June 2011 Tasting Menu Post Report:

The first menu of the revised tasting menu series is now officially under our belts at J. Gilbert's in Glastonbury!  All in all our team did very well, though the 3 days of tasting menus were certainly not without a few minor issues behind the scenes.  Much of this first menu involved a major learning curve for my team in the kitchen as we had to completely rethink our execution this year.  In the past we've done 80% of the plating and cooking from "the line", this year we changed our process in an effort to expedite the courses and also ensure proper plate presentation and temperature of food.  We essentially set up an entire kitchen in our small prep area.  It took some work and flexibility on the fly but we made it work and I believe we ended up with a better product at the end of the day in comparison to years past.  Now we have a better idea of what we're capable of this year with the new set up and equipment.  Just a few of the new tools/equipment that we brought in this year for the new format are a brand spanking new portable steam table, a free standing toasting oven/broiler & 2 brand new ice cream machines!  I'm confident that we can take the lessons learned from our execution of the first menu and make the necessary adjustments within our team to provide improvements in the execution of the second menu of the season, which is presently in the works... So here's a recap of our First Tasting Menu of the 2011 Summer Tasting Menu Series:



The amuse bouche presented to all of our guests for this menu was a BLT on a spoon.

The bacon we used was from Berkshire hogs and thus was loaded with flavor allowing us to get big bacon flavor in a very small piece.  The Lettuce component was a watercress coulis, the tomato component was a tomato marmalade.  We topped the bite with a small round of toasted sourdough and a "dot" of rosemary aioli. 

The resulting mouthful ended with concentrated flavor of a BLT

First Course:

Georges Bank Scallops

sweet corn puree, red pepper relish, pickled onion

basil gelee, black pepper tuile

The three highlighted flavors of this dish are fresh corn, natural sea scallops & basil.  The scallops are highlighted with simple preparation and by sourcing all natural (NOT soaked or treated) Georges Bank Scallops.  For the corn and basil I wanted to be certain that those flavors were not muddled by any unnecessary ingredients.  The corn puree or sauce consists only of fresh corn juice, fresh corn kernels and a touch of butter...the result is a vibrant sauce that announces itself as fresh sweet corn.  The basil component is in the form of a gelee (this is featured in a previous posting) with the only ingredients being basil, water and agar (the gelling agent).  The pepper relish, pickled onion and black pepper tuile are accompaniments to the dish which add texture and depth.

Second Course:

Prime Carpaccio "Ravioli"

beltane farms goat cheese, mushroom puree, black truffle aioli

herb salad, grenache vinaigrette

In this dish we've made a ravioli with thin sliced prime sirloin as the "pasta" and filled it with local goat cheese from Beltane Farms in Lebannon, Ct.  The mushroom puree and truffle aioli provide depth and earthiness to the dish while the herb salad with grenache vinaigrette serves to add some freshness and crispness to the dish.

Third Course:

New Zealand Lamb Loin

"tater tots", caramelized zucchini, pickled cherries

rosemary pesto, chocolate lamb jus

In this dish the "tater tots" are actually small potato croquettes.  The cherries were pickled with red wine and spices and the chocolate lamb jus was made by creating a lamb stock with roasted bones and aromatics.  This stock was then reduced and finally mounted with 100% cacao chocolate.  We used the 100% cacao so that we could get all of the flavor of chocolate with none of the sweetness, the result was perfect.

Fourth (Dessert) Course:

Strawberries 3 Ways

strawberry shortcake, broken chocolate-strawberry napoleon, strawberries & balsamic

For our version of strawberry shortcake we made a sorbet as the strawberry element and round lady finger cookies for the shortcake element.  We also served creme anglaise and peppermint whipped cream with this presentation.  The broken napoleon consisted of a valhrona chocolate creme patisserie and cocoa phyllo crisps with fresh strawberries.  Finally for the classic pairing of strawberries with balsamic we macerated strawberries in vanilla sugar and fresh thyme.  For the balsamic vinegar element we made a balsamic ice cream and topped the strawberries with this. 

 

French Macaroons (Macarons)

This past weekend I ran a test on my macaron (macaroon) recipe.  I wanted to make an adjustment to the recipe that I was hoping would both improve the finished product and also slightly simplify the process.  It worked!!!  In my experience it is not very often that you're able to find a solution to an issue in a recipe that both improves the result and simplifies the process so I'm very pleased.  I also wanted to run a test on the shelf life of the cookies and best storage methods.  My results are that these cookies are best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 
A macaron is a simple cookie in terms of ingredients (it consists of only ground almonds, sugar & egg white), but it is very complicated in its simplicity.  What I mean by this is that the cookies themselves are so simple that any mistake is highlighted in the finished product, there's not a lot of complexity to hide imperfections.  Technique is very important in each step of the process. 

Vanilla Macarons with Amaretto Buttercream

I should mention that a properly made macaron is probably my most favorite food.  I'm intensely passionate about the pursuit of perfection with macarons, borderline obsessive compulsive.  I almost shake/tremble as I finish filling them in anticipation of the first bite...I know, I have a problem and I need help...

Once the batter has been made (essentially a french/common meringue is folded into ground almonds and powdered sugar) it has to be piped onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper.

The trays of piped batter then have to be tapped (somewhat aggressively) on the bottom of the pans or dropped from a slight elevation to aid in flattening and evening the cookies.  Perhaps the most important step is the next one...the piped and uncooked cookies must be left to rest about an hour at room temperature.  This rest period forms a crust on the batter and will result in both the proper finished texture and appearance.

The macarons are then placed into a 325 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes, rotating the pans half way through the cooking time.  The results are above.  The cookies cannot be removed from the trays until they have cooled completely.

The next step in a proper french macaroon is filling them...think grown up & intensely decadent Oreo cookie.  I've made an Italian buttercream (or cooked meringue buttercream) flavored with amaretto in this rendition.  These cookies do not last long in the J. Gilbert's Glastonbury kitchen, I've not met a single person yet who can resist the allure of these beauties. 

perhaps you might see an appearance by the "lowly" macaron during our summer tasting series...I mean there's got to a be reason other than gluttony that I'm testing these things right???