Rabbit Confit with kale and parsnip

The rabbits are purchased whole but cleaned. They are then cured in a very similar way to doing duck Confit, just less intense. After a day of curing and draining, we remove the excess, pat dry and place in duck fat. Cook until done, usually around 6 hours or until all the meat and tendons have released. Let cool and store in fat until needed. Parsnips are pureed as we always do, only difference is a touch of nutmeg. The bones of the rabbits are roasted then with mire poix to a stock, then to a jus. We use a little bit of light chicken stock if there is any more liquid needed than we have. The kale is cleaned, pulled from the stems and dried very well. For service place a half handful of kale in hot canola or grape seed oil and cook until crisp. Remove from oil and place onto paper towels to drain, season. Meanwhile heat a sautee pan till hot, and with a touch of oil sear off the legs, two pieces if you are using front legs or the rear seem to small. Place in oven and heat through. Remove from oven and place on rack to rest and drain. Place a table spoon of parsnip in center of bowl. Place rabbit on top of parsnip and the kale on top of the rabbit. Spoon sauce around. Serve immediately.

Grilled Rapini (sip)

Grilled Rapini with Chili Flake, Raisins and Almonds A side dish right now coming from grill/garde manager. The Rapini is cleaned and divided into "bouquets". Once an order is fired the Rapini is placed into a salad bowl and tossed with seasoned blended oils. Salt, pepper, sugar and chili Flake. Once seasoned placed on a hot grill and cooked until desired doneness is achieved. Place back in salad bowl and toss with toasted almonds and rehydrated raisins. (currently we are just using a mix of golden and dark raisins that are dried) The raisins can be rehydrated in a mix of water and or a sweet white wine, salt, sugar, bay leaf. Once tossed with all ingredients, check for flavor. You may have to add more of any of the above. Serve immediately.

Crispy Pear Salad

"Crisp Red Pear" Salad: Candied almond brittle, baby spinach, sweet dried berries, goat cheese vinaigrette. One of our winter/fall salads Slice the pear thinly, place in salad bowl with spinach, other mixed greans, including but in very small amounts of arugula. Also the dried berries and almond brittle. Toss with goat cheese vinaigrette, recipe in preceding posts. I think rather than the brittle, toasted sliced almonds. Dried cherries, cranberries, blueberries etc. Season salt, pepper, sugar. Serve on cold salad plate.

ideas and possible dish's and or recipes

Pork loin/chop With raisin gastrique and or apple reduction. Peanuts that have been boiled, celery salad. In this case celery leaves, micro celery and very thinly sliced celery stalk that has been soaked in ice water. In the dish we are doing now we are serving this with a celery root puree. Reads like this; Roasted pork loin with celery root puree and raisin gastrique. Can also use pork chop, pork tenderloin, even veal breast that's braised, veal loin, etc etc. Id like to use my pork tenderloin sous vide with these sides/parts to the dish. The pork we did at the bistro was perfect for this prep. There are recipes for all of the above item's from the gastrique to the celery root puree(in the preceding pages). Braised Beef Short Rib and Pork with Pasta Braise beef short ribs in a tomato based braising liquid. Ground pork is put into the sauce in the beginning and cooks through out the entire braising process of the beef ribs. You must continuously skim the sauce because of all the fat coming out of the pork. Thus doing at a small simmer stovetop is preferable to in the oven. Use a parchment lid to keep the evaporation to a minimum. Once the short ribs are braised tender, remove them and pick off all the meat. Place the picked short ribs back into the sauce and cook, reducing and seasoning/skimming until desired concistency and flavor is reached. Be careful, the pork will stick to the bottom so stir occasionally. This is the sauce used currently with Strozapretti pasta. Any pasta will work, but it is preferable to use a pasta that has a ability to catch some of the sauce. In opposition to a flat pasta such as linguini or pappardelle. Finish with a nice parmesan or manchego. Need to form a recipe for the sauce, but this is the general idea. Rabbit Confit This is an small plate right now, pretty simple and popular right now. On the menu: "Rabbit Leg Confit with Parsnip Puree, Pickled Apples, Smoked Marrow-Rabbit Jus, Fried Kale. We are buying the rabbits whole. The front legs and hind quarters are cured and cooked confit style in duck fat. For the dish; sear off two of the front legs or one of the hind quarters in a hot sautee pan, getting a nice sear on one side. Flip over and place in oven with s little fresh butter, thyme and garlic. Once warmed through remove from oven and place on rack or c folds. In a large serving bowl, place a spoonful of parsnip puree, Place rabbit on top of puree, and some rabbit jus around the puree, fried kale leaves on top of rabbit. Finally a few wedges of grilled, pickled apples around the rabbit.

ideas and recipes beginning. ..

