gastronomic guesswork

Deadheading Cardoon

2012-04-22T23:45:00.001-06:00

Deadheading, apparently imperative when growing cardoon.

Roasted Lamb Loin with Harissa, Toasted Israeli Cous Cous with Preserved Lemon & Grilled Spring Onion

2010-05-12T06:00:00.000-06:00

Got the courage up to cook with preserved lemon after a few positive experiences. After consulting the Flavor Bible, I found this was a flavor that didn't have a lot of descriptive data to leverage. There was a good testimonial in FB that kept me brave in spite of some internet postings suggesting the flavor of "bleach" as a component / aroma. What I did know from sampling this in the past was that a very little went a long way (can't recall what dish, all I know was there was seafood involved and it was at Mizuna).

From gastronomic guesswork

As long as you're gentle, preserved lemon is a little thing of beauty. Worked perfectly in the toasted cous cous as a balance with the sweetness of the spring onion. The harissa was a lively accent to the tried and true flavors of garlic, shallot, and rosemary with the lamb.

Colt & Gray - Best New Restaurant in Denver

2010-05-10T06:00:00.002-06:00

Celebrated my birthday not too long ago and decided to crash the happy hour scene on a bitterly cold Friday night at Colt & Gray. Here's what we sampled ...

- Crispy Pig Trotter with brown mustard aioli
- Housemade Duck prosciutto, HM pate, local goatsmilk blue cheese
- Mussels with green curry
- Bone Marrow
- Truffled Chestnut soup
- House Made Ravioli with fresh ricotta, guanciale, Hazel Dell wild mushrooms and arugula

Drinks included a custom elderberry bitters martini (the mixologist is a savant), and an impossible to find Great Divide Oaked Hades. Colt & Grey is pretty darn close to the restaurant I'd want to open if I had the courage and talent to do so - cozy, substance over style, exceptional attention to the customer, crafty wisdom applied to everything that hits your plate, and meticulous attention to flavor nuance.

We'll be back soon - first impression is that Colt & Gray is THE Best New Restaurant in Denver.

Toad in the Hold Redux - Scrambled Eggs with Guanciale, Neufchâtel & Chives

2010-05-09T14:05:00.000-06:00

A dressed up version of a toad in the hole.

From gastronomic guesswork

Restaurant Home

2010-05-08T20:07:00.005-06:00

Now that we're obviously regulars at Restaurant Home, I thought it was time to give the team there some props. When I think of Home, the feelings are elation, joy, and an unquenchable desire to return - like returning home after a long journey when you long for the unctuous flavor of what you know makes you happy, whole, and centered. The menu is a dichotomy of Old School comfort food and New American dining. The wine list more than competant, the beer list admirable even among aficionados - e.g. Dogfish Head 90 minute, Stone IPA, Dry Dock, Stone Arrogant Bastard Oak Aged, etc.

The Five Napkin Burger is honestly the first burger my wife has not drown in catchup, in fact it was SHOCKINGLY eaten sans katsup. I have a picture of this small work of art, but I decided against posting it (for now) as it will ruin the surprise. Just go get one and tell me what you think - this will definitely be on my "Best Burger in Denver 2010" list (subject for another post).

The tuna sashimi with nori cracker is amazing, so too the pot roast sliders, buttermilk mashers, and ahi entree. Frites are really frites. Staff is really friendly, accommodating of families, and top drawer in service. The food is locally sourced whenever possible, making for incredibly fresh and nutritious fair. We've been there 10 times in 2 months, the hostess and Brandon are always eager to greet us with twins in tow, and I can't wait for our next visit.

Chef Tarbell has made me really happy, finally there is a restaurant close enough to home and substantial enough in culinary depth & breadth to make me a regular - can't remember that happening in the last decade. Highly recommended!

Halibut Cheeks in Chardonnay, Summer Savory, & Lampong Peppercorn Sauce, with Wilted Dandelion Greens & Hashbrowns

2010-05-08T18:50:00.005-06:00

Peak of the season for Halibut means that if you live in such a land-locked place as Denver, you still have a chance to come across some cheeks. This is such a great ingredient, you just need to coax it a little to make something memorable.

The flavor pairing herein was to leverage a great white wine my wife and I came across at a recent charity benefit - 2006 Summerhouse Chardonnay from Marlborough, NZ (easily a 93+ pt wine), evolve this into a subtle loose sauce with a slightly rich but herbal and acidic presence, contrast that with the garlic-infused bitterness of dandelions greens, and find a little textural crunch from the potatoes. The halibut cheeks came from asking nicely at Whole Foods, these were gently sauteed in a mix of olive oil and butter, seasoned with Portuguese Sea Salt and Tellicherry pepper, and finished with an infusion of the Chardonnay, garlic, summer savory, Lampong peppercorn, and a touch of pasture butter - I used a cheesecloth to steep the aromatics in a cup of the wine for 20 minutes over low heat, then raised the heat to medium low and tempered the sauce by shaking the pan (a tip from Hervé This) with a tablespoon of Organic Valley Pasture Butter. As my wife pointed out, cheeks have the texture of lobster (in a good way). Get 'em while you can, perfect Spring fare. Kudos to Divino for exposing us to the Summerhouse - truly an exceptional Chardonnay with mineral and toast notes that makes you remember what Old World wines can be, and thanks for the tip on Chartreuse VEP.

