A Night With The Butcher

It was last Wednesday evening that I got a call from my friend Trevor of Sir Loin Meat Shoppe. He was in need of an extra set of hands to butcher and fabricate some deer for an order the next day. Seeing as how I have never butchered many game animals, I jumped at the opportunity to help. I arrived at the shop around six o' clock, threw on an apron and was ready to go. I made my way to the walk in fridge where I found Luis pushing deer meat through the grinder for packaging. Next to him I saw whole deer, elk, and other game animals hanging from chains and hooks, just ready to be broken down. As a cook, I am always looking for ways to expand my knowledge of food, cooking, and anything to do with food. Although Wednesday was my day off, I am always willing to help a fellow cook in a time of need. I spent the evening packaging ground deer, learning about the various cuts of venison, and most importantly, how to butcher and fabricate an entire deer. It seems as though every day I spend outside of a kitchen is a day lost. I don't care if I'm getting paid, I just love to work with food and to be constantly learning. I learned a lot from Trevor and Luis that night, and had a great time doing it.
Sir Loin Meat Shoppe
Havana and Jewell
Aurora, CO

Larimer Square: Rioja

Larimer Square is home to some of Denver's most well known and frequented restaurants. On one short block you have Tamayo,Bistro Vendome, Corridor 44, The Capital Grill, Del Mar Crab House, Samba Room, and Rioja, just to name a few. I had the opportunity to dine at Rioja last night as a late celebration for my birthday last month. Even on a Wednesday night, the place was packed with business types, couples, foodies, and socialites. Had I not made a reservation in advance I would have certainly had to wait for a table. After being seated and placing our drink orders, we were presented with a large platter of assorted breads and biscuits to choose from. Everything from rosemary goat cheese biscuits to lavender sourdough and orange fennel rolls, it was all delicious. The cheese plate appetizer comes with an assortment of four different cheeses with complimentary garnishes, such as spanish cheese with cured chorizo and Italian Robiolo with a sweet citrus chutney. I ordered the grilled Quail entree with spinach ravioli and a red wine glaze. The quail was cooked to perfection, it's juicy flesh and light grilled char making me not want to leave a scrap on the plate. The spinach raviolis were decent, nothing extraordinary, but I felt that the red wine glaze was quite sweet and was a bit overpowering of the other flavors on the plate. Half way through the meal we were presented with a happy birthday card signed by all of the staff, a very nice touch in customer service. After finishing our entrees and browsing the dessert menu, we agreed that none of us had the appetite. That was, of course, until we were presented with a complimentary dessert, another great gesture by the staff. We thanked our server, paid our bill, and made our way to the front of the still bustling restaurant. On our way out, the doorway was still crammed with men in 3 piece suits waiting eagerly to get a table or a seat at the bar. I stepped out into the brisk Denver breeze, admired the lights and decorations hung along Larimer St, and felt content with my experience at Rioja.
Next up, Corridor 44.

Finished Product

Here is the outcome of the gougere experimentations. I enjoyed the flavor of gruyere and the lightness of the gougeres, but they left my mouth feeling dry. To remedy this, I decided to incorporate a buttery, creamy like cheese in an almost inside out sandwich style. I took gournay cheese, whipped it with heavy cream, and folded in candied pecan bits. Completed with more pecan bits and a drizzle of honey. The finished product ended up being light, savory, creamy, with just a touch of sweetness. I was also trying to create a maple fig glass as garniture but I couldn't get my sugar to solidify to a hard enough state. I am essentially trying to create a thin brittle caramel with the flavors of fig and maple. Any suggestions?

Experimenting with Gougères

I spent the afternoon fooling around with a few different gougères. I began first by doing the traditional gruyere gougère, which turned out wonderful and airy and delicious. However, I couldn't help but think of all the potential that these small savory pastries have. They can be flavored in any way imaginable, or even used in sweet preparations if desired. The dough takes 5 minutes to prepare and makes for a great quick bread. I plan on experimenting more with this and hopefully creating some flavor and/or spice combinations that please me. I'm considering whipping boursin and incorporating pulverized candied pecans as a filling that I could pipe into the gougeres...perhaps with a drizzle of honey. A work in progress, I'll be sure to post more once I have them perfected. Feel free to give input if you have any ideas for flavor combinations.

The Beauty of the Amuse Bouche

Amuse: To entertain or occupy in a light, playful, or pleasant manner; to appeal to the sense of humor; to supply amusement or diversion by specially prepared or contrived methods.
Amuse - Bouche: Little bites of food to amuse the mouth, invigorate the palate, whet the appetite.

I have always enjoyed the concept of the Amuse Bouche. It is a pleasant and exciting way to stimulate the palate of your guest before their meal. Not only is it a way to make your guest feel special, it is a great opportunity to experiment with new ideas with food. At the restaurant we present our guests with a different amuse bouche every night. Sometimes these are thought out a day in advance, other times they are created on a whim. It is the whimsical amuse bouches that always seem to excite me. Enticing tastes that are created in the head of the cook, in the moment. The bouche can be elegant, playful, comical, rich, exotic, all depeding on the mood of its creator. For example, a parody of the Denny's Grand Slam Breakfast. Consisting of miniature hash, bite size brioche french toast, pancetta bacon, and of course, one quail egg cooked to order. The amuse bouche is a great way for the chef/cook to play with new ideas and experiment with flavor combinations. I had the opportunity to create the amuse bouche last night and I was quite pleased with its outcome(see photo). I was almost trying to capture the different flavors and textures of an entire cheese plate in one bite. I wanted to taste salt, pepper, the crunch of a toast point, the richness of wine, the creaminess of cheese, and the sweetness of fruit. For this whimsical amuse bouche, I began by poaching asian pears in cabernet with cinnamon and allspice. From there I quartered some fresh figs and creamed a bit of camembert cheese. Utilized some left over sherry reduction and buzzed some walnuts to create a dust. The final result was Black Mission Fig and Poached Pear with Creamed Camembert En Croute with Walnut Dust and Sherry Reduction. The different flavors and textures managed to hit many different parts of my palate. I was pleased with the outcome and received some good feedback. It is days like these that remind me why I truly love the craft of cooking. To see the reaction of someone who has enjoyed your creation, to receive praise and appreciation for your efforts, and to know that you have been able to create a sensation of joy and delight for your guest. Ah, the beauty of the Amuse Bouche.