Rolls (click for close-up)

I added a couple rolls to the menu to see how they'd play. This is the shrimp tempura roll.

Top Chef

I'd like to stress I don't watch the show or any other Chef competition type show. I did watch the last episode replayed later last night. (There was nothing else on)

Earlier in the evening I noticed a ton of traffic on this site from people googleing "Ballentine". Now I've always been amazed how many from the UK google "ballentine" but last night it was from the U.S. I figured people must be researching for Thanksgiving or something. Then I saw the Top Chef episode with the Ballentine. It had been broadcast earlier. Ahhhh, interesting how that works. Saltyskitchen is always high on the list when you google ballentine or gallentine. I did a post on them a ways back. I also have a youtube video cutting a bird in preparation for the dish.

BTW, I'm not a Fan of that Bocuse Door, D'ore, d'or or however the hell you spell it. I appreciate the talent and discipline it takes to do it but to me, that's not real food.

Also the dishes they prepared for that contest weren't much different than what they normally would prepare. They just just gussied up the preparation. And half of them still screwed it up. I'm sorry, four hours? You can't cook lamb properly in four hours?

I've said it again and again. You have to execute! The recipes and menus are like tactics in a war. They're all sexy and wonderful but it's logistics that wins wars. Logistics = execution.

Robert Hall Winery Dinner

Click for close-ups.

Victor making the cherry "dumplings"


Robert (left) and Victor


Brad cutting the chestnuts before roasting.



Sean did a nice job on the lamb. (Sean is the Chef at Shilling's in Downtown Racine, he was kind enough to take me up on my offer to play with some food.)


Amuse, sweet grape stuffed with Carr Valley Billy Bleu with "Blis" Double Solera Elixer.

Day Boat Black Cod, poached in citrus olive oil, white alba truffle, parsley coulis. The coulis came out nice. Opaque like ink.
Sauvignon Blanc

I didn't get a photo of the beet salad.


Day boat scallop, maple accented sweet potato puree, demi-braised slab bacon, tart beurre blanc.
Chardonnay

Breast of pheasant, cranberry-pheasant jus, beans ala "portobella".
Rhone de Robles

Garlic, mustard, thyme and panko crusted rack of lamb. Thyme infused demi-glace, roasted chestnuts, truffled mashed potatoes.
Cabernet Sauvignon

The lamb came out almost perfect. Not the easiest thing to do timing wise. Beautiful Pinn-Oak Ridge Farms racks. You order on Monday, they slaughter on Tuesday, package on Wednesday, deliver on Thursday. That's pretty fresh. They're about 40 miles away.

Very happy the way these turned out. Never had done them before.
Orange Muscat

The King

The King of all things culinary, the white Alba truffle. Just got these in for the wine dinner. You're looking at $300.00. The going price is roughly $3000.00 per lb. (Yes that is the correct amount of zeros).

I wanted to put the photo in a post so it's zoom-able. For those into food porn.

There is nothing quite like that burst of truffle when you open up that Fed-Ex box.

Hattori 210 Revisited

Hattori Kd 210 Gyuto #2

The tomato isn't the prettiest (that's why I used it) relatively soft and a challenge for a knife. This particular knife is from a very prestigious series of knives. It's relatively small and not my first choice for this task but does the job. It is obviously very sharp.