I’m a romantic. I admit it. It’s why one of my blogs is named Kitchen Dances. For February’s P.I.G.S. menu, I wanted to come back to New American Cuisine, refreshing a few recipes from my culinary past (Antelope / Buffalo Oysters / Reubens on a Stick) and bringing in ingredients from the major states I have lived in over my life – Montana, Oregon and Maine. Consequent, I present to you a lovely dinner perfect for a date, the Saturday prior to Valentine’s Day.

Menu

Starters ~ Maine Shrimp “Cocktails”, Maine Goose Pate En Croute, and Reubens on Sticks

Courses ~ “Buffalo Style” Peaks Island Oysters with Rogue River Blue, Maine Wild Duck Ballontine, Lobster & Kelp Risotto, Pinot Noir Braised Antelope with Cellar Vegetables, and Chocolate Stuffed Marshmallow “Smores”

Wines & Beverages ~ Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Syrah, Suavignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir, Oregon’s Water Avenue Coffee and Oregon Micro-Distillery Whiskies

Reservations are limited to fourteen people and can be made by emailing jeff@digitalcoco.com. $100 per person in advance.

Late last week I visited the Peninsula for the first time in sixteen years. That scent was the first experiential sensory notation, drifting through the accumulated turbulence created by human activities.

Even more so, I spent three hours with the Master Baker (third generation) of Boudin Bakery. I’ve been eating Boudin sourdough since I was a baby (1964). A mostly weekly Sunday ritual in my teens were cold turkey sandwiches (with Helman’s) on sourdough. I grew up with this bread.

The mother dough of Boudin is a bit over 160 years old. It’s unique to the San Francisco Wharf. The Master Baker Fernando walked us through the main bakery for three hours, explaining the bread and their logistics in detail. He taught me the signature scoring technique they use. I cannot describe the thrill, as a former chef, to score a rack of Boudin sourdough under his supervision. Not only did I touch my years of existence, I also touched 160 plus years of a bread mother dough. Boudin claims they have baked over 250 million loaves of bread since 1848.

Some experiences as a Chef are simply treasured, tucked away into personal memories – such as when I smuggled a $1000 of Alba (Italy) truffles back into the USA. Touching Boudin sourdough prior to baking; tasting the mother dough – has now been carefully wrapped and put away into my soul.

First, the reason for the trip is to spend time inside Boudin Bakeries. If you haven’t been to California, it’s likely you’ve not heard of them. With a claim that they are the oldest continuously operating company in San Francisco, Boudin occupies the Friscan legends such as Levis, Ghiradehli, Guittard and several other companies, born during the Gold Rush years around 1849. I’ve been eating Boudin sourdough since 1964 and I am immensely excited to stand in the main bakery with their Master Baker this week.

Second, is Sam Wo‘s. Sam Wo’s is an itty-bit hole in the wall in SF Chinatown. Operating continuously for over 100 years, with eight tables – their Raw Fish Salad brought this restaurant into my family’s library of dining locations in the 70s. My dad, at the time Chief of Audit for I.R.S. in Montana, heard of Sam Wo’s from a rancher, who would get a hankering for it and fly down in his Beechcraft. In the early 80s, I took many a college date to this awesome Chinese restaurant – I haven’t been there in two-plus decades.

Stay tuned later this week!

Without further ado, here is the menu for January 14th.

Starters

Maine Oysters, shucked • Smoked Goose Breast Bruschetta w/Truffle • Eggplant Caponata w/Handmade Crackers • Fried Stuffed Italian Olives (goose pate)

Courses

Lemon Sole (Dab) Flash Sauteed • Fettucini Carbonara (Italian) w/Truffles • Poached Atlantic Salmon Stuffed Squid • Venison Osso Bucco “Firepit” w/Truffles • Roast Garlic Spinach Martini • Bacon Wrapped Sabayon Souffle

Wines & Beverages

Proseco, Soave, Chianti Classico, Tocai, Nebbiolo, Moscato d’Asti, Bard Coffee and Single Barrel Bourbon

Update on Beverages (Dec 31, 2011) with hyper-links

Il Cole Prosecco (Youtube video of Il Cole), Tamellini Soave, Le Gallozzole Monteriggioni Chianti Classico, Comelli Tocai, Salvano Nebbiolo, Bavacco Baracho Moscato d’Asti

Details on the link: Menu for January 14

My former brother in law’s brother, an excellent chef in his own right, was the last apprentice of the last apprentice of Escoffier. The Chef I apprenticed too, David Strouts C.W.C. and international competitor (I.K.A. Silver and Bronze medals), came from the line of well-trained chefs that Portland OR chef/restaurateur Horst Mager developed and trained in the 60s and 70s.

