Archives Under "creative presentation of the week" (RSS)
Caramel Mousse Cake.
27 August 2008 | Ten 01, creative presentation of the week, custard, delicious, plated dessert | No Responses
I ran this dessert as a special last weekend and it sold pretty well. With milk chocolate sauce and hazelnut praline, it looked sharp and tasted delicious. The chocolate base is Tony’s truffle sponge, almost a brownie but with egg whites folded in. The central crunchy layer was a caramel candy filling, which I augmented with a little milk chocolate and feuilletine. The mousse was a new recipe, one I found on Cuisine French. The recipe caught my eye because it assumed a certain level of knowledge and technique. For example, step three in the recipe states “prepare a custard with the milk, sugar, constarch, and egg yolks.” That’s my kind of recipe. The praline garnish, I’m embarrassed to say, is isomalt. This synthetic sugar always makes me feel like a cheater, a corner-cutter and a hack. It is a beautiful garnish however, so I guess it’s OK. I learned how to make those over ten years ago now. Hmph….I’m getting old. Meanwhile, it’s business as usual at the restaurant, things have been picking up. The Oregoinian released an excellent review of us last week, and we’ve been seeing increasing numbers. I couldn’t find the review online…even without mention of the desserts-it was a good one. 
Hamburger Heaven.
13 August 2008 | eating, Ten 01, creative presentation of the week, delicious, food | No Responses
It’s a Chorizo burger, actually. People who don’t enjoy this are stupid. Tomato bacon jam, pickled shallots and fried hen egg. The Chorizo sausage has a good spice, and egg yolk melting all over everything is a fucking mouthgasm. Easily takes this month’s Creative Presentation of the Week. Created one night for staff by line cook Mark, we knew it was a keeper. Sitting tall on the bar menu this burger is the best thing you ever tasted. I recommend dipping each bite into srirachanaise, and washing it all down with cold whiskey. Man, we’ve been putting out good food. Peep this Squab. Seared and served with crab-zucchini salad and Hollandaise? Yes, Please! How about an english pea crepe to sop up that sauce? Delicious!!
Rival Flavors to Waltz, No Intermission
19 June 2008 | eating, Ten 01, creative presentation of the week, food | No Responses
Another Spirit dinner hosted by Kelley Swenson and Timothy Davey. The two passionate mixologists poured Italian bitters, and Jack and Anthony were cooking in the street. The sun sunk low in the sky and filled The Cleaners with an ethereal light. At the door we were handed a tall orange cocktail which refreshed us thoroughly. We sat at he head of one side of the large L shaped table. Godfather footage was being projected onto the wall. The Chefs laid down some sweet courses and the bartenders offered educational interludes with the drinks. A bright and fresh tuna tartare with rhubarb and pine nuts, a tea smoked duck breast that I can still taste if I think about it. A Compari cocktail that I knew Tony 2 Fingers was drinking in the back. Jaybill and I enjoyed the food and cocktail pairings, the conversation at the table was nerdy, and laughing, we sipped our drinks. Third course was a trio of scallops, Foie, and pork belly paired with three shots. This was a really fun dish. The richness of each of the items washed down with a syrupy spirit. The infused herbs and vegetables in the bitters trumped us. My head was buzzing with delight. I felt an elation that would last the rest of the night. As our lamb T-bone floated over, I floated in my seat. Elbows hit the table, and the tiny bones were chewed clean without looking up. I almost forgot my drink as I took a breath. Delicious!! A weird sensation coursed through me as I thought about my day so far. Getting to work and spinning ice cream and baking cookies, I picked mint as Jack and Tony prepped. I helped Jack set up the Foie mousse, and when my brother met me at the restaurant I carried it down the street. A few months ago I was thinking about getting out of this business, and now I’m carrying little votives of pureed Foie Gras across Burnside. Attending a nerdy white tablecloth foodie dinner where I actually know a few people. Chef introducing me to the crowd as I sit there half-drunk, waving. “That’s right…I make the cookies!” Jack waved me over to verify mint plouche placement. We fell into a methodical rhythm of plating. I smiled as Chef scooped, and Tony and I sandwiched the cookies onto the plates. I returned to my seat and gulped at my mini Fernet cocktail. I took a bite of the ice cream sandwich. I slowly nodded my head. Then we peaced.
