Artichoke Barigoule

I wanted to play around with a classic preparation called "artichoke barigoule" for a future wine dinner. Classically i've always stewed artichokes with garlic, fennel, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and onions in white wine and stock. For this version I refined the classic stew and made a mushroom consomme (clarified broth) and braised the vegetables in much larger pieces. It was served at room temperature and garnished with some spicy onion shoots that gave the soup a great finish. I still think the deconstructed technique is one of the most fun ways of revisiting a classic but it may be time to start calling it something else.

Rabbit Terrine Final

Last night I was able to finesse the final touches on my remaining hors d'oeuvre for the James Beard Dinner. The rabbit is ground fine and then pureed in a food processor with heavy cream to lighten it up. After baking for 1 hour in a water bath I allow it to cool under the weight of a few soup cans which forms the terrine into a perfect rectangle. I cut the rabbit into cubes and glazed with a rabbit aspic made from the bones and scraps. I serve it on carrot ginger air and truffle infused crostinis. The picture really showcases each component of this dish and we couldn't stop eating them because they tasted so good. I can't wait to showcase my food with the other chefs in less than two weeks.

Final Pictures

Yesterday, I made some time to put together two of the dishes that I will be preparing at the James Beard House on December 18th in New York City. The first dish is a Foie Gras Stuffed Fig and the second is White Chocolate Poached Lobster with Whipped Yukon Potatoes and Anise Spiced Pears. I'm really excited about the outcome of these dishes and currently have the third cooking in the oven right now. I will update that picture once it cools and I can play with the presentation.

New Ingredients

Today isn't too busy so we decided to start playing around with some new ingredients that I just got in. The new ingredients that we used were "agar agar" and "egg white powder". I got the ingredients from a website called http://www.willpowder.net/ which offers a wide variety of molecular ingredients and ways to use them. I wanted to play around with a classic dish called "Baked Alaska" which is pound cake and ice cream and covered with torched meringue. I started with a macadamia pound cake and placed a salt pineapple cube on top. I made a pineapple gel using the agar agar and also made a pineapple ginger meringue using the egg white powder. The egg white powder was mixed with sugar, powdered ginger, and pineapple juice and whipped until stiff peaks were formed. I topped the cube of salt pineapple with the meringue and torched it golden brown. The agar agar was mixed with pineapple juice and brought to a boil before allowing to gel at room temperature. The final dish was garnished with some kiwi puree and looked really nice. The only area that needs some more work is the salt pineapple. I need to figure out some barrier to prevent the salt from overpowering the sweet pineapple while it bakes in the oven. I decided to give this dish a new name and call it "Baked Hawaii".

Like Clockwork

Happy Thanksgiving to all who are enjoying the bountiful food displays and family gatherings around the world. I personally have been in the kitchen today serving everlasting portions of food to a large amount of people. We started with 1,100 people on the reservation list for our Thanksgiving Brunch and finished with 1,015. We cooked 85 turkeys, 25 new york striploins, 150# of salmon, and 200# of mashed potatoes. The best part of the day is the resort has been doing this brunch for so many years that it runs like clockwork. The toughest shift to work is from 4am-10am because number 1 it's way to early and second your getting ready for the brunch and cooking in an extremely cold kitchen (remember that it's Colorado in November and actually snowing right now). I'm glad that I didn't have to work the morning shift, instead I worked came in at 10am and will stay to make sure that it all gets closed down properly. I've worked in a few other hotels that did major holiday brunches with 1,500 people, but never worked in one that ran this organized. Since I've been here the past two years, I've really picked up some serious organizational skills to aid in executing a large party. I'm now sitting down enjoying a some nutmeg spiced pumpkin pie and molasses brined turkey that we worked on earlier this week. I hope that everyone is partaking in this joyous occasion and savoring the memories of all the goodness that food brings.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving,
Chef Brother

"Pressure Cooker"

