Week 10: More Special California Imports!

This week was another week where I was able to take a personal trip to California and bring the exclusive seasonal produce back to Salt Lake. I went to an amazing market in Petaluma where already there was: apricots, plums, nectarines, cherries, herbs and more! I tasted some of the best plums since last summer and decided to share the wealth with my students at the Savory Palate. I also brought some "bacon" avocados which were a new item for me. Although these avocados taste nothing like bacon, they have an very unique green skin and a creamy meat on the inside. Fact of the day: There are over 100 varieties of avocado out there~
Here is what week ten looked like:

AMUSE: Taste of Cheese and California

BREAD: Hazelnut-Stout Beer with Hazelnut Butter and Cherry Jam

SOUP: Chilled Mango with Bacon Avocado with Basil Powder

SALAD: Alligator Confit with Crispy Sunchoke

Pasta: Squid Ink with Crab and Garlic Scape

ENTREE: Halibut Cheek Duo: Sous Vide and Baked over Creamy Maple Polenta

DESSERT: Carnival Delight: Cotton Candy, Milk Shake, Doughnut, Fizzy-Pops and Ice Cream Sando

Week 9- Coming off the Holiday Weekend~

This week we only had one day to prep and then serve the following day. It's nice having a two-day service because you are able to work out all your kinks during the first day...this wasn't the case this week!
We had to make sure everything was done and ready to go. I really wanted to try a "gnudi" this week. Gnudi is a cheater gnocchi. Making gnudi involves ricotta and semolina flour and that's it~ Because it looked so easy we took it a step further and used fresh mozzarella, not the best idea! In the end we did more of a mini fried mozzarella bite, but most people don't complain about fried cheese. Here is a look at some of our other great dishes from week nine:

AMUSE: Puff Pastry Basket, Smoked Salmon Mousse, Sorrel, Peppadew Pepper

BREAD: Steamed Hong Kong Duo

SOUP: Chilled Melon with House-Made Bacon

    
SALAD: Ahi Tar Tar with Sea Beans and Edamame

 

   

PASTA: Fried Mozzarella

                                                  

ENTREE: Buffalo Flank Steak with Barley Buzzed Gratin and Radish

DESSERT: Celery Confit, Bleu Cheese Mousse, Fried Strawberry Sauce and Rhubarb Tuile

                                            

Week 8 "It's Not Your Mamma's Fried Chicken"

The menu this week really is beginning to show the talent of my students in Spring Restaurant. We played around with vegetable noodles (daikon), haute fried chicken and an amuse that sparked the palate. We are getting more amazing Spring vegetables including: ramps, green garlic, chive blossoms, radishes and peas! Here are some great dishes from week eight~

Amuse: Potato Chip with Chive Blossom, Black Garlic and Fennel

SALAD: Pineapple Carpacchio with Tangerine and Buttermilk Panna Cotta

PASTA: Daikon Fettuccine with Coconut Alfredo, Spring Peas and Tiger Shrimp

ENTREE: Mo's Fried Chicken                                                                                                                    

DESSERT: Textures and Flavors of Coffee with Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake

                                                                                                        

Lucky Number Week 7....

Week Seven is building up high expectations in the kitchen. The food and service are getting better and it's hard to keep up sometimes. We get used to food working out and plates having that extra "oomph"
This is also the time when some students begin to lose steam and a bit of motivation.
I am hoping we catch our breath so-to-speak and get back into our groove since we will be getting busier each week as the quarter comes to a close. Here is what Week Seven had to offer:

Amuse and Bread: Cheese Plate Duo

Soup: Bacon-Onion with Crispy Corn

Salad: Asparagus Panna Cotta, Wild Rice, Hazelnuts and More Asparagus

Pasta: Ramp Pasta with Beehive Rosemary Cheddar Bechamel and Figs

Entree: Wagyu Skirt Steaks with Fresh Creamed Corn and Fried Wheat Grass

Dessert: Flavors and Textures of Chai Tea and Honey: Macaroon, Caramel, Curd, Terrine

Week Six

We introduced our first chilled soup this week, used wheat grass as a gelato and made beet gnocchi as well. The plates were full of color and artistry. This was the week of trying new and pretty different culinary ideas and I believe we pulled it off....see if you agree?!

AMUSE: Grilled Flat bread Pizza with Asparagus and Orange

Bread: Potato Bread with Black Garlic Butter

Soup: Chilled Pea with White Chocolate

Salad: Warm Date Salad with Honey Crostini and Mortadella Mousse

Pasta: Beet Gnocchi with Cara-Cara Orange Cream Sauce

Entree: "BLT" Pork Belly, Oven-Roasted Tomatoes, Kale Chips and Sour Dough Cream

Dessert: Wheatgrass Gelato with Grilled Rhubarb Compote, Lambic and Coriander Fluff

Middle of The Road...Week 5

Week five is all about gaining momentum in an 11-week quarter. By now, the students are becoming confident on what we can present to the customers and our cuisine is becoming more refined. This week is an excellent example of that idea. It was a real treat to watch some students finishing their plates with chopsticks and/or tweezers so they wouldn't crush their gently fried scallions or microgreens. The plates are sharper, more exciting and our restaurant is starting to become polished. One of our goals was doing more with Gluten Free cuisine. We still have to figure out our Methyl Cellulose Gnocchi, but this was a great week in our kitchen laboratory!
Here is what we came up with for the first week of May~

AMUSE: Deviled Quail Egg with Micro Wasabi

BREAD: Tapioca Cheese Bread with Radish Salsa (Gluten Free)

SOUP: Artichoke, Lemon Oil, Saffron Filo and Micro Lemon Balm

SALAD: Radish Three Ways- Grilled, Sauteed, Dehydrated, Sunchoke Chip, Cara Cara Orange

PASTA: Fried Methyl cellulose Gnocchi with Figs, Dates and Black Garlic

ENTREE: Scallops with Rhubarb, Sunchokes, Shoestring Potatoes and Pea Tendrils

DESSERT: Tahini Gelato, Aloe Honey, Puffed Rice, Forbidden Rice Pudding and Molten Brownie

Week 4

Week Four brought some business to the restaurant! We had a group of 22 people come down from Park City in a snow storm for lunch on Tuesday and then another full night of guests for dinner on Wednesday. The students put their heads down and got the job done! The food was bright and wonderful, just the way it should be for Spring.

AMUSE: Purple Haze Goat Cheese, Blackberries and Fig Balsamic

SOUP: Watercress with Smoked Pea Tendril Cream and Parmesan Froth

SALAD: Grilled Cesar with Liquid Crouton and Artichoke

PASTA: Italian Orzo with Tomato Confit and Focaccia Gremolata

ENTREE: Savory Bread Pudding with Rhubarb Compote, Chips and Wild Mushrooms

DESSERT: "Broken Flower Pot" Mocha Porter Cake with Carbonated Seville Curd, Caramelized White Chocolate, Curried Granola and Frozen Vanilla Bean Pudding!