WHAT'S COOKING?
PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE MEALS
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1272251259588734
WHAT'S COOKING?
PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE MEALS
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Kirstin Andrews is in the Kitchen! A Southern Belle, who has hosted many dinner parties using heirloom family recipes, is creating her version of her Aunt Lou’s Cabbage Rolls using cherry smoked ham, bacon from Lingerfelt Farm, tomatoes, onions and shredded carrots. She serves this over smashed Yukon Gold potatoes steamed green beans. Kirstin is starting us off with Crab Stuffed Mushrooms and a Relish Tray of crisp vegetables, pickles and Dilly Beau Monde Dip, and finishing with her often requested Sweet Potato Cake with Cinnamon Honey Frosting. Wow! Sounds yummy! If you are interested in being a guest chef, please talk to Alisa (804) 892-7588 $20 per person Coffee, Tea or Sparkling Water included. You may bring your own beer or wine. No corking fee. Dinner is served at 6:30 Reservations Required. Call (804) 892-7588 to reserve your seat at the Chef's Table! (Some folks have been asking about tipping. We work hard to bring you a delicious gourmet meal at an affordable price. If you had a wonderful experience, we welcome your contribution to our tip jar. Every bit of money earned goes into keeping this business in the community) Crab Stuffed Mushrooms Relish Tray with Dilly Beau Monde Dip Stuffed Cabbage Charlemagne Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes Steamed Buttered Haricot Verts Southern Sweet Potato Cake with Cinnamon Honey Frosting photo and recipe from https://shewearsmanyhats.com/southern-sweet-potato-cake-recipe/
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This week I am excited to have Kristi Higgins, The Social Butterfly of the Progress Index, helping me gather ingredients and prepare the meal. She will also have a seat at the Chef's Table to enjoy her efforts and have a relaxing evening talking with our other guests. But speaking of other guests, we are sold out this week before I even decided the menu. People are reserving in advance; a few are repeat diners that enjoy their weekly retreat into good food and conversation. I encourage folks to do the same. If you don't care for the menu after it is posted, you can reschedule. I will even consider suggestions for dinners in advance. So even though this week is sold out, I want to post the menu so that if it sounds delicious, you could request it at another time, or for a special dinner on a different evening. We start with a fresh Tomato Soup with tomatoes from Browntown Farms. This is a customer favorite that is popular for lunch with a grilled (real) cheese sandwich (like smoked gouda and sharp cheddar). The soup is followed by Garlic Aioli Roast Chicken, Braised Red Potatoes with Lemon & Chives with potatoes from All Good Things Market, and Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate and Pistachios. To finish we will have individual Carrot Cakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting. Fresh Tomato Soup Garlic Aioli Roast Chicken Braised Red Potatoes with Lemon & Chive Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranates & Pistachios Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting $20 per person
Coffee, Tea or Sparkling Water included. You may bring your own beer or wine. No corking fee. Dinner is served at 6:30 Reservations Required. Call (804) 892-7588 to reserve your seat at the Chef's Table! (Some folks have been asking about tipping. We work hard to bring you a delicious gourmet meal at an affordable price. If you had a wonderful experience, we welcome your contribution to our tip jar. Every bit of money earned goes into keeping this business in the community) This week features one of our customers' favorites- Swedish Meatballs. I usually serve them over egg noodles but the rich sauce scented with nutmeg and cardamom just begs to be pooled into creamy, slightly garlic-y mashed potatoes. Is your tummy rumbling yet? Well how about starting off with Shrimp & Egg on Rye Crisps? Fresh Pickled Cucumbers and Lingonberry preserves compliment the meatballs. Green Beans Almondine are served alongside. And for dessert a Swedish Caramel Apple Cheesecake beckons. $20 per person Coffee, Tea or Sparkling Water included. You may bring your own beer or wine. No corking fee. Dinner is served at 6:30 Reservations Required. Call (804) 892-7588 to reserve your seat at the Chef's Table! (Some folks have been asking about tipping. We work hard to bring you a delicious gourmet meal at an affordable price. If you had a wonderful experience, we welcome your contribution to our tip jar. Every bit of money earned goes into keeping this business in the community) Shrimp and Egg on Rye Crisps
Swedish Meatballs Creamy Mashed Potatoes Fresh Pickled Cucumbers Lingonberry Preserves Green Beans Almondine Swedish Caramel Apple Cheesecake
This week we are focusing on what is in season right now, Sandy bought some beautiful butternut squash from Cripple Creek Farm at the River Street Market in Petersburg, that we will make into a Roasted Butternut Soup to start our meal. Then we feature Lingerfelt sausage in our Pecan and Sausage Stuffed Chicken. Schofield Farm mushrooms shine in Mushroom Risotto, and we gather Sauteed Tender Greens fromAdam's Acres Produce and again Browntown Farms. Dessert will feature Virginia grown apples in Salted Treacle Butter Apple Pie. The cookbooks that inspired this dinner are Half Baked Harvest by Tieghan Gerard, Splendor in the Bluegrass by the Junior League of Louisville, and The Perfect Recipe by Pam Anderson.
