Octopus Terrine with Blood Orange, Cilantro-Lime Aioli, Crispy Rice Noodle

Braised Bacon, Quail Egg, Red Pepper Grits, Toasted Cashew Powder

This is a dish that was served at a Chef's Table last week and was very well received.  It is based on a dish that I enjoyed at 5&10 in Athens, Georgia a couple weeks ago.

The bacon was prepared by braising a slab of apple wood smoked bacon in chicken stock for six hours at 250 degrees.  After the bacon chilled, it was portioned and reheated gently for service.

The toasted cashew powder was produced by toasting cashews in the oven then blending in the food processor with tapioca maltodextrin.  Maltodextrin was added incrementally until the desired consistency was reached, then the cashew powder was pushed through a sieve to remove any larger particles and to lighten the end product.

The grits were the real highlight of the dish.  They were made with Anson Mills grits and were finished with a puree that was produced by Chef Hannah Yerby.  Hannah made the red pepper puree with roasted red bell peppers, peppadew peppers, heavy cream, shallots and srirachi.  The result was a sweet, creamy and slightly tart flavor that slowly builds heat on the back of the palate.

I have never been a fan of the "breakfast for dinner" concept but I would enjoy this dish anytime!

Wagyu Hanger Steak with Beef Short Rib Croquette, Potato Puree, Cippolini Onion, Local Mushrooms, Sauce Choron

Hanger Steak is one of my favorite cuts of meat because of its deep, robust flavor.  The hanger steak is found in the diaphragm, attached to the last rib.  It is sometimes seen on menus as a "bistro steak" and was commonly referred to as "butchers steak" since butchers would take them home for dinner before the cut rose in prominence.

This hanger steak is a product of Snake River Farms from their Wagyu program.  Wagyu is a breed of cow that is genetically predispositioned to intense marbling and a high percentage of unsaturated fat.  This hanger steak was cooked sous vide at 136 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, shallots and butter.  Hanger steak has a texture similar to flank steak and benefits from the long, slow cooking of the sous vide process.

The beef short rib was braised, then chilled and diced.  A ragout was prepared with the short rib, a reduction of the braising liquid, bacon and mirepoix.  The ragout was thickened lightly with agar.  The ragout was then chilled and then goat cheese and fresh rosemary was folded into it.  One of the beneficial properties of agar is that it has a relatively high melting point, 140 degrees Fahrenheit.  The chilled ragout was shaped into spheres then breaded and fried.  The spheres hold their shape long enough for a crust to form in the fryer, the agar releases when hot and the ragout pours out of the sphere once cracked on the plate.

This week I will be traveling to Amarillo, Texas to visit the home of Certified Angus Beef.  I've been using their product extensively for a couple years and I look forward to meeting the ranchers that are responsible for the product that I've been cooking and writing about so frequently.

Potato Crusted Sea Bass with Easter Egg Radishes, Lemon-Chive Butter Sauce

For this dish I prepared the sea bass sous vide, cooking it against a plexiglass backing in the bag to preserve the shape.  The sea bass cooked at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty minutes, then it was shocked in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

When I butchered the sea bass I reserved the scrap, which was combined with fresh shallots, heavy whipping cream, kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper in an ice cold blender to create a mousse line.  The mousseline was spread then thinly over the top of the lightly cooked and chilled fish.

For the potato "crust", Idaho potatoes were sliced very thinly and then rounds were punched out.  I blanched the rounds quickly, let them cool down in the refrigeratory, then pressed them into the mousseline on the fish.

For service, the fish was pan seared until a nice golden crust formed, then it was placed in a 350 degree oven very quickly just to warm through.

The "Easter Egg" were given their name for obvious reasons.  These radishes were cooked sous vide at 180 degrees for 45 minutes and were bagged with butter, shallots, fresh thyme, kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper.

Sea Scallop with Truffled Cauliflower Puree, Crispy Mushrooms, Bacon, Butter Poached Radish and Creamer Potatoes

For this dish I used the "Twice Cooked Scallop" recipe from the "Ideas in Food" cookbook by Aki Komazawa and Alexander Talbot.  The scallops were brined in a .05% salt water solution for ten minutes, then cooked sous vide at 122 degrees for thirty minutes before shocking in an ice bath.  The scallops were fired to order in a smoking hot cast iron skillet.

The radishes were cooked sous vide as well, with butter, shallot, thyme, kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper joining it in the bag.  They cooked at 180 degrees for 45 minutes.

