Category: Appetizer

Appetizer, Summer, Vegetable

Watermelon Gazpacho with Crab and Cucumber

The latest menu in the dining room featured this appetizer, which was previously very successful as an evening special.  It features watermelon gazpacho, which is poured table side, over a garnish of compressed watermelon, cucumber, snipped chives, edible flowers, jumbo lump crab meat and sliced cucumber.   Gazpacho is a very old Spanish preparation, dating back to the days of the Roman empire.  Traditionally, it … Continue reading Watermelon Gazpacho with Crab and Cucumber

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Appetizer, Seafood, Summer

Sous Vide Scallops, Truffled Cauliflower Puree, Purple Cauliflower, Creamer Potatoes

  This dish was served at a Chef’s Table in the kitchen this week, and was paired with a 2005 Peter Michael L’Apres-Midi Sauvignon Blanc.  The tasting notes on this highly-rated wine include notes of citrus and lychee, with a clean and crisp finish.  The flavors of this dish were meant to be muted, earthy and mildly sweet, to pair with the dry nature of … Continue reading Sous Vide Scallops, Truffled Cauliflower Puree, Purple Cauliflower, Creamer Potatoes

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Appetizer, Seafood, Summer

Corn and Crab Cake with Pickled Tomato Relish, Tempura Squash Blossom with Boursin, Baby Greens with Shallot-Thyme Vinaigrette

This dish epitomizes the flavors of summer, bringing together crab, ripe tomatoes, squash blossoms, corn, and local greens. The corn and crab cake on this dish was an unusual preparation.  Typically the crab and corn would be lightly folded with an egg-based dressing, some kind of bread crumb and seasoning; this crab cake was created as more of a terrine, by folding crab meat into … Continue reading Corn and Crab Cake with Pickled Tomato Relish, Tempura Squash Blossom with Boursin, Baby Greens with Shallot-Thyme Vinaigrette

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Appetizer, Seafood, Spring, Vegetable

Tuna Crudo with Hummus, Baby Greens, Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette

  Recently a guest requested “Tuna Crudo” as part of their multi-course tasting menu.  The use of the term “Crudo” versus “Carpaccio” or “Sashimi” made me curious as to whether there was a fundamental difference between the preparations. Crudo, which means “raw” in Italian, can encompass minced, diced, or sliced proteins.  Carpaccio, which means “skin”, generally means that items have been sliced to the thinness … Continue reading Tuna Crudo with Hummus, Baby Greens, Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette

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Appetizer, Game, Spring

Duck, Dried Fruit and Pecan Roulade with Spaghetti Squash, Potato and Pear, Roasted Shallot and Cherry Demi

This dish has some of my favorite flavor profiles and I’ve enjoyed letting it evolve over the past few years. This preparation includes a roulade of duck breast with the skin removed, which has been filled with dried cranberries, raisins and candied pecans.  The spaghetti squash was roasted and tossed with bacon, mirepoix, butter and seasoned with kosher salt and ground white pepper.  Idaho potatoes … Continue reading Duck, Dried Fruit and Pecan Roulade with Spaghetti Squash, Potato and Pear, Roasted Shallot and Cherry Demi

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Appetizer, Seafood, Winter

Grilled Oysters with Apple-IPA Mignonette

Grilled oysters are a dish that is widely enjoyed here in the Piedmont region in Autumn.  For this preparation, Blue Point oysters were cleaned thoroughly in cold water with a brush before shucking.  The oysters were then flashed in a 1600 degree oven just until they began to firm up. The mignonette was prepared with a Highlands Brewery Kashmir IPA.  Their India Pale Ale is … Continue reading Grilled Oysters with Apple-IPA Mignonette

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Appetizer, Pork, Summer

Pork Belly: Braised Bacon, Crispy Pork Skins

Recently we’ve been working with uncured pork belly in the kitchen a little more than usual, with some great results. I start with cutting the pork belly down into several manageable pieces, then carefully remove the skin from the pork belly.  I try to leave as much fat as possible on the belly, since that means there will be less to remove later from the … Continue reading Pork Belly: Braised Bacon, Crispy Pork Skins

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Appetizer, Summer, Vegetable

Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Quiche, Baby Greens with Caramelized Onion Vinaigrette, Crispy Prosciutto, Spun Potato

The word “quiche” refers to an open-faced tartlet that is filled with a custard that is typically garnished with vegetables, meat or fish.  Although “quiche” is typically identified with classical French cuisine, the dish originated in Germany and the word is a derivative of the German “Kuchen”, which means cake. When preparing quiche, I use a flaky pie dough that is molded in a pie … Continue reading Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Quiche, Baby Greens with Caramelized Onion Vinaigrette, Crispy Prosciutto, Spun Potato

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