Ever since i found Wakeman Town Farm, I wanted to host a dinner there...
When I moved to Westport, Connecticut I had no idea that this magical little farm existed. It was originally owned by the Wakeman family, and they gifted it to the town. Almost 10 years ago, members of the community decided to raise money to build a culinary event space and kitchen off the back of the original farm house, and it’s called Tim’s Kitchen. I have cooked for clients in the space, hosted seasonal farm dinners, and taught cooking classes, but I have never hosted my own dinner there. So this fall, I did just that. I invited some of my best girlfriends to the meal, and I partnered with Jacques at Home, an amazing female duo who curates and assembles stylish tables for clients in Fairfield and Westchester counties.
Jacques at Home set the most beautiful table...
They asked me to order these linen napkins in a beautiful, fall clay color. Then they took them to their good friend at Monogram Mary in Greenwich to have them embroidered with my “C” brand mark .
Cheese & charcuterie board
We started the party with a giant, board filled with local and international cheeses, Italian cured meats, seasonal fruit and lots of extras like whole grain mustard, cornichon pickles, olives, nuts, caperberries, and a big assortment of crackers and crostini.Â
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We began the meal with two salads...
One salad was off the cuff, and it was made with acorn and delicata squash that I thinly sliced and roasted at 425° F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through and crisp at the edges. I layered the squash on a beautiful platter and topped it with little, individual burrata cheeses, speck (smoked prosciutto from northern Italy), and a simple balsamic vinaigrette. I added flaky sea salt, farm herbs and flowers before serving.
The second salad was a beautiful, harvest style salad with local ingredients and a flavor combination that was inspired by Morocco. I love the way that the bitter radicchio, sweet pears and pomegranate vinaigrette play along side the toasted walnuts, briny feta and tangy pickled onions. If you want to recreate this recipe you can find it here.
For the main course...
I served a mustard crusted pork tenderloin and a maple glazed salmon, along side these little Yukon Gold potato & parsnip gratins. You can find the recipe here, and lf you love these cocottes you can find them at Williams Sonoma.
We finished the meal with little spiced apple cakes with salted bourbon caramel sauce...
I made a simple creme fraîche ice cream to go with them, and I’m hoping to share it sometime soon. In the meantime, I recommend serving them with vanilla ice cream and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt. If you want to make these little cakes the recipe is here.Â
Here’s a little step-by-step of me putting the cakes together. They’re incredibly easy to make, and so is the caramel sauce.
The end to a perfect evening...
