Harvest Celebration Menu

OK......here it is. The menu for the October 5th Harvest Celebration. Starts with snacks and sparkling in the Carriage House Market(sneak peak time) then on to the menu. So, here you go. Read it, then make your reservation at 717.633.8075
We'll have some new guests this year and I'll be playing the role of chef AND producer at this event. PLUS, you'll also get a sneak peak at the store that is going to change the way you shop for amazing ingredients!

Snacks:
Whipped Lardo on grilled bread
Mini Macaroni and Cheese
Rettland Farms Berkshire Pork BBQ Sandwiches with Truffled Slaw
Candied carrot soup shooters

ONE
A Puree of Sheppard Mansion Farms Dried Corn Soup, pork dumpling

TWO
A selection of Samuel Martin's Fall Vegetables, Morgan Ramsburg's Lamb Meatballs

THREE
Crispy torchon of Rettland Farms Chicken, waffle, maple balsamic syrup

FOUR
Grilled Sheppard Mansion Farms Beef, Mansion Farms potato and carrot, horseradish cream

FIVE
Prune and armagnac stuffed apple dumpling, warm cider cream

HEY, put your tongue back in your mouth!

Celebrate the Harvest!!!!

Well, it's that time of year again. A happy/sad time for me. I love Fall and am excited about the new flavors that will be hitting the menu, but I really have a tough time saying good bye to Summer. This summer has been an amazing one for the Sheppard Mansion family, as we've pulled a ton of produce that is beyond compare from our own gardens. I will really miss heading out to our culinary garden, but am already working with my dad on planning a garden four times as big for next year!

With the changing of seasons in mind, it's time for our annual Harvest Dinner. Hey Andy, is this like a 'farm to table' dinner. Well, sort of, but not really. I suppose you could consider what we do on a daily basis 'farm to table'. This is more of an opportunity to kick back, drink some wine, eat some food and celebrate the 2010 growing season and harvest. As in year's past, I'll be inviting some of my favorite producers to the dinner(a special wrinkle in this year's dinner is that I'll be speaking not only as the chef, but also as a producer. I'll be able to fill you in on the ENTIRE process from seed planting to harvest to menu concept to cooking. Cool? I think so.)

The evening will start with snacks and sparkling in the newest addition to the Sheppard Mansion brand. The Carriage House Market. That's right, all the amazing products I get to work with on a daily basis will soon be available for sale at the market that's going to 'change the way you think about, cook and eat food'. Be one of the first people to see the force that is THE CARRIAGE HOUSE MARKET. Following snack time, we'll head into the main house for a multi-course extravaganza featuring the most amazing products central PA has to offer. Between courses, my rockstar producer(hey, I'm one of them this year. Sweet.) friends will take a minute to talk about their products and I'll talk a bit about the concept behind the dish. Wine. Oh, yeah. There will be wine.

This is gonna be a rockin' good time that you DON'T want to miss. You might even see Beau Ramsburg breakin' bad to the Thong Song on a table top....Or you might not.....but you'll never forget yourself if it happens and you missed it!

HERE'S THE DEETS: Tuesday October 5th. 6pm. $105 includes EVERYTHING. And by everything, I mean.....snacks, sparkling, amazing food paired with amazing wine, tax, gratuity.

Phone 717.633.8075 to reserve your table. There are only a few left.....YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS!!!!

Jam

Have you ever gone to a concert and watched two musicians stand toe to toe and pass a melody back and forth? If you have, you know what an amazing experience this can be. Two musicians, using a limited set of 'rules' who are playing off of what each other has created. By the end of the 'set', they have created something that is much larger and complex than the beginning theme.(for those of you unfamiliar with what I'm talking about, think the banjo scene in Deliverance) Ever wonder what that would be like in a restaurant setting? Well, here you go. My good friend and uber-talented chef Andrew Deery and I are planning to go toe to toe on September 28th at his restaurant Majolica in Phoenixville, PA. It's a evening entirely based around FUN. We're taking the doors off the kitchen, plating trays in the middle of the room and cranking our favorite tunes during the snack and sparkling hour. During this time, Andrew and I will be passing around our favorite snacks, shooting the shit with EVERYONE and I may even do a) a hand stand or b) sing along to Born in the USA or c) both at the same time! Once we get down to 'serious business', we'll hope that everyone will get out of their seats, come watch what we are doing and TALK ABOUT FOOD!!!! The evening will close up with trays of cookies and candy(white chocolate covered pork rinds anyone?) while Andrew and I explore the inner beauty of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon. Here's the menu.(actually, click on the menu....it'll make it bigger and clearer....since I'm not a web wizard, it looks like shit in its current state!)



Alright, I've got you hooked and you want to make a reservation right now, don't you? Well, I'm happy to say that this particular dinner SOLD OUT in 36 hours. Yeah, that's right. SOLD OUT IN 36 HOURS. So, Andrew and I have decided to do what all rock bands do that have sold out dates.....we're adding another date. NOVEMBER 5TH. The menu will be different(it's gonna be hard core Fall folks.), but the attitude will be all the same. Honestly, this dinner is also filling up fast, but there are a few seats left. You know you don't want to miss it...... click here www.majolicarestaurant.com for details. I hope to see you there!

Hot Potato

My dad and I brought another crop in this past week: potatoes. Not any ordinary potato. We planted two varieties of potato this year, the german butterball and the la ratte fingerling. The pic above is our haul of la ratte fingerlings(over 100 pounds!!!)

There isn't a whole lot to say about these babies. I'll be posting how we utilize each of the potatoes over the next few weeks, so be on the lookout.....or, better yet, drop by the restaurant and try some for yourselves!

These beautiful potatoes(both the la ratte and german butterball) will be for sale along with our incomparable heirloom tomatoes at this friday's market at the Gettysburg Outlet Center. Why don't you go out and buy yourself 10 pounds or 50?

Tell your melons to stop looking at me.

I love melons. I love caressing melons. I love cradling melons. I love the sweet aroma that a perfect melon gives off when it is held 'just right'. I like to nestle my face between two freshly picked melons and feel the sun bathed warmth all over my face.(if you think I didn't have the most amazing time writing that last paragraph, you're nuts!)

Anyhow, by now your familiar with our bumper crop of melon this year. You might also remember that I recently returned from a trip to Italy where I had a lot of cantaloupe wrapped in melon. One particular meal that stood out was a combination of cantaloupe, ham and clove. That was the inspiration for this dessert.

Yes, dessert. I know, I know, I know. Dessert is meant to be chocolate cake with peanut butter icing or a baked alaska or something like that. This dessert is nothing 'like that'.

I took our amazing charentais melon and made some ice cream. Candied some of the world's best bacon(ours) with brown sugar, made a clove cake, tossed in some lemon verbena granola, compressed charentais melon and a finish of vanilla beam cream cheese. It all comes together pretty nicely and is an interesting interpretation of the classic savory cantaloupe and ham. If you get to the restaurant within the next few weeks, you'll notice there are a few 'garden inspired' desserts. I would order one of each if I were you!