emmer&rye.com

We are offering reservations for the opening week at emmer&rye. Please call (206) 282-0680 to book a table for January 28 and beyond. Looking forward to serving you.

I know all of you have been anticipating the opening of my first restaurant, emmer&rye for some time now – believe me when I say that nobody wants this more than I do (ok, my wife would like to get me out of the house). However, the past 15 ½ months have been filled with unexpected challenges and obstacles that I’d never imagined I’d be facing. One of these days we’ll sit down with a nice bottle of whiskey (rye, preferably) and laugh about it. But for now, I want to keep my skills sharp and create an opportunity for everybody to sample the cuisine I will feature once I do get the doors open to my new place.

So I am going to start a special Tuesday night dinner series. And you are invited to join me and my friends to experience this unique treat. I am very fortunate to have become well acquainted with Dustin Ronspies, owner of a great small restaurant in Wallingford, Art of the Table. Some of you have been there for his creative farmers market dinners and some of you participated in the 14-course meal Dustin and I brewed up last month. Well, on Tuesdays until the end of the year, a down day for AotT, Dustin is handing the keys to AotT over to me. Welcome to emmer&rye…@AotT. – a not quite underground dinner series.

The dinner will be five courses (with hidden treats) and pairings of wine or beer. Dinner will cost $65 for food and $25 more for the slick wine or beer pairings. Tax and tip are included in this cash-only price. (You’ll have the option of buying any bottles from the AotT list as well, but that will be an additional cost to you).

So here’s how it’s gonna work…On Thursday of each week I will be sending out an email asking two questions: would you like to join me for dinner on the following Tuesday, and what would you like me to cook for you? The first question is pretty straight forward. The second is going to require a little bit of your input. If you should choose to dine on the following Tuesday, I will send a list of 40-50 seasonal ingredients and you will pick out 3-5 that you’d like to have for dinner. I will create a menu based on the first 20 responses I receive. I hope to be able to include everybody’s choices each week and feature some inventive flavor and texture combinations. Remember, I am a huge supporter of local agricultural and keeping food money in the hands of smaller, regional businesses. So don’t expect lobster and bananas, coconut and alligator, or ostrich and tamarind.

I hope you’ll join me for this adventure. I’m planning on inviting guests to dinner starting at 7 PM in order to get the first course on the table by 7:30 and to serve the dessert by 9:30. Space is very limited, and I won’t be accepting reservations until I send out the Thursday email.

Seth

tuesday@emmerandrye.com

emmer&rye participates in the annual Farmers Relief Fund event produced by Tamara Murphy on Sunday, August 23, 2009. Click the link for all of the details.

http://www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org/the-incredible-feast-where-the-farmers-are-the-stars

I will be making a vegan appetizer of Baby Carrots, Herb Salad, and Beet Vinaigrette.  Here’s the recipe:

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 bunch baby purple carrots

1 bunch baby yellow carrots

1 bunch baby orange carrots

1 bunch thumbalina carrots

1 Tbsp Italian parsley, chopped

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

4 oz herb salad mix (salad burnett, bronze fennel, lovage, sweet cicely, chives)

2 lg red beets

1 med shallots, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

kosher salt and freshly ground black peppercorn to taste

Procedure

1. Prepare the Beet Vinaigrette: Preheat oven to 425°. Remove the greens and any stringy roots attached to the beet. Place beets on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper, a sprig of fresh thyme and a clove of garlic. Loosely wrap the foil around the beets and place on a baking sheet. Bake in oven for one hour, until a sharp knife can be inserted and give no resistance when pulled out. The beets, depending on size, may take an additional 30 minutes. Cool the cooked beet uncovered for twenty minutes, then, wearing protective gloves, remove the skin by rubbing it under running water. Transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop the beet. Then, transfer to a blender and add shallot, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Process this until smooth and there are no apparent chunks. Taste for seasoning and add more vinegar if desired. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate.

