Farm to Post Dinner at Post 390 - A Little Bit About a Lot of Things A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

August 16, 2014 Farm to Post Dinner at Post 390

Thursday night my friend and I attended our first “Farm to Post” dinner at Post 390. Chef Eric Brennan and Chris Himmel, of Himmel Hospitality (Grill 23, Post 390 and Harvest) invited guests for a summer dinner featuring the fresh produce from Kimball Fruit Farm. Kimball Fruit Farm is a third generation family run farm owned and operated by Carol and Marie Hills out in Pepperell.

During the reception in the dining room before the dinner, guests mingled and enjoyed gazpacho shooters ane french breakfast radish tea sandwiches with goat butter and smoked sea salt. Not pictured was the summer squash flatbread with chevre and heirloom tomatoes and the signature drink, “The Postmaster” that had vodka, blueberry, elderflower and moscato.

Guests were treated to a YouTube video/slideshow that Chris put together, showcasing the farm. Watch the video here. The first course was a peekytoe crab and peach salad with nuac cham pickled vegetables. The peaches were sliced impossibly thing and the purple green beans added some great color to the dish. The sweetness of the peaches, the tartness from the pickled vegetables and the saltiness of the crab was a winning combination for me. The wine pairing: Gruner Veltliner, Lremstal, Austria – Nigl, Freiheit 2013.

Second Course: Cod, Lobster and Finnan Haddie Griddle Cake with mexican street corn salsa. Wine pairing: Chardonnay, Langhe, Italy – Elio Grasso, Educato 2012. The cod was salted and roasted and the haddie was smoked and salted in house. The dish had very minimal bread crumbs and it was pan roasted with a sherry aioli. The corn for the dish was picked earlier in the day and it was so sweet and delicious. This was definitely a dish that makes you think of summer!

Third Course: Grilled Bacon Brined Heritage Pork with poached nectarine, mascarpone – great hill bleu melt and a raspberry gastrique. Wine pairing: Merlot/Cabernet Franc, Washington – Owen Roe, Yakmia Valley Red 2011. They slow cold smoke the pork and then grill each piece to order – the meat stays tender from the brine. The nectarines were poached with star anise and OJ and there was a habanero honey drizzle on top. Chef mentioned that he didn’t like to do blue cheese straight, this his decision to cut it with the mascarpone cheese.

The final course, dessert, was a Taza chocolate pave with plum jam, farm berries and cinnamon cream. Wine pairing: 10 year Tawny Port, Portugal – Kopke. The pave was dense, making it a perfect pairing with the fresh berries. A really lovely way to end the meal.