Last Friday night my family and I had the pleasure to attend one of Boulder’s Meadow Lark Farm Dinners.  What this company does is hold dinners in on the grounds of local farms throughout the summer.  The dinner is composed of ingredients grown on the given the farm, cooked on the property in a school bus converted-to-kitchen, and then eaten by 35 or so guests on one long, white linen-laden table.  Our dinner was at Cure Farms, a quaint 8-acre, certified organic farm just east of downtown Boulder.

Upon our arrival we were greeted with fresh peach bellinis and a spotless blue sky.  After meeting and chatting with the cooks and our fellow eaters, as well as gorging on a few hot off-the-cast-iron-skillet corn fritters, one of the farm’s owners took us on a jaunt through the farm’s grounds. As the sun was taking its place low in the sky we munched on fresh baby arugula that crunched in our mouths with the most pleasant, peppery bite, met the farm pigs, gawked at plump ripening bell peppers and beets, and then we were on to the tomato vines.  They grow cherry, pear, and heirloom varieties and at the opportunity to pick our own right off the vine I chose a ripening green and red-velvet heirloom from a ground-sweeping vine.  It smelled of earth and sweetness and fit perfectly in the palm of my hand.

By the time we were sat, anxiously excited to commence in the much-anticipated meal, the sun was finally starting to make its way behind the mountains to the west.

1^st course: Bacon-wrapped pork Pâté topped with fresh hericot verts, pork confit, and a lemony-herb vinaigrette.  This dish was by far the highlight of the meal with its rich meaty textures contrasted by the sharp acidity of the vinaigrette.  This was also my first bacon-wrapped terrine, which at first glance seemed over-the-top, but was instead surprisingly terrific and a perfect addition of smoke and salt.

2^nd Course:  Fresh baby field greens with smoky zucchini and parsnips– A refreshing palate cleanser after the terrine.  The dish carried character with the addition of the smoky veggies, yet set the tone for the main course to come.

3^rd Course:  Backyard spit roasted chicken with a basil, heirloom tomato panzanella.  The chicken was raised right there on the property (I actually had visited her friends in the coop only an hour prior), and the basil and tomatoes were picked so recently you could have mistaken them for candy.  The bread was also a local treat provided by Udi’s- a Boulder, organic, bread company.  The hen skin was simultaneously crispy, tender and juicy.  The smoky aroma and flavor was created by hours of cooking time in the spit roaster set up just in front of “Bella the Bus” (aka the kitchen).  The panzanella, or bread salad, boded well with the chicken and helped sop up those wonderful smoke-filled chicken drippings.

4^th course:  I like to call this Butter and Peaches: The Best Dang Tart You’ve Ever Had!  Reminiscent of a Basque cake, this peach and almond tart even got my non-dairy, wheat, and eggs eating sister to slam a bite onto her watering taste buds.  With enough butter to choke a cat, and fresh Colorado peaches, this dessert deserves a category of its own in the world record book of yummiest sweets.  Well it would if that existed…

The sun had set and the big dipper had risen before we were done with course 2, and with gregarious and intelligent company, this farm, family style meal was a hit.  Not to mention we all felt pretty good about supporting a local, organic farm and Boulder chefs, but also this night was also in celebration of the release of the new cookbook, Colorado Organic who’s photographer helped out with the meal and talked about the book.

Thank you Cure, Meadow Lark, and fellow guests- what a scrumptious evening!

Links:  Meadow lark Farm Dinners: http://www.farmdinners.com/

Cure Organic Farm: http://www.cureorganicfarm.com/

Colorado Organic, a cookbook by Jennifer Olson: http://www.seasonalandlocal.com/