Home Restaurant February 11, 2012

photo Kate Headley

Fabulous group gathered for a birthday celebration this past Saturday– this is what we served...

Passing

Parsnip with Garlic, Argmanac and Port Puree

Potato and Black Truffle

Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Rosemary

Vin de Paille Broth with Chive

Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion

Pickled China Rose, Black Spanish and Watermelon Radishes

Bay Leaf Vodka Martini, (Labbe) Abymes Savoie 2010

Seated

Monkfish, Cabbage, Celery Root, Grainy Mustard and Black Walnuts– 48 hour farm bread

(Dom. des Roy) Touraine ROUGE "Les Linottes" 2009

Chiogga, White and Red Ace Beets – Tendersweet, Sugarsnax and Sweetness Carrots–  Gold Ball, Scarlet Queen and Purple Top Turnips on Arugula with Sesame Poppy Seed Dressing and Savi Seeds– herb whole wheat roll

(Tenuta Roveglia) Lugana Superiore Vigne di Catullo 2010

Wood Grilled Guinea Hen, Leeks, Salsify, White Lima Beans and Pea Shoots– olive oil spelt focaccia

(Dom. de Fenouillet) Beaumes de Venise "Cuvee Yvon Soard" 2009 MAGNUM

Grayson Cheese and Olive Cracker

Frozen Pistachio, Chocolate Cake, Thick Chocolate Sauce and Cocoa Nibs

Bites:  Salty Rosemary Walnut Biscotti, Coconut Almond Macaroon, Olive Oil Carrot Cake

Nouveau Nez

Vegan Home Restaurant

Last night we were very excited to host our first all vegan Home Restaurant.  Often we accommodate vegans at 1508 but this was the first time we served an entire vegan meal...

PASSING

Garlic, Port and Armagnac Puree

Mashed Potato and Black Truffle on Roasted Potato

Roasted Parsnip

Vin de Paille Broth with Chive

Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion

Pickled China Rose, Black Spanish and Watermelon Radishes

(Ch. Les Valentines) Cotes du Provence ROSE Estate 2010, Bay Leaf Vodka Martini 

SEATED

Root Vegetable Salad: Chiogga, White and Red Ace Beets on Baby Arugula and Savi Seed Dressing– Tendersweet, Sugarsnax and Sweetness Carrots on Baby Blue Kale and Sesame Dressing–  Gold Ball, Scarlet Queen and Purple Top Turnips on Pea Shoots and Poppy Seed Dressing

(Tenuta Roveglia) Lugana Superiore Vigne di Catullo 2010

Leek and Wood Grilled Salsify Stew with White Lima Beans and Sorrel

(Cheveau) Saint Amour 'En Rontey' 2009 

Napa Cabbage filled with Yellow Oyster Mushrooms, Savoy Cabbage filled with Shiitake, Green Cabbage filled with Button Mushrooms, on Celery Root Puree with Roasted Chanterelle and Black Walnuts

(Triacca) Sassella Valtenllina Superiore 2008

Grain and Nut Yogurt Cheese on Walnut Cracker

Frozen Pistachio on Chocolate Cake with Thick Chocolate Sauce, Roasted Pistachios and Cocoa Nibs

(Moutard) Champagne 'Cuvee 6 Cepages' 2004 

Bites: Coconut Almond Macaroons, Salty Rosemary Walnut Biscotti, Mini Carrot Olive Oil Cake

Take Home: Sesame Coated Bread

Roasted Parsnips

Eat your parsnips, this time of year there are few things better... Roasted Parsnips

Peel parsnips, cut them in half, remove the core and then cut them into thin strips, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, coat the parsnips lightly with grapeseed oil, season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar, roast them until they start to turn brown, stir them and continue roasting until they brown some more.  Total cooking time will be about 15-20 minutes.

