IDEAS IN FOOD

Candied Bacon and Charred Jalapeno

I did not grow up eating candied bacon at cocktail parties.  I missed out.  Candied bacon is one of those treats that is best consumed in the kitchen with no one watching.  If you prefer to eat candied bacon in a public forum, you will miss out on glories of licking your fingers after each bite as the bacon fat mingles with the caramelized sugar and the salt begs for another sip of beer.  Anyway, I got my introduction to candied bacon late in life and have spent many opportunities making up for this fact.  One day, I was merely messing around in the kitchen, a habit which has been quite beneficial to my culinary developments.  Well, I had some cooked bacon lying around left over from breakfast and my mind began to wonder.  I put a pan on the stove and began making a caramel.  As the caramel began to darken I thought of jalapenos and placed some on the grill.  When the caramel was just shy of burnt, I added the bacon and soy sauce and cooked the mixture to combine the flavors.  Afterwards, I took the seeds from the grilled jalapenos and added them to the base which I then pureed, strained and balanced with lime juice and rice vinegar.  My mind wanders often and I am thankful for that.  Oh, and we used the sauce on our chufa nut crusted lamb rib eye with pickled chickpeas, mango kosho and Earl Grey tea shiitake mushrooms.

Twice Cooked Scallops

Why cook scallops twice?  Why not?  I abhor the sputtering of oil or fat when a scallop  hits the pan.  Yes, we dry the scallops, though moisture is still exhuded and fat shoots out of the pan.  This is not the reason or the ultimate benefit from cooking scallops twice, though it is an excellent benefit.  In cooking scallops twice, the scallop firms up and the flavor concentrates.  Similarly, the scallop draws in flavor from the fat we put in the bag with it, most recently bacon fat.  The result of first cooking the scallop at 50 degrees C for 20 minutes then chilling it is like setting a custard.  Some of the scallops juice is exuded into the bag, but for the most part we now have a plump marshmallow of sweet salinity which can then be sauteed and caramelized, with little loss of liquid, hence no splattering.  Do you need to cook scallops twice?  No, I have just found it is an excellent way to concentrate flavors and serve a better product.  Will people know the scallops have been cooked twice?  No, they may note the intense flavor of the scallops themselves and the lack of splatter burns on your hands and wrists.  Our most recent rendition with twice cooked scallops is served with apple-bonito puree, preserved perigord truffle and butternut squash relish made with tequila vinegar.

Everything is an Ingredient

I became consciously aware (perhaps unconsciously at 6:30 in the morning) that everything is an ingredient and that the quality and variety of these ingredients is instrumental in our own pleasures and successes.  The early morning sun was breaking through low lying clouds as I began my bi-weekly ritual of arranging flowers.  The crisp air and pointing light accented the shapes and colors of the flowers I had to work with.  The natural beauty of the flowers along with the clarity provided by the morning light struck a chord which resonated within me.  While everything is an ingredient, it is how and what you end up doing with them that defines you.

Ricotta Pancakes

Okay, I'm bouncing back today and in good spirits.   Breakfast is on the later side today and I had time to whip up some chicken hash.  There used to be a place in Boston, which may still be there, called Charlie's.  it was a lunchonette and Alex used to go there and pick up pastrami sandwiches for breakfast.  My favorite thing to eat there was the turkey hash.  It was served as a huge patty, crunchy on the outside and creamy and chewy within.  It was served with a poached egg on top and made a hearty beginning to a day off.  I couldn't have eaten something like that before going to work but on a lazy day, at a counter stool with hot coffee and good book, it was heaven.  I had some leftover chicken this morning and sauteed some red onions and celery.  I diced and boiled some russett potatoes and folded them into the chicken and vegetables along with some home made spicy aioli.  The base will be fried into cakes and served with butter steamed eggs on top.  A tribute to Charlie's and a hearty breakfast for Alex who, unlike me,  has no troubles scarfing down huge breakfasts and continuing to cook all day long.

On another note, after breakfast yesterday our guests requested the recipe for our ricotta pancakes.  Over the season, there have been so many requests for this recipe that I decided to post it on here so that everyone could have it.  It occurs to me that the recipes we post are usually sweet or baking related, the reason for that is because that is the only time we actually write down proportions.  But, we're working on changing that.  Anyway, this recipe was adapted from one in Nigella Lawson's book Feast: Food to Celebrate Life.  As a Chef I'll probably lose points from some people by admitting that, but I am a huge fan of English food writers and a good recipe or two can be found in almost anyone's books.  That said, I really enjoyed Feasts and would recommend it to everyone.

Ricotta Pancakes

3 eggs separated
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8oz ricotta cheese (if you have access to it, really fresh ricotta makes an amazing pancake otherwise just use the best cheese that you can get)
1/3 cup AP flour

Whisk yolks with sugar and salt.  Add cheese and stir to blend.  Fold in flour.  (Batter can be made in advance up to this point and finished just before cooking.)  Whisk whites until they are light and frothy, not quite to soft peak. Fold into the batter until well blended. Ladle the batter onto a medium hot griddle (2 ounces makes a nicely sized pancake, not too big or too small).  When bubbles form on top and pancake bottoms are golden brown, flip cakes and cook until browned on the bottom.

Trout Roe

I received our first container of brook trout roe from Steve Stallard of blis Caviar.  The trout roe is his benchmark for all his other products.  The roe is clean, nutty, and a bit grassy with a balanced salinity.  Enough with flavor profiles and descriptions, the roe is impeccable.  When Steve sent the roe he said "just serve it on toast with a bit of butter, even that is too much."  Well, I could not leave well enough alone and put together a dish, which focuses on the roe while highlighting its individual characteristics.  We are serving the roe with fresh banana, banana tamarind puree, epazote and chufa milk (horchata) and ground chufa nuts.

What You Get Because No One Knows Me

Sure, we get demanding guests now and again, though for the most part they buy what we are selling.  What does that mean?  It is a freedom sought after by many in the world.  We can and have cooked anything we want.  Sure, we twist our own food in order to shave the shock value off certain dishes or approaches, though for the most part we cook unfettered.  Nothing is untouchable or beyond our scope.  We meld new and old, tested with inspired.

