Hello! Welcome to the second week of August. Hope everyone is warm enough... This is also the second week of Colorado Proud month and we are in full swing with local produce. I hope everyone has marked their calendars for the Farmer's Market this coming Friday (8/12/22) at 10am on the Commons Lawn. Every year we do this and we bring in corn, peaches, melons, and other produce for residents to purchase and enjoy.
We will (of course) be offering our own honey in jars for $5 each too. I plan to harvest honey on Tuesday the 9th, and we will get it into jars as fast as we can. We will be offering small samples of Colorado Lamb with home-grown mint sauce and maybe some local beef if we can get it. We are planning to finally show off our beer with free samples. The first one-The Bee's Knees came out a bit on the hoppy side-- way too much for a wheat beer but the Colorado Cherry Ale tastes great and has a beautiful color from the cherries. It's all in good fun, just remember that I am a better Chef than Brewer and the second glass will taste better than the first.
On Friday night, we have a special treat; we are continuing the Virtual Chef series that we began in 2020. This is where we feature recipes from other Vi's across the country for you to enjoy. We are featuring Sous Chef Monica Payan from our Silverstone community in Scottsdale. Monica brings us her Plantain Duo with Halibut Ceviche and Avocado Yogurt Dip and it comes with a Silverstone Paloma which sounds absolutely delicious. This will be a verbally offered special, so if your server does not mention it be sure to ask them. Recipe cards will be on the table. I may have to make this Paloma when I get home that night...
The Soup this week is Carrot Ginger. I love this one because of it's simplicity. This is carrots, ginger, oranges and a few spices blended into a beautiful soup garnished with fresh herbs from our garden. This is literally a bowl of vegetables if you think about it, so once you finish you don't have to eat anything healthy if you don't want. That's a good thing, since Anna will be featuring fresh Peach Pie all week long.
The appetizer is Rocky Ford Cantaloupes with Prosciutto and Fig Glaze. If you are new to Colorado or have never had a fresh local melon like this I highly recommend it. They are coming in sweet and pungent and the salty prosciutto really highlights the flavor. Hoping that fresh figs arrive for the sauce, but they are coming from California and you just can't trust that state.
The Cheese this week is called Buffalo Peaks Feta from one of my favorite Local Dairies; Jumpin' Good in Buena Vista. This is a goats' milk feta, if you think you already know what feta tastes like then prepare to be amazed. I met the owner years ago at a food show and was very impressed. Their products got a little hard to find for a while there but now they are available again and I am so proud to showcase this. We are serving it with lightly-pickled fresh cucumbers, and warm flatbreads grilled with extra virgin olive oil. If you get the chance check out their website at https://www.jumpingoodgoats.com/ or if you are ever in Buena Vista-which is beautiful this time of year, then stop by and visit.
At dinner this week, look for crispy Ocean Perch with Sweet Ginger Soy Butter, sesame snow peas and a blend of red and brown rice. Ocean Perch is an Atlantic species, with a mild flavor and semi-firm texture. We roll it in cornmeal and pan-fry it, the ginger sauce should accentuate but not overpower it. Ask Lora if she has any Gewürztraminer left, it would be perfect with this.
We have Carved Leg of Colorado Lamb this week with garden mint sauce, grilled yellow squash and feta cheese- mashed potatoes. The lamb is really nice, lightly marbled with a mild flavor. Our mint sauce is just mint from the garden (or resident gardens...), simple syrup and lemon. The saltiness of the feta mash and the sweetness of the sauce really offset each other well. Honestly I recommend our house Cherry Ale (still no name), the fruitiness would go great with lamb.
Don't miss our Beer and Basil-Marinated Chicken with fresh Peach Sauce, buttered peas and roasted potatoes. So we use a very very local beer (the Bees Knees), garden basil, garlic and spices in our marinade, then we toss it with olive oil and grill it to perfection. The peaches are [of course] from the Western Slope and the whole dish would be great with a full-bodied Chardonnay like Kendall Jackson.
For a Vegetarian selection, we have a Quinoa and Zucchini Cake topped with marinated tomatoes, basil and served with honey-glazed carrots and Olathe corn-on-the-cob. The cakes are made like a crab cake but with cooked Quinoa and shredded zucchini. The tomatoes are tossed with olive oil and basil-- sort of like a bruschetta topping. This would be an excellent choice for someone looking for a light alternative for dinner, and I really think that a 90 Shilling Beer from O'Dell's in Fort Collins would be great with it. They have lots of great beers there, ask Lora to stock more varieties for the chef to....cook with. check them out at https://www.odellbrewing.com/
As a pasta this week we have Beef Stroganoff served over egg noodles. I know we just had this on the menu recently, but I was impressed with how popular it was and decided that no one would complain much if I put it on again. This is stewed beef and mushrooms in a rich gravy lightened with cream. The egg noodles soak up the sauce beautifully and if you are looking for an old-fashioned recipe then this would work great.
For nightly specials look out for Cheese Raviolis in rich Chicken and Miso Broth, Alligator Ribs (not local), Grilled Swordfish with Green Olive Sauce, Almond- Crusted Trout and Mojo Marinated Pork Chops.
At Lunch come in for Barbecued Ribs, Bacon and Spinach Quiche, Margarita Pizza, and Lobster Mac and Cheese.
This is going to be a wild week in the kitchen, we hope you all enjoy the menus and the fun. As always much thanks to the Dining Team, Activities, our very patient webmaster Lolly, and of course the Food Committee for all their support.
