Sake dinner, course two

"Black and Blue beef with Wasabi mashed Potatoes". Matt Baer said tonight that this was his favorite dinner we've done, "the food looks fresh and bright, the colors are there." He's right, I didn't plan out for all these bright "spring" colors to take the forefront, maybe I miss the parts of the country that these colors appear daily and not against an external backdrop of gey and slush.
This dinner maybe should have been in June, but there wouldn't have been enough love to give to it at that point.
This dish came about for color. The term "black and blue" can conjuor up many different thougts and images, I just wanted the colors and stuck with a little food tradition and actually blackend some fillet mignon. Served with Purple Potatoes to hit on color.
A fried Slow poached egg, which, If I had a syringe, would be filled with Tarragon Reduction to give the feel and flavor of contained Bearnaise.
The purple potatoes where accented with wasabi, I shaved radish over the dish as if they were truffles, just to add to the color aspects and to play off the horseradish like heat that is strewn accros the dish.


Served with: Ben’s Bloody Sake Mary

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.

Pork Tenderloin....

....vanilla and honey poached.

Creamy Cous Cous, Chard-Lady Apple-Sage, Goat Cheese fritters.

Vodka-Sechuan peppercorn syrup.

Duck and confit, true love.

Orange Duck, confit pad thai, sake and pineapple cucumbers, and pinacolada sheet.

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.

Honey Pressed Cantaloupe, Goat Cheese Marshmallow and Macadamia Broth

My favorite dish of the night. The cantaloupe was compressed with red pepper flakes and honey, the goat cheese marshmallow where highlighted with white hot pans brought out into the dinning room and "Jet Puffed" marshmallows place into them, to create the smell of roasted Mallow.

Coffee Poached Pork Tenderloin with....

What was going to be Carmelized onion Ice cream (Random thought from Matt Baer) but turned into French Onion Soup Ice Cream. That When Trying to intigrate a melted or browned Swiss component to eventually became a "French Onion Soup Float".
The French Onion Soup Ice Cream was topped with Warm Swiss Cheese Broth.
A puree of pear and and vanilla was served with the pork.

Flavors of Greensburg

More info here on the American Liver Foundation and thier on going efforts to raise money and awareness.

The idea was to recreate our restaurant for

ten costomers inside the Greensburg Country Club

along with six other restaurants.

Hors d'voeuvres

five courses

then party for the restaurants

Shrimp torchon with papaya-avacado salad, yellow tomato and basil yogurt.

Scallop Tagliatelle with Espresso essence

Arriving at the after party.

Adam, Hollywood and Ben

"Parmesan Boconccini"

This happened by accident. While making Parmesan broth, about thirty minutes into the steeping....I stirred it and noticed that the Parmesan was acting like Mozzarella curd. I pulled some out and worked it into a ball and chilled it.

It set beautifully. I formed three more balls and vacd them in some of the broth and some truffle oil.

I'm telling you the texture is that of mozzarella. I don't know if it will melt like it, it might just break, but the texture was perfect. Something in the timing. Twenty minutes later when I strained the broth, what was left in the chinios was broken and grainy.

Tomorrow will be the taste testing.

Now I want to work this with Manchego or Feta. Could sheets be rolled of this? Could it be used as a wrapping?

How about cheese brines? Peeled grapes brined in cheese broth? Tomatoes soaked in mozzarella broth?....

Penfolds/Rosemount Dinner

1st: Crab and Watercress with roasted Peach dressing. Cinnamon
2nd:Butter Poached Shrimp






Mascarpone, Bittered Black Cherries, Vanilla-Bitters Shrimp Glace

3rd:Blow Torch Tuna, Sichuan Plum tart




4th:Olive Oil Carnitas, Olives with Pimentos, Brined Goat Cheese Cherry Tomatoes.



5th:Rosemary smoked Lamb, Edamame Smoked Bacon Saute, Chocolate Cabernet, Truffled Cauliflower.





6th:Penfolds "Grange" Shiraz: Blue with Tangerine, Fennel-Tarragon


7th: The thoughts of Carrot Cake... White Chocolate Risotto, Carrot Broth and Cream Cheese Icing Foam.

YUZU

In lemon Grass Sheet.

Black-Blueberries

Bird in Nest

Shrimp Torchon

With Beets and Horseradish Tomatoes

Twice cooked Squab

Squab Supreme, Poached in Foie Fat then Pan Roasted.

Truffled White Aparagus salad, Onion cracker, Soy Caramel.

Lamb with carrots

Carrot butter, carrot cylinders, Sorrel.

ActivaRM

Shrimp Torchon
Coming again soon.

Another bastardized attempt at "shrimp cocktail". I'm just not gonna leave it alone.

Activa Info.

Poached and Roasted.....Poasted???

Lamb Loin Nicoise

Olive Puree, Olive Crumble, Olive-Potato-HOP-Feta salad, Pine nut relish.

This needs more.....just a different plate?

There's a perfection just waiting to happen. There is something more. Always. But, like they say "Perfection, is almost there"

Even when all the blocks are filled in, there are still cracks.

When all the pieces fit, bump the table.

The flavors are there. Just to make it into a portrait.

Poaching in other liquids

The BASE of this dish is a slice of Butternut squash, cryovaced in Pineapple juice and cooked Sous Vide. The title of the dish as it apears on the website is: "Duck Breast" Confit, on pineapple braised butternut. beets and turnups, seared Foie Gras.

The thought is...Taking somethng and making it taste like something else. The Butternut squash takes on the pineapple juice so well that it makes its own flavor profile.