If you choose to purchase one of these books through these Amazon links, I receive a small commission. It does not cost more to buy through my link.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Pecan & Sausage Stuffed Chicken Mushroom Risotto Sauteed Tender Greens Salted Treakle Butter Apple Pie
Dinners are $20 per person and include coffee, tea or sparkling water. You may bring beer or wine.
Reservations are required. Call (804) 892-7588 This week's dinner is a robust meat and potatoes kind of meal inspired by the British Isles. We start with a Baby Spinach, Apple & Blue Cheese Salad with Apple Vinaigrette. Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding follows. If you have never had Yorkshire Pudding, think popovers. It is not a pudding at all, but a custardy bread traditionally served with roast beef and rich, homemade beef gravy. I love Brussels Sprouts! And if they are cooked properly they are not mushy and evil things. Ours will be roasted with toasted hazelnuts, and will share the plate with roasted potatoes and carrots. And for dessert we will carry over the Shortbread Lemon Tart that we did not make last week. (we cancelled due to the Pecan Festival) Baby Spinach, Apple & Blue Cheese Salad Roast Beef & Yorkshire Pudding with Gravy Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts Roasted Potatoes and Carrots Shortbread Lemon Tart $20 per person includes coffee, tea, sparkling water. You may bring your own beer or wine. Dinner is at 6:30. Call (804) 892-7588 to reserve your seat at the Chef's Table.
(picture and recipe from tasteofhome.com) I found a neat cookbook at the thrift shop (where nearly all my cookbooks find their way to me) This one was Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen Favorites. It is fun to see what was popular in each decade starting when the magazine was first published in the 1930's. As I was flipping through, a few things caught my eye. Two of those recipes are included in this Chef's Table Dinner. We start with a salad from 1939: Citrus and Avocado Salad. I was surprised that avocados were a thing back then. Maybe they were deemed exotic, or maybe the recipe was submitted by someone living in California. Anyway, it is a beautiful and refreshing start to an elegant meal. The main course comes from the 1980's which saw a resurgence of dinner parties and gourmet cooking. This recipe takes this traditional French stew up a notch by switching the red wine for white and nestling the resulting creamy chicken and mushrooms into a lasagna noodle rosette. A simple steamed and buttered zucchini and yellow squash medley will be served alongside and a shortbread lemon tart from tasteofhome.com looks lovely for dessert. Citrus Avocado Salad Coq Au Vin Rosettes Steamed Buttered Summer Squash Shortbread Lemon Tart Coffee, Tea, Sparkling Water are included in the $20 per person. You may bring your own beer or wine Call (804) 892-7588 to reserve your seat at the Chef's Table This week's menu takes inspiration from The Trellis Restaurant in Williamsburg, VA. I made my version of this recipe (subbing chicken for the original duck breast) for a wonderful date night with my husband back in 2009. I read my note in the cookbook (50 Ways to Feed Your Lover by Janeen Sarlin and Jennifer Saltiel) which said everything was yummy! The Blueberry Cheesecake Galette recipe comes from Foodnetwork.com. It looks beautiful!