Marie Antonin Careme "King of Chefs"

There’s an interconnectedness, a lineage, a genealogy in the culinary world. Many of the branches of this tree can trace back to Escoffier and Careme, even earlier perhaps, to when Catherine of the Medicis took top Italian chefs to France (upon her marriage), where they taught the French how to cook.

If a professional culinarian, what’s your lineage? As a diner, it may not be important to you, but it certainly is an interesting aspect to the most creative industry on earth.

This was long before the days when chefs would play with “home-made” potato chips on menus. I was laughed at by half that class.

My curiousity was this… if so many potato chip makers were making hard cash, I wanted to understand the process. Early on, I sought understanding of things that most people take for granted.

Flash forward to October 25, 2011.

I’ve just relocated back to Maine and co-rented a gorgeous 3 bedroom, 2 bath, fifty feet from the Atlantic, in Casco Bay, Maine. Lobster boats low-rumble past us about 1/3 of a mile out, setting and hauling traps. After a twenty year prior career as a profesional chef, I now have a kitchen yards from the sea.

I had never made salt.

I walked to the edge with a canning pot and brought nearly three gallons of clear sea water to the kitchen. After trading a few tweets with Ron Zimmerman, proprietor of the Herb Farm Restaurant, for guidance, I put seawater onto an evaporation process at 230 pm.

I almost cooked it into epsom salt when I got distracted at 930 and it was nearly dry, but rescued the process.

I McGyvered a heat diffuser to slow the end process, by using a cheesecake ring to lift the pot off the burner.

At 11pm I took it off heat, spread it out in a glass dish and left it uncovered on the counter overnight (it was still a wee bit damp). This morning, I put it in the oven for 15 minutes to complete the drying. After it cooled, I crushed the pieces into grains.

Snowy pure white. Tastes like sea salt, looks like sea salt, must be sea salt. If I had a big kitchen woodstove going this winter, I’d do this everyday and sell some.

I bet, if you ask any cook in the USA across the 1 million restaurant locations, 9.9 out of ten would not be able to tell you how to make salt. That’s sad. It’s sad that it took me 25 years of curiousity before I finally did. The most basic of culinary ingredients – yet so removed from our collective and individual consciousness.

The best part of this experience was this – sharing a small jar of the most-pure hyper-local made-by-my-hands snow white salt with a new friend, knowing that it will be pinched at most meals over the next month. That – is – salt of the earth.

During my relocation back to Portland Maine, I’ve discovered that underground dining hasn’t arrived here yet. As a result of this discovery, I’m launching a monthly dining experience, named the Peaks Island Gastro Society. If you haven’t already figured out the acronym, give it a shot…

Here’s how it works. Each month, four weeks in advance, I’ll publish a five course (or more) menu through this blog and an email distribution list. I only have space for eight folks – so the first eight that sign-up each get a seat at the table. The dining table enjoys a 180 degree view of the Atlantic, with five light-houses in sight, and is less than 100 footsteps from the sea. You can trust that the table-salt is locally sourced A suggested contribution of $100 per person in advance will be greatly appreciated.

My reasons for launching Peaks Island Gastro Society are several. First, I’m in the life-business of building communities; bringing together influentials for a night of conversation and dialogue about pressing issues of the day, over a well crafted meal, is key. Second, I miss the craft of preparing a great meal for people who love food; I haven’t cooked professionally in a few years. Third, this dining room has one hell of a view and needs to be shared.

The cuisine will – as much as possible – follow the culinary attitude I’ve subscribed too for twenty-something years and exemplified so well by one of my culinary heros (mentor, in a way?), Ron Zimmerman who leads the only Five Star restaurant north of San Francisco and west of Chicago – the Herb Farm, in Woodinville WA. Every August, the Herb Farm offers their One Hundred Mile Sustainable Dinners (every ingredient sourced from within a 100 mile radius).

So, without further rambling, please let me announce the kickoff event for December 10th 2011. This first event will be for sixteen people, as it will be a holiday buffet and open house (and no suggested contributions).