Home Restaurant Hors d'oeuvre

Hors d'oeuvre translates into English as “a part from the main work” or “outside the oeuvre.”  Passing small bites or ‘hor d’oeuvres’ during cocktail hour is something that can’t really happen in a traditional restaurant.  We used to serve an amuse-bouche to people as they sat down in our former restaurant Rupperts. However this seemed very much a part of the main meal for us-- A gift from the chef to try to make people feel at home.  Of course the trend these days in restaurants is small plates— multiple small plates that aggregate into the main meal.  But how does one serve something at a dinner and keep it separate from that dinner.  During our Home Restaurants we create small bites that are served during a cocktail hour. Guests gather and visit in the library or out in the garden, weather permitting.  We use the time to develop relations with the diner.  A stranger has entered in to our home to eat, not the usual entitlement that goes along with the hard and cold contract of dinner reservations at a restaurant.  We want to introduce the guest to who we are with out intruding on the meal they are about to encounter.  There are three thoughts that we take into consideration as we try to do this. 1. Size… Knowing that people can only eat so much–  keep it small,  and light— avoid heavy ingredients.  2. Function…Make it easy to eat so it is welcoming and there are no awkward moments in an already unfamiliar setting.  3. A part from the main meal… Look for lacunas in the sit down portion, maybe there is no poultry or seafood, or maybe there is something that you do really well and that something did not make it on to your menu.

We have gone back in forth over the last few years with our bites and feel just recently to have gotten the hang of this ‘outside’ of the meal.  We look at it simply as if we were in our mother’s or grandmother’s kitchen and she would offer us a taste of something that she had stashed away but wasn’t on offering that night. Simple and raw, which is to say: beginnings always start from the outside.

Take Home Gift– chocolate, fig and walnut bread

I have always been a fan of both giving and receiving goodie bags.  When we do Home Restaurants we send guests home with something in hand, often warm bread just out of the oven– eaten by some on the way home from dinner and others for breakfast the following morning. My favorite take home gift of the moment is chocolate, dried fig and walnut bread.  The bonus is that we always make an extra loaf or two so we can enjoy it for breakfast the morning after we cook.

Birthday– Wednesday, February 1

-Salsify from Path Valley Cooperative, Pennsylvania

We were thrilled to host a birthday celebration for a friend of ours we met years ago at our former restaurant, Ruppert's. American wines were requested, not usually the origin of wines at our table. Tom, the wine importer who we count on to help us match food and wine did an outstanding job as always.  We enjoyed tasting wines that were all new to 1508.

Passing

Shiitake Soup, Kale with Sesame and Watermelon Radish, Parsnip, Celery Root and Shallot, Egg and Sorrel, Sweet Potato and Candy Onions, Guinea Hen and Parsley

(Illahe Vineyards) Pinot Gris Willamette 2010

Titos (Austin TX) Bay Leaf Vodka Cocktail

Seated

Wood Grilled Flat Iron Steak, Savoy Cabbage, Butternut Squash, Tiny Potato– Farm Bread

(Porter Creek) Zinfandel Sonoma 2009

Fennel, Black Walnut, White Lima Beans, Beets, Turnip, Carrot, Black Truffle– Rosemary Whole Grain Roll

(White Rock Vnyds) Chardonnay Napa 2009

Rockfish, Salsify, Saffron, Pea Shoots– Spelt Focaccia

(Porter Creek) Pinot Noir Russian River 2008

Harbison Cheese, Cracker

Carrot Cake, Coconut Sorbet, Toasted Coconut, Almonds, Pineapple

(Red Newt) Finger Lakes Riesling 'Circle' 2010

 Mini Chocolate Cakes, Tonka Bean Crisps, Chocolate Mint Drops

Take Home: Chocolate, Fig, Walnut Bread

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Carrot Muffins

Martin-Lane's favorite breakfast of the moment is a carrot muffin.  We make the dough in advance and bake the muffins while she is getting dressed in the morning. 1/2 cup pureed silken tofu, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons olive oil,  1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup coarse wheat bran, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 3 cups shredded carrot, 3/4 cup walnuts

Mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined.  Cook in a 350 degree oven until a knife inserted in the middle tests clean, about 20 minutes.  Good hot or room temperature.   Makes 12 muffins, the rough nutritional analysis below is for an individual muffin.

