Schedule for the next few weeks...

Pushed back the opening a week. F.O.H.is still in their hiring process, and we have a few more to find in the back after this last week. Giving us right at a month now for first service to the public. We will be doing private parties starting in two weeks. Servers begin tasting this Thursday.

sea urchin uni "panna cota"

This is a picture of our sea urchin pasta using the west coast urchins. We have new east coast in the house and coming. Monday. We also have a feeling we will end up going with the east coast as they are half the size ans very sexy looking. They will make great vessels for our yuzu royal, holding sauces on our shellfish bouquet. Basically we are making an uni butter to toss the pasta into after its been cooked. Topped with caviar. Try to get some Photos and recipes of both the yuzu royals and the uni pasta with the east coast urchins this week...

kitchen space

Sundays are pretty quiet so just wanted to get a couple photo's of the space before it's packed with people(like it will be tomorrow). Every thing is new. We are so lucky to have this space and equipment. This is our hotline, we have an awesome space for pastry and garde manager. More photos to come...

Roasted Beets with orange vinaigrette, pea nuts, spiced yogurt

Some new dishs...

After one week with the cooks we are beginning too actually make some food. These are all off garde manager btw... English Pea Soup, Cauliflower Cous cous, Tuna Tartar, Salad Nicoise. Recipes to follow, tomorrow I hope to get to some hot line dishs. We have all worked very hard this week, as you can see our food is very bright and colorful. Very happy with my a.m. crew. Doing a great job.

Chilled English pea soup

zucchini sauce verge (whole fish sauce)

Olive oil: 1.5 cup Chive small dice: 1/8 cup Basil chiffonade: 1.5 TB Zuchinni skin small dice: 1/4 cup Lemon juice: 1/8 cup Salt: 1 TB Zuchinni flower small dice: 1/8 cup Zuchinni flower chiffonade: 1/8 cup

Sea trout rosette sauce

Yuzu juice: 40 grams Dijon mustard: 2 TB Chopped sea trout cure: 15 grams Extra virgin oil: 80 grams Make an emulsion. Start with mustard, trout cure and yuzu. Slowly add in oil. Season salt, sugar. Watermelon radish and julienne green apple, picked chervil.

Sea Trout sandwich / Apple creme fraiche

Ciabatta bun: 1/2 each Apple creme fraiche: 2 TB Cured sea trout: 85 grams Cured trout salad: 1 cup Meyer lemon vinaigrette: 1 TB Lemon or olive oil to taste --------------------------------------------------------------- Apple creme fraiche: Creme fraiche: 100 grams Apple brunoise: 20 grams Celery: 10 grams White rum: 4 grams Black peppercorns: 1 gram Salt: 4 grams Sugar: 2 grams Lemon juice: 2 grams Lemon zest: 1 lemon to taste

Salad for sea trout sandwich

Romaine spears: 4 each Frisee: 1/4 each Shave radish: 3 each Sea beans: 3 each Green apple julienne: 1 TB Celery leaves:6 each Toasted pinenuts: 1 tsp Meyer lemon vinaigrette: 1 TB Make sure to marinate the shallots in lemon juice prior to adding to vinaigrette.

Lemon vinaigrette for sea trout sandwich

Fresh lemon juice: 30 grams Olive oil: 50 grams Shallot brunoise: 15 grams Honey: 40 grams Salt: 4 grams Champagne vinegar: 50 grams Meyer lemon puree: to taste

Live sea urchins finally came in from Massachusetts...

We are going to use the shells as vessels for a yuzu "royal" bake them off into a almost cutard/pana cota. Cook them like a creme brulee. We will use the fresh uni in the base, trayed up ones for garnish. Should work on these this week end. Unfortunately the shells are way to big, we have too find a much smaller urchin. We sent out the request, see what they end up sending us.

Tuna Roll

Chicken Jus, stock into sauce.

Chicken Jus from stock. Reduce 1 gallon stock into 500 grams. Chill, skim and cool. Chicken Sauce from Jus. Unsalted butter: 60 grams. / Chicken jus: 215 grams. / Salt: 1 gram. / Xantham: 1/8th tsp. / Lemon juice: 5 grams. / Brunoise mire poix: 15 grams. / Slowly heat chicken jus. Add butter. Emulsify. Add to vita prep adding salt, lemon and xantham. Remove from vita prep place in small sauce pan. Add Brunoise of roasted mire poix from chicken as well as any other juices after cooking chicken.