Our unbridled approach to cooking allows for our own discoveries like Tequila Vinegar, Flourless Goat Cheese Gnocchi and Smoked Vinegar and Maple Syrup.  I am continuously inspired and driven by the vast world of food and wine.  Since no one knows who we are or what we do, we have an ultimate freedom.  Equally so, that freedom is a detriment for at the end of the day I want to share and spread ideas, not just keep them amidst our kitchen confines and elite dining room.

Today I came to the conclusion and realization that in many ways I am realizing a dream, to push and expand my own culinary boundaries while making food taste incredible.  I also realized that our website-- while not a bound cookbook, rather a full color and interactive digital notebook--enables us to share our culinary ideas with those individuals who are looking for and inspired by ideas in food.

Check Point

It's been a long hard season and it finally starting to wind down.  Don't get me wrong, Oct. is still busy but there's a light at the end of the tunnel.  We're actually getting not one, but two days off next week, our first since the very beginning of Sept.  The nights are cool, the mornings are crisp and diverse varieties of apples are starting to appear in the market.  We're heading toward an evaluation point where we have to look at back at the past year and decide what went right and what went wrong and what we want to change for the new year.  That's still a ways off although there are definitely things that I've taken or re-taken to heart this past season.

It's not always about us.  Although we are the chefs, there are so many things going on in the dining rooms and in people's lives that their reactions to the food may have nothing to do with what's on the plate in front of them.  A mind boggling number of people, in spite of being told about the set menus and asked about food allergies and preferences before their arrival, show up with a laundry list of things that they can and cannot eat.  This is usually mentioned at their first meal which tends to be full of items which are taboo for one reason or another.  A very small percentage of people actually share their needs with us and we are truly grateful for that.  Over the course of a season the surprise last minute scrambling is enough to drive an entire staff to distraction.  We try to stay focused on the fact that it's not about us, it's about them.  But there are times when it really does feel as though it's about us and not in a good way.

The show must go on.  We all grew up hearing that phrase but in the service industry it's very true.  When people can't come to work, housekeepers call in with sick cars or lost dogs, guides are stretched thin and unavailable to lead guests around the property, pipes break and water alarms go off, there we are.  Three meals a day are unavoidable and keep us tied to the place from before dawn until after dark.  If other things are falling through the cracks we catch them and set them to rights.  Part of our job is just being available so that when things go wrong, as they always do, there is always someone responsible and resourceful enough there to take care of it before any of our guests ever realize there was an issue.

Failure is not an option, a cliche but in our case absolutely true.  People who are spending $900 a night should never know there are cracks or problems.  Juggling should be done silently and with a smile.  Most of our guests do know that Alex and I are always there with a ready ear and a helping hand.  We bring coffee to them in the morning and explain the television remote controls to them at night.  They often ask us when we get time off and we just smile and tell them that we're off when there are no guests, although that's not really true.  It's an interesting system when your guests spontaneously offer to have dinner early so that you can go home.   It's a very generous thing for them to do, but I'm not sure that it's a good reflection on the services that we provide here.

Some days it seems as though cooking is the least of what we do here.  It's a good learning experience because we'd like to have our own place one day.  In a perfect world it will be along the water somewhere on the East Coast and we will specialize in cooking school getaways for 3-4 days, for professionals and home cooks.  We will explore new ideas in food and beverages the same way that we do here, but in our own place according to our designs.  The focus will be on cooking, dining and procuring ingredients.  It will be a totally interactive kitchen setting where everyone is free to express and interpret their ideas.  That's the architecture in the sky and we are salting away our experiences every day to help us make that reality.

Time to Think

I have had a fair amount of time to think over the past several days.  Thankfully, my morning isolation from the kitchen has allowed me to clarify some thoughts and ponder more meaningful questions.  In sifting through ideas and straining concepts, a simple balanced dish emerged.  I still have goat cheese gnocchi on the brain, so that played an integral role in the dish, but in actuality, the most appealing combination for me is the smoked tomato and caraway conserve in conjunction with our cocoa miso.  The lamb with its gaminess acts as a vehicle for delivering these exciting flavors.

Fizzy Fruit

I begin most mornings with a cup of coffee and a quick glimpse at the world at large via the computer.  I came across an interesting product, Fizzy Fruit.  What I found truly exciting is how the worlds of fine dining and mass market consumption continue to weave ideas and techniques into a culinary fabric.  Now I can only wait to order my first can of Fizzy Fruit.

A Sparrow Speaks

It turns out we served a sparrow in its nest.  Actually, we served a light salad with grilled quail, a nice lunch on a warm afternoon.  Unfortunately, it turns out our guests are green chile and potato guys.  The quail became reminiscent of a sparrow, the lettuce its nest and the gentlemen preferred to eat only cookies.  This is really the first time such an occurrence has taken place out here, but the bird had something else to say.  We are faced with a duality of purpose.  We were hired to produce the most exquisite cuisine possible.  Sure, we can make great green chilies and potatoes, but why?  Some would say to make the best green chile available.  What An Absolutely Fabulous Idea!!!  Unfortunately that would then force me to shelve dishes like oyster escabeche with chanterelle mushrooms, vinegar martini and sheep sorrel.  A quandary yes, where is Yoda when you need him?

The First Step

We started working with hot floating islands.  Since we had some of our raspberry beer available, we tailored the dish to its flavor profile.  We were merely working on application, though we needed the flavors and tastes to be on in order to prove our theories.  Today we made a green tea-tomato broth with green peaches, warmed tomatoes and a floating island of raspberry-beer with lovage.  The application worked and the island held its structure.  Now we need to put the success of one dish into practice with others.

Earl Grey Broth

A new broth for mushrooms came together as we were bouncing ideas off a recent guest who spent some time in our kitchen.  We were looking to make a simple broth to serve with cuttlefish.  We took some earl grey tea and flavored it with soy sauce.  We then cooked some chanterelle and shiitake mushrooms in the broth in order to marry the flavors.  In order to add some richness to the dish we have added out goat cheese gnocchi.  Young celery leaves and lemon zest finish the dish.

