August 03, 2017
In the mood for some fried potato sauerkraut sliders and smoked Pennsylvania rainbow trout? It'll cost you.
The acclaimed James Beard House is hosting a Pennsylvania Dutch-themed dinner next week, but don't expect your Mom-Mom's chicken pot pie – this dinner extravaganza will be whipped up by culinary masters from around the Keystone State, meaning tickets are going for $175 a person.
The James Beard Foundation often hosts specialty dinners at The Beard House in Manhattan's Greenwich Village prepared by individual or groups of chefs from around the world and complemented by select wine pairings.
The Beard House's "Modern Pennsylvania Dutch" dinner will be held Monday, Aug. 7, and will spotlight Lee Chizmar of Mister Lee's Noodles in Easton, William Woys Weaver of the Keystone Center for the Study of Regional Foods and Food Tourism in Devon, Carrie Havranek of The Dharma Kitchen in Allentown as well as Tod Auman and Mark Mancuso, both of Dundore & Heister in Wyomissing.
Guests should expect to greet the chefs upon arrival, enjoy a reception and dine on the five- to six-course menu with a follow-up Q&A from the culinary experts, according to the event description.
"Lovers of the Keystone State know to look to the Pennsylvania Dutch for fresh produce and handcrafted delicious bites," the description reads. "Come to the Beard House as Lehigh Valley star Lee Chizmar crafts a feast that pays tribute to the area’s German heritage through his signature reverence for the farmed and foraged bounty of the region. Lee is joined by a special roster of guests who will add to our understanding and appreciation of the region’s culinary heritage."
So what exactly does $175 in fancy Pennsylvania Dutch food look like? There are rabbit croquettes with chow chow and half-moon corn pies with spicy tomato confit for appetizers, chicken pocket dumplings with Pennsylvania radish salad and sour-braised beef short rib with onion pie for dinner and angel food cake with raspberries, raspberry vinegar, rhubarb molasses and vanilla ice cream for dessert along with much, much more.
“This is the first dinner that directly pays tribute to the Pennsylvania Dutch community," Izabela Wojcik, the James Beard Foundation's director of house programming, told LNP. "But we may have had dinners that used some of those recipes or preparations without necessarily being so thematic.”
Check out the event's complete menu here.
(h/t LNP)
