Sunday Roast Special Supper at Cornman Farms
A British classic crafted by beloved English-born chef Kieron Hales
What can one do to top a terrific Thanksgiving meal? If you are anywhere around Ann Arbor, consider coming to Cornman Farms 10 days later to savor the beauty of the British Sunday Roast Supper that co-managing partner and chef Kieron Hales is cooking up that day.
Laura Esquivel, in one of my favorite books of all time, Like Water for Chocolate, writes, “You don’t have to think about love; you either feel it or you don’t.” You will, I guarantee, feel love on that late-autumn afternoon if you come to Cornman for the Sunday Roast Supper! You’ll head home a few hours later, feeling comforted, cared for, reminded of how much good there is in the world, and, I’m pretty confident, having experienced a good bit of joy in the process.
The Sunday Roast Supper is a meal that Kieron grew up with in England, in his home village of Stoke Gabriel. On the south coast of Devon, it’s situated beside a creek that’s attached to the River Dart. There are about 1,100 people in the town today. Kieron grew up learning both home cooking and hospitality from his mother—anyone who comes to Cornman, and especially this magical meal, will benefit from her teachings!
What’s on the menu? For appetizers, there’s Kieron’s Crookneck Squash Soup, which is made with shallots, garlic, cream, honey, and apples, and there’s Cheddar Cheese Gougères, the savory French pastry puffs made with pâte à choux and stuffed with a blend of bold cheeses.
The main course is, of course, very meaty. Kieron prepares his mom’s roast beef recipe with an herb-garlic crust. The centerpiece of the Sunday roast show, it’s slowly cooked at low heat over many hours, just as Kieron learned as a kid. Roasting the meat is one of the best ways to bring out the best flavors of the beef. According to my good friend Molly Stevens, who wrote the James Beard award-winning book All About Roasting:
The role of roasting is to elevate already delicious ingredients by giving them a savory crust and maintaining their own juices and tenderness. … Roasting is a conversation between you and the heat. … You use all your senses. It’s very involved. That’s why I like it.
The roast, of course, does not stand alone. It’s served with some classic British horseradish cream and a red wine sauce. On the side? Rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes, carrot and rutabaga puree, and fennel-fried broccoli (flash-fried, fennel-dusted). Oh yeah, there’ll be plenty of Yorkshire Pudding: light, airy British popovers accompanied by strawberry jam and honey butter.
For dessert? Kieron’s Crema Catalana, the classic Spanish-style crème brûlée kissed with citrus, star anise, cardamom, and Tellicherry pepper, served with semolina Scottish shortbread.
I think the same can be said for Kieron. His passion for this annual special supper is super high. It all adds up to make a meal that honors a tradition close to Kieron’s heart, cooked the way he learned in his mother’s kitchen in England. It is bound to be a joyful and delicious experience!
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