We start with Mushrooms with Fresh Herbs and Cream on Chilled Baby Greens. The French influence is apparent with the combination of warm and cool on the same plate. The main course sounds like an odd combination, but trust me, it is delicious all together! Sauteed Boneless Chicken Thighs and Shrimp with Broccoli, Country Ham and Almond Butter. And for dessert the beautiful Blueberry Cheesecake Galette using hand picked blueberries. Water, Coffee, Tea, Sparkling Water are included with dinner at $20 per person but you may bring your own beer or wine. Reserve your seat at the Chef's Table by calling (804) 892-7588 The wine suggestions in the book are for a California Pinot Noir with the mushrooms, and Rhone Chateauneuf-du-Pape with the main course. My notes say we had Pinot Evil and Herding Cats for wines that date night. Mushrooms with Fresh Herbs and Cream on Chilled Baby Greens Chicken and Shrimp with Country Ham, Broccoli and Almond Butter Blueberry Cheesecake Galette The warm spices of Morocco are featured in this Chef's Table Dinner A friend brought me some locally grown eggplant that is featured in our appetizer of Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Spread to slather on home made flat bread. The main dish pairs sweet and spicy chutney with chicken breast to wake up the taste buds! Our wildly popular Marrakesh Carrot Salad has chick peas, grated carrots, dates and red onions with a cilantro lime dressing topped with pistachios. A medley of broccoli and cauliflower lightly spiced with harissa and drizzled with a sweet and sour mint sauce completes the plate. A traditional Moroccan Orange cake will be served for dessert. Moroccan Mint Tea, Coffee, and Sparkling Water are included in the price of this exotic meal. You may bring beer or wine. $20 per person. Reservations required. (804) 892-7588
This Saturday's dinner will feature a New England inspired menu. Some of you know that while I have been in Virginia since 1986, I am a transplant from New England. I moved to New Hampshire from New York when I was just going into first grade, living in Durham, Madbury, Dover and Portsmouth. My mom bought land across the Piscataqua River into Maine when I was going into high school and I stayed in Maine throughout high school then hopped from Maine to New Hampshire a few times until my move to Virginia. It is a beautiful region with lots of history, different cultural influences and friendly people.
New England is a region made up of seven states, but when I think of New England cuisine, sea food comes quickly to mind Yes, if I were cooking this dinner in Maine, I would surely include lobster, but some things are best left to be savored in the region. I URGE you to go to Maine for lobster! It is just not the same down here. But there are plenty of wonderful dishes inspired by New England food that do translate into deliciousness here. In Maine, there is a French Canadian influence that brings simple, hearty fare to the table. We will experience that in our main dish of Tourtiere, which is a savory two crust pie filled with pork and beef, sometimes with potatoes, sometimes without. But of course we have to include some fish, so I am making authentic Fish Chowder reminiscent of the best Fish Chowder I have ever had, which I devoured on a regular basis at Clarence's Chowder House in Portsmouth New Hampshire. I don't think they are there anymore, but the delicious memory lives on after more than 30 years! Did you know that Parker House [Hotel] Rolls originated from what is now the Omni Hotel in Boston? The story goes that the chef got in an altercation with one of the guests and shoved the rolls angrily in the oven. They folded over and became crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and thus Parker House Rolls were born! The oldest recorded recipe was from 1874 so something that has stayed around that long must be good, so I think we should try them! From Plymouth, Massachusetts I am including Succotash, a combination that includes lima beans (butter beans here in the south) and corn with other hearty vegetables. There are many variations but some kind of beans and corn are always included. I hadn't known there was a competition between Harvard and Yale for the signature sweet and sour beet dish, but sure enough, I found both! I am opting for the Yale Beets recipe for this dinner that uses lemon and orange juice instead of vinegar. For dessert we trek back to the Parker House Hotel for a Boston Cream Pie. (not a pie, but a cake) Though mine won't be as fancy as the original, it will be delicious with a real cream filling sandwiched between layers of moist yellow cake, topped with a chocolate glaze. Oh my! So here is the Menu for Saturday, September 14th, 2019: Fish Chowder with Seasoned Oyster Crackers Tourtiere made with Beef and Pork Succotash Yale Beets Parker House Rolls Boston Cream Pie Sparkling Water, Tea, Coffee (you may bring your own beer or wine) $20 per person Reservations required. Call (804) 892-7588 Hopefully, Hurricane Dorian will be well on his way out to sea leaving clear, sunny skies for our next Chef's Table Dinner. As we transition from Summer to Autumn, we still have time to do some grilling. We start with a crisp Caesar Salad topped with seasoned grilled shrimp. My own blend of spices infuse the tenderizing marinade for the beef steak. (Indicate your choice of wellness in your reservation). Buttery mushrooms in a light garlic sauce are a perfect match. Smashed potatoes infused with bacon, tomatoes and baby spinach bring to mind a perfect summertime BLT. Lemony broccoli is the perfect foil for the rich flavors of the other dishes. And to top it off my often requested Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce hints at Fall.
Dinner starts at 6:30 You may bring your own beer or wine. Seltzer Water, Tea and Coffee are included. $20 per person Come join us for a relaxed evening of good food and conversation! Reservations required. Call (804) 892-7588 Caesar Salad with Grilled Shrimp Marinated Grilled London Broil with Garlic Mushrooms Smashed Potatoes with Bacon, Tomatoes and Spinach Lemon Broccoli Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce. |
AuthorAlisa Strunk Archives
October 2024
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Visit us: 20413 Carson Rd
Dinwiddie, Virginia, 23841 Call us: 804-892-7588 Email us: [email protected] |