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Showing posts from 2009

Smoked Elk Sausage

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We smoked some elk, and figured smoked elk sausage sounded pretty darn good. After making about 5 lbs of smoked elk sausage, we just started playing around with some ideas. We made flatbread pizzas, we made smoked elk sausage and cambazola strudels (top photo), and we made just a small amuse. The amuse, (bottom photo) is served with basil-white truffle oil and tomato oil as well as a sourdough crostini and roasted grape tomato. The garnish is a chiffinade of watercress.

Shrimp and Chorizo Lunettes

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Here is tonight's amuse. Shrimp and Chorizo Lunettes . I cooked off the chorizo before adding a blend of shredded cheeses and roasted corn. I then grilled and chopped some marinated shrimp before combining the two mixtures. Then, using a circle cutter I cut pasta rounds and stuffed them with the filling. The lunette is basically a half moon shaped ravioli which I served today as our amuse- bouche . It sits on a red pepper cream and frisee lettuce.

Signature Chefs Auction

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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

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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 whol

Drunken Goat, Vermont Cheddar, and Cambozola

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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 ha

Chipotle Goat Cheese with Tamarind Honey

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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)

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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

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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

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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 diff

Herb Roasted Pheasant with Smoked Tomato Demi

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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

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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

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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

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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

Elk Chops with Wild Mushroom Orzo Salad

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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

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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 a

Avocado-Chicken Salad on Cumin Scented Flatbread

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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

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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

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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 c

Herb Roasted Pheasant

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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!

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This little one was born July 9 th 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

Kitchen Humor

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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

Prosciutto Wrapped Veal with Asparagus

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Huitlachoche Butter Powder and Olive Oil Powder

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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

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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 th

Margarita Shrimp

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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

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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 h

Olive Caviar

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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

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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.