Signature Chefs Auction

October 29 was this years March of Dimes signature chefs auction at the resort. We were able to raise $53,000 for the March of Dimes. We hosted about 20 chefs from around The Springs and served about 250 guests. Pictured above is a clipping from the local paper about the event. We had two booths to represent the resort. We served our Braised Colorado Lamb Shank with red chile mole` in one booth. Julian and I had represented the Mountain View restaurant with our Tequila-Lime cured salmon. Its a twist on traditional gravlox that has hints of southwestern flavors such as toasted coriander, cumin and fresh cilantro. We host the event each year, and each year it gets better.

The "Colorado Fusion" appetizer sampler

Samplers are always a hit, but this one is a home run. We use three terrific apps on this plate that give the guest a good idea of what to expect of our "Colorado Fusion" themed menu. First, the buffalo "pot pies" on the left feature our shredded ancho-coffee buffalo short rib meat, blended in a pot pie style filling. The pastry we use is nothing more than pate choux. A savory profiterole makes for a combination of a pot pie and a slider. Second, the chipotle goat cheese dip. This one has gone over very well on any menu its appeared on, so we stuck with it. We send the hot dip in a wonton cup, and serve it with toasted flat bread triangles. The third fusion dish on the menu is a chorizo stuffed calamari rellano. Traditionally, rellanos are stuffed peppers. We twisted the idea and actually stuff calamari tubes with chorizo, corn, cheddar cheese and cilantro. Once stuffed, the calamari is breaded in a cornmeal crust to give it the nice southwest feel. The whole plate is garnished with a cilantro chimichurri, a sweet red pepper coulis and creme friache.

Drunken Goat, Vermont Cheddar, and Cambozola

As the season changes, so does the palate. An addition to our menu is this beautiful cheese board. The board itself was cut from some wood cutting boards, then branded with the CMR logo. Although very appealing to the eye, the cheeses and other components on this plate are the real winners. Starting with the drunken goat cheese, you get a nice soft and mild flavored goat cheese that has been soaked in red wine. The rind is a deep purple color and has a potent red wine flavor. The sharp Vermont Cheddar is a nice white cheddar cheese. It is the most common of the cheeses on the board, but its a safe bet that all will enjoy. My favorite cheese on this plate (hands down) is the Cambozola. This cheese is has the great, creamy texture like you would get from a Camembert but the overwhelming flavor and color of Gorganzola. A few red grapes, pear slices and berries lighten up the dish a bit, but the pumpkin bread, lavosh and pancetta disk are what really complete the plate. So far, we have been selling a good number of these cheese boards, and if my gut feeling is true, we should continue sending a good number of them out.

Chipotle Goat Cheese with Tamarind Honey

Here we have a sweet, spicy, soft and crunchy amuse. The chipotle goat cheese is a warm, fairly spicy mixture that I froze and wrapped with grilled green onions. I then sliced them and placed them on a miniature fried red chile tortilla. The coriander crisp is an asiago crisp that has been cooked with toasted coriander, cumin and chile powder. The dish was nice, but a little spicy. That's why I decided that a little tamarind honey would compliment the dish nicely.

Bacon Wrapped Surf And Turf (Using Transglutaminase)

Transglutaminase, aka Meat Glue made this dish work. Transglutaminase is a powder that actually binds (or glues) proteins to each other. In this example, I have glued beef tenderloin to shrimp and wrapped the whole thing in bacon. After the transglutaninase sets up (about 4 hours) the protein can be cooked as one piece of meat. Once cooked, the bacon was nice and crisp, the shrimp and beef tenderloin stayed together in the same shape I had molded them, and it was easily sliced into nice thin pieces. This is my first time using meat glue, so I am pretty happy with the result. This was only an experiment, and it was delicious. I served the bacon wrapped surf and turf with an avocado-mango salsa and a spicy smoked tomato coulis. The garnish was just some baby frisee with red and green tango tied together with a grilled chive.

After Thought

I think its safe to say that bears are attracted to a campsite due to the remaining scent of food. Well why, you might ask, would a grown man that had been elbow deep in fresh salmon and raw chicken be anywhere near such an animal. That my friend is an after thought. It seems that this guy has returned. If memory serves me, this is the same creature that I unintentionally chased a year or so ago. Payback? Maybe. I think he was just enjoying the cool, breezy day here at the resort. He made himself comfortable this morning in a tree next to the driving range (which stayed closed) and relaxed all day long.

I hope my niece and nephew get a chance to see this guy before he retires for the winter. This is just one more reason I love living and working in Colorado. Without looking, wildlife seems to be right at your front door.

Wild Mushroom Mosaic

As we creep closer to delivering our new fall/winter Colorado Fusion menu, we have been experimenting with some of the concepts. Although it needs to be somewhat refined, the wild mushroom mosaic is going to be nice. With this one, I used a blend of crimini, oyster and portobella mushrooms. I plan to have a more complex selection come time to roll out the new menu. Anyways, a nice hot saute of the the mushrooms along with diced shallot, minced garlic and a white wine deglaze got a very nice, classical flavor from the blend. I used a vegetable stock to make my aspic (to hold together the terrine) and covered the shroom blend. After an hour or so the gelatin set up and I was able to slice it fairly thin to expose the different internal structures of the mushrooms. I tossed some baby greens with truffle oil, salt and pepper to make a small salad. I roasted of a couple red bell peppers and made a quick coulis. The flavors worked pretty well together, however I am going to try a different combination for the aspic on the next go around. All in all, its a simple starter that should go over pretty well.

Herb Roasted Pheasant with Smoked Tomato Demi

Tonight's Entree Special: Herb Roasted Pheasant Breast with Smoked Tomato Demi. I really enjoyed this dish. I made a really nice herb marinade yesterday and smothered the pheasant breasts over night. It is a very flavorful, earthy and fragrant dish. The smoked tomato demi works really well with the pheasant, but the risotto served as the starch on this dish is just killer. It starts with a saute of thinly sliced prosciutto ham, onion, and a blend of wild mushrooms and garlic. After adding the risotto I add chicken stock and finish with diced Brie cheese. The flavor profiles come together really nicely and the dish works well. Although fall isn't officially here for a few more days, my mind is transitioning into the colder weather direction and my food doing the same.

