Tasting menu 23

We are right in the middle of Denver restaurant week. We are doing a price fix menu at 52.80 for 3 people that has 3 courses. It has been slammin all week. I am just trying to keep up with that menu. I do not have alot of time to experiment this week so I am using some techniques that I am comfortable with. The biggest diffrence is we will not have time to do a table side presentation but the sphere will more then make up for that.

Tasting menu


Baked eggs at 70 Celsius
Tomato, plablano jelly, grilled prosciutto


Smoked blue marlin
Grapefruit, cauliflower, white soy


Chicken skin wrapped sole
Cipollini, cucumber, yogurt


Orange rum sphere
Banana foster crème brulee, frozen carmel powder

How can I be green in the kitchen?

I have done alot of research lately into practices that I can start today that will insure my daughters an opportunity to play with all of the species we enjoy. This is a short list of some things that you can start now:

1. Do not thaw products under water. Can you imagine all of the water the restaurant industry uses quick thawing products. It takes a little planning and implementation of a freezer pull list. Pull your products out early and let them thaw in the walk-in

2.When writing your menus first check the mbay web site to see what seafood is over fished on their list. I have considered asking other chefs to take all tuna products off of their menus for 1 month. Imagine the impact on population if we could do that. I would rather not eat them for 1 month instead of loosing tuna forever. Here is the link to the sight: http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_search.aspx

3. Total utilization. Not only was this a lesson in school but it should be a lesson you practice everyday. This is another reason why molecular cooking is so amazing. For example Alex and Aki from ideas in food compress cilantro stems. This seems like a trivial idea but it is taking a product that is always discarded and turning it into something amazing. Vegetable scraps can be roasted and clarified using gelatin. Pieces of chicken skin can be glued together with activa and used to wrap other proteins for flavor and texture

These are 3 things that you can start today and let me know if you want to do the TUNA boycott!

San Fran

I went to California to attend a demonstration at Le Sanctuare. The demo was from Herve This, the leading authority on molecular gastronomy. I was hoping to pick up some new techniques but instead I have a whole new direction in my experiments. I first learned that I am not doing molecular gastronomy. I practice molecular cooking and there is a huge difference between them. The difference is that Herve is analysing food on a scientific level with very controlled time consuming experiments. I am taking the knowledge that he has developed and I am using it to cook. I also am using some molecular technologies like a thermal circulator to achieve different textures in food

Herve also talked about using a simplified process to write recipes and come up with new dishes. It made me think of food in a whole new way. He talked about and egg that could be classified in the way you would cook it. For example a whole egg is 1, a whole egg out of its shell is 2, The egg yolk is3 and so on. Next is the method in which you cook it like liquid nitrogen would be LN or water would be W and so on. I have a system now where I can organize my experiments and think of new combinations


The biggest lesson I took away is not to be so frustrated. Take a step back and simplify the question. I was trying to make brown butter foam. I was using methocel and xantham and whatever else I could think of. It turns out that is the ratio of fat to water and how you cool the product that will give me the desired texture. No additives, just a better understanding of why food does what it does. Thank you Herve, it is time to start all over again!!!

Tasting menu 22

I just got some little pipets in this week that I will be using on the first course. We are participating in restaurant week that starts on Friday. It will be a slammin week. I am using some Angelica root on the dessert special. It has a earthy flavor and is bright green.

Tasting Menu


Unagi
Avocado, black lime, blackberry ponzu


Feuilles de brick
Lobster, pine nuts, citrus risotto


Sou-vide pork
Mustard, candy apple, cherry balsamic


Angelica root
Passion fruit ice cream made
Tableside with liquid nitrogen

A family business

My family has all worked in this industry at one point. My father is a chef, my mother use to run a resteraunt in Breckenridege when I was a kid. My sister is a hostess and my other sister works pantry at a well known restaurant downtown. Sometimes we swap stories about shit we see. They have a baked alaskan on the menu that they set on fire before they bring it to the table. When one of the waiters picks up the dessert he always tells my sister that "It smells like failure." What a great smart ass remark that you will only get in trenches of the line.

