Well, it finally happened! I got through my first supper club and it went off without a hitch. It was a beautiful night and I think getting folks out of their houses to visit with a few new people or friends they hadn’t seen in a while, in a setting where everyone felt safe to have fun, aided me as much as the food and wine did. I am so grateful to all who came and for Grace and Ernie Collins for opening their ridiculously beautiful home for the event.
Flowers by Bandit Blooms. Photograph courtesy of Anastasia Chomlack
So before I blather on too much, let’s talk turkey…or in this case, a nice, slightly boozy drink that helped all the guests relax and get over any “stranger danger” - (though most of the crowd knew each other).
Pemberton Raspberry Jam “Let’s Get Loose” Cocktail
1 1/2 oz tequila
3/4 oz raspberry jam, diluted with water
1/2 oz orange liquor (I used triple sec)
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
splash of club soda
We sadly didn’t get a photo of the cocktail (they went too fast!) but they went fast because we pre-mixed them before anyone got there, skipped the ice and poured into small mason jars with lids that I then placed in a large ice/water-filled champagne bucket. This way, as folks arrived, they could just grab a mason jar, shake it themselves, then enjoy (allowing me to focus on the first course). I also like doing this sometimes instead of a nice cocktail glass because it sets a more casual vibe…or hillbilly vibe, however you see it.
FIRST COURSE: Poached shrimp, tomato water, basil oil.
Click on image for recipe.
My amazing photographers, Anastasia and Chad Chomlack, had an issue with the B.C. Ferries so missed the first course (hence the not so great photo of this dish - which doesn’t even come CLOSE to doing it justice since this wasn’t even the final dish - it was taken mid-plating). Which is why I am adding a photo of the beauties this dish came from. Some were from my garden and some from Sam Rahn’s. But the bigger thing, TOMATO WATER. It’s AMAZING, so pure, so simple and so EASY to make (as long as you plan in advance). You can click on the image above for the recipe, but it’s tomatoes, a bit of salt, cheesecloth, and a night in the refrigerator.
WINE PAIRING: Gassier ‘Sables d’Azur’ Rose, Cotes de Provence, France 2018. Sam did a great job pairing on this one. Simple and pure rosé - rose water, wild strawberry and nice minerality.
SECOND COURSE: Sockeye salmon sashimi, peach, fried kale, ponzu
Click on image for recipe. Photograph courtesy of Anastasia Chomlack
Any of my old friends from the Uchi family will know this dish was “inspired” by Paul Qui’s yokai berry - main two similarities are the salmon and fried kale (his with blueberry and candied quinoa) but this local B.C. sockeye salmon sashimi with the fresh Okanagan peaches (that I got from an egg trade!) was beautiful. Like the other composed sashimi dishes I like to do (all inspired by my time with Uchi), if you have good ingredients, these plates seem so “fancy” for lack of a better word but they are easy and just let the food sing. Just like the White Stripes were amazing with just two instruments —- and how “Imagine” by John Lennon is one of the easiest songs to play (but is still one of the most famous and treasured songs of all time) so is what you can do with these dishes. Get some good sashimi (lead singer - maybe Joey Ramone) and a few fun, fresh, seasonal ingredients to compliment it (Johnny on guitar, Dee Dee on bass and Tommy on drums) and you got a platinum record - or at least a gold one.
WINE PAIRING: Chateau Mont-Perat, Bordeaux Blanc, France 2016 - This was a beautiful wine and great value as well. If you see it, BUY IT. It’s worth it. Or contact Sam Rahn to purchase direct if you live in the Sea to Sky Corridor. (Email me for her contact information, lisa@saltygrl.com). Of course, had some stone fruit on the nose and palate so went perfect with the peaches….then the light oak added a creaminess which I also associate with even a lean salmon. This was probably my favourite wine of the night.