Striped Bass With Tomato-Leek Ragout

As we start to brainstorm the fall-winter menu we discussed using a rocky mountain fresh water fish. Makes sense. Striped bass seems like a good fit. I decided to play around today with whole striped bass and here's what I came up with. I scaled the fish and removed the innards. Once the skin had been scored, I rubbed the inside and out of the fish with oil, salt and pepper. I grilled the fish to crisp up the skin really nicely. The dish actually had only 3 components but they worked nicely together and didn't over power the flavor of the fish. The tomato-leek ragout was nice. I cooked it down with some garlic and chicken stock with a touch of fresh lime juice to give it a nice light broth. I topped the fish with a oyster mushroom salsa that added an earthy flavor to the mix. It turned out nice and I was able to share the 2 plates with the FOH and kitchen staff.

Monkfish Bruchette on Avocado Marble

I saw the avocado marble in the newest Art Culinare and thought it looked cool. I used the technique described in the magazine to add a really neat looking component to tonight's amuse. These little skewers are one bite, consisting of portobella mushroom, heirloom tomato, diced onion and one cube of monkfish. The avocado is cold, so it gives the dish a contrast in temperature and texture. I used a pinch of Hawaiian pink sea salt to enhance the already flavorful first bite.

The avocado marble is an easy way to make a dish unique. This takes no time to do, and sets up in about an hour in the freezer. Just start with avocados in a mixing bowl, and gently mash the together to blend the colors slightly. Place the mixture on a pan lined with plastic wrap. Place a second piece of wrap over the avocados and roll to about 1/4 inch thick with a rolling pin. Freeze for an hour or so, then cut with ring molds, or a knife.

Pheasant Mousse and Roasted Veal Terrine

Its been a while since I've done a terrine for an amuse-bouche. Today proved to be the right day for one. This one consists of only a few items, which work very well together. First, I roasted a couple veal chops with nothing but salt, pepper and a touch of garlic. I also sauteed a mixture of portabello and oyster mushrooms which I hit with a splash of white wine. I cut the cooked veal and mushrooms into strips and tossed them into a bowl with some thin asparagus. Next was the pheasant mousse. A simple puree of cleaned pheasant breast, whipping cream and egg whites made a nice soft mousse to hold together my terrine. After testing a small batch of the mousse for flavor and consistency, I mixed all ingredients together, holding all the different elements together as one. I layered the mix into my terrine mold which happens to be a triangle mold, wrapped it very tightly and poached the terrine for about 20 minutes. After removing the terrine from the mold, I could see that it had held together very nicely. I then rolled it in a blend of chopped herbs, including basil, thyme, sage and parsley. The roasted tomato coulis and creme friache seemed to be the perfect fit to compliment the terrine.

Elk Chops with Wild Mushroom Orzo Salad

When I was given these Elk chop t-bones and told to run them as a special I was stoked. They had been seared for a party but we had prepped way to many. I decided to use our braising liquid from the buffalo Short ribs to heat the chops. It was the right decision. The coffee and ancho chili flavors complimented the flavor of the chops perfect. When deciding on a starch I saw a bag of orzo and thought it might be different to do a cold salad for this dish. I tossed our roasted mushroom salsa with the orzo and coated the salad with a nice truffle infused olive oil. A simple dish, but lots of flavor. I was defiantly happy with the completed dish.

Both Sides Of Life

It occurred to me tonight as I enjoyed a couple games of billiards and a Black and Tan, I was frequently returning to the computer to check an e-mail or document some menu ideas. Maybe the keeping work and life separate needs another look. I can tell you that what I do for a living isn't for most. I can tell you that it also can take its toll on home life. That being said, my situation is similar to this nicely poured Black and Tan. I consider my work to be like Guinness, not for everyone, but I enjoy it. Everyone likes a taste, but not everyone finishes the glass. On the other hand, Bass seems to reflect family life. They call it a pale ale, but if you have ever had one you know that its much more than that. It seems to have a comforting taste and finishes nicely.

Alone they are both taste great, but the complexity of them together is what every man dreams of. It seems that they compliment one another well satisfy life's palate. That applies, of course, to both the beer and the delicate balance of life and work.

Avocado-Chicken Salad on Cumin Scented Flatbread

I had some chicken that needed a home. I figured on being busy so I wanted to do a cold amuse. Chicken salad seemed to be the answer, but with my Colorado Fusion twist. I made the salad more like a salsa, using diced tomato, jalapeno, onion, cilantro, garlic, avocado and lime juice. A very fresh salsa, which I then added finely diced cooked chicken and seasoned just right. The flat bread just seemed like the right vehicle to deliver this mouthwatering bite to ones mouth. I decided to rub the flat bread with cumin scented olive oil and grill it before building the amuse. Not only does it work well to stimulate the palate, but it fits very nicely with the overall theme of the restaurant.

Snow Crab and Jicama Slaw

This was thrown together last minute today but came together nicely. The slaw is a mix of chopped snow crab and shrimp along with finely diced jicama, poblano pepper, and red bell pepper. I seasoned it with garlic and a splash of Cholula before soaking the mix in our honey-cayenne vinaigrette. This slaw sits on a small fried plantain chip and some diced avocado. Hawaiian pink sea salt adds a nice look and great finish to this amuse-bouche. This combination is very refreshing due to the heat of summer that we have been seeing.

"Manitou" Shrimp Spring Rolls

These "Manitou" Shrimp Rolls are similar to Mikado spring rolls. They can be a pain in the neck to make for restaurant service, but boy are they good. I have had several employees ranging from dishwashers to bakeshop employees and even bussers ask for a recipe to try them at home. It sounds like they all went over pretty well with all three that I followed up with.

