A Countryside Repast, celebrating the perfect intersection of summer and autumn. About one month ago, this magical dinner happened. My heart was so incredibly full after this A Daily Gathering countryside dinner that it took me a few weeks to write some words down and make my way through the simply magical photos sent by Jess. This day holds such a special place in my heart. It was my first official “A Daily Gathering” event since I found out I was pregnant with Jojo, which was way back in January of 2017. I had such high hopes for this dinner. I had an image of what I wanted this dinner to be. A French countryside dinner, alongside an old stone house. Lush gardens. Open fields with animals. An open door leading into a dimly lit kitchen. Celebrating the best of summer while welcoming autumn season.

I searched and searched for a location and then a friend suggested Ballenger Farm. Ballenger Farm is just that place I had stored away in my mind. An 18th century colonial farmhouse turned bed & breakfast. Rolling hills. Secret gardens. Goats, chickens, the most protective and loving guard dog. Ponds, ducks, a dilapidated spring house covered in moss. A charming courtyard full of lush greenery, blooming petals, and twinkle lights.

The perfect setting to create this dinner.

I wanted to do something different – even unconventional – for this dinner. I wanted to serve cheese and charcuterie and accouterments as the dinner. I wanted it to span the length of the long table, a veritable cornucopia table runner. I wanted everyone to just dig in directly in front of where they were sitting, and ask for different elements to be passed. I wanted to encourage a very intimate experience with your neighbor and with the food.

If you know me, you know I love a great appetizer cheese board. I use them over and over again. As a family, we even eat cheese & charcuterie for dinner, quite frequently. As I was planning out this A Daily Gathering menu, I thought, why can’t I do this for an A Daily Gathering dinner? I was scared it wouldn’t be enough. It wouldn’t be well-received. But I decided to go with it.

We planned out the most incredibly abundant display of cheese and charcuterie and accouterments, and what a beautiful, delicious dinner it was! And we prepared for about 80 people, although we were only feeding 25. Oh well, we were sustained by cheese board leftovers for over a week!

This dinner turned out to be more wonderful than I ever imagined. I love that moment of go-time. After months of tedious planning, hours of list-making and dish washing and packing, grocery shopping, the farmers’ market run, and oh so much food prep. Then it’s finally here! The set up and then the eager anticipation of our guests’ arrival fill me with so much joy.

I never know who’s going to join us around the table. I never know who’s going to read a description on Instagram, and then believe in A Daily Gathering and me enough to click “purchase.” I never know who I’m going to be hugging goodbye, feeling like we’re old friends. But time and again, the most wonderful people sit around the table. We laugh, we sometimes even cry. We share memories, we talk about our lives, what we do, what we want to do. We pass the food. We talk about food. We ask for food to be passed again. We share something of ourselves, and we are filled to the brim. I’m so thankful to each and every person, and I cannot wait to gather around the table again!

I could never, ever host my A Daily Gatherings without help from so many people. The team in the kitchen (Marina, Christiana, Vienna, Lauren), my incredible photographer Jess, videographer Jen, Liz at Ballenger, and the guys who helped set things up. And of course, Amanda and her husband Posido and their surprise mini house show. You guys, those two can play and sing like no other.

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Here are some dinner details:

– OUR PARTNERS –

VENUE || Ballenger Farm
WINE || Walsh Family Wine & North Gate Vineyard
FLOWERS || Greenstone Fields
PHOTOGRAPHER || LaRue Photography
VIDEOGRAPHER || Jen Eun
MUSIC || Amanda & Posido Vega

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– THE MENU – 

Appetizers

• endive with ricotta, almonds, and cranberries
• devilled Eggs
• Rosé, Walsh Family Wine

 

Sweet

• whole honeycomb
• local honey
• local grapes
• fig jam
• dried apricots
• dried cranberries
• dried mango
• apples and pears, sliced
• figs
• fresh herbs

 

Salty

• aged cheese: Cheddar
• soft cheese: local Chèvre
• firm cheese: Manchego
• blue cheese: Gorgonzola Dolce
• bowls of flaky salt

 

Briny

• dilly beans
• pickled golden beets, Number 1 Sons
• pickled beets, Number 1 Sons
• cornichon pickles
• Castelvetrano olives
• whole grain + Dijon mustard
• pickled raisins

 

Savory

• flank steak, sliced
• salami: sweet, spicy, peppery
• proscuitto
• arugula salad
• roasted olives

 

Dips

• garlic confit
• garlicky aioli
• chimichuri
• mushroom confit
• butternut squash hummus
• tomato confit

 

Vehicles

• roasted carrots
• fresh baguettes, Petite Lou Lou
• mini croissants, Petite Lou Lou
• rosemary raisin pecan crisps
• gluten free ciabatta
• sweet potato crackers

Crunchy

• spiced pecans
• marcona almonds
• pumpkin seeds
• dried apples

 

Wine

• Rosé, Walsh Family Wine
• Merlot, North Gate Vineyard
• Sauvignon Blanc, Walsh Family Wine

 

Dessert

• peach cake
• blistered black grapes with creme fraiche
• coffee

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– OTHER SOURCES –

LOCAL CHEESE || Catoctin Creamery
BAGUETTES + CROISSANTS || Petite Lou Lou
LOCAL PICKLES || Number 1 Sons
MY DRESS || Shop Nostalgia