Ugh...where to start. I wanted to do this blog on a daily basis but it appears I have not written anything in over a week.lol. I have been trying to get things figured out with Le Cordon Bleu and when I will actually be able to start classes.
So since I usually write about the specials I made that particular night or the past couple nights, here are a few in a row and if anyone likes them then they can check them out.
Chicken Picatta
2 Chicken breasts, boneless
2 tbsp shallots finely diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp capers
Juice of 1 lemon and pinch of zest
1/2 cup white wine
1 tsp fresh parsley
salt n pepper to taste
1 loose packed cup of fresh arugula (optional)
1/2-3/4 cup flour
3 tbsp of unsalted butter
First I pounded the shit out of the chicken and lightly coated them with the flour and some salt and pepper. After setting them aside, I placed a hot saute pan over my burner and threw in my olive oil, shallots, garlic and diced onion and cooked them for about 3 minutes or until au sec and then deglaze the pan with a little of the white wine. I then add the rest of the olive oil and the chicken. I cook the chicken for approximately 1 minute and then add in my capers, lemon juice and zest, remaining wine and I reduce the liquid by half (or until thickened slightly). I then add in the fresh arugula (for mine) and remove from heat. I then dice the butter up and slowly stir into the sauce to thicken. I poured this over some basmati rice and garnished it with a pinch of fresh parsley and julienne strips of manchego (a delicious sheeps milk cheese) over top. Oh and yeah....you guessed it...served with grilled asparagus!!LOL
Alrighty then...on another night, I pretty much took the easy way out and just blackened a mahi filet. I served it with my morrocan spiced carrots and a cucumber-pineapple salsa across the mahi filet. This dish really needs no special introduction or attention for that matter. Basic, simple, and delicious were the ingredients. We sold a bunch of them.
Now....whats better than fresh salsa???? Fresh salsa...the next day!!! Of course when you give your salsa, dressing, sauce, marinade, or anything along those lines, time to sit and meld together longer, it's gonna be really good!
So I decided to make maryland style crab cakes the other night...SUCCESS!!!
Maryland-Style Crab Cakes
1 lb of fresh lump crab meat
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup mayonaisse
1/2 cup cream cheese diced
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 egg
1 tsp of dried tarragon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp of sea salt
1 tbsp of lobster base (optional)
a pinch or two of old bay seasoning (optional)
I basically mixed all the ingredients except for 2 eggs and the panko bread crumbs. First I mixed into a 4 qt mixing bowl, the mayo, cream cheese, dijon mustard, 1 egg, tarragon, cayenne and lobster base and set aside in cooler for ten minutes. Then I took another 4 qt bowl and mixed my rep peppers, onions, and plain bread crumbs together thoroughly and set aside for 5-10 minutes in fridge. Then I mixed the two bowls together into 1. I then took a 4 oz scoop and scooped out leveled scoops of the mix onto a sheetpan (flat side down) to chill in fridge for around thirty minutes or so. Then I take another sheetpan and press down slightly to even out all the mounds with flat tops and bottoms and then I place each cake into an eggwash and then bread in the panko bread crumbs. After that, I returned them to the fridge until needed for an order. I cooked them in olive oil in a pan and served over arugula with the cucumber-pineapple salsa and remoulade on each side. Sold out half way through dinner!!
Another night I made a Strip Steak with rutabaga (a type of turnip) and potato smash on side. I served a creamy truffle, goat cheese and sweet potato puree over the top of the steak. With braised pearl onions and mushrooms.
Truffle, Goat, Sweet Potato Puree
1 large sweet potato peeled and diced
4 oz of fresh soft goat cheese
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 oz of truffle oil
1 tsp of dried tarragon
pinch of nutmeg
1 tbspoon of brown sugar
I took a 1 lb strip steak and seasoned it only with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. After grilling the steak to temperature I set aside to rest a bit. While this is happening I had one large sweet potato diced, and boiling down in a pot. In another pot I placed about 1/2 cup of heavy cream, goat cheese and truffle oil and reduced the liquid by a third. When the sweet potato is done, I add the cream mixture to the pan and mix thoroughly using an immersion blender until the texture is a silky, velvety cream that melts in your mouth. I also took a 1 lb bag of pearl onions, peeled them, and cooked them in some balsmic vinegar for 20 minutes or so and then tranferred to another sauce pan where I added olive oil and some merlot for deglazing my pan. I then lowered my heat and continued cooking the onions in oil and deglazing with the merlot. I also took a lb or so of brussel sprouts and cooked them "amanda style".LOL I first blanched them in boiling water and then an ice bath. I then cut up a lb of bacon and a whole onion and started cooking it in the pan and threw in the brussel spouts and cooked them down until thoroughly carmelized througout the pan, using some of the balsmic glaze from the other pan as well.
I'm sure there was something else to write about but it's late and it's my moms birthday and Im goona go hang with her now :-)
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Break time... and...appetizer...Salmon Mousse Amuse Bouche(sort of)
The other night Eric Hassard made the special for the evening and I must say it was fantastic for two reasons. One reason is that I needed a break for a day, but the bigger reason is that he was able to sell about ten of his specials on a very very dead saturday night. He made a scallop pasta sauce with a tomato cream base(similar to vodka sauce) and it was delicious!
