New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Seeking feedback and ideas

post #1 of 4
9/25/08 at 6:29am
Thread Starter 
Hi,

I would be interested in your feedback and ideas on a menu our group is working on for a dinner this coming March. It's for an opening dinner for a conference with the theme of Sustainability. So...planning on using local and
organics. The challenge is: New England, early March.... You will notice there is not any dessert, we are moving the group to another venue for this with setups of artisan cheeses, passed desserts and after dinner drinks ect.
Offering a raw bar for the Reception with some passed hord's.

Salad; Petit pears, Great Hill Bleu Cheese with Black Sesame Cracker, micro-greens. ( I think a chutney would compliment this plate?

First Course: Butter Poached Lobster Tail: Need some help on this. I thought
a soft cheddar polenta with morels would work well with this. Another idea: Serve the tail with a potato pancake with some smoked white fish added to the mix, served with sorrel sauce.

Second Course: Braised Beef Short Ribs, Rosti potato with roasted baby
vegetables, pinot noir reduction

Going back and forth on a need to finish the dinner with a sorbet.

Thank you in advance and look forward to your thoughts. Mel
Reply
post #2 of 4
9/25/08 at 1:00pm
Sounds delicious, can I come?

I wonder though if the lobster course might be too heavy accompanied by cheddar polenta? I envision something citrusy to accompaniment a lobster course. Can't think of something to suggest though.
Reply
post #3 of 4
9/25/08 at 2:05pm
March is the worst for local food.....even in the mid-west......Mid Feb-Mid April are just rough. I preserve during the season for winter meals. Elliott Coleman is in VT, there may be some hoop house or heated growing spaces....we've got a farmer with 500+ fig trees that grow year round in a 100* geo-thermal houses. Locally there's log grown shiitakes, possibly Ark Black Apples, Maybe winter squash, dried shell beans (French Heirloom, black, red) meats, our primo farmstead chevre producer shuts down cheese making Dec.-mid April.....so I freeze or use aged......we've got a rice producer that has a great selection of rices, jams, viniagers....yep that's about it.

You are so smart to start working on that menu NOW....if you need to freeze or preserve Summer/Fall is the best time to do that.


Your menu:
Salad could use onions....either pickled or jammed

Lobster really needs to have the richness cut, cheesey morel grits are one of my signiture dishes it's rich.....how about a ground bean or grain made into a cone.

how about a sorbet now....maybe a carrot or beet with herb

Beef dish reads great, so do you have a winter baby veg source?
Reply
post #4 of 4
9/25/08 at 2:38pm
Thread Starter 
Hi,

Thanks for your responses. I agree, the polenta comes across to rich. Came across a recipe today that I think would work well, basically a heavy cream sauce lighten up with some stock, diced carrots,parsley and thyme.

Love the idea of a beet or carrot sorbet with herbs, wonder if the sorrel sauce would work with a carrot sorbet, visually it
does.

We have a couple of produce vendors, in good shape there and there is alway Sid Wainer, ha.

Thanks, Mel
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home