Archives Under "Ten 01" (RSS)
Now That’s a Cake.
10 August 2008 | Ten 01, cake, dessert | 2 Responses
I’ve been mentally putting this cake together for two months. When I finally attached the last rose, and stepped back, taking it all in…I was quite pleased with myself. After 12 or so hours total prep time over 4 days, the thing looked pretty damn sharp. I could hardly remember all the baking and prepping of the fillings and the 6 a.m. rolling of the fondant. It all seemed like a dream now. At service time, I pulled off the lace so the newlyweds could get the first slice. It felt like foreplay as the thin black fabric fell away. Watching the bride and groom grin and cut into it and stuff each-others faces, I knew I had a silly smile, too. I waited in the the crowd with a sharp blade. Foreplay was almost over. And you know what that means. This was the first cake that I’ve made that I also got to cut and serve, and while intimidating at first was easy and fun to do so. There was a certain bent appeal to spending so much time to get this perfect, then just wheeling over and hacking it apart. In spite of the fondant, I knew also this cake tasted great. Two of the layers were Grand Marnier soaked chocolate sponge with chocolate mousse. One was lemon pound cake with lemon pastry cream, and finally a vanilla sponge with vanilla pastry cream. With sticky hands I plopped piece after piece onto to an endless line of plates being rotated in front of me. As I cut it, the servers ran pre-sliced chocolate truffle cakes from the back. 200 people were caked in about fifteen minutes. The rest of the food we put out for the party was really nice as well. From sushi to prime rib, they ate it all. It was a good day. Days like this remind me why I love this business, why I have no problem with the long-hours and sometimes less than ideal conditions. We came, we cooked, and it was good. That’s F&B, baby.
The Latest Dessert Menu.
30 July 2008 | Ten 01, delicious, dessert, plated dessert | 3 Responses
So I took the chocolate flour-less cake recipe that I used for Chocolate Whiskey Cake, and I piped and swirled some NY Cheesecake batter into it and I’m calling it Marble Cheesecake. I discovered this process by mistake at Carlyle, where I had the two batters ready at the same time. Funny how stuff comes together sometimes. I learned one recipe from Tony, and one from Mark, it’s as if I delivered their bastard child. The creaminess of the cheesecake flirts with the fudge-like chocolate, blackberry coulis and delicate horseshoe chocolate garnish sells it. Pretty cool looking I thought, and hell of decadent. I used this cake for a recent off-site event, and it was well received. Some people even want it for their birthday. Right now Bramble-type berries are so good in Oregon, and these blackberries are no exception. Viridian farms delivers, and the berries don’t disappoint. Take for example their blueberries, which are an integral part of the Lemon Blueberry Tart, below. This is an extremely simple dessert, pate sucre, lemon curd, the blueberries and coulis, a bit of chantilly. It’s selling well. I didn’t know how it was going to work until I had it on the plate. Simple and delicious. I’m also using their raspberries for the new Bread Pudding set, with raspberry caramel ice cream, a different but delicious frozen treat. Also new this menu is Funnel Cakes. I wanted to try these again to see if I could actually produce them, instead of just piping a few like I originally did. I can. I can also serve it with roasted banana anglaise and call it a day.
Eating Again.
27 July 2008 | Ten 01, eating, food | 2 Responses
I eat good at work. At about nine-thirty, or ten o’clock, I’m about to get fed. One night Perez made me this slider, it had foie torchon and a fried quail egg. I practically inhaled it. Arturo loves to cook for everybody. One morning when we were all hungover he cooked up some rib tacos with black bean sauce. Perfect hangover food. One night, at the end of service, he brought me this tasty pork loin dish, it had this great spicy salad on it. Niell also cooks for me sometimes, like stuffed chicken breast and bacon shallot mashies. I asked him what he could throw together for me real quick and he shows up with a perfectly seared, feta stuffed goodness with smooshy taters. It made my night. He made me a big fat steak one night, too. Still another night, Tony 2 Fingers had a duck tit mac-e-chee for me, with stinky blue cheese. He’s always got some project going for me to taste, like a bacon wrapped terrine. One night I ate this delicious duck confit, Perez made that one, too. But you know, I get hungry. Doing what I do, you can catch an appetite. The kind of appetite that requires a healthy portion of mayonnaise, butter, duck fat or cheese. I wonder what my cholesterol looks like these days. I imagine a delicious looking sludge pumping through my veins, a river of fetid creaminess that would make a good sauce were I to mount some butter. Ah, gluttony…GIMME A RIB!!