Now for me, I spent the duration of dinner doing some very deep cleaning in the kitchen with John(asst GM). The stove looked spectacular when we were done with it. There is even more cleaning planned for the near future going even deeper inside equipment. John, along with myself(and anyone else that cares), completely believe in a pristine kitchen, being clean inside as well as outside. I'm a bit of a hard-ass about cleanliness.lol I truly believe that when you love what you are doing you are more likely to take alot more pride in your work.
So, Sunday came and went. Brunch was okay as far as profits go. I really wished we could have been busier.
I made a salmon mousse and chilled it in the fridge. I took a small 2 inch ring mold and cut out two circles of sourdough(preferably ciabatta). I thoroughly coated them in olive oil and sprinkle of salt and pepper and sent them through the impinger(an open convection oven with conveyor belt) a couple times to make them nice and crispy. I then took a 1 ounce ice cream scoop and put one (level) scoop of the mouse on top of each sourdough piece. I layered a few julienne strips of fresh mozz across the top and sent them through the impinger one more time. When they came out I placed two slice of grape tomato on top, pinch of dill, a pinch of lemon zest and a small squirt of lemon juice over top, both served over a small bed of fresh arugula. It was tastey. Dont know if it sold, my shift was up.lol
Now for me, I spent the duration of dinner doing some very deep cleaning in the kitchen with John(asst GM). The stove looked spectacular when we were done with it. There is even more cleaning planned for the near future going even deeper inside equipment. John, along with myself(and anyone else that cares), completely believe in a pristine kitchen, being clean inside as well as outside. I'm a bit of a hard-ass about cleanliness.lol I truly believe that when you love what you are doing you are more likely to take alot more pride in your work.
So, Sunday came and went. Brunch was okay as far as profits go. I really wished we could have been busier.
I made a salmon mousse and chilled it in the fridge. I took a small 2 inch ring mold and cut out two circles of sourdough(preferably ciabatta). I thoroughly coated them in olive oil and sprinkle of salt and pepper and sent them through the impinger(an open convection oven with conveyor belt) a couple times to make them nice and crispy. I then took a 1 ounce ice cream scoop and put one (level) scoop of the mouse on top of each sourdough piece. I layered a few julienne strips of fresh mozz across the top and sent them through the impinger one more time. When they came out I placed two slice of grape tomato on top, pinch of dill, a pinch of lemon zest and a small squirt of lemon juice over top, both served over a small bed of fresh arugula. It was tastey. Dont know if it sold, my shift was up.lol
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Ugh....It's Crunch-Time baby!!
....whatever. So last night I did a very simple special that was so delicious! I basically just made a gazpacho and mussels over linguine with some garlic herb crostini.
I came to work and started the Gazpacho right away and check to see if we even had mussels in stock to begin with.
For the Gazpacho, I took ten tomatoes, 2 large jalapenos, 1 long "seedless" cucumber, 5 cloves of garlic, 1 bushel of cilantro, 1 tablespoon of ground cumin seed, half of a fennel bulb, the zest and juice of 1 lime, 1/2 cup olive oil or so, and 1 tbsp of sea salt. I removed most of the excess tomato seed and all of tomato cores, the jalapeno seeds and cucumber seeds as well. If you want it a little more spicy you may add a little cayenne. I roughly chopped all these ingredients and added all the the food processor and pureed it all thoroughly.
I then took a hot saute pan and threw in about 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp of garlic minced and 1 tsp shallots minced and cook for 30 seconds or so, until the scent is released from the garlic and shallot mixture. Then I dropped in 12-13 fresh live mussels and splash it just a bit with some white wine. Then I poured 2oz. of fish stock over the mussels and then 6oz. of Gazpacho over that and cooked for 2-3 minutes. I dropped in 8 oz of fresh linguine and tossed thoroughly. I chiffonade(very very thin slicing) some fresh basil for a garnish on top and two pieces of garlic herb crostini. Yummy as hell!!
We had a meeting this morning for the kitchen staff only and it pretty much went as usual covering all the basics, except that my boss(one of them) tells me that it should take no longer than 20-30 minutes to come up with a special....hmmmm, so that would mean I would have to try and guess what me might have in stock. The other day I bought some watermelon from Publix (I was reimbursed for of course) and somebody ate it, or took it home or whatever. It's almost becoming like my own nightmare version of chopped(my favorite cooking show). I get a mystery basket(of sorts) and have between 20-30 minutes to complete the dish. It has to make sense, taste amazing, have a great presentation, and be something that we can easily produce during high volume... I must say, I do love a challenge:-)
I came to work and started the Gazpacho right away and check to see if we even had mussels in stock to begin with.
For the Gazpacho, I took ten tomatoes, 2 large jalapenos, 1 long "seedless" cucumber, 5 cloves of garlic, 1 bushel of cilantro, 1 tablespoon of ground cumin seed, half of a fennel bulb, the zest and juice of 1 lime, 1/2 cup olive oil or so, and 1 tbsp of sea salt. I removed most of the excess tomato seed and all of tomato cores, the jalapeno seeds and cucumber seeds as well. If you want it a little more spicy you may add a little cayenne. I roughly chopped all these ingredients and added all the the food processor and pureed it all thoroughly.