Sprouted Quinoa Granola

Over the years we have made lots of different versions of this granola recipe... this is my favorite of the moment with sprouted quinoa substituted for cooked quinoa that we have used in the past.  Also we have added more seeds in place of some of the nuts in other versions.  This recipe is only moderately  sweet so you may choose to make it a bit sweeter by adding a few fresh dates or additional maple syrup.

3 cups quinoa, 1 cup raw walnuts, 1 cup raw almonds, 1 cup raw cashews, 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, 1 cup raw sesame seeds, 1 cup sunflower seeds, 2 cups dried figs tip of stem removed, 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup,  2 cups raw coconut flakes, 1 tablespoon salt

Place quinoa on a large sheet tray, thoroughly moisten with water and cover with a sheet of parchment paper.  Let sit until you see the quinoa has sprouted, little white tails will grow on the end of the grain and will be about the same length of the grain when it is ready.  Check every 8 hours of so to make sure the quinoa is still moist but not sitting in a large amount of water.  The whole process should take about 24 hours.

After the quinoa has been soaking for approximately 16 hours fill a large bowl with walnuts, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and figs– cover with water and let sit at room temperature for about 8 hours or until the quinoa has sprouted.

Once everything has soaked and sprouted drain the liquid from the nut mixture and place into a food processor, add maple syrup and pulse on and off until the ingredients are chopped but still coarse, you may need to do this in a few batches depending on the size of your food processor.

Thoroughly mix the quinoa (which should not have any extra liquid but if it does drain before adding) with the chopped nut mixture and toss in coconut flakes and salt.

Spread the granola onto two large sheet trays and place in a 120 degree oven to dry. There seems to be some debate about what temperature you need to stay below for food to be considered raw, many experts agree that most food enzymes will not be destroyed if you do not go above 120 degrees.  I find that many ovens can be set as low as 120 degrees and the process of drying at this temperature can happen in 12-18 hours.  If your oven does not go that low, no worries, just dry at a low temperature.  While the granola is drying stir it every several hours and leave in the oven until there is no moisture left and it is crunchy.

The rough nutritional analysis below is based on 1/2 cup servings.  I often eat it with almond milk.  Store in an airtight container.

Looking Back to a December Party...

Just before the holidays we co-hosted a party to celebrate a major accomplishment of a couple friends.  The whole event was very relaxed with food to graze on, bay leaf vodka cocktail and rose champagne to sip.  In the kitchen we had a big pot of white lima bean soup on the stove and guests filled themselves bowl and topped them with arugula, black walnuts and black truffles... Lucky for us Abby Jiu documented the event.

Hario Ceramic Skerton Manual Coffee Mill

Old electric coffee grinder needed to be replaced and after some online research we decided to go manual.  Loving the Hario Hand Mill we chose. What do we like– the smell of fresh crushed beans, the sound of coffee beans cracking instead of our old loud grinder in the morning, the feel of grinding the coffee, we are using less coffee because we have to work for the grinds and whether true or not the coffee tastes better!

Super Immunity Class

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A friend of mine Davina Sandground recently launched a fabulous new business, Nutrition Groove.  A couple months ago she asked if I would be interested in teaching a class with her based on Joel Fuhrmans book Super Immunity: The Essential Nutrition Guide for Boosting Your Body's Defenses to Live Longer, Stronger, and Disease Free.  I was thrilled!  Dr. Furhman's book talks about eating much the way I already do but also incorporates all sorts of information that was new to me...such as– the need to finely chop or thoroughly chew kale to get full nutritional benefits, why a high dose of vitamin C is not helpful when you have a cold and that the delivery system used in the flu vaccine might be more damaging for most of us than getting the flu...

Davina and I concentrated on 6 of Dr Fuhrman's top foods for Super Immunity– kale, mushrooms, onions, beans, pomegranate and seeds.  Davina talked nutrition and I cooked.  This is what we ate.

