Beer Foods? Tell me your thoughts please.

I'm compiling a couple lists from different places on the internet. Asking whoever wants to answer: What foods do you like with beer?
Any type of beer any type of food.
Even food that doesn't exist, be creative or tell me your tried and true favorites.
Anything from Pretzels to Pretzel fried Calamari!

Please add your comment below.

This info is going to be put towards a possible future restaurant.

(Anyone in Charleston, your input could end up in your back yard....just sayin, so please comment.)

Finishing up the dinner

The last courses where: Grouper with Parsnip Ravioli in a Crab Beurre Blanc
Then a Spice Antelope Tenderloin with Sweet Potato and Blue Cheese Souffle, Balsamic Crispy, Endive and Bacon My standard Lamb Dish, that they requested.


And finished off with a Chocolate and Raspberry Mousse, Coffee Ice Cream, Espresso Tuille and Chocolate Powder.

Scallopops

Third course.I've been playing around with the thoughts in my head for the new concept place that I'm working on. "Bar Food" that's not "Bar Food'. One of the thoughts was trying to come up with a different version of corndogs. What came out of that for this dinner was scallops used like lollipops, but also like those Fun Dip Packets I used to get as a kid. You can dip your Scallopops into different flavors.

The flavors I thought of, when thinking of scallops, where: Pineapple, Bacon, Soy and Banana.

So, with these Scallopops in tempura, you can dip into soy pudding, pineapple pudding, whipped banana or bacon powder.

Beef Confit

This is a version of a dish that was on the menu a while back Here .

The couple that bid on the wine dinner had made some special request for the evening.

It's surprising sometimes what people really like, and you don't even know it.

When this lady asked me if I could make this dish for her, she told me that her husband was having dreams about it and really wanted to have it again.

"of course", I said.

It's beef tenderloin chain that's been confited and cleaned up, mixed with some veal glace over salty fried fingerlings, with a chocolate and blue cheese sheet and some zested macadamias.

Carbonated Grapes

I'm still at the Restaurant for the time being.

One of the hardest things and most rewarding things we did at the restaurant was our monthly wine dinners. It was an amazing learning experience for me in so many ways. But, quite trying at times.

It seems like it's been so long since we've done one. One of the main reasons why I don't put up too many postings I guess. That and my heart is a couple miles away looking forward to the next place.

Well, I did one this past week. It was for 4 people. Then 6 people. No big deal. It was fun. There was a fund raiser a couple of months ago and we put up a wine dinner for four as our auction item. It sold fairly well considering the state of the economy. They came in this past week and I think they had a really good time. Little do they know that they were taking part in a farewell dinner for me, or at least that's how I thought of it. The last "wine dinner at the Gables" for me to do. Who knows, maybe I'll stop in for one on one of my trips back to the area.

I started this dinner out with a little amuse of peeled and carbonated grapes in tarragon syrup, garnished with tarragon and pink peppercorns.

