The Herbfarm at Woodinville, Washington

Posted on December 31, 2010 by rozsmallfry

Fascinated by food and the art of cuisine for as long as I can remember, I can’t recall when The Herbfarm first crossed my radar. I can tell you though that the many years ago when murmurs of it entered my world, I was resigned to experience it vicariously.

The hefty price let alone the travel to it were out of range for the average income earner trying to pay off a mortgage and build a retirement fund. The closest I came to getting to it before was when my husband suggested a trip there to celebrate my 50th birthday. In the end, we just couldn’t justify it then.

Fast forward to 2010 and we are now retired and while not rich, certainly more comfortable. A splurge now and again is manageable. So when Mark made the reservation for December 11 at The Herbfarm and I overheard him say we were celebrating my birthday, it took a minute to sink in to me that it wasn’t really a lie. We were just six years and about eight months late in doing it!

Located in Woodinville, Washington about half an hour north of Seattle, The Herbfarm has evolved from an herb farm selling chives in Fall City to a Pacific Northwest destination dining icon. From the movement you arrive at its threshold, you can see clearly it is a true labour of love for owners Ron Zimmerman and Carrie Van Dyck. Quite frankly, you have been forewarned that it’ll take about five hours to experience the nine-course dinner paired with six wines and you’ve coughed up a per person charge of $195 plus service and tax for a total of $510.50 so you expect there will need to be some strutting to accompany the courses.

Ron and Carrie have amassed a team that embody the simple belief “that no dish can be better than its ingredients” and respect the foods and wines of the region. A member of Slow Food (See slowfood.com for information.), The Herbfarm “believes that supporting local farmers, foragers, cheesemakers, wineries, and fishermen helps preserve local foods” and is keen to spread such gospel. The sermon for which our timing subscribed was “The Hunter’s Table” – its annual game menu.

As per its protocol, we were invited to arrive 30 minutes in advance for an introduction and garden tour. On the dank and dark December evening we went, the garden tour was an indoor, more oral version. It was suggested you could augment the indoor component between courses with a trip to meet and feed Borage and Basil, The Herbfarm’s potbellied pigs.
However, the warm and eclectic interior and approachable staff kept us well amused without having to venture out through the rainstorm. Besides I have fed potbelly pigs before and didn’t see that as an enhancement to my dining pleasure.

Greeted by Ron with a sparkling wine, we were encouraged to take it along as we checked out the wine cellar and the chef’s library, before we were summoned to the introduction. Carrie gave an historic overview, which you can check out on the website theherbfarm.com and provided a preview of the herbs that would season the menu. She lovingly described each herb, its qualities and passed out samples as a sensory accompaniment. I believe we learned about lavender, rosemary, tarragon, sage, bay leaf and rose geranium.

Then came the summons to the dining room where the culinary lessons truly unfolded. These folks don’t just walk the talk, they cook it and serve it! True to the tone of the other rooms, the eclectic décor of the dining room amused and entertained as did the guitar of Patricio Contreras of the Royal Conservatory, Madrid. A beautiful place setting complete with souvenir menus describing each course of The Hunter’s Table and birthday wishes in a silver frame adorned our table.

With the atmosphere set and anticipation in full throttle, wisely The Herbfarm team did not delay in getting out the first of the nine courses. Each course had a title in keeping with the hunter’s theme.

1. Dawn on the Duck Blind:
Parfait of Matsutake Mushroom & Grilled Duck Breast with Apple-Horseradish Froth.
Duck-Leg Rillette with Granny Smith Apple, Celery Leaf, and Hazelnut.
Pickled Crabapple Purée with Fennel, Endive, Duck Liver Mousse & Crispy Tongue.
Sparkling Wine: Capitello Oregon Brut with your choice of herbs.
In addition to its artistic eye appeal, this trio of first bites was the finest presentation of duck I have had and the Capitello Oregon Brut enhanced each morsel. We had been offered a choice of herb to add to our wine and my selection of rose geranium worked perfectly. Mark was also happy with his pineapple sage.