Sunchoke Veloute

This is a soup that I worked on today amongst other items. I love sunchokes, wait for them to come into season just like artichokes and english peas. We are going to drop the soup table side. One of the main things was the color. As well as getting as much sunchoke flavor as possible. Finally getting enough lemongrass infused into the base. So, first off use a very light, white chicken stock for your base. Anything darker will bring off the color and mask the sunchoke flavor. As they come more into season the flavor will just get better and better as with the english pea. So, to start. You will need 2 pots. The first we will roast/sweat off 2 shallots and 3 pieces fresh sliced garlic in olive oil. Make sure there is no color on them. Season with just a touch of salt. Seperatly in the other pot make a small roux. White as possible. When i did it, litterally melt down a few table spoons of butter and wisk in an equal part of flour. Quickly bring together, remove from heat and set aside. Meanwhile in the pot with the shallots, once sweated down add freshly peeled sunchokes and cook on medium heat just for a few minute's until warmed through. Add white chicken stock to cover as well as the roux. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sunchokes are cooked through. Remove from pan and run through vita prep and a chinoise, make sure to press through but not dramatically. Return to a fresh clean pot and season. Once seasoned with salt, break a piece of lemon grass and place into the soup. Cool immediately leaving the lemongrass in the soup for ever. The flavor will infuse much more over night and by the day so be mindful of the amount you use. Also leave it whole, just smash it. Place in an ice bath and cool quickly. Once soup base is done you will need the following for garnish. Sunchoke tempura chips, roasted sunchokes, brounoise of black garlic with a touch of olive oil added to help keep the garlic separated and not forming one large lump (or paste). Picked chervil leaves. For the chips, make a tempura batter using flour, corn starch, a touch of cummin and soda water. With fryer set at 350, one by one dip the chips into the batter and fry until golden brown. Remove and place on a towel lined tray to dry. Season with salt and sugar. Meanwhile take 2 more sunchokes, peel them and place in cold water. Bring to a boil and cook 75 percent. Remove from water, cut into desired shape and toss with butter, salt and sugar. And in a 400 degree oven roast for a nice golden brown color making sure to turn them as they cook so they color evenly. Pick a few chervil leaves. For the pick up..... --------------------------------------------------------------- In a soup bowl arrange the roasted sunchokes, the chips, black garlic brounoise and chervil leaves as in photo. Heat soup, make sure to remove lemongrass, season and place in a presentable pot or dish to pour into bowl table side. This dish turned out crazy. So good, very happy with this one.

Octopus and Artichoke escabeche

Espellete Spiced Yogurt

Fage yogurt: 200 grams / Espellete: 5 grams / Salt: 4 grams / Lemon juice: 7 grams / Lemon zest: 1 piece / Sugar: 5 grams / Ultra tex: 4.5 grams / Place everything in vita mixer. The ultra tex helps give just a bit more texture/consistency. Remove from mixer and place into clean small squeeze bottle. Store cold. Serve at room temperature. We are using this on the beets appetizer as well as on the cous cous of cauliflower.

parties lined up before opening so far. ..

March 10th dinner. Passed plates: sea urchin, nicoise, deviled eggs, beets. April 21st cocktail reception at "C"- 200 people. Passed canapés; steak tartare, beets, deviled eggs, octopus, uni pana cota's... for now April 30th Monday evening. 800-900 per person. Less than 20 people. 4 to 5 courses with wine. One course is dessert, a cake. From Dana Winery.

Braised octopus (spanish)

Braising octopus has always been something I enjoy doing. This particular one is fantastic finished off on the plancha. 1400 grams defrosted octopus / 500 grams diced celery / 500 grams diced carrot / 1000 grams diced yellow onion / 8000 grams h2o / 25 grams sweet paprika / 100 grams salt / 150 grams Nusike bacon (un smoked, no salt). Place everything in a pot just large enough to hold everything and bring to a simmer for 2 to 2 and 1/2 hours until done. Be careful to not overcook. Strain liquid and line the arms into a hotel pan so they cool straight and not curled. Marinate next day. You also may need to clean the octopus in which case you will get 8 orders per. Save the head for squid ink sauce. Make sure to take tentacles off before braising and to cook very very slowly to avoid over cooking or a rubbery texture.

White Chicken Stock

1 case chicken bones. Fresh. Add them to a stock pot just large enough. Fill with cold water, bring to a boil and simmer 2 to 3 hours max. Also make sure when cooking the stock, and all stocks, to skim the entire time the floating impurities. Add standard mire poix and dry spices. Cook 45 more minutes, strain. Cool and label. Carrot, celery, onion, fennel, leek, garlic. For dry spices and herbs: black Peppercorns, fennel seeds, thyme, bay leaves.

Dark Chicken Stock "C" style

1000 grams onion / 500 grams celery / 500 grams carrot / 1-#10 can whole tomato / 5 sprig thyme / 3 bay leaves / 1 TB Black Peppercorns / 40 lb Chicken Bones / 2 Leeks, washed / Roast bones for several hours until dark and aromatic. Place in a stock kettle just large enough to hold bones and vegetables. Cover the bones with water and bring to a boil then simmer. Cook 3 to 4 hours. After 3rd or 4th hour add the vegetables raw, uncooked. Cook 45 more minutes and strain. The idea or reasoning for adding the vegetables at the end is that we do not want the vegetables to cook down to much. Think of it as making a vegetable stock. Just as then you would only cook the stock for a short time, its the same principle with all stocks we make here. Adding and cooking the aromatics for just enough time to make the flavor. Anything after that the vegetables begin to break down and goes away your clear broth.

pain au lait

Bread flour: 480 grams / Sugar: 18 grams / Instant Yeast: 5grams / Whole milk: 320 grams / Salt: 10 grams / Light soft butter: 180 grams /. Combine flour, sugar, yeast, and add milk into kitchen aid with dough hook. Add salt and mix until together. Dough should be tacky. Add softened butter cubes in small pieces on medium speed. Mix 4-5 minutes. Bulk ferment the dough at room temperature 30-45 minutes in an olive oil coated bowl covered with plastic wrap. Place onto a floured surface and roll out 12 x 20 sheet. 1-2cm thick and fold three times on top of one another. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 45 minutes. Bring onto floured surface and roll as same as above. Do the above three times. Cut into squares and let rise just a bit. (Be sure to use a sharp wet knife each time cut. Sprinkle with Maldon and bake 325 degree's. This is our opening bread for now until pastry chef comes on board. Its almost a brioche texture without the egg component or flavor. Easy to execute, each sous chef has done the recipe with everyone else every day this week and will continue until we have our pastry program up and running...

new kitchen...

As well as staff. Like i said yesterday just chefs this week. Here's a few of them...

Tuesday builds...