This was the second day in a row that we enjoyed meats from one of our favorite local cheese makers. The first time it was veal, this time it was goat, both as superlative as Consider Bardwell’s acclaimed cheeses.

The sausage was wonderful. It was also so juicy it really didn’t need a sauce or condiment, although I found one and had put it on the table before I realized it hardly asked for it. But, as a combination of cranberries and mustard, it was a perfect match.

With this meal my supply of these very good sweet peppers has finally been exhausted.

• four spicy goat sausage links (one pound) from Consider Bardwell Farm, pan-grilled then arranged on a bed of arugula from Franco’s Berried Treasures [the sausage ingredients included goat meat, salt, spices (including red pepper, paprika, cumin, ground mustard), dextrose, sugar, garlic powder, natural spice extractives (including paprika, pepper), and natural hog casings], served with Inglehoffer  cranberry mustard (yeah, that rightness of that condiment was a surprise to me as well)
• a few super-sweet, red and orange, ‘Cornito” peppers and a dark green poblano, all from Alewife Farm, cut, after the seeds and membranes were removed, into bite-size pieces, sautéed over a high flame until slightly caramelized, slivers of Calabrian pepper, baby fennel, fennel fronds, one sliced Japanese scallion, and a pinch of crushed dark dried habanada pepper added near the end, the mix tossed with sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper and some chopped summer savory from Ryder Farm, and served with a drizzle of olive oil
• the wine was a California (Santa Barbara) red, Rick Boyer Santa Barbara County Syrah 2016, from Naked Wines

There was a dessert.

• blackberries from Locust Grove Orchards, some of them mashed with a little turbinado sugar and a couple teaspoons of Toschi Orzata Orgeat syrup to make a self-sauce, the berries scattered on top of a scoop of some fantastic Riverine Ranch Water Buffalo Sweet Cream Ice Cream [the ingredients are buffalo milk, organic farm eggs, pure cane sugar, organic coconut flour, and salt], and the sauce drizzled over the ice cream and the berries

 

• the music throughout the meal was the album, ‘Beyond‘, with performances by the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet of music by Daníel  Bjarnason, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Christopher Cerrone, Ellen Reid, and Andrew McIntosh