After calming the first wave of our hunger, Ron Zimmerman introduced all the staff present, noting that the bakers got to go home early. He shared the credentials of each member of the team, an endearing if protracted testament to The Herbfarm’s pride in the expertise it has attracted. Sommelier Tysan Dutta explained each of the six wine selections in concert with the chefs’ description of each course paired with them. The wine pairing was second to none and each truly complemented the flavours of the food and brought out the herb accents intended. As each course was presented, the server refreshed our memory on the key elements.

House-Churned Jersey Cow Butter, Milk Rolls, Sourdough Epi, Multi-Grain Loaves

2. Rabbit, Run:
Terrine of Bernie Nash’s Ephrata Rabbit with Tarragon,
Melted Leeks, Marinated Turnip, Mustard, and Herbfarm Cornichons
Wine: 2007 AMaurice Cellars Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, Washington.
Who knew leeks could taste so good and brighten a plate so elegantly? And like the leeks, the terrine et al melted on my palate arousing a symphony of tastes.
3. Cauliflower & Cod:
Applewood-Smoked Alaskan Black Cod with Steelhead Roe, Beet Greens, Glazed Beets,
Caramelized Cauliflower, Potato Purée and Oregon Black Winter Truffles.
Wine: 2007 Poet‘s Leap Riesling, Cask Aged “Carmina Burana,” Columbia Valley.
Was it the sheer brilliance of this course that made the next two pale in comparison? I can’t say for sure, however, I can say it was the best bite of cod I have ever had and it was the first time in my life that I truly tasted truffles. I’ve eaten truffle before and didn’t quite get all the fuss over it. In my previous experiences, I just saw it as an overrated mushroom. This time I gained new appreciation.
Throughout the dinner Waitstaff shared anecdotes about the food whether it was in the preparation or the gathering. For this, Barry Cannon told us that truffles apparently remind “boy” pigs of females and that’s why they are so keen to seek them out and must be held at bay to keep them from gobbling them up. He explained further that’s why training dogs to find them tends to work out better because dogs could care less about the allure of female pigs. He then advised us that these truffles were foraged by Jeremy Faber without pigs or dogs. As he left the table, he turned back and deadpanned, “I’m not sure of Jeremy’s interest in female pigs.”


4. Don‘t Squabble:
Wood-Fired Rotisserie Squab Breast and Squab Leg Ragout,
With Soft-Cooked Steel-Cut Snohomish Oats, Savory Wild Mushroom Granola,
And a Winter Vegetable Nage
Wine: 2007 L‘Herbe Savage Pinot Noir, Ana Vineyard, Oregon.
Because it was served in a bowl with the sauce poured over it at the table in a flourish, I must have been distracted and failed to capture a record. Surprisingly, it was the granola and not the squab that offered the best bite of this course.

5. Deer Elk:
Juniper-Black Pepper Crusted Cross Anchor Ranch Oregon Elk
Over Creamed Brussels Sprouts,
Ankeny Lake Oregon Wild Rice with Venison Sausage, Caramelized Chestnuts,
And Black Pepper-Wild Huckleberry Sauce
Wine: 2005 Tranche Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley.
While the black pepper-huckleberry reduction and chestnuts had a lovely intensity, this dish disappointed. Neither the venison or elk measured up to renditions I have had in the past at such restaurants as the River Café in Calgary or The Post Hotel in Lake Louise.

6. Foie & Pumpkin Pie:
Seared Foie Gras on Sugar Pie Pumpkin Pie
With Pickled Pumpkin, Squash Ribbons, and a Foie Gras-Ice Wine Vinegar Drizzle.
The chef related that he had never really enjoyed the traditional Thanksgiving pumpkin pie and had experimented to create a more savoury version that could be part of a main course. His creation was genius. It perfectly complemented the foie gras and squash ribbons. I would return for this dish alone!

7. Cranberry Verbena:
Lemon Verbena & Verjus Panna Cotta
With a Gelée of Hand-Harvested Grayland Coastal Bog Cranberries.
This delicate offering served as a palate cleanser and a dessert rolled into one.

