Breakfast for Dinner...

I have been working with this item for a while now, and have tweaked the idea back and forth with many great results. It is a play on that great breakfast standby...the omelet, or omelette, if you prefer. I do! I think I first came across the "breakfast for dinner" concept when dining in France at a place called Chateau Arnoux at the Restaurant Le Bonne E'Tap. We were served a chilled omelette filled with a mosaic of fresh vegetable purees, gathered from their garden that morning. It was cool. It was awkward as well, being the mid 80's and knowing the local food scene in Seattle...that was avant garde bar none! So, as a typical encounter might find itself...burying itself back in my metal-logged brain, filed away until the right moment. It was played with here and there, but honestly, I think the city was not ready for that kind of endeavor that early~ both in time and time of day. So enter Tom Douglas. He was gracious enough to accept an invitation to cook at the club with me and about 6 or 7 other chefs from around the nation for a guest chef event dubbed as the "Friends of the Chef" dinner. His choice of course was a play on the same theme, now quite acceptable in modern foodie circles. He did it up in Asian flair and style, rolling it up as I have with Anise, Orange and Crabmeat, all laid to rest with a succulent piece of Steamed Black Cod. That is another story. So, after that, I started up with my quest again to try this idea out as an appetizer, or amuse or first course on one of our chef's table or tasting menus. Recently, I have been doing Maine Lobster and a Mediterranean Tomato Jam rolled up with a garniture of American Sturgeon Caviar, Micro Fennel, Smoked Paprika Meringue(embellished with Nigella, Turkish Pepper and Hawaiian Sea Salt) and a Lobster-Yuzu-Vanilla Oil. With great results, we have done Rabbit Confit and Mushroom(take your pick), Crabmeat and Ginger with Chervil and yes, of course...Foie Gras as you see here. Foie is definitely my favorite of the bunch, but lobster is very tasty and always a crowd pleaser. It also allows us to offer it more appropriately for an amuse of first course to be paired with Champagne and then be able to do a seared, poached, grilled or roasted foie gras course in and of itself later in the gastronomic adventure. So, simply blend up some farm fresh eggs(in which we have been pulling from local farms) with herbs, and seasoning and cook in an omelet pan just until set. I then place the pan under a salamander, or broiler to "set" the top. Spread with the jam, or tapenade, duxelle, conserve or whatever, then top with your choice of meat, roll up tightly using the plastic wrap sheet method so as to get it nice and tight. Twist the ends to secure and chill. Let sit for 2-3 hours and then slice as needed and pair with what you see fit. We use things like house made Apricot-Truffle Conserve, Green Olive Jam, Grapefruit Yogurt-Honey or perhaps a Mango-Avocado "Salpicon" or in lay-man terms, a fancy word for a chunky sauce. So...check it out, have fun and enjoy the tastes.