HALLOWEEN MENU 2012 : TRICK OR TREAT? MYSTERY PUSH POP
roasted chicken ice cream - cauliflower gratin ice cream - apple pie ice cream
This was our fun little intermezzo. The push pop is inconspicuously layered with different flavored ice creams that have all been dyed pink so that each flavor remains indiscernible to the eye. We didn’t tell our guests what they were having. They had to guess.
HALLOWEEN MENU 2012 : INSIDE/OUT CHICKEN
chicken heart & guts infested with maggots
This dish didn’t come together until we actually plated it. I had so many ideas for it that I just didn’t know what the end result was. It turned out quite nice.
I used a needle syringe to inject the raw chicken heart with the chicken jus which I reduced, mounted with butter, and then dyed with beet juice. You can actually insert the needle right into the arterial tubes and it’ll pool up in a hollow area in the heart. Pretty awesome.
The breakdown:
chicken heart - grilled chicken heart injected with blood jus
guts - chicken stew
maggots - risotto
egg in nest - soft-boiled quail egg, potato frites, & sweet potato puree
that thing on the left - sous-vide & fried boneless chicken wing
HALLOWEEN MENU 2012 : BURIAL GROUNDS
human bone & rotting flesh with larvae
For this menu, I really wanted to be creepy and gross yet still elegant in presentation, all the while keeping within the spirit of Halloween.
Here’s a breakdown of what everything actually is:
human bone - bone marrow with filipino sea salt
tree branch - pizza dough
rotting flesh - beef heart tartar
larvae - black sesame bread
rocks - squid ink flat bread
dirt - dehydrated olives, mushrooms, and grapenuts
BIRD’S NEST
fried noodles - baby carrots - vegetable jus - beech mushrooms
Vegetarian option for the Vietnamese menu.
PANDAN WAFFLE
rice cream - rice cracker crumbs - mango puree
Vietnamese Menu Part 4
CLAYPOT SABLEFISH
candied pork cheeks - scallion foam - black pepper anchovy caramel
Vietnamese Menu Part 3
LOBSTER SPRING ROLL
house-made vanilla rice paper - compressed mangoes - yuzu tobiko
PORK BELLY BANH MI
pate choux bun - micro cilantro - serrano chili aioli
LEMONGRASS BEEF TACO
sesame rice cracker - peanuts - nuoc mam gel
VIETNAMESE SNACKS
lemongrass beef taco - pork belly banh mi - lobster spring roll
Vietnamese Menu Part 2
PHO GRAS
fresh rice noodles - ox-tail consomme - sriracha caviar - foie gras
Vietnamese Menu Part 1
EDIBLE SUMMER GARDEN
egg cromesquis - summer vegetables - vegetable vinaigrette
This dish takes so long to plate because of how many components goes on it. Most of the vegetables are blanched in heavily salted water in a very large pot. You want a large pot to prevent the vegetables you’re adding to the hot water from decreasing the temperature too much. The hotter the water, the quicker vegetables cook, and the greener they stay.
The cromesquis is made of eggs scrambled with gelatin and cream cheese in a thermal mix, heated just enough so that the gelatin can melt. They were then poured into a mold, frozen, breaded, and fried. It acts as sauce when broken into.
The vinaigrette is made from a vegetable stock that has been reduced significantly. It’s then whisked with arbequina olive oil, touch of black truffle oil, and a splash of champagne vinegar. It’s a very savory and not so acidic vinaigrette.
EDIBLE SUMMER GARDEN
edible soil - spinach moss - seasonal vegetables
FIG & JAMON SALAD
pt. reyes blue cheese foam - saba balsamic
From Sous Chef Cecile Macasero.
CALIFORNIA SEA BASS
heirloom tomatoes - watermelon - pine nuts
From Sous Chef Cecile Macasero.
GRILLED QUESO OAXACA & POBLANO SANDWICH
brentwood corn bisque - queso fresco - micro cilantro
From Sous Chef Cecile Macasero.
CARROT TAGIATELLE
kale - butter beans - ricotta salata
From Sous Chef Cecile Macasero.
GINGERED BEET SOUP
quiche of beet greens - creme fraiche - chives
From Sous Chef Cecile Macasero.
BURRATA ALLA PANNA
heirloom tomatoes - mache - radishes
From Sous Chef Cecile Macasero.
ORANGE PEEL BEEF
edamame - sweet tamari sauce