New Dish

Sole w/ turnip, cabbage, orange, and pinenuts

White Asparagus

Spring is here and we have put a Belgian white aspargus salad on the menu to celebrate.

"Flavors of Gumbo" a non-Southerner's interpertation

A quick saute of rock shrimp, bay scallops, Boone County country ham, the vegetable trinity (onion, pepper, and celery). All over dirty rice made with red rice, braised bacon, and duck livers.

The dish is finished with a rich broth made from roasted shrimp shells, fish and ham bones, and vegetables. A large variety of spices are toasted then file powder is stirred in. Next it is deglazed with brandy and red bell pepper juice and wet with a vegetable stock. It is simmered for several hours then steeped with herbs and lemon zest. To finish we pass it through a chinoise and thicken it lightly.



Local Sablefish inspired by Michel Bras

   Its been 11 years since The Essential Cuisine of Michel Bras was first published. I still remember the amazement I felt the first time I had the opportunity to explore its pages, and it is still one of the books I look at the most often. At the time I was just starting to learn that there was so much more to food then what I was exposed to in Mid-Missouri.

 Paging through the book my eyes were open to a whole new world. A place where a plate went beyond being a large pile of edible matter that had to consist of a starch, a vegetable, a protein, and a thick, heavy sauce.

This dish reflects my respect for his aesthetic. A glistening piece of white fish that contrasts with the dark,briny niciose olive oil it was cooked in. Lots of negative space broken by flowing lines of sauces and a variety of lightly cooked onions. Then garnished with tiny radishes and local sea vegetables.

Chokes

I love this simple little vegetable salad because it tastes good and is menu option suitable for vegans. The baby artichoke hearts are lightly poached then roasted in the woodfire oven. The sunchoke is peeled with a pairing knife and poached in salted water. The puree is a sunflower seed butter. The crumble is made from toasted bread, mustard seed , fennel seed, and fresh oregano. A raisen plumped in verjus adds a spike of acidity, and it is finished with a few sunflower sprouts.

Komochi Konbu

     Every year there is a herring run in the San Fransisco Bay. One local guy will attach konbu to some wooden pallets and float them out in the water. The fish then lay their millions of eggs on the seaweed and it is harvested. The majority of the production is shipped immediately to Japan where it is considered a delicacy, but this year a little was diverted and I got my hands on some.

Alan took some beautiful close up shots of one of the leaves with 2 different levels of lighting. I like the darker more dramatic look.