Monday, December 23, 2013

Artichoke Textures

Artichoke “Soup”
Clean and prepare artichokes for making a soup.  In a rondo sweat artichokes, garlic and onions in butter until onions are tender. Deglaze with white wine and reduce until the mixture is dry. Season while you go. Add chicken stock and reduce to a glaze and repeat the process twice. Add enough stock just to cover the mixture, zest from one lemon and 100 grams of chopped parsley bring to a simmer and 500 grams of cream and bring back to a simmer  adjust seasoning and acid with lemon juice. Blend the soup and pass threw a chinois and pour into an ISI canister. Charge 3 times shaking well after each charge and keep warm. We present the “soup” in the ISI canister tableside.
Artichoke Puree
Charred Baby Artichoke
Artichoke Chips
Pressed Cucumber
Roasted Chanterelle
Sopressata
Olive Powder
Micro Basil  

Monday, October 7, 2013

Duck, Broccoli, Garlic

                                                                                            Crispy Duck Confit 
When I make my duck confit I like to put some pink salt into my dry cure so when I cook the legs in the duck fat the meat doesn't get that off grey color, it is nice and pink. First step is to break down your ducks, clean up the legs and pat them dry. On the cure I made for this confit I did 50/50 salt to sugar with thyme, rosemary, parsley, juniper berry, pink pepper corn, bay leafs, fennel seed, star anise, and pink salt . Put all the ingredients in to the robot coupe and blend until smooth. Cover the dry duck legs with the cure and let set over night in the cooler. The next day wash off the cure and pat dry. In a hotel pan line the bottom with 1 inch thick sliced onions, put the duck legs on top of the onions, pour duck fat over the legs until they are covered, cover with foil and place in a 250*F oven for about 4 hours. Take the legs out of the fat, save the fat for your next batch of confit, and cool to room temperture. Pick the meat off the bones, in a pan melt some butter over medium heat and place the duck meat in the pan. This step take about 30 to 40 minutes, caramelize the confit in the butter stirring to break the confit up. Once the meat has caramelized add banyuls to the mixture and cook until the mixture is dry. Place the confit on a paper towel and use with-in an hour.

Duck Breast
Broccoli Puree
Broccoli Salad
House Cured Bacon
Pickled Raisins
Cipollini Onion
Black Garlic Puree
Garlic Chips
Crispy Duck Confit
Parsley Flowers
Chive Buds

Thursday, September 19, 2013

John Dory, Corn, Barley

Corn Broth
I get my corn from the farmers market its local, sweet and delicious. Midwest bi-color corn is the best in my opinion. I start by shucking the corn removing all the green and hair from the kernels. Cut off all the kernels from the cob and scrape the cob with the back of your knife getting everything off. Place the corn cobs in a stock pot and cover with ice, bring it to a simmer and simmer for one hour. Let the corn stock steep for another hour and then strain. Put the cobs on a roasting rack and dry them out, you can use them to smoke, I use them to smoke bacon and it’s very good. Meanwhile in a pot slowly cook the corn kernels in butter with very low heat. After the corn cooks and starts to look dry cover with the corn stock cook it down to a glaze and repeat two more times.  Blend the glazed corn in a Vitamix slowly adding stock, adjust the seasoning and acid, to the desired thickness. Blend on high for about 8 to 10 minutes to work the starch and the broth will become silky. Strain thru a chinois, cool and reheat when needed. The broth will be sweet, buttery and silky with a good mouth feel that goes great with just about anything.

John Dory
Caramelized Barley
Smoked Huitlacoche
Pop Corn
Upland Cress
Corn Broth

Friday, September 13, 2013

Crab, Smoke, Textures


Lemon Air
 On this “duo” dish, we used the same flavors on both sides but if different forms. Only the crab cake side got the smoke to give it a little twist and the guest like the presentation and the puff of smoke at the table. 
To make and air it is pretty simple to do but gives your dish a nice pop of flavor and visual appeal. I use versa whip to get and nonfat liquid to whip in to an air. For the base of the lemon air its lemon juice, lemon zest, limoncello, white verjus, sugar and a touch of salt. Bring that up to a simmer and then cool to room temperature in the pot.  Add some fresh lemon juice to give it a fresh lemon flavor then chinois the liquid. In a mixing bowl put 220g of base, 3g of versa, and 1g of xanthan gum and whip it for 3 minutes on high, it will become a dense air let it sit for another 3 minutes and it will become lighter in texture. You can rewhip the already whipped base to if need be.
Crab Salad
Lemon Puree
Cucumber
Tomato Powder
Fried Avocado
Basil Blossoms
Citrus Marigolds

Crab Cake
Basil Powder
Marinated Cucumber
Heirloom Tomato Seeds
Pressed Avocado
Lemon Air
Opal Basil
Smoke
 

