Graduation Dinner

This past weekend, I had one of the best dining experiences of my life. As I was sitting at our table in the center of a room that made you forget you were in the middle of Manhattan, I mentioned this to my dad and brother. We were at Restaurant Daniel, and with its four star reviews from the New York Times and three Michelin stars, I felt like somewhat of a groupie saying this, like I was hopping on the bandwagon. After thinking this through, however, the reasons behind my feelings became apparent. Not only was the food flawlessly prepared, but the overall experience was something I had never experienced before. And I’ve been to some great restaurants.

At Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, NY, I had a similar feeling. The food was all so fresh, and precisely prepared.  The fact that so much of it came right off the farm elevated the experience. I wasn’t sure if dinner at Daniel could match the feeling. It did. It was a different experience. They had taken the same care with their food. One place where Daniel separated itself was their sauces. None of the sauces were too heavy, yet each and every one had layers of flavor, extraordinarily developed, complimenting the flavors of the rest of the dish. In addition to this, the service  wowed me. A few months ago, I ate at Picholine in New York City. The room was not as inviting, and the atmosphere seemed slightly stuffy. The servers seemed to be doing everything they should, but it was overbearing. They were not nearly as inviting as the staff at Daniel, and they were awkward in their actions. Placing every diners food down at the same moment was something they did, but it just didn’t fit. At Daniel, I expected to feel similarly about these kinds of orchestrated actions. To my surprise, this was never the case. Servers came to the table unnoticed to deliver each and every course. More important than this, however, were the welcoming feelings they exuded. Each and every member of the staff made you feel happy to be there, answering each and every one of our questions as if it was their priviledge to do so. One commented that we were almost to the end after she delivered our fifth plate of food. My dad quickly responded, “We don’t want to get to the end.” It would be ridiculous to say we felt at home here. I have to say, my home feels nothing like this, but we feel comfortable.  We are having a wonderful time.

To go through everything we tasted might be a little excessive, so I will just mention some highlights from the meal. To start, an amuse bouche was sent out from the kitchen. It was a trio of beet preparations, the favorite of the table being a spoonful of a highly refined borscht. The soup was thick, a deep red color, and allowed the flavor of the beet to shine through with proper seasoning and touch of pleasant acidity.

To start, I had a meyer lemon royale with sea urchin. The dish came out with a meyer lemon royale, a sea urchin royale, an oyster, caviar, a sea urchin emulsion, and one piece of fresh sea urchin. I am an avid sea urchin fan, so I was happy to see it in three different applications. This dish tasted like the ocean, briny and sweet, and the lemon royale was perfectly creamy, the lemon brightening the dish and rounding out the flavor.

Next I had a hazlenut crusted sea scallop served with morel fricasee and swiss chard. The scallop was perfectly cooked, and the earthiness of the morel played well along the sweetness of the scallop. The freshness of the scallop was extraordinary, and the deeply developed flavor of the fricasee and peppercorn sauce brought the dish to another level. The only part of the dish I found unwelcome was a textural issue. There was a pleasant crunch that the hazlenut crust provided, but there was an occasional grittiness that I came across that was slightly unpleasant. In spite of this, the dish still managed to be one of my favorites.

In the next course, I had a black seabass with syrah sauce. It was also served with a leek potato parmentier and roasted and tempura celery. My dad and brother both had yellowfin tuna with hearts of palm and fennel confit.  Each fish was perectly cooked. The tuna was properly rare, and the sea bass was very moist. Again, what I found shining in each dish were the sauces. The syrah sauce with the sea bass was flavorful, glossy and rich. The tuna was dressed with a chicken based sauce. It was perfectly executed, and I was surprised at how well it complimented a fish dish. The flavors came together in such a pleasing way.

For my final savory course, I had a duo of beef, braised short rib and seared tenderloin. The short ribs were falling apart and tender, and the saucing of the dish was again the star. Velvety and rich, the sauce still allowed the excellent flavor of the beef to shine through. The server brought out the dish, mentioning the seared tenderloin, and I had forgotten that the menu stated it would be wagyu beef. But whenI started to cut into it and taste, I knew immediately. This was not a typical unmarbled piece of tenderloin, prized for its tenderness but lacking in flavor. It was a well-marbled piece of meat, rich and flavorful. This is certainly somewhere I don’t mind ordering tenderloin of beef. The flavor is not lost.

After all of these wonderful courses, the desserts did not disappoint. The chocolate was rich and smooth, and each sorbet was smooth and perfectly textured, not the least bit grainy. And the wine pairings throughout the meal elevated the entire experience. Each of the six courses came with a different wine, and the effort put into finding the right wines for each course was clear. Beginning with a refined and fruity white, we moved into some more minerally whites, onto a lighter, fruitier red with the sea bass, and a rich, robust red came with the beef. It was clear that the people behind the menu believe that great food and great wine go hand in hand.

