What a gloomy Saturday here in the Hudson Valley.  The skies opened up and just down-poured.  My friend Heather planned to meet me at the house around 4:30pm, so we could both go to the October farm dinner.  She made her way from Rockland to Orange County through downed trees, closed roads and tumultuous winds.  She finally arrived to find me wrapping up an afternoon of cooking. 

I know, it is strange to cook all day and then go out to eat.  However, everything I cooked involved long cooking times and further steps later.  In one pot on the stove I had a chicken stock slowly simmering away.  In another pot in a 200-degree oven, I had a rabbit braising.  I just finished pureeing and storing a roasted pumpkin (for later use) when Heather drove up.

After taking a moment to collect herself (while I managed the dogs and found my shoes), Heather and I headed off.  Even though it was only 5:15pm, the dark-grey sky cast a shadow that blanked the landscape. The wind blew fallen leaves and pine needles into my windshield and the water slicked the roads, causing my tires to occasionally slip.

We parked and ran down to the barn to find it warm and inviting.  Guy set out jack-o-lantern string-lights all around the walls.  Both wood stoves blazed with heat and appetizers made their way around the room. 

We made our first stop at Guy’s Sangria.  Seasonally seasoned with cranberries, apples and pears, the sangria truly tasted like fall wine.



The chef this month came from a caterer called Fresh Company.  They sent out scallion frittatas:



Sweet onion on brioche topped with pickles:






Chickpea croquettes:




Cauliflower skewers:



Shaved radish salad and local cheese:




Moe local cheese:


We sat down at our table.  The wind banged and wrapped upon the roof like a beast ripping its way inside.  The lights swung back and forth from the ceiling and occasional sprays of water misted our faces.  I brought a bottle of wine, a 2005 Pinotage from South Africa, which I quickly recognized might be too big for our vegetarian dinner.



Our first course was a chopped kale salad with peanut sauce and sesame seeds.



Our second course was a spiced potato flat bread with yogurt green sauce.



Our main course consisted of autumn root vegetable curry with lime and coconut.  They gave us a bowl of spicy chilli sauce to accompany the curry – although it looked too spicy for me.  Everyone talked about how incredibly spicy that sauce was – so I didn’t try it.



By the time dessert arrived, we were all full.  But the pear-ginger tart with cinnamon crème fraiche was so delicious, we couldn’t help but have some.


We made our way back to my house, and waited until the rain lightened up a bit before Heather headed home.