We couldn’t have asked for a livelier kick-off to our 2018 Friends of the Café Dinner Series. James Beard award-winning chef Steven Satterfield joined us in house and created a flawless meal.
Steven started the night out with rye biscuits topped with sweet butter and country ham, radishes with whipped feta and a pesto drizzle, and crispy gougères fired in a cast iron skillet to create a crisp crust around a soft, cheesy filling topped with tatsoi aioli. The hors d’oeuvres were paired with the Strawberry Bliss, made form a combination of Rosé Prosecco, Jack Rudy Elderflower Tonic, Strawberry, and Basil. Our friends at Blackberry Farm provided their Classic Saison and Boundary Tree beers for the evening.
The first course featured a vibrant spring pea soup, served with lightly seared dumplings and a bright Gruner Valtinen Kamptal. Next came a chilled spring vegetable salad topped with fromage blanc and green garlic breadcrumbs, and paired with a refreshing Cotes du Rhone Blanc with notes of apple and vanilla.
The main course was served family style and spotlighted Guinea hens from White Oak Pastures, served with a dijon jus and bitter greens. Steven paired the chicken with mushroom and foraged-nettle polenta and his favorite Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco from Vietti.
The fourth and final course was a strawberry + buttermilk cake trifle served with a Brut Champagne and topped with pansies from Natalie’s garden. The strawberries were grown at Berry Farm in Tuscumbia, just across the river from Florence.
Special thanks go to Steven Satterfield, Forest Kellogg, and team, Bluewater Creek Farm, Blackberry Farm, Bonnie Blue Farm, and St. Florian Fiber Farm. Tickets are still available for the rest of our Friends of the Café Dinner Series. Stay up to date on all events happening at The Factory by liking us on Facebook or following along on Instagram.