The key to this dish is the simple combination of the tea and the soy sauce married with the woodsiness of the mushrooms.  Our quick culinary banter revitalized my thoughts and inspirations in simplicity.

September 23, 2005

                                                                                    Grouper
                                                                mustard root purée, epazote,
                                                                                    coconut

                                                                                 Lamb Belly
                                                                         strawberry-papaya,
                                                                      langoustines, fried rice

                                                                               Grilled Quail
                                                                    black beans, black cabbage,
                                                                               baby tomatoes

                                                                   Vermont Shepherd Cheese
                                                          chanterelle mushrooms, raspberry-beer,
                                                                                     tarragon

                                                                         Brown Sugar Custard
                                                            marinated blackberries, dark rum,
                                                                                smoked maple

Smoked Peanut Soup

We smoke everything we can think of with varying results which inspire our applications.  In the past we have used smoked peanuts, though until recently we had not transformed them into a soup.  Smoked peanut soup carries the light essence of smoke and the richness of the peanuts without being cloying on the palate.  To begin with, we used the smoked peanut soup as a light sauce with seared scallops and butter poached pork.  However, I felt the smoked peanut soup could play a larger role in a dish, so we used it to poach oysters to serve with grouper.  I enjoyed the application of the soup with the grouper and oysters, though I think in the future I may simply make a seafood stew or oyster pan roast with the peanut soup.  To make smoked peanut soup you need: smoked peanut butter, skim milk, apple cider and salt.  The peanut butter is made from apple wood smoked peanuts.  The rest is simply balancing flavors. 

Mustard Root and Sake Roe

Today we joined a new ingredient to our kitchen--mustard root-- with a seasonal staple--sake cured king salmon roe.  The mustard root is similar to kohl rabi in appearance though its flavor is that of mustard greens.  We made a puree of the mustard root and enriched it with coconut milk.  The creamy spice of the puree called for a fruity counterpart.  The sake cured roe with its aroma and salinity balanced the mustard root puree and acted as a seasoning for our poached steelhead trout.  Young epazote added a tar like element that in conjunction with the other ingredients acted to enhance a sense of umami.

September 20, 2005

Out of order, but still worth a glance.

                                                                Broccoli and Cheese Agnolotti
                                                                truffle oil, piave vecchio cheese

                                                                              Seared Scallop
                                                              pumpkin seed purée, seabeans,
                                                                               raspberry-beer

                                                                          Sautéed Cuttlefish
                                                                black beans, chorizo, jalapeño

                                                                Queso de Azul de Valedon
                                                                                fig confiture

                                                                     Strawberry Shortcake
                                                 whipped creme fraiche, grains of paradise

September 22, 2005

                                                            Marinated Cuttlefish
                                        red and green tomatoes, smoked vinegar,
                                                                    tarragon

                                                             Steelhead Trout
                                      smoked king salmon caviar, tuscan kale,
                                                    mountain huckleberries

                                                            Young Pork Loin
                                   lobster mushrooms, concord grape-chipotle,
                                                                   chorizo

                                                         Marcel Petite Comte
                                                     watermelon, sheep sorrel,
                                                            dr. pepper syrup

                                                        Colorado Peach Tart
                                                  lovage-fromage blanc sorbet

Jalapeno-Cheese Scones

Breakfasts tend to be so much easier than dinner.  Everything about it is different, the food is more casual and so are the people.  Our guests wander into the kitchen looking for coffee all morning long.  Once they fill their cups, they tend to hang out to chat and watch the proceedings.  We've actually ordered some stools (which may never arrive, but that's another story) so that people can be comfortable while they're spending time with us.  Everything just seems more mellow and the pickiest eaters in the world seem easier to please first thing in the morning.  Of course, the pickiest eater in the world happens to be my husband so when something especially pleases him, I know it's a keeper.  This morning we did savory scones so that we could use them at breakfast for our guests and brunch for our hunters.  Scones are a staple here at the guest house because they are a relatively quick pastry that smells wonderful and can be eaten almost straight out of the oven by our earliest rising guests.  I have a thing about fresh pastry in the mornings.  Occasionally I'll bake something the night before but only for the hunters because they have to leave so early in the morning.  We just can't do dinner at night and turn around to be back here at 4:00am to start breakfast.  6:00am is as good as it gets for the occasional early riser,  but my usual arrival time is 6:30am so that the scones are ready by 7am.  Coffee cakes are a benefit for late risers who prefer their breakfast at 8am or later and muffins are a close call but can be finished by just after 7am.  Actually though, the scones are usually the big winner and today's are no exception.

Jalapeno-Cheese Scones

3 cups AP flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder (2 teaspoons baking powder)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (1/2 teaspoon baking soda)
1/4 teaspoon fines sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
12 grinds of white pepper
1/2 cup cold butter, diced in 1/4 inch chunks
1 cup cold buttermilk (I use low fat)
1 cup diced (1/2 inch chunks) cheese (I used cocoa rubbed dry jack)
1 jalapeno finely diced (seeds and membrane to taste, I removed them for the guests)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees  or 350 degrees for convection
Measurements for baking powder and soda are for high altitude.  Sea level bakers use the amount in
Depending on the strength and flavor of your cheese, you may substitute up to 50% of the flour for corn or whole grain or you may choose to use brown sugars instead of white sugar, black or cayenne pepper instead of white, chipolte pepper instead of jalapeno, etc.

In the bowl of a food processor combine flour, sugar, baking powder & soda, salt and pepper.  Pulse a few times to blend.  Add butter and pulse 3-5 times to blend.  Add buttermilk and pulse to a coarse crumb.  Turn out of processor and sprinkle with with cheese and chile.  Using a bench scraper, fold the mixture together to blend, then separate into two piles.  Shape each pile into a six inch round and press together.  Cut into sixths for smaller scones or quarters for larger scones and lay out on a baking sheet.  Scones may fall apart a bit because of the large chunks of cheese, if that happens, just press them back together.  Bake 7 minutes and rotate 180 degrees.  Bake 7 minutes more or to the desired level of brownness.  If you use a cheese that tends to burn easily, lower your oven temperature by 25 degrees and bake 2-3 minutes longer.