We start out with some cooked, chopped shrimp. Adding just a few ingredients including soy, ginger, sambal, sweet Thai chili sauce, garlic, cilantro and scallions makes the filling phenomenal (top picture). An important thing to remember when rolling these spring rolls is to use a mixture of cornstarch and water to "glue" the roll together(picture 2). This keeps the spring roll tight when frying. When sealed properly the roll should be a tight, cylindrical spring roll with the contents held firmly inside (picture 3). Simply fry the rolls in clean oil heated to approx. 350 degrees for no more than a couple minutes. The rolls are thin and don't require a long cooking time. (Remember, the shrimp is already cooked.) We serve this with a side of the sweet Thai chili sauce, but you can use whatever sauce you like. Even just some shoyu is nice.

I will have a solid, printed recipe available in the very near future in the recipe section of my blog. Check back soon and please post any questions, comment regarding the dish and most importantly the results of your versions of this snack.

Herb Roasted Pheasant

This is just the right combination of flavors. A nice savory herb and garlic roasted pheasant breast, with the light acidity of an heirloom tomato slice, the sweet flavor of a port-onion compote come together nicely. The sourdough crostini not only adds the crunchy texture, but also becomes the vehicle that brings this palate teaser to your taste buds. The heirloom tomatoes we get are a variety of colors, so each person at the table gets the same flavor in this bite sized appetizer and they look the same, but each has a different color that catches their eyes.

The FNG in the Henion family!

This little one was born July 9th and his mom and I are so proud to have him in our lives. Its been a few days since my last post, but as you can see, a lot has happened since then. After a few nights in the hospital we are all home and everyone is doing very well.

With all the time we had spent in the hospital, and now around the house, I haven't been able to shake the thought of what kind of guy my son is going to be. I hope that even if he doesn't ever dabble in the restaurant industry, that he takes away a knowledge of cooking basics from his old man. Truly I hope that I can not only teach him to fish and hunt, but how to cook whatever he may bring home. There is a lot that can be said for individuals that cook, whether professionally or in the quiet of their own home. I think that my career path, in general, seems to be a source of distancing family. I really think that if used properly, my skills and love of food could one day bring us closer together. Some father/son bonding around the outdoor smoker, or with the stove full of pots and the smell roasting herb crusted prime rib filling not only the house but the neighborhood.

If he knows whats best, he will learn to cook but stay far away from a culinary career. That is, unless hes like his dad.

Kitchen Humor

Kitchens have always been a place to make people look and feel stupid. That's why it takes a certain breed of people to work in restaurants. We have done everything to haze the FNG's (F'n New Guys) that we could come up with. Telling the bus boy to empty the hot water from the coffee machine, or fill up the water fountain before clocking out are a couple good ones. There is always telling the new salad guy to hurry up and get a bucket of steam from the steam machine downstairs or having them run to a neighboring kitchen to borrow the meat stretcher.

Well, today I had a cook bring in this terrific can of dehydrated water. The can list its uses which include dry mopping, dry cleaning and my favorite is making dry ice. Its just a great idea. Being able to put an actual can of dehydrated water on the shelf. The instructions are easy too, empty contents into one gallon of water. Stir until dissolved. Chill and serve. Good luck FNG, good luck.

I can honestly say, having this type of work environment isn't for everyone. But, for the dedicated people who put all there effort into the fast paced, somewhat unforgiving career that we chose,lets keep the new guys wondering why the hell they took this path.

Prosciutto Wrapped Veal with Asparagus

I wrapped this bite of veal in Prosciutto ham and gave it a nice sear. I then made a mushroom ragout with tiny diced portobella mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and deglazed with a Chardonnay and stewed with a beautiful veal demi-glace. I used the peelings from asparagus and fried them to make a nice "bed" for the amuse. A simple brunoise of red bell pepper gives a nice visual contrast to the dish. Seafood buffet ususally kills most of our ala carte business, but I hope to share this veal dish with a few lucky guests tonight.

Chimichurri Beef Tenderloin Amuse

A sort of knock-off of my lunch steak sandwich, this amuse has a ton of flavor. I cubed some beef tenderloin, rubbed it with garlic and cumin, then grilled it. Then I took our version of chimichurri (with cilantro and pepitas) topped the beef and finished it in the oven. It is cooked to a nice medium, which takes no time due to the size of the portion. A simple sourdough crostini, mango pico de gallo and an avocado puree round of this one bite course.

Lychee

I picked these lychee up at the large Asian market near my house. Lychee is a fruit native to south China. There are several different types of lychee, also spelled litchi, leechee, and a few others spellings. Most have a somewhat spiny, tough yet thin skin that varies in color from bright reds, to greens and yellows. The fruit has a hard seed in the center which pulls from the flesh fairly easily. The juicy aromatic flesh usually has an opaque whitish pinkish appearance. It has a similar texture to grapes I recall eating off the vine at my grandparents years ago. Lychee is low in saturated fat, very low in cholesterol and sodium, and is a very good source of copper and vitamin C (40% more than an orange). It has higher levels of Beta carotene than carrots. It is said to enhance the feeling of well-being and is said to prevent blood clots, severe cell damage and reduce strokes, up to 50 %, in heart patients.

Colorado Gravlox

I decided to do my own spin on gravlox. I cured the salmon with cumin, lime zest, cilantro, chili powder, tequila, coriander and garlic along with the salt and sugar. It probably cured a little long, but the consistency was nice. I diced the salmon and mixed it with a fresh mango pico de gallo. I used the pomegranate caviar from my last post as a garnish for this amuse- bouche.

Pomegranate "Caviar" using Geletin

I ran into the problem of having to come up with an alternative for pomegranate seeds for a relish today. I got online and found a recipe for making pomegranate caviar from gelatin rather than the sodium alginate and calcium chloride method. These are a little more firm than using the spherephication method, but works well since the dish require they be tossed with other ingredients before serving. The method consists of blooming the powdered gelatin (3tsp) with cold water (4Tbs). I then added heated pomegranate juice (3 oz) to the gelatin mixture and poured it into a squeeze bottle. I then dripped the mixture into chilled olive oil (grape seed oil works well with pomegranate). After just a moment the liquid firms up and simply straining the caviar from the oil finishes this component. It has held its shape now for several hours.