This is a meal I will never forget. It is something I wish I could enjoy more. It is one of the priciest meals one can enjoy in an already pricey city, but it was worth every penny. The food and service are refined and polished. With all of the stars and accolades that the restaurant has received, including its recent James Beard Award for Best Restaurant, there is a pressure to keep standards high. On this night, the kitchen and staff showed me why they deserve everything they have been given. If I had an award to give out, Restaurant Daniel would be the front runner that all other fine dining restaurants should strive to emulate.

Thanksgiving Dinner

I was cooking for five. On Thanksgiving, there are many dishes to be cooked, and I knew there was no way we were going to get through all of the food. Instead of worry about this, I just planned on eating leftover side dishes for a week. In my last post, I laid out a plan, and stuck to the plan in many cases. When the shopping was over, after three or four trips to the coop, there was a lot to deal with.

This was at least close to everything...

We were going to start with a fennel and white bean soup. I started with diced onions, garlic, carrots, and celery sauteeing in some olive oil. I added a couple cups of fennel and let that sweat out with the other veggies. I added some thyme, two cans of drained white beans, and a few cups of homemade chicken stock.

At this point, I let it cook for 20 minutes or so so the flavors could come together, then used an immersion blender to puree the soup. The stock I used was unsalted, so I seasoned the puree with salt and pepper, and added a little more stock and a splash of white wine vinegar to thin the soup out and brighten up the flavor a bit. During all of this, I cubed up some butternut squash and roasted it with olive oil, salt, and pepper in the oven for 45 minutes until tender, adding some balsamic vinegar and during the roasting. In the end, I served the soup with the pieces of butternut squash in the middle. Here we are at the dinner table, soups ready to be eaten.

Soup Course

This was only the beginning. Along with the soup, we started with a Snowden Sauvignon Blanc from northern California. It was subtle, not too sweet, and the acidity of the wine was a great way to open the meal. The soup was excellent. It was creamy with a nice fennel flavor, and the sweetness of the roasted butternut squash brought and excellent sweetness that I had hoped for.

After this course, I loaded up my plate.

Turkey and Sides, Minus the Stuffing

I’ll start with the turkey and move clockwise. The turkey went into a brine on Wednesday and was refridgerated in the brine for 24 hours. The brine was a mixture of water, salt, honey, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, the juice of two oranges, and the skin of one of the oranges. I had originally planned on a roulade with stuffing. After taking the turkey out of the brine and beginning the stuffing, I decided to change the plan. I turned on the grill and let it get hot, then created a rub of olive oil, rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic, and allspice. When the grill was hot, the turkey hit the grill.

Turkey on the Grill

It would remain there until the internal temperature reached 137 degrees in the thickest part of the breast. Yes, this may seem a little low, but I assure you that by the time the turkey was sliced twenty minutes later, it was cooked through, moist, and delicious. The brine added a lot of flavorandacidity, and the rub brought the flavors of the herbs to the nice charred outside and crispy skin.

I had my turkey with cranberry sauce. Cranberry sauce is so simple to make. I don’t really understand the canned stuff. I started with some frash local cranberries in a pot with some ginger ale. The cranberries stewed and began to pop. I added some honey, orange zest and juice, a touch of salt, a cinnamon stick, and a few cloves. I let it thicken up a little, and it was done.

Cooking Cranberry Sauce

I did not add too much sugar, so it was a bit sweet but kept the tartness of the cranberries. Their was also a nice clove flavor which I enjoy.

The orange pile on the plate there are the mashed sweet potatoes. I started by simply roasting them. This would soften them up and bring out some of their natural sweetness.

Pumpkin/Sweet Potatoes in the Oven

The pumpkins are for the dessert. After the sweet potatoes were roasted, I scooped out the flesh and mashed them up with some buttermilk, salt, pepper, grated ginger, orange juice and zest, and some vanila extract. The buttermilk made the mixture creamy, and the other ingredients brought their own flavors and provided something very unique. It was a nice twist on a classic mash.

The braised cabbage was the same “recipe” that I had cooked the previous week. I sauteed onions, garlic, leaks, and carrots in some olive oil, then added a large amount of cabbage. I also added about 3/4 of a pint of hard cider, a cinnamon stick, a few cloves, some chile piquin forsome heat, a bay leaf, and then covered it until the cabbage had wilted and cooked for about 40 minutes. At this point, I removed the top and allowed the liquid to reduce until it had almost disappeared.

Braised Cabbage

The cabbage was great. I have eaten each night since Thanksgiving, and I enjoy the sweetness, the flavor of the cabbage, the spicy kick from the chiles, and the fall flavors of apple, cinnamon, and cloves.

The beets I did very simply. I boiled them in their skins until tender. I removed the skins and diced them into fairly large chunks. Before dinner, I put some olive oil in a pan and sauteed onions, garlic, and thyme, then added the bits at a fairly high heat to caramelize the ouside. A minute or two before they were finished, I added a splash of white wine vinegar and a tablespoon or two of honey. I love the earthy flavor of beets, and the sweet and sour preparation definitely brightened the flavor.

