Recapping: Green Meadow Farm Dinner at James

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Recapping: Green Meadow Farm Dinner at James

POSTED: Tuesday, November 23, 2010, 7:22 PM

Filed Under: Chef Salad | Food Events | Photos

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The weekend before last, we had the great pleasure of attending the fourth annual Green Meadow Farm dinner at James (824 S. Eighth St.). Organized almost exclusively around products sourced from Glenn Brendle's operation in Gap, Pennsylvania (about an hour west of the city), the meal was a celebration of Green Meadow, the family-run Lancaster County farmstead that supplies numerous top-notch Philly restaurants with herbs, vegetables and other produce. (In addition to Jim and Kristina Burke's James, Green Meadow supplies the likes of Barbuzzo, White Dog, Bar Ferdinand, Zavino, London Grill and quite a few more.) The entire Brendle clan was in attendance for the evening, so naturally, much of the food was served family-style on big fork-it-over-sis platters something you're not going to catch at the refined James all that often. Jim Burke has a reputation as one of the most meticulous chefs in the city (read Adam Erace's recent description of his art-project-on-a-plate Venus' Jewel Case), and while tons of work went into this multi-course feast, the grub on this night had a certain homey zeal to it roll-your-sleeves-up good, no biggie if you spill something on yourself (I did, but then again I always do). All in all, an immensely fun, hospitable and singular experience that I was fortunate to be a part of. What we ate, in order: - Cream of rutabaga soup with mustard-marinated mushrooms - Malabar spinach-stuffed mezzaluna pasta with brown buter and pecorino di fossa - Hubbard squash risotto topped with 30-year-aged balsamic vinegar - Mains apple/chestnut-stuffed capon; roasted whole Pocono mountain trout; housemade fennel sausage - Vegetables bacon-braised collards; pan-roasted heirloom cauliflower; roasted sweet onions; parsnip purée; cardoon gratinata* - Dessert quince-pear almond tart; carrot-walnut pudding cake; wildflower honey and vanilla ice creams * This was my first time trying cardoons, basically big ol' thistles that look like prehistoric celery and taste a bit like artichokes (they're related). I copped a bunch over the weekend also sourced directly from Green Meadow from Green Aisle Grocery. If anyone has any suggestions on how to cook these bad boys, I'm all ears!

Michelle

Posted 2010-11-23 14:31:56

Everything about this dinner was incredible.  I still think about the rutabaga soup, the cardoons, and the roasted onion.  The food and service was still very much James caliber but it was so inviting to be served family style while sitting in large groups.  It was such a comforting meal, thanks so much to the James staff for a great time.  Hope to see you next year!

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Posted 2010-11-23 15:33:05

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Drew Lazor, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Recapping: Green Meadow Farm dinner at @jamesphilly http://ow.ly/3etkn [...]

Jim Burke, Chef JAMES restaurant

Posted 2010-11-24 14:05:55

We have started joking that Chef Burke has created a cardoon craze! Many have asked us how to prep & prepare this interesting veg, well here goes. May you all enjoy a delicious & safe Thanksgiving. 

Stay hungry,
The JAMES Crew

Cardoon Gratin
rinse stalks, trim leafy edges
Cut into 1/2" & soak overnight in VERY salty water
Drain, blanche until al dente in VERY salty water
Sweat thinly sliced onions in generous amount of butter until soft (NO COLOR) add a couple of chopped salted anchovy then add the cardoons, cover with cream, bring to a simmer & continue to simmer under a parchments lid until extremely tender. Finish with lemon zest, season to taste. Put a generous layer in a gratin dish top with parmiggiano reggiano cheese and broil until golden brown

Glenn Brendle

Posted 2010-12-11 17:24:34

We cheated a tiny bit.  About the cardoons, I've tasted and grown them and I wasn't all that fond.  So, I grow artichokes instead and harvest the leaf stalks as well.  No more boiling in all those changes of water.  They are so lovely, I eat them raw like celery!  Just string them slightly, cut as you like and cook like celery.  They're great creamed,  Guten appetit!

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