DECK OPENING...RAIN OR SHINE....

Tonight from 5-9 p.m. Free Appetizer's and Martini tasting!!!!!!
Come on down and join us for some fun!!!!

EGYPTIAN WEDDING...

Cornish Hen stuffed with Cinnamon clove scented rice, honey dill glazed carrot and cranberry chuttney.

Raz el hanout roasted strip loin, currant cous cous, fig jam and crispy onion.

Pan roasted red snapper, olive quinoa grape leaf, tahina, roasted lemon & cucumber salad.
Basbousa. We served it with a honey cream and fresh berries. Not your typical wedding fare to say the least. I really enjoyed the evening and all the food prep. It's fun to switch up a routine and concentrate on just one thing every once in a while and its great to be able to teach the chefs a new approach or two. We did about 350 plates plus several stationary hor'derves, which is always fun to see come out of tiny kitchen.

DUCK L'ORANGE ... New Picture

DUCK L'ORANGE ... SORT OF

This Picture was sent to me via camera phone. It doesn't give the dish much justice, but I completely forgot to charge my camera battery. Margaret Duck Breast was hot smoked with hickory, birch and walnuts. All of which was soaked in a 5% solution of salt water and bacon fat. The bit of moisture not only prevents the smoke from burning, but it almost steams the duck fat allowing it to absorb the smoke and become super crispy when cooked. Pan roasted about 85% on the skin side and flipped last second to desired temp. I served it with a saute of FRESH English peas, mint and Jamon Serrano Ham and tangy braised cabbage. The pearls are Tapioca starch Stewed in a reduction of Fresh Orange juice ( taste like the worlds greatest gummy bear)
and the sauce is raw orange thickened with Potato starch.

Look What I Found.

These giants were found near our gift shop...in a place where there is no trees or sustainable soil the largest of the two weighs in at almost 20 oz. ....Christmas started a little early for me this year..

Whats New ??? .... Just Loving Spring

Sushi Tasting, uni, unagi maki, hamachi sashimi, torro temaki and king crab.

torro temaki, yuba rol, yuzu kosho apples, pea shoot and siracha mayo.

king crab, tobiko and cucumber.

mountains of morels...

Stone Fruit Tart, Morello cherry. We serve it with our own peach sherbert.

The freshest bass I've ever had the pleasure to cook, not even 5 hours old.

here's looking at YOU KID!!!

Scallop Chops ... Exploring Meat Glue PT.1

Fresh sea scallops, lamb bones scraped and boiled in sea salt and peroxide, Transglutaminase...

Chopped scallops, scant Transglutaminase...

Wrap tight every two layers poke small holes to release air and squeeze gently...

Twist and tie both ends let set in fridge for two hours...

Dip bones in solution of meat glue paste. Insert two inches apart to form rack. Let rest 24 hours.

Cut individual chops and cook as desired. I roasted this one. Tastes like a caramelized Scallop..

I'm not sure the exact day or reason, but just like the majority of my ideas, I awoke one morning obsessing over creating a Scallop "chop." Something so massive in size it would leave the diner in a state of awe... I'm Not a stranger to meat glue by far .. But i had yet to find an appropriate application for our clientele. This idea is still a work in progress. I Have to play with the ratio a bit more and the next time I'm gonna puree the scallops , to get a smoother consistency ......Every one who got to try it loved it and was very entertained by it ... It Might make it on our Summer menu ....It might just a special every now and then .... Either Way FRANKENSTEIN FOOD TASTES GREAT!

Keeping It Simple..

Frisse , Fennel Fronds , Candied Pecans , Sliced Cherries , Maple Glazed Bacon "Bits" , Grilled Cheese Croutons , And A Soft Poached Egg All Tossed Together In A Subtle Orange Blossom Honey And Fleur De Sel Vinaigrette....

Mothers Day Dinner

Chipotle Cherry Glazed Organic Pork Tender Loin , Cannellini Chorizo Hash , BBQ Peaches

Swordfish Champagne ...It Has Slowly Become a Signature Dish at the Crane Brook.

Roasted Fillet ,Vanilla Celery Root , Heirloom Carrot , Blackberry jam , Exotic Mushrooms

Mahi Mahi , Mango & Jumbo Lump Crab Cous Cous , Snap Pea , Jerk Jus , Crisp Plantain
Chocolate 5 ways , Brownie , Mousse, Ganache , Shavings , Ice Cream .....Decadent...

Overall the Weekend was a success.. alot of restless hours and prep all worth it at the end of the day. the crew was fantastic and I'm proud of them all.....up next...Italian wine dinner , deck opening ,

LOBSTA RANGOON & REASONING..