Tasting menu 21

Had a great Valentines day night with about 220 covers. The specials went very well. We only have 2 days for the tasting menu this week. Getting very excited about my trip to San Fran.

Tasting menu
Tempura white asparagus
Coconut, lobster, starfruit puree
Shrimp gelee
Shallots, grated egg, cilantro
Beef shoulder
Butter powder, Beet marshmallow, Broccolini

Quince ginger broth
Pomegranite sorbet made tableside
With liquid nitorgen

San Francisco

I was placing an order with Fanny from Le sanctuare when she told me about this upcoming event. I got my airline tickets today and I can't wait to attend this event


Demonstration and Book Signing with Hervé This
Monday, Feb 25, 10 am - 2 pm at our San Francisco showroom.
Join us for a 4-hour demonstration and discussion with Hervé This, the founder of molecular
gastronomy and longtime collaborator with Chef Pierre Gagnaire, who has been changing the way
the world approaches cooking. His groundbreaking research into the chemistry and physics behind
everyday cooking is widely used by professional chefs worldwide. In his new book Kitchen
Mysteries, he offers further insight into the science of cooking, answering such fundamental
questions as what causes vegetables to change color when cooked and how to keep a soufflé from
falling. He illuminates abstract concepts with practical advice and concrete examples, how sautéing
in butter chemically alters the molecules of mushrooms, for example, and he explains the science
behind tenderizing enzymes and gelatins. Promising to answer your most compelling kitchen
questions, learn how molecular gastronomy has inspired a generation of renowned chefs and make
you a more creative and imaginative cook. This event includes a demonstration with various
equipments by Hervé This himself. Cost: $30 including an autographed book and a 4-hour
demonstration and discussion. Limited seats available. To RSVP call 415.986.4216 or email
info@le-sanctuaire.com

Frozen banana split sphere

I have been working on this new dessert for our next menu. I first juice some strawberries and place 60 cc in a ballon. I fill the ballon with nitrogen gas and roll it in liquid nitrogen This gives me a hallow sphere. I then mix roasted pineapple with a medium peak meringue. We then pipe it into the sphere and let it freeze. The plate is garnished with carmalized banana, chocolate powder and fried rice noodles that are soaked in grenadine.

Broken olives

I wanted to serve some olives on the meat course. We wanted the broken olives to hold a shape on the plate like they were glued together. My experiences with methocel are mixed. I am still figuring out hydration and the differnt types of methocels for different applications. This recipe yields a thick glue like texture that can be mixed with any product and steamed for 1 minute. The methocel gels and holds its shape. You must serve it warm or it will loose it will fall apart.

Recipe

400 grams water

5 grams methocelE4M

Boil water and take it off the stove. Place the methocel and water in a container and mix with the hand mixer. Place the mixture in the walkin and allow it to cool. The water will seperate from the methocel. Mix it again with the hand mixer and a thick gel will form.

An interview

I had a interview with a kid today about the new raw bar position that has opened up. When I asked him his experience he told me that he has shucked oysters before and that he has really big hands. What the fuck does that mean? I have never had anyone tell me that before.

Tatsing menu 20

I have a wine dinner on Saturday that sits at 80 covers right now. I am going to run the same soup for my tasting menu this week that is on the wine dinner menu. Valentines night is pretty well sold out too. We have 5280 week coming up at the end of this month. Business is really picking up. It has been really slow the first part of the year. Other chefs tell me they are busy but when I drive past thier resteraunts they are as slow as us. I never really understood people lying about their business. I guess you never want to show the other guy your cards

Tasting menu

Alaskan king crab
Frankincense, frozen yuzu powder, pomegranate


Organic chicken noodles
Saltine cracker consommé, root vegetable sou-vide


Sou-vide Tasmanian pepper tenderloin
Demi sphere, broken olives, tarragon


Blueberry basil puree
White chocolate ice cream made tableside using liquid nitrogen