I then took a hot saute pan and threw in about 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp of garlic minced and 1 tsp shallots minced and cook for 30 seconds or so, until the scent is released from the garlic and shallot mixture. Then I dropped in 12-13 fresh live mussels and splash it just a bit with some white wine. Then I poured 2oz. of fish stock over the mussels and then 6oz. of Gazpacho over that and cooked for 2-3 minutes. I dropped in 8 oz of fresh linguine and tossed thoroughly. I chiffonade(very very thin slicing) some fresh basil for a garnish on top and two pieces of garlic herb crostini. Yummy as hell!!
We had a meeting this morning for the kitchen staff only and it pretty much went as usual covering all the basics, except that my boss(one of them) tells me that it should take no longer than 20-30 minutes to come up with a special....hmmmm, so that would mean I would have to try and guess what me might have in stock. The other day I bought some watermelon from Publix (I was reimbursed for of course) and somebody ate it, or took it home or whatever. It's almost becoming like my own nightmare version of chopped(my favorite cooking show). I get a mystery basket(of sorts) and have between 20-30 minutes to complete the dish. It has to make sense, taste amazing, have a great presentation, and be something that we can easily produce during high volume... I must say, I do love a challenge:-)
Friday, November 12, 2010
Strange night, pretty good special
Well last night was a little slow for a ladies night. I felt kinda weird all night. It wasn't really busy, but we were busy enough for a while to make it seem busy, yes and no. Make sense?lol
About 2:30pm I texted LJ and asked him to please start a fish stock for me. He did and when I got there it was smelling good. I chopped and added the last couple scallops from the line and some other things. The fish stock was made with water, salmon trimmings, scallop, shrimp, onion, pepper(red and green), celery, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme.
I wanted to use a fish stock in my seafood special for a nice deep flavor.
If you want to make a stock of any sort but your not sure how, just collect the bones or carcass of a chicken, beef rib bones, fish bones, pork bones and scraps of each of the those as well. You should always save your carrot, celery, pepper, and onion scraps at home(the ends, the peelings) in a freezer bag in the freezer.
Anyways, your going to want about an 8 quart stock pot(just a big ass cooking pot). If you don't happen to have the veggie scraps on hand then you will need one large onion(yellow or red) roughly chopped, 2-3 entire stalks(with leaves) of celery chopped, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 green pepper, 1 small carrot roughly chopped. Put all of that into a bowl and set aside.
Pour a 1/4 cup of olive oil into the hot stock pot, then about 2 oz minced garlic, 2-3 oz minced shallot and let cook for 1 minute. Then drop in your bowl of vegetables(or an equal amount in weight of saved veggie scraps) and cook until the olive is gone. De glaze the pan with a little water and just a splash of wine if you prefer. Now dump in your 6 quarts of water into the pot and add any extras you wish to add. In this case I added thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf which worked perfectly to make my stock much more hearty and rich.
Now depending how strong you would like the flavor to be, you may opt to just throw the bones into the water, or you could(ahead of time) broil the bones in the oven for a bit. This is what I do at home. Have to cook those bones before they go into the water. As I said though, it is based on your personal preference. dump in any meat and skin scraps you have along with the bones.
Now you just bring it all to a boil and stir every few minutes for until the liquid has reduced to half in the stock pot. At this point, I would just let it simmer a bit longer, perhaps an extra hour. Then you just strain out all the muck that will be leftover and the juice you see is your stock!
When Amanda and I were living together we would always have like 5 quarts of chicken stock and 5 quarts of beef stock and freezer baggies of veggie scraps and bone scraps at all times. A little production kitchen for two.LOL
Anyways, my fish stock was done. I took one large diver scallop, scored and seasoned it and pan seared it. While that was happening, in a hot saute pan I squirted about 2 tablespoons olive oil, dropped in a teaspoon of garlic and one of shallots as well. I then drop 4 fresh mussels into the pan and small squirt of white wine and let it cook a minute. I then dropped in 1 diced scallop, 2 oz of rock shrimp, 1 oz sliced Davina(roasted) tomatoes, then ladled in 4 oz of fish stock and about 2 oz of cream. While that is cooking I slightly seasoned (salt,pepper,cayenne,cumin) two of our medium to large 16/20 shrimps and oil and grilled them. While the sauce is starting to simmer, I set aside my pan seared scallop, along with the four mussels from the pan. I go back to my pan and start to toss it up. I add sea salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne. I then add 8 oz of fresh linguine and toss thoroughly.
I then threw 2 pieces of fresh sliced ciabatta into the oven for a couple minutes. While that is happening I use tongs to pull the pasta out of the pan and into the bowl as well as the shrimp and scallop. There is a couple ounces of sauce left in the bottom of my pan. I set it aside for the moment and place the mussels in around the plate like a compass-like formation. I then placed the pan seared scallop in the middle and a shrimp leaning against each opposite side of the scallop. I used the remaining sauce to drizzle across the mussels and once across the middle(the scallop and shrimps). I take the two pieces of crostini(ciabatta in this case) and spread a tiny smear of fresh garlic herb butter(I made here and there while doing the rest.LOL) across each and place across the bowl from one another facing opposite directions.
