Category: Spring

Pork, Spring

Egg Yolk Ravioli, Braised Pork Belly, Early Harvest Vegetables, Butternut Squash Puree

This dish was prepared for a wine dinner earlier this week, and was served with a 2012 Broken Road Chardonnay. The ravioli was prepared by rolling pasta out thinly and placing a dollop of Boursin cheese, then making an indention for a raw egg yolk.  The pasta is then brushed with egg wash before another another sheet of pasta is placed on top; the dull … Continue reading Egg Yolk Ravioli, Braised Pork Belly, Early Harvest Vegetables, Butternut Squash Puree

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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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Beef, Entree, Spring

Wagyu Hanger Steak with Beef Short Rib Croquette, Potato Puree, Cippolini Onion, Local Mushrooms, Sauce Choron

Hanger Steak is one of my favorite cuts of meat because of its deep, robust flavor.  The hanger steak is found in the diaphragm, attached to the last rib.  It is sometimes seen on menus as a “bistro steak” and was commonly referred to as “butchers steak” since butchers would take them home for dinner before the cut rose in prominence. This hanger steak is … Continue reading Wagyu Hanger Steak with Beef Short Rib Croquette, Potato Puree, Cippolini Onion, Local Mushrooms, Sauce Choron

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Entree, Seafood, Spring

Potato Crusted Sea Bass with Easter Egg Radishes, Lemon-Chive Butter Sauce

For this dish I prepared the sea bass sous vide, cooking it against a plexiglass backing in the bag to preserve the shape.  The sea bass cooked at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty minutes, then it was shocked in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. When I butchered the sea bass I reserved the scrap, which was combined with fresh shallots, heavy whipping … Continue reading Potato Crusted Sea Bass with Easter Egg Radishes, Lemon-Chive Butter Sauce

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Appetizer, Seafood, Spring

Sea Scallop with Truffled Cauliflower Puree, Crispy Mushrooms, Bacon, Butter Poached Radish and Creamer Potatoes

For this dish I used the “Twice Cooked Scallop” recipe from the “Ideas in Food” cookbook by Aki Komazawa and Alexander Talbot.  The scallops were brined in a .05% salt water solution for ten minutes, then cooked sous vide at 122 degrees for thirty minutes before shocking in an ice bath.  The scallops were fired to order in a smoking hot cast iron skillet. The … Continue reading Sea Scallop with Truffled Cauliflower Puree, Crispy Mushrooms, Bacon, Butter Poached Radish and Creamer Potatoes

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Appetizer, Beef, Spring

CAB Prime Beef Carpaccio with Petit Greens, Truffle-Sherry Vinaigrette, Roasted Garlic Aioli, Potato Crisp

Sometimes a piece of beef is so well marbled that you just don’t want to cook it… That was the case with the CAB Prime beef tenderloin that came in from Southern Foods. Rather than cook it, it was wrapped into a cylinder then frozen over night.  The next morning it was unwrapped, then seared quickly in a cast iron skillet in the 1600 degree … Continue reading CAB Prime Beef Carpaccio with Petit Greens, Truffle-Sherry Vinaigrette, Roasted Garlic Aioli, Potato Crisp

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Appetizer, Beef, Spring, Vegetable

Caramelized Onion Croquette, Steak Tartare with Quail Egg, Wild Mushroom Terrine, Ramp Puree

This dish paired a warm caramelized onion croquette with a puree of Spring ramp, Prime Angus tartare, sunny side-up quail egg, wild mushroom and beef consomme terrine and pea tendrils from Lucky Leaf Gardens. The croquette was prepared by making a caramelized onion risotto and then chilling it down before shaping small two ounce portions into cylinders.  The chilled risotto can be piped with a … Continue reading Caramelized Onion Croquette, Steak Tartare with Quail Egg, Wild Mushroom Terrine, Ramp Puree

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Entree, Game, Spring

Herb Crusted Lamb Loin, Braised Lamb Shank Ragout, Heirloom Carrot, Compressed Creamer Potatoes

This dish was prepared using some of Spring’s best offerings:  Lamb loin with braised lamb shank and speckled butter bean ragout, heirloom carrot, ramp puree, field mache and compressed creamer potatoes. The lamb loin was boned and cleaned, then seasoned liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper before wrapping it into a cylinder in plastic wrap.  It was then placed in cryovac before … Continue reading Herb Crusted Lamb Loin, Braised Lamb Shank Ragout, Heirloom Carrot, Compressed Creamer Potatoes

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Appetizer, Seafood, Spring

Duo of Shrimp with Horseradish Panna Cotta, Spicy Tomato Gastrique, Savory Cracker, Micro Greens

This dish was a duo of shrimp, with one preparation traditionally poached and the other preparation of shrimp compressed and prepared sous vide. For the poached shrimp I used 21/25 tail off black tiger shrimp, with a poaching liquid of water, lemon juice, white wine and Old Bay seasoning.  Bring the water just barely to a simmer, when wisps of steam begin rising from the … Continue reading Duo of Shrimp with Horseradish Panna Cotta, Spicy Tomato Gastrique, Savory Cracker, Micro Greens

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