On Thursday Sept. 24, Idaho’s Bounty held Dinner in the Field, at the Hailey (Idaho) home of Jim and Evelyn Phillips. The dinner highlighted the great abundance of regional and local organic produce, along with the talents of several guest chefs and the Idaho’s Bounty organization. It was a superb evening, unseasonably warm and dry for late September in the mountains. The Phillips’ lush gardens surrounded three long family-style tables that ultimately sat nearly 80 people.
A five course was prepared by Chris Kastner of CK’s Real Food, Tyler Stokes of Globus, Don Shepler of Galena Lodge, and private chefs Brent Barsotti and Abby Grosvenor.
Clarence and Tona Stilwil of Fair Mountain Farm in Fairfield, Idaho talk about their sustainable farming practices.
We started with wine tastings and appetizers by Julie Foods then moved on to a roasted yellow squash, sweet onion combined beautifully with a sweet pepper and grilled tomato soup with basil. Two in one thanks to Chris Kastner and the CK garden.
Next course was a salad of roasted summer tomatoes, yellow and green beans and red potatoes over mixed greens with a red wine vinaigrette prepared by Don Shepler. The food came from Fair Mountain Farm, Wood River Organics and M&M Heath Farms. Abby Grosvenor and Brain Barsotti teamed up for the next xcourse of potato gnocchi with sage browned butter.
The main course was a succulent red wine braised organic Lava Lake lamb shank, thai spiced with butternut squash puree, grilled waterwheel peaches, caramalized walla walla onion jam, baby arugula and natural jus prepared by Tyler Stokes.
Karen Sherrerd and Ken Ferris prepare to chow the shank.
As well there was a vegetarian entree of potato and mahon cheese stuffed Anaheim chile with bean sauce and corn salsa prepared by Kastner.
The desert course was equally divine: Schiacciata All’uva, a Tuscan dessert with Poggio la Noce olive oil, fennel seed, grapes and fresh mozzarella also prepared by Kastner with fresh produce from his own garden.
Stokes created an apple and almond crisp with vanilla bean whipped cream using fruit from the very apple orchard in which the party was sitting.
As the darkness enveloped the field, candles were placed on the table to illuminate the sumptuous meal.
Who said the Northern Rockies region of Idaho was all a desert?
Founded in 2007, Idaho’s Bounty (www.idahosbounty.org) mission is to develop and promote a local, sustainable food system for the communities of Southern Idaho that ensures safe, consistent, fresh, ethically produced and delivered products direct from its producers.
Well done.
