Bedford Post: Serenity and Farmhouse Fare

– By Janice Llanes Fabry –

Feel like taking a drive to the countryside on one of these long-awaited spring days? Bedford Post at 954 Old Post Road in the idyllic town of Bedford is a lovely destination for breakfast, lunch or dinner, only a half-hour away from Rye. Upon exiting 684, the scenic route is sprinkled with tree farms and horse stables.

Ensconced in fourteen acres of woods, the restaurant is not difficult to find; after all, owners and Westchester residents Richard Gere and Carey Lowell discovered the property while riding along its trails. Apparently, they lamented the slow demise of the 18th century country inn that once stood on the land and pondered transforming it into a tranquil restaurant. Once they shared their vision with co-owner Russell Hernandez and a very receptive community, the inn was meticulously and eco-consciously restored. They went on to hire Chef Brian Lewis, who rounded out the Geres’ vision with his American Farmhouse cuisine, utilizing local produce and the best fresh ingredients available.

Lewis set foot in the restaurant business at age 14, in an Italian trattoria in Northern Westchester, where he grew up. Recalling his first impression of a bustling restaurant kitchen, “I looked in and saw a kind of a macabre dance going on. Everyone was quiet, swinging pans and knives around with the aromas of Parmesan and olive oil wafting through the air. I knew I wanted to be in there.”

After attending the Culinary Institute of America and working with world-renowned Chef John-Louis Palladin in Washington D.C., he went on to work in California, Arizona and Europe. Lewis has also worked in the kitchens of New York City’s Sign of the Dove, Lutèce and Oceana, where he was the chef de cuisine.

Now back in Westchester, he is delighted to have jumpstarted Bedford Post, which houses a casual eatery called The Barn with a bakery and the more formal, yet comfortable, Farmhouse restaurant. French doors, stone, fireplaces, and wood beams give the renovated Bedford Post a colonial New England feel. There is also a yoga loft upstairs and an inn with eight rooms scheduled to open later this spring.

Both The Barn and The Farmhouse offer seasonal, mouthwatering selections.

Among the Farmhouse appetizer offerings are Jerusalem artichoke soup with butter-fried croutons, lemon-glazed red king crab and a trio of Japanese Hamachi, while The Barn offers inventive salads and soups. Both have an assortment of homemade pastas, including spaghetti alla Chitarra with broccoli rabe and guanciale and soft farm egg ravioli with spinach. (Chef Lewis kindly shared this recipe which can be found below.

Main courses range from Madeira-glazed black cod, Wagyu beef tenderloin, John Boy’s chicken and MacFarlane Farms pheasant at The Farmhouse, to grilled chicken paillard and burgers and French fries at The Barn.

“We are committed to seeking the finest ingredients in the world, always using natural and hormone-free meat and poultry,” said Lewis. “Our dairy and produce is sourced from small family farms, both locally and nationwide.”
For reservations, call 234-7800.

Hours:
The Barn
Breakfast: daily 8:30-10:30 a.m.
Lunch: Monday to Saturday 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Supper: Sunday to Tuesday 5:30-8:30 p.m.

The Farmhouse
Dinner: Wednesday to Saturday 5:30-10 p.m.
Brunch: Sunday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Soft Farm Egg Ravioli
Serves 12

Spinach filling

1 T. unsalted butter
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
4 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 c. baby spinach
2 T. dry white wine, such as pinot grigio
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. finely grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Ricotta filling
1 c. fresh cow's milk ricotta cheese
6 fresh mint leaves, very thinly sliced
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

For the ravioli

1 c. '00' flour
1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and rolling
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 T. milk
6 large egg yolks, plus 1 large whole egg

For the sage brown butter
1 stick unsalted butter
6 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced

For the breadcrumbs
3 T. unsalted butter
1 c. panko breadcrumbs
1 T. chopped fresh sage
1 T. chopped fresh rosemary
Coarse salt

Directions
Make the spinach filling. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic; season with salt, and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 2 minutes.

Add spinach and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until moisture has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add wine and cook until wine has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add cream and cook until reduced, about 2 minutes.

Add cheese and nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Prepare an ice-water bath. Place a bowl in ice-water bath and set aside. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer spinach mixture to bowl set in ice-water bath and let cool. Transfer spinach puree to a disposable pastry bag with a 1/2-inch opening; keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Make the ricotta filling: Place ricotta in a colander set over a medium bowl and let drain for 15 minutes to remove excess moisture. Transfer ricotta to a large bowl along with mint, olive oil, and lemon zest; season with salt and pepper and stir until well combined. Transfer mixture to a large disposable pastry bag with a 1/2-inch opening; keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Make the ravioli: Mound both flours in the center of a large work surface and make a well. In a large bowl, mix together olive oil, milk, 7 egg yolks, and a whole egg. Slowly add oil mixture to well and, using your fingers, begin working the flour mixture into the oil mixture until it becomes a sticky mass. Begin kneading dough with the palms of your hands. Once dough comes together, scrape up any dried bits of dough and discard.

Lightly flour work surface; knead dough until smooth and elastic, 7 to 8 minutes. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; let stand for one hour before rolling.

Set the rollers of a hand-crank or electric pasta machine at their widest opening. Unwrap one piece of dough; using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll to flatten dough slightly.

Roll dough twice through the pasta machine. Now change the rollers of the pasta machine to the next lowest setting, and roll out the dough twice. Keep rolling the sheet through the machine on decreasing settings until you have rolled it through every setting down to No. 3. The dough may be cut in half for easier rolling.

Cut dough crosswise into 7-inch lengths. Place one 7-inch length of pasta dough on a lightly floured work surface. In the center of the dough, place an egg yolk. Then pipe one tablespoon spinach filling 1 inch from the egg yolk. On the opposite side of the egg yolk, pipe 1 tablespoon ricotta filling about 1 inch from the egg yolk. Repeat process 11 times with pasta dough, egg yolks, and both fillings.

Working with one ravioli at a time, spray one side of one of the remaining twelve 7-inch lengths of pasta dough with water. Place damp-side down over filling. Using an inverted 2-inch biscuit cutter, place around each mound to shape and seal and remove any air from ravioli. Using a fluted pastry wheel, trim ravioli to 3 inches across; set aside. Repeat process for remaining ravioli.

Make the sage brown butter. Place butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan and melt over medium heat. When butter begins to foam, add sage and cook, stirring constantly until butter solids have taken on a nutty fragrance, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a medium skillet, over low heat, melt butter. Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. Stir in sage and rosemary and continue to cook until dark golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season lightly with salt. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add ravioli and cook for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer one ravioli to each of 12 serving plates. Drizzle with sage brown butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.