Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Olives and Grapes




Our heirloom cherry tomato patch has been producing tons of ripe fruit this week. Today I combined cherry tomatoes with black peony grapes and two types of olives (Alfonso and Cerignola) for a refreshing late-summer dish.


I used the cerignola olive brine and black garlic to make a rich puree that would contrast the acidity of the tomatoes. The dark purple Alfonso olive brine worked perfectly to enhance a lavender and goat cheese fondue. The dish is really all about contrasting textures and flavors that somehow come together to find a common harmony.

Red Snapper





Today we got in some very small red snappers. We removed all of the bones,
leaving the head and tail intact. We filled the fish with a prawn and
Spanish chorizo mousseline, then cooked in a 55c thermal bath with meyer
lemon olive oil and fresh bay laurel. For the plate, we charred local squid,
tomatoes and peppers from the garden on a plank of oak. A seaweed
persillade and chorizo sauce finished the plate.
.

Giant Surf Clams


Giant Surf clam with smoked pork cheek, kohlrabi purée, lovage and pickled celery.


Monday, September 22, 2014

Local Charcolais


We recently received some locally raised grass-fed Charolais beef!  Charolais is an iconic breed of cow from Burgundy, France.  My friend, Christophe Bony was kind enough to introduce me to this local rancher.  It is an honor to showcase such a high-quality, rare product on our menu.

The Charolais are much larger than the angus cross breeds we are used to seeing in the US.  The meat has a deep flavor and surprisingly strong marbling for a grass fed animal.

We have been serving the T-bone of Charolais as well as the Lone Mountain Ranch Wagyu Ribeye!




Thursday, September 18, 2014

Sea Figs


Quinn found some really nice ripe sea figs recently.  These are the fruit of the iceplants that grow all along the dunes of the central coast.  The ripe fruit has an interesting flavor that is both sweet and salty the an aroma that reminds me of guava.


Friday, September 12, 2014

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Honey Harvest


A few days ago Fiona and Elizabeth harvested the last honey of the year from our hives in the orchard.  They were joined by our guest beekeeper, Deva, from the Post Ranch Spa!