Judd & Black Appliance, Acme Farms + Kitchen, and Kulshan Brewing came together with North Sound Life for this installment of Meet the Chef, featuring Chef Andrew Clarke and his assistant Miguel Ryan.
Cinco de Mayo isn’t really Mexican Independence Day, but it is the day that Mexico as an unlikely upstart knocked France on its heels and won a key battle in the war for Mexican Independence. We tend to celebrate it with bad nachos and cheap tequila, but thanks to Judd & Black Appliance, Acme Farms + Kitchen, and Kulshan Brewing, North Sound Life brought a whole new flavor to this holiday. Chef Andrew Clarke and his assistant Miguel Ryan crafted a Mexican meal that met and exceeded our guests’ expectations.
As guests arrived, they were greeted with chips, salsa, and Paso Del Norte in Blaine provided fresh, delicious guacamole on the tables. Clarke’s first course was a spot prawn ceviche. As with almost all of Acme’s products, the spot prawns were locally sourced. These little beauties were from Jones Family Farm on Lopez Island. Jones Family Farm raises sheep, cows, pigs, and sources seafood. Katie and Tess from Kulshan served a light, crisp farmhouse-style Belgian Saison, which paired beautifully with the citrus and piquant flavors in the ceviche.
The main course was Cochinita Pibil — a flavor sensation of orange, banana, a hint of cinnamon, and spiced pork. Chef Clarke said he likes to marinate the pork over night, roast it whole, and then pull it. “I leave it in large chunks,” he said. The larger pieces set up well on the sopes. Using a pastry bag,he squeezed out small sopes with indentations in the middle. “A lot of people make big sopes, but I keep them small,” he said. He then topped the sopes with the pork and served with a side of black beans, queso anejo, and grilled cara cara orange. Grilling brought out the sweetness of the oranges and sapped some of the bitterness from the rind, making them zing with flavor. Kulshan served the Sunnyland IPA with the pork. The IPA was crisp, light, with a slightly bitter finish — perfect for the pork.
The final course was a luxurious combination of crisp, delicious churros, silky spiced chocolate sauce, refreshing orange sorbet, and dulce de leche. It was a spoon-worthy dessert that paired beautifully with the smooth Russian imperial stout. The stout’s creamy, thick, chocolaty body complemented the smooth chocolate of the dessert while also bringing out the brighter cinnamon and orange. Michelle Grandy of Acme Farms + Kitchen was on-hand to present Acme’s home delivery service, and to demonstrate the different kinds of boxes available for subscribers. The Meet the Chef meal that guests enjoyed was created from the kinds of options in Acme’s delivery packages.
A beautiful sunset greeted guests as they left the event, which seemed a fitting way to end a lovely meal among friends.
Click here for full recipes and instruction on making this fresh and fun meal in your kitchen this summer!
