The predicted hottest temperatures of the year dictated our Father’s Day plans and menu. Deeming it too hot to go outside and grill, we opted for an indoor gourmet Father’s Day meal. While the guys were away sailing the blue waters of Huntington Lake on Saturday, Dana-Lou-Sous-Chef and I whiled away the afternoon cooking. Drawing inspiration from a pre-weekend cooking class with a local chef, we set out to wow the guys.

Trelio Restaurant in downtown Clovis features creative dishes fashioned from local produce often purchased just steps away at the Clovis Farmer’s Market. Last week’s class highlighted cherries in courses from salad to dessert. Our menu centered around Chef Mike Shackelford’s Ancho Braised Pork Adobada Tacos with Fresh Cherry Salsa. We finished the meal with his decadent Dark Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding topped with mint ice cream steeped with chocolate mint leaves. The subtle infusion of the chocolately laced mint cream was a cool finish to the warm, rich dessert.

Spending a day indoors is always a challenge for our active tribe of mostly guys and busy kiddos. After an hour or so of lingering at the table, the little boys broke out an arsonal of Nerf guns thus prompting an all out attack and indoor mayhem. Thankfully the basketball finals captured the attention of the bigger boys before the whole house was leveled. In the end it was both the Central Valley heat outside and the Miami Heat inside that kept us together, indoors, for an unusual yet enjoyable Father’s Day.

Recipe for Chef Shackelford’s Ancho Braised Pork Adobada Tacos with Cherry Salsa

Recipe for Chef Shackelford’s Chocolate Mint Ice Cream