History of me, Part 1

I started out: a week at Burger King in Belle Vernon, Two days at Pizza Hut in Charleroi, sporadic shifts as a bus boy at Rego's in Charleroi then hired as a bus boy at a place on the Monongahela river called Snooter's Galley and Pub. I was fired the first day because the owner didn't like the tattoo on my leg (the uniform required shorts). Well, I wasn't really fired, I was given the option to work in the kitchen. 1993, I started out as a prep cook at Snooter's (I got to skip that all important roll as a grunt in the dishpit, I've made up for that since then) after the summer season passed there was really not much business at all. Most of the higher paid employees where let go and I started being trained on the fry station. Dano Whyle and Mike DiMarco where the chefs at Snooter's, Mike taught me something new every day even when he didn't know that he was. Before long, he and I and a fellow cook we nick-named Tool, where doing 50 to 100 covers a night along with banquets off the line as the summer started to roll in. 1994. After graduating high school all I wanted to do was work and try to figure out what I was going to do for the rest of my life and what I was going to go to college for. I spent that summer working 60 hours a week and not thinking much of it, it just seemed natural, I worked hard and I played hard. I usually wouldn't get home til 4 in the morning and then go into work at 1 or 2 and do it all over again. I was having a blast! I thoroughly loved what my life was.
Before the summer season swung into full effect, Mike left to open his own place in Uniontown and I was moved up to Sous Chef. I was 17 and on salary and left alone by the Chef a lot to run a fairly large kitchen and a staff that was all older then me.
I was the king of the saute station, I loved getting my ass kicked (at least that's how I remember it now) and we had so much fun doing it, we sang along to Weezer's first album and Ill Communications from the Beastie Boys, we would stop in the middle of a rush to do a synchronized guitar solo at the same time. Tool and I where both out of high school and pretty much running some one's restaurant. That someone was a raging drunk.
There was a boat showroom and repair shop attached to the restaurant. One day the owner asked me to help direct him with a forklift to put a boat up, he almost killed me. Then one day he accused me of stealing 5lbs of shrimp, I quit. I've never stolen anything and I don't lie. I don't put up with anyone accusing me of anything like that.
I then enrolled in Johnson and Whales university in Charleston SC, I moved there a couple months early to get a job and just get out of PA. I worked in a fry shack for a couple weeks then got a job on Kiawah Island working for a guy named Jeff....something. There were J&W students working in the same kitchen I was and the Chef, Sous Chef and the GM, Mo Sussmen just tore them apart for how they worked. I was treated very well by all of them. I was young, not in college yet, and was preferred by the Chef over the student workers to work grill. He bought me a beer one night and sat me down and told me about his school, he told me about the CIA in Hyde Park and asked me not to waste my time at J&W. Soon after that I was moving back home for mostly personal reasons, but his talk and my experience with culinary students of J&W, pushed me in a new direction. I couldn't afford the CIA and I didn't want to be too far away from my girlfriend at the time. So, I went to IUP Academy of Culinary Arts and graduated with High Honers in the summer of 1997.
Then, I moved south for good.









2008, today, I've quit my job, I'm getting on a plane to go to Charleston in 5 hours. I have a job lined up that starts in just over a month. I'm going to show a possible investor the city that I love more then any other. I'm going to meet with other possible investors and look at possible restaurant locations.
This path of mine feels like it's been a long one, and really really hard at times. But, I've met some of the most incredible people just by cooking. I get to go to work and do something I love to do every day and meet people that are like me that have the same interests as me and care about what I care about. We're all so different and the same. They have been my rotating family. They have been closer to me then some of my own real family members. Most of these people I will never see again. It's an amazing field.
The family I am leaving now has stood up with me and pulled through some amazing services against some of the worst conditions I've ever worked in. They have made me a stronger person and a better leader. They softened my heart to understand what it's like to work with myself from 1993 and give guidance, support and knowledge. I'll remember them forever as people that cared about me and would work hard for me because they did. I will miss them.


This blog started to document the job I started over two years ago, it will be taking a new direction now.

Pig Candy

Real quick one. I've been out of town. Back from LA. A lot of things should be happening in the next month. I'm very excited about the future in many ways.

There's a place out there that has "pig candy", what a wonderful idea and treat. The place is called Lou. The pig candy is so thick and sticky with brown sugar it's like salty, crunchy sticky buns.

House Made Bacon

This might be one of the more rewarding things I've ever done. In a previous posting, I noted the three different cures we put on the fresh pork belly. A regular cure, and to that cure one part of the belly had many more spices added and the other had blue cheese added. The smell on the blue cheese one, when the food saver bag was opened, was so amazing. It's such a natural mixture in my mind, pork and blue cheese.After a rinse, a soak and thoroughly dried, the cured bellies where put into our smoker and slow smoked for several hours. It was a cold night. Bringing these steaming, smoking slabs of love into the kitchen was a pure moment of absolute pleasure. First by just the aroma filling the room, then admiring the color and the beauty of each piece. The fat cap was quivering and almost completely see-through. The flavors of each where extremely distinctive and special. Salty. But, each very special and hope for future pork belly adventures. The blue cheese cure worked so well, I can't wait to apply to other cuts.One lucky customer got a piece freshly cut from a slab, still hot from the smoker and added to their appetizer of Scallops and Bacon with Toasted Blue Cheese Polenta, Balsamic Braised Red Cabbage, Candied Pears and Poblano Honey.