Chufa Nuts

I did not know what a chufa nut is.  We put together a dish based on ignorance.  Well, it is not truly ignorance, for we based the dish on the taste of the chufa nut rather than the history of the nut and its past uses.  The raw nut is extremely crunchy with an underlying nuttiness.  When the nut is toasted it tastes of toasted cereal.  The nut takes on a more developed flavor with the light toasting in butter.  Anyway, we paired the nut with our grape-chipotle puree, roasted scallop and epazote, topped with our smoked peanut soup.  It turns out, the chufa nut (also know as the tiger nut and the base for traditional horchata) accents the flavors of our smoked peanut and happily compliments the concord grape-chipotle puree.

A New Season of Roe

The caviar cometh.  I just got off the phone with Steve Stallard of blis caviar, he has begun the production of his hand processed caviars.  The first of the season are made with King Salmon roe and have been cured with fleur de sel, sake, and smoked fleur de sel, for three unique interpretations of cured roe.  An important fact about Steve’s roe is that it is seasonal.  That means we have had five months to imagine and formulate ideas to highlight these stellar eggs.  The roe should arrive tomorrow and be incorporated into our dishes as soon as possible.

A Step Further

We have spent the past week working on an interesting sauce based on concord grapes and chipotle hot sauce.  My first attempt yielded a good sauce, more hot than grape.  I was able to get my hands on a good supply of concord grapes and have since adjusted the balance in the sauce bringing the grape forward and allowing the chipotle to frame the sauce.  We were able to add a bit of viscosity to the sauce with fresh mango, though its role is minute.  The completion of the sauce has sparked several new dishes which we will fine tune over the next few days and weeks.

September 19, 2005

Chanterelle Mushroom Stew
lovage, goat cheese gnocchi,
apricot vinaigrette

Grouper
whipped butternut squash, melon pepitas,
petite french horn mushrooms

Grilled Sika Deer
artichoke hearts, roasted potatoes,
meyer lemon purée

Charolais Fermier
fresh soy beans, marinated tomato,
ground olives

Peach Crisp
cardomom, ginger, cinnamon

Mushroom Vinegar

We have been reserving mushroom essences over the past several months in hopes of collecting enough intense mushroom broth to make something interesting.  The mushroom essence is a by product of slow cooking our mushrooms.  Occasionally, we season the broth and use it to dress the mushrooms immediately though, as I noted, we have also reserved it with future plans unknown.  Today we took all the reserved broth and began reducing it slowly, my first thoughts were a syrup.  As the broth reduced and as I tasted the intensity growing, I looked towards balance.  I added a good dose of champagne vinegar to pot and have allowed it to reduce, nearing a syrup like state, though retaining some intense acidity.  I have added some soy sauce to the pot in order to round out the flavors of the mushroom vinegar syrup.  I have begun anticipating the uses of our mushroom vinegar as it cools and perfumes our kitchen.

Brighter Than The Stars

Pumpkin Seed Puree

This morning with another deep frost in the air and young pumpkins transitioning colors on the ground, I was drawn to highlighting an unsung culinary hero. Pumpkin seeds have an earthy richness that lures me to utilizing and highlighting them.  Today we made a puree of pumpkin seeds with lime, jalapeno (of course) and candied ginger.  We balanced the earthiness of the puree with goat cheese gnocchi and caraway lacquered banana.  We added a final note of fruity umami with a tomato-pineapple chip.  The dish is simple and straightforward, inspired by the elements around us.

Hot Avocado

Today allowed for us to work further with hot avocado.  We have made pancakes and sheets, gnocchi and more.  This afternoon we just had some fun.  We made a structured and free form composition of avocado with nooks and crannies to capture sauces and hold garnishes.  The avocado is sliceable and still becomes creamy in the mouth, transferring flavors of lime and jalapeno, accents to the dense flake of pike.

Almost Fall

We are on the precipice of fall, with thirty-degree mornings and butternut squash for sale.  Both influences on my daily life inspired and shaped an interesting new dish, pike with butternut squash.  We made a squash pickle with our tequila vinegar, and made whipped butternut squash puree accented with cider and cinnamon to add a voluptuous nature to the dish.  Our cocoa-miso adds bitterness, salinity and an impression of the sea, while caraway-cumin caramel adds to balance the dishes components.

Goat Cheese Gnocchi

Crisp cool mornings seem to help clarify and focus ideas which have been bouncing around in my brain.  This morning yielded the successful execution of goat cheese gnocchi. Similarly, we paired the gnocchi with squab, celery leaf, and olives in a play off the old thanksgiving relish tray.  The gnocchi are similar in texture to delicate ricotta gnocchi, yet in this instance we are able to eliminate the flour and eggs normally associated with binding dumplings.

Lamb

Over the past few days we have been cooking simply.  We have gone to roasting chicken, broiling fresh bacon, working on flavors rather than aesthetic.  In the background I continue to push myself, though in the dining room dishes have needed to appear basic, while retaining the refined cooking methods we are trying to perfect.  Yesterday we were able to gently cook racks of lamb to a melting tenderness.  They were first marinated in olive oil with marjoram and local garlic.  We sealed the lamb in a bag and cooked them at 53.5 degrees for two hours.  Yes, we left the fat on the lamb as both a flavor enhancer and also to insulate and baste the meat.  We removed the lamb from the bags and broiled the cap fat to caramelize--a trick and tribute to one of our owners (Alan Sackman) who adores lamb fat.  We served the lamb with grilled eggplant, dried cherries, chicken of the woods mushrooms and smoked vinegar.

Ground Olives

Play with your food often.  In recent days we have been working with ground olives as both a crust and a condiment.  In grinding the olives we are able to slide olives into dishes rather than making a predominant statement with big olives on the plate.  Similarly, ground olives allow us to distribute there flavor as we choose, either as a crust, a pile or even folded into a sauce at the last minute.  We are able to manipulate and direct flavors while still having fun with the food.  This evening we are utilizing the olives with twice cooked tuna cheek.