Menu

Fine Cheeses

Roast Pumpkin Soup

Bacon Lobster Pops

Oysters on the Half

Two-Day Marinated and Slow Smoked Prime Rib

Atlantic Salmon Pave

Accoutrements and Side Dishes

Chocolate Pieces and Bard Coffees

The intent of this first experience is all about the flavor and building community. If you’re interested, shoot an email to jeff@digitalcoco.com and let me know. I’ll make sure you get back to the last Casco Bay ferry to Portland at  11:55 pm.

We’ve got great contenders at the Lincoln Center in NYC, tonight, Portlandia!

Rising Star Chef of the Year – Gabe Rucker (Le Pigeon)

Gabe’s been hard at work here in Portland and this is, because of his age, the last opportunity to nab Rising Star Chef of the Year. He certainly deserves it, especially for his passion for Oregon’s bounties, his work with Travel Oregon and the culinary focus that drives him.

Besides – he’s a really nice guy.

Best Chef Northwest

Of the five final nominees, Oregon placed three (not bad, Oregon!). Having said that, many Portlander’s will consider Matt Dillon (Sitka & Spruce) one of their own, even though he’s up in Seattle.

Cathy Whims – Nostrana

Cathy’s been in the culinary game a long time.

I remember her signing the Chef’s Collaborative Statement of Principles down on the Portland waterfront in 1994.

She certainly deserves this award for her years of persistence and dedication to local farmers.

Go Cathy!

Andy Ricker – Pok Pok

When I returned to Portland in early 2009, after 14 years back east, the first restaurant I went to was Pok Pok.

It was much warmer and sunnier that year and I immediately turned onto the vinegar drinks and spiced food.

Andy’s enthusiasm and talent for exploring the fusion of Southeast Asian influence in the Northwest certainly begs for serious consideration.

Christopher Israel – Gruner’s

Chris, like Andy, has shown true dedication (and grit) in exploring the cultural heritage of a regional cuisine on the Northwest dining scene. He’s certainly positioned his hard work for contention in this category.

Follow the Live-Stream

In a few hours, you can follow the live-stream online from the Lincoln Center in NYC. Click Here for that link.

My hat is off to these worthy Oregon Chefs. I was fortunate to see Cathy Whims’ reaction during the Finalist Announcement during the Beard Foundation lunch at Oregon Culinary Institute back in March, and extend my hopes to all four of these excellent culinarians. Good luck tonight!

I was new in being a managing Chef then and the next year found myself up in New Hampshire. I spent fourteen years, most of them in NH and Maine; mostly as Executive Chef of independent casual fine-dining operations.

While there is a lot of great culinary art around the country, in northern New England the weekend prime rib is still “King” on many good restaurant menus. Over those fourteen years, I ate a significant share of prime rib from many restaurants.

As a Chef, I have never really believed in keeping recipes secret. I’ve always felt that openly sharing good recipes pushed the growth of the industry. Having said that, I kept two recipes close to the chest: my versions of Venison Osso Bucco and my Prime Rib. So here’s my gift to anyone who wishes for it. It’s my favorite way to roast a prime rib.

Saturday Night Lightly Smoked Prime Rib

Ingredients

• One good sized bone-in prime rib of beef (preferably from Silvies Valley Ranch, available from Nicky USA)
• Fresh garlic, minced
• Black pepper, coarsely crushed
• Sea Salt (truffled, preferably from Secret Stash Salts)
• Fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• Olive Oil (not virgin)
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Angostura Bitters
• A-1 Sauce
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Fresh Horseradish, minced
• Bay Leaves

Equipment & Other

• Plastic Wrap
• Aluminum Foil
• Two 2-Inch Deep Roasting Pans
• Wire Grate (fits inside the roasting pan)
• Four old ramekins
• Cutting Board
• Chef Knife
• Small mixing bowl
• Wood Chips for Smoking
• Some long skewers

Preparing this recipe will take 24 to 72 hours and involves a wet-rub marinade; the longer you let the beef marinade, the better the flavor becomes. For a great presentation, I’ve frenched the bones, but this isn’t necessary for an “oooh” display.

1. Prepare all the mise en place using the cutting board and knife. Combine the garlic, rosemary, pepper, horseradish and salt in the mixing bowl. Reserve the onion, carrot, celery and bay leaf for the cooking process on the day of service.