Whipped Mustard

This really simple mustard broth whipped up nicely, but the volume just dropped out of it.

It did leave behind some nice crispy waffers to go with some mustard crackers and smoked pork loin canapes.

Giant "Tater Tots"

Potatoes are peeled. The peelings are roasted and infused into milk and cream mixture to give a baked potato flavor. The potatoes are cut into thick slices and allowed to come to a simmer for 4 minutes, they are then rinsed in cold water and covered with cold water, salted and returned to a simmer until tender. This removes starchy gelatinous texture that come from mashed potatoes.
The milk and cream mixture has gelatin sheets added before it's pureed into the potatoes.

The potato puree is allowed to set before it's breaded in shredded potato and panko.

After being fried for 5 minutes, the center is molten and fluid again.

There have been some problems with the crust bursting in the fryer, I think the addition of methocel will help this issue.

Providence Acres Farm

In another attempt to work with local farms, I came upon a farm in Friedens that listed a lot of items on the PASA website. I called and got a list of what they had. I was really excited to get some fresh pork belly. It turns out they only slaughter pigs once a year and that was this past week.
Oh well, I got a side of fresh pork belly at least. I may get 32 lamb shanks in a month also, but then that's it until next year.

The belly was divided into three pieces for experiments.
One large piece for straight up curing and bacon reasons. One with many added and wonderfully smelling toasted seasonings.
The third, well, this one goes back to a conversation several years ago and talking to a chef/friend of mine about curing pork with blue cheese flavors. So, the third piece of belly has a curing rub and danish blue cheese rubbed into it.
All vacuumed and ready to wait.

Jamison Lamb

It's funny that I first heard about Jamison Farm when I was in South Carolina and read that Thomas Keller was using their lamb.

Now that it's 30 miles away, well it's still taken me awhile to get around to it.

I tried before, but was afraid to spend the money and It seemed like a hassle to get the product to us, but that was just me being a penny pincher. I opted for one of the cheaper cuts of the animal, but by far one of the favorites. Everybody loves slow cooked food that's really been given personal time and love to make it wonderful.

I rubbed these guys down with Garam Masala and braised for four hours in a stock filled with Eucalyptus leaves and a sachet of Ras El Hanout , served with Feta Orzo, Carrots and Parsnips and a dried Niciose Olive Gremolata.

Duck and Rabbit

Just a couple new dishes.
We've entered into our really slow period, so that makes it hard (and easy) to put certain things on the menu.
During the summer I've found it necessary to put simpler items on the menu for the pleasure of the clientele we get during this time (mostly theatre goers that have already spent a 40 or so dollars on a ticket and want to eat quickly)and to ensure speed coming off the line.
But now, is usually when we get a little more creative and daring trying to keep the diner coming back week to week to try something different.
Coming off of a lite and fresh Salmon/ Fillet Mignon thrived clientele and menu, it's fun to play around at this time.
Fig En Croute, Walnut battered Rabbit Loin, Balsamic Braised Cabbage, Carrot Emulsion and Chocolate Pretzel.

With smoker now out back, I've been smoking some of my favorite items.
Smoked Duck salad with warm Beets, Goat Cheese, Cress and Juniper Puree.
The duck was cured in a mixture of Pink Salt, Brown sugar, soy powder, Fennel and Coriander.