Fail Safe Bread Recipe

Okay, before I post this recipe I want to be very clear about something.  This is my fail safe bread dough recipe, evolved several years ago at a restaurant where I needed to bake bread every day.  I can make this bread in my sleep and fashion it into almost every flavor under the sun with a tweak here or a twist there.  This does not mean it will be a fail safe recipe for anyone else although your probability for success is very high.  Over the years I have learned that recipes are very personal things and never seem to work the same way for any two people.  But I have had some requests for this recipe from people who have enjoyed it in our dining room and elsewhere, so here it is with the technique slightly modified for the home cook:

6.5 cups AP or Bread Flour (you can substitute 3.25 cups of flour for any grain or meal of your choice
1.5 teaspoons instant yeast or 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar (white, brown, honey, maple)
1 tablespoon salt
2.5 cups water, milk, tea, etc.
Extra virgin olive oil, corn oil or clarified butter to grease the bowl where your bread will rise

Combine the dry ingredients.  Add the liquid and mix to form a soft, slightly tacky dough.  If you are using a mixer it will (mostly) clean the sides of the bowl.  Start with a paddle and switch to a dough hook when it comes together.  You can rest the dough covered for 15 minutes before kneading to improve water absorption or you can go right into it.  Depending on the day I do what is convenient, which I probably shouldn't admit but it's true.  Both versions are good.  Knead the dough for about 5-7 minutes using a mixer on medium speed or 10-15 minutes by hand.  When it is done it will look cohesive and silky.  If you use a mixer, give it a few turns by hand before putting it into an oiled bowl.  Roll the dough around in the greased bowl to coat it and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  It will take up to 2 hours for the first rising on the kitchen counter depending upon the temperature of your kitchen.  I usually knock it down once more and let it rise again before shaping it into loaves.  The second rise will be much quicker than the first one, taking approximately half the amount of time.  If you are busy and can't get to the dough, just keep knocking it down.  This will actually improve the finished product as long as it never over proofs (deflates on it's own accord).  Shape your loaves onto a sheet tray lined with parchment.  I usually get two long loaves or about 12-14 dinner rolls out of one batch.  Spray them with water and cover them with plastic wrap.  The water will create a moist environment and keep the wrap from sticking to the dough.  Set aside to proof one last time.  Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  When the dough has risen and looks puffy and marshmallow like, spray it thoroughly with water and put it into the hot oven.  Bake for 7 minutes.  Rotate the bread 180 degrees and lower the temperature to 400 degrees and bake for another 7-10 minutes or so, less for rolls.  Once the bread has reached the desired golden to foxy brown color of you choice, take it out of the oven and let it cool.  Place it on rack if you prefer a crisper crust.

If you are planning ahead, you can cut the yeast in half and let it rise in the fridge overnight.  Pull it out a few hours before you're going to bake it off.  Knock it down and let it come back to room temperature before shaping it for baking.  It will rise a second time as it comes to room temperature.  Proceed as above.

Any leftover rice or cooked grains can be added to the dry ingredients before mixing the dough.  They will provide flavor and moisture to the finished product.  A raw chopped onion mellows beautifully in the finished loaf.  Chunks of cured meats, cheeses, olives or herbs can be added when forming the loaves.  Just flatten out the dough into long rectangles.  Sprinkle your chunks onto the middle three quarters of the dough leaving a space at the top and bottom.  Roll up the dough, lengthwise and make sure the seam is on the bottom of your sheet tray.  Let proof and continue as above.  Use your imagination here because it is a very forgiving dough and will accept most additions with grace.  Please feel free to email us with questions, problems and success stories.  We'll try to help out however we can.

Grandma Kitty's Shrimp and Special Sauce

    Grandma Kitty and Bill are with us for just one night and I'm holding down the fort so that Alex can be with them this evening.  One of the difficulties of living in Colorado is that we are so far from the people who are dearest to us.  When someone actually makes the trek out here we like to be able to spend some time with them.  Unfortunately in this business it's not always possible.  But tonight at least one of us can have the evening off.
    Over the years I have heard so many stories about Kitty that revolve around food that in my mind I cannot separate the two.  Back in the day Kitty had her own television cooking show in Springfield MA.  When we visit her in Longmeadow it's like traveling with mayor, everyone knows her.  People still come up to tell her how much her show meant to them.  She's that kind of a lady.  Alex has his own set of special memories which he has shared with me.  I think of them whenever we see or speak to her.
    One of my favorites is about Kitty's shrimp cocktail.  Anyone of a certain age has memories of shrimp cocktail.  It was staple at the parties we had at home when I was growing up.  As far as I was concerned, the jumbo shrimp were a reason to have a party.  Jumbo shrimp in restaurants were never as satisfying.  Either they weren't very jumbo, they were over cooked or there just weren't enough of them.  When we had parties at home the bowl of extremely large shrimp was overflowing.  I always disdained the sauce, preferring to enjoy the sweet flavor of my shellfish unadorned.  It is a practice I continue to this day, extending it through the ranks of crab meat, lobster and langoustines.  If I'm eating for my own pleasure, I prefer it plain, but well seasoned and in abundance.
    Alex has an entirely different view of shrimp cocktail.  He grew up eating it at all of the family gatherings.  It was there during the cocktail hour for every holiday and every special occasion when the family gathered.  He thinks that it should always be served with Kitty's special sauce, a combination of ketchup, mayonnaise and chili sauce.  The shrimp is equally a pleasure in itself and as a vehicle for the sauce.  In his world, there are never quite enough shrimp to satisfy.  He says that as kids he and his sister Meredith would have to sneak the shrimp because their parents would cut them off early to save more for the adults.  So the pleasure of the shrimp was an illicit one, greatly enjoyed but never fully satisfied.  The grand kids now are allowed to eat their fill.  He eyes them with slight animosity as they park themselves next to the platter at family gatherings.  I think that he is the better off.  They will never feel as strongly about them as he does.  They will never have the pleasure of sneaking one past their parents watchful eyes.  They will never savor those moments of adulthood when he became free to eat as many as he wanted.  He never did though, by the time he was old enough to eat his fill, he was also sensitive enough to want to make sure that there was enough left for everyone else.  He never orders it in restaurants because it just doesn't have the same flavor.
    When I was first getting to know Alex's family, the kitchen was a refuge.  I could help out with the preparations and buy some myself space before joining the extremely large group that is now our family.  In the kitchen I heard all of the stories about Kitty.  I learned to make the strawberry pie, the special sauce, the Montana breakfast and countless other dishes from other times,places and special people.  Now, when he gets hungry for those people and those memories I can create the dishes that bring them just a little bit closer for a moment or two.