It tasted very good I thought. It sold like 3...maybe 4. I know the servers made it vanish rather quickly so I felt pretty good about it. Apparently some people thought it sounded fantastic but just couldn't see paying the price for it. WHAT? Seriously? It was priced about 8 dollars below what it would easily sell for in other restaurants with similar menu's to ours. What can I say?lol
Some people are way too busy being "experts" to enjoy anything in life. Hopefully the people that did order it, enjoyed it immensely. I don't recall any feedback at all last night so who knows.lol
About 2:30pm I texted LJ and asked him to please start a fish stock for me. He did and when I got there it was smelling good. I chopped and added the last couple scallops from the line and some other things. The fish stock was made with water, salmon trimmings, scallop, shrimp, onion, pepper(red and green), celery, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme.
I wanted to use a fish stock in my seafood special for a nice deep flavor.
If you want to make a stock of any sort but your not sure how, just collect the bones or carcass of a chicken, beef rib bones, fish bones, pork bones and scraps of each of the those as well. You should always save your carrot, celery, pepper, and onion scraps at home(the ends, the peelings) in a freezer bag in the freezer.
Anyways, your going to want about an 8 quart stock pot(just a big ass cooking pot). If you don't happen to have the veggie scraps on hand then you will need one large onion(yellow or red) roughly chopped, 2-3 entire stalks(with leaves) of celery chopped, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 green pepper, 1 small carrot roughly chopped. Put all of that into a bowl and set aside.
Pour a 1/4 cup of olive oil into the hot stock pot, then about 2 oz minced garlic, 2-3 oz minced shallot and let cook for 1 minute. Then drop in your bowl of vegetables(or an equal amount in weight of saved veggie scraps) and cook until the olive is gone. De glaze the pan with a little water and just a splash of wine if you prefer. Now dump in your 6 quarts of water into the pot and add any extras you wish to add. In this case I added thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf which worked perfectly to make my stock much more hearty and rich.
Now depending how strong you would like the flavor to be, you may opt to just throw the bones into the water, or you could(ahead of time) broil the bones in the oven for a bit. This is what I do at home. Have to cook those bones before they go into the water. As I said though, it is based on your personal preference. dump in any meat and skin scraps you have along with the bones.
Now you just bring it all to a boil and stir every few minutes for until the liquid has reduced to half in the stock pot. At this point, I would just let it simmer a bit longer, perhaps an extra hour. Then you just strain out all the muck that will be leftover and the juice you see is your stock!
When Amanda and I were living together we would always have like 5 quarts of chicken stock and 5 quarts of beef stock and freezer baggies of veggie scraps and bone scraps at all times. A little production kitchen for two.LOL
Anyways, my fish stock was done. I took one large diver scallop, scored and seasoned it and pan seared it. While that was happening, in a hot saute pan I squirted about 2 tablespoons olive oil, dropped in a teaspoon of garlic and one of shallots as well. I then drop 4 fresh mussels into the pan and small squirt of white wine and let it cook a minute. I then dropped in 1 diced scallop, 2 oz of rock shrimp, 1 oz sliced Davina(roasted) tomatoes, then ladled in 4 oz of fish stock and about 2 oz of cream. While that is cooking I slightly seasoned (salt,pepper,cayenne,cumin) two of our medium to large 16/20 shrimps and oil and grilled them. While the sauce is starting to simmer, I set aside my pan seared scallop, along with the four mussels from the pan. I go back to my pan and start to toss it up. I add sea salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne. I then add 8 oz of fresh linguine and toss thoroughly.
I then threw 2 pieces of fresh sliced ciabatta into the oven for a couple minutes. While that is happening I use tongs to pull the pasta out of the pan and into the bowl as well as the shrimp and scallop. There is a couple ounces of sauce left in the bottom of my pan. I set it aside for the moment and place the mussels in around the plate like a compass-like formation. I then placed the pan seared scallop in the middle and a shrimp leaning against each opposite side of the scallop. I used the remaining sauce to drizzle across the mussels and once across the middle(the scallop and shrimps). I take the two pieces of crostini(ciabatta in this case) and spread a tiny smear of fresh garlic herb butter(I made here and there while doing the rest.LOL) across each and place across the bowl from one another facing opposite directions.
It tasted very good I thought. It sold like 3...maybe 4. I know the servers made it vanish rather quickly so I felt pretty good about it. Apparently some people thought it sounded fantastic but just couldn't see paying the price for it. WHAT? Seriously? It was priced about 8 dollars below what it would easily sell for in other restaurants with similar menu's to ours. What can I say?lol
Some people are way too busy being "experts" to enjoy anything in life. Hopefully the people that did order it, enjoyed it immensely. I don't recall any feedback at all last night so who knows.lol
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Easy special last night...
Wow, I feel like I have so much going on lately. I've skipped some days I know, but some days I just dont feel like writing anything.lol So rather than try and predict what would be available to me to use for a special last night, I decided to take a rather easy way out and just do a special flatbread.
I took 5 granny smith apples and peeled and cored them and threw the scraps into a pan with some water. I boiled it for a few minutes and strained it. I then added 2 quart of water to the strained liquid, 4 oz. of cider glaze and 3 cups of sugar. I reduced this mixture to half making a syrup. I had diced up the apples already (large diced) and then I threw them into the syrup and cooked until completely translucent and my syrup was thick(about 10-15 minutes).
I then thin sliced about a half lb. of pancetta, crisped the slices in the oven and let cool.