2. Add the vinegar, olive oil, Worcestershire, A-1 Sauce and Bitters to the mixing bowl and combine well. The mixture should have the consistency of a wet mud. Rub the rib thoroughly with the rub, working it into the folds and crevices. Wrap the rib tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours or longer, although in a pinch you can let it marinade for six hours before proceeding.

3. On the roasting day, pre-soak the woodchips for about thirty minutes in water and then drain. Lightly pan-spray the inside of one roasting pan. Put the four ramekins (these are risers/supports) equi-distant inside the roasting pan. Place the woodchips in and around the risers. Place the wire rack on the risers. Unwrap and put the roast on the wire rack and insert the skewers into the top of the roast. Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil as a tent, slit a few holes in the highest point (to allow smoke to escape slowly).

4. Over the most minimal flame possible, put the roasting/smoking pan. Let the smoking process begin and after about thirty minutes start maintaining an eye on the process. You want to bring the internal temperature of the rib to about 60 degrees F.

5. Just prior to the rib reaching 60 F – lightly pan-spray the other roasting pan and pre-heat an oven to 375 degrees F. Put the mirepoix of onion, carrot, celery and bay leaf in this pan. When the rib reaches 60 F, remove the rib on it’s wire rack from the smoking pan and place it directly on the mirepoix. Transfer this second roasting pan with rib to the hot oven.

6. Finish the roast in the hot oven to your desired doneness. Remember that the rib will continue cooking after you remove it from a hot oven, so I always pulled it when it reached 110F – to get that rare center.

7. Let the roast rest, in the pan for about ten to fifteen minutes after pulling it from the oven. If you like, you can pull the rib on its wire rack away from the mirepoix and use the mirepoix as a flavoring ingredient for a sauce.

After years of serving this to the traditional and fine residents of New Hampshire and Maine, I learned that flash-grilled steaks, cut from the leftover roast, are simply awesome. The smoked flavor mellows further when steaks are flash-grilled.

I like to serve this with fresh or pickled horseradish, fluffy mashed potatoes and maple-roasted carrots and parsnips.

I hope you have a great and simple holiday season this year. Cheers!

The Art of Coffee.

I recently had the opportunity to enjoy a fantastic lunch at the Allison Inn and Spa in Newberg, Oregon. The Executive Chef at the Allison, Sunny Jin, has had a fantastic career, even including a couple years at the world’s top restaurant, El Bulli in Spain. The ambiance, the food, and the facility were simply outstanding, rivaling any Ritz-Carlton experience.

Only one detail marred this sublime experience – the latte and the cappucino at meal’s end. Average flavor, no art – and no pride. One word: after-thought.

Over the last year I’ve been managing the social media strategy for the oldest and best specialty coffee and tea trade show in North America: Coffee Fest. Through this responsibility, I’ve come to know many of the top baristas and specialty coffee professionals, not just in North America, but also around the world. I have experienced the passion, creativity and craft-dedication of these folks with a sharply whetted understanding from two decades of excellence-pursuit as a fine-dining chef in my previous career.

Chefs – take a look at this coffee description (tell me if it doesn’t sound like you waxing erudite and verbose tableside):

Nicaragua Las Segovias
Maracaturra Varietal

This giant elephant bean hybrid of Maragogipe and caturra varietals is an exotic tread, both in size and cup complexity. Tropical fruit flavors dominate this coffee’s profile: tamarind, kola nut, and dark cacao in the body with guave acidity and a mango sweetness are wrapped up nicely with a clean bay leaf finish.

There is a strong cry for change in the restaurant industry either being ignored or not heard by culinary artisans and Chefs. This cry emanates from the specialty coffee industry and goes something like this…

Why do Chefs and fine-dining restaurants pay so much attention to details: ambiance, environment, music, service, wine, bartending and food – attention that includes where these products come from, how they are produced and how they are prepared – yet so many chefs forget about the end-of-customer experience – coffee?

They’re right. The restaurant industry does forget about the final detail. So here’s a video of an exceptional barista friend of mine (and apprentice roaster), Billy Sandness at Water Avenue Coffee in Portland, Oregon, showing us how easy and quick it is to make a great coffee and a challenge: Make the customer experience complete. Spend some time learning about great coffee. Find an artisanal barista and learn how to free-pour some latte art. Send one of your staff to a barista school, like American Barista Coffee School. Chefs, you’ve paid attention to every other detail – there’s only one more and you are providing complete gustatory excellence.

Thanks, Water Avenue Coffee, for taking part in this critique! Please feel free to comment..