Valentine's Day dinner- 2/15/2020
Chef's menu
Everyone is sitting down and waiting for the 1st course.
I don't reveal my menu so everyone have to open the envelope to find out what is on the menu.
First Course: Tuna Sashimi in a shitake broth with parsley puree
|
|
|
This course was actually a beef tartare dish that I was on Top chef. I took the idea and replaced the raw beef (might be a tough sell) with Tuna sashimi so everyone can eat it.
The shitake broth was a hit and everyone really enjoyed this dish.
You have the option of eating the Tuna as it is and then drink the broth separately, or you can dip the Tuna in the broth ... Either way it was delicious.
|
|
|
Course #2: Silver lined chip with horseradish creme fraiche, preserved lemon
This dish was inspired by a 1 Michelin star restaurant in San Francisco named "Rich Table". This dish has been on their menu since day 1 and they can never take it off the menu as it the most popular item on their menu. I did not find sardines so I replaced it with silver lined fish. Interesting dish and playful dish as you have to eat it with your fingers.
The key to the success of this dish is to make sure that the potatoe chip is really crispy and crunchy.
Course #3: Hamachi sashimi, apple, smoked salmon with jalapeno emulsion
I really like the way the dish came out -beautiful presentation!
This dish is from Le Bernadin, a 3 Michelin star in New York, that specialized in fish.
It is a dish where the fish is the star and every other ingredient has to highlight it. The texture of the rich fish and light and delicate apple sets up a delightful constrast and the jalapeno elmulsion added a nice little boost of flavor in your mouth.
|
Close up view of the dish |
You can see here that the fish is alternated between a slice of apple. |
Course #4 : Pan seared duck breast, spinach fondue puree, balsamic reduction sauce
The inspiration on this dish is from Afaria, a restaurant in Paris France that is known for their duck.
I did the same thing but I added the spinach fondue puree, and pan seared mushrooms.
This dish is served family style and each dish is for 4 people
Got lot of thumbs up for this dish! everyone seems to like this dish.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course #5 : Deconstructed Caesar salad, brioche twinkies, boqueronne, monkfish liver
This is behind the scene where I am brushing the plate with an anchoiade dressing first, then the Romaine lettuce and set on top of the sauce.
Not quite done yet, I still need to put the homemade boquerones (marinated anchovies) and the monk fish liver on top of the Romaine lettuce.
Here is the final presentation with a brioche twinkies.
Close up view of the dish
Course #6 : Penne, assorted mushrooms, creamy sauce
This dish is served family style.
Close view of the pasta dish. I used a least 4 to 5 types of mushrooms in this dish.
Course #7 : Sauteed soft shell crab in a bowl of faro with grilled broccoli, cauliflowers, & carrots.
 |
 |
Putting the dish together....
This is the first time I used faro and I like it. The vegetables are grilled so they have a nice flavor and I also enjoyed the soft shell crab.
Course #8 : Rabbit stew, mushrooms in a mustard sauce
Ending the meal with a comfort dish! Rabbit is difficult to cook as the meat is so lean and it tends to be very dry if not coooked properly.
It is not very often that I served rabbit but tonight I wanted something a bit different so I choose rabbit.
The dish turned to be very appetizing and the rabbit was not dry at all.
|
|
|
Cheers to everyone!
The big bottle of sake you see in the middle, we managed to drink it all together with so many bottles of red and wine wine...
Maily made all the desserts for the evening. I asked her to do a Valentine theme and I really like the way she decorated the cake.
The panna cotta also look very valentine with the a burst of red and pink on top.
|
|
 |
Close look at the desserts.
Next... Gifts/poker/karaoke
Filed under: Dinner parties
