Westword memories

Jason gave us a nice mention in this week westword relating some of his food memories from the last year. http://www.westword.com/2007-12-27/dining/memoriesI was also fortunite enouph to have Jason and Patrica from Westword along with some other guest for a molecular lunch yesterday.

144.4 degree egg salad sanwich with compressed tomato, elephant garlic chip and tasmanian pepper

Rocky mountain news

Marty called from the rocky mountain news asking for some molecular picks. These are the dishes I came up with. We have also had travel magazine, wine country international, dinning out and the boulder daily camera up the last couple weeks with articles coming out in January.

Strawberry daiquiri and banana rum dippin dots

Beet vinaigrette sphere with balsamic goat cheese, roasted vegetables and carrot/watercress puree

Tatsing menu 14

I have alot of reservation this week for the menu and a mostly molecular menu for New Years Eve. It is snowing hard today with about a foot of snow on the ground. I am in the mood for risotto, bisque, crepes.

Tasting menu 14

Baby squid
Cotija, risotto, oyster mushrooms

Cauliflower bisque
Truffle, augratin, watercress air


Sou-vide salmon and roasted garlic
Scallion, funnel cake, Sweet red bean

Hungarian crepe
Almonds, milk, chocolate ice cream made with liquid nitrogen

Merry Christmas

My chef called me the other day and asked what cook book I wanted. I asked any cookbook and he said yes. I told him elbulli 2003 and 2004. I never thought he would actually order it but it came to the hotel this morning. I know what I will be doing the next 3 months or so.

Grilled potrebella jelly

I have started to use agar a little more in my cooking. When I first used it I was not cutting it with another gelling agent so it was effecting the flavor of the food. Now I use 1 or 2 other gelling agents and have achieved some very nice jellies. This jelly will be served with the New York for New Years Eve. Here is the recipe

4 ea Caps portebella cleaned, grilled and julienned
2 cups Apple juice
1 cup Brown sugar
2 ea Red jalapenos roasted and diced
1 oz Elephant garlic, roasted and pureed
2 tbl Salt
2 sheets Gelitan bloomed in cold water
1 gram Agar

Place all ingredients in a stock pot and boil for 6 minutes. Place in the cooler to set

New years eve

The one night in this business when your whole kitchen is cooking a whole menu for the first time. We decided to do a price fix menu this year for 50.oo. The guest picks one dish from each section. We will probaly do around 220 that night times 3 courses each. I am making some items now to make sure they work out that night. Better now than in the rush. Here is our menu

First Course

Point Reyes Blue Cheese
Peanut butter wrapped grapes, Alsace caviar, whipped balsamic
$
Olive oil poached baby artichokes
Warm parmesan mayonnaise, Shrimp “scampi” Elephant garlic chips
$
Wild mushroom Ravioli
“Rockin farms” brown egg, pine nut glass, scallion pesto
$
“Vegetables from the garden”
$
Smoked blue marlin sashimi
Carbonated ginger jelly, frozen wasabi oil, pickled radish
$
Compressed farm tomatoes
Pancetta blue cheese marble, balsamic caviar, Green goddess
$
Smoked Cheddar Broth
Roasted Colorado potatoes, Rosemary Sour Cream Noodle, Crispy chive
$
Organic Greens
Pineapple and ricotta, Grilled almonds, red orchard apples
$
English pea
Rosemary, pepper crème Frâiché
$

Main Course

“Snake River” Pork loin
Grilled apple sauce gelee, Sage spatzel, burnt onion cream
$
King Salmon
Edamame flan, yuzu butter, eggplant
$
“Fulton family farms” Organic chicken
Mustard and Vanilla, Pancetta hash, Rosemary air
$
Buffalo New York
Brussel Sprouts, Rosti potato, matsutake
$
Rainbow Trout Steak

Compressed watermelon, puffed wild rice, papaya
$
“Tuna Casserole”smoked egg noodles, English pea chips, wild mushroom yogurt
$
Smoked Colorado Sirloin
Leek, Crispy cannelloni beans, merlot
$
Shrimp Noodles
Baby artichoke, Shitake, Peas
$
Wild mushroom baklava
Goat cheese grits, Sou-vide garden vegetable quiche
$

Desserts

Rosemary # cake
Chocolate, yogurt, Liquid Nitrogen strawberries
$
Banana crème brulee tart
Hot ice cream
$
Peanut butter and chocolate
10 layers, jelly daqouis
$
Eggnog cheesecake
Cranberry compote, brown sugar whipped cream

Special party

I keep making the same dish over and over until I am happy with the flavors and presentation. I seem to have a hard time walking away from anything. I was asked to do a molecular 9 course menu set on a chef's table in the kitchen last night. I picked dishes I have made and remade to get them to this point. It was one of the best dinners I have ever done and I am enjoying cooking ounce again.

