We have had absolutely beautiful weather in the Bay Area for the entire month of March.  Everyday has been sunny with temperatures ranging from 70–75 degrees.  Of course, now that Spring has arrived we have showers and cooler temperatures.  But the crops need the rain, as well as our reservoir and so a couple a days of showers will do the region a lot of good.  

So I thought that it would be a perfect day to make Asparagus Puree.  Asparagus is in season, the stalks are tender, sweet and have a beautiful green “granny-smith apple” color with purple-tinged tips.  A perfect soup for spring or early summer that can be served either hot or cold. 

To start, dice leeks, onions and celery and saute in canola until soft.  Once softened, add chopped garlic, fresh thyme, season with salt and pepper and deglaze with white wine.  Reduce wine, add butter and dust surface with flour.  Stir to combine all ingredients and add chicken stock to cover and a small amount of heavy cream.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. 

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add kosher salt (so that it tastes like seawater) and trim the bottom of the asparagus stalks to remove any tough stems.  Cook for approximately 5 minutes until asparagus are tender but still retain their vibrant color.   When finished, immediately immerse asparagus in an ice bath to stop the cooking.  Drain the asparagus, rough chop and set aside.

To finish, pour chicken stock/cream mixture into a large container and blend with a beurre mixer or in a blender until combined.  Add chopped asparagus and a small amount of fresh spinach leaves and blend again.  Adjust consistency and seasonings by adding additional cream, butter, chicken stock, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.   Strain soup through a medium sized china cap or sieve to remove any fibers from the asparagus—the soup should have a smooth, creamy consistency.   You can garnish with you choice of with fresh herbs, creme fraiche, truffle oil or rendered pancetta.

I never get an opportunity to make dessert at home or at the restaurant and so I was off today (but went into the restaurant anyway) to experiment with an idea I had for Baklava. Baklava is popular though out Greece, Turkey and the Middle East and consists of layered phyllo dough with chopped nuts, spices and a honey-lemon syrup. With my version, I wanted to layer the phyllo between layers Baklava ice cream and finish with Persian flavors using cardamom, rose petals and pistachios.

To start use any recipe for vanilla bean ice cream (crème anglaise) and process according to manufacturers instructions. Set ice cream in the freezer but keep soft enough so that you can fold in almond mixture. In a 350 degree oven toast a couple cups of sliced almonds with the skin on until golden brown. Set aside to cool. When completely cooled, rough chop and add a 1/2 a tablespoon of freshly ground cardamom and a tablespoon of cinnamon. On the stove mix one cup of sugar, a half of cup of water, a couple of tablespoons of honey, a tablespoon of corn syrup and cook until sugar and honey are dissolved. Remove from heat and add a small amount of cream. Mix really well and stir into almond mixture and set aside to cool. Remove ice cream from the freezer and soften if necessary. Fold in almond mixture and pour into a 1/2 sheet pan which has been lined with plastic wrap. Use an offset spatula to make sure the ice cream is level and place in the freezer until solid.

Next, melt some butter and unwrap phyllo dough. Brush about 8 sheets of phyllo dough with butter stacking each layer on top of the next. You will have a large 12x15 rectangle. Trim the edges off the phyllo and cut into 3-inch squares. Place phyllo squares on a large sheet pan lined with a silpat. Cover the squares with parchment paper and place another sheet pan on top. Bake phyllo in a 350-degree oven for about 20–25 minutes (or until golden brown) turning half way through cooking. Remove the top sheet plan and the parchment paper and let phyllo cool on the silpat.

Meanwhile, while the phyllo is cooking, you’ll need to make rose water syrup. I purchased dried rose petals from a Persian market and steeped them in hot water for about 15 minutes. Strain the rose petals and reserve the water. You’ll need about a cup. You can also purchase rose water in a bottle but it is clear in color. In a small sauce pan add about 1.5 cups of sugar and 1 cup of the rose infused water. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes until sugar is melted and has a syrup consistency. Next add orange zest and lime juice to taste. Set syrup aside to cool.

To finish, remove ice cream from freezer and cut into 3 inch squares (work quickly or the ice cream will melt). If the ice cream starts to melt after you’ve finished cutting, place squares back in the freezer to firm up before plating. Place a phyllo square on the plate and top with an ice cream square and repeat and top with final phyllo square. Pour rose water syrup on top of phyllo napoleon and drizzle around the plate. Top with rose petals, slivered pistachios and dust with powdered sugar.

Enjoy this beautiful dessert!

For todays special I made Pan Seared Salmon with Beet Infused Couscous, Sautéed Spinach and Whole Grain Mustard Cream Sauce.  This dish is absolutely beautiful—the photo doesn’t do it justice.  The colors are so vivid.  The couscous is a bright fuchsia/ruby red and against the dark green spinach and white plate—the contrasts are just stunning.  The flavors work really well together also.  Since salmon has a robust flavor it holds up nicely against the earthiness of the beet couscous and the sharpness from the whole grain mustard cream sauce.

To start, wash the beets really well and cover with water in a medium size pot.  Add, whole garlic cloves, thyme springs, bay leaf, lemon zest, a whole lemon halved, peppercorns and olive oil.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover pan tightly and cook until beets are soft (approximately 2 hours depending on the size of the beets).  Remove beets from juice and set aside to cool.  Strain beet juice and set aside.  Once beets have cooled remove the skin and dice into large chunks and place in a blender.  Add beet juice and blend until you have a smooth consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Strain beet puree through a chinois or fine strainer a couple of times to remove most of the fibers.