Harissa Honey Honey seasoned with harissa, with duck, pork. So its sweet but spicey at the end. Keep the harissa to a minimum. Red Wine and Brown Butter Vinaigrette What weve done to accomplish this for the time being is to reduce a bottle of red wine vinegar until its syrup concistency. Place on plate where sauce would go, then meanwhile make some brown butter, seasoned with a little lemon juice. Pour the brown butter over the reduction. So in fact we are not making an actual combined, emulsified sauce but rather two seperated ones. My goal is to figure out how to emulsify the two together and have an actual "vinaigrette". Though I dont know how thats going to happen with the butter being melted and seperated/broken to begin with. Study of Winter Vegetables This is a dish we are doing now with the kobasha/acorn squash gnocchi. Winter root vegetables and even some fruit are cut(diced), seasoned appropriately and roasted. Right now we have pear, parsnip, sweet potato, rutabaga, brussel sprouts etc. For pickup, the gnocchi are dropped into boiling water, the vegetables sautéed. Once gnocchi are cooked through they are added to the vegetables. Using a long rectangle plate place a bit of parsnip puree on the plate, place and arrange the vegetables and gnocchi on top, going the length of the plate. I best describe the plating as trying to make the plate look like a small garden. Once the veg and gnocchi are arranged accordingly, we place fried brussel sprout leaves and as a sauce reduce some parsnip puree cooking liquid, the cream they were cooked in and finish with that. Garnish accordingly. This can be a very beautiful plate if done correctly, is an outstanding vegetarian dish.

Risotto, 7 Grain...

Aborio Rye berry Spelt Barleu Buck wheat Quinoa, Red Oats and Barley flakes This is a great recipe that can be adapted to so many different ingredients. Morels and asparagus in the spring time, sweet corn and bacon in the fall. Even artichokes and preserved lemon qould work. Right now we are finishing with a marrow/foie butter. The key to this recipe is understanding that all of the above cook at different time lengths. So knowimg which to start with and which to end with. Sayimg we are going to start with 1 quart of aborio, the others will be in ratio of 2 to 1, so in other words, 1qt of aborio equals 1/2 cup all others. So we will sweat brunoise onion and leeks, 2 cups worth in olive oil and fresh good quality butter. Add the aborio amd toast for about 5 minute's. Add 1/2 bottle white wine. Cook and reduce out all the wine. Cook the aborio 1/2 way using which ever stock you are using. We use vegetable stock, to keep the original flavor of the grains. Once half cooked, add the Rye, Spelt and Barley. Cook them to 85%. Add the Buckwheat and Quinoa, cook until rices are al dente. Once cooked add Oats and Barley Flakes. Lay out onto parchment paper lined sheet tray. Cool immediately. The pick up is the same as you would regularly with risotto.

Kobasha`Squash puree (sip )

8lbs, 12 to 16 medium squash Cut in half and roast in oven with brown sugar and butter. Once soft let cool to room temperature and scrape flesh out. Reserve the cooking juices. Should make 15 cups or so. Season with 1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar. 4TB honey. 1 Cup butter. 3/4 Cup cream, warm. 3 TB Salt. Taste and adjust. Should make a final yield of 4 quarts and 1 pint, 142 ounce puree. To make gnocchi; 2 cups pureel 1 egg yolk. 2 cups of flour. Salt and nutmeg. Mix in eggs then season. Roll into a ball then out to gnocchi thickness and cut. Place on floured surface and make into desired shape. Bring pot of water to boil and salt the water. Drop in gnocchi and cook until they rise to the surface, just a few minutes.

Smoked Tomato Jam (sip)

4 containers cherry tomatoes cut into quarters. 12 Roma tomatoes, diced. 1 Red Onion, chopped. 1 cup Sugar. 2 to 3 TB Smoked Paprika, once cooked down add till desired flavor achieved. 1 cup Balsamic Vinigar Salt and pepper as needed Cook for at least 2 hours. The tomatoes will breakdown and it will become thick and almost syrupy.

Goat Cheese Vinaigrette Recipe(sip)

1 tsp garlic 1 juiced lemon 2 TB Balsamic Vinigar 2 TB Goat Cheese 2 TB olive oil Place all ingredients in vita prep except for the olive oil. Slowly add oil and season with salt and pepper.

Celery Root Puree Refinement

T h is is before and after of our celery root puree on the board for our pork dish, Ants on a "log". Same celery root. Just different methods of preparation. One of them boiled in water with lemon, the other done in half milk half cream. Both pureed through vita prep only the more refined one has oil and butter emulsified in to give it the paint like image. Neither went through a chinoise but could have. For the celery root puree: 2-3 celery root, peeled and cut into 2 inch squares. Working Quickly place in a heavy bottomed pot and cover with half milk half cream. Pinch of salt and place a parchment paper lid on top. Simmer until very soft but not to long or the color will begin to turn. Also if cooked to much it will break down so much that it will begin to stick and burn. Once tender strain and save the liquid. Place celery root in vita mix and using reserved liquid to make correct consistency. Season, add butter for flavor and finally 5-6TB canola oil to bring the puree together and make less grainy. Here's what happens when you don't use oil and butter to finish.

Raisin gastrique recipe

2 pint black raisins 2 pint gold raisins 1.5 cup sugar 1.5 cup water 1 cup vinegar Place all ingredients in a heavy bottomed pot. Cook and reduce slowly, 1-2 hours or until desired consistency. We are using this on our pork dish right now with boiled peanuts and celery salad on the marinated pork loin.