   

September 11, 2005

Chilled Langoustines
strawberry-papaya sauce, ground olives,
lovage

Potato Purée
warm maine lobster, shiso,
smoked paprika

Grilled Lamb Belly
daikon radish puree, chicken of the woods mushrooms,
yellow plum miso

Pennsylvania Noble Cheddar
fresh and salted plum purée, ice lettuce,
ramp bulb pickle

Hot Milk Cake
whipped passion fruit, smoked maple syrup

September 10, 2005

Broccoli and Cheese Agnolotti
garlic chive blossoms, piave vecchio cheese

Seared Foie Gras
chicken of the woods mushrooms, ginger-ketchup sauce,
shiso

Broiled Pork Belly
grilled watermelon, grapefruit confiture,
lovage

Montgomery’s Cheddar
baby heirloom tomatoes, armando manni olive oil

Organic Raspberry Crostata
whipped creme fraiche

Pickled Chickpeas

A week or so ago we recieved some beautiful fresh chickpeas; crunchy, green, sweet and in need not much.  We first thought about cooking them like fresh beans, a fine approach but not enough of a highlight to this seasonal vegetable.  In turn, we thought about preservation.  We decided to pickle the chickpeas.  We made a base of coconut vinegar infused with cardamom, honey and seasoned with salt.  We poured the base over the chickpeas and sealed them in a mason jar with our food saver in order to help pull the vinegar base into the chickpeas without cooking them.  The chickpeas marinated for a few days after which their underlying flavor remained accented by the coconut vinegar and rounded by the salt, honey, and cardamom.  We now use the pickled chickpeas as an accent to many dishes.  Most recently we used them in conjunction with seared foie gras and grilled watermelon.

Yesterday's Breakfast

Sunday mornings used to be a time for family to gather around the breakfast table and eat a multiple course breakfast, beginning with fresh melon topped with blueberries and a squeeze of lime. After that would be eggs on top of homefries or spiced beans with tomato and jalapeno.  This morning--hectic and disenchanting-- became refreshed by these memories.  In fact, these peaceful thoughts of family and food led to a new dish many of these featuring flavors and tastes.  Seared foie gras and scallop with blueberry compote, melon seared and salsa, garlic chive blossoms and whipped passion fruit

An old friend: Smoked Vinegar

I rediscovered an ingredient from yore-- smoked vinegar-- kicking about my condiment shelf and brought it to the forefront of the refrigerator and recently integrated it into some current dishes.  We originally combined our wine vinegar with balsamic vinegar and a touch of soy sauce and smoked it gently to marry the flavors.  I combined a balsamic syrup infused with Indonesian long pepper to the smoked base to round out and thicken the base.  The vinegar is just shy of being considered a syrup, though it is full flavored and carries a balanced smoke-vingegar-peppery punch.  Two recent dishes benefited from the use of the smoked vinegar.  Ironically enough, both dishes also used burrata an soft curd cheese enrobed in its own casing.

Chicken of the Woods

The phone rang and all I heard was "I have some incredible chicken of the woods mushrooms."  Steve Stallard of blis caviar does much more than just make caviar and age maple syrup, he fills his voids by foraging for mushrooms and trying to make 26 hours in a day.  When Steve calls and says he has something, I just say send it.  We figure out what to do with the product when it arrives.  The chicken of the woods are some of the most beautiful and inspiring mushrooms I have seen.  There color is extraordinary and the meaty texture and taste is truly decadent.  Tonight we are serving them with seared foie gras, though upcoming menus will surely feature these spectacular mushrooms as well.

September 9, 2005

Seared Scallop
summer squash:  confit, purée, chip

Slow Cooked Lobster
banana-tamarind, corn dashi,
arugula

Squab Roulade
preserved leg, mango-kosho,
coco miso

Burrata
blackberries, smoked vinegar,
mallow root

Strawberry Shortcake
local organic strawberries, whipped cream,
grains of paradise

September 8, 2005

We've been a bit behind lately and haven't been posting menus but we had a lot of fun with this one and it was very well received so we knew that we had to share it.

                                        Snail Fricassee
                            pigs trotter, perigord, truffle,
                                         green sauce

                                         Petrale Sole
                           rhubarb, passsion fruit-soy,
                                            lovage

                                 Grilled Blue Fin Tuna
             smoked lobster mushrooms, maine lobster,
                                     violet mustard

                                   Bleu de Termignon
                  pickled chickpeas, dr. pepper syrup,
                                      melon pepitas

                                 Brown Butter Cake
                colorado peaches, organic raspberries

It's About the Butter

A funny thing happens when people taste Animal Farm butter. We serve it unsalted with fleur de sel on the table and suggest that they sprinkle the salt on the butter.  They may be distracted as they take the first bite, After a few seconds they usually pause, stop chewing to really savor the flavor and texture (we serve it cold), then swallow thoughtfully and go for another bite.  This time they eat it more slowly, getting into the moment and experiencing the butter with all of their senses. After the second bite they begin to talk.  They talk about the flavor of the butter and how reminiscent of cheese it is.  That leads to memories and conversation about food, family, and friends.  People above a certain age begin to talk about their childhood memories and the way that things used to taste.  Stories are told and soft laughter chimes through the dining room.  Countless loaves of bread disappear during the course of a meal.  As good as it is, it’s oftentimes merely a vehicle for the butter.  That’s the power of great food.  That’s the effect we’re going for every time we put food on the table.  Fortunately there are people like Diane St. Clair and her team of cows to remind us that we are not alone in our struggle to create something wonderful in a troubled world.  The best thing that we can do for our guests is to create a moment of pure pleasure where the rest of the world fades away.  These are precious moments in these troubled times and it is a rare gift for us when we can do that for someone.  But even when we’re having a tough day in the kitchen, we know that we can always fall back on the butter.  Knowing that, we somehow pull through the madness and come out on the other side.