Last Friday, I went to the Denver Film Festival to check out a new documentary called "Pressure Cooker" produced by Jennifer Grausman. The film was based on the growth of some inner kids that became involved in a non-profit organization called "C-cap". This program works with inner city schools in numerous cities across the country by helping students and teachers consider the hospitality industry as a career path. They give the students a chance to change their lives by awarding culinary scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $80,000. Since they started this program in 1990, C-cap has awarded over $25 million in culinary scholarships. Each year they host culinary competitions that take undeserved students through a rigorous cycle of essay writing, cooking techniques, interviews, and stressful situations. This film took you into the world of Mrs. Stephenson's culinary program in Philadelphia at Frankford High School. She was tougher than any chef I've ever worked for and truly cared about the students she was teaching. The film focused on 3 students that were trying to make their way out of some bad situations and better themselves for the future. It was an inspirational documentary that followed these students and their teacher from the first day of school to the end of the year where they had clearly made a change about their outlook on life. I was touched by this film because it hit really close to home as I had been one of those students during my senior year of high school . Mr. Richard Grausman (who is the president of the organization) asked me to come view the film and give my opinion since I had been through the program and made my own way out of a bad situation. After I participated in the C-cap program, I was awarded a scholarship to the Art Institute of Phoenix. C-cap is a family that gives chances to students who are willing take advantage of an opportunity and build their own futures for the better. I don't know where I would have been if they hadn't given me a chance to change my lifestyle and stop making some bad decisions that could have ended with serious consequences. I cannot wait for the film to make a debut to the public and start to share this inspirational story that each year students re-write for themselves. Make sure to look out for "Pressure Cooker" next year and watch it if you get the chance, it's well worth it. If you want to really see what C-cap is about make sure to check out their website.

http://www.ccapinc.org/

Lobster & White Chocolate

This was a dish that took some time to figure out how these two would work without overpowering each other. I tried make a butter sauce with white chocolate but it had way too much fat and kept breaking. I didn't want to lose the natural sweetness of the lobster by using the wrong cooking procedure. Eventually the inspiration came from Thomas Keller's technique for cooking lobster by melting butter in it's emulsified form. I've used the technique in the past for resting meat or making sauces, so I knew it worked and made sense for this dish. I started by bringing 1 Tbl of water to a boil and slowly whisking in chunks of chilled whole butter over medium heat. Once the emulsification occured I added some shallots, lemon zest, sea salt, and white chocolate. This technique works perfect because the ideal temperature for holding is 185 degrees and ideal for poaching. I sliced the lobster into 1" coins and poached them for a few minutes. By using this cooking method, the lobster not only picks up the sweet flavor of white chocolate but also shares the salty ocean flavor. I still need to work on the other components of this plate, but the highlighted white chocolate lobster is going to be memorable.

Rabbit Terrine on Carrot Air

This was a fun dish to play with because I'm stuffed on rabbit and bacon. For the terrine, I cleaned a rabbit and ground it up with some applewood smoked bacon. After it had been ground fine and pureed with some heavy cream in a food processor, I added some colorful garnish. Chopped parsley, crushed juniper berries, grated carrot, shallots, garlic, sea salt, and white pepper. I placed the mixture in a plastic wrap lined rectangle terrine mold and covered with foil. I then cooked it in a water bath for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. I allowed it to come to room temperature before weighing it down with a few cans overnight in the cooler to shape the form. For the Carrot Air I played around with an "El Bulli" recipe and found a variation. I juiced 5 large carrots and grated some fresh ginger into a saucepan. I added a small pinch of soy lecithin and heated until the emulsifier had dissolved. After straining the mixture, I used an immersion blender to create a foam that was bright orange and held up for an extremely long time. With a piece of toasted bread, the carrot air, rabbit terrine, and fresh chervil I'd say this is a winner for a James Beard hors d'oeurve.

Foie Gras Stuffed Fig

So my New York trip is less than a month away for James Beard House and I'm working hard on my dishes. I started working on my foie gras stuffed fig last week and finally reached a satisfactory result. I've decided that making a mousse works best for flavor and texture with the fig. I poach the foie in a sweet white wine until slightly warm inside and allow to cool. Once it has marinated in the chilled wine, I puree it in a food processor with a little cream and season with some fine sea salt. The fig is partially hollowed out from the bottom and filled with the mousse. I allow it to set up in the cooler for awhile before cutting in half and showing off the beautiful center. I will be posting pictures in the next few days of each dish.

