Chocolate Ancho Beef Sausage. Recipe.

Sometimes...you just want to, make something.
Regardless of what you know about the subject or cooking style.
I feel like I haven't given enough attention to the art of charcutirie and know it's do to intimidation and the constant urge to just jump right in.
Patience is not a characteristic of mine.
For instence, I didn't want to spend $100 on a sausage stuffer so that I can learn more about making sausage. Instead, I melted down the size of a plastic attachement ($10 Gander Mountain ) and attached it to our existing Hobart mixer. It worked.......kinda. It seemed to puree the sausage too much as it was trying to force it through the tube.

The sausage came out pretty good though for a second attempt

8# Beef chain, cleaned of silverskin and cut down
3# Beef fat
2 Ancho Chilis, Cleaned of seeds
.5 ounce Curing Salt
1 Tbs Chili Powder
.5 Tbs Curry Powder
.5 Tbs Ground Cumin
.25 tsp Ground Nutmeg
.25 cup Coco Powder
.25 Chocolate Chips
.25 cup Brown sugar
.25 Cup Salt
1 Tbsp Black Pepper
1 Small Onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed
These items are mixed together and covered allowed to marinate over night.
Ground through medium dye, fed into natural pork casings, poached at 72 degrees C then pan seared.
Ironically, the texture given to the sausage from the make shift stuffer was almost perfect, pate like, but the time given to force it through the extruder is unforgiving.
I purchased a real sausage attachment for a smaller kitchen aid and have also purchased an upright smoker.
So, many things will be smoked from now on.
Like everything maybe.

Beef Chain Confit part 2

My favorite blog Ideas in food have played around with Cheese Mosaics enough to inspire many others. Myself included. I think everyone that reads their blog owes them a lot of "Thanks", they create and share so much with thee entire world to look at and they do it for free.

My approach to this technique is a rolled version. Re-applying the combination of Chocolate and Blue Cheese. In addition to a much better use of the beef chain confit from several posts ago.

The beef chain is reheated in mole and placed on some poached and fried fingerling potatoes, topped with arugula tossed in Maple mustard dressing. Pinenut relish and Walnut crumble accent the chocolate, blue cheese and salty-ness of the confit.

Prime Rib Poached NY Strip

One of the most anticipated things in my life was Prime Rib at the revolving dining room in the sky at age 8 on a family vacation to Niagra Falls.

The way I remember it, there was more build up to "prime rib" from my Dad then there was to the falls....I was not disappointed. The Prime Rib I had that night set forth a craving for slow roasted fatty laden proteins smothered in Horseradish that would last forever.

Whenever we cook off a prime rib for a banquet, I still gorge myself on the lip. The tender, filthy, salt collected, disgustingly eye rolling back in the head, fat absorbing, stringy pieces of meat at the bottom of a roasted prime rib that (usually) gets trimmed off due to excess fat surrounding it, and usually makes the whole cut to big for the plate.

I don't like NY Strip or Filet Mignon. Two over priced pieces of a cow that I will gladly cover with A1 sauce or let the rest of society pay more for to keep the price of ribeye down.

But what to do with all those drippings (fat) from the prime rib? Smell so good, so unhealthy though, smells so good, smells like a slow roasted-herb-salt-pepper-horseradish smothered piece of ribeye should smell after some time in a slow oven. "Save it, I really want to use it for something." I've been saving all fats lately.

This one is gold though.

Zach's Dinner

Hot Dog Sushi with soy ketchup, wasabi mustard and soy drizzle.

Rice Crispy fried shimp salad with pop rocks to make it talk.
Third course (not pictured) was StarBurst Candy Cane dusted Scallops on Old Bay risotto with Creamy Cream soda foam.
Prime Rib Poached strip steak with Goat Cheese creamed cous cous.


Fried and BBQd Venison stuffed chicken (Sweet Baby Rays)
Blue Cheese brownie with Thyme Chocolate and Grenadine.

It's always fun to cook for your employees. When there's time to really have fun with what they're going to be eating that night. You get to insert some of their favorite
food items in some not so familiar ways.

Beef Chain Confit

Pretty much all profit.

Truffle Pickled Green beans, Arugula Salad, Crispy onions.

Beef Chain Confit

These will make a triumphant return to life on Thanksgiving.

Braised Pumpkin

3rd Course: BBQ Beef stuffed Baby Pumpkin with Cinnamon Green Beans and Pomme Frites. Served with Sweet water Cabernet
I first started braising pumpkins about 5 years ago, they make a great vehicle to deliver a starter, soup, or dessert. The guest get a big kick out of it to, especially in October.
I confited beef tenderloin chains like you would duck confit. Cured and slow cooked in rendered beef fat. The BBQ sauce is based off of the pumpkin braising liquid with a molasses background to it. This course went over very well.
The entire dinner is on my top five list easily.





Matt Baer made a Jack-o-latern to show how tiny these guys are.

Short Rib Crepinette

Bits and Pieces

"The blind dinner" A wine dinner to benefit the Somerset Blind center. All participants are blindfolded in the spirit of the evening.
The obstacle for me is to create items that are interesting, intriguing, thought provoking, flavorful, smell good, feel good, taste good, easy to eat, and don't have to look good.
It's hard to cut off that sense and create a menu that way.
But fun and challenging at the same time.
With items like the Sushi Lollipops (below post), Grilled Kielbasa and Sauerkraut cubes, mini tacos, and Foie Butter and Jelly sandwiches.

