Time for tomatoes and basil
Isabelle Farm will be hosting its inaugural Tomato-Basil Festival on Friday, Sept. 10. Attendees will be able to tour the farm, eat dishes prepared using tomatoes and basil, and listen to live bluegrass music.
Vote for your favorite variety of tomato in the Great Tomato Tasting, or bring your own farm-grown tomatoes and enter them in the Backyard Tomato Contest. The event is free. Isabelle Farm is located at 10029 Isabelle Rd. in Lafayette.
Twisted Pine Brewery takes medals
The Twisted Pine Brewery came away from last week’s Colorado State Fair with two medals. Its Northstar Imperial Porter took first place in the Baltic Porter Category, while Le Petit Saison took third place in the Saison Category. The Brewery also has several entries in the upcoming Great American Beer Festival, which will take place Sept. 16-18.
In related news, Twisted Pine’s inaugural Twisted Mini Golf Tournament on Sept. 2 raised $700 for the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center, which brings people with disabilities together with horses to help in the recovery process. The event was part of an ongoing series of community events that will continue throughout the fall. For information on upcoming events, visit www.twistedpinebrewing.com
How ‘bout them apples?
As part of its monthly series on state foods, the Colorado Department of Agriculture is highlighting Colorado apples in a Tomato Apple Gastrique recipe from Chef Jason K. Morse of the Valley Country Club in Aurora. You will need: Olive oil 2 cups grape tomatoes, whole 4 Fuji apples, peeled and diced 1 tsp. shallot, minced 2 tsp. garlic, minced 2-1/4 cups sugar 2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon 1-1/2 cups white balsam vinegar 3-1/2 cups chicken stock 3-1/2 cups veal stock 1 tbsp. butter Kosher salt White pepper Sauté tomatoes, apples, shallot and garlic in olive oil. Add sugar and cook until caramelized. Add wine and vinegar and reduce by half. Add both stocks and reduce until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, strain through chinoise and return to heat in new pan. Reduce stock until it coats the back of a spoon. Top with butter prior to serving. Adjust seasoning according to taste and serve with Colorado lamb loin.
