The Beer Dinner

This goes onto the list of favorites.

With this job I currently have, I've been privileged enough to be treated properly in certain aspects. Never in my younger daydreams did I think about being at a point where I would be flown to and fro for the purpose of learning about what ever my job may be.

I know it's pretty common for big corporations to write these expenses into their yearly budgets, to send those willing and able bodies to far off "Training Seminars", those ones that stand out, the ones that "want it" more then the drones that spend their hours getting themselves coffee instead of doing their (accumulated) 2 hours of actual work.

I know this happens in the normal lives of many. Salesmen going off to sales seminars to learn about what new vacuum or what new pre-made version of Salisbury Steak is available to sell to the local Denny's.

But, lately, I've been that guy.

And you know what's really cool about it?....I travel to taste........beer, and wine, and food.

This is the first beer pairing I've ever done, and I had a blast with it. It's one thing to pair food with wine, but to be honest with you, It might be easier and more gratifying to pair food with beer. I love beer. And, I have learned more about beer in the past two months then I've known for the past 31 years. I found myself in a bar that I've been in hundreds (hundreds) of times the other day and realizing that they sold something other than Heineken. Just saying, I know they always sold an ST (Standardized United States abbreviation for "Shit-Ton") of beers from all over the globe, but I never ventured into learning about them.

Now I do.

Here's the menu and the food from the other night.

First Course: Buffalo Style Sweetbreads, Celeriac Puree, Blue Cheese Consomme.

Served with Bell's Two Hearted Ale IPA . A big part of this dinner was to bring about familiar beer and food pairings, yet present them with unfamiliar aspects. A huge part of what made it fun for me. The pictures may not give the dishes justice, something I've had to accept and learn about myself is that, I am solely flavor driven, How it looks is an afterthought to me.....sometimes. I still eat with my eyes first. I've just accepted the fact that looks aren't everything. That's actually really hard to accept for me. This dish in particular, is a prime example. One of the servers for this dinner, was enjoying one of the extra dishes I put up for these dinners, until one of my line cooks asked her how she was enjoying the Pancreas?..........She almost threw up! She was enjoying it. Until she knew what it was.

I LOVE Sweetbreads! For what ever reason, when first tasting the Bell's, Sweetbreads popped into my head and I could not shake it. From what I heard, the customers enjoyed them with the familiar flavors of hot wings, it made an easier acceptance for them.

Second Course: "Fish and Chips" Doritos crusted Lobster tail in Beer-Cheese soup with potato foam. This dish had to happen. I made Doritos Lobster before as a joke, but it was so damn good! Why not put this with beer as it should be???? Well, I guess someone said, as they were leaving, "Don't ever put Doritos with Lobster again", I still have a feeling they enjoyed it.

Served with Piraat Ale triple IPA

Another dish that "Had to happen" was feakin' Pizza! I mean, really?! What do you think of when you think of beer?

Pizza, maybe not with Sweet Tea brined Kangaroo loin, but still...

Pizza:

I needed to figure out Combos , I wanted the flavors of pizza but not just a slice of pizza, something familiar yet different again.

I may not have completely recreated the center of a "Pizza Combo" but I came damn close.

The beer we served with this was a complete "Mind Screw" as it is.

Imagine if you will....

When we sat in the The Sharp Edge and tasted these beers, It never crossed my mind that I would smell something I've never smelled before! How do you put an idea or image to something you've never thought of before? Imagine waking up one day and realizing that shamrocks are made of cotton and smell like Cratineee with an overlapping scent/taste of Vaggovon? It wouldn't make any sense would it?

I've never smelled anything like this Celis Grotenbier it makes all these non realistic flavors and smells come to life. It's amazing smelling something for the first time, and the flavor on this beer is incredible to, this is the first beer that I can enjoy fairly warm.

Some Bison Back Ribs with collards and onion rings were served with Kasteel Triple d'or.

The last course came very easy, in a way. When I first tasted this Traquair Jacobite the first flavors I got were: Bourbon, Blueberries and Tootsie roll. I don't think Baer liked making Tootsie Rolls, but the dessert came out awesome. It was my favorite dish of the night. When you tasted the blueberry bourbon ice cream and took a sip of the Jacobite, it just explodes with blueberry flavors.

A little Easter prep.

Lamb stuffed lamb.

Upcoming "Beer Dinner"

Beer Dinner
Green Gables Restaurant
3-28-08
Reservations are still available along with half off accommodations.

