A Spring Business Breakfast at My Farm
The gardens are glistening with color and life at my Bedford, New York farm - so perfect for a spring day meeting.
The day after I hosted a special dinner for friends, I also hosted a breakfast at my home for a group of business colleagues and associates. My friend, Chef Pierre Schaedelin from PS Tailored Events, and I, planned another delicious menu for seven that included asparagus soup and fresh asparagus grown right here at the farm, cheese soufflés, and a refreshing green salad. The weather was perfect - sunny with temperatures in the 60s.
Enjoy these photos - I hope they don’t make you too hungry.
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- When my guests arrived, the first thing we did was tour the gardens. There’s something new popping up in the gardens every day. These ostrich ferns are all over the shade garden beds near my Basket House and Tenant House – they seem to grow taller by the hour.
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- This pink Silverbell tree in front of my tree peony bed is looking so beautiful right now. Silverbell trees feature pendulous bell-shaped flowers that line the branches like string lights.
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- And down by the stable, the giant horse-chestnut trees at the foot of the Boxwood Allee are also all leafed-out. These horse-chestnuts, Aesculus, burst with gorgeous pink flower clusters in spring – look closely and you can see some of the new flowers.
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- In my Winter House, everything is ready for breakfast. The table arrangements were so beautiful the night before, we used them for breakfast. The table was set with lovely green celadon colored plates and crisp white napkins.
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- Here’s a closer look at one place setting. I love using this room for both big and small gatherings. The Brown Room is perfect for round table discussions.
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- Inside my kitchen, Chef Pierre prepares the asparagus for cooking. There is so much wonderful asparagus growing in my garden right now – we harvested bucket-fulls for my two gatherings.
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- Chef Pierre made a flavorful asparagus soup. I love the bright green color.
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- We also served croissants, so I wanted to use homemade jam made from berries grown here at the farm. I selected dark black raspberry jam – it’s so delicious, I could just eat it straight from the jar.
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- Cups are ready for cappuccino.
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- After the garden tour, guests sat out on my terrace parterre for coffee and juice. Of my guests, four wanted cappuccinos.
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- And two preferred tea. This is buckwheat tea. Buckwheat tea, known as memil-cha in Korea, soba-cha in Japan, and kuqiao-cha in China, is a tea made from roasted buckwheat. Like other traditional Korean teas, memil-cha can be drunk either warm or cold and is sometimes served in place of water. With its fragrant aroma and nutty sweet flavor, buckwheat tea is a popular tea with plenty of health benefits. It is also gluten-free, and caffeine-free, and can be enjoyed during any time of the day.
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- The green juice was made just before guests arrived on the terrace. I have a glass of green juice every morning without fail. It’s a fast and delicious way to consume all those healthy vegetables and fruits. It increases energy, strengthens the immune system and is so good for one’s skin. Everyone loved their green juice and finished every drop.
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- These are the individual dishes for the souffles. Chef Pierre butters all the dishes, chills them, and then butters them again – it ensures the souffles will not stick as as they puff up.
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- For the souffle recipe, we used a variety of alpine cheeses – Emmental, Comte, Appenzeller, and Gruyere. Alpine cheese, also known as mountain cheese or alpage cheese, refers to a style of cheese making rather than one variety. The name applies to Swiss, French, Austrian, or Italian cheeses made in the Alps with unpasteurized cow’s milk. Other ingredients include butter, flour, whole milk, salt, pepper, egg whites, and egg yolks. Here, Chef Pierre folds in the egg whites whisked until stiff peaks formed.
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- A soufflé is a baked egg-based dish which originated in early 18th century France. It is served as a savory main dish or sweetened as a dessert. When making any souffle, timing is crucial. “Souffles don’t wait for guests; guests must wait for the souffle.” Chef Pierre pours the mixture into these dishes and then they’re baked in a pre-heated 400-degree Fahrenheit oven until they are puffed and golden brown on top – about 15 minutes.
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- Next, Chef Pierre sprinkles Parmesan cheese over the asparagus and cooks them in the salamander broiler for just a few minutes.
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- Each salad is dressed with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. The salads are served just before the souffles.
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- Everything is timed to perfection, so the meal is served perfectly. Here are the plates all lined up on the counter.
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- For the main course, Chef Pierre decorates all the plates with fern fronds from the garden. Don’t be afraid to use the foliage to decorate a plate – these simple details make a beautiful presentation.
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- And right on time, these beautiful cheese souffles emerge from the oven perfectly. The photo is quickly taken, so these gorgeous souffles can be served puffed up – the puff does not last long.
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- Here is a plate on its way to the dining room – one souffle and a cup of flavorful asparagus soup served with fresh asparagus. It was a delicious and healthy meal, which made for a very informative and successful meeting.
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