Oustanding in the Field
21 July 2008 | Ten 01, delicious, food, jack yoss | 4 Responses
We cooked at the Outstanding in the Field event at Domaine Serene Winery. The bus rolled up and set up the table in the middle of the vineyard, then we showed up and cooked on the hillside. Adam and Chef shucked over 200 oysters while the rest of us cut up melons. Soon after I cut my finger opening a bottle of truffle oil for the confit garlic and mushrooms. The sun baked us as the guests toured the vineyard and the servers scurried to ready the wines. The scene was set for an epic five course, including great food, wine pairings, and good company. As always we came prepared. We served up herbed melon salad with goat cheese and prosciutto. We heated the duck confit and cherry farro in a nearby oven, everything else was precariously perched on screaming hot grills. Chef seared of the duck tits and I grilled the pork loins. Our farmer from Sweet Briar Farms double fisted the meat as it was sliced up, gleefully telling all it was one of her pigs they were about to eat. It was as sweetly serene service, I drank chilled red wine and nibbled on everything. After the pork and lyonnaise potatoes we chatted and drank. People came up and clapped us on the backs and cheersed us as we watched the sun settle low on the trees. One guest was quoted “…fucking fantastic,” she would travel the country for three more Outstanding meals. A sepia coated everything as Chef told me to start the dessert. Everybody quickly plopped the cheesecakes on the plate while I mixed the berries and balsamic reduction. People ate, the elation was audible. 
Cooking and Eating and Such.
26 June 2008 | Ten 01, delicious, ramblin' | 2 Responses
I made a bunch of pastries for an off-site event a few weeks back. Eight hundred some-odd tarts, cakes and candies. I felt like I was back in the hotel for a minute. Boo-YA!! Summer is in full swing and I think it’s aiming for my head. Busy nights, multiple parties, off-site events, wedding cakes…all that jazz. The restaurant launched a new website this week. We had a professional photographer come in and shoot some pics of the food. He had this crazy light/pup-tent set up in the private dining room. His Mac instantly showed the photos so he could adjust and tweak the food and equipment. The detail his images captured was amazing. I wanted to lick his monitor….Jeezusss. Anyhoo…still eating pretty good. Check out this dinner Arturo made me the other night. I’ve got it pretty good.
Rival Flavors to Waltz, No Intermission
19 June 2008 | Ten 01, creative presentation of the week, eating, food, jack yoss | 2 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.
Thanks Arturo.
28 May 2008 | Ten 01, chef, delicious, jack yoss, people, pig, squab | 2 Responses
Here’s a pork loin sandwich created by Ten-01 sous chef Arturo Lopez. Brined and slow roasted pork loin with provolone, pickled shallots, and pea tendril salad. Arturo puts such love and concentration into everything he cooks, I love when he cooks me food. For example, on this sandwich, he puts the shallots in between the slices of cheese so they don’t slide around. He thinks about shit like that. He’s got the love, simply put. He always sends extra food my way or over to the dishers. Like Thai-Style Pork Ribs. Lately I’ve been enjoying the new Lamb set, with the ever-delicious goat cheese gnocchi (which Arturo always makes) and artichokes. I watched him cook me one up the other night. He knew it was for me but he still bent over it in concentration, standing up the pieces just right. Arturo is the kind of chef who watches all day. He even observes when I don’t eat, and then brings me some food. “I saw you ate some fries but…” He knows the mise on my station, so he’s always asking me if I need this or that, and if I know about today’s party. He’ fucking on it. Chingon. I’ve learned so much working with this him that I feel like I’ve known him for years. He humbly knows all I know, and if he doesn’t know he can still do it better than me. He’s always got a better way, from the simple to the complex. Chef and he have been working together for a long time, and I can see why. It’s like father and son almost. Also coming off Arturo’s station is Chef’s new Squab Dish (below.) The legs are meticulously de-boned and stuffed with foie-gras torchon. Then they get bacon wrapped. I haven’t eaten this one yet, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Here’s a New Dessert.