Buffalo style Sweetbreads
Celeriac Puree, Blue Cheese Consommé
Bells

“Fish n Chips”
With Beer Cheese Soup
Doritos crusted Lobster tail
Piraat , Triple IPA

Pizza…Flavors
With Kangaroo Striploin
Mozzarella foam, Parmesan crusts, basil and Tomato
Celis, Grottenbier

Bison Back ribs
Collard Greens, Onion Rings
Southern Tier, Gemini

Tootsie Roll
Blueberry Bourbon Ice Cream, Granola Crumble
Traquair Jacobite

Pizza

Right now, in the background, the Travel Channel is on doing a special on Pizzas called "Pizza Paradise". What's funny (and kinda pathetic) is that Foodnetwork is doing a competition on Pizza at the same exact time. Food Network seems to do this a lot.
(side note) Anytime there's a Bizarre Foods or a No Reservations marathon on Travel channel, for some reason the Food Network seems to think that 8 hours of Rachel Ray will really compete. The Travel Channel has succeeded at something Food Network started out as, they have shows about food that actual chefs want to watch. They've combined entertainment with education. ...........And on top of that, Travel Channel has the chick from
Cash and Treasures

Back to Pizza.

The show titled Pizza Paradise gives credit to the very first pizza joint in the country!!!!! Lombardi's is and has earned the crown of the "First Pizza" in America. They also claim to be "The best pizza in America". I'll give them the "First", that should be enough.
I ate there several months ago. One: the service was not that great, OK it's a pizza joint! But it also claims to be the "Best Pizza" joint, Two: the pizza wasn't that good. It was good, but I've had better. And, yes I am a fan of PapaJohns and yes I use the and love the Garlic "butter".
But, I am not born and bread on it. I was lucky enough to have a little family loved pizza hole in the wall called Vic's. Vic's is no longer around. I was very sad to find this out, after moving back into an hour driving distance from it. Vic's Pizza had thin crust, great toppings and these huge bubbles that ran circles around the crust that added a pillow of hot moisture on top of chewy well flavored end to a pizza, well seasoned on a well seasoned cast iron gas oven.
BUT!, Aside from that. I was lucky enough, again, to have a damn gem of a pizza joint in Charleston. Andolini's by far crushes any pizza I've ever had. When I visit Charleston, it's on the list of places to eat. It's on my "pros and cons" list of reasons to move back the Charleston!
I am simply stating, in my opinion, the best pizza in New York, the first pizza in the country is not as good as pizza made by a 40 something(???) New Yorker in the south.
The Shaved meatballs, the sausage, the cheese, the fresh garlic rub, the Ice Cold Cream Soda the lunch special, the common and pleasant staff, normal kids from the local areas of Charleston that know that pride comes from proper work.....they care because they want to.
All I want to do right now is sit back and leaf through a Charleston City Paper to see what bands aren't coming to town, see who's cooking what poorly, what bars are running specials, who's hiring and why? and enjoy a couple slices at a community table inside or under and Andolini's spot.

Crepes

I've been running "BBQ Chicken Crepes" on the menu for a couple months now. I am yet to be happy with the final dish though. Every tweak brings me closer.

the addition of a goat cheese cracker has helped, but to be honest with you it was supposed to be a goat cheese puff. It's close, I can tell it wants to puff but.....it won't.

My patience has never been a virtue though.

The BBQ sauce is an Asian BBQ sauce that I was taught when I was 17 and it's something I'll never forget. It's a great sauce that can fit in almost anywhere and It was taught to me at a time when I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I still remember the day it was taught to me. I tasted the final outcome of it and realized how incredible cooking was. How (what seemed to be) random ingredients treated with appropriate care and love and technique could be combined to make amazing things. I also had a girlfriend that actually knew the name and number of the only Chinese place in our "Mon valley" and she knew to order General Tso's. It was an opening to a new world to me. And this sauce reminds me of that. I still use the same approach to it, kinda, the technique looking back on it doesn't really make sense, but it still works.

Matt Baer had a great idea though, (concerning crepes) I'm gonna wait until we can work on it, but it will be new and unique...as far as we know. You'll probably be the firsts to find out.

Tootsie Roll

This will hopefully evolve for the beer tasting.

I'm thinking as a shell for Bourbon Blueberry Ice cream, crackling chocolate powder, and Guinness foam.

We'll see.

It may not look like much, but the feel and memories of a Tootsie Roll are pretty much there.

Chicken Fried Steak

It's Filet Mignon wrapped in chicken skin that's been blanched, then dusted with Activa.

Left to sit for an hour or so, quickly poached, then pan seared then deep-fried to crisp, and then basted in some brown butter with thyme.

Served over melted mushrooms with a rosated garlic double cream.