Miso Noodles and Wrappers

Aki put together a new pasta dough for me to work with--miso and brown rice flour.  The dough is perfumed with a touch of sesame oil which in conjunction with the miso permeated the kitchen while I roled it this afternoon.  I began by making noodles with our chitarra, though I was constantly thinking about using it as a wrapper, particularly for foie gras.  Since I did not have any foie gras on hand, I cut into our pig trotter and truffle roulade and used that instead.  I roled out a large sheet of the dough and placed the pork roulades on top, finally covering the assemblage with another sheet of dough.  I then thought about the perfect fitting of dough around the roulade and opted to use the foodsaver to help shape these ravioli.  The vaccum of the foodsaver allowed the pasta to shrink wrap around the pork-truffle cylinder to make a form fitted ravioli.  Was my process worth the effort? I shall see in a bit, though I believe for a wrapping of flavored pasta around foie gras or sweetbreads this method will work great, form fitting and allowing for gentle cooking.

The miso noodles themselves will be used in several dishes, one with rock shrimp and perhaps our corn dashi while another with seared foie gras and fresh soy beans.

Green Sauces

    I called them green sauces but neither one is really a sauce in the truest sense of the word.  The first was inspired by a gorgeous bunch of flat leaf parsley.  It was crisp, green, succulent, and begging to be used immediately.  My mind went instantly to the green sauce at Victor's in the theater district in NYC.  Growing up I was lucky enough to go to a Broadway show now and again.  One of our favorite restaurants in the area was Victor's Cafe.  The food was basically Cuban, spicy, well seasoned and delicious.  I haven't been there in years so I can't vouch for there current cuisine but back then it was one of my favorites.
   We always started our meals with shrimp or clams in green sauce.  The seafood was always sizzling in it's casserole and the sauce was vibrant with color and flavor.  The earthy herbalness of the parsley was balanced with sharpness of the garlic and the richness of the oil.  The underlying salinity of the ocean was both counterpoint and perfect match.  The bread basket would lie empty as we chased the last drops of sauce with a crust of bread and devoured it.
    This memory rose to mind as I contemplated the parsley.  I was also fortunate to have been the recipient of some local, organic garlic and my gaze lingered upon the small purple and white heads.  I pulled the leaves from the parsley and combined them in a food processor with some fresh garlic, roasted walnuts and McEvoy olive oil to make a rough puree.  The nuts were inspired by pesto, they added a meaty quality to the sauce, and to my mind, made it a bit more versatile.  I left out the cheese so that the parsley and garlic could take center stage with the nuts and the oil providing a strong support for their performance.  I covered the sauce with more oil and left it to rest overnight so the flavors could bloom.  It's wonderful now but I think it will be better tomorrow.  Hopefully by then I'll think of the proper accompaniments.
   The second sauce was actually inspired by a couple of different things.  The first was a bunch of cilantro that was almost as pretty as the parsley.  Cilantro is on of those herbs that most people either love or hate.  I have a bit of a mixed relationship with it.  I love the way that it is almost minty, with cool, herbal and cleansing qualities that make a perfect foil for rich or spicy foods.  I do not love the soapy quality that sometimes threatens to overwhelm all of it's positive attributes.  As I was pondering what to do with this particular bunch I remembered something that I read last night.
    I am unable to go to sleep unless I do some reading first.  At the moment I am rereading a copy of Food True Stories of Life on the Road (*Wrong book off of the nightstand.  It was actually The Adventure of Food, although I liked them both, I liked this one better.) and I remembered reading about cilantro last night.  I don't remember which essay it was, but it's a very good book and if you look, you're sure to find it.  Anyway, the man in the essay concocted a dip/condiment type thing using cilantro, pine nuts and roasted garlic.  There was more in there but those were the ones that made an impression on me.  I don't love pine nuts so I used Brazil nuts for their meatiness, richness and subtlety.  I roasted the garlic and nuts while I cleaned and picked the cilantro.  I processed the warm garlic and nuts with salt, cilantro and a bit of jalapeno, no seeds or pith, just the walls of a pepper.  The residual heat cooked the cilantro and a bit of alchemy took place.  The finished product was actually quite smooth and somehow addictive.  The earthiness of the pepper added a bit of heat, the cooked cilantro smoothed out to add herbal notes and a coolness to balance the pepper.  The nuts were not crunchy but added a bit of a chew to the whole thing along with their own unique flavor.  The roasted garlic faded to the background, tying thing together and lingering on the palate like a fine wine.  One bite led to another and another and then I put it away for fear there would be none left to serve.  Our guests tonight will enjoy it slightly warmed in the oven with a slow cooked tuna cheek, plum miso puree and an espellette pepper chip.   As for me, I can envision some freshly baked bread, a cool chunk of Animal Farm Butter, and several spoonfuls of that cilantro stuff, savored while standing up in the kitchen after service.

September 5, 2005

Chinese Long Bean Salad
sesame vinaigrette, plum molasses,
slow cooked langoustines

Seared Bay Scallops
culatello, fig-coconut pudding,
red ribbon sorrel

Crispy Young Pork
apple-pineapple sauce, shiitake mushrooms,
smoked cashews

Three Sisters Serena Cheese
miso braised daikon radish, calamansi lime,
shiso

Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding
brown sugar and orange custard

Feeling Fall

The weather is finally turning.  Bracing mornings reveal warm days which lead into crisp evenings.  Now is the time to be in Colorado.  What I enjoy even better is that the varried weather allows us to bridge many seasons and expand the varriety of what we serve throughout the day.  Summer ingredients are still flourishing, fall ingredients are in their infancy though many are already explosive with flavor.  For someone like myself who has the attention span of a gnat, now is the optimum time to cook for I am able to use almost  everything and will only occasionally be chastized for my lack of seasonality.  Upcoming dishes include: a rhubarb dashi with buckwheat and miso noodles, sorrel and seared foie gras; duck with hot chocolate gnocchi and apple cider chips; late summer squash fondue and smoked risotto with young goat cheese and ground sea beans; petite heirloom tomato salad with unagi vinaigrette and lovage; broccoli and pierre robert agnolotti with langoustines and garam masala; burgundy snails with plum molasses, hoja santa pesto and chorizo.  These are a few of the dishes we began work on and hope to have polished in the near future.