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Hen, Tomato, Olive

                                                                                    Tomatoes
At the World of Whirlpool we grow some of your vegetables, herbs and eatable flowers in our 18 rooftop garden boxes. We grow tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, asparagus, eggplant, herbs  anything you think of we grow. The list is way too long to list them all. The cherry tomatoes are awesome this year, sweet as sugar and bright red and yellow. For this dish we made tomato powder, tomato pesto and simple but delicious marinated tomatoes. For the tomato powder we took the tomato peelings, from the cherry tomatoes and some whole tomatoes, put them in our dehydrator over night at 140*F until the tomatoes dried out. Then we put them in a coffee grinder and ground them until it turned into powder and seasoned it with salt and alittle bit of pepper. The powder has a soft tomato flavor that is sweet and a touch salty. The way I make the tomato pesto is by blanching the cherry tomatoes, peel and reserve for the powder. Then toss the tomatoes with finely chopped shallots, shaved garlic, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper and dry the tomatoes out until they look like sun dried tomatoes. Then I make the pesto the traditional way, but  I fold in chiffonade basil into the mixture. For the marinated cherry tomatoes, I peel them and marinate them in minus 8 vinegar, shallots, Dijon, parsley and olive oil. I usually marinate the tomatoes for about an hour before service. Before I plate the marinated tomatoes and season them with Maldon salt and cracked black pepper.

Hen Breast
Marinated Tomato
Tomato Powder
Tomato Pesto
Potato Terrine
Bacon and Roasted Garlic Cous Cous
Broccoli
Olive Crumbs
Olive Oil
Upland Cress

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Potato, Escargot, Parsley


Parsley Puree
Wash and dry the parsley. Pick off all the leafs and save the stems for another application. Get our blanching water ready by adding salt and a touch of sugar, bring it to a boil. Blanch the parsley until tender drain and reserve some of the liquid. In a blender blend the parsley with the reserved liquid blend until smooth. Pass the parsley through a chinois and whisk in butter and adjust the seasoning. Keep cold and out of the light until needed.

Potato Gnocchi
Garlic chips
Tempera Hen of the Woods
Preserved Lemon
Black Garlic Puree
Picked Chives
Parsley Puree Chive Blossoms
Sous Vide Mustard Seeds
Escargot

Monday, June 10, 2013

Pea, Pepper, Panisse

Red Pepper Harissa
Wash and dry off the peppers before you start peeling. Peel the peppers and place the peeling on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 102*F for about 8 hours. After the peelings are dry grind in a coffee grinder until powder and season with salt. After the peppers are peeled filet the peppers and cut into a small dice. In a pan add your peppers, olive oil (about half way up the cut peppers), minced garlic, chopped rosemary, honey, salt and pepper. Cook the mixture for about 2 hour on a very low flame. After done cooking add sriracha and banyuls vinegar to your liking. You can serve it hot your cold.

English Pea Panna Cotta
Red Pepper Harissa
Red Pepper Powder
Marcona Almonds
Chick Pea Panisse
Salted Cucumber
Pea Shoots

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Coho, Cress, Caviar

Sous Vide Coho Salmon
First thing to do is break down your salmon and portion to the size you would like. Make a cure with 50% sugar and salt with lemon zest, parsley, pink peppercorns, and ground bay leaf. Put a thin layer down in a sheet pan and place your portioned salmon on the cure and cover with the rest of the cure. Let sit for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile prepare your vacuum bags for the salmon by putting lemon zest, parsley and some butter. Rinse off the salmon and place into the vacuum bags and seal. Set your water bath at 120*F. Place the salmon filled vacuum bags into the water when needed, it takes about 12 minutes to sous vide.

Sous Vide Coho
Upland Cress Crème
Glazed Beech Mushrooms
Buttered Potato
Potato Chip
Shallot and Garlic Crème Fresh
Smoked Salmon Roe
Picked Upland Cress
Preserved Lemon Zest

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Beef and Textures

Whipped Bone Marrow
Order pre-split bones unless you have a ban saw. Place bones cut side up on roasting racks and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes to loosen the marrow. Take out of the oven, scrape out all the marrow into a bowl, working with it still hot is the easiest. Place the marrow in the cooler until chilled. If you are going to use the bones boil the bones in water with vinegar to loosen all the meat and fat, so you can scrub the bones clean. While the marrow is chilling cut what you want to put in the marrow, it can be anything you want. What I put in it was shallots, garlic, thyme, parsley, Dijon, lemon, salt and pepper. When the marrow is chilled add your cut ingredients to a mixing bowl add the marrow and with a paddle attachment mix until fluffy. Adjust the seasoning if need be. Use the whipped marrow at room temperature or store in the cooler until needed.

