A Taste of the Kawarthas - ATOTK magazine Winter 2021-22

At Haute Goat, Chef Signe Langford’s Farm to Fork Cuisine hits a High Note

By Karen Irvine

Signe Langford is one of my favourite Chefs. Her culinary skills exceed my highest expectations, so when I heard she was heading up the kitchen at Haute Goat on Friday and Saturday nights, I just had to go.

I called my friend and our photographer, Kristine Hannah, and we hopped in the car for a drive to Haute Goat.

As the name implies, Haute Goat is the coolest goat farm around. Just north of Port Hope, the farm – home to alpacas, horses, guardian dogs, goats and chickens – is surrounded by beautiful meadows and rolling hills. It’s a fun and unique place to visit, and so is the Screaming Goat Café’s Supper Club. With a huge vegetable garden only steps away from the kitchen, Chef Signe picks the freshest vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers to cook with. It truly is Farm to Fork.

It was a beautiful balmy evening so we dined on the patio. We ordered, then sat back listening to Lucille Mae Belle, the mule, braying and the crickets singing.

The decor is shabby chic, featuring a collection of vintage china from Signe’s personal collection. Kristine is a wife and mom of two amazing girls. That means she’s uberbusy, so I was happy to have her to myself and to talk about anything other than the magazine for a change.

We shared a grazing board loaded with goat cheeses, charcuterie, house-smoked meats, house-made seasonal pickles and preserves, and Happenstance Bakery sourdough bread. All of the cheeses and preserves can be purchased in the café’s shop. The rustic wooden board is made by Chef Signe, and although it’s listed as a “Starter” on the menu, it really is a meal in itself – just add your favourite tipple!

Grazing Board

Photo by Kristine Hannah

We tasted three dishes: pan-seared Ontario rainbow trout, on goat cheese mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables (straight from the garden!) with a buttery pan sauce; Bishop goat brie and roasted pear crepes with house-made cherry tomato confit; and pan-grilled sirloin.

Pan seared Ontario Rainbow Trout

Photo by Kristine Hannah

Kristine took her first bite of her rare sirloin and, I had to laugh. The look on her face - she was in heaven! Chef Signe marinates the steak in pineapple juice for a minimum of 24 hours, then with nothing more than a liberal sprinkling of Kosher salt and pepper, it’s cast iron grilled in a splash of olive oil. The trout is very fresh and locally farmed; and thecrepes practically melt in your mouth.

Pan Seared Sirloin

photo by Kristine Hannah

Bishop Brie & Roasted Pear Crepes

Photo by Kristine Hannah

To compliment the meal, we had Kawartha Country Wines Golden Russet Cider, which went beautifully with the goat cheeses and trout.

The Supper Club at Haute Goat will run to the end of December, 2021. In the meantime, you can experience Chef Signe’s private dinners, catering and events by contacting her at www.signelangford.com and following her on Instagram @signelangford64