I then took a flatbread and placed about 4 oz mozzarella shredded, 2 oz blue cheese crumbles, a small handful of arugula(a peppery, leafy green often found in any spring mix), about 2 oz of crumbled pancetta, scooped the pieces of apple(about 2 oz) across the top and drizzled the syrup(about 1 oz) and topped it all of with about 1 oz of fresh goat cheese and sprinkle of salt n pepper. I called it a Candy Apple Pancetta Flatbread.lol Not bad, we sold like 5 or 6 of them.
Apparently Wednesdays are pretty dead. We got a little pop between 730 and 830pm but it was nothing too serious. Me and Andrew knocked it out. I must say, for a server working extra hours as a cook, I wish it was the other way around because Andrews doing an amazing job in the kitchen.
Anyways, yeah it was kind of an off night so to speak but it was cool. I stay up all night and wake up at like 730-800 in the morning so I better try and take a nap. Dont wanna go to work tired.lol
I took 5 granny smith apples and peeled and cored them and threw the scraps into a pan with some water. I boiled it for a few minutes and strained it. I then added 2 quart of water to the strained liquid, 4 oz. of cider glaze and 3 cups of sugar. I reduced this mixture to half making a syrup. I had diced up the apples already (large diced) and then I threw them into the syrup and cooked until completely translucent and my syrup was thick(about 10-15 minutes).
I then thin sliced about a half lb. of pancetta, crisped the slices in the oven and let cool.
I then took a flatbread and placed about 4 oz mozzarella shredded, 2 oz blue cheese crumbles, a small handful of arugula(a peppery, leafy green often found in any spring mix), about 2 oz of crumbled pancetta, scooped the pieces of apple(about 2 oz) across the top and drizzled the syrup(about 1 oz) and topped it all of with about 1 oz of fresh goat cheese and sprinkle of salt n pepper. I called it a Candy Apple Pancetta Flatbread.lol Not bad, we sold like 5 or 6 of them.
Apparently Wednesdays are pretty dead. We got a little pop between 730 and 830pm but it was nothing too serious. Me and Andrew knocked it out. I must say, for a server working extra hours as a cook, I wish it was the other way around because Andrews doing an amazing job in the kitchen.
Anyways, yeah it was kind of an off night so to speak but it was cool. I stay up all night and wake up at like 730-800 in the morning so I better try and take a nap. Dont wanna go to work tired.lol
Monday, November 8, 2010
Slow Night, Good Bite
Haha the title of this entry is kinda silly but kinda true too so....notazoo!!
Saturday night was slow and uneventful. There was a slight little pop here and there but cetainly no where near a descent night(business-wise) In the kitchen I teamed up with Eric Hassard again to put out my special for the evening.
First I made a sweet corn sauce including truffle oil, cremini and cayenne. Then I took already pre-crisped and pulverized pancetta, a little panko, and mixed them together for a light breading. For my vegetable, try and guess what I used.....go ahead guess.....you have a 50/50 chance.....thats right, asparagus!LOL While I was working on these things, eric made his own version of my sauce idea and I was glad he did. It turned out fantastic. Not too mild, not too sweet. He made a coconut curry lime sauce for my scallops.
I used our diver scallops and slightly breaded each side of each of them before setting into a hot pan of olive oil. I would have preferred canola but I work with what I'm givin(actually I bought the coconut milk at publix)lol. So after pan searing these on both sides I throw the pan(containing 3 large scallops- approximately 2 to 2 1/2 ounces a piece) into the oven at 400 degrees for about 2-3 minutes(maybe longer depending on a single persons preference).
I pan seared my asparagus with olive oil and salt n pepper, because if I didn't already say by now, I love it that way and other people do too!
I then took a hot 4 quart sauce pan with about a half cup of olive oil in it and dropped in about 1/2 cup of white small diced onion and caramelized them, then added 1 cup of minced cremini and 4 tbsp of white truffle oil, 1 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 2 tsp ginger, salt n pepper, and 2 tsp of ground cayenne pepper. I added 5 cups of fresh corn last to preserve it's crunch a little longer. It came out just as I thought it would and with the cayenne involved it gives you a swift little kick and then goes.
For my coconut, curry, lime sauce I was going to use coconut milk(1 cup), 2 tbsp of ground curry, 1 tbsp of cilantro, 1/2 oz lime juice or so, 2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup of soy sauce. I believe Eric used garlic, ginger, coconut milk, coriander, lime juice, and curry...and maybe something else I cant remember. All I know is his came out great! It was a very flavorful, yet mild, accompaniment to the dish!
On one of our square plates I placed a heaping 1 once scoop of the corn salad into each corner of the plates leaving one corner open. I then placed two asparagus spears pointing from the base of each of the piles(in each corner) to the empty corner of the plate. I then placed 1 scallop on each of the three piles in the corners and we drizzled the coconut, curry lime sauce across the tops of the scallops. I must say we were very pleased with our outcome. Not only did the plate come out delicious as well as visually appealing, it sold very well for a really dead night with complements from some of the guests on how fantastic it was. Another job well done!!
Saturday night was slow and uneventful. There was a slight little pop here and there but cetainly no where near a descent night(business-wise) In the kitchen I teamed up with Eric Hassard again to put out my special for the evening.
First I made a sweet corn sauce including truffle oil, cremini and cayenne. Then I took already pre-crisped and pulverized pancetta, a little panko, and mixed them together for a light breading. For my vegetable, try and guess what I used.....go ahead guess.....you have a 50/50 chance.....thats right, asparagus!LOL While I was working on these things, eric made his own version of my sauce idea and I was glad he did. It turned out fantastic. Not too mild, not too sweet. He made a coconut curry lime sauce for my scallops.