Everyday Issues

Here is what we encounter on a daily basis. The picture on the left is of the resorts lake and golf course at about 3pm today. It looks like a lovely day to be out golfing or BBQing right? Well we do in fact have a party that plans to be outdoors at 6pm tonight, and if you look 90 degrees to the right of picture number one, at the same time the right photo what you would see. Now of course we have an indoor back-up plan, but setting up both places requires breaking down both places. We want nothing more that perfect weather for these groups, but mother nature tends to tease us into believing the weather will cooperate. Maybe this threatening looking cloud with just pass on by and by 6 the sky will once again be clear. My guess is that the party will be having an indoor BBQ tonight.

Chili Marinated Monkfish with Sauteed Plantains And Pineapple-Rum Sauce

With a case of plantains just asking to be used and some leftover Monkfish, I threw together this amuse. I marinated the Monkfish in a chili oil, added a bit of garlic and grilled it. I made a simple pineapple-rum sauce with some shallots and a touch of stock. The green is a poblano puree which also has a strong, crisp cilantro flavor to mellow the pepper flavor. I sauteed the diced plantains with nothing more than diced onion with salt and pepper. This amuse does its job well. The one bite leaves your mouth watering for more. All in all it is a very South American style dish to start off your dinner.

Chorizo and Corn Stuffed Potato

This Chorizo and corn stuffed potato is the amuse for tonight. Its nothing to extravagant, but very tasty. I simply halved the red potato, cut a small piece off the bottom for stability, and hollowed them before I blanched them. Then I simply filled the potatoes with the chorizo, corn, and manchego cheese. I baked them for just a few minutes, sauced and garnished them. Very simple. Although the Chorizo I used is pretty spicy, the corn, potato and cheese tame the heat a bit.

Guest Interaction

After checking on Mr. Chapman's table I had a chance to speak with him and his wife Beth. They are in Colorado Springs on business and stopped in to have lunch. Although they reside in Hawaii, they couldn't stop talking about the view and the spring weather here in Colorado. Most people, including myself know him as Dog the Bounty Hunter. Nice enough guy. I figured it would be nice to share this photo with you all. Above all, I am just happy to speak with our guest to ensure they are happy with what food I have provided for them. Every now and again, you'll run into people that are a little more well known than the everyday family man.

Thai Coconut Shrimp

Tonight's amuse is a spicy, flavorful little bite. Its a 71-90 shrimp cooked in sweet Thai chili sauce, with scallions and agar agar. I am serving this cold. The agar agar turns the mixture into a "shrimp jelly" style component. I made both red and yellow curry coconut sauces. The shrimp rests on a fried won-ton circle and its garnished with toasted coconut and fresh cilantro. As and entree this might be a little too spicy for some, but as one bite to stimulate the appetite, it works well. The coconut curries are well rounded sauces with just a little heat.

Tapioca Maltodextrin

As I keep on trying new ingredients and techniques in the kitchen, I purchased some fun molecular gastronomy common items from Willpowder.com. One of these is tapioca maltodextrin, pictured here. It is a light, fluffy white powder that does some cool stuff. Unlike any other starches, tapioca maltodextrin has been modified to thicken fats instead of water. This is cool because we are able make powders out of oils, butters, yogurts and so on. If you know me, bacon fat, duck fat and rendered sausage fat are all in line for the transformation. Basically all you are doing is combining the fat and the starch to the correct consistency so that you are able to push the mixture through a tami and sprinkle it or spoon it onto a plate for garnish. This example shows a huilacoche butter, which I have melted, mixed with the tapioca maltodextrin and turned into a powder. I had no idea how much of this powder it would actually take. I found several websites that say 10% can be enough. I found that almost equal parts in weight worked better for me. 60/40 is the most common blend I saw after researching further.

If you are at all interested in trying any new culinary techniques I suggest checking out Willpowder.com for information and purchasing the goods.

Huitlachoche Butter Powder and Olive Oil Powder

These are two results when using tapioca maltodextrin. The grayish one is the Huitlacoche Butter Powder, and the bottom, a very delicate fluffy olive oil powder. No question, I need to work on consistancy, but for the first time using the ingredient, I am happy.

Achiote Marinated Sous Vide Chicken

Today chef surprised me with an unexpected gift. A vacuum packaging machine. And naturally, as with any gift, the first thing I had to do was play. I got the dry ancho-coffee rub for the Buffalo packaged, went through all the portioned fish and other meats. Pretty much anything I could find now can be found tightly packaged in one of our many coolers. Then, sous vide came to mind. I have been looking for a way to make our achiote marinated chicken more attractive and simplified. The marinade, although very red when the chicken is uncooked, tends to darken and become less attractive once it has been sauteed. My thought had been, just roasting it would help. It did, but not enough. Well today I think I found my solution. By vacuum packing each marinated chicken breast and steaming or poaching them I loose no color. In addition, the fully cooked chicken seems larger, brighter, and even more delicate. Its very easy to slice, and stays incredibly juicy. The great thing is, you can cook them ahead of time and cool them. Then for service, all you need to worry about is making sure they are hot. That alone cuts the cooking time during service by about half. After seeing the results of the chicken, you can bet you will see more sous vide cooking appearing on this blog.

Margarita Shrimp

Here is tonight's amuse-bouche. It is a margarita shrimp, on diced avocado, red corn chip and margarita sauce. It is garnished with a touch of Hawaiian pink sea salt and a cilantro puree. I marinated the shrimp in a lime and tequila oil. The margarita sauce has a very potent, yet refreshing flavor. It is roses lime, mae ploy Thai chili, corn syrup, tequila, key lime juice and it is thickened slightly with a slurry. Very nice start to a dinner.

