We were reminded once again recently that if you pay attention and remain flexible, awesome cultural opportunities can come your way in our little part of the universe. The most recent example: a five-course dinner at Blackberry Farm complete with wine pairings with well-known artists Red Grooms and Andy Saftel.
It seems the good folks at Blackberry Farm turned up with some extra dinner reservations available for an “Artists in Residence” program they had lined up exclusively for Blackberry Farm guests. In order to fill the slots and provide an opportunity for some local art lovers, Blackberry Farm offered members of the Knoxville Museum of Art’s Collectors Circle a chance to buy them. They weren’t cheap. But we thought it was worth $175 each for the over-the-top food and wine for which Blackberry Farm is famous. This is a great example of a win-win-win. Blackberry sold their dinners, Collectors Circle members got a great evening with two popular artists, and Blackberry’s guests got a chance to mingle with some local art lovers.
Blackberry Farm proprietor Sam Beall explained that benne is a kind of sesame seed that is indigenous to the South. The tomatoes, from Maryville, and benne were served with barrel aged soy, grilled beans and red mizuna, a kind of lettuce. The soy was made in Kentucky in aged bourbon barrels. This was served with a 2013 Cep sauvignon blanc from Hopkins Ranch in Russian River Valley. Beall said the winery only makes two barrels of it each year.
“A community has less identity without the arts,” Beall said. “This is a new effort on Blackberry’s part to put a focus on the arts.”
This course, my favorite, was served with a 2006 Leth roter veltliner from Wagram. “Austrian white wines are some of the most exciting in the world,” Beall shared.
When they say “slow cooked,” they mean it. Beall said this egg was cooked at a very low temperature for 2-1/2 hours! As for the rest of the dish, “It’s a mushroom moment right now!” he said. This was served with a 2012 Failla pinot noir from Sonoma Coast. Great match.
Wine was a 2001 Lail Blueprint red blend from Napa Valley.
So, there you have it. An unexpected treat on a Monday night! Our town is so much fun!
Click here for info on joining the Knoxville Museum of Art’s Collectors Circle.
Another great dinner and what a treat to meet Red Grooms. He was sketching during the dinner.
I’m curious about the slow-cooked egg. Was it rubbery?
Hey, George! No, it wasn’t rubbery. It was soft-cooked, kind of like a poached egg. My question is why you’d want to cook it so long when you can poach an egg in just a few minutes. But I’m not a chef! I’m an eater!
Carrot mint pesto? OK, I’ll give that a try at one of our progressives.
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