Compressed Tomato
Blue cheese marble, pancetta, balsamic caviar

King Salmon
Yuzu butter, edamame flan, Artichoke

Smoked gouda Broth
Sour cream noodles, Roasted carrots, chive

Liquid nitrogen truffle popcorn

Blue crab
Sweet corn, celery leaves, Camembert, Raspberry chips

144.4 degree egg
Walnut mayo, dijon, hallah

Buffalo New york
Butter powder, Hibiscious, Rosti potato

Mustard and Vanilla Organic Chicken Sou-vide
Pancetta hash, Rosemary air

Cranberry, Mint
Eggnog Ice cream made tableside with Liquid Nitrogen

Sou-vide

I don't have a commercial vacuum sealer. I bought a food saver at target and it does an OK job with my sou-vide bags. It does not have enough pressure to compress which is the most interesting technique that I have seen with this piece of machine. I can still get a good marination using this sealer but have to come up with creative ways to package. This sealer will suck liquid out when the vacuum is on in turn giving you a leaky, non-compressed seal.

The way to do it is make sure everything is solid in the bags and not in a liquid form.

For the compressed tomato I froze my olive oil in liquid nitrogen giving me a solid texture and enabling the tomatoes to achieve a solid seal when vacuumed.

To do these carrots I made a compound butter with sesame oil instead of pouring the oil in the bag. Cilantro was added and cooked at 120.2 degrees for 45 minutes.

Edamame flan

We are writing new years eve menus that will focus on molecular cuisine. We are doing a price fixed menu this year at 50.00 3 courses. One component is a edamame flan that will go with the salmon. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

2# Edamame blanched and shocked

8 oz Vegetable stock

4 ea Eggs

2 cups Milk

3 tbl. Salt

2 tbl. Toasted curry

1/4 cup May ploy

Place the edamame and vegetable stock in a blender. Pulse until a puree has formed but some of the beans are still whole. Place in a bowl and mix in the remainder of the ingredients. Place in heat proof ramikins and place in a water bath. Cook for 45 minutes at 275 degrees or when the custard is set.

Tasting menu 13

It is going to get very cold this week in Colorado. I think we even have a chance for snow on Christmas. I decided to do some of my favorite winter time dishes this week. I love fish stew. I like to take all the fish scraps from the day and brown them in olive oil, red pepper flake and anchovy. I then add garlic, Hungarian paprika, tomato, white wine and a fish fumet and reduce until thick. The base for the first dish is made with fish bones instead of the meat. The fish and broth are wrapped in fata paper and presented to the guest in a nice bundle. My other favorite dishes include crab with corn and celery leaves.Organic chicken with horseradish and apples, and Cranberry and mint with eggnog.

Tasting menu
12/20/97

Maine lobster in Fata Paper
King Salmon, New Zealand Mussels Hungarian fish broth


Blue crab
Sweet corn, celery leaves, Camembert, Raspberry chips


Mustard and Vanilla Organic Chicken Sou-vide
Horseradish, Apples, Rosti, Piped cider


Cranberry, Mint
Eggnog Ice cream made tableside with Liquid Nitrogen

Tasting menu 12

Very busy with parties in banquets this week. Hotel restaurant life has been truly opposite then independent. December has always been my money month but here it is one of the slowest. We are getting a nice local following though keeping the tasting menu busy. We will use our circulator a lot this menu.

Tasting menu 11

148.8 degree egg
Mushroom ravioli, pine nut glass, tarragon pesto

Green Beans
Pancetta oil, Cippolini skins, Whipped maple

Truffle Sou-vide Scallop
Edamame Gnocchi, Burnt vegetables, Foie gras Hollandaise

Liquid Nitrogen
Almonds, yogurt, honey, olive oil cake

Curry Bubble Gum

Thermal circulator

All right folks. Its on. I got my circulator today and started cooking immediately. I started with egg cooking. I cooked a egg at 144.8 degrees for 1 hour. I am speechless in describing the texture of the egg. It looks soft boiled but may be the purist thing I have ever tasted. Next was a piece of salmon Sou-vide in yuzu butter, dill and Tasmanian pepper. It was literally like eating butter. The salmon flavor was so faint on the back of your palate. Needless to say this will bring all of my cooking up another notch.

Tasting menu 10

I am finally breaking into my carrageenan this week. When I first got it and was researching it I read some material that it causes cancer when heated the wrong way. I am nervous to use anything that might harm my customers but more concerned about my own safety. I will consume way more then my customers will by experimentation and tasting before I put it out. The research I have done says that Carrageenan found in third world countries is generally not safe. They cut corners in the production process that makes it cancerous when heated. The food grade Carrageenan that I received from Le Sanctuare is made in this country under strict food guidelines. I have been marveling at Ideas in Food presentations that I have not been able to achieve with gellan, agar, or other gelling agents. This product gels nicely and gives endless possibilities. The coconut curry sheet that I wrap the shrimp in is made with Carrageenan Genugel LC-5. It is a ratio of 1.5% to the total amount of liquid. Here is the menu this week.

Tasting menu
12/06/07

Beet pomegranate noodles with marbled goat cheese and grilled nuts

Rhubarb encrusted buffalo New York with candied portabella jelly
Smoked bok choy leaves and fried capers


Coconut curry wrapped Hawaiian prawns with puffed Israeli cous cous
Sou-vide baby carrots and tempura cilantro


Carrot cake dippin dots on cream cheese Ice cream
Made tableside with liquid nitrogen


Cherry and Organic spearmint bubble gum