Simple Supper is Simply Super

My supper of choice incorporates all that is good about breakfast and marries it to the heartiness of dinner.  Actually, I can make this meal anytime of day, usually it sustains me for the day with the occasional complimentary cappucino.  So what am I talking about?  Angel hair pasta dressed with butter, hot sauce (Crystal from LA), slivered jalapeno (a recent addition do to my current jalapeno fetish) cooked bacon, grating cheese and butter steamed eggs.  A meal fit for a king though usually just consumed by me.  The eggs are steamed in a shallow pan with butter.  Cold butter, cooked chopped bacon, jalapeno slivers and hot sauce sit in a large bowl.  The cheese is grated and is added at the last minute.  The pasta is slightly undercooked and tossed dripping wet with the ingredients in the bowl creating a slick of a sauce, spicy and smoky; agrresively tamed.  The steamed eggs are set like sunny side eggs with a bit of moxy.  I place the dressed pasta in a bowl, top with grated cheese, more pasta, more cheese and slide the four steamed eggs on top.  Crack black pepper over the eggs  and the dish is done.  Oh, the grating cheese is ideally Piave Vecchio though any full flavored grating cheese will suffice.  Alright, search out the Piave, do not skimp on the jalapeno or bacon.  If jalapeno is unavailable use two hot sauces: Crystal and Matouks.  One last drop of luxury which adds an over the top flavor to the dish is a few drops of black truffle oil.  The key is a few drops, not an extreme application like hair spray in the 1980's.  This dish is it.  If you get a day off, cook it for yourself or con someone into making it for you.  It is even better if you do not have to lift a finger, only a fist holding an ice cold Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Chutneys and Marmalades

    A chutney is a piquant relish based on sweet and sour ingredients: fruit and vinegar, sugar and spices.  A marmalade is usually a citrus preserve utilizing flesh and rind, though in many cases--particularly ours--a marmalade marries the idea of a traditional chutney and a traditional marmalade.  The making of chutneys is based on the understanding of the many different concepts and techniques bound together into the final amalgam the chutney.  We use gastriques, spice blends, salt, sugar, pepper and vinegar.  We use herbs and occasionally marinate ingredients before cooking them.  We can fold in finished jams or use them as a base for the chutney.  We use alcohol to add background and rich flavors as well as to bring forth subtle nuances.  Furthermore, the inclusion of pickles and fruit juices, fresh and reduced, add another layer to the chutney.  Finally, the finished chutney can be used as a crust or topping to add finishing flavor to a dish.  In a chutney we balance tastes and draw on simple techniques and culinary outlooks which are fundamental to our cooking.
    The key when making chutneys is achieving a flavor balance.  We use fruits and vegetables balanced with vinegar and spices to create a base in which a blend of contrasting and complementary ingredients show the final product is greater than the sum of its parts.  The blending of ingredients, the balancing of tastes, the melding of flavors allow for chutneys to have explosive and subtle flavors.  Their piquant nature organizes the palate for rich ingredients.  Chutneys are also useful in subtle dishes for they act to point out the delicate flavors of steamed fish or braised salsify.  The chutney delivers flavor while also defining the flavors accompanying it in a dish. No component can overpower the others or else the chutney will be out of balance.
    The development of our chutneys is guided by an understanding of ingredients and how we wish to use them.  Our inspiration is usually sparked by bountiful produce markets overflowing with ingredients at their flavor zenith.  As a small restaurant we can only use so much of a certain product, so in turning the excess into a chutney, we give an extended and new life to beautiful products.    

Porcine Plates

The slow cooked pig body, head and trotters retained their delicate flavors over our extended cooking time.  Today we began working with the pig body (the shoulders and bellies boned out and pressed and cooked together) as well as dismantling the trotters for a seared hot terrine.  We flavored the trotter meat with preserved truffle, sesame oil, chives and natural pork jus.  We rolled the farce in the trotter skin and are now allowing it to mature. On the other hand, the pork body was ready for utilizing and two dishes came to light: Young pork with ramp kimchee and smoked vinegar and young pork with slow cooked summer squash and mango kosho.  Both dishes create a delicate balance with the smoked vinegar and mango kosho acting as flavor contrasts to pique the dishes.

The Key is Contrast

We are constantly looking for contrast.  Why?  Without contrast we are stuck with a feeling of sameness.  In order for food as well as experiences to truly pop, something must exist which disrupts and calls attention to situations and dishes.  Contrast may also take place over time as in the evolution of a menu.  One dish sets up or even downplays another such that in sequence guests are forced to see and experience dining and recreation with a focused outlook.  Contrast is not shock value.  That is important to note.  We look to create experiences with small accents which in turn shape, define and pique culinary escapades.  Contrast is also important because it promotes discussion.  It encourages an interaction and a conversation from kitchen to dining room and vice versa.  Not everyone gets or sees the contrast, that is to be expected.  Yet in the same sense one may not be consciously aware of the contrast, rather they note something different and exciting.  At the end of the day, having and utilizing contrasts enables us to interact with guests via our own culinary conversation.

August 31, 2005

Warmed Ruby  Red Shrimp
fig-coconut pudding and chip,
chinese long beans

Seared Cuttlefish
broccoli purée, calamansi lime, young shiso

Ginger Cured Salmon
organic tomato, ground sea beans,
armando manni olive oil

MouCo Colorouge
smoked lobster mushrooms, apple-pineapple purée,
ice lettuce

Organic Strawberry Pie
cream cheese, prosecco jelly