Colorado Fusion Tasting

Many people are looking for a deal when dining in this economy. Here is our answer. It is our "Colorado Fusion Tasting" entree. It is a great chance to try the best of the best when it comes to our new menu. Starting on the left you see our Stuffed Poblano dish, which is our vegetarian option. It is packed tight with roasted corn and potato hash, smoked cheddar cheese and mild spices and herbs. The right side has our Pork Adobo, which is a pork wing (the Achilles tendon and surrounding meat). Its garnished with a fresh pomegranate and Mandarin orange relish and a charred scallion. The center of this incredible dish is our Ancho-Coffee Braised Buffalo Short Ribs. It is a hearty, very flavorful dish that we braise for about 5 hours. It literally falls off the bone. We top this off with a roasted forest mushroom salsa. All three dishes have a touch of adobo sauce and grilled glazed yams to complete the dish. We have only run this menu 2 days now, but this dish has been a hit. 

Olive Caviar

So, here is our first, somewhat successful, attempt at molecular gastronomy. We used sodium alginate and calcium chloride to make this olive caviar. Our plan is to make a hand passed app that will look like caviar, yet will resemble a tapanade. Although not perfected, the fact that you can see the chemical reaction in making this interesting tapanade excites the hell out of me. Rest assured, more of this will be popping up on this blog.

A taste of Pomegranate

Here we have a pomegranate brownie, a peppercorn pomegranate soup, and a white chocolate pomegranate parfait. This is a delicate, fresh dessert that makes people feel like they are getting more for their money. 

Sweet Tooth

We stuck with the southwest-Colorado Fusion theme when we decided on fresh churros. As simple as they come, we fry them to order, roll them in sugar and Cinnamon, and sauce them with a spicy chocolate and a mango sauce. Smores also seem to be a great comforting dessert here in the Rockies. We took that idea and made a smore cake. It has a graham cracker crust, chocolate ganache, toasted coconut and a torched coconut meringue.

Huitlacoche Salmon

Huitlacoche. Known to many farmers as corn smutt, huitlacoche has long been used in Mexican cooking. The Aztecs used this Mexican truffle in many meals too. Huitlacoche, also spelled cuitlacoche, has a smoky corn flavor. It is a fungus that grows inside kernals of corn when weather conditions are just right. We have coated the seared salmon with this interesting ingredient and serve it with a buerre blanc. Its a great spring dish.

Achiote Marinated Chicken

Another entree looking to make its official place on the new menu is our Achiote Marinated Chicken. We are serving it with a cilantro cream sauce, manchego filled raviolis made in house. The menu states that there is charred corn on this dish, but the corn is also mixed in with edamame, black bean, baby heirloom tomatoes and lime. Another simple plate, fresh ingredients. bright colors and a lot of flavor.

Starter: Cumin Dusted Sea Scallops

Here is a great example of our spring/fall menu in the Mountain View. This is cumin dusted scallops with shaved prosciutto, spicy cilantro puree, plantain chips and mango pico de gallo. We have been promoting our new menu with a simpler version of this appetizer at functions such as Taste of Colorado Springs. So far, feedback has been unbelievable. For an appetizer such as this, we brought together a perfect combination of flavors and textures to make a wonderful start to a dinner.

Ancho-Coffee Rubbed Buffalo Short ribs

With aggressive pricing on the new menu, our Buffalo short ribs are not only delicious, but very reasonably priced. This dish, simple and flavorful is only going to cost the guest $18. I braised the short ribs for 5 or 6 hours, and the meat just falls off the bones. Its served with a roasted mushroom salsa and chipotle yams. What a steal! As we approach the launch of our new menu, the upcoming items are making a quiet debut as our dinner specials. This not only helps with feedback, but also provides our employees with exposure to the menu before it comes out.

Mountain View Dinner Menu

Appetizers
Honey Fig Bread with Salt Cured Ham $8
Fresh Melons, Mint, and Manchego Cheese

Chorizo Tamale $8
Aged Cheddar and Mango Pico De Gallo

Beef Skewers $9
Fresh Mango Salsa and Jalapeno BBQ Glaze

Fried Herb Raviolis $7
Charred Corn and Cilantro Crème

Cumin Dusted Sea Scallops $9
Salt Cured Ham, Plantain Chips, and Avocado Vinaigrette

Appetizer Platter $15
Cumin Dusted Scallops, Fried Herb Ravioli, and Chorizo Tamale

Salads
Sunset Caesar $5
Fresh Romaine, Charred Corn, Ancho Caesar Dressing, and Shaved Parmesan

Watermelon Salad $6
Shaved Jicama, Spinach Leaves, and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Rocky Mountain Cobb $6
Chopped Butter Lettuce with Roasted Corn, Heirloom Tomatoes, Egg, Bacon, and Chipotle Ranch Dressing

House Salad $5
Field Greens with Carrots, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, and croutons
Choice of ranch, bleu cheese, or balsamic



Soups
Roasted Poblano and Cheddar $5
Fire Roasted Peppers with Aged Cheddar and Cream

Daily Creation $5
With fresh ingredients prepared by our chefs

Main
Achiote Marinated Chicken $15
Roasted Corn, Manchego Raviolis, Cilantro Cream

Huitlacoche Salmon $16
Heirloom Tomato Salad, Edamame, Black Beans

Buffalo Short Ribs $18
Ancho Chile Coffee Rub, Mushroom Salsa, Chipotle Yams

Steak Bleu $25
Maytag Bleu Cream, Whipped Yukon Potatoes, Port Syrup

Pork Adobo $16
Pomegranate Citrus Relish, Glazed Sweet Potato, Charred Scallions

Stuffed Poblano Chile $14
Potato Corn Hash, Ancho Chile Sauce, Black Bean Cake

Surf and Turf $29
Beef Filet with Maytag Bleu Cream and Cumin Dusted Sea Scallops

Colorado Fusion Tasting $27
A tasting of 3 signature dishes:
Buffalo Short Ribs, Pork Adobo, and Stuffed Poblano Chile

Colorado Fusion

Here is a look at some of our starters on the new menu dropping one week from today. Watermelon salad, Pterodactyl Wings, Jalapeno-bacon and cheddar potato poppers, Manitou shrimp spring rolls, front range oysters, herb fried raviolis, fig bread with melon salad, aged cheddar and chorizo tamale, chicken and manchego taquitos, Appetizer sampler platter, and our beef skewers. As part of our preparation for the new menu, we did a small showing of some new menu items with our leadership team. Judging by the empty plates, I think it went over fairly well. I am truly excited about our upcoming menu for many reasons. First and foremost, we are developing direction for the Ala Carte that I feel lacked in the past. The Colorado fusion concept has been a collaboration between myself and the resorts Executive Chef and Executive Sous Chef. Together we are bringing life to this restaurant. With spring and summer creeping up on us, the menu we will be rolling out is bright colors, local product, and unique combinations that really showcase what we can do.

