It started a little something like this: June 6th, sixteen participants met up with Jason Cichonski (Ela and The Gaslight) on a sleepy Saturday morning at the Fitler Square Farmer’s Market. COOK worked in partnership with The Food Trust, so we were lucky to meet up with Kalie Wertz and have her walk us through the market. Meeting farmers and learning about their methods and products, we were lucky to learn about the healthy, sustainable methods of food production that are made so accessible to Philadelphians through The Food Trust.
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- The group gathering at the edge of the market.
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- A stop at Brogue Hydroponics brought us these amazing fresh trout. They were raised using aquaponics, which uses the same water for their hydroponic plants and is thus very nutrient dense and sustainable.
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- A delicious batch of strawberries from Brogue Hydroponics.
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- And some perfectly ripe tomatoes, also from Brogue, PA!
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- All our dairy, and our duck eggs, came from Apple Tree Goat Dairy (Amish farmers in the Richfield area).
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- Highland Orchards brought us these amazing asparagus, as well as a majority of the rest of our ingredients (bread, herbs, rainbow chard, even the honey and bee pollen!).
Armed with fresh trout, cheese, milk, duck eggs, bread, honey, herbs, vegetables and fruits, we headed back to get cooking.
One of the really exciting parts of this COOK class came with the fact that, outside of the donuts and Vietnamese coffee he had prepped (a total treat), Chef Cichonski really had no set plan for this brunch before the trip to the farmer’s market. Once we gathered ingredients, we had the rare opportunity to really see his creativity take over at the stove.
First course? A donut dusted with bee pollen from the market, then topped with a quick strawberry jam sweetened with honey from the very same bees.
The breakfast pastry of dreams.
While we indulged, sipping mimosas and bloody marys, we watched Jason create our second dish: trout and eggs. He used the beautiful brook trout we had purchased with duck eggs and bacon, all of which were baked on a bed of sautéed rainbow chard and topped with fresh goat feta.
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- One of our beautiful trout.
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- Jason began by sautéing the greens and bacon.
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- Arranged them in bowls…
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- Topped them with eggs and fish, a bit of feta, and then into the oven to bake.
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- Plus, vietnamese coffee– fresh brewed coffee with condensed milk.
With a dash of his own roasted Sriracha sauce, course two was served.
While we had been watching this dish come together, Jason had also been preparing a fresh cheese from the raw goat’s milk we purchased at the market. This was to be the topper for our final dish: a savory French toast. He created a custard with the duck eggs to coat thick slices of roasted garlic and olive bread before frying. Once those were prepared, he sautéd mushrooms, asparagus tips, and tomatoes. Atop the toast they went!
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- First, the toasts were plated separately.
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- Then came the mushrooms.
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- And our fresh cheese followed…
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- Lastly, asparagus tips and tomatoes finished the toast.
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- And so we dug in!
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- Who would think half a toast could look even more delicious?
Bellies full, we chatted and thanked Jason again for the unbelievable creativity he brought with him to COOK. To think this meal started at a table in Fitler Square not even two hours before…
Tons of thanks to our friends at The Food Trust and Chef Jason Cichonski. Here’s to many a future brunch! Hope your weekend starts with something just as delicious.
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