Cheerio Milk Ice Cream

One of the elements about cooking that I love is being able to communicate a feeling/emotion/memory with a single bite. When you take a familiar ingredient, or flavor, and alter it in a way that connects with someone in a nostalgic way. As shown in the movie Ratatoille, the single bite of the ratatoille dish brings the egomaniac food critic back to his childhood in France eating something that gave him a sense of safety, of family, of comfort. It broke down his barriers and made him remember the entire reason he is who he is. With that being said, there are hundreds of flavors that I connect with on a personal level, that bring me back to either my childhood or another point in my life. One of them being Honey Nut Cheerios. Eating a bowl of honey nut cheerios every morning, and when I was done, savoring the leftover cereal flavored milk. I was trying to think of a way I could manipulate this flavor sensation and present it in a way that would be entirely unfamiliar, yet itchingly familiar at the same time. Ice cream. The dessert is still being worked out, but I am going to isolate the components of honey nut cheerios and rebuild them into a dessert. Starting with the star, the cheerio milk ice cream. Honey will be on the plate. A tuile or cracker or cookie made from pulverized cheerios, pecans, almonds. There are plenty of possibilities and I can't wait to see the finished product. MMM Cheerios.

Tasting Menu: 7/22/08; First Course

I love composed salads. Menus always seem to be lacking when it comes to the salad selection. Most chefs overlook this part of the menu and will throw the typical, easy, cop-out salads that people seem to love so much (Caesar, House Salad, Romaine, etc). Salads are so versatile and are such a great, clean start to a meal. This week we are featuring a Grapefruit Arugula Summer Salad for first course. I love it. Grapefruit Segments, Celery Root Rice Wine Vinaigrette, Arugula, Pea Shoots, Radish, Pistachio, Haysteck Chevre, Celery Leaf, Chive Tips. Delicious.

Ingredients: Celery Root

I received some of the most gorgeous celery root I've ever seen today at work. I'm not a huge fan of cooking with celery, but I can't get enough celery root. It has the true celery flavor without being as delicate as celery stalk and the potential bitterness if overcooked. It's earthy, creamy, underused and under-appreciated in the states. I love it.

Updated Photos

I didn't realize that I could send the photos from my phone to my e-mail... so I sent a few from the past few months of photos I've taken at the restaurant from various tasting menus. The quality isn't that great but at least you can get the general idea of what I was going for.

Lamb Tenderloin
Cauliflower "Risotto", Celery Root Pea Shoot Salad

Pork Shoulder
Swiss Chard, Cider Poached Apples, Braising Jus

Malt
Chocolate Malt Gelato, Whopper "Shrapnel", White Chocolate Broth

Mojito
Mojito Sorbet, Rum Phyllo, Lime Curd, Crystallized Mint

Tasting Menu: 7/16/08

Artichoke "Fondue"
Fried Capers, Truffle, Toast Points

Black Kingfish
Corn Succotash, Sweet Pea Emulsion, Pea Shoots


Spiced Apple
Toasted Granola, Brown Sugar, Apple Cardamom Broth, White Chocolate Cherry Gelato

It's Been A While

It's been over a year now since my last post. Yes, I attribute some of that to laziness, but also the vigorous work schedule I have had over the past 12 months. I'm trying to get back into posting on a more regular basis, and taking more photos in the kitchen to share. Last year I took on a sous chef role at the JW Mariott at Mirepoix restaurant. I took the position to help my friend and colleague Andy(another sous at the same restaurant) while the restaurant was changing concepts and being remodeled by Sage Hospitality. It was a good stepping stone position for me to move into management while still having someone I trusted to show me the ropes along the way. That lasted for about four months until the restaurant closed down for renovation. It is now Second Home Kitchen & Bar. After leaving Mirepoix, I was informed about an opening for Executive Chef at a new restaurant opening early 2008 on South Broadway. I went through multiple interview processes and several cooking demonstrations in order to get the position. It was a lengthy process, but after it was all over I was in the swing of things, designing their menu, kitchen, and doing general consulting work for the restaurant. After months of design, tastings after tastings, I had a mutual difference of opinion with the owners and left the project. It was a lot of hard work that unfortunately didn't pan out into what I wanted it to be. Come December of 2007, I was given a reference by my previous Executive Chef Matt Selby of Vesta Dipping Grill. A member of his DINR(Denver Independent Network of Restaurants) group was looking for a sous chef to bring on board at Black Pearl Restaurant in the Wash Park neighborhood. I interviewed for the position and was hired shortly afterward. After two months as sous chef I filled the role of Chef De Cuisine and became more familiarized with the everday workings of the kitchen, restaurant, and managing a staff. I have been completely involved with the restaurant for the past six months and have had little personal life to speak of. I have been learning a lot along the way about just how intense of a responsibility it is to manage the everydays workings of a professional kitchen. I'm tired, but I know in the end it will all pay off. I will have more photos and updated information about the new and exciting things happening with our ever evolving menu in the near future. Sorry for my absence in posting over the past year. But now I'm back.