Braised Lamb Shank with Wild Mushroom and Asiago Risotto

I had to take a mountain view picture with this lamb dish. This lamb was braised for about 5 hours and came out incredibly tender. It just fell off the bone. I did a traditional braise, incorporating port wine to deglaze, dalmatian sage, whole caraway and cumin seed, and a fair amount of garlic. For service, I tightened the sauce slightly, and served it with risotto which contained portabello and oyster mushrooms with asiago cheese. Very much a Rocky Mountain dish. Its a huge portion, and it is not too complex. The braising technique really brings all the flavors together and balances the sauce very nicely. For $22 I would be thrilled to have this plate set down in front of me. As you can see from the outdoor picture, the restaurant is name very appropriately, the Mountain View Restaurant.

Current Menu Items

Here is our Colorado Rack Of Lamb. I love the Colorado Lamb so much more than the smaller New Zealand lamb chops you normally see. This dish is one of the most popular at the resort, and for good reason. The flavors in this dish are beautifully balanced. Brie whipped potatoes, roasted baby beets, raspberry demi-glace, and a drizzle of juniper honey. Just perfect.

Buffalo Filet Mignon, Cedar Planked Salmon, and Stuffed Poblano Chile

(Click pictures to enlarge!)

The item on the left is our buffalo filet Mignon. It is served with chili spiced apples, sauteed oyster mushrooms, and a port demi. Second is our cedar planked salmon dish. It is crusted in a hazelnut pesto, served with cherry infused jasmine rice, and lemon-saffron cream sauce. Our vegetarian option is also terrific. It is the smoked cheddar corn and potato hash stuffed poblano chile. It sounds hot, but is actually mildly spicy. It comes with Indian fry bread and an ancho chile sauce. These are three of our current entree options in the Mountain View restaurant at Cheyenne Mountain Resort. For those of you that I had a chance to speak with at Sunday brunch, this should give you an idea of our menu. I hope to see you all again for dinner some time.

Fig Bread With Melon, Asiago, Prosciutto, Mint and Jalapeno Honey Vinaigrette

This one sounds a little strange, but the different flavors don't over power each other. We did a similar dish for the Colorado Restaurant Expo on Sunday March 8. I only refined it a bit to be a little more pleasing to the eye for our amuse. We make the fig bread in house, similar to a banana bread. Then I used a small piece of cantaloupe, prosciutto ham, and a disc of asiago cheese. The dish needed moisture and more complexity so I used a jalapeno-honey vinaigrette. The flavor combo and mise en place are going to be on the upcoming menu, but in the form of an appetizer. It is a nice, refreshing spring dish that I can only hope people give a chance.

Pistachio Duck Terrine

This started as a March of Dimes sample. Its a really easy and tasty little terrine. After the March of dimes, it was put on our banquet menu which is why I made this one. Its a chicken mousse, re-hydrated cherries and roasted duck terrine. I rolled the terrine, just after it was poached in crushed pistachios. Though not in the picture, it will be served with a chive creme friache and strawberry balsamic. Its nice and its gotten a pretty good response.

Gone Fishin'

I  miss my dad. I realized today, that without any culinary training my dad made a breaded bluegill dish that truly tasted great. I miss the stench of fish in the house when dad cleaned whatever fish  he was able to bring home. He would bread and fry these tiny fillets of crappie or bluegill, and it was absolutely delicious. There are very few home cooked meals that compare to my dad gathering us together to have some true "fresh catch". It makes me happy thinking of 'ol T.L. and how he influenced my career. 

FYI: The picture above is a man OUTSTANDING in his field!

Louisiana Surf & Turf

This picture was taken with a phone, so the colors seem a little off. It is tonight's dinner special, Louisiana surf and turf. We blackened a couple pork wings and Cajun butter poached three whole crayfish. I used the roasted ancho sauce from another dish as a base for a roasted chili-corn puree. Some good old fashioned collared greens and asparagus along with some baby carrots served as the veggies. Finally, some fried okra for garnish and a little more texture finished the dish. All in all I was very happy with how it came out. Though we only served one tonight, we had a very positive response. Tomorrow we are sure to sell more.

Pork Wings with Bourbon BBQ Demi & Roasted Peaches

Yes, Pork wings. These are about 3 oz each, and absolutely delicious. Pork wings are a cut that needs to be braised. It is from the Achilles tendon, and if not braised will be very tough. These are actually a pre-braised product, and this is the first time I have used them. I have to say, I am impressed. I made a BBQ demi, which is the base for the sauce, and the liquid I heat the tender little suckers up in. I do a quick saute of the wings, hit it with some bourbon to deglaze, and pour in the demi. I cover the pan and simmer about 10 minutes, until the sauce has reduced to the right consistency. Separately, I saute roasted sweet peppers, bacon lardons, and spinach for the veggies. I just used the garlic whipped potatoes, because this dish doesn't need any crazy starch. I also roasted of some peach slices with a little brown sugar. Nothing in the dish is overpowering, but you can differentiate all the components as they come together to make a terrific dish. We will be using these pork wings on our new menu (dropping April 13) and I can only hope they are a hit. Preparation will be much different, but it should also come out great. I hope the idea of "pork wings" gets people interested in trying something new. Believe me, its worth a shot.

