Benjamin Henion

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.

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 ...

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 ...

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.

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.

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.

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 .