Sous Chef Hook Up

“Butternut Squash Risotto, Shrimp and Five Spice Sausage,

Bloomed Basil Seeds, Citrus “Zest “, Perigord

“You Know What” and The Forgotten Needed Garnish”

My junior sous chef Alex came into work tonight with his inlaws. He asked me to make sure that everything was right on tonight. I did what I can but I had to put out a party upstairs tonight and, I did not get downstairs until after the second amuse after first course. I really loved the dish that I made for them and the presentation was made with another bowl over the top and burnt orange rind and star anise smoke was exposed under the larger bowl. The garnish that was missing was lemon and salt cured griddled tangerine supremes that would have cut the richness of the dish and accented the flavor of the smoke.

The fact that I forgot the tangerine slices in the hot window really killed the rest of the night and I was really pissed off until (well actually right now). thanks peace, I’m out.

Oh yeah and I apologize to all of you that have been waiting for my pictures to take so long to download I just figured out yesteday how to make them take up less memory. HEY leave me alone I am a chef not and IT guy… I will try tot fix the rest of my blog asap.

Way Back When

 

I made this dessert amuse several months ago and never posted it. I really loved the flavors and have made several dishes off of what I discovered from these flavor combinations. My chef asked all of the cooks to make an ice cream and this is what I came up with.

“Parsley Ice Cream with Habanero and Lime Swirl,

   “Macerated” Blueberry Pie, and Olive Oil Caramel”

All I remember is that one table of four guests were in complete awe of the flavors and told the server to tell the pastry chef (me) that it was an incredible combination.

Free Food

“Foie Gras Panna Cotta, Benadictine and Honey Bubbles,

Bay Leaf and Vermouth Gel, and Thyme”

This is the dessert amuse that I made tonight. All of the flavors were really amazing together. The panna cotta was an awesome texture, so creamy, so tasty. The time was really an perfect finsih to the strong flavors. One thing that I want to talk about is that the foam was so much better than this picture shows but for only 10 seconds. The lecithin that I was using is over a year old and is definetly not good any more.

Yes I did go to Alinea and Yes it was amazing. I will find out in less than two weeks if I get the job or not.

Ready For A Change

But,

More on that later.

“Carrot Tempura Smelt and “Beet and Sour” Sauce,

Garnished with Nasturtium and Garlic”

The carrot tempura was bell pepper juice and carrot juice based, then carbonated and made into a really light batter. The red in the sauce came from beets and there is a sweet and sour flavor of yuzu. Finished with garlic shoots and garlic chive. This next plate is from when I worked pastry on Saturday and my Pastry Chef had a new dish on the menu but was still tweaking the presentation. So I busted this out and he rolled with it. The portion size is almost exactly what he was plating before with just a slight loss in tuile size.

“Orange Julius”

Orange Pound Cake, Vanilla Yogurt Chiboust,

Tangerine Curd, Vanilla Creme Fraiche,

and Mandarin Sherbert

Okay now on the note about the change.

On Thursday morning I am leaving to Chicago (for the first time) because on Friday and Saturday I have a working interview at Alinea. I have been wanting to work for Chef Achatz for since the first time I heard of him. I am ready to show up and do what I have to do. I do not know what they will have in store for me so I am preparring for anything. Well I just wanted to let you know and wish me luck!

Scallop “Bone” and Shrimp “Marrow”

 

Alright I know that is pushing it a little.

“Scallop Wrapped Shrimp, Beet and Citrus Sauce, and

Coconut and Butternut Squash”

Again this is another larger version of the amuse that I made tonight. The scallops were sliced thin around a sausage of shrimp, chinese five spice, and paprika. The paprika worked with the 5 spice well and added a little smokyness. The beet sauce added sweetness and acid that cut the rich foam of coconut-squash and worked with the bitter greens to a fresh finish.