This year I was in Paris during Mother’s Day, so instead of holding my traditional mother’s day multi-course dinner, I deferred it until autumn. This was especially nice as I’ve come to the realization that holding this annual tradition in mid-May means that I only have a limited number of fresh ingredients to work with. Halibut, peas, and a few spring crops are the only fresh foods available.

Fall, on the other hand, has an abundance of options! This year I chose to follow a theme: each course had elements gathered or grown by me and was named.

Rather than go with many tasting courses like last year, I went back to a simpler menu, with only eight more substantial courses. I also incorporated a lot of duck into the menu. That is because I raised 5 muscovy ducks for foie gras this year. I also had fun foraging chanterelles and wild huckleberries with my kids. Corn, tomatoes, and basil grown from my garden were highlights. The most fun was with dessert, where I used local peaches (sadly, my peach trees didn’t produce enough this year). Many thanks to Brian K. who has been the photographer for my dinners for many years and does such a fantastic job. 

These Kusshi oysters were locally raised and so sweet!

A lot of prep always go into each dinner. Here are some fresh made foie gras tortellini. 

The first course always seems to be a bit slow going, but then each course flies.

I always love making fresh bread for a dinner. This time, my friend and “soux chef” Y.B. made a ton of great bread as well.

Ok, now on to the courses!

1st Course – “We Can Pickle That!”

This course consisted of duck rillettes, pickled quail egg, a selection of other homemade pickles, crottin cheese, and a torchon of the silkiest foie gras I’ve ever tasted. All this served with a selection of bread.

I recently finished building this 12-seater dining room table. This is the first big dinner to use it. Finally everyone at the same table!

2nd Course – Low Tide

This was a fun course! Served on a bed of smooth stones similar to PNW beaches, were locally raised Kusshi oysters on the half shell with yuzu ponzu. The oysters were served with crispy lemon-ginger kale. Dry ice was nestled in with the stones and a “sea broth” of kombu and mushrooms was poured into the stones, causing a briny sea scent to fill the room. 

 

3rd Course – Fat of the Farm

A crowd favorite, we served foie gras tortellini with black truffle, parsley, and wonderfully rich unhomogenized jersey cream from Twin Brook creamery.

 

4th Course – Forests and Streams

Coho salmon with a honey-mirin glaze served with a Chanterelle quiche, using locally foraged chanterelles. A bitter greens salad of marigold and yarrow rounded out the dish. This course was served a cedar plank trays.

 

5th Course – Coastal Maize

Puget Sound Dungeness crab with a saffron corn “milk”, fresh corn, and hyssop flowers. The corn and hyssop were from my garden and the saffron was purchased directly from the grower from a farm in Chelan, WA.

6th Course – Tomato Garden

Basil infused garden tomatoes with homemade burrata cheese, basil, olives, and a balsamic reduction. The tomatoes were so rich and dark. There really is no comparison between store bought tomatoes and those picked ripe from the garden.

 

7th Course – Duck Farm

Duck breast and duck-pistachio sausage with a wild huckleberry sauce, celeriac and manioc puree, and beet-carrot sourdough bread. We served a lot of duck this dinner since we tried to use all of the parts of our ducks.

 

8th Course – “Peach”

This dessert course was a lot of fun. From the point of view of our guests, in candlelight, these looked like real peaches. In fact, these were made from a white chocolate mousse with a peach chutney and gingersnap cookie center.

I had a ton of fun with this dinner. Let me know which recipes you would be interested in learning and I’ll be happy to share!