2. Prepare the Carrots: Prepare an 8 qt pot of boiling, salted water on the stove. Remove the green top of the carrot bunches (use in local compost). Gently peel carrots, or if they do not appear too dirty, scrub them under running cold water. Prepare an “ice bath” for the carrots by filling a large bowl with ice and a little water. This will “shock” the cooked vegetables and keep them crisp for later use. In batches, submerge baby carrots into the boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove the carrots with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge the carrots into the ice bath. The carrots will not be soft, but will lose the raw crunchy taste. When the carrots have cooled, transfer them to a large bowl and toss them with the parsley, oil and apple cider vinegar. Cover and set aside in refrigerator.

3. Assemble the dish: On a large dinner plate, spoon 2 Tbsp of the beet vinaigrette directly onto the plate. Pile a colorful mixture of the carrots in the center of the plate. Take a generous pinch of the herb salad and place atop the carrots. Drizzle with olive oil and, if desired, flaky sea salt. Bon Appetit!

Burning Beast returns to Smoke Farm for its second, sure to be celebrated, culinary firestorm. The Stranger Slog called it “the worlds funnest and most delicious feast in a field cooked by Seattle’s best chefs.” Eleven star-studded cooking teams gather to prepare and master an assigned animal, vegetable and/or sea creature, whole or in parts, using fire, earth, steel and little else.  The jaw-dropping list of participating chefs includes; Dylan Giordan (Serafina), Angie Roberts (Boka), Matt Dillon (Sitka and Spruce & The Corson Building), Garret Abel (DeLaurenti’s), Dustin Ronspies (Art of the Table), Gabriel Claycamp (The Swinery),  Ron Jones (Jones Glassworks), Tyson Danilson (Le Pichet), Jonathan Sundstrom (Lark), Zephyr Paquette (Elliott Bay Cafe), Jennifer Alphonsine (Circa Alehouse), Seth Caswell (emmer & rye) - and more!

Entertainment included! Featuring aerial thrills provided by the amazing Zita, the incredible Dyno and Tamara the Trapeze Lady! Plus, music by ‘The Hallways’.

Atmosphere - outdoor casual. We encourage guests to THINK GREEN  carpool, and bring along reusable plates, cups and cutlery (if you can). Plus - it’s a lovely place! Bring picnic blankets, swimsuits, comfy footwear, and healthy appetites. No dogs please. Event takes place rain or shine.

Children are welcome, but must be supervised at all times. Under 10 get in free!

Burning Beast is a benefit event for Smoke Farm; a project of the Rubicon Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non profit organization.

Limit of Liability Notice: Smoke Farm is a farm. Man made and natural hazards exist on the property. Services are primitive. Dress appropriately. Uneven ground, open flame, sharp and heavy objects, trip hazards, noxious plants, wildlife, and many other hazards may be encountered. The property owners and event producers assume no liability for any injuries or losses. Be safe and have fun!

Go to http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/68737 for tickets.  NOW!

Five years ago, in the distant agricultural lands of eastern Long Island, Chef Seth Caswell participated in a new traveling dinner series called Outstanding in the Field.  This culinary event brought together a farm (Quail Hill Coop), winery (Channing Daughters), a cheese producer (Mecox Dairy) and Chef Caswell, who was chef de cuisine at Nick & Toni’s Restaurant.  Eighty eager diners arrived at the farm in the afternoon for a tour of the fields and orchards with a wonderful sparkling apertif and a few munchies from the farm’s produce selections.  Upon returning, the guest were seated at one very long table for a five-course meal featuring the produce, meats, seafood, wine and cheese of the region.  It was a spectacular evening, brightened by the handmade candles that illuminated the table as the sun set over the apple orchards.

Jumping to 2009, the organizers of OitF have truly made it full circle.  They once again contacted Chef Caswell to see if he’d be interested in participating in this year’s traveling dinner series.  Maybe not ironically, Caswell is teaming up with Full Circle Farm of Carnation, a farm which he has been an ardent supporter of over the past years.  Farm owner Andrew Stout and Chef Caswell will be combining forces to create a meal to be remembered in the future.

Join us for this meal and share the experience of meeting the producers, chef, and winemakers.  Tour the fertile fields of Full Circle Farm, sip delicious wines, and revel in the company of up to 100 other great food lovers.  The date is set for July 15 and all information on the event can be found at the OitF website.  See you there!