I used our diver scallops and slightly breaded each side of each of them before setting into a hot pan of olive oil. I would have preferred canola but I work with what I'm givin(actually I bought the coconut milk at publix)lol. So after pan searing these on both sides I throw the pan(containing 3 large scallops- approximately 2 to 2 1/2 ounces a piece) into the oven at 400 degrees for about 2-3 minutes(maybe longer depending on a single persons preference).
I pan seared my asparagus with olive oil and salt n pepper, because if I didn't already say by now, I love it that way and other people do too!
I then took a hot 4 quart sauce pan with about a half cup of olive oil in it and dropped in about 1/2 cup of white small diced onion and caramelized them, then added 1 cup of minced cremini and 4 tbsp of white truffle oil, 1 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 2 tsp ginger, salt n pepper, and 2 tsp of ground cayenne pepper. I added 5 cups of fresh corn last to preserve it's crunch a little longer. It came out just as I thought it would and with the cayenne involved it gives you a swift little kick and then goes.
For my coconut, curry, lime sauce I was going to use coconut milk(1 cup), 2 tbsp of ground curry, 1 tbsp of cilantro, 1/2 oz lime juice or so, 2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup of soy sauce. I believe Eric used garlic, ginger, coconut milk, coriander, lime juice, and curry...and maybe something else I cant remember. All I know is his came out great! It was a very flavorful, yet mild, accompaniment to the dish!
On one of our square plates I placed a heaping 1 once scoop of the corn salad into each corner of the plates leaving one corner open. I then placed two asparagus spears pointing from the base of each of the piles(in each corner) to the empty corner of the plate. I then placed 1 scallop on each of the three piles in the corners and we drizzled the coconut, curry lime sauce across the tops of the scallops. I must say we were very pleased with our outcome. Not only did the plate come out delicious as well as visually appealing, it sold very well for a really dead night with complements from some of the guests on how fantastic it was. Another job well done!!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Now for friday night!! What a fantastic night at work!
I have to say, besides the incompetence in our ordering as of late(I'm just not going to go there), there is a silver lining to this cloud of doom lingering over the kitchen for the past few weeks, due to a major attitude overhaul with another particular employee, he is back to his old self again and running really strong again!!
Last night was the first evidence(since chef left us) that the kitchen may actually have a chance to succeed now. We had a great night money wise and team wise! Like a well oiled machine, smoothly going through the motions no matter the amount of orders coming in. A big night for a somewhat younger crew and I couldn't be more proud of my kitchen brothers coming together and really banging out the orders last night. Sometimes it takes someone believing in you and giving you a chance, a little more responsibility to feel appreciated and to just feel as if you have a purpose to fulfill.
For a special I made a type of Tuscan-like stuffed chicken with filler/stuffing for a chicken breast with a goat cream sauce with a little lemon zest and once again...asparagus!ugh. Anyways, I made the best of the situation as always.
I first took ten chicken breasts and pounded them out carefully so that I would be able to roll them somewhat tightly without them tearing apart. LJ helped me out with this so I could tend to the stuffing.
For the stuffing I got a hot saute pan with about 1/4 cup of olive oil in it and dropped in 2 shallots minced, 1 half red onion finely diced, 2 cups cremini sliced, 1/2 cup of diced artichoke hearts, 1 cup of finely diced crispy pancetta, 1 tbsp or so of black pepper(to taste) and cooked all together thoroughly. I then mixed in some goat cheese(about 1/2 cup), mozzarella(about 1 cup) and 1 cup of panko bread crumbs. It came out tasting rich and delicious.
So I took the flattened out chicken breasts and covered them in leaf spinach each, spread a generous amount of stuffing across the top of that and then rolled it up into a spiral and wrapped each individually(tightly) in plastic wrap. I then dropped them into some boiling water for approx. 3 minutes or so, just to kind of blanche them and set aside to cool for later.
For my sauce, I wanted to have something creamy with a little bite to it. The stuffing, due to the use of pancetta, was already salty enough, so I had to keep it mild, so to speak. For the bite, I did not use any heat(as far as peppers, chile's,etc.), I used some fresh lemon zest. I love using fresh lemon, lime, or orange zest in many dishes since it really wakes the palate, making for a more enjoyable dining experience.
I took a quart of heavy cream and reduced it by a quarter. I also took a couple shallots, minced them, added to a hot saute pan with 1/4 cup olive oil and deglazed with 1 cup of chardonnay(white wine), and allowed to reduce by half. I then incorporated some goat cheese(about 1 cup) into this sauce and about 1/2 cup of ricotta, 1/8 cup of black pepper and just a dash of salt. Done.
Once again I used asparagus as my veggie(sorry its that or broccolini, sometimes we get carrots.lol), but this time I just took my asparagus spears and lightly seasoned on a pan with salt, pepper, and olive oil and put into the oven on 450 degrees for a few minutes or until the tips are nice and crispy. My ex, who is a chef herself, used to cook our asparagus at home like this and it just tastes amazing! For a little more flavor you could used to pancetta(Canadian bacon) grease in place of the olive oil and take away the salt, but keep the pepper. Done.