18 May 2008 | Ten 01, dessert, plated dessert | 1 Response
Actually, it’s an one that Tony taught me, I give it a little spin with caramelized banana’s and creme anglaise. It’s a brownie base, peanut butter crunchy layer, and milk chocolate mousse. Peanut florentine cookie garnishes. I’m also doing Bailey’s Creme Brulee with double chocolate cookies. Fucking Fantastic! A weird and interesting dessert was Melon in Lime Syrup with Crispy Phyllo and Black Pepper Ice Cream (below.) It was an adaptation of one of David Lebowitz’s ideas from his book the Perfect Scoop. Damn Tasty. As we roll into summer I’m trying to get more frozen treats on the menu, y’know ice creams and such. I made a Mint Chip the other day that was probably the best ice cream I have ever made. Fresh and minty, I ate it right from the machine. Soon I will unleash it on the public. I also saw some good berries at the farmer’s market this saturday. Hopefully I can get some soon to make short cakes. Hey, check out this web comic I found today: Obscene Cuisine by John McDowell. It’s all about restaurants and written by an actual disgruntled chef. Funny shit.
While I was gone.
28 April 2008 | Ten 01, jack yoss, news, review | 3 Responses
While I was climbing Monte Baldo, Food Dude released a review of Ten-01 on his website, Portland Food and Drink. Somehow, this guy has become the definitive voice on the Portland food scene, and his highly anticipated reviews seem to knock newspapers and food publications neatly in behind him. If a restaurant gets a good review from him, more than likely this sentiment will be seen across the board. He gave Ten-o1 3 1/2 stars (out of 4,) and he had this to say about my desserts:
Pastry chef Jeff McCarthy is a recent addition to the staff, and he’s infused the desserts with a whole new decadent passion. It’s one of those menus where many items are as good as they sound - “chocolate whiskey cake brown butter caramel, toffee-caramel ice cream”, or my favorite, the “chocolate chip banana bread pudding with a rum/caramel.” The latter is the best bread pudding I’ve ever had. The caramel has a nice rum flavor without being overpowering, and the balance of chocolate to bread is nearly perfect. Other desserts which rotate on and off the menu are also excellent. A recent standout was the peanut butter crème brûlée, with its crispy crust, nice custard, and a layer of really good jam underneath. It was like a decadent peanut butter sandwich (all $8).
Wow. Thanks, Food Dude. Glad you liked it. You can read the entire review here. And boy, those pictures look great! Some of my other favorite quotes were about Chef and his food, such as”… the goat cheese flavor went beautifully with the lamb. The combination laid waste to any other lamb I’ve had in Portland” and: “Jack Yoss has completely revamped the kitchen, making it one of the most sophisticated in Portland.” It’s true. We’re fucking sophisticated. Come down and eat.
I Make Dessert VI.
27 March 2008 | Ten 01, faithful readers, food, recipe | No Responses
When I’m not making the dinner desserts, or random birthday cakes, or setting up banquet items, more than likely you’ll see me slaving away with my favorite robot making mignardises. The little tray of sweets we put down for free with every check is arguably one of the best feebies in the city. The abundant array of truffles, chocolate candies, caramels, and pate fruit is so great it became the third course on our popular Power Lunch. I’m so busy with these that Chef and Arturo can both be found helping me out polishing or filling molds. Most of the recipes I use for these come from my new favorite cookbook Chocolates and Confections by Peter Grewling. This book is loaded with recipes and valuble techniques. Buy it. Read it. Know it. Another thing I can be seen doing lately is making crackers. That’s right faithful readers, crackers. One of the easiest recipes I posses is also one of the tastiest. Lavash crackers simply contain flour, garlic powder, water and olive oil. They are rolled really thin and brushed with a little more water, to hold on the salt, seeds, cheese or other desired flavoring. At the Vail Cascade, I made six full sheet pans of these everyday. They are crunchy and delicious, and really easy to make. Since I started making them at Ten-01, I have gotten a great response, with many customers asking for more. Seriously, you should try making them, here’s the recipe:
Lavash Crackers
1 1/4 lb. all purpose flour
3/4 oz. garlic powder
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
1. Place all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and work with the dough hook on low speed
2. Beat up the dough for about 8 minutes, until it looks smooth
3. Chill for 30 minutes before rolling out on a well floured surface
4. Roll the dough paper thin and transfer to a well greased cookie sheet
5. Slice the cracker lengthwise to create several smaller crackers
6. Brush with water and sprinkle with salt and desired other topping
7. Bake in a 325 degree oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve with cheese or butter