Monkfish Three Ways

I had trouble deciding what to do for a special. I wanted to use monkfish, but could make my mind up how I should serve it. So I decided to do all of them. Each skewer that you see has a 2 oz piece of monkfish. I served them all with the same starch and veg, being sun dried tomato infused whipped potatoes and sweet pepper with wilted arugula. From left to right, I prepared a tempura fried monkfish with a mango pico de gallo and soy-chili glaze. Secondly I garlic butter poached monkfish and served it with pesto cream. And last, I did prosciutto wrapped monkfish with a black truffle and Parmesan cream sauce. All taste great and the plate looks great. Very clean. I can only hope that with the hotels occupancy being down, we can sell at least a couple. It seems that people are afraid of monkfish too, so that could put a damper on sales. I am confident that if we do sell some, the guest will be more than happy with the dish.

Duck Confit and Prosciutto Goat Cheese Balls W/ Black Truffle Honey

This one was the result of resurrecting a dead idea from yesterday. I just couldn't get the creative juices flowing yesterday, but today was a new day. I started with a mixture of goat cheese, duck confit, cracked black pepper, and chive. Today I added some thin strips of prosciutto and used a small scoop to portion small balls of the cheese mix. I used fine panko bread crumbs to double bread the cheese. The sauce is exactly what it says, a nice black truffle product I received from someone who has not yet acquired a taste for the mushroom, and some nice honey. I used some very finely chiffinade sage to compliment the dish and add a touch of color.

Crab and Avacado Amuse

This crab and avocado amuse isn't anything out of the ordinary. Its another simple, flavorful, one bite dish. I fried a quarter of a wonton, made a traditional pico de gallo and added a lot of avocado, and I mixed up some snow crab meat with a sambal aioli. A couple chives and a tiny pinch of yellow curry powder finish this amuse. The amuse started with trying out a new potential appetizer for the spring menu. After eating as many crab and avacado wonton tacos as I could, I decided to use the leftover mise en place for the amuse-bouche. Low and behold, that's what you see above. I'm not sure that we will use these ingredients for the new bar menu, but either way they are a tasty little treat.

Shrimp and Mango Cabbage Roll

With spring coming and all the health freaks out there, this is a great and easy dish to prepare. I start with a few main ingredients: Shrimp, napa cabbage, mango, cilantro, red onion, red pepper, and jalapeno. I make a mango "pico de gallo" with the veggies minus the cabbage. I grill the shrimp. Cut the cabbages top part of the leaves off so that they are easily rolled. Layer the pico into the cabbage as shown above, chop the shrimp so that they are not too bulky and layer them in with the pico.

This is what they look like after rolling them. Like a little burrito, only cabbage rather than tortillas. Of course they are tiny, only a bite or two each. I placed them in a perforated pan so that I can steam them. I usually steam them about 8 minutes, but depending on size and density you may need to just test the temp of them. Once they are hot, let them rest just a minute at room temperature. Slice and serve with whatever floats your boat.

This is what the roll looks like when its been steamed and sliced. They tend to fall apart, so you have to be careful when slicing. I served this with a touch of chili sauce and a cilantro leaf. Very simple, but a ton of flavor.

Fig Bread and Lavender Goat Cheese with Prosciutto

Here is this evenings amuse-bouche. We had the idea of using fig bread for our new menu, so we decided to try it out. It ended up really nice. I whipped together a lavender goat cheese with some honey to lighten the potency of the goat cheese. Then I thinly sliced prosciutto and rolled "roses" for eye appeal. A re-hydrated craisin and some port syrup finish this starter. Its been very slow, so I hope to have the opportunity to share this dish with at least a few guests tonight. Although the amuse is not part of the expected dining experience in the Mountain View, I am trying to make it a standard. I really feel that people feel like they are getting more, even if it is only a one bite dish. Its all about perception.

Crab salad in a cucumber cup

This is the amuse-bouche we are greeting our Mountain View guests with tonight. It is a simple Snow Crab salad with just a little hint of spice. It sits inside a cucumber cup that adds a nice crisp attribute to the dish. It covers the better part of a pool of lemon-dill creme friache. The paprika salt has simply celery salt, paprika, crushed peppers, and dried garlic. To garnish this little burst of flavor, I used a red bell pepper and red onion inside a scallion, and a caper. Very simple start to a meal, but a very flavorful one as well.

Shrimp B.L.T.

The flavors in this dish are incredible. I like the look and idea of my take on a shrimp B.L.T., but the flavors work just great with each other. I grilled 16/20 Tiger Shrimp, and used wilted garlic spinach in place of lettuce. Rather than sliced bread used in the traditional sandwich, I used ciabatta toast points for some crunch. The big component to this dish is the wild boar bacon and tomato jam. I made this similar to a chutney, and served it warm. It had well rounded flavor itself, balancing the acidity of the tomatoes, smokiness of chipotle and adobo sauce, and the fattiness of the wild boar bacon. I used red wine vinegar and granulated sugar to get the chutney flavor, keeping more of a jam consistency. I used a few dots of lemon aioli to enhance the look and B.L.T. feel to the plate. I'm very happy with how this simple dish turned out, giving a new twist to an old favorite.

Chilean Sea Bass W/ Mango-Pomegranate Chutney

When the purchasing department makes the mistake of bringing in Chilean Sea Bass instead of Corvina Sea Bass, guess who gets to use it. That's exactly what happened here, and by chance a case of pomegranates also had no home. Sea Bass is by far my favorite cooked fish, and quite possibly my favorite overall. Either way, I used fresh mango and pom seeds to make a chutney which I served in one half of the pomegranates outer "shell." A simple sweet and spicy Thai sauce drizzled over top, roasted tomatoes and cilantro rice finished the dish. Now I enjoyed the dish thoroughly, but I find myself wondering if its simply the fish that really gets me, or the flavor profiles I used to execute the dish. Either way, I enjoyed it. Bon Appetit!