Alinea The Cook Book

When Grant Achatz stated at the StarChefs.com congress that his book would be out by early October, everyone was very excited. It was mentioned many times during the three day event. It was explained that the shipment was being unloaded as we sat and listened to him speak.
He also explained to the ones that pre-ordered over a year ago that they may see copies on shelves or on the internet , but those who had the patience would be rewarded on October 13th with Signed copies of the book.
I've waited over a year, I just opened it today and I haven't really looked at it yet. I've waited this long, I can wait until I have enough time to sit down and read the whole thing. I know that starting it will turn into getting no sleep.

Audi Coast to Coast

We mostly do weddings.

There's nothing wrong with that, except that I come from former jobs that cater to the rich.

So, I'm used to the week and a half of feeding the NY Knicks, the Week when the Jeep Liberty was introduced, The Spoleto Festival , you know, these type of things.

But, for the past two years (that's right, friday the 10th will be my second year here at the restaurant and in PA) I've been mainly doing weddings.

It was such a nice change to think that other people know we exist. Sure they were all speaking German and where here for the free buffet on their way to their free dinner in Cleveland, but it felt like we had a chance to reach out to another group. People that would in no way have imagined they would have been pulling off at that one red light in a town that has only one red light off of one of the oldest highways in America and eating in our restaurant.

I'm ashamed to say it, but I know in my heart it's true, I put more into this little buffet of theirs...I cared more. But, I think they cared more. There was no one women in that one hugely expencive gowns their for her perfect night that her family put themselves into debt for. There was no drunken grandmother of the groom that wanted to bitch about her prime rib being bloody. No shit faced best man trying to give a speach while eveyone's food is getting cold.

No, just 1.7 million dollars worth of Audi out my kitchen back door.

The Daily American

In finishing up the "Come to Where Fresh Is" dinner,
I get my chickens from a local farm, Myers Poultry , Diane is awesome at getting me birds pretty much any time of year and any time of day really. On the current menu I have some southern roots remnants with fried chicken and collards. For this evenings dinner I did Diane's chicken two ways, I took my favorite part of the thigh (the larger mussel from the outer side) and gave it a traditional buttermilk, egg, and hot sauce brine over night then breaded it with our own breading mixture. Nothing special really, but who doesn't love fried chicken? Especially if you're like me and a thigh man. I served the fried thigh over my favorite collards. The recipe for the collards is a combination of what Jeff and I used to make at Charleston Chops and what Chef Bob Wagonner used to make at Charleston Grill.
There's a swipe of smoked acorn squash puree (I can't tell you how amazing this puree smells, like smoked buttered popcorn on steroids).
I slow poached the breast in some brewed tea, sliced and served on top of the chocolate ancho sausage.
When trying to utilize local farmers, I finally got in contact with a local bison farm....only too late for the dinner. But, I have them on hand to use in the future. In doing these ribs, I wanted so bad to have the resources of other chefs, it's hard not to want all the latest gadgets to do these amazing things you read about with amazingly expensive pieces of equipment. But...then I realized, I have what some may remember...an alto-sham. A very familiar oven for cooking and holding prime ribs for steak houses or banquet facilities. Well, these ribs where braised at a constant 180 degrees for 22 hours in birch beer. The braising liquid was then turned into a fig bbq, the plate finished with smoked cauliflower, raisins and brussel sprouts. You can't see it here but there's a caramel spoon bread under the rib.
The last course was a bitch.
It came down to crunch time (we also had about 800 ppl in banquets before this dinner was to take place, time to play and experiment was extremely limited) and still no dessert. I wanted to do two, but damn we didn't even have enough plates to do everything I wanted to do. This was going to be an introduction to fall, Pumpkin Pie Noodles with Spiced Apple Gelee and vanilla ice cream from a local supply. Valley Dairy honestly has some of the best ice cream I've ever had and their original factory is about five minutes from my house.