"No Reservations"

This isn't a posting about how bad I hate walk-ins, especially in the slow season when you can't prepare for what may not happen at all.
No, this is about the tv show: Anthony Bourdain, No Reservations. The episode name is "Into the Fire". It was by far the best representation of what it's like to be in a busy, real, kitchen.
A couple months ago I had lunch at Les Halles and it was so amazing sitting in a restaurant that the book "Kitchen Confidential" was written in, and then being able to see how things happen in the kitchen via the "Into the Fire" episode.
If you missed it, the show schedule can be seen here .
This episode hit home, a lot. I have nightmares (literally) about work a lot, and one of the reoccurring ones involves streams of tickets coming in that I can't read. This episode was like watching one of my own nightmares. I had waves of anxiety flowing over me just watching someone else go through it.
This episode has it all. "A day in the life of..." type of event. Feel what it's really like. Things like:
The Calm before the storm, prepping while tickets are coming in, what mise en place you need and how much of it, the feeling of a "full board", hitting a wall, the dance with your fellow workers with knives, the use of alcohol as a driving force and why, the other chefs in the "kitchens of make believe" with two or more line cooks per station, owners, being the FNG, the feeling of "holy shit" is this really happening, family meal, feeling your pulse in your temples through your hat (why I don't wear one), acting like a little kid after doing something you do everyday, feeling like you just battled for you life, "The board is clear", treating the covers as a personal score, relaxing near the garbage, and how friendships can withstand these type of days. Day after day.
If you want to know what it's really like to work in a real kitchen, this is the episode to watch.. Look it up and set up a reminder.
I watched it twice in a row.

Beer Dinner

On Friday, March 28th, we will be conducting our first ever "Beer Dinner". $50 a person.
Reservations can be made here if anyone is interested.
There will be five courses all paired the best I can do. the beers will include some that we've tasted locally and out in LA. Most likely a Piraat Triple IPA, a Grotenbier that's been aged in a cave (possibly the greatest thing I've ever smelled), a couple micro brews and something a little dark for dessert.
I'm playing around with some usual ideas in unusual ways. Like, Buffalo Wings but made out of veal sweetbreads with a clear blue cheese dressing.
Still planning the menu for the most part though. Trying to keep it fun but upscale.

The Mangosteen

Some History on the Mangosteen.
It's been on my desktop screen saver and on my mind since I came across it several months ago. Little did I expect to run into it in a LA Chinatown market in the Freezer section, Whole, for that matter. But, here it is!
I found it and had to buy it. Long story short, how could you come across some crazy looking fruit in search of whatever, learn about, never expect to come into contact with one, then find a bag of them in a freezer section?
I was so sick the day I cut into it. I found the "bag'o'mangosteen" on a day of adventure in LA. I was bound and determined to find some culinary solitude and reason to my personal export to the region. It was indeed frozen, and to my knowledge (and still) frozen due to import laws.
I let this bag o' curiosity sit on the desk for a day (while I slept and worked out a fever), all the while wondering what and how it came to be in the states.

After two days to thaw and possible produce "Gremlins", I borrowed Ben's wine key to cut into it.

The smell was something I can't share with close family members, and the taste was tainted by my sickness. All I could do was run my fingers over the pulp and taste them. I don't feel I gave this fruit justice! But, I at least found it!

Pina Colada

Last year started a desire to come up with a pina colada dessert. I'm not sure why, I don't drink rum, I just like the combination of the flavors I guess.
Still playing around with Methocel F50, I have been working on frozen "mousses", this one is all pineapple juice. It wants to fall before it freezes though, I need to stabilize it more.
Strips of melt in your mouth pina colada mixer, grilled pineapple relish and rum caramel round everything out.
My dealings with desserts have been limited, but I really like working with them. I get frustrated though, not having someone around with a real passion and knowledge of desserts is a huge obstacle.

Ice Cream Soda

Years ago I had this thought of literal Ice Cream Soda. For no reason other than just not thinking to do it when I had the time, I never tried it.
Well, this past week I asked Jamin' to cook out a vanilla base and chill it.
Into the ISI with one co2 charge, and there it is. Carbonated Ice Cream...in a way. If I had an anti griddle, this would be a whole new world. As of now, it is not frozen but certainly gives a creamy thick texture of ice cream, but with a unique effervescent tingle to it.
Jamin', great job on the base, and we get our ice cream machine back very soon.

S&S

Everyone else just ignore this, Please, and I'm sorry for the unnecessary email, but this is so worth it.

S&S, I can't email you back. Your firewall won't let me. (This is deja vu from years ago, ADD moment.)

Put me in your contacts.
Please.