Grand Finale

And here is the final menu. I had my conference call with the other chefs and we finalized our menu for the James Beard House in December. I've got three of my own dishes on the menu (2 hors d'oeuvres and the lobster course). I will be flying to Washington, D.C. in November to do a tasting of the menu with all of the other chefs. This is going to be an amazing dinner and I hope to see you all there!!!

Reception

Hudson Valley Foie Gras Stuffed Mission Figs
Rabbit Terrine with Ginger Carrot Air
Sea Scallops” Wellington” with Caviar Vinaigrette
Smoked Steelhead Trout “Burger” Blood Orange Ketchup
Turkish Date and Chevre Truffle with Pistachio

Dinner

Winter Squash Soup, Ricotta Dumplings, Cardoons, Anchovy Butter
***
Sweet Cacao Butter Maine Lobster
Anise Spiced Pears, Whipped Yukon Potato, Roasted Fennel
***
Pork Belly and Water Melon Salad over Baby Swiss Chard and a Cantaloupe Coulis
***
Roasted Rack of Venison
Mushroom Spätzle, Roasted Butternut Squash Flan
Huckleberry Reduction
***
Brillat Savarin Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Poached Quail Egg and Roasted Golden Beets
***
Holiday Apple Sampler
Honey Crisp Apple Strudel
Candied Crap Apple
Calvados Ice Cream

James Beard Update

I just wanted to give an update on the menu for my dinner this December at the "James Beard House". I have a conference call on Tuesday with the other chef's to discuss our ideas and concepts. I've put together an assortment of ideas that I would like to prepare for the dinner. This is going to be a really fun dinner because there are 5 chefs from all around the country partaking in the event whom I've never met. The best part is that it's an all expenses paid trip and the hotel has offered to fly my wife out with me for the event. I've attached my ideas for all of your viewing pleasures so you can experience the making of a gourmet dinner from start to finish. I will post an update after the call on Tuesday.

Hors D’oeuvres

Hudson Valley Foie Gras Stuffed Mission Figs
Candied Yam Filled Marshmallow
Spaghetti Squash and Pistachio Duck Rillettes
Winter Parsnip and Tahitian Vanilla Bean Shooter
Rabbit Terrine w/ Ginger Carrot Air

Entrees

Lavender Scented Colorado Lamb
Salty Brioche Raisin Pudding, Caramel Glazed Turnip, Reduced Porcini Mushroom

Sweet Cacao Butter Maine Lobster
Anise Spiced Pears, Whipped Yukon Potato, Roasted Fennel

Caper Dusted Veal
Sour Cranberry Jam, Almond Crusted Brie, White Asparagus Salad

Buffalo Tenderloin
Gruyere Potato Leek Stack, Juniper Honey, Macerated Raspberries

C.E.C.

I just recently attained my certification through the ACF (American Culinary Federation) as a C.E.C. (Certified Executive Chef). I never thought much about continuing my education through this organization until I recently started working in Colorado. During culinary school, Iwas involved in numerous cooking competitons and felt mesmerized by the following of chefs towards the ACF. As I furthered my career, I lost interest in the organization and felt like there was nothing worth pursuing unless I wanted to become a teacher or trade show chef. About six months ago I got the urge to start my certification and wonder if I could take on the challenge of completing all the qualifications. I started out with a 3 hour cooking exam that required me to prepare a 3 course meal with mandatory ingredients, cooking techniques, and specific knife skills. I passed this part with a 89% and felt good about the grade. The next part was taking a written exam of 100 questions in 1 hour and passing with at least a 70%. I got an 84% and only took 14 minutes to finish the test, maybe I should have slowed down to actually read the ones I missed. Next was attaining 150 hours of industry related involvement and verifying my work history as a Chef De Cuisine/Executive Sous Chef. Finally I had to pass three 30 hour courses in Nutrition, Sanitation, and Management. Now that I have this certification it adds to my reportoire of accomplishments for future endeavors. I'm not sure if I will pursue the next step towards becoming a C.M.C. (Certified Master Chef). Less than 100 hundred chefs have passed this 8 Day Exam since it originated in 1981. As for now, I will continue to further my knowledge in this business and strive to continue challenging myself. If your interested in the ACF, please check out the new website, http://www.acfchefs.org/