Sara Moulton At Harvest

Yes, Sara Moulton was back at Harvest recently, the very spot where she began her illustrious career many years ago.  The Food Network pioneer and PBS mainstay returned to celebrate the publishing of her new cookbook HOME COOKING 101 and we were invited to attend the lunch.  It's almost hard to believe that Harvest has been an Harvard Square legend for over 40 years now.  The menu and wine parings, as you can see, was mouth-watering in itself.

Luckily, I was seated right next to Sara and the conversation was lively.  We all talked of Julia Childs, who lived just down the street and who Sara worked closely with, and her influence on the Boston food landscape.  Julia, who was well known for pushing Chefs and restaurants to hire more women in the kitchen, I postulated, is the reason why Boston has so many great female Chefs.  In many other cities it still remains pretty much a boy's club.  We talked food reality shows (we hate them) and recipe authentication and loads of other subjects that were great to explore with a seasoned pro.

Sara did a small demo with help from a diner/volunteer, preparing the excellent dessert we all enjoyed.

The first course was a Spring Pea Soup that featured a slice of in-house smoked salmon.  It was excellent.  All of the dishes were prepared by Tyler Kinnett, Executive Chef and/or Brian Mercury, Executive Pastry Chef and inspired by Sara's cookbook.

The Steak And Eggs were a take on the Red-Wine Braised Short Ribs Of Beef in the book.  A perfectly runny poached egg was served atop a rich slab of braised beef.

The showstopper, however, was the La Tulipe's Apricot Soufflé, adapted from Gourmet Magazine, where Sara served as Editor for many years.  Incredibly rich in the tart/sweet flavor of the apricots, the taste was intense and spectacular.  This was paired with a Chateau Suduiraut, Semillion, Sauternes, France 2005.

Executive Chef Tyler Kinnett who, despite his youthful look, has an impressive breadth of experience, then joined us.  Chef Kinnett took over the kitchen at Harvest last year.

After the feast Sara made time to sign a book for each and every person attending.  A real class act and a wonderful afternoon.  The restaurant is currently planning more Chef Luncheons so stay tuned!

Harvest
44 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA  02138
Telephone:  617.868.2255
Twitter:  @DineAtHarvest