Sauteeing the Beets

The cauliflower puree was also pretty simple. I steamed the cauliflower to cook it through. I then put it into the food processor with some Vermont Butter and Cheese Fromage Blanc, a head of roasted garlic, chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper. There was a strong rosemary flavor that went along with the very creamy cauliflower. It was a hit at dinner, and I was excitedly surprised to hear that my brother liked the dish a lot.

Cauliflower Puree in the Food Processor

Not on the final picture of my plate was the stuffing. It got its own plate as there was no room at all for it.

Okay, so That Isn't my Plate

To start the stuffing, I made some sausage. I did a buffalo sausage, starting with some ground buffalo I got at work. I added chopped garlic, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and some fennel seed. I let this sit in the fridge overnight and the day of, I browned it in some olive oil to start the stuffing. When it was browned, i removed it from the pan and added onions, crimini mushrooms, garlic, carrots, celery, and leeks. I let these sweat and I added rosemary, sage, and thyme. I let this cool while I toasted up cubes a a cranberry orange loaf I got from the Great Harvest Bread Company that I thought would make a great stuffing. At this point, I combined the sautee with the bread, added two eggs, and some chicken stock. I baked it until the top was a bit crispy and it had cooked through. The flavor of the stuffing was very good. There was a lot of flavor, and i know my brother thought it was a little too far from tradition. I also was in the mood for a fairly breadlike stuffing, so it was a little less moist than my mom might have liked. My dad thought it was great, and I really enjoyed the flavor of the stuffing with the sausage and mushrooms. When eating the leftovers the next two nights, I agreed with my mom and would have preferred a more moist stuffing.

After the sauvignon blanc was finished, we opened up an Arcadian Sleepy Hollow Pinot Noir. This was an excellent fall wine with a fair amount of spice and a long finish. Although I believed it to be a great fall wine, I didn’t find that it was the perfect pairing for our meal. Perhaps we could have used something different to counteract the spices in the meal…

For dessert I made a pumpkin souffle. I started by roasting a couple of local fresh pumpkins.

Pumpkin After Roasting

I then scooped out the flesh into the food processor and blended it with cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, fromage blanc, a touch of milk, sugar, and some molasses. I whipped up five egg whites and gently folded these into the mixture. At this point, I put portions of the fluffy mixture into individual ramekins and baked them at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. This was the first time I had every made a souffle, and I was happy to see them rise and come out light and airy. I added a a cream on top that I made from melted marshmellow, heavy creamy, and vanilla ice cream. I then sprinkled some crumbled graham crackers over the top. The souffle had a strong pumpkin flavor complimented by the spices, and it was brought into a full dessert category with the sweetness of the cream. Along with this, we had a light and sweet sparkling wine from Italy. It was fruity and not very complex, but served as an excellent palate cleanser.

Overall, it was a great meal. I had some fun cooking some new things. I was not too stressed out as my mom and I did a great job with prepping everything. I ate until I was stuffed, and most importantly, it was great to spend time with my family. There weren’t many of us which made for an intimate meal that I will remember for a long time.

Murphy’s in Hanover, NH

I think that Murphy’s, since it has redone its image and more importantly its menu, is one of the better dinners you can get in the Hanover area. The new chef has added a lot, and reading the menu, things appear appetizing. I went recently and had the mussels for an appetizer. The broth was nicely flavored with the mussell juice, onion, celery, carrot, thyme and white wine. I then ordered the salmon because it looked very good (and the person I was there with said it was), but soon realized that I was in the mood for a burger. I told the waiter, who was very nice and helpful, and he changed my order. I asked for the buffalo burger. The burger was very good. A good bun and a very juicy burger (not always accomplished with buffalo) served medium rare. I did not get dessert that night but heard the desserts were pretty good. I plan on going back, and it may be the place I now go to when I go out for dinner or drinks in Hanover.

07/11/2009

Healthy Living Market in South Burlington, VT

Considering the fact that this is a grocery store, I believe it is as good as it gets. Or at least as good as I have seen it. Maybe an open air market somewhere with many vendors could one up it.

eI go here a lot. Yes, the aisles can be a little confusing. But that usually means I end up somewhere unexpected, and even after shopping here since it opened, I still find new things. The produce (very fresh), cheese, meat, cafe, and bulk sections are all great. The butcher there is a trained chef, and he provides many things that you cannot get at a place like City Market. For example, I was there today (as I am pretty much every day), and I walked out with fresh, wild caught sardines, a live blue crab that ended up in a sandwich I made for lunch, and a complimentary serving of some excellent head cheese made with spring garlic. I had it at dinner, along with a little in the afternoon, and it was great.

There are more cheeses here than I have time to look through, a great wine section, and in the prepared food section, I can always find something I want to eat. The only problem I have with the store is that I can’t spend as much $ as I would like there. There is always something I have to leave without because I am a struggling student. Poor me…?

07/07/2009