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In collaboration with Corkscrew wine bar in Tahoe City, I was given the opportunity to have a lot of fun with a few dishes. The idea was to buy ingredients from the Thursday Farmers Market in Tahoe City, and then create 2 dishes to be paired with 2 glasses of wine. Wonderful summer produce and refreshing wine made this an irresistible opportunity.
The first dish I pulled from a previous Iron Chef. A shrimp ceviche, this time, fresh pacific Ono was used with shrimp to add some more texture. White peaches from the market were julianned, and serranos diced very small. Fresh squeezed lime juice, and a dash of agave nectar finished this refreshing dish. It was paired with an Albarino.
The second dish was a play on a couple different dishes. You can call it a deconstructed crostini, a play on chips and salsa, or something that was just plain different. Heirloom tomatoes were diced and mixed with agave nectar and julianned basil, and hit with Meyer Lemon Olive oil from We Olive in San Francisco. Then goat cheese was mixed with lemon zest and fresh parsley. Finishing the plate was a generous portion of kettle potato chips. Customers were having fun playing with the three items on the plate. Among initial reviews, I think the potato chip crostini/salsa plate is here to stay.
Cant wait for next Thursday!
I was very fortunate to have a booking in Los Angeles. Andi was kind enough to fly me down to prepare a huge meal for her and her friends to celebrate her new job. The menu was ambitious, but very fun.
Mustard dill flank steak was the headliner, however, the huge mexican scallop stole the show. A true showcase of incredible ingredients. I simply prepared the scallop. Nothing major, just a little bit of coconut butter and salt. Served on top of bacon risotto. But, the scallops also yeilded another dish. I decided to make a crudo. By thinly slicing the scallop, and then pounding it paper thin. Dressed with fresh lime juice, jullianed radishes, and some scallions. To top, I heated up olive oil to frying temperature, and then drizzled it on top. The plate was clear before I had a chance to try!
Also on the menu were my shrimp spring rolls, and a heriloom & cherry crostini derived from Iron Chef 1. The spring rolls and crostini are quickly becoming my most requested dishes.
The dinner was long and fabulous, accompanied by lovely wine, and some berries and angel food cake for dessert. An absolute joy to cook, and a treat to get to see some of my friends! Thanks Andi!
Easter in June??
Well, when someone presents you with a ham, you just have to take it. Researching a wide variety of recipes for the ham, I came across one that seemed interesting and built off of it. A number of chefs use a soda, like coke, in the warming process to help keep moisture. I took it one step further. Basically making a Jack and Coke, with an addition of some cayenne and vanilla extract. Ham added, along with a glaze which I boosted up with some cayanne, vanilla and some coffee grinds, my take on a red-eye gravy dish.
The ham turned out spectacular. And I had repeat visitors for breakfast!
Ham - 275*
Coke, Jack Daniels, cayenne, vanilla extract
Glaze - Glaze packet, Jack, cayanne, vanilla, coffee grinds, pan drippings
Onto the Soup! Corn bisque. Had this wonderful stock from the previous post, and I wanted to treat it well. Playing on my lobster bisque recipe, I added roasted corn, and jalepenos. Smoothed out by a stick blender and this bisque was fabulous. Definitely the dish of the night.
Soup:
carrots, onons, celery, corn, jalepeno, olive oil, sherry, taragon, thyme, chicken stock (from the brined chicken), cream, salt, white pepper. cooked then blended.
Topped with avocado & roasted corn
Scalloped potatoes - 375* 45 min
cream, butter, salt, garlic, thyme, parmesean