NY Cheesecake…Kind Of.
4 June 2008 | creative presentation of the week, delicious, plated dessert, dessert | 1 Response
People go nuts for this dessert. Eyes pop out of people’s heads. It changes worlds. Even Chef cleaned his plate and he rarely does with sweets. So it’s this month’s Creative Presentation of the Week. Just a little New York Style Cheesecake with Balsamic Strawberries and Hazelnut Scone. As I look at the plate now, I marvel at how I put TWO leaves of mint. C’mon dude! It’s a basic cheesecake recipe I learned from Mark Metzger at the Vail Cascade. I used it also at Carlyle for the cheesecake three ways. Thanks Mark!! The balsamic strawberries were Chef’s idea, and after some tinkering we reproduced them. Look at those babies! All glistening and shit. The “crust” on this cheesecake comes form of scone. I always liked scones for strawberry shortcakes and this dish had strawberries so I thought, what the F. Toasted hazelnuts and sugar crust it up. It’s a little weird, sure, but damn yummy. My faithful readers need these recipes. So…here:
Metzger NY Cheesecake
1 1/2 # cream cheese at room temp
6 oz sugar
Pulp of 1 vanilla bean
3 eggs
1. Preheat the oven to 250 (200 for convection.) Place the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla pulp in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on low speed for 5 minutes
2. Scrape the bowl thoroughly with a spatula.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time scraping thoroughly between each addition. The more careful you are here, the better your end product. Add and scrape!! Visualize that nipple in the bottom of the mixing bowl, and scrape it well!!
4. Transfer the batter to a square flexible mold.
5. Bake in a water bath for 25 minutes, then rotate the pan, and bake for another 15 minutes.
6. At this point, the cheesecake should be set on the outsides, and slightly jiggly in the middle. Open the oven door for a sec, then close it and turn the oven off. Set a timer for 45 minutes. I finish all of my custards this way, it works really well. Thanks Alton.
7. Chill the cake for at least 3 hrs before attempting to de-mold and slice. I usually flash mine in the freezer for about 25 minutes to get a clean square.
Balsamic Strawberries
3 cups balsamic vinegar
1 cup honey
granulated sugar to taste
2 vanilla beans scraped
2 pods toasted star anise
2 1/2 - 3 cups hulled local strawberries
1. Measure the balsamic and honey into a pot and whisk to combine. Whisk in the the sugar 1/2 cup at a time until you reach the desired sweetness. Remember the strawberries have a good sweetness as well.
2. Scape the vanilla pods into the pot and bring the mix to a boil.
3. Add the berries and kill the heat. Cover and steep for 25-30 minutes until berries are tender but still slightly firm. They will carry over, so…
4. Create an ice bath with water, ice and two vessels. Stop the cooking process.
5. Carefully pour the steeped berries and liquid into the ice bath. Try not to agitate the berries as they cool, they become very fragile.
Scones
I left the scone recipe at work. Eat your fucking cheesecake. Here’s a good scone recipe for you. And here’s a picture of some ice creams.
I Make Dessert III.
