Friday, October 31, 2014

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Spaghetti Squash



Spaghetti Squash and Smoked Cheddar with crispy speck, Brussels sprouts and black trumpet mushrooms.


Monday, October 27, 2014

Friday, October 24, 2014

Abalone Pancake


Bite size abalone-thai herb pancake made with acorn flour and topped with smoked steelhead roe, finger lime and red shiso.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Venison Carpaccio

Over four thousand years ago the Esselen tribe of Big Sur left mysterious
handprints in remote caves throughout the Santa Lucia mountains. These
handprints are the inspiration for this primal venison dish on our new Taste
of Big Sur Menu. This is a very primal dish that is intended to be eaten
with your hands, using the stick-like piece of crispy yucca root to pick up
the smoky onion ash and creamy pistachio puree. We cook the yucca root
with agave syrup and sea salt until it is tender- then fry it to create a
delicate crust and rich interior that resembles a broken branch. Pickled
yucca blossoms add a pleasant acidity to balance the dish.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Rain Drops on Roses



This week's rainy garden inspired an idea for capturing a drop of water on
a rose petal. I reduced white balsamic with sugar until it reached the
hard crack stage. Once it slightly cooled, I sprinkled the syrup over
the roses so it would splash and fall in natural droplets over the flowers.
As soon as the hot syrup hit the cool petal it would immediately harden and
capture that moment in time. The mild acidity and sweetness from the
caramelized balsamic nicely complemented the floral aroma of the roses.




I took the remainder of the rose petals and dried them with sea salt so
the volatile oils would absorb into the salt crystals. We brined elk
tenderloins with brown rice syrup, Balinese pepper and other aromatics then
grilled it and finished it with a sprinkle of the rose salt. For the plate
we flash seared a leaf of black kale from the garden and topped it with
toasted barley, caramelized quince and charred onions. A rose petal with
the balsamic rain drop finished the plate.


Friday, October 17, 2014

Red Wine Bread



We are making bread with dried grape skins and seeds from the winemaking process.  Damien Georis of Madeleine Winery provided us with a few bags from last year's production to experiment with.  In addition to contributing color and aromatics, the grape pomace is extremely high in antioxidants and is thought to have polyphenols that could help manage diabetes... Not bad for a byproduct!

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Fresh Local Purple Sea Urchin



If you want to see a fresh urchin check out this video- if you want to taste one come check out our new taste of big sur menu next week!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Surf & Turf




Sierra Mar style "Surf and Turf". This dish was inspired by the stretch of
Big Sur coast where the cows graze along the coast line. We brine a filet
with sea water and palm sugar before grilling it. We serve the filet with
coastal watercress puree, pickled sea vegetables and a carrot-kombu gratin.