Buffalo Tenderloin

This is tonight's dinner special. It started with extra mashed potatoes. I cooked off some prosciutto and some oyster mushrooms with a few minced cloves 0f garlic. I added in the extra mash, folded in some diced brie cheese and made some croquettes from the mixture. The breading was simply Parmesan, panko, basil and of course salt and pepper. I pan seared the buffalo medallions to a nice medium rare. I also seared some marinated tomatoes, and blanched baby carrots, patty pans, and asparagus. The duet of a nice veal glace and traditional sauce Bearnaise brought all the richness needed to help cut the acidity of the tomatoes. I finished the dish off by garnishing it with an asiago crisp which gave this dish some height and some crunch. The colors and flavors make this basic dish so special. It looks great and tastes even better. Hopefully we see some business tonight so we can impress someone other than the staff.

Pheasant Sushi???

Ok, not sushi, but it sure looks like it. I took the idea of sushi (after chatting with my brother in law) and put a rocky mountain twist on it. I used arborio rice cooked risotto style for the rice. I layered prosciutto inside rather than nori. Roasted pheasant and mushrooms and carrots filled the sushi roll.
After rolling the traditional way, I coated each roll with a mixture of fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese. Before slicing, I cooked the parm to a nice crisp, aromatic consistency. This was then served on veal demi, and a garnished with white truffle scented olive oil. It turned out nice and hearty which is great for the cool weather we have been having.

Asian Shrimp Ceviche

Ok, so ceviche is Latin American, not Asian. Well today I prepared another amuse-bouche for dinner service and this was what I made. It may have resembled more of a Hawaiian Poke than ceviche, but the distinct lime based marinade reminded me more of ceviche. I served it on a fried won-ton chip, with avocado aioli and sweet Thai chili. The garnish is simply nori strips. This is obviously a much simpler amuse than the roasted duck from an earlier post, however the flavor combination and presentation rivaled that of the duck. Again, a slow night allowed us to give special attention to our Ala carte guests. We certainly have been having several great compliments coming from guests as of late. I can only hope to begin to see some of the local faces popping in more frequently. I am confident in the fact that I have helped the resort take their ala carte service up a few notches. I am committed to making my ala carte menu more and more popular as time goes on.

Pigs: I love 'em

I love pork. Kahlua pork. Pork tenderloin. Bacon, don't forget bacon. Its great to use a meat that is so versatile. You can really go any direction as far as regional cuisines or cooking styles or flavor combinations. All in all, Kahlua pork is the best. The rich Hawaiian culture overwhelms you when you traditionally cook a Kahlua pig. Not only does the end product taste great, but the steps taken to get that result have been tradition for hundreds of years. It does take quite a bit of time, but its well worth it.

Above is a roasted pork tenderloin I made for the entree of a three course demo I did recently for the Peterson Air Force Base Officers club. It was simple, yet very flavorful. I did Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Granny Smith Apple and Dried Cherry Bread Pudding, and a Rosemary-Calvados Jus which I of course began with bacon. Delicious!

Patriots in the kitchen

Recently I was approached by a server in regards to a soldier we had dining with us. This gentleman had just returned from 16 months over seas. He was enjoying dinner with his wife, and we wanted to say thank you for serving our country. We decided to take a minute out to show him that we really do appreciate what our troops do, and although we may not be fighting in Iraq, we are patriotic. The banana foster cheesecake pictured above was my attempt at making a U.S. themed plate to send to his table. I am no pastry chef (as you can plainly see). But I do think that this plate turned out nice and I know that the two of them were thrilled to receive something like this. We don't always get the chance to thank the people that fight for our freedom, but given the chance I like to show appreciation on an individual basis. I would truly like to see more effort put into taking care of the people that preserve our freedom, simply by using the tools we have and the skills we possess. It may not be much, but a little can really go a long way.

In hotels we have to adjust everything we do by the occupancy of in-house guests, time of year, and all other aspects that effect restaurants. This week, due to lack of guests in house the resort has decided to go Ala Carte only the first few days of the week. This gives my cooks a chance to show off our new menu to the guest we do have, and what local business we get this week. I decided that in order to get repeat business, we need to take special care of the guest we get when it is so slow. This is a little amuse-bouche to start things off right. I used scallions and roasted chestnuts for the bellini. Fresh figs and agar agar make up the fig jelly that holds when heated. Roasted duck topped with caramelized onion foam, dried fig chip and green onion sliver to finish this teaser. I also garnished with a fig and balsamic reduction and herb oil. All in all this is a nice, delicate amuse. It was nice to use and become more familiar with the agar agar and soy lecithin used to make this dish work.

The Holiday Bug

As much as our industry restricts us from enjoying the holidays in the traditional manner, I actually enjoy this time of year for different reasons. I don't know what it is that gets me so inspired for carving ice, or playing with sugar or chocolate. I don't get this bug any time but winter season, but I really find myself loving life when losing myself in these skills.

Benjamin Henion

I find it fascinating that in a time so technologically advanced, that even the food industry has begun to evolve like it never has before. With people out there doing molecular gastronomy, and using laboratories along side kitchens food has changed more in the last 20 or so years more than ever before. I myself have not yet explored to the newest methods of the industry. Perhaps only because I want my classical skills to exceed the standards of what the Midwest is now doing. Its ass-backwards, in my opinion, to take it to the next level before really nailing down the basics. This being said, how do you measure your worth as a chef? What I do in the kitchen makes me proud. The way I approach work truly is to give 11o percent. I feel that the employees that follow in my steps look up to me not only as a boss, but as an inspiration in creativity and flavor exploration. I try to instill the simple basic principles of cooking and share everything I have learned. This, to me, makes me a better chef. I find myself often thinking that my location holds me back from showing my true potential, but Colorado Springs doesn't have the people that want to explore new food concepts. Does it just take the chefs in the area changing the way they think about food? At this point it seems that if you stray too far from the "meat and potatoes" you lose your ass. Does it mean that the Midwest will always be so far behind the trend that we as chefs will always be following by 10 or 15 years?