1.29.2013

More Broken Bread...

a selection of hors d'oeuvre bites by the team and I...(from front to back)
savory foie gras gougeres, muscovado topping, gelee, pear butter
smoked duck breast, blood orange curd, tempura duck tongue, vadouvan butter
grilled potato-hedgehog mushroom-candied walnut-hazelnut goat cheese sandwiches
king salmon, satsuma-prosecco gelee, cara cara, gold caviar, orange evoo
wild mushroom-truffle "cappuccino", hazelnut biscotti
the hors d'oeuvre team in the private kitchen with Brian from Canlis...good times!
James Sherrill from Zoe and his duck course plating with Jason Franey and Canlis Cuisinier!
Jason Wilson from Crush and Blaine Wetzell from Willow's Inn nibbling on a bite...
Jason Franey's beef course with many layers of fermentation...
turnips, kimchee, grated cured beef hearts, yogurt
dark chocolate pave, apricot, marcona almonds, milk streusel, noyeaux ice cream
hazelnut-coffee macaron, mascarpone, candied bacon
the team in the Canlis kitchen after a great fundraising dinner...amazing and cool.
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some quick snap shots from the awesome fundraising dinner we all did for our friend
Matt Farrer!

1.20.2013

Eat! Cook! Live!...

lobster-cara cara salad, heart of palm, sturgeon caviar, orange yogurt, taro roulade
grilled mustard marinated quail, maple gel, compressed pears, pumpkin pancake
hazelnuts, black garlic aioli, cassis vinaigrette
pan roasted monkfish, charred cara cara oranges, braised heart of palm,
thumbelina carrots, micro arugula, verjus-raisin sauce
seared albacore tuna, grilled baby octopus, chick peas, leeks, prosciutto powder
jus de poisson, saffron crosnes
chocolate & peanut butter, peanut semi freddo, chocolate-banana bread pudding
fruits of the moment, prune-armagnac ice ceam, tangerine & cranberry-red wine sorbets
poached fennel & celery salad, meyer lemon confit, buddah's hand sorbet
seared local foie gras, banana bread, caramelized bananas, muscovado jelly
peanut crumble, saba swipe
grilled quail & seared foie gras salad
banyuls compressed pears, hazelnuts, cassis jelly and gastric
sous vide center cut wagyu rib eye of beef
celery root puree, oca, crosnes, black trumpet mushrooms, salsify chips,
blackberry-syrah sauce and sexy syrah salt

another version of our foie gras PB & J
our fear factor survivors
The week has come and gone. Now, almost a distant memory. But with it, came some good food and cooking. Passion and creativity stemming deep from within our souls and presented with honor for some special peeps. Not the inertia of chaos that so frequently develops, yet a calm soothing progression of tastes and ideas gently brewing with passion and excitement. Thought, emotion and desire to present that which is unique and tasty and ultimately creative and exciting for all. Sometimes, that is just how it unfolds. We had a smattering of cool groups in this week...a VIP large party for a business gathering... a fun, lively group of young ladies at the chefs table on their way to a show, another kitchen dinner of special folks who are regulars at the chefs table and were entertaining some friends and guests and lastly...a sort of fear factor tasting of a group of 16 y.o. girls in which one was celebrating her 16th birthday. Not a blindfolded deal, but tasting blind nonetheless....told them after they they got back in the limo that the bite in which they had, and REALLY enjoyed mind you was none other than duck testicles wrapped in spicy tuna tartare and fried. Add in some sriracha aioli and truffled apricot marmalade for a touch of sweetness...voila!(instead of "ooohh...gross"). This collection of tastes and dishes is but a handful of all that took place. This will be a good addition to the culinary scrapbook.

1.18.2013

Breaking Bread...