8. Rosemary‘s Pears:
Rosemary and Caramel Mousse with Crispy Streusel,
Roasted Pear, Warm Caramelized Pear Purée & Bacon-Caramel Sauce.
By this time our ability to keep eating was waning. Still the expertly prepared dish disappeared from our plates in a couple bites.
 

9. Coffees, Teas & Native Beverages:
A Selection of Autumn Flavors
Wine: 2008 Dunham Cellars Late-Harvest Riesling.
These wonderful little morsels were tucked aside for take away. Each provided a delightful enhancement to our morning coffee.

The Herbfarm was a wonderful gastronomic adventure and while not all courses stood up to the hype, like so many things I have had on my bucket list, having once experienced it, I could go back for more! I have read online complaints about the excessive explanations of the menu and the constant flogging of The Herbfarm merchandise. I can’t dispute that, however, I can say that The Herbfarm passion is real and I truly respect the attention to detail and pride in the work. Farm fresh to table is taken seriously in this quirky and unique establishment. If selling some high quality herbal lotion or cute stuffed pigs keeps them in business, I’m all for it!

Happy Belated Birthday me!

Posted in Food, Learning, Restaurants, Travel, Uncategorized, Wine | Tagged | 2 Comments

Small fry smokes in Grade Seven

Posted on November 29, 2010 by rozsmallfry

I mentioned in an earlier blog that I had a story about the last time I smoked a cigarette, which was in Grade Seven. In retrospect it really is a story about my parents and particularly my Mom.

On a family vacation to the Rockies from Fort Churchill, Manitoba, my Dad had wandered into an employment office in Calgary, Alberta on a whim. He walked out with a job in Olds, Alberta. Just like that over the summer, we packed up and moved.

Despite the fact that as small fry I could lose myself in books for days, I missed my Churchill buddies and as I entered Grade Seven that fall, I was eager to make new friends.

I quickly learned that Olds was a cliquier town than Fort Churchill. Maybe it was the transient nature of a northern community that made it so much more open and welcoming to newcomers and it was just the contrast between the two towns that made the difference seem so dramatic. Or perhaps the little prairie town populated by so many people whose roots went back to pioneer days had learned to circle the wagons ages before.

In any case, the whole concept of the “in” and the “out” crowd was uncharted territory for me. While I was shy, I was not about to forsake one side for the other. On the other hand, my stance to befriend individuals from either side of the line seemed to be perceived as suspect by both groups.

I found myself constantly having to prove something. With the “out” crowd, I had to prove my knowledge of books and school topics and genuine interest in them as individuals.

The “in” crowd laid down quite another gauntlet. Although they seemed amused by this small fry who had walked among polar bears and had an older brother who was quite talented at playing hockey, they didn’t completely trust me. So, when I told them that I had learned how to smoke in Ottawa when I was five and really had no interest in sneaking behind granaries to partake in that activity, they just didn’t buy it.

While they got used to this strange girl who insisted on being friends with the “out” crowd even though the “in” crowd had let her in, they just wouldn’t drop the smoking thing. The peer pressure permeated our every outing. Finally, I was challenged, “You are a chicken. You just don’t want to get caught smoking by your parents!”

It was a leap of faith but I knew what I had to do. I said, “Give me a cigarette and let’s go home to my house.”

We entered through the back door, which led almost directly into the kitchen where my Mom was busily preparing dinner. The girls hung back a little as I boldly stepped right up to Mom at the stovetop and took a big drag of the cigarette. No reaction – other than a brief hello greeting to the entire group. Did she not notice?

I dogged her through her kitchen rituals like a puppy eager to play ball, sucking back deeply and inhaling the vile cigarette. No reaction. How could she not notice?

The girls were hovering, wide-eyed and confused as they watched me take puff after puff, blowing smoke almost directly into Mom’s face. I thought time stood still and unhappily executed the dare completely unsure of what to do next.

Finally, when there was just a short stub left between my lips, Mom scooped up an ashtray from a cupboard and offered it to me to butt out. Without blinking, she declared, “Thank-you. It’s much better if you smoke at home. It is so unbecoming to see young ladies out in public sucking on a cigarette. Anyone want to stay for dinner?”