So then I took my chicken(to order) and unwrapped my plastic(the chicken has cooled now). I took a hot pan of olive oil(about 1/4 cup) and placed the stuffed chicken spiral into the hot oil, sprinkled the top with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper and threw into the oven at 450 degrees for about 5-6 minutes. I then took the pan out and spooned the seasoned olive oil in the pan over the breast repeatedly for 30 second or so. The skin should slightly bubble-up at first. Done.
With all the components of the dish now completed I placed a serving of rice(or mashed potatoes) in one corner of the plate(10 x 10 square w/ 1" lip) and placed the chicken across it at an angle and placed my crispy asparagus alongside the chicken but at a bias and pointing the other direction. Then I poured a generous amount of the sauce over the top end of the chicken breast and slightly across the middle of the asparagus tips. DONE!
It must have been pretty good because we sold out of them and even had substitute it with another dish for a couple other guests that unfortunately ordered theirs as we had just run out.
What a great night! I find these little moments of perfectness to be quite inspiring and gives me the fuel to stay on task 150 percent! I am looking forward to tonight and putting out another great special and putting a whole lot of smiles on our diners faces!
Last night was the first evidence(since chef left us) that the kitchen may actually have a chance to succeed now. We had a great night money wise and team wise! Like a well oiled machine, smoothly going through the motions no matter the amount of orders coming in. A big night for a somewhat younger crew and I couldn't be more proud of my kitchen brothers coming together and really banging out the orders last night. Sometimes it takes someone believing in you and giving you a chance, a little more responsibility to feel appreciated and to just feel as if you have a purpose to fulfill.
For a special I made a type of Tuscan-like stuffed chicken with filler/stuffing for a chicken breast with a goat cream sauce with a little lemon zest and once again...asparagus!ugh. Anyways, I made the best of the situation as always.
I first took ten chicken breasts and pounded them out carefully so that I would be able to roll them somewhat tightly without them tearing apart. LJ helped me out with this so I could tend to the stuffing.
For the stuffing I got a hot saute pan with about 1/4 cup of olive oil in it and dropped in 2 shallots minced, 1 half red onion finely diced, 2 cups cremini sliced, 1/2 cup of diced artichoke hearts, 1 cup of finely diced crispy pancetta, 1 tbsp or so of black pepper(to taste) and cooked all together thoroughly. I then mixed in some goat cheese(about 1/2 cup), mozzarella(about 1 cup) and 1 cup of panko bread crumbs. It came out tasting rich and delicious.
So I took the flattened out chicken breasts and covered them in leaf spinach each, spread a generous amount of stuffing across the top of that and then rolled it up into a spiral and wrapped each individually(tightly) in plastic wrap. I then dropped them into some boiling water for approx. 3 minutes or so, just to kind of blanche them and set aside to cool for later.
For my sauce, I wanted to have something creamy with a little bite to it. The stuffing, due to the use of pancetta, was already salty enough, so I had to keep it mild, so to speak. For the bite, I did not use any heat(as far as peppers, chile's,etc.), I used some fresh lemon zest. I love using fresh lemon, lime, or orange zest in many dishes since it really wakes the palate, making for a more enjoyable dining experience.
I took a quart of heavy cream and reduced it by a quarter. I also took a couple shallots, minced them, added to a hot saute pan with 1/4 cup olive oil and deglazed with 1 cup of chardonnay(white wine), and allowed to reduce by half. I then incorporated some goat cheese(about 1 cup) into this sauce and about 1/2 cup of ricotta, 1/8 cup of black pepper and just a dash of salt. Done.
Once again I used asparagus as my veggie(sorry its that or broccolini, sometimes we get carrots.lol), but this time I just took my asparagus spears and lightly seasoned on a pan with salt, pepper, and olive oil and put into the oven on 450 degrees for a few minutes or until the tips are nice and crispy. My ex, who is a chef herself, used to cook our asparagus at home like this and it just tastes amazing! For a little more flavor you could used to pancetta(Canadian bacon) grease in place of the olive oil and take away the salt, but keep the pepper. Done.
So then I took my chicken(to order) and unwrapped my plastic(the chicken has cooled now). I took a hot pan of olive oil(about 1/4 cup) and placed the stuffed chicken spiral into the hot oil, sprinkled the top with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper and threw into the oven at 450 degrees for about 5-6 minutes. I then took the pan out and spooned the seasoned olive oil in the pan over the breast repeatedly for 30 second or so. The skin should slightly bubble-up at first. Done.
With all the components of the dish now completed I placed a serving of rice(or mashed potatoes) in one corner of the plate(10 x 10 square w/ 1" lip) and placed the chicken across it at an angle and placed my crispy asparagus alongside the chicken but at a bias and pointing the other direction. Then I poured a generous amount of the sauce over the top end of the chicken breast and slightly across the middle of the asparagus tips. DONE!
It must have been pretty good because we sold out of them and even had substitute it with another dish for a couple other guests that unfortunately ordered theirs as we had just run out.
What a great night! I find these little moments of perfectness to be quite inspiring and gives me the fuel to stay on task 150 percent! I am looking forward to tonight and putting out another great special and putting a whole lot of smiles on our diners faces!
Ladies night blues....where are the ladies at?lol
So yeah it's been a few days....Other than the situation at work trying take the wind out of my sails, things are going great. Had a last minute special at work on Thursday night, which was only due to me showing up at work and not having some basic essential ingredients available to make my original recipes in mind. Ugh! I can't even get into my frustrations at work right now! It's like someone handcuffed you tightly and kicks you into the deep end of the pool, with a cinder block strapped to your back, while saying "Good luck!" and then walking away.
