Amazing Fall Feast...

heirloom tomatoes, tomato water, john dory crudo, heart of palm

opal basil, peaches, citrus olive oil

seared foie gras, cherries, compressed nectarines, hazelnuts
cacao nibs, truffled apricot conserve, savory chocolate caramel
diver sea scallops, fava beans, pumpkin gnocchi, pancetta
riesling tapioca, sea urchin nage

baked wild golden snapper, baby lima puree, bacon, corn, truffles

compressed asian pears, late harvest vinegar gelee
grains of paradise, fleur de sel

spice crusted muscovy duck breast, baby turnips
sous vide fennel, wild blackberry sauce

48 hour beef short rib, porcini, chanterelles
golden beets, horseradish potatoes, cinnamon-cabernet sauce

tasting of dessert...
chocolate-caramel shooter, praline chocolate silk, apples
dove bar stix, roasted strawberries, pistachio brittle, parsnip ice cream

~mignardise~
olive oil chocolates, almond-bacon macaroon sandwiches
hazelnut biscotti

~not pictured~
lobster amuse
house cured salumi

for a lucky table of 10 and a few wonderful hosts, in a truly remarkable house by a handful of awesome cooks...we rocked it! The flava of the meal was to take on that of a fall harvest, complete with salumi, little fun bites ~caramelized carrot "cappuccinos"

toasted carrot cake "biscotti, chevre-pistachio skewers

and other savory snacks to round out the degustatory experience that was the extraordinary culinary result of an auction donation for Woodland Park Zoo. Quite the cool kitchen stocked with a total arsenal of battery in which to execute our craft. The hosts had asked weeks in advance as to what the menu would be, but as my standard M.O. tends to be...I wait purposely until the day or so prior. Not because I am behind or unorganized, but because I want to the inspiration to be the best it can be and to be "of the moment"! I want the cooks to feel the pressure, the need to create, the sense of what is here and now, not the typical rehearsed corporate type menu that we all know weeks in advance...where is the inspiration and adventure in that? Hell, let me tell ya... there isn't any. The ingredients and menu compositions have definitely taken on that sense, flavor, nuance and personality of fall and autumn. Here is what went down. Thank you to all who made this possible. You guys made it happen. You made it what it was. You enabled it to come together. You are the reason I do what I do and am who I am. Couldn't do it without you...