20 March 2008 | Ten 01, creative presentation of the week, delicious, plated dessert, dessert | 4 Responses
So we’ve all had creme brulee, and we’ve all had peanut butter and jelly, but who out there among my faithful readers has had PB&J Creme Brulee? I love this fucking dessert. I think it deserves Creative Presentation of the Week. Why, you may ask? Well, it’s the culmination of alot of hard work, during which I subsisted on pb&j sandwiches, and also, I’ve known this peanut butter custard recipe was solid since The Velvet Elvis. This idea had been struggling to come out, and it took the influence of Chef Jack Yoss to see it’s realization. I made him the peanut butter brulee to try and he suggested putting marionberry jam into the ramekin first, ’cause he loved the custard…and he loves pb&j, too. We first tried it in our regular brulee molds, but after one day the jam would seep through the custard and create this gnarly looking scar when you tried to brulee it. We went to a deeper dish to avoid that problem, and also started reducing the jam first to remove any excess moisture. House made honey roasted peanuts are sprinkled on after carmelizing the custard. The shot of chocolate milk actually came about because of a guest suggestion: it was good, but needed chocolate. After some experimentaion, I went with good old Hersheys choclolate syrup to make it because let’s face it, that’s what chocolate milk is. A little heavy cream adds some creaminess, as if this dish needed it. This is my favorite item on the current menu…I don’t know why we don’t sell more of them…C’MON PEOPLE!!! The only thing missing is the bread, and you had some with your salad!! Anyway, here’s the recipes:
Peanut Butter & Jelly Brulee
1 1/3 cups whole milk
1 1/3 cups whipping cream
6 tablespoons plus 6 teaspoons sugar
5+ oz creamy peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned style or freshly ground)
8 large egg yolks
marionberry jam as needed (or any other jam that you prefer)
1. Combine milk, cream, sugar and scald
2. Temper in eggs
3. Temper in peanut butter and whisk until smooth
4. Taste the cream. I always end up adding a little more peanut butter, up to 1 cup
5. Strain the cream and chill overnight or at least three hours.
6. Place the jam in a saucepot and reduce it by one-third over low heat, stirring occasionally.
7. Cool the jam slighty and then spread it in an even layer into the bottom of desired (deep) ramekin. Pop them in the freezer to set the jam.
8. When the jam is super cold and won’t be distured by pouring in the custard, pour in the custard
9. Bake the custard in a 300 degree oven, in a water bath for 30 minutes or so, or until set at the edges, and a little loose at the center. Open the oven, turn it off, close the door, and finish them for another 45 minutes.
10. Chill the brulee’s for at least 3 hours before sprinkling some granulated sugar and a blowtorch to carmelize. Sprinkle with loose chopped honey roasted peanuts if desired.
Chocolate Milk
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
10 oz Hershey’s Syrup
1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend. Serve ice cold in a chilled glass.
Working Like A Borrowed Donkey.
22 February 2008 | Ten 01, creative presentation of the week, delicious | 1 Response
Damn I been busy. I have so much to tell you faithful readers, that I have no idea where to begin. I have been one busy pastry chef. I suppose I’ll start with decribing The Creative Presentation of the Week, pictured above. Chef Jack Yoss does it again with another incarnation of Bacon and Eggs. Here we have Quail Egg in The Basket, with Wigwam Virginia Ham and seared Foie. This was served as a special for a guest that often asks Chef to “make up something new.” I’ve been learning alot from Jack, most recently the invaluable assembly of the Foie Gras Torchon. They came out so beautiful and delicious, but I enjoyed it most served atop a piece of tuna. Business at the restaurant is picking up after the post-holiday lull, and It’s getting wild. This past Monday we did a Chartreuse Dinner, then Valentine’s Day, then a record Friday and Saturday nights. The Chartreuse dinner was fun, our bar manager Kelley and Chef created a menu with Chartreuse cocktail pairings. We had Arugula Salad, Glazed Pork Belly with Deviled Quail Egg, Duck Breast with Mushroom Coffee Jus, and Squab with Lobster Ragout. Every course was paired with a Chartreuse cocktail. My dessert, pictured below, was Chartreuse Truffle Cake with Mint Chocolate Sauce and Chartreuse Ice Cream. I pulled out the sugar for this one and made some leaves. It could have come out cleaner, but I was happy with the flavor. It’s been a while since I’ve used a modular mold, but they’ve got great potential. It’s cool seeing something come from concept to plate. Also made by me was a take on the Last Word cocktail, form of boozy syrup and lime sorbet.