Photograph courtesy of Anastasia Chomlack
THIRD COURSE: Pesto alla trapanese, chicken & cured pork ravioli
Click on image for recipe. Photograph courtesy of Anastasia Chomlack
Photograph courtesy of Anastasia Chomlack
Hot damn, this dish turned out good…but this coming from a true pasta prostitute. I pretty much updated the dish from the “rough draft” dinner party I had with Michelle and Sam, replacing the garlic scape pesto with a fresh tomato pesto using stuff from the garden…parsley, garlic, basil, mint, arugula flowers (just to be pretty - or as we say in the south, “PURDY”) and of course those fresh tomatoes. I guess the parmesan I bought on Granville Island is not “local” but everything else was. :)
WINE PAIRING: Travaglini, Coste della Sesia Nebbiolo, Piedmont, Italy 2018. I love a good nebbiolo and this young one, with smoother tannin (no involuntary, saliva depleted duck face here - it ain’t Barolo) bright cherry, blackberry going on plus that nebbiolo spice, was great with the parmesan and salami I stuffed into the ravioli. Sam did it again!
Samantha Rahn, doing her wine thing. Photograph courtesy of Anastasia Chomlack
FOURTH COURSE: Pork loin, carrot puree, chimichurri, cornbread
Once again, this dish is a seasonally updated version of the dish from my “rough draft” dinner. Cauliflower was no longer in the gardens of Pemberton but fresh carrots were and you can’t get any better than the carrots from Hellevang Farms down the road. (Check out these beauties!)
Scratch your screen and see if you can smell them. They smell SOOO good.
Next time, I’ll get a picture of Heather Hellevang with her wares. I need to get that girl a cape because she can do pretty much anything (amazing farmer, GREAT cook, builds furniture, competitive rower I think?, funny, pretty, hornet nest remover - ugh - WTF!) Thank y’all for these! And I’ll be hitting them up for more for the next supper club. Honestly, I never thought I’d get so excited about carrots until I moved here. I have always assumed I was part rabbit with these giant teeth of mine.
Click on image for recipe for carrot puree (other elements under recipe tab). Photograph courtesy of Anastasia Chomlack
And for the cornbread, honestly, I used a recipe from the New York Times (Melissa Clark) for Brown Butter Skillet Cornbread. I did add fresh Pemby corn to it, from the Ryan Creek Farm Stand (possibly one of the cutest farm stands ever, complete with tractors in the background.) I LOVE THIS TOWN!
Ryan Creek Farm Stand - filled with fresh corn from Pemberton, BC, located on the Pemberton Meadows Road.
WINE PAIRING: Portia, Prima ‘La Encina’, Ribera del Duero, Spain. My husband was calling this a “REEAHKA”, which seems to be how the Welsh pronounce Rioja but alas, it was not a REEAHKA. I would love to see how they’d pronounce “Ribera del Duero”…..I mean, Spanish is a phonetic language so no idea where they get these things. Anyways, shit was good and complimented my food. Only complaint is the guests drank it all so no partial bottles left for me to take home. Bastards…. Oh, some tasting notes! Black fruit, vanilla, cocoa, warm.
Lindsey Craig, owner of Mountain Rose Parlour in Pemberton gets cutest photo award of night. Plus she can make you look extra pretty like her if you visit her salon. :). Photograph courtesy of Anastasia Chomlack
FIFTH COURSE: Blueberry cobbler, goat’s milk cinnamon bourbon ice cream.
Click on image for recipe. Photograph courtesy of Anastasia Chomlack
We didn’t provide a pairing for the dessert because I put a decent amount of uncooked Basil Hayden in the ice cream. I feel like the ice cream, which had alot of personality, was lost against the blueberries. Maybe just make it plain vanilla with the blueberry cobbler and serve the bourbon ice cream with peaches or on its own. :)
Photograph courtesy of Anastasia Chomlack
Once again, I appreciate everyone who helped and attended this first one so much and I can’t wait for the next one which we should be announcing shortly! Save the date of Friday, October 23, 2020! Since it will be less of a “covid pod” group, seating will be further spaced with additional two-top tables. Safety first!
Photograph courtesy of Anastasia Chomlack