Another hard part about this dish was something coming from the Starchefs congress in NY last month. Watching Heston Blumenthal pour scented liquid over dry ice for the whole audience to enjoy got the idea just stuck in my head. It's such an easy and fun addition, except for finding the dry ice that is. Ed, my sales rep from Reinhart always comes through...60 pounds worth through.
So, dry ice was placed in the outer bowl and in front of every diner was a "light bulb" with our logo on it filled with Chai tea and other spices. It was placed there prior to them ever sitting down, so as the last dish was served I was explaining to the room what to do with their party favor.
It worked out pretty well. It's hard to fit dinners like this into a tight schedule and small staff, but damn if doesn't feel good when it all comes together. It's a rewarding life to feed others.

A recap of the evening can be read here: http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2008/10/05/news/news/news221.txt

Wascilly Wabbit

The Third course for the "come to where fresh is" dinner came from a conversation with Carrie while channel surfing and stopping on the Cartoon Network. I can't help but think about watching Woody Wood Pecker and Bugs Bunny on the wall of my Mom's parents house on Reel to reel with no sound, just cartoons and their nemisis.

So, when I thought of this dish, I had Bugs Bunny on my mind and Elmer Fudd.

This is Rabbit Tenderloin wrapped in cabbage (rabbits eat cabbage), Bugs Bunny always had a carrot in his mouth....so, carrot reduction (painted on the plate), Potatoes cooked in carrot juice (fresh carrot juice), carrots cooked in carrot juice,........the Hassenpheffer was an issue.(Elmer Fudd always wanted to make it.)...it was pretty strong.

I took White, Black and Pink Peppercorns and pressure cooked them in Brandy, veal stock and cream then pureed it.

The finished dish got two dots of this puree.

Hot Guacamole

The second course for the "Come to Where Fresh is" dinner was focused on salsa. When I think of a true example of what "fresh" is, I think about salsa. I remember the first time I had fresh salsa, it was at a fellow cooks house during a party he was throwing.

I may have been a little behind when it came to trying new foods when I was younger. I grew up like most kids, eating a lot of foods out of cans, boxes, freezers and nearby pizza shops.

My dad had a garden from time to time and it produced fresh produce, but we didn't know about cilantro or cumin.

So, now, when I think about freshness I can't help but go back to picking up a familiar tortilla chip and scooping up what was "salsa" (not like the salsa I was used to from a jar), and just being completely blown away. Something as simple as salsa had me completely lost for words and feeling very ignorant to what I was being exposed to. When I asked Bill (I think that's what his name is) where he got the salsa, he said "from my back yard". It was the freshest of anything at that point that I had every tasted. It was amazing, like it was just mixed minutes before hand with all the flavors at their absolute peak.

My interpretation is a little different.

There's a hot Guacamole cube on top of a fresh slice of Lambert Farms heirloom tomato, topped with whipped clear salsa and a dehydrated heirloom tomato, along with a "tortilla chip" (toasted tortilla mixed with Isomalt) and some cilantro puree.



The flavors are there and familiar to mostly everyone, hopefully by now, but the textures are different and altered to give the brain a new reference when thinking about the familiar.

Some may think this silly and completely unnecessary, and I've been battling myself to these same reasons and thoughts, but I do think it's important to connect with diners on new levels. To introduce new ways of thinking about things. What limits do we put on ourselves forever if we don't alter what has always just been accepted?

I personally like to think that a dish, any dish, can be ripped apart to it's core ingredients, textures, techniques, flavors and put back together to represent an option a new approach.

Beet Consomme

So, alot of people know this one by now.








I just thought the after picture looked like a crime scene.
After adding gelatin to the beet stock, letting it freeze and then thawing it over a cheese cloth trampoline the stock is






(not as clear as this one)












The stock oxidized pretty quickly. But still tasted really good, so I put some beet noodles and goat cheese noodles.

Holy Smoker!

So, I got a smoker.
I like it a lot.
The bad thing about it, is the restraint that I need to put forth to not smoke everything on the menu.
I've been smoking the home made chocolate and ancho sausages for 5 to 7 hours and they are awesome.

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.