It was private party sort of week, including a lovely 60th birthday bash!
Tiradito de Salmón Blanco – The salmón blanco, or white salmon, is not a salmon at all. We’ve been down this road. It’s the Brazilian Sand Perch.
It doesn’t look like a salmon, it doesn’t taste like a salmon. I don’t know how it got its name. On the other hand, it makes for a delicious ceviche, cured in a mix of lime juice, chili and walnut oils, salt, and white pepper, and garnished with cilantro, red onion, limo chilies, and fresh corn.
Casillero del Diablo “Devil’s Extra Brut”
Sopa de Papas a la Navarra – I’ve done a step-by-step version of papas a la Navarra, a classic Basque potato dish. A couple of months back I thought it would be interesting to turn it into a soup, rather than a thick stew. I mean, I still like the thick stew more, but this captures all the flavors and makes it a lighter course that fits into a tasting menu better.
Finca Las Moras “Los Intocables” Chardonnay 2021
Ñoquis de Sémola, Hongos Glaceados en Café – The first dish inspired by the road-trip to the US last month.
Now, this is the source dish, and obviously, nothing alike. It was a coffee-glazed mushroom toast with whipped ricotta that we had at Olive + Oak, in St. Louis. It was the best dish of the evening, but what particularly stood out to me was the combination of coffee glaze and mushrooms, and the creaminess of the ricotta.
So my inspiration is semolina, or Roman, gnocchi, lightly brushed with butter and black pepper and broiled, served over a whipped ricotta infused with coffee and walnut oil. On top, quartered button and portobello mushrooms roasted in the oven in olive oil with salt and pepper, and then glazed in a sauté pan with a blend of coffee, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, walnut oil, Worcestershire, cinnamon, and salt. A garnish of radichetta leaves, cranberry beans, and crushed walnuts finishes the dish. I loved this dish. It’s going to be back.
Chakana “Nuna” Rosé 2021 (biodynamic and organic blend of 47% Syrah, 34% Malbec & 19% Tannat)
Carré de Cerdo al Ajillo, Repollitos Asados – Pork loin, thick cut, and rubbed with salt and shichimi blend, pan seared and then finished in the oven. The sauce is our take on a Peruvian ajillo sauce, a creamy blend of garlic, chili, butter, oil, white vermouth, bacon stock, fish sauce, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. The brussels sprouts are halved and then sautéed with garlic and bay leaf until browned, then finished with marsala, orange juice, tomato paste, and spicy mustard. Garnish of a little warm salad of halved cherry tomatoes, red onion plumes, and green onions in black vinegar and salt.
La Liga de Enologos Cordisco & Tannat 2021
Cheesecake de Malta de Chocolate – Our classic cheesecake – cocoa cookie crust, homemade cream cheese filling flavored with bitter chocolate, brown sugar, and malt powder. A glaze over the top of fresh passionfruit.
Amalaya Blanco Dulce de Corte 2021 (Torrontés and Riesling)
