryan and Andrew. It was an honor to watch them work with such skill, and they were sure to educate the entire team during the process. Bryan performed a highly efficient and mindful slaughter, exemplifying the methodology I aspire to in all of my butchering projects.

Bryan wanted his demonstration at fest to be both educational and personal. He wanted to give reference to the animal, showing that it was once a living creature that was raised with care in idilic conditions. Andrew taught us about preparing the blood with vinegar for sausage making. He walked us through the organs and demonstrated that you could actually re-inflate the lungs after they were removed from the cavity. I had never seen an animal so expertly broken down and came out of the slaughter with a greater understanding and appreciation of the art of butchery. This is the drive guiding my journey: facilitating the propagation of this sacred knowledge to make the sacrifice of an animal worthwhile not only as a means for consumption but as a way of reconnecting on deeper level with the circle of life.

During the Whole Pig Butchery demonstration lead by Heather Thomason of Kensington Quarters and Brooks Miller of North Mountain Pastures, three vegan protesters started yelling in front of them. Shocked, I scrambled to tell these protesters that this wasn't the right fight, Brooks' pigs were the real deal, I had been to the farm, these pigs were loved and raised in the most humane way possible. Single-mindedly ignoring my pleas, they continued to yell. Dumbfounded, I saw a man and his family standing behind the protesters continuing to watch the demo. I then realized, there were more people there wanting to learn about butchering than the three vegans who were protesting against it. I motioned to the audience to rush the stage and displace the protesters, they dashed to the front and then stood, continuing to watch Heather and Brooks' work.

I understood why those vegans were there; industrial farming practices are a disgrace to our society. It is my hope that the animals that we sacrificed for the demonstrations at the Philly Farm and Food Fest were for a purpose, not just for human consumption but for educating the public. We need to shatter the absent referent surround meat; we must acknowledge that the meat we eat was once a living animal and that we should be honest with ourselves about the conditions in which was raised. It is my mission to promote the dismantling of a food system that is unconcerned with the unspeakable cruelty suffered by animals in the service of our addiction to a profligacy of cheap meat.

Adrian Galbrith-Paul of Heritage Farm and Chef Charles Parker of Talula's Garden talk Greens

Worksheets for the Kids Corral by Philly Orchard Project and Everybody Colors

Salad Green Games at Broad Wing Farm// Morgantown, PA

Berks County Beauty// Broad Wing Farm, Morgantown, PA — Berks County Beauty// Broad Wing Farm, Morgantown, PA

Wash //Broad Wing Farm, Morgantown, PA — Wash //Broad Wing Farm, Morgantown, PA

Pig Friends// Broad Wing Farm, Morgantown, PA — Pig Friends// Broad Wing Farm, Morgantown, PA

Pennsylvania Rye Berry Salad

Salad

1 cup rye berries

4 cups water

3 carrots, julienned

1 bunch ramps, sliced

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted & chopped

1/2 cup mushrooms, sautéed

Salad Dresing

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

red pepper, salt & pepper, to taste

In a medium pot or a rice cooker, add rye berries and water. Bring to a boil, once boiling, cover and cook on low heat for 40 minutes. Checking every 15 minutes for firmness and water evaporation. Remove from heat and prepare salad.

In a small jar, mix together cider vinegar, olive oil, mustard, honey, red pepper, salt, and pepper.

Combine, carrots, ramps, mushrooms and walnuts. Toss in salad dressing. Add to prepared rye berries. Mix till combined.

Old Friends// Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I enjoyed the bounty of Spring in Philadelphia at the Clark Park Farmers Market while curating small bites for Marta's Potluck for Psychedelic Science.

Clark Park Farmer's Market Haul// Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Valley Milk House Cheese Plate// Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Rhubarb Compote

5 stalks rhubarb, sliced

1 cup sugar

1 lemon

In a small pot over medium heat, add rhubarb, sugar and lemon. Cook for 5 minutes until rhubarb is shredded. Allow to cool. Serve along side cheese.

Fiddlehead Ferns// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Trametes aka Turkey Tails// Upper Black Eddy, PA

Scar Tissue// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Forest Groceries// Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

Forager's Elixir

1 lb stinging nettles

1 lb dandelion greens

1 bunch garlic grass/chives

1/2 cup mint leaves

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 onions

1 bulb fennel, chopped

1 cup cauliflower florets, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4 cups chicken stock

salt and pepper, red pepper flake, to taste

In a medium stock pot, over medium heat bring 4 cups water to a boil with salt. Add garlic grass, dandelion green and nettles. Add onions, fennel and cook for 5-10 minutes. Add garlic, and cauliflower. Cook for 5 more minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add mint and lemon juice. Blend with a blender until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flake to taste.

Buttermilk Grapefruit Cake

Cake

4 eggs

3 cups cake flour*

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 grapefruits, peeled

Make sure your eggs and butter are at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degree. On a large cookie sheet, lay out parchment paper and grease with butter.

Measure out all ingredients. Separate eggs.

In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar. Fold in egg yolks and in thirds add flour mixture while slowly adding milk. Add vanilla. Beat egg whites until they form glossy peaks and fold in. Pour batter onto pan.

Bake for 25 minutes, rotating racks in oven around the 10 minute mark. Remove from oven and let cool. Run knife around sides of sheet pan. When completely cool, gently cut out desired cake size. I did 9 inches. Transfer the cake to desired serving plate lined with parchment paper.

Lemon Curd

4 lemons

1 cup sugar

1/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature

4 eggs

1/2 cup lemon juice(reserved from zested lemons )

salt, to taste

Zest 4 lemons. Combine with sugar. Cream butter and lemon sugar and add 1 egg at a time. Add lemon juice and salt.

Pour mixture in a small sauce pan and cook over low heat until thickened, stiring constantly until reached around 170 degrees. Remove from heat and pour through a sieve. Cool in fridge.

Whipped Cream

4 cups heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp vanilla extract

In a large mason jar. Add one cup of cream of time and shake until whipped. *You can also use an electric mixer.

Set 1st cake layer on pan and smooth out a dollop of lemon curd. Lay out a ring of grapefruit and repeat. Ice the outside of the cake with whipped cream.

*Lets be real, who has cake flour lying around? To substitute simply take all purpose flour and for every cup replace 2 tbsp with corn starch. Be sure to sift the mixture thoroughly (1 cup all purpose flour - 2 tbsp replaced + 2 tbsp corn starch, sifted 3 times over)