MouthBrain Session #12

a rare rainy weekend led to some truly delectable moments

baby artichokes cook in champagne. photo by wyatt komarin

If you’re new here, a MouthBrain Session is a four-hour immersive culinary workshop hosted by me, ZoeFoodParty. I bring fresh ingredients from the farmer’s market—you bring your creative energy. Together, we build a menu on the spot, cook it as a group, and then sit down to enjoy the fruits of our labor with a family-style meal.

This weekend, everyone arrived during a break in the mid-morning drizzle. Tea felt like the best possible way to welcome them in — lemon verbena, sage, lavender, and geranium flowers from the garden, plus walnuts preserved in a spiced syrup for sweetness, and a slice of tangelo for citrusy notes.

After introducing ourselves to each other, we gathered around the central table of seasonal bounty to plan the day’s menu. The way it works: we dream up some ideas and flavor combos together as a group, and I make sure they can become fully realized dishes in the time that we have.

Without further ado, here is the menu that we created together this weekend.

the inspiration table. photo by wyatt komarin

MouthBrain Session #12
OUR MENU

Welcome Tea
Preserved walnuts in syrup with garden grown sage & lemon verbena

Community Butter & Barbari Bread
toasted sesame honey butter
smoked paprika, cumin seed butter

A Fisherman’s Dip
anchovy, lemon, chive blossom
balsamic dipping oil

Spring Salad over Rainbow Trout
shaved fennel, citrus medley, peas, and soft herbs dressed in more citrus and olive oil

Japanese Eggplant & Summer Squash
Szechuan peppercorn sauce with enoki mushrooms and fried garlic

Roasted Purple Cauliflower with Tahina
crispy prosciutto, pickled green almonds, fava beans, fresh chickpeas, and radishes

Champagne Baby Artichokes…that’s it. That’s the dish!
mustard flower ranch dressing for dipping

Citrus & Halloumi Salad

Halva Olive Oil Cake
with kumquats and sunflower seeds

Recipes for these special creations are shared below, exclusively for paid subscribers and MouthBrain Session participants 💛

searing rainbow trout and garlic scapes for our fish and spring salad combination. photo by wyatt komarin