Anyways, on Thursday night I decided to keep it really simple and do some spicy polenta crusted mahi over some sweet citrus curry cous cous(large cous cous) with a orange ginger beurre blanc drizzle.
I took about 2 quarts of cooked cous cous and added orange and lime zest to it(about 1 tbsp each). I then diced one small red onion, caramelized it and mixed it into my cous cous(grande). I then added about 1/4 cup of sugar, tsp fresh tarragon, 1/4 cup fresh scallions, 2 tablespoons curry powder, salt and pepper to taste. I sauteed 1 cup of cous cous mixture for 20 seconds and finish with some butter(about 1 tbsp).
While the cous cous mixture is sitting off to the side, I combined 1/2 cup polenta with 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/8 tsp cayenne, and 1/2 tsp of garlic powder for my breading. I then placed a piece of mahi down into the bread crumb mixture to coat one side. Then I got about 1/4 cup olive oil really hot in a saute pan and dropped the mahi into the oil(breaded side down) and cooked for approximately 2 minutes or so. Then I flipped it over in the pan. The crust should be a tannish-golden brown color. I then placed in the 450 degree oven for about 3 minutes or so to finish cooking it.
As always, we have a very limited number of ingredients and produce to work with, so I grilled some asparagus tips (4" tips) for my vegetable.
For the orange ginger beurre blanc, I took a cup of orange juice(fresh), 1/4 cup of sugar, juice of two fresh limes and reduced in one saute pan, while in another I placed two tbsp olive oil(got hot), then dropped in 2 shallots minced, 1 tbsp of ground ginger, 1 oz. lemon juice, 1 cup of chardonnay(white wine), and reduced til thickened some. When the first pan is reduced to almost a syrup-like consistency as well, combine the two and bring to a boil, take of heat and strain out the liquid and return liquid to the pan. Then, off heat, drop about 1-2 oz. of cubed unsalted butter into the liquid(which should consist of about 1 and 1/2 cups worth) and either use an immersion blender or whisk your ass off in a stainless steel(or glass) mixing bowl to incorporate the butter into the sauce. This will serve to thicken the sauce, as well as to give a sort of smooth or velvet-like texture.
With everything prepared, I placed my cous cous mixture on center of the plate, my grilled asparagus tips across the center pointing to one corner, with the mahi leaning up against it(crust side up), pointing towards the other corner and drizzled the orange ginger beurre blanc across the crust. Actually all came out delicious but it was a dead night so I only sold a couple, and a couple employees ordered one as well. All in all, a good feature to run for the evening, just dead ladies night.....
Anyways, on Thursday night I decided to keep it really simple and do some spicy polenta crusted mahi over some sweet citrus curry cous cous(large cous cous) with a orange ginger beurre blanc drizzle.
I took about 2 quarts of cooked cous cous and added orange and lime zest to it(about 1 tbsp each). I then diced one small red onion, caramelized it and mixed it into my cous cous(grande). I then added about 1/4 cup of sugar, tsp fresh tarragon, 1/4 cup fresh scallions, 2 tablespoons curry powder, salt and pepper to taste. I sauteed 1 cup of cous cous mixture for 20 seconds and finish with some butter(about 1 tbsp).
While the cous cous mixture is sitting off to the side, I combined 1/2 cup polenta with 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/8 tsp cayenne, and 1/2 tsp of garlic powder for my breading. I then placed a piece of mahi down into the bread crumb mixture to coat one side. Then I got about 1/4 cup olive oil really hot in a saute pan and dropped the mahi into the oil(breaded side down) and cooked for approximately 2 minutes or so. Then I flipped it over in the pan. The crust should be a tannish-golden brown color. I then placed in the 450 degree oven for about 3 minutes or so to finish cooking it.
As always, we have a very limited number of ingredients and produce to work with, so I grilled some asparagus tips (4" tips) for my vegetable.
For the orange ginger beurre blanc, I took a cup of orange juice(fresh), 1/4 cup of sugar, juice of two fresh limes and reduced in one saute pan, while in another I placed two tbsp olive oil(got hot), then dropped in 2 shallots minced, 1 tbsp of ground ginger, 1 oz. lemon juice, 1 cup of chardonnay(white wine), and reduced til thickened some. When the first pan is reduced to almost a syrup-like consistency as well, combine the two and bring to a boil, take of heat and strain out the liquid and return liquid to the pan. Then, off heat, drop about 1-2 oz. of cubed unsalted butter into the liquid(which should consist of about 1 and 1/2 cups worth) and either use an immersion blender or whisk your ass off in a stainless steel(or glass) mixing bowl to incorporate the butter into the sauce. This will serve to thicken the sauce, as well as to give a sort of smooth or velvet-like texture.
With everything prepared, I placed my cous cous mixture on center of the plate, my grilled asparagus tips across the center pointing to one corner, with the mahi leaning up against it(crust side up), pointing towards the other corner and drizzled the orange ginger beurre blanc across the crust. Actually all came out delicious but it was a dead night so I only sold a couple, and a couple employees ordered one as well. All in all, a good feature to run for the evening, just dead ladies night.....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)