The Kitchen. Saturday, October 1, 2016.
Gary came up with the idea of celebrating my birthday and Peggy’s birthday at The Kitchen.
First Course
Bittersweet October
Butter and Hops-Basted Sea Scallop
Tomato Jam, Centennial Hops, Roasted Sunchokes and Vadouvan Spices
Chef’s Notes: An ode to the most lustrous of months, October is a messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter. It’s our favorite time of year to cook. So in celebration of the harvest we present to you this fabulous fresh sea scallop, butter basted to succulent peak with cultured butter and fresh centennial hops. Paired with seasonal roasted sunchokes, tomato jam from late summer’s fields, and a sprinkling of Vadouvan, a French masala curry, this dish is the essence of early fall.
Second Course
A Younger Fall
(a 25th Anniversary “Greatest Hits” Dish) Tea Smoked Pekin Duck Breast
Wild and Tame Mushroom Tarte, Porcini Custard and “French” Onions
Chef’s Notes: As we get nostalgic for our past, we think of the words of W.S. Merwin: ”I have been younger in October than in all the months of spring.” So in thinking back to earlier times, we bring you our 25th Anniversary “Greatest Hits” dish for October. Tea-smoked Sonoma Pekin Duck Breast comes home to roost on our wild and tame autumnal mushrooms, nestled in flaky pastry and baked with a rich and unctuous porcini custard. Playing foil to the redolent earthiness of the mushrooms are richly caramelized onions, sherry, and thyme.
Intermission
Walk around. Visit and sample at chef stations.
Enjoy our garden patio. Relax by the fire.
Third Course
It’s a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Pumpkin and Squash Gnocchi
Toasted Sesame Beurre Blanc, Crisp Ginger Spiced Pumpkin Seeds and Pecorino
Chef’s Notes: Each year, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere, and we sincerely think you’re going to love our pumpkin and squash gnocchi. We turn slowly roasted Passmore Ranch heirloom pumpkins and squash into delicate little dumplings, lightly sautéed to crisp perfection. Served alongside our toasted sesame beurre blanc and topped with crispy ginger and spiced pumpkin seeds, it is indeed a “great” pumpkin dish that Charlie Brown would surely approve of.
Fourth Course
Autumnal Aromas
Seared Butter Poached Beef Tenderloin
Cauliflower Dauphinoise, White Truffle Sauce and Black Truffle Raviolo
Chef’s Notes: We can smell autumn dancing in the breeze, the forest floor and crisp sunburnt leaves, and these aromas lead us to the beginning of truffle season. As our year-long wait for the gifts of white and black truffles ends, we present our lovely butter poached beef tenderloin served atop a luscious cauliflower dauphinoise and capped with a truffle filled ravioli. We think it’s well worth the wait for these once-a-year treasures.
Dessert Course
Harvest Beauty
Roasted Hazelnut Mousse
Hazelnut Dacquoise, Burnt Orange Ice Cream and Caramelized Confit Pears
Chef’s Notes: It’s the year’s last and loveliest smile. As the trees explode with a flourish of color and the last harvest of the year, they give us the wonderful and adored hazelnut. With signs of cultivation around 7000 BC, we can see our modern infatuation is nothing new. For this dessert, freshly roasted hazelnuts are folded into silky meringue and topped with gianduja mousse. Saddled alongside another orchard favorite, caramelized pears, we think this is the best way to welcome the chill in the air. Bon appetit!
James Mason Jordan 