Almost the Final Week of Restaurant

Well, this is my last menu for the quarter. The final week I let the students design the dishes.
We set this menu up as a "best of" the season. The students are running the restaurant this week and next-  At least until I have to jump in because I can't fully let go, yet!


Aerated Pea Soup with Balsamic Reduction

Pear and Boursin Ravioli with Serrano Crisp

Butternut Squash and Artichoke Pot Pie

Steamed Pork Slider with Cippolini Onion Rings

Throw-Back Holiday Dessert Sampler of S'mores and Eggnog

The Week Celebrating Citrus

Short and to the point! I love citrus and especially Meyer Lemons, Blood Oranges and Kumquats. These were a few ingredients we used week nine at the restaurant.
Enjoy~

Meyer Lemon Soup with Thomas Keller's Garlic Tuile

Focaccia-Crab Toast with Citrus Dehydrated Red Onions

Lemon Pasta with Sausage and Arugula

Italian Ribs with White Bean Puree and Pepper Confetti

Biscotti, Curd, Olive Oil Gelato and Cake

Edible Mushroom Week

Week eight had us showcasing mushrooms. The one mushroom that stole the spotlight was the infamous "Lobster" mushroom. Once again not really a mushroom, but rather a parasite that grows on mushrooms. This amazing ingredient literally smells, looks and tastes like lobster! Here's a shot of a Lobster Mushroom-


*Now onto the meal of week eight!


We started with a Hungarian Soup served with Smoked Paprika Foam and Mushroom Gelee:

Wild Mushroom Bruschetta with Roasted Tomatoes and Parmesan Fondue

Truffle Tremor Challah Bread Pudding with Lingonberry and Roasted Chicken

Creamy Polenta with House-Made Sausage, Sauteed Lobster Mushrooms and Leek Alfredo

Chocolate Lover's: German Chocolate Cookie, Nutella Brownie and Buttermilk Doughnut

Winter Zabaglione with Pears, Persimmons and Cocoa Nibs

Wild, Wild Rice~

I grew up in Minnesota where wild rice is the state "grain." Wild rice is not a rice, but an annual water-grass seed. This seed grows really well in wet, cold-weather climates- Yep that would mean Minnesota!
I've always has a particular interest in wild rice and wanted to showcase the seed this week in restaurant.
Here is what we came up with:

First Course: Wild Rice Veloute with Cranberry Gelee and Candied Orange

We also added a Parmesan froth for some salt and depth-

Second Course: Wild Rice Biscuits and Gravy with House-Made Chicken Bacon Sausage

Wild Rice Biscuits Made with Wild Rice "Flour"

Third Course: Tea-Smoked Trout Over Warm Potato Salad with Lemon Beurre Blanc

We Used a Wok To Stove-Top Smoke Our Trout

Fourth Course: Wild Rice Ice Cream Snicker doodle Sandwich, Steamed Milk, Cranberry-Pistachio Macaroon and Amano Chocolate

Pumpkins and Persimmons....What, You Don't Know About Persimmons?!

Persimmons are not a squash like pumpkins, but are a fruit. The fruit originated in China and was luckily brought to the United States in the 1880's. Now persimmons grown in California and are even available to us here in Utah! Here is a great photo of a Fuyu persimmon:

Week six at the restaurant brought the switch of students from front of the house to the back of the house. This week we are focusing on pumpkin in each of the courses. The first course is one of my favorites, Mediterranean onion soup. Instead of a heavy French onion soup, I like to add roasted tomatoes and chicken stock to lighten up the the traditional beef broth. We also added roasted pumpkin and paired the soup with caramelized onions and pumpkin focaccia as well. We still poured the soup table-side which has become a signature style at the restaurant. Here is a look:

For the second course we created mini-quiches with a creamy custard and a filo crust.

The third course started with pumpkin brioche and finished with Vietnamese pork, pickled vegetables, slaw and sweet potato fries with sweet and sour Siracha glaze.

Dessert was another sampler plate with lots of textures, temperatures and flavors. 

We made a frozen pumpkin mousse, persimmon cider, cocoa nib-nut glass, vanilla panna cotta and tuile!

Don't Fear Beets!

Beet week at the restaurant scared away a few people. Most customers know beets one way, canned.
But, when you are a chef and exposed to fresh beets it can vastly change your culinary perspective. Beets are a thing of beauty. I cannot say how many times I've just starred at beets thinking they are a piece of art. The other extraordinary thing about beets is their versatility to be a sweet or savory ingredient. This makes experimenting with them a lot more exciting.
As you can see with the dessert this week, we took beets to a whole new level!

Enjoy the culinary creations from Week Five~

Beet Gnocchi, Blood Orange and Fennel...added some savory chocolate soil to spice things up!

Slider Duo with Kale Chips and Beet-Siracha

(pretzel Vietnamese slider and pork belly steamed bun slider)

Seared Duck over Beet "Ravioli"

Zucchini Bread with Pistachio Gelato, Frozen Beet Parfait, Beet Brownie, Zabaglione and Soil

Kabocha + Delicata + Spaghetti + Butternut = Squash Week!

Let me translate for those of you who are new to the world of Winter Squash. Kabocha squash smells like cucumber when you split it open! It is bright, refreshing and even sweeter than Butternut squash. Delicata squash is another winter squash variety but less sweet than Kabocha. It has a nutty, creamy smooth texture. Spaghetti squash and Butternut squash are a bit more mainstream so I'll leave that information up to you to research!
This week the students amazed me with a goat cheese-squash terrine, incredible squash tacos and transformed our desserts into some the most beautiful dishes of the quarter...

Here is our pictorial menu from week four at the restaurant!

Delicata Squash

Kabocha and Delicata Getting Ready for the Oven

Course One-View One

Course One-View Two!

House-made buckwheat crackers, coconut-squash jam, pomegranate-cherry coulis and squash terrine with honeyed cream and goat cheese layers.

Curry-Squash Table Side Soup with Yuzu Gremolata and Pomegranate

Squash Tacos with House made Corn Tortilla, Silky Avocado and Verde Salsa

Squash Tagine with Date Couscous and Naan

Cardamon French Toast with Hazelnut Gelato, Candied Squash and Coconut Caramel

Vanilla Braised Pineapple with Rice Pudding, Thai Basil Gelato and Chocolate-Dipped Squash 

Dehydrated Squash + Spice Grinder = Dust!

Squash Dusted Thai Basil Gelato

Mmm, Scraps!