Super Summer at Velo Coffe

July 28  2012

To Start

Rising Fawn Gardens Edamame

Vegetable Sushi

    with Signal Mtn. Farm basil, Crabtree Farm summer squash 

& Sequatchie Cove beets

Baba Ganoush 

with Pocket Farm eggplant & parsley

Sequatchie Cove Beet Dip

......

Gazpacho

with Sequatchie Cove tomatoes, Fall Creek Farm cucumbers, 

Pocket Farm sweet peppers ,Tant Hill watermelon & jalapeno

The Feast

Thai Beef Salad

with Sequatchie Cove beef, Pocket Farm eggplant & peppers,

 and backyard thai basil

Tomato Pie

with Sequatchie Cove tomatoes, Coppinger cheese, 

Sonrisa whole wheat flour in buttermilk biscuit crust

Marinated Fall Creek Farm Cucumbers

With Crabtree summer squash

To Finish

Crabtree Farm Butternut Mousse

with vanilla rye cookie

Featuring (and Many Thanks to)…. 

All beautiful and colorful wine and water glasses are made by Prentice Hicks and donated for use during this dinner.  They can be taken home to drink from and brighten your every day.  They are 2nds and specially priced.  Please ask for prices

Awesome mugs/beautiful vases, plates and some serving bowls are made by Anderson Bailey, and are also donated for use during this dinner. They are the elegant, mostly white pieces.  They too can be taken home.  Please ask for prices.

Of course this dinner would have been nothing but empty plates and stomachs without our dedicated and hardworking farmers and food artisans- Tant Hill Farm, Crabtree Farm, Fall Creek Farm, Sequatchie Cove Farm and Creamery, Circle S Farm were all extremely important in the making of this dinner.  They are all at Main Street Farmer’s Market- along with many other farms producing equally delicious produce and meat.

Thanks to our gracious hosts Jessica, Andrew, and Montgomery Gage for sharing their beautiful space with all of us.

 And last, but decidedly not least- Many thanks to all of you- the  supporters of local farmers and craftspeople.  You choose to make this community better and more alive every day.  I look forward to seeing you all at the Main Street Farmers Market throughout the season

Tomato Pie

Although the original recipe called for a pie dish- I first used a spring form pan, only to realize that even that was unnecessary.  The buttermilk biscuit crust is strong enough to hold in the tomatoes, freestyle- all on its own.  Make sure you give the dough time to chill- it is much easier to work with.

for the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat (or whole rye) flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablepoons chilled, unsalted butter
• 1 cup buttermilk or keifer

for the filling: 

• 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 2 1/2 cups shredded Cumberland cheese (or chedder)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon cornmeal

Make dough for crust: Rub the the butter into the flour, salt, and powders with your fingers until it resembles a coarse meal, with some small chunks of butter.  Gently stir in the buttermilk, either with your hand or a fork.  Knead very briefly, until the dough just comes together.  Form into a ball, wrap with plastic, and chill in fridge for at least an hour

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Layer the tomato slices between a clean kitchen towel.  Let sit about 20 minutes to dry.  

Unwrap the dough and very gently roll out into a 11 inch circle.  Use flour if you need to, but keep it at a minimum.  The key is to work very quickly, and don't press to hard as you roll.  If you lift the dough often and lightly flour it, it should roll easily.    Place dough circle on a baking sheet- or in a pie dish.  Stir together vinegar, scallion, salt, and cream. Mix the cheeses together- reserving 1/4 cup for the top.

Sprinkle cornmeal on the bottom of the circle, if in a pie dish, or in a 9inch circle, if just free-form.  Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of cheese, top with about 1/3 of the tomato slices, drizzle with about 1/2 of the cream mixture, top with cheese, more tomatoes, and the rest of the cream.  Top with the rest of the cheese, the rest of the tomato slices, and then sprinkle the reserved 1/4 cup cheese on top. Top with freshly ground pepper.   If you are doing this freeform, just keep piling the filling up, making sure to leave about a 2 inch border.  

Fold the edges over the filling.  If you are not using a pie pan, make sure they are securly crimped and folded, to keep the crust from falling open and the filling leaking out.  

Bake til crust is golden and cheese is brown and bubbly- about 35 minutes.  Let cool at least an hour or two before eating.  

Two Great Things are Just About to Happen

COME AND LISTEN (and eat fermented food)! On Thursday July 19th, one week from today,  Sandor Katz is coming to Chattanooga to talk about his new book The Art of Fermentation.  Afterwards, there will be fermentation sampling and mingling.  More information here: slowfoodchattanooga.com

COME AND SEE (and buy fun, fancy, and functional stuff)!  On Saturday July 21st, Artifact will be hosting a Wearable Show, as well as an open-studio.  I will be contributing a small amount of my own wearables.  There will be iced tea, and piles of summery clothes and accessories, as well as prints, paintings, and pots.  More information here: http://teamartifact.com/