This dessert has a little history behind it. The idea came from drinking copious amounts of Arnold Palmer (made of half unsweetened iced tea and half lemonade) on the golf course in blistering hot weather. 

Refreshing on the golf course, I figured it has to work at the end of a meal. It was also a dessert that I did for my “interview” dinner so needless to say it was my first dish on the menu.

So second go round we thought that a little “English” would give it a twist.  The base is a lemon posset that is the English element; it relies on the acid setting the cream. It is topped with an Earl Grey jelly and sorbet and finished with a lavender foam. For all you anti lavender people, you will be converted; trust me, I was! It is accompanied with shortbread and white chocolate Chantilly - it is really cool how all the flavors work together. I don’t like the glass that it is in now but will be working on that - I can live with it as I see a lot of them glide past me straight into the dining room.

It was New Years Eve around 6:15pm. I was walking back through the kitchen after spending a few minutes in my office gathering thoughts and changing into new armor to face the night ahead wondering if the guests are first going to like the menu and second if we have the right formula and balance to execute the night successfully. About 700 plates were about to leave the kitchen so as you can imagine quite a bit of pressure.  So everyone was focused, stations set, energy high – the kitchen was locked and loaded and the first ticket of the night hits the pass.

The General Manager, Theresa, checks on us to make sure we are ready and takes a look at some of the new dishes for that night. If we are not firing on all cylinders it will be her in the line of fire of unhappy guests.  Theresa proposes a New Years resolution to me; she said “I want you to write a kitchen blog.” My initial thought was, you are out of your mind – like I have time to write a blog. I immediately turn to my right and my two sous chefs look away with a smirk on their faces. I said, “don’t know why to two are laughing – if I am getting dragged into this, you pair are too.”

The night was going well; we found our groove so I posed the question to them: “ok hypothetically if we have to write a blog, we better get used to the idea because who am I kidding with the current social media situation, it’s getting out of control. What are we going to put in this blog of ours?” Ideas thrown on the table included: upcoming seasons and the ingredients and recipes to go along with them, ideas and experiments – the ones that work and the ones that don’t  - which leads to something good most of the time, highs and lows of the kitchen, funny stories and we have a fresh batch of interns on the way so there is the added humor value because what chef says, goes!

Working through the holiday period is always stressful for people in the hospitality industry, as restaurants are packed and people are in great spirits. Everyone tells me not to worry; once the holidays are over you will be able to have some time off, but actually no. I have to plan for our busy months, rewriting menus, working out the kinks from the previous year, all while trying to elevate standards.  And now I have to add the kitchen blog on my list of things to do.  The ball is rolling I can’t stop it!

We are on the verge of entering the best season for local and diverse produce. This is when we start to see the hard work of our local farmers. Not only do we use ingredients from our great local sources, we also use the Farmers Markets. Visiting the Farmers Markets this spring, I realize even though it is the most exciting season, it can also be a challenging one as well.  What to use first with such an abundance of ingredients at our finger tips?  I like to say we have “creativity overload” for the first few weeks as we change menus and make recipes that showcase ingredients from our local and regional purveyors. We are leaving the time of year when “comfort food” reigns as we transition into the bounty of spring! One of the most consistent local ingredients this time of year is  the sweet potato (well alright, maybe there are still a few comfort foods to be had as the weather warms).  This recipe is one that we use at Fearrington.  It is great served on its own or as a compliment with any kind of meat.  It is also a delicious side dish for spring picnics or potlucks.

Colin

Roasted Sweet Potato, Blue Cheese and Arugula Salad

Ingredients
4pc Large Sweet Potatoes
1 Red Onion
4oz Blue Cheese Crumbles
4oz Toasted Pecans
8oz Red Grapes
6oz Arugala
¼ c Chopped Parsley
¼ c Maple Syrup
½ c Olive Oil
2tbsp Chopped Rosemary

Dressing

1c EVOO
1/3c Sherry Vinegar
1tbsp Maple Syrup
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 Clove of Garlic
 Salt and Pepper

Method

Peel the sweet potatoes. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees and cut the potatoes into bite size pieces. Coat them with maple syrup, olive oil, chopped rosemary, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the edges start to color, do not over-cook, and take out of the oven when they are almost cooked - about 25 minutes.  Next, slice the onions thinly, and cut the grapes in half. To make the dressing add all the ingredients together in a measuring cup and emulsify with a hand blender.  To make the salad, combine the cooked and cooled sweet potatoes, red onion, blue cheese crumbles, toasted pecans, cut grapes, arugula and chopped parsley and mix in a bowl until well distributed.
Just before serving add the dressing mix and serve, you can either place it into a large serving bowl or into individual dishes for each of your guests. This salad goes very well to proscuitto and cooked beef on a buffet. Be sure to add the dressing last minute or it will turn the arugula brown.  Enjoy!