Bread Pudding SG-1
29 January 2008 | Ten 01, creative presentation of the week, delicious, plated dessert | 2 Responses
Here’s my Brioche Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding, which when alligned correctly, will open a portal to another universe. Okay that’s a lie. You will definitely find it delicious. We’re calling the sauce a blood orange reduction, but it’s really a caramel sauce that uses blood orange puree instead of heavy cream. A quenelle of whipped orange mascarpone cream holds down the orange zest chocolate tuile. That cookie is a sonofabitch to make. I break one in three, so I started baking just two at a time. With a baking time of five minutes, I can get six cookies in about twenty minutes…which sucks. The plate looks bangin’ though, and the bread pudding scraps keep the staff happy. In other news, people are checking out Ten-01 because of this blog. I’ll be damned. I met with a table the other night who’ve read mrjeffmccarthy.com and even mentioned the Irish Car Bomb. They’re mom even blogged about them meeting me! I’ve also started selling some of my desserts at The Armory Cafe, and they are going over well. I’m going to start making them flatbread pizza’s, almond tarts, and maybe some form of high end hot pocket. Still eating well, Mom! Check out this Lamb Chop dinner cooked up for me by our grill cook Richard! Goat Cheese Gnocchi…Yum!!
Creative Presentation of the Week: Beef Tartare
18 January 2008 | beef, Ten 01, creative presentation of the week, delicious | No Responses
So we’ve all had Beef Tartare, or at least we all should have had it, but how many of us have eaten it from a crispy parmesan cone? Chef whipped this up as part of a five course dinner for his fiancee Meghan’s Birthday. The chorizo oil really makes this plate pop, but I wanted to eat that little cone so bad! I need to start taking pictures of the food that’s on the menu, it all looks as scrumptous as this. This week Chef was away in New York doing a James Beard Dinner , but us cooks held down the kitchen admirably while he was gone. Good training goes a long way, and so does confidence in your crew. I’m still eating very well, there often seems to be a random duck leg laying around, which I will happily take care of. Here’s one below prepared by saute cook Micheal, with carrots, mushrooms and sprouts.
Thanksgiving
26 November 2007 | creative presentation of the week, delicious, food | 1 Response
I cooked in total about two full days, okay maybe fifteen hours, and it was good. Jaybill and I did the turkey four ways: wing confit, bacon wrapped thighs, smoked legs, and deep fried breasts. For appetizers we had shrimp salad crostini, sekel pear with fig and blue cheese, and several delicious stinky cheeses from New Seasons, courtesy of Sasha, our friend who works there. As side dishes we had Gravy Bombs (above, the creative presentation of the week,) sweet potato crumble, roasted root vegetables, garlic mashies, and spinach salad with bacon vinegrette. Dessert was comprised of cranberry sorbet, apple pie, pumpkin pie and lemon meringue pies. and since it was Keri’s birthday the following day, I made her a cake. It was Kaluha Chocolate Flourless with toffee crust and White Chocolate Basil Ice Cream. I didn’t take too many pictures, but it was a great meal that we all enjoyed. I was souind asleep bt 10 pm.
Creative Presentation of the Week: Fried Waffles
17 November 2007 | creative presentation of the week | No Responses
So the waffle maker had been hit with degreaser, and the waffles were coming out all chemical tasting (and poisonous,) so we had all this extra waffle batter. What ever will we do, Chef? Well …he showed us. Deep Fried Waffles with Hollandaise sauce. This is how great food is invented. Little extra bit of this, little too much of that, little different method and presentation, and um, well thats delicious! Also today: burned caramel and then threw hazelnuts all over the room. I’ve been feeling a little distracted. Two jobs is rough. I need to focus. All this eating I mean cooking.