Kale

-Roasted Kale– kale stem removed and chopped, grapeseed oil spray, roasted garlic peeled and chopped, salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, place kale on a baking sheet, spray with oil, toss with garlic, salt and pepper and bake until slightly browned around the edges, about 10 minutes.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

-Raw Kale and Sesame Salad– 1/4 cup sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons coconut nectar or other sweetener, salt and pepper to taste, kale stem removed and finely chopped (about 4 cups kale total)

In a high speed blender combine until smooth sesame seeds, cider vinegar, olive oil, coconut nectar, and enough water to make a thick dressing, season with salt and pepper to taste.  In a large bowl toss kale and dressing until thoroughly combined, adjust salt and pepper to taste.

-Kale Smoothie– 1 cup chopped kale, 1/2 pear core removed, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup almond milk

In a high speed blender combine the kale, pear, banana and milk.  Process until smooth, about 1 minute.

Mushrooms

-Roasted Hedgehog Mushrooms–hedgehog mushrooms brushed clean,  shallots roasted and peeled, grapeseed oil, salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place mushrooms and shallots on a sheet tray and lightly coat with grapeseed oil, season with salt and pepper and cook until mushrooms are just cooked, about 7 minutes.

-Shiitake Leek Broth– shiitake mushrooms stems removed, leeks finely chopped

In a pot combine the mushrooms, leeks and cover with water.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste.

-Marinated Button Mushrooms– button mushrooms finely sliced, fresh lemon juice, chives, salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl combine mushrooms, lemon juice, chives, salt and pepper.

Onions

We used garlic, shallots, leeks and chives in the kale and mushroom recipes

Beans

We discussed adding Kombu to beans during soaking and cooking to help tenderize them and aid in digestion.

-Bean Dip– 1 cup beans cooked, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon fresh herbs chopped, salt and pepper to taste

In a high speed blender combine beans, oil, herbs, salt and pepper.  If too thick add water until desired consistency.

Pomegranate

I demonstrated a method I use for removing seeds from a pomegranate–

Cut a pomegranate in quarters.  Get a bowl of cold water.  Remove seeds from skin and pith over the cold water and let the seeds fall into the water.  If there is any pith still attached to the seeds it will float to the top.  When you are finished skim the pith off the top of the water, drain the seeds and they are ready to eat or use.

Seeds

We used sesame seeds in the raw kale salad.

-Chia– 1/4 cup chia seeds, 1/2 cup almond milk, pinch salt, raw cashews, coconut flakes, raw walnuts, raw sunflower seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, fresh dates chopped.

In a medium bowl combine the chia, milk and salt.  Top with the nuts, additional seeds, coconut and dates as desired.

Welcome 2012!

Rang in 2012 at 1508 with fabulous guest, thanks to all in attendance!

Passing

Salsify, Celery Root, American White Sturgeon Caviar

Beet Noodles, Chives

Egg, Jowl Bacon, Sorrel

Kale, Sesame 

Lamb BBQ, Kohlrabi

Parsnip and Baby Turnips

(Jacques Lassaigne) Blanc de Blancs Brut 'Les Vignes de Montgueux' NV, Vodka Bay Leaf Martini 

 Seated

Hangar Steak, Avocado, Brussel Sprouts, Farm Bread

(Monpertuis) Cotes du Rhone 2009

Lima Beans, Squash, Black Walnuts, Collard Greens, Oregon Black Truffle, Herb Flatbread

(Vincent Dampt) Chablis 1er 'Cote de Lechet' 2008 

Rockfish, Saffron Broth, Leek, Carrot, Smashed Potato, Salted Spelt Bread

(Chezeaux) Bourgogne Rouge 2008

Appalachian Cheese, Cracker

Date Sesame Custard, Fresh Date, Meyer Lemon, Sesame Brittle

Frozen Truffle, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Sauce, Shaved Truffle

(Tissot) Cremant du Jura Brut Rose NV

Cookies: Sparkly Tonka Bean Stars, Coconut Pistachio, Ginger, Chocolate Mint

Take Home:  Chocolate Fig Walnut Bread