Learn to make sausage at East Forty Farm.
Start the New Year off by learning some new cooking skills or attending an intimate supper at East Forty Farm in Waldoboro.
Led by Allison Lakin and Neal Foley, classes are 2-3 hours long and will cover a range of skills from pastry to sausage making. Each class is limited to 10 students and is hands-on, with delicious results to take home. Classes are held on the first and third Saturday of each month.
The Farmhouse Table Supper series runs from January through October annually, each a themed meal limited to 20 guests. Jan. 19 is the wassail supper, which will also include a procession to the orchard to ensure a fruitful harvest. Feb. 16 will be the third annual fondue supper, which will feature the house fondue made with Lakin’s Gorges Opus 42, as seen on WCSH Maine’s “207” last January. Each supper is 4-5 courses, $75 per person.
Lakin is the owner of Lakin’s Gorges Cheese and wants to encourage people to go “beyond the cube” as they serve their cheese. Foley studied at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, learned charcuterie practices in France, and has been teaching cooking skills for 20 years.
Reserve a spot on the website at eastfortyfarm.com/events or by calling Lakin at 230-4318.
East Forty Farm classes and suppers 2020
Jan. 4, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Learn to make no-knead bread
With this simple technique one can have freshly baked bread in the house whenever one wants. In about 15 minutes, one can put together a hearty, rustic dough that will astonish bread snobs. Variations and styles will be taught as well. Bring a container to take some dough home. $35 prepaid. Limited to 10 students.
Jan. 19, 6-8:30 p.m.: Farmhouse table wassail supper
At this supper, attendees will honor the trees in the orchard to ensure a fruitful harvest in the New Year. After an Alsatian-inspired meal, including choucroute garni made with the farm’s sausage and cooked on the fireplace, everyone will take noisemakers down to the short path to the orchard before returning to the house for dessert. Suppers are $75 per person and please BYOB. Nonalcoholic beverages will be provided. Limited to 20 guests and served in the 1774 farmhouse.
Jan. 25, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Pressure cooker class
Pressure cookers aren’t the scary kitchen appliances they once were. Traditional-style cookers and insta-pots can help one create a delicious meal in a short amount of time using fresh or frozen ingredients. Those who have a pressure cooker or insta-pot are asked to please bring it along. $35 prepaid. Limited to 10 students.
Feb. 1, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Learn to make ricotta gnocchi
Learn to make ricotta gnocchi using Lakin’s Gorges basket ricotta made at the farm. This recipe will win one over to adding this feather-light pasta to one’s cooking repertoire. The class will also make several easy sauces to accompany them. $35 prepaid. Limited to 10 students.
Feb. 16, 6-8:30 p.m.: Farmhouse table fondue supper
Fondue squash.
Glorious melted cheese is the theme here; a traditional Swiss-style fondue will be prepared – the house fondue, which uses Lakin’s Gorges Opus 42 and Morgan and is baked in an acorn squash, a hot oil fondue. There will be a “deconstructed tiramisu” for dessert. Suppers are $75 per person and please BYOB. Nonalcoholic beverages will be provided. Limited to 20 guests and served in the 1774 farmhouse.
Feb. 22, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.: Learn to make pastry
Pastry is all about technique and ingredients. How one handles the dough can make the difference between light and airy or dense. Learn to make “rough puff” — the shortcut version of puff pastry and the pastry of mille-feuille. The class will also be learning to make pate choux, the pastry shell of eclairs and cream puffs. These will then be filled with pastry cream and chocolate. This class is 3 hours long and costs $50. Limited to 10 students.
March 7, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Learn to make dumplings
There is a version of a dumpling in almost every culture. The class will make three types of these filled pastries and learn about steaming and frying. $35 prepaid. Limited to 10 students.
March 28, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.: Sausage-making class
East Forty Farm’s pastured pigs have been harvested and now it’s time to make sausage. Learn the basic techniques of how to turn meat into bundles of flavor, from the simple to the complex. Learn about choosing appropriate casing size, curing and aging, and nontraditional sausage styles. Then take home some of the creations to enjoy. $50 prepaid. Limited to 10 students.
April 4, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.: Soups
Soups from simple to the sublime. The class will learn to make stocks and soup bases that provide an endless canvas to experiment with. Delicious and nutritious, soups are not only comfort food but are also versatile for casual and formal meals. $50 prepaid. Limited to 10 students.
April 25, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Le pique-nique
Nobody picnics like the French. The class will prepare a meal inspired by the new produce coming to the spring markets. Learn some French cooking techniques and how to assemble a fantastic plein-air meal. If the weather cooperates, everyone will dine under the grape arbor. $35 prepaid. Limited to 10 students.
East Forty Farm and Dairy is located at 2361 Friendship Road, Waldoboro, eastfortyfarm.com/events, info@eastfortyfarm.com, 230-4318.