Braised Oxtail
Pickled Shallot
Fried Shallot
Brioche
Egg Yolk
Sous Vide Salsify
Crisp Kale
Shaved Breakfast Radish
Picked Basil
Chive



Thursday, March 28, 2013

Hen, Snail, Salsify

Hen Roulade
First thing I do is break down the hen saving a breast for the mousse filling. Bone out the leg and thigh removing all tendons and big chunks of fat. Pound out the leg and thigh so its equal thickness and set aside. Make a mousse out of the breast, I put salt, pepper,herbs, lemon zest, white wine shallot and garlic reduction and oven dried mushrooms but you can flavor what ever way you would like . Put the mousse in a piping bag, pipe a cylinder in the middle of the leg and thigh and roll it up in plastic very tight and tie the ends. Cryovac the roulades and sous vide at 155*F for about 15 to 20 minutes. Take out of the bag and unwrap from plastic and dry off with a paper towel. Season and sear the roulades and what is next is up to you.







Roasted Garlic Salsify Puree
Sous Vide Salsify
Pickled Beech Mushrooms
Roasted Cipollini Onions
Parsley Pistu
Preserved Lemon Zest
Hen Jus
Bronze Fennel

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Lobster, Grits, Egg

Cured and Poached Grapes
You want to start out with nice firm grapes, wash and dry the grapes off. Peel the grapes and place them on a paper towel. To make your cure use 50-50 ratio on salt and sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, pink peppercorns and fresh thyme. In a plastic container spread out a thin layer of cure on the bottom place the grapes on top and cover with the rest of the cure. Let the grapes sit in the cure for about an hour. To make the poaching liquid its white wine, white verjus, sugar, lemon juice and zest and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile rinse off the grapes and put them back in to a plastic container and pour the hot liquid over and let sit until it becomes room temperature. Store the grapes in the liquid until needed.

Butter poached Lobster Tail
Tempura Lobster Claw
Herb and Parmesan Grits
Lemon Aioli
Lemon Powder
Salt Roasted Cashews
Hard Boiled Quail Egg
Bronze Fennel

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Egg, Cheese, Duck

Compressed Kale Powder
Kale is one of my favorite vegetables to eat in the raw form. It is very healthy for you, I could write an entire page just on the nutritional value. For the compressed kale powder I like to use black kale also known as Tuscan kale. Remove all the stems from the kale and give the kale a good washing. Lay on paper towels to dry. Heat oil to 300*F, about an inch and a half in a saute pan. Carefully fry the kale until crispy about 20 to 30 seconds and place on dry paper towels. While the kale cools to room temperature get your robot coupe ready. Add tapioca maltodextrin(the amount of malto depends on how much kale you are doing) to the robot coupe, add your kale and season. Mix until it comes to a nice fluffy powder, you might have to add more malto or fried kale to get the texture right. Once you got that down put the powder in a cryovac bag and seal on the highest setting. Let the kale powder sit in the bag for about 30 minutes. After sitting open the bag and take off chunks when needed.

Herb Goat Cheese
Pickled Carrot
Tomato Mousse
Dried Tomato
Duck Confit
Preserved Lemon Zest
Pumpernickel
144 degree Egg
Smoked Maldon

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Chowder... kind of....

Pumpernickel Bread

1 1/3 cups strong brewed coffee, room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup dark molasses
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rye flour
2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons flax seed
2 tablespoon sunflower seed
Egg wash
Maldon Salt
Combine molasses, cooled coffee, & yeast, set aside to proof. Combine vegetable oil and brown sugar. Combine rest of dry ingredients. Add proofed yeast mixture to the oil and sugar. Add 1/3 of dry ingredients to wet mixture, then 1/3, and last 1/3. Place in large oiled bowl, cover with plastic and set in warm place to rise until double in size. Let the bread go through its full rise each time. Let bread rise twice. Punching between each rise. Preheat oven to 357 degrees F. Egg wash the top and sprinkle with Maldon.


Mussels
Lump Crab
Creamed Corn
White Wine and Cream Reduction
Butter Poached Yukon Potatoes
Roasted Cauliflower
Mussel Nage
Torn Pumpernickel Croutons
Micros

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Pork, Cherries, Pumpernickel

Dried Cherry Ragout
In a medium pot sweat down onions and garlic in butter until tender without getting any color. Season as you go. Add the dried cherries and let them plump slightly. Deglaze with half port and have Burgundy wine and reduce by half. Make a sachet with bays leafs, pink peppercorns and star anise, add to pot. Add pork stock to cover the cherries and reduce until a glaze, add the same amount of stock again and reduce to a glaze. Skim as the pork stock reduces. Add pork demi and reduce until your liking and adjust your seasoning and acid. I used Banyuls to adjust my acid in my ragout. Before serving remove sachet and mount in butter and add chopped parsley and thyme TT.

24 hour Sous Vide Pork Cheek
Shaved Pumpernickel
Pickled Apple
Sunchoke Puree
Chive
Asiago