Far from your traditional Rangoon ....Which are not in fact traditional at all .. The Origin of the crab Rangoon dates back to early 1900 's Chinese immigrants that were trying everything they could to turn Americans on to there cuisine ... After many failed attempts they struck gold on the crab Rangoon it became such a good a good marketing scheme that almost every Asian style restaurant has put them on there menu from Thai to Filipino.... Now I don't have a problem in the world with people making a honest living and know one is in a sense at fault in these cases , But these places instead of being true to there heritage are conforming to a mixed American market , and leaving the normal person with of blurred sense of that cultures cuisine.. For example there is no cream cheese in any oriental market , there is no chop suey or chow mein , and you sure as heck don't get a fortune cookie after you eat .. These are all things we automatically associate with Chinese food and not one is in china? .. These are just a few of the foodstuffs that sort of erk me ... some others SCAMPI the word scampi in translation refers to a large shrimp or langoustine in Italian . So every time i hear someone say "shrimp scampi " I hear "shrimp shrimp" Chicken Scampi makes absolutely no culinary sense at all .. Chai Tea.. chai is not a flavor or a style of tea.. Chai is the Indian word for tea...... It dosen't just happen on our watch , In Japan They try to replicate Italian spaghetti and marinara using Udon and ketchup . I guess in a way its a form of Fusion , or a culinary evolution. Either way if you cant beat them join them.. These puppies are stuffed with Maine lobster knuckle and tail, togarashi ,chive , and of coarse cream cheese. There served with a sesame chili sauce and popcorn shoots to add a bitter contrast.

WINE DINNER PICTURES

Asados Empinada , Stuffed With Quinoa,Golden Raisin ,BBQ Braised Beef served with Aji Pebre
And A Chirmoya pudding I thickened slightly with Ultra tex 8 paired with a 07' Carmenere.

Ode To a Friend: This dish is rich in Brazilian flare . A melanga root (giant taro) fried crisp is topped with a cool salpicon of shredded chicken crunchy vegetables ,topped with fresh hearts of palm and caruru ..i then took one of my favorite S.American non alcoholic drinks , Coconut Vitamina and set it with agar agar and froze it....chicken salad and a milkshake!...It got paired with a Chardonnay although i would of preferred it went with an amazing Brazilian sparkling white.

Third Course .was an homage to Peru via Our local shellfish communities .the giant shell was in fact a Peruvian scallop shell .....all the flavors of ceviche , just tweaked a bit.. I used Taylor bay scallops , Nasketucket oysters ( my all time favorite two shellfish ) and Point Judith Calamari

Instead of curing the shellfish in tomato and citrus ...I used citrus , cilantro ,and chilli's the tomato element was fun.. i made a separate intense tomato water packed with honey , chilli's ,and cilantro and i added a new technique I've been working on that creates what i like to call A LIVE FOAM it holds for about 7 minutes and then it rapidly deflate looking almost alive. a avocados mousse and fried potato brings this together it was paired with a Sauvignon Blanc

Close up shot ... i think this picture speaks for itself......

In studying for this menu i was blown away at the European influences still around in S.America . this coarse was in honor of Uruguay .there National dish isn't a dish at all its a sauce called Caruso , almost like a carbonara ..and being that there is almost 30,000 types of potato in this country.... Gnocchi seemed fit...i hand rolled 30 pounds of purple potato gnocchi the night before.......ouch !

the first entree course of the night ..."Bolivian Fish & Chips " Roasted trout , fried yucca ,puree of plantain , escabeche of green bean and cauliflower and jalpahaucia... this dish was one of the better wine pairings of the night with a crisp terrunyo sauvignon blanc..

the second and final entree was in respect to Argentina ...Which is the beef capital of the western hemisphere ... A whole black Angus strip loin was rolled in toasted spices , lime zest, crushed garlic and olive oil.and cooked low and slow to achieve the same temperature from side to side a perfect med rare + served with honey roasted orange ,mache ,fried egg ,beans and rice and chimichurri ...paired with a palo alto reserve.

And for the the grand finale ... we have an Organic chochlate cake with a Dulce de Leche semifredo cane sugar caramel , cocoa floss , cocoa nibs and quince paste paired with a late harvest sauvignon ...Thank You For Everyone Who Came Out Last Night , And All The Kind Compliments Afterward.. Me and Michael work real hard at planning these dinners out, We are in the middle of planning out a massive Italian wine dinner in June it will be 8 -10 courses the first 4 being being grouped with 2 wines ..it will have a cheese course , and a dessert tasting ..this is gonna unbelievable, it will be on a Sunday night at like 4:00 and it will be outside , live music , candle lit pond tiki torches we are gonna showcase not only the wine and cuisine of Italy but more importantly the romance...