Brasserie goes to the garden

The Brasserie Restaurant moved its operations to Joel Walton’s Plantation House Organic Garden on Saturday, 10 September, in the first of two Braz in the Field outdoor events. 

Although Walton was called away on business and could not attend, his friend Joe Jackman – Cayman’s former chief agricultural and veterinary officer – gave guests tours of the Plantation House garden, passing along tidbits of knowledge. 

The evening featured various dishes made with fresh ingredients, many grown right on the Plantation House grounds. The Brasserie had catered Slow Food events at Plantation House over the past two years and although this was the restaurant’s own event, Slow Food members were given discounted ticket prices. 

Guava bellinis 

Guests were welcomed with a guava bellini. Brasserie sommelier and general manager Kyle Kennedy said the original plan was to use java apples for the bellinis, but they weren’t ripe yet. 

“Joel said the guavas were ready now, so we used them instead. I think it worked out well,” he said, noting that the guests pretty much drank them all. 

Several of the foods served – like the Brasserie-style jerk chicken, the Cayman-style coconut flat-bread fish tacos and the fish tea – were cooked on a caboose, a traditional Caymanian wood-fire grill.  

Brasserie Executive Chef Brad Phillip, who has embraced many traditional Caymanian recipes using modern cooking techniques, said the key to his fish tea is cooking it slowly. 

“You want to cook it on as low heat as possible,” he said. “As soon as it starts to bubble, you take it off. It takes about three hours to make.” 

For dessert, guests enjoyed the sweet treats of the Brasserie’s new pastry chef Christine Ward. 

Lighter wines 

In addition to the bellinis, the Brasserie staff served home-made limoncello and Benziger Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. Blackbeard’s wine sales manger Jodie Petts, who spoke briefly during the evening, said the lighter-style wines were good for the warm, outdoor setting. 

Petts said she was a big fan of the Benziger Family Winery, which uses biodynamic, organic and sustainable farming methods – a perfect fit with the Brasserie’s farm-to-table approach and the Slow Food organisation’s philosophies.  

Later in the evening, Phillips and Kennedy provided some entertainment with a guitar and drum session, showing that Ohioans do indeed rock. 

The second Braz in the Field event will take place Saturday, 8 October, at a venue to be announced later. Kennedy gave a little hint about the location, saying it was likely to take place on the beach somewhere.