Margie, Dan, Robert, Muriel, Meghan
Last week Robert Barnum of Possum Trot Nursery invited several people over for a test tasting of several dishes on the brunch menu. Farmer Margie brought along intern Muriel; and Meghan the forager, along with Farmer Dan Howard and myself, gathered at the table.
Broiled avocados stuffed with scrambled eggs and goat cheese
The avocado half stuffed with scrambled eggs was unique, to say the least. The eggs were speckled with minced betel leaf that gave a sort-of peppery flavor. It was topped with Hani Khouri’s goat cheese, that browned slightly. This concoction is Robert’s own recipe. The betel leaf came from a tree on his property.
Smoked eggs
Speaking of eggs, don’t miss out on the smoked eggs. Robert puts the eggs in his open-air smoker and lets them cook for several hours. The egg shell gets a rich brown color, and the inside is hard cooked, with a mild smoky flavor.
The allspice muffins tasted like spice cake. Be sure to spread honeyed labneh (also from Hani) over the muffins as a sweet-tangy topping. The passion fruit sorbet sweetened with agave is a delightful finish to the meal. The taste of the fruit comes through clearly, and the agave takes the edge off its tartness. The passion fruit and allspice were also grown at Possum Trot.
After eating, we took a stroll to where the tables will be set up under trees off to the side of the house. It’s a shady and breezy spot, and should be a delightful place to dine.
WARNING! Do not eat the fruit of this tree!
Not too far off is the African bushman poison tree. Its fruit looks enticing, like plump olives waiting to be gobbled down. But Robert explained that the tiniest nibble can actually kill an elephant. This tree will have a fence around it on the day of the brunch, but I thought I’d give warning.
I’ll be at the brunch taking photos and video of the event. Will post a link where you can view and download pictures.
Redland Rambles 