The petit creamer potatoes were cooked fully submerged in fat on a low flame for 45 minutes.  Time will depend on the size of the potatoes.  Cooking them for so long at such a low temperature develops the starch in these tiny potatoes and they become sweet, tender little delicacies.  They are finished with just a fleck of sea salt.

Beef Wellington with Spinach and Caramelized Onion Puree, Local Heirloom Carrots

The Beef Wellington, or the Filet de Boef en Croute, is a dish that traces it's origins back centuries to Britain, where it was named for the Duke of Wellington.  The duke was a man that enjoyed beef, pate and truffles, and obviously didn't have enough patience to enjoy them separately.

The traditional preparation calls for beef tenderloin wrapped in a mushroom duxelle with foie gras pate, sometimes with a crepe wrapped around the beef to absorb moisture, then it is all wrapped in puff pastry.  

For this preparation, the beef tenderloin was seasoned with kosher salt, freshly ground toasted black pepper, garlic powder, dried rosemary and thyme, then cooked sous vide for two and a half hours at 135 degrees Fahrenheit.  The wrapped tenderloin was then shocked and cooled in an ice bath.  

A mushroom duxelle was prepared using a mix of local mushrooms including shiitake and trumpet.  The mushrooms were sauteed on high heat with clarified butter, then seasoned with kosher salt, freshly ground toasted black pepper.  Freshly chopped garlic and shallots were added, as well as a knob of unsalted butter.  After the butter was toasted and the shallots were translucent, the pan was deglazed with madeira, then freshly chopped parsley, thyme and chives were added to finish.  After the mushroom mixture cooled, it was roughly chopped by hand.

The tenderloin was then wrapped with the mushroom duxelle, then blanched and seasoned spinach leaves, then finally a trellis cut of puff pastry was added.  The puff pastry was brushed with an egg wash then allowed to sit, uncovered, in the refrigerator for a couple hours.  Applying the egg wash and allowing it to sit uncovered allows for greater browning in the oven.

The wellington was then baked in a convection oven on high fan at 375 degrees for approximately fifteen minutes, until the crust was golden brown.  It was then removed from the oven and brushed with clarified butter to add a sheen and allowed to sit for five minutes before slicing.  

One thing to note is that the puff pastry on the bottom of the wellington was too damaged to use because of the moisture that it absorbed.  When I repeat this recipe I will probably try to remove more moisture from the mushrooms, as well as possibly wrapping the beef tenderloin in crepe to wick moisture and another layer of flavor.

CAB Prime Beef Carpaccio with Petit Greens, Truffle-Sherry Vinaigrette, Roasted Garlic Aioli, Potato Crisp

Sometimes a piece of beef is so well marbled that you just don't want to cook it... That was the case with the CAB Prime beef tenderloin that came in from Southern Foods.

Rather than cook it, it was wrapped into a cylinder then frozen over night.  The next morning it was unwrapped, then seared quickly in a cast iron skillet in the 1600 degree broiler.  It was then sliced thinly on the meat slicer and trimmed.  The beef was arranged on the plate and finished with coarse sea salt, freshly ground and toasted black pepper, sliced chives and several dots of roasted garlic aioli.

The greens came from Kate at Lucky Leaf Gardens near Charlotte.  They were tossed lightly with a truffle and sherry vinegar dressing.

Braised Pork Belly with Cherry Corn Bread Pudding, Braised Collard Greens

This was an outstanding dish that we prepared in honor of the New Year, with collard greens and bacon as two of the traditional items that are enjoyed in hopes of achieving good fortune and health in the coming year.  

The pork belly was cured with barbecue spices before cooking sous vide.  It was then chilled, portioned and scored for service.  

Veal Sweet Breads with Radishes, Grapes, Local Greens, AppleCider-Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette

 

This was an interesting dish prepared for a Chefs Table recently, combining the sweet and meaty flavor of sweet breads with a tart salad, peppery radishes and sweet, peeled grapes.

I've previously covered sweet breads extensively, it's one of my favorite preparations.

The local "Easter Egg" radishes were prepared by vacuum sealing them in a bag with butter, salt, pepper, shallots and thyme, then cooking sous vide at 180 degrees for 45 minutes.

Winter Wonderland

The club was transformed into a Winter Wonderland for our holiday party with the help of Travis Dale of Artisan Ice Sculptures. Travis' website can be found here: http://www.artisanicesculptures.com/

This is one of my favorite events of the year, as each sous chef is given the autonomy to create their own menus for their stations. The result is seven unique and outstanding stations throughout the building.