The Endless Feast in Edmonton

We had the pleasure of attending a beautiful dinner at Peas on Earth Organic farm the other day. It was held in their vegetable garden. The weather was perfect, the setting jaw droppingly beautiful, and the food exquisite. The dinner was filmed for a tv show called The Endless Feast, produced by Film Garden Entertainment from California, which airs on American Public Television Stations. Previous episodes have been in vineyards, orchards and farms all across the US and Canada, with the focus on bringing together artisan food producers, chefs and food lovers to prepare and share food in the setting where the food is grown. The table had 90 seats, with a backdrop of drying garlic bouquets, and fields of vegetables. Even the bugs behaved......as August is usually "crazy wasp month" in these parts, and a meal outside can look like an arm waving competition.

The food was created by Blair Lebsack from Madison's Grill, and Gail Hall of Seasoned Solutions, along with a team of volunteers. They wove their magic through the courses of local food, which included Irvings Farm Fresh Pork, Spring Creek Ranch Beef, Pilatus Farm Bison, Dirt Willy Pheasant, Hog Wild Boar Bacon, and vegetables from Peas on Earth, Doef's Greenhouse and Gull Valley Greenhouse. The cheese board was a delightful 1 X 4 fence plank, with 7 kinds of cheese from Sylvan Star Cheese and Fairwinds Farms with some great artisan crackers from Praire Mill Bread. Libations were supplied by Ensante Winery, which produces fruit wine, and beer from Edmonton's local gem Alley Kat Brewery.

Here is the menu created by Gail and Blair

Photo by Thea Moss

Passed Hors D'oeuvres:

"Lakeland"Demi Wild Rice Medallions Capped with Cardamom and Apple Butter

Glazed "Irvings Farm Fresh"Pork Tenderloin

"Pilatus Farms" Mini Bison Sliders topped with "Sylvan Star" Smoked Gruyere and Market Beet and Corn Relish

"Peas on Earth" Three Onion and Leek Ricotta Tart

Course 1

Slow Roasted "Gull Valley" Vine Ripened Tomato Salad

Course 2

Braised "Dirt Willy"Pheasant & "Franco's"Ricotta Crepe with "Irvings Farm Fresh" Pork Belly and Apple Compote

Photo by Thea Moss

Course 3

Braised "Spring Creek"Beef Short Ribs, "Pilatus Farms" Wood Grilled Bison Strip Loin, Carmelized Onion Mashed Potato, Beet Pave, Baby Corn Succotash with "Hog Wild" Boar Bacon

Course 4

Alberta Farm House Cheese Board featuring "Sylvan Star" goudas and gruyere and "Fairwinds Farm" Goat Cheese with Pea Pesto,"Prairie Mill" Buttermilk Crackers , "Doef's" Red Pepper Chutney and "Gull Valley" Tomato Jam

Course 5

Strawberry & Rhubarb Galette with "Fantasia" Gelato and "Doef's" Spiced Wild Berry Coulis.

Enjoy a few pictures from the evening. We enjoyed the food so much that we forgot to take a picture of each course! Most of all......a salute to all of Edmonton's local producers....may they live long and prosper!