For the couscous, I like using pearl couscous, which is sometimes referred to as Israeli or Mediterranean couscous.  The ratio of couscous to liquid for cooking is approximately one cup of couscous to two cups of liquid.  In a large pan bring equal parts beet puree and chicken stock and/or water to a boil.  Slowly stir in couscous and reduce to a simmer.  Cover pan tightly and let simmer for about 15 minutes until mostly all of the liquid is absorbed.  Remove couscous from heat and let sit an additional 10 minutes before stirring.  Once finished, check for seasonings and add salt if needed.  Set couscous aside.

Meanwhile, to make the whole grain mustard cream sauce, slice and sauté an onion in canola oil in a medium size pan.  Once onion is softened, add minced garlic, roasted garlic and sauté for a couple of more minutes.  Deglaze with white wine and reduce and then add heavy cream and a bay leaf.  Bring cream mixture almost to a boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes until cream reduces and slightly thickens, stirring frequently.  Remove bay leaf and pour cream mixture into a blender and blend until smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste and stir in whole grain mustard.  Set aside and keep warm.

To finish, heat a sauté pan to medium-high heat, add canola oil and salmon and sear salmon for about a minute.  Flip salmon over and then finish cooking in a 400-degree oven until desired doneness.  Sauté spinach in canola oil with minced garlic, white wine, salt and pepper.  I had wanted to use beet greens with this dish but we didn’t have any at the restaurant—mixed braising greens would also work well.  Reheat couscous in a sauté pan with a small amount of chicken stock or water and taste for seasonings.  Spoon couscous onto the plate, and top with sautéed spinach, and seared salmon filet.  Spoon cream sauce over salmon and drizzle around the plate.  Finish with micro greens dressed in lemon vinaigrette and serve!

On Friday we were really busy for lunch and so I wanted to make a really simple, but delicious special, and so I made Dungeness Crab and Clam Linguine with Parmesan Crostini. 

To start, largely dice onion, fennel and celery in a large pot with canola oil.  Once softened, deglaze with white wine and reduce and then add fish bones from any firm white fish such as halibut, sea bass or mahi-mahi.  If you want to make a shellfish stock instead, you can add shrimp shells, clams and mussels in addition to the fish bones.  Next add, black peppercorns, bay leaf, and whole lemons, sliced in half and cover with cold water.  Bring to a simmer slowly and skim off any impurities that have risen to the surface and simmer for about an hour until flavorful.  Strain stock through a chinois or fine strainer and chill until ready to use. 

At the restaurant we make different flavored compound butters to use in finishing meats, fish, pasta or sauces.  So for this dish, I made a fresh herb butter and added it to the fish stock for a creamy and flavorful sauce.  To make the compound butter, set out a pound of unsalted butter to soften at room temperature.  Finely dice shallots and garlic and place in a pan with white wine and reduce slowly until the wine has a syrup consistency and the shallots and garlic are caramelized and coated with the syrup.  Set aside to cool.  Next, finely chop, fresh tarragon, basil, thyme and parsley and add to the softened butter. Add the cooled shallots and garlic, salt and pepper to taste and mix together really well.  You can either do this in a mixer with a paddle attachment or by hand using latex gloves (my preference).  You can then form this butter into a cylinder or log using parchment paper or you can place in a container and spoon out for future use. The butter can be kept in the freezer for a couple of months if wrapped really well. 

For the Parmesan crostini, thinly slice a baguette or any type of rustic bread.  We use Italian filone bread at the restaurant, which is really crispy on the outside and has an uneven texture on the inside so that all the flavors are absorbed throughout the bread.  Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  You can also rub the bread with a fresh garlic clove for more flavor.  Place crostini on a sheet pan and bake in a 350-degree oven for about 10–12 minutes until somewhat crusty (turning over half way through cooking).  Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan and minced flat leaf parsley and bake until cheese has melted.

To complete the dish, ladle some fish stock into a sauté pan, along white wine and minced garlic and reduce for a few minutes.  Next add the fresh herb butter, along with linguine noodles (previously cooked to al-dente). Toss in shredded dungeness crab and minced clams, parsley, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Top with the parmesan crostini and serve!

I really like making sandwiches.  I like the fact that you can take several simple ingredients and place them between two pieces of bread and come up with a delicious meal.  I remember when I lived in Maryland there was a sandwich shop that had over 200 different sandwiches on their menu.  You would spend your entire lunch reviewing the menu and then taking the food to go.  Thinking back, I wonder how many of those sandwiches were truly unique combinations and how different they would be today based on the availability of ingredients and how much the food scene has changed since the early 1980s.

For todays special I made a Chicken Apple Sausage Sandwich with Caramelized Onions, Red and Yellow Peppers, Fontina Cheese and Whole Grain Mustard Aioli on Ciabatta Roll.  The sausage has smoky sweet undertones and is balanced nicely by the tangy whole grain mustard aioli.

To start, I like making my own aioli (mayonnaise) but you can use a good store bought brand instead.  To make the aioli combine egg yokes, champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a food processor and blend.  Slowly drizzle in canola oil until thick and emulsified.  If the aioli becomes too thick you can always thin out by adding a little water and continue blending.  Taste and readjust seasonings if necessary.  At this point, you can flavor the aioli with a number of different ingredients like roasted red peppers, basil, oregano, tarragon, chipotle, more garlic, or whole grain mustard—the list is endless!

Next, julienne red and yellow peppers and yellow onions and sauté on medium-high heat in canola oil until caramelized and season with salt and pepper.  Remove the casings from the sausage and slice in half so that the sausage will lie flat on a grill or in a sauté pan and cook until it starts to curl and is completely heated through.  Top with either fontina or Swiss cheese and continue cooking until cheese is melted.  I like using ciabatta bread or rolls for sandwiches.  It’s thin but has great texture—it’s crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  Spread a generous amount of the whole grain must aioli on the bread and top with sausage and pile on the other ingredients.   Serve with either fries or a field greens salad dressed with sherry vinaigrette and you’ve got a quick and delicious meal!