A tribute to a friend...a colleague...a protege...a cook...a follower and practicer of the craft...simply a great guy. Enter Matt Farrer. Passionate, committed, driven, adventurous, inspired and...diagnosed with cancer. Can one say fuck me??? Cancer has hit me so damn close to home it isn't even funny. In reality, I will probably die by that sword, but I pray I do not. I do not wish it on anyone. Matt is strong. A survivor. Determined to overcome it, and with a little help from his chef friends, he will! Some of the top chefs in Seattle are gathering and coming together to cook a kick-ass fundraiser in honor of our friend Matt and to help him with his burden of treatment costs. Jason Wilson-Crush, Jason Franey-Canlis, James Sherrill-Zoe, Scott Staples-Zoe & Quinn, Blaine Wetzel-Willows Inn and yours truly. There is going to be several others who have cooked with Matt, crossed paths or simply know of him and what a great guy he is and want to share in the reaching out to another. Matt has spent time in each of our kitchens and this has molded who Matt has become as a cook and a chef. We are a part of him as he is us. God bless Matt and his fight against cancer. I urge you to join us for the formal dinner, the after party or simply to donate to a great cause and a great guy.

1.17.2013

Whole Lotta Love...



cider brined pork tenderloin, butternut, smoked pecans, maple jus
carrot butter poached scallops, potato "risotto", honshimejii, chervil
saba-carrot butter vinaigrette
orange crusted steelhead, ginger-squash cous cous, golden beets, kumquats, brussels
walnuts, verjus-raisin essence
This is what I do. I love it. I am passionate about it. I like to teach it and spread that passion and inspire others whenever I can. Cooking is a way of life. Sustenance. A means to an end. You are born...you eat...you learn to cook(or not)...you keep cooking for yourself and maybe others...you eat then you die. Of course many other things happen along the way. But the reality is that it is a big part of each and every culture and the way to survive. Here is a lot of cooking in just a few shots of food that has inspired me, inspired others around me, satisfied guests and was fun and fascinating to cook. In essence...a Whole Lotta Love!

1.12.2013

In the Past...

beets, horseradish, oysters, bacon, chrysanthemum
camembert, hazelnuts, cherries, anise hyssop, caramel
service focus
monkfish, scallop, garlic, bacon, chanterelles
Sometimes just fun to look behind in order to see the road ahead. As with life, the same can be said for one's cooking. As I glance at dishes past and long forgotten, I ponder what could become of them today. To think and contemplate about "what if I thought of this idea in current senses. How would it present and position itself in my cooking?" Would I be excited? Would I trash it? Amazing how the road ahead can take a turn for the better when you least expect it. It sure has in my life.

1.05.2013

Turn The Page...

As the prior year has come to an end, and a great one at that, we venture into the new with yet another. As we turn the page for what is to come, we get excited with much anticipation and passion...hopefully anyway. If not, then maybe we need to do something else. I come back from a little hiatus and vacation, a much needed break, and get ready to get inspired again with my cooking and that of our awesome team. Although not changed completely as if doing a whole new concept, we have tweaked, changed, altered, adjusted, revised and refined what we closed with for the betterment of the whole. Here is but a glimpse of what to expect. I am excited..hope this inspires you to cook and create.
roasted beet & citrus salad, kumquats, endive, bleu, candied walnuts
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warm quail salad, pears, pecans, mustard, pumpkin polenta, black trumpet mushrooms
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caramelized parsnip bisque, apples, vadouvan oil, rye croustillant
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steelhead, brussel sprouts, walnuts, salsify, butternut
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pumpkin-mascarpone agnolotti, winter squash, carrot coulis
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muffaletta, salami, coppa, ham, provolone, hummus, tapenade, goat cheese, fennel-onion focaccia
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tri tip beef salad argentine, cilantro chimichurri, pineapple salsa, taro root chips
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foie gras PB & J, pumpkin sponge, bananas, muscovado jelly, peanut crumble, cassis syrup
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duck breast, kumquats, golden beets, cacao nib-hazelnut pancake, blackberry-chocolate sauce
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flageolet bean ragout
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cider cooked green lentils
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creamy potato "risotto"
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gingered squash cous cous
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chocolate-peanut butter bar, pumpkin sponge, kumquats, smoked walnut ice cream
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pears & walnuts- poached pear, pear bavarian, pear sorbet, walnut crumble, candied walnut,
walnut shortbread...

1.01.2013

Happy New Year...

a glimpse down 5th avenue...holiday celebrations galore
city at night...new years eve 2012, just a few minutes before midnight!
A final farewell to 2012...au revoir mon ami! Here's to a new year of great times, kick ass cooking, new thoughts and ideas, forward thinking contemplations and ponderings, good friends and comrades and last but certainly not least...extreme passion in our craft!