Salad of Ecopia Farms Products

 

Chinese Style Squab (Master Stock)

 

In every kitchen I have ever worked, it has been a given that the proper way to cook duck and squab is med-rare to medium. We are always told that if the breast is cooked any more the meat gets gamey and tough. This is why it is so challenging to cook whole ducks as the legs require a long slow cooking process.

 

Chinese BBQ joints completely ignore this axiom of western gastronomy...................................

 

The secret is the master stock.

 

White Asparagus, Caviar, Egg Salad

 

Asparagus and caviar are a classic combination.

 

Caviar is classically served with chopped egg, some sort of chopped onion product, whipped creme fraiche, and lemon zest.

 

 If you take these traditional accoutrements and mix them together...................Egg Salad. Then all you need is toast.



 

I plated this on a mirror so that Allen could play with his camera a little. The goal was to recreate the dramatic feel of some of the pictures in my food porn books. For me the onion petals before are absolutely beautiful.

Boone County Country Ham Broth, Seared Oyster, Snap Pea

 

I grew up in Boone County, MO about 20 miles away from Rocheport were Steve Baumgartner makes these amazing hams. It brings me great pleasure to be using them at the restaurant.

Recently, I have begun buying his older vintage hams. Because they are much more dried out and intense, they yield less meat that is sliceable, but a simple broth made from all the trim, bones and a little yellow onion is stunning.

 

 

For Spring, I paired the broth with BBQ sized oysters from Washington that have been quickly seared directly on the flat top, a slice of the ham, and a couple snap pea pods. 

 

English Pea and Fresh Curd Tart

 

One of Guy Savoy's classic dishes is "Peas all Around". When I was the CDP of garde manger I would have to shuck 2 to 3 cases of peas on a daily basis in order to make it. This is my version of the dish. I use a soft curd we make from St. Benoit Dairy milk instead of a poached egg. The pate brisee shell gives a great textural note as well as visually clean lines.