It's always an adventure when dining with FUSSYlittleBLOG. I was lucky enough to dine with Daniel as his guest at Heather Ridge Farm's "Why a Duck?" Supper Club in Preston Hollow. This past Sunday's dinner was all about poultry and Chef Rob Handel designed a 5-course meal with the best of the farm's own pasture-raised birds combined with locally farmed and foraged ingredients.
Soup: Guinea fowl consomme with guinea fowl confit, foraged goosefoot, and winter squash gnocchi. The broth was wonderfully complex and flavorful but it was the gamey confit that elevated the dish. If you've never had guinea fowl, it's very duck-like.
Salad: Massaged kale, marinated beets, and roasted parsnips tossed in a pear and hazelnut dressing with goose sausage. I'm obsessed with beets but the highlight of this salad was a well-executed and skillfully prepared sausage. Instead of a traditional casing, Chef Rob stuffed the goose sausage into the skin of goose neck! The creativity was mind-blowing.
Cheese and Charcuterie: Local brovetto cheese, house-made seckle pear mostarda, and turkey and chesnut terrine with foraged garlic seed mustard. I wish this dish could make an appearance at this year's Thanksgiving. The terrine had a delightful center of funky pate that I couldn't get enough of and was savoring every bite of.
Palette cleanser of house-pickled plum.
Entree: Cider braised chicken with heirloom apples, served over polenta with roasted brussel sprouts. The chicken was fork-tender and braised in house-pressed cider with apples straight from the farm. I'm going to start stealing this recipe for my own chicken dinners.
Dessert: Fives spice cake with Grenada Chocolate Co. ice cream and smoky duck fat caramel. Never would have thought to use a savory spice blend in a cake but the flavors worked so well as a dessert but what I really came for was the duck fat caramel. Don't knock it til you try it! It's as decadent as it sounds. Duck fat adds an incredible richness that dare I say is even better than butter, and transcends caramel to a whole new level.
By the time we arrived, it was pitch black so we weren't able to explore the property but Heather Ridge Farm and the Bees Knees Cafe is open year-round for brunch on the weekends. Learn from our adventures--avoid the GPS-led mountain road at all costs! It'll take you up a "seasonal road" that all the locals know to avoid. If you're not in a military vehicle of any sort, you'll be forced to pray that there's a spot for you to do a three-point turn to back into so you can safely come down the road of death without falling off a steep cliff, or get mauled by an wild animal in the middle of nowhere with no cell or data service. Props to Daniel for driving us back down safely though. Follow these ones instead,
have the farm's number handy in your phone, and have backup directions. Survive and you'll be rewarded by a wonderful and delicious farm-to-table experience!
We're very Albany-centric when it comes to brunch. On a whim, we decided to take a trip up to Ballston Spa for a weekend outing. We've stopped for tea at the Whistling Kettle a number of times but always overlooked The Iron Roost until recently. Located on Front Street, this quaint and charming cafe makes brunch a treat. Their speciality are gourmet waffles, both sweet and savory. They also make it a point to use fresh, local ingredients whenever possible and we love to support businesses with this philosophy.
Your food is homemade and made to order, but you pay at the counter first and then the food comes to you. I've always associated waffles as a sweet treat but never underestimate the power of a savory waffle. It's not weird at all! We were so impressed with the Green Turkey special from our summer visit and were delighted to see it again on the specials board. We had to order it again. This savory waffle wedge is made with sliced turkey, fresh avocados and sprouts, and a schmear of homemade green goddess dressing. Green goddess is a creamy and tangy dressing typically made with variations of mayo/sour cream and chives, garlic, tarragon, parsley and lemon. The waffle was a great alternative to a thick bread and worked well as a wrap here, light and crispy, and a great vehicle for all the above. What we loved about this sandwich is how light and bright the flavors were. We were actually eating something healthy for once that tasted awesome. We also added a side of homefries to share because brunch wouldn't be brunch without them. The homefries were unfortunately nothing too exciting. We prefer smaller crunchier bites rather than the few big hunks of starchy potatoes.
To balance the savory bites, I went with a sweet waffle. I'm usually a bit hesitant about ordering from the sweet side of brunch, afraid that it would be too cloyingly sweet. I was pleasantly surprised when I took a bite out of my lemon mascarpone and strawberry combo. The waffle was just sweet enough and had a nice chewy texture, almost like a yeast donut. We had tried the liege waffle over the summer and were so disappointed. It was strangely stale and had an odd grainy texture, unlike the yeasty ones we were use to from the Troy Farmer's Market. This was certainly a redeeming bite for us. The heaping scoop of mascarpone was intimidating but it was light and bites of fresh strawberries and drizzle of lemon curd was a good balance of sweet and tart. I would've loved more lemon curd to bring out more zing. Add two cups of dark roast coffee (roasted locally in Hudson) and we were happy campers.