Montes WIne Dinner. 8-23-07

I lost track of what year it was for about three hours a couple days ago....That really freaked me out.
Another month of pulling a wine dinner out of my ass. September will be no picnic, I think there's three wine dinners?, along with flights.
So, with this wine dinner, the sommelier from Nemacolin was in for the Chilean tasting, the day before his USA Today feature came out concerning his trip to Chili and the actual wines we where featuring this night.

First course: Montes Limited Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2005 Leyda Valley.
Twice Cooked Squid, Pineapple-Apple and Parmesan salad, Red Pepper faom, Pressure Cooked Quince Puree.











Second Course: Montes Classic Series Chardonnay 2006: Banana Poached Lobster and Beets with Cardomon Beurre Blanc.










Third Course:Montes Limited Selection Pinot Noir2006: Horseradish Brined Shrimp, Frissee lardon salad, Strawberries, Toasted Masa.












Fourth Course:Montes Alpha M 2003: "The Grasshopper Chases the Rabbit"


With Coffee Raisin Puree.





The Leg meat was pressure cooked with Creme de Cocoa, Creme de Minthe and Cream.
Pan Roasted Loin and Frenched Rack.
While tasting the wine, Ben and I kept pulling a certain spirimint flavour out along with espresso.
So, we served an ice cold "GrassHoper" topped with Van Gogh Espresso Vodka.













Fifth Course: Montes Folly 2004: 24 hour poached Flat Iron Steak with Sweet potato pureee and Chorizo Baked Beans. Maracino Red Onions and Chocolate Salt.
Simple and to the point. Something meaty and rib-clinging to match up to the wine.









Sixth Course: Montes Cherub 2006 Archangel Estate: Cheese Plate ( Brie and Morbier with Jicama and Dikon mixture, Pink Peppercorn syrup, and Pressure cooked Orange and Garlic Puree. Candied Orange Rind.

Brothers

A couple weeks ago, my brother's soon to be open kitchen Explodes! Literally.
As he was walking out the clubhouse door, Life Flight was landing behind the building. He had just walked through the kitchen as the workers where talking about firing up the pilots.
............With some time off, he decided to bring his kids up north to visit their Grandparents. When I told him that, do to lack of staff, I would not be able to join him there, he decided to just come out to my restaurant and hang out in the kitchen for a couple days.
A wine dinner was already in the works, months ago, although I had no time to create a solid menu nor would I be able to focus as much attention on it as I would normally.
The busy season is upon us and I have no sous chefs. I work saute all day long with some incredible die-hard kids keeping me alive. The type of kids (I say kids in the most loving way, they are adults but are all very new to fine dinning) that will work 10 to 16 hour shifts without bitching once and they will go along with your stupid sense of humor, clean up at the end of the night, help the dishwashers finish and make sure everything gets turned off while you do your orders for the next day.




When you first started cooking, and the guy next to you on that busy Friday night had maybe two more weeks experience than you did. But, he was your life line. You asked him the "stupid" questions as to not bother the Chef and to not look "stupid". Next thing you know, you're best friends, war buddies practically. Like Brothers.
My (real) brother just said "cool, I'll come in and help you with the wine dinner".
Some emails and a lot of help from our sommelier www.mountainplayhouse.org/gg/sommelier.html">Ben Grace a rough draft of a menu was put together.
Wednesday and I only have one solid course in mind that I would be able to do while cooking a la carte. But! My brother is now here and I know he can do anything. And he does. Working while on his vacation, he not only works on the Wine Dinner, but helps during our service rush. Helps bust out prep that we need for a ticket that's hanging to be sold.
That night (over much bourbon) we pretty much knock out the menu in theory. A quick switch-a-roo on two courses to match the wines and presto!!!! ......I'm still cooking for lunch service (Thursday) and have little idea how I'm gonna find time (or inspiration) to get my part of the dinner ready.
My brother's got my back. I've always known this and I always will. He's my best friend, he's my old war buddy (Turtle Point plus several others) and he is my brother.
Everything goes well. We pretty much split the evening. Some parts of mine really pissed me off,....no excuses. They just didn't come together as well as I would have liked. Randy's plates came out awesome though. Just solid flavors and colors and combinations that I know he can produce and produce like no one else.
Menu:
Scallop Civiche, Watermelon pickled Cucumber, Watermelon foam, Red Onion Juice, Arugula.





Tostones: White peach, shrimp, Banana Horseradish.



Pollo Frumado: Saffron Potatoes, chorizo + bomb (not hot enough), Chocolate-Ancho-Goat Cheese, Potato Churro (good job Churro Girl)








Raspberry Duck: Hominy tamale, Blue cheese, Strawberries







Short Rib Crepinette: Sweet Potato, Foie Gras, Raisin Puree








Four Figs: Turnover, Upside down cake, Brulee, Grandma Newton, Goat Cheese Ice Cream.

Short Rib Confit

Salsify, Popcorn Shoots, Wasabi Raisins.

Short Rib Tacos

From concept to the plate.

Inspired by former Chefs of the Palmetto Cafe in Charleston SC: Bill Brodsky and Matthew Dibble. The Won Ton skins make great little taco shells.

"Short Rib Tacos, Foiecamole, Twice Cooked Romaine, Fig Puree, Wasabi Raisins"