Stammering no thanks, the girls bid a hasty exit. I could hear their comments buzzing as they left the yard. It was the last time anyone in Olds ever confronted me about why I chose not to smoke.

As for Mom, I don’t know exactly how she knew. She was so in tune with her motherly instincts, and a bright woman to boot, she pretty much always figured these things out. When I quizzed her about it later, she shrugged it off as common sense to figure out what was needed. Truly, the older I get the more incredulous I become of her genius. I’m afraid I just haven’t witnessed such pure common sense in many other people!

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Balance is better: What Wednesday Workshops for Wordsmiths has to do with Winter Vegetable Soup and Peach Upside Down Cake

Posted on October 5, 2010 by rozsmallfry

The table is set for the Wednesday Workshop for Wordsmiths

Writing is a lot like making a good soup. You can throw the best of ingredients into the mix, but if you don’t get the balance right it’s really just a soggy olio.

That’s why on this sunny autumn day I’m happy to share a great soup and dessert recipe and tell you about a technique my good friend and former newspaper colleague Aggie and I are using to hone our writing skills.

Of course, we swap news about our progress whenever my husband Mark and I see Aggie socially. However, Aggie and I felt we would benefit better if we instituted a regular business meeting with intent. So now almost every second Wednesday Aggie and I hold kind of a workshop for wordsmiths. We alternate between our homes, taking turns at hosting and coaching.

Workshops Dynamics
Each workshop we set and review our personal writing goals, critique our writing when appropriate and make suggestions on everything from writing exercises to topic selection and marketing. We have taken a page from the gospel of strategic planners that what gets written down gets done. And we’re learning as we go what is realistic within our lifestyles, so we take a gentle, collaborative approach when we don’t hit all of our targets.

Trust me though, we take our Wednesday workshops for wordsmiths seriously and I could not ask for a more gifted coach than Aggie. She’s a great cook, too, and has a wicked sense of humour.

As host, your additional assignment is to provide tasty and nutritious lunch, which is a great fit with my interest in food and wine writing. At times Mark is suspicious that it is as much about learning and teaching new recipes as it is about honing our skills as wordsmiths. Rather than complain, he merrily enjoys the leftovers.

And so, to my most recent menu: winter vegetable soup and peach upside down cake. Living in the Okanagan offers a bounty of vegetables and fruit and the Penticton Farmers’ Market is second to none. My toughest test so far each Saturday morning is refraining from hauling home more than we can handle.

Winter Vegetable Soup

I have adapted a couple recipes from http://www.cdkitchen.com and http://www.foodnetwork.ca and start with a base that goes back in time. Putting carrots, celery and onion to saute in a pot with butter is called a Mirepoix in France or when you do it using olive oil instead of butter as I did for this soup the Italians call it a Soffritto. In any case, there’s something meditative about the process of chopping the vegetables, slowly stirring them as the aromas intensify.

It’s a good idea to wash all of the vegetables and chop them ahead so you can drop the ingredients in on cue. You are starting from a solid base and building the flavours on top as well as the bold autumn colours.

Wash and chop all vegetables ahead, such as these colourful peppers

Ingredients:
2 T. Olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, finely chopped
2 stalks of celery, sliced thinly
2 carrots, sliced thinly including skins
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 or 3 assorted green, red and yellow peppers
1 cup of red cabbage, shredded and diced
1 medium potato, cubed into ¼ inch bites
4 basil leaves, chopped
¼ cup green onions, chopped
1 package onion soup mix
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1 cup water
2 teaspoons chili paste
1 bay leaf
¼ cup mini pasta such as Acini di pepe or orzo

Sea salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup sour cream, additional chopped green onion, basil and red cabbage to garnish

 Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized heavy pot at a medium high heat setting and add the onion, celery and carrots. Saute until the vegetables have softened somewhat, then add the garlic, a pinch of sea salt and cook another five minutes at a medium setting, stirring regularly to avoid any burning at the bottom.

