I had to take my time with this post. I wanted to make sure everything was perfect
and I conveyed, to the best of my abilities, the magnificence of this
event. I want to share with you all an
evening, no, an “Experience”, at Green Dirt Farms brought to you by Lon Lane’s
Inspired Occasions.
Every birthday is special, but when you have several family
members celebrating together, well that’s something else entirely. This last week our clients handed us the keys
to our own personal toy land, and told us to have fun! This toy land was called Green Dirt Farms, in
Westin MO, and we played…oh how we played!
Before I give you the details, I feel the need to tell
you how this whole thing started.
Several weeks ago my dad walks up to me, adorned with that devilish
smirk he often wears when he is about to
drop some amazing news upon our ears, and informs me that we will be doing a
dinner at Green Dirt Farms(GDF) for 30 guests,
so get excited.
My mind was spinning, but where do we start? The meat, the cheese, and the very grounds
themselves were ripe with possibilities for wonder and amazement. Not only that our gardens at the company were
so full (we were harvesting every week!) but our list of supplies for this
event was growing by the second, pun intended. The first farm on site visit set
our color palate of lavender and Purple (thistles), sage greens, blackberry
(just in season) and lemon that will be used throughout the meal.
This dinner prep started two days before the actual
event. A delivery man in beat up jeans
and worn in work boots came knocking on our door with two fully dressed spring
lambs in his hands. These were beautiful
and tender, and our chefs and I got to work exuberantly breaking them
down. We sectioned off the legs, the
racks and the chops, careful as surgeons but giddy as school children. I removed the liver and set to work on a
pate, my mouth eagerly awaiting the final product.
Now out at GDF I must say we were all speechless. The grounds were immaculate, the old lamb barn
was beautiful and the stained glass window in the barn bathed the entire family
farm table in a radiant, rich glow. Our
kitchen crew set to work preparing the grills, organizing the kitchen, and
prepping the meat. A two man band, the
Texas Experience, pulled up and soon the barn was full smooth classic country
songs and the sweet smell of the grill.
As the guests arrived they were greeted with wine, beer,
and a signature cocktail called the “GDF Thistle” (a mixture of scotch, bitters
and sweet vermouth) full service bar and wines carefully selected to compliment
the menu. With cocktails served, we
awakened their taste buds with a crock of lamb liver pate highlighted with
cassis and served with a blackberry, basil and cassis jam and rye toasts, an
assortment of house crafted pickles, GDF fresh peppercorn sheep’s milk cheese,
figs, salt and pepper grissini, sticks of celery, and rounds of garden grown
cucumbers.
While the guests milled about admiring their surroundings
we passed a few delectable little bites, watermelon radish canapes on white
bread with salted butter, grilled lacquered bacon wrapped cassis poached figs
stuffed with sheep’s cheese and smoked almonds, and (a favorite of mine)
grilled whole grain pizza topped with GDF nettle sheep’s milk cheese,
watermelon radish tops, caramelized onions and thistle from the grounds of
GDF. The grill perfectly mimicked the
char and crispy crust you get with a tradition wood burning oven; I practiced
this pizza crust several times on my new Broil King at home to make sure I got
everything right.
As the guests found their seats, the Texas Experience
band started to play a little softer and Dad and I entered the barn to
introduce the “experience” describe the first course; chilled watermelon radish top soup with GDF
fresh yogurt, diced pickled radish and fresh cucumber. This was a fun dish to create because I love
radishes but never had any use for the tops.
However, the flavor and texture of the young radish tops reminded me of
another unused and often discarded green, nettles. So we adapted a nettle soup recipe from my
grandparents and created a beautiful bright green soup that is vibrant, yet
subtle and refreshing. The gentle crunch
and bite from the pickled radishes paired so well with the crisp fresh cucumber
while the fresh yogurt added another
tangy-velvet element rounding out the soup.
The next course was an all grill salad, grilled endive,
radicchio, and fresh fiddle head ferns topped with GDF Spicy sheep’s milk
cheese, rosemary walnuts and drizzled with blackberry vinaigrette. The texture and crunch of the grilled
lettuces and the soft spiciness of the sheep’s cheese was brought into balance
by the tart and sweet dressing while the fiddle heads provided an added nutty
and earthy touch. The plates returned to
our kitchen “sparkling” clean!
On to the main event, the Lamb! We rubbed the lamb with olive oil, rosemary,
lemon and cracked black pepper. Once it
hit the grill we seasoned each piece with a dusting of kosher salt and when
they were almost done, we glazed them with a blackberry currant mint
sauce. It was the second prettiest thing
I have ever seen! We plated up this
course with black “forbidden” rice tossed with oven roasted grape tomatoes and
fresh corn cut from the cob. Sautéed
Brussels sprouts with a whole grain mustard and crisp chardonnay glaze finished
the plate. Later, we passed the racks on
copper trays for an added flair.
The dessert was a triumph in my eyes because we made one
of the best ice creams I have ever tasted, fresh GDF sheep’s milk cheese and
lemon verbena Ice cream. Picture the
best cheesecake you have ever had, and then melt that down and make an ice
cream. The texture was a mixture of silk
and velvet while the cheese and lemon verbena provided a subtle yet pleasant
tang. We scooped the ice cream into old
fashioned soda glasses and topped them off with sparkling French lemonade
tableside served with our signature chocolate soufflé cookies .
As a parting gift, each guest was presented with a bagged
and decoratively tied cookie that replicated the intricate stained glass
window; the “Trademark” of the old lamb
barn turned dining room. The three
panels of the window represented our three Birthday celebrants and the cookies
were inscribed with each of their names under each of the three panels. 
We have attended some amazing dinners, cooked a few more,
but we have never had the honor to produce anything like this “farm to table
dinner” and “dining experience”.
That
night, under a clear star studded sky, we were players in what turned out to be
the “Perfect” evening. It was a rare
moment that will stay with us (and especially me) forever.
