Portabella & Sweet Vermouth Soup with Toasted Hazelnuts
Ingredients:
2 pounds portabella mushrooms (stems removed) 1/2 stalk of celery 1 yellow onion 6 cloves of garlic all of the above chopped coarsley
1 cup red wine 1 quart of heavy cream 1 quart of half & half 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup sweet vermouth 1 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt (or salt to taste) toasted hazelnuts
Procedure:
Heat olive oil in pan until just about to smoke. Add celery, onions, and garlic. Cook until translucent (5-8 minutes). Add mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes. Add red wine and reduce for approximately 2 minutes. Add heavy cream and half & half and cook for approximately 20 minutes. Puree with an imersion blender (stick blender) or food processor and then pass through a china cap (fine mesh strainer or collander) pushing through with a ladle. Add sweet vermouth and season with salt. Serve in a bowl with toasted hazelnuts garnishing the soup
Scallop Sandwich with Brown Butter Vinagrette
Ingredients:
For the scallops 8 sea scallops kosher salt all purpose flour extra virgin olive oil
Procedure: Heat a pan containg olive oil until hot Season scallops with salt and dredge through flour Place scallops in pan. Brown one side and then flip and place pan into a 350 degree oven. Cook approximately 5 - 8 minutes.
For the brown butter vinagrette 1 1/2 cup of balsamic vineger 6 cloves of garlic minced 1 shallot minced 1/2 cup chopped basil 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf (Italian) parsley
Procedure: Combine above ingredients in a sauce pan and reduce by half. In a separate pan brown 1 pound of unsalted butter. Once browned strain through a fine mesh. Add strained browned butter to balsamic reduction. Salt to taste.
For the potato lattice 2 russett potatoes
Procedure: Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Cut the slices into finger width pieces. Weave four slices into a latticework. Repeat this until you have 8 lattices. Brush each lattice with extra virgin olive oil and bake them in a 375 degree oven until brown.
Plating: Place a lattice on a plate. Add a piece of spinach and a tomato slice. Place two scallops on the tomato. Drizzle with the brown butter vinagrette. Cover with another lattice. Garnish with fine diced tomatoes and scallions.
Horseradish Crusted Salmon with Wasabi Mash, Mirin Butter Sauce and Crispy Soy Fried Shallots
Ingredients:
For the fish Six 7 ounce boneless salmon fillets 6 tablespoons prepared horseradish 3 cups breadcrumbs
Procedure: Salt the salmon. Pan sear on belly side; turn over and rub with horseradish and sprinkle on breadcrumbs. Put pan in a 375 degree oven for 5 - 8 minutes.
For the Wasabi Mash 5 potatoes (peeled and cubed) 2 tablespoons wasabi powder 1/4 pound of unsalted butter 1 ounce of heavy cream 4 tablespoons of sugar
Procedure: Boil potatoes until soft and mash. In another pan, melt butter and add heavy cream, wasabi, and sugar. Incorporate into potatoes. Salt potatoes to taste.
For the Mirin Butter Sauce 4 ounces Mirin (Japanese sweet wine) 1/2 ounce soy sauce 5 tablespoons of sugar 2 ounces of heavy cream 1 pound of butter
Procedure: Reduce mirin, soy sauce, and sugar until syrup consistency. Add heavy cream and reduce until thick. Slowly add butter and stir with a whisk. Salt to taste.
For the crispy soy fried shallots 12 shallots (cleaned and sliced thin) all purpose flour soy sauce
Procedure: marinate shallots in soy sauce. Dredge through flour. Deep fry.
Plating Instructions: Place approximately 1/2 cup of wasabi mash in center of plate (place plate in 375 degree oven to heat potatoes and ensure a hot dish throughout dinner). Place salmon (crusted side up) over potatoes. Drizzle mirin butter sauce (letting it drip off a spoon) generously over plate and fish artistically. Sprinkle crispy shallots over entire plate. Garnish with chopped scallions.