Final Menu and Cook's Notes: Nordic/Mesoamerican Feast 2.24.12

All photos by the extraordinary Ryan Fish. To see more of his work, visit his website for Marrow Magazine. 

The inspiration for this feast was, here we are 'twixt winter and spring, let's do something that embraces both and follows the movement of the seasons. So, my first thought was food from the lands of snow and ice: Scandinavia! I then learned that to include recipes from Iceland, this then more properly would be called, Nordic. And then my idea about thinking of sun, warmth, sun, was, the Kingdoms of the Sun in the Americas where they worshipped the sun (as I so long to do. right. now. Help me out, Portland. We get bright sun but it's still chill and we're prone to bouts of eye-stinging hail. Poor crocuses and cherry blossoms). Anyway, so I did research what people ate in the Kingdoms of the Sun (the Aztec, Maya, Inca) before Christopher Columbus brought Christianity and Pigs and Cattle and Wheat. 

My main resources and inspirations: 

Hamman, Cherry. Mayan Cooking: Recipes from the Sun Kingdoms of Mexico. New York:      

     Hippocrene Books, 1998. 

Sokolov, Raymond. Why We Eat What We Eat: How Columbus Changed the Way the 

     World Eats. New York: Touchstone, 1993. 

Rögnvaldardóttir, Nanna. Icelandic Food & Cookery. New York: Hippocrene Books, 2002. Viestad, Andreas. Kitchen of Light: The New Scandinavian Cooking. New York: Artisan, 

     2003. 

1^st Routing. Cocktails, Commerce and Appetizers.

Gravad Lax (Swedish Cured Salmon). Sweet Mustard Sauce.

Grafinn lambahryggvöðvi (Icelandic Cured Lamb)

Buckwheat Cakes. Rye Crackers.

Roasted Potatoes and Turnips with Maple Vinegar.

Skyr (Icelandic Soft Cheese).**

Herring Roe.

Cucumber Salad with Dill.

Aquavit-Pickled Onions.

2^nd Routing.

Svalbard Beet Soup with Duck Stock & also Vegetarian Celeriac Stock. Rye Toast, Dill Butter, Watermelon radish. Radish microgreens, Grated Horseradish.

3^rd Routing.

Roasted Quail with Naranja Ik (Sour Orange and Chile Salsa).

Vegetarian Plate: Squash, Cherimoya, Nopales (Cactus).

Masa Corn cakes stuffed with black beans. Cotija cheese, Recado de Relleno Negro.

Hominy and Fava Bean Salad with Creamy Tomatillo Dressing.**

Tableside Sauce: Ku’ut bi Ik (Crushed Red Chile Sauce).

Sweet Finish.

Pink Snowballs. (vanilla cupcakes, lingonberry, meringue frosting and pink shredded coconut)

Aztec cocoa pudding. Mast Brothers Cocoa Nibs, Chile, Salt.  

Salty black licorice Fish

** Contributed by Tressa Yellig of Salt, Fire Time

Acknowledgements: include a huge thanks to kitchen staff Remy Jewell (there she is above frosting a cupcake on the fly!) and also to Cliff Allen of The People's Pig, Chief Quail Wrangler and all-around kitchen ninja. Many thanks to our volunteer diner/food runners and also to Tressa Yellig of Salt Fire Time Community-Supported Kitchen for curating the bar program and for contributing Skyr and a lovely Salad to the supper. Applause to Abraham King of Discourage Records for creating an amazing soundscape based on the evening's culinary themes. Thanks for closing out the evening with ABBA! And gracious thanks to Abby Fammartino of Abby's Table for hosting us in her lovely jewel box of a space. She also offers weekly supperclubs that focus on delicious foods that are free of gluten, dairy and soy, please visit her site to learn more. 

And huge thanks of course to our adventurous, spirited, and so-very-kind diners. Cheers to you all and hope to see you again soon. Yours truly, Heather