Happening at Claire's and around Hardwick

Local Food: Beans off the bush, just plucked from the vine, pulled off the pole, and prepared by Steven with just the right flavors, can’t help but grab the spotlight on any main course. This week, we welcome the best beans our farmers grow, setting them alongside a rack of lamb as a salad with red wine and herb vinaigrette, or sautéed with Romesco braised chicken. These hearty flavors deserve a good pint of beer or robust organic Argentine Cabernet. But first, start with the crisp earthy sweetness of beets right out of the ground, tossed with peppery arugula, Bayley Hazen Blue, and a dash of maple balsamic – which would be perfectly paired with a glass of Shelburne’s Riesling style Lake View White. Finish your dinner with a cold and creamy Nougat frozen Soufflé, with raspberries

Around the Galaxy: Tuesday at 7 pm, author and chef Linda Furiya will be at the Galaxy Bookshop to discuss How to Cook a Dragon, her second memoir. As an Asian American woman living in China, Furiya found a gulf between herself and the people with whom she shared a common heritage. In her new book, Furiya writes of her experiences of isolation and friendship, loneliness and love, and of preparing and eating authentic Chinese cuisine – a continuous thread that runs throughout her narrative.

Thursday Music: New Hampshire singer-songwriter Ian Galipeau brings his modest and sincere original music to Hardwick this week at 8 pm. Listen to a sample of his intimate performance style and songwriting at www.myspace.com/iangalipeau

Reserve for Monday: August 17 dinner and preview book signing at Claire’s with Allison Hooper, author of In a Cheesemaker’s Kitchen and co-founder of Vermont Butter & Cheese Company. Hooper’s beautiful cookbook showcases the artisan products of Vermont Butter & Cheese Company and highlights the craft of modern American cheesemakers. Though the book will not be published officially until November, the Galaxy Bookshop will have copies available at the dinner. Tickets for the three course menu featuring recipes from the book are on sale at the Galaxy Bookshop. Please purchase in advance.