Just one more reason to be outside in a heated tent on New Years Eve
“I remember the last time this happened,” says professor Philip Hiscock of the Dept. of Folklore at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. “December 1990 ended with a Blue Moon, and many New Year’s Eve parties were themed by the event. It was a lot of fun.”
Don’t expect the Moon to actually turn blue, though. “The ‘Blue Moon’ is a creature of folklore,” he explains. “It’s the second full Moon in a calendar month.”
If you would like to have an evening like no other in Minneapolis on New Year’s Eve, you need to get your seat at our Tour de Farm Table! It is very easy to do and you will never forget it. You will be greeted at our reception area at 6:00pm with beer from our newest local brewery: Fulton and their IPA, Sweet Child of Vine. (It’s good.) You will nosh on appetizers made from the finest artisanal meat and cheeses Minnesota has to offer. There will be some guests of honor at the event: Yes, our farmers! Come and find out the answer to, “What do I do with rutabaga?”
Then you will move out to the (yes, big HEATED) tent to be dazzled by the amazing food stuffs Minnesota has to offer over the next 5 courses + the starting amuse featuring (YES!) house made bacon produced from Hidden Stream pork. Then we move on to dishes created with: Sweet Meat squash, Cedar summit cream, Ames Farm Apples, Northern Lites Blue cheese, Star Prairie Tout, PastureLand butter Riverbend farm polenta, Stickney Hill farm goat cheese, Thousand Hill braised grass-fed brisket and Elizabeth Emerson Farm.
And we finish on a dessert featuring: Rogue chocolate, Pepin Heights Apple cider and Garden Frame honey.
So where are you going to be this New Year’s Eve? (You should be here!)
Videoy by
Bob Seabold
Host
Scott Pampuch
Dinner Hosts
Cedar Summit Farm : Dave and Flo Minar
Featured Chef
Lenny Russo
Beer & Wine
Annette Peters
Rush River Brewing
Volunteers
Christine, Devin, Tracy, Emmy, Michelle, Kim, Trish, Kathy, Jeannine and Ken.
Many of the volunteers came from Cooking Minnesota.
All photos are the sole property of Kris Hase. You are welcome to share or adapt this work provided you get my permission, credit me and link to this site.
New Year’s Eve at Corner Table this year is going to be a bit different. We are bringing the farm to you! Over this past year we have had a great time with our Tour de Farm (tourdefarmmn.com) dinners so for New Year’s we are going to create a “Farm Dinner” in the city. We’re closing off 43rd street and setting up a farm style dinner table in a big tent. If you attended the dinners – this is a great way to end the year! If you missed out, this could be the best dinner yet!
New Years Eve
December 31st, 2009
Recpetion starts at 6pm
Dinner at 7:00pm
$150.00 per person
5 course with beer and wine
Tickets only available online at tourdefarmmn.com
Video: Bob Seabold
Host
Scott Pampuch
Dinner Hosts
Grass Roots Farm : Linda Ward with
Alex, Kate, Lupita, Mel, Galynn, Paul, Brian, Happy, and Leah
Featured Chef
Scott Graden
Beer & Wine
Annette Peters
Lake Superior Brewing
Volunteers
Christine, Caitlin, Kyndell, Jeff, Tracy, Tracy, Emmy, Michelle, and Kim.
Many of the volunteers came from Cooking Minnesota.
All photos are the sole property of Kris Hase. You are welcome to share or adapt this work provided you get my permission, credit me and link to this site.
For those of you wondering what the wines were, here they are! They are all available through South Lyndale Liquors, our official retail sponsor. Please ask MITCH if you would like to buy any of these wines: call 612-827-5811 or stop in at
South Lyndale Liquors
300 Lyndale Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55419-1230
Walker Art Center
Baumann Cotes de Gascogne Blanc from Gascony France – this refreshing summer quaffer is a blend of Columbard, Gros Manseng, and in this vintage a little Ugni Blanc.
It’s from the French Southwest; land of Fois gras, The 3 musketeers, and some of France’s richest heartiest cuisine. The perky acidity and bountiful fruit give a sweet yet tart impression that makes this a great aperitif wine, perfect for oysters and shelffish.
Served with Trout course
Dal Maso Tai Rosso from the Veneto, Italy - many of you may have been astonished when this fruity little red arrived in your glass PERFECTLY CHILLED! Yes, there are red wines that are appropriate for chilling. This is a juicy and fruity red from near Venice Italy, where it is frequently consumed chilled with fish. Its made form Grenache planted in the Colli Berici, and made by one of our favorite rising star winemakers Nicola Dal Maso. A real fruit bomb, this wine!
Served with Pork Confit
Pirineos Mesache Tinto from Somantano Spain – this is from one of the coolest areas in Spain at the foot of the Pyrenees. In addition to the Cabernet, Syrah, and Merlot there is a little Basque grape called Peraleta in the cuvee. Dense, massive yet perfectly ripe and soft.