Soffritto: onions, celery and carrots saute in olive oil

Add the peppers and continue cooking another 10 minutes. Add the onion soup mix and vegetable bouillon cube as well as the water as directed on the packages. (If you have a good chicken stock on hand, you can substitute six cups of it instead of using the onion soup mix and vegetable bouillon cube and extra cup of water.)
Add the cubed potato, mini pasta, chili paste, basil, green onion and bay leaf. Season with sea salt and pepper and simmer at a low medium setting until the potato and pasta have cooked, about 20 minutes.
Dish into soup bowls, top with a dollop of sour cream, a touch of chopped green onion, basil and red cabbage and a bit of ground pepper and serve piping hot along with some nice bread and crackers.

 

Winter Vegetable Soup served with garnish

Peach Upside Down Cake

I equate upside down cake to having someone critique your writing. Sometimes taking something and gently turning it upside down really brings out the best.

Take plump peaches picked at prime and see what I mean! (This recipe is a revision of Judy Wilson’s found at http://allrecipes.com )

Ingredients:
¼ cup butter
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 large Freestone Peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
½ cup butter
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon, pure vanilla extract
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
2 Tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
½ cup lemon yogurt

Directions:
Melt ¼ cup butter into a 10-inch round ovenproof pie pan and swirl it around to grease the sides. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with brown sugar, nutmeg, 1/8 cup of toasted almonds and about 1 tablespoon of the Amaretto. Arrange the peach slices attractively on the bottom.

Freshly ground nutmeg

Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Then add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating until well combined. Spread the batter over the peach mixture in the pan.

Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for 35 to 40 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let the cake sit in the pan for about five minutes before inverting it onto a serving dish.

(While it is baking, mix the lemon yogurt with about 1 tablespoon Amaretto to use as a topping.)

Serve the cake with a drizzle of the Amaretto-lemon yogurt sauce and a couple of toasted almonds to garnish.

Slice of Peach Upside Down Cake garnished and served

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Fine Print – All Rights Reserved – Copyright – Reviews

Posted on October 3, 2010 by rozsmallfry

All content, stories and photos are copyright – Roslyne Buchanan.
All Rights Reserved.

Bloggers are sometimes fortunate enough to be offered product reviews and giveaways. While I believe sampling some of these products or experiences and sharing my thoughts about them may enrich my blog, I have a few ground rules.

• I will never exchange a good review to receive a freebie. If a company would like to offer me a product to sample, any comments I make about it will be my true thoughts.

• Just because I try something is no guarantee that I will include it in my blog.

• In a case where I do choose to report on something I have been given to sample, the first time I mention it, I will declare up front if I was given it to try.

• My personal integrity is far more important to me than getting something for free. I hope as you learn about me in my blog, you will trust me as a straight shooter on whatever topic I happen to be covering.

Roz exploring her Penticton neighbourhood

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Small fry learns

Posted on September 24, 2010 by rozsmallfry

It took me until about age 14 before my size caught up to my classmates. Whether this was the reason my nicknames as a child included “The Little Kid” and “Small Fry”, I don’t really know.

What I do know is I was a bit of a bookworm and recluse. So when my Mom and Dad discovered that I was learning how to smoke at age five from my older, more experienced seven-year-old friend, they were a bit shocked.

Patty and I were cautious. One day we would sneak and split a smoke from Mom’s pack, the next day her mother’s, the following day my Dad’s, then her father’s and rotate it. I’m not sure how many successful rotations we managed, however, I do know that hidden in the bushes down by the Ottawa River, I was learning to inhale. Patty showed the way.

Then came that fateful day when Mom busted me. She plunked me into the big red velvety chair, lit up one of Dad’s big fat cigars and gave it to me. My Dad came in from work to discover me coughing, sputtering and green. Furious, he challenged Mom on the tactic. She asked me, “Small Fry, what do you think of that?” confident of her cure.

I quietly responded, determined to demonstrate my resolve, “Not bad but I do like the cigarettes better.”

Nonetheless, the only other cigarette I smoked in my life was in Grade Seven but that’s a story for another day.
Today, I want to share Fleischer’s cartoon “Small Fry” released in 1939 that speaks to me. Enjoy it and I think you’ll see why.

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