drop dead diva dinner

we had some special guests this weekend, cast and crew of lifetimes Drop Dead Diva stopped by to share some food and wine and hang out for the night! couldn't have picked a better weekend with all the good stuff in bloom right now. below is a plate of sunflower sprouts, purple basil and pea shoots.
first course. heirloom tomato gazpacho with minted whip cream.

we had a couple surprise snacks in between courses, first was a pearson farm peach and sweet grass dairy green hill cheese sandwich with grain mustard and basil on h&f ciabatta.

from left to right. april bowlby who plays stacy barret, myndy crist, lovely wife of josh stamberg and john pontrelli, the first assistant director for Drop Dead Diva.

from left to right. ben feldman who plays a guardian angel named fred, michelle mulitz, jackson hurst who plays grayson kent, reza jahangiri accompanying the lovely kate levering who plays kim kaswell.far right (a back shot) is josh stamberg who plays parker. josh was the grand organizer for the evening. thanks josh!the second snack of the evening, spanish white anchovy toast with boiled egg, avocado, oil cured olive and red radish on h&f baguette.
fennel risotto with sapelo island clams, arugula and preserved lemon.

tacos! not just any old taco. i made the flour tortillas with duck fat then filled them with crispy duck confit and a little siracha mayo. topped with red cabbage and lime slaw. yum!

the last couple weeks our desserts have been a out of the ordinary, but really delicious. this week we did a chocolate cake with guajillo chili custard and chipotle lime golden raisins.

once again, we forgot to take our group photo, but special thanks to the cast of Drop Dead Diva for joining!

father's day 2011

to our dads. and to our dads before them. father's day dinner at staplehouse was a relaxing and social evening.

crystal organics helped make a great potato salad when we tossed their red, purple, white and gold potatoes with celery and horseradish dressing, paired with a nice slice of prime strip steak.

an opportunity to play with my new toy, a takeda hamono 8", mioroshi - bocho . this thing is razor sharp and light as a feather. i had the honor of meeting this third generation master blade smith a couple weeks ago and had to have one.

tomatoes are starting to pop, my favorite time of year. my takeda could not let them have the spotlight all by themselves, i have a feeling it's going to be a problem!

pearson family farm peaches are the best i have had, and they are as sweet as can be right now. a salad of macerated peaches with la quercia prosciutto, local arugula and marcona almonds. if you have not had la quercia prosciutto it is a must try. its made in iowa from locally bred berkshire hogs and in my humble opinion rivals the great prosciutto di parma.
nice slice of prime beef with spicy horseradish potato salad, pickled scallions and parsley caper sauce.

most of our desserts are straight forward classic flavors that conjure up thoughts of childhood. but not this one. dark chocolate cake with avocado frosting, pistachios and guajillo chili honey. sounds crazy? trust us on this one. we paired it with a dogfish head beer called theobroma, an ale brewed with cocoa nibs, chilies and honey. perfect!

thank you to marcus, christie, matt, lisa, pete, kirsten, jennifer and shaun!

father's day - june 19th - SOLD OUT

father's day - june 19th, 2011

FATHER' S DAY
dinner's at our house - casual and comfortable
family style dinner - 3 courses, paired with wine or beer
june 19th - 5:30pm reception | 6:00pm dinner
$45 per head donation - gratuity accepted & appreciated
48 hour notice of cancellation
cash only please
email to make reservation
please feel free to pass on
--
pearson farm peaches, american prosciutto, local arugula, basil vinaigrette

prime strip steak, horseradish potato salad, pickled scallions and parsley caper sauce

chocolate cake, avocado icing, pistachios and guajillo chili honey

happy anniversary baba/kiggins

a dear friend of ours asked if we would host a staplehouse dinner as a part of she and her husbands 15th wedding anniversary. the photos from that night, june 5th, are below!

the best time of the year for amazing local produce is here! morningside farmers market salad of cucumbers, roma beans, and arugula with roaring 40's blue cheese dressing and basil.

angus beef tartare with baby beet salad, lemon mayo and housemade potato chips. maybe we'll bag these chips someday! they were delicious!
sapelo island clam toast with tomatoes and herb butter sauce.
wild alaskan halibut braised celery summer squash and baby carrots, lemon butter sauce. a favorite of the evening.
happy anniversary rachel and richard!


blueberry cake with cream cheese icing and blueberry sauce.
packed to the gills, it takes a little "strategery".



thank you rachel and richard for allowing staplehouse to be a part of your 15th wedding anniversary. and thank you to all who joined in celebrating with them... susan, pete, melissa, nate, kerry, jake, cris and greg!