Served with the beef course
Falesco Rosso 2007 – this may be one of the best vintages of this Umbrian icon we’ve ever tasted. Juicy and spicy, this is made from Merlot , Sangiovese and Cabernet that consistently delivers the character of perfectly ripened fruit . Ideal with the beef, rich enough and also bright enough to stay refreshing.
Served with Dessert
Moscato D’Asti, Batasiolo 2008 – “striking” were the words I heard one guest say. The aromatic Muscat, refreshing bubbles and slight sweetness played well off the berries and the beet combination created by pastry wonder Michele Gayer. This is a perfect summer “uplift” for desserts when other wines would be just too heavy and sweet.
Grass Roots Farm
Coming soon…
Cedar Summit Farm
Domaine de Sauveuse Rosé de Provence ( served with cheese) Pale and refreshing rosé
Sauvignon Blanc , Terranoble from Chile (salad) herbal crisp grapefruity white
Chardonnay, Stump Jump, D’Arenberg, Australia (served with corn soup) – lightly wooded- you don’t know its there, just richer and fuller, but fruit comes first!
Tempranillo Rosé from MatchbookCellars, California ( served with Polenta) – a power house of a Rosé – for red lovers.
Cotes du Rhone Villages, Domaine de Pere Hugues, Boisset 2005, France – (served with Prime rib) – a spicy earthy red from Grenache and Syrah grown in the Rhone Valley.
Moscato D’Asti, Sarracco, Italy (served with dessert) Addictive, sweet but not heavy, quaffable!
Star Thrower Farm
Charles de Fere Tradition – a perky, creamy bubbly to whet the appetite. There was talk of some mixology taking place and this bubbly could be the perfect base for Champagne cocktails.
Sauvignon Blanc, Nautilus, Marlborough, New Zealand – bigger bolder stronger are the Sauvignons from New Zealand, this breed is the most aggressive I find in the world. Peapod and tangerine notes are perfect for any plates that have veggies or more of the Vegetal pallet of flavors.
Torrontes, Callia , Salta, Argentina – new to Minnesota and from one of the most elevated and remote wine regions of Argentina;Salta. This is where Torrontes, an aromatic white varietal really shines. I love, love, love this beautifully scented white; citrus, white flowers, a touch of rose water with a juicy mid-palate that is mouth watering. Ought to be great with the tangy flavors of the salmon/yogurt/alfalfa combination.
Cotes du Rhone, “ le Bouquet” Patrick Lesec, Rhone France – master selector and blender Patrick Lesec makes wines that built on the quality that comes from the best fruit and winemaking that is non-invasive and natural. This Cotes du Rhone, mostly Grenache, is earthy and fruity yet light on its feet – perfect for the white meat nature of rabbit and pasta.
Shiraz, Callia, San Juan, Argentina – Another “new” and emerging area from Argentina, San Juan has colder nights and hotter days than any other area, making it superb for Syrah. Even though Malbec reigns supreme for exports from this country this Shiraz is sure become a flagship for this region. Black fruits, cracked black pepper, sexy plushy texture. Made for the stewy fall and winter dishes that make us glad to be in the chilly hinterlands!
Lustau Pedro- Ximenenz, Spain – affectionately called PX, this is known as a “solera” sherry. 2 things that set it apart from other sherries #1- its from grapes dried in the sun and then pressed and fermented. #2 its aged in the solera system like other sherries but without a flor ( like Oloroso) and is sweet (unlike Oloroso or Amontillado which are dry).Its figgy and raisiny with rich caramel notes that are accented by a lift of acidity. Very thick and rich- think 10W-30 weight, but oh –so addictive. Figs, almonds, olives and apples on the dessert menu. Should be yummy!
Let the dinner begin!
puff pastry ‘pizzas’ with squash, pancetta, corn, collards, and ricotta
And the cooking continues with Scott playing the role of crazed multi-tasker.
Potato salad is being made for the second course.
The first guests arrive.
Welcome to Star Thrower Farm. This is where we’ll be having dinner tonight. Aren’t we lucky?
These sheep are a good deal woolier than the last time we saw them.
This dinner started last spring when Scott and I met JD with his wife and daughter at Star Thrower farm owned by Scott and Deborah Pikovsky. For some reason on these tours our first stop has always been to check out the back-up plan. The big problem with this back-up plan was that it really looked like it might be better than actual plan. The barn hadn’t been used in years but it had recently been cleaned out and was ready to hold a hundred diners under it’s cathedral like ceiling for a beautiful autumn meal by candlelight.
We’re not sure about meeting some sheep. But it might be okay.
After checking out the barn we were off to look at the goods: cheesy goods.
Scott Pampuch
Kris Hase
Scott Pampuch & Kris Hase