From gastronomic guesswork

Grassfed Beef Short Ribs braised in porcini, szechuan peppercorns, & rosemary

2010-01-03T21:11:00.003-07:00

Playing with the incomparable szechuan peppercorn here, worked very nicely with rosemary and porcini adding a citrus and slightly sharp bite to the Italian flavors here.

From 2009-12-29

Tenderloin Head Roast Sous Vide with Truffled Home Fries

2010-01-03T21:03:00.003-07:00

Pulled out the new infrared thermometer to sous vide the head roast in garlic, French thyme, rosemary, and shallots. Cooked for 2 hours at 150F, finished under the broiler for 10 minutes after resting the meat to just above room temp. The home fries were dry roasted yukon gold slices, flipped after 15 minutes at 450F, then finished for 10 more minutes. The finishing salt was a hand harvested pink sea salt and the finishing oil was black truffle infused.

From 2009-12-26

Christmas Menu 2009

2010-01-03T20:59:00.002-07:00

* Beef Tenderloin sous vide in marjoram, garlic, white onion and manzanillo olive oil
* Potatoes Anna
* Roasted Asparagus with Black Truffle Oil
* Ridge Lytton Springs single vineyard Zinfandel 2006

Turkey Legs on Christmas Eve

2010-01-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

From 2009-12-24

Raw Cheddar and Cayenne Mac & Cheese

2010-01-03T20:50:00.005-07:00

Just a simple reinterpretation on mac and cheese. The cheddar was raw milk sharp cheddar from Organic Valley, melted in a Longmont Dairy milk base with a splash of sherry vinegar, 1/2 a cup of fresh organic tomatoes, a teaspoon of cayenne chile powder, and sea salt.

From 2009-11-29

Roasted Leeks in Smashed Potatoes

2010-01-03T20:42:00.003-07:00

Killer flavor combo - totally overshadowing the rather good braised short ribs in red wine and demi glace. The choppted leeks were quarted, sliced to 1/4" and roasted at 450F in a little salt and olive oil. These were incorporated into mashed potatoes with a touch of half and half, sea salt, and white pepper. Roasted leeks rule! Epic steakhouse dish waiting to happen here...

From 2009-11-15

Spinach, Balsamico & Pancetta

2010-01-03T20:29:00.004-07:00

Steamed the spinach, crisped the pancetta, reduced some balsamic vinegar by 1/2 with the pancetta drippings, 3 twists of black pepper and a dash of salt.

From 2009-11-15

Hot Sauce Braised Pork Butt with Kalamata Tapenade

2010-01-03T20:21:00.004-07:00

Making the most of good food, served the second time, is a goal of mine. Leftovers is the wrong word here, proximal reinterpretations might be a better one. Had the most amazing hot sauce at our friends wedding in the fall. Quizzed the catering chef and found out that this was a butter mounted Louisiana hot sauce of his own design. I asked for the leftover and they gave me a quart of the nectar.

From 2009-10-25

The next day, straight-away to whole foods for some all natural pork butt. Cut into 2" thick ribs of meat, the pork was braised in the hot sauce at 200F for 4 hours. This was served with the tapenade as a fatty and briney way to cut the heat. Very interesting and soon to be repeated flavor theme, the heat was met with unctuous salty goodness, a meal that was quickly devoured.

What a long strange trip it has been ...

2010-01-03T20:12:00.004-07:00

Too much, too fast this autumn. Anyway, I have been cooking and I hope you're all still hungry out there. Happy 2010, forthcoming are some recent experiments, food adventures from the Foodbuzz 2009 Festival, and the occasional indulgence in noteworthy wines and craft beers - with a set of new drum sieves, a commercial grade infrared thermometer, several amazing finishing salts, and a new can opener with now sharp edge ... I'm kinda-gadgety, kinda-finicky, kinda-particular, and alway kindageeky ... moreover, I'm back.

Hatch Chile Corn Chowder

2010-01-03T19:25:00.001-07:00

Just a little corn chowder, this time with 5 of 10 spicy hatch chiles. The sausage is a sweet Italian fennel sausage.

From 2009-10-19

Wet Roasted Tri-Tip, Gingered Tamari Carrots, Farro Pasta with Manzanillo Olive Oil

2009-12-06T20:51:00.005-07:00

Playing with technique here, the idea was to "wet roast" a tri-tip over a bath of onions and thyme at 450F. The tri-tip was coated in kosher salt and black pepper, roasted at 450F for about 20 minutes, and rested after reaching an internal temp of 145F. Then the bath was drained and the onion and thyme got a dash of olive oil and continued to roast until slightly caramelized. The tri-tip was finished under the broiler for 5 minutes and again rested. The carrots were roasted in a bath of ginger, tamari, butter and water at 450F for 20 minutes.

From Pictures

The pasta was just an excuse to marry two of my current flavor crushes - single source olive oil and 100% farro pasta; add a little Portuguese fleur de sel, done.

Simple flavors pairings making for a good Sunday dinner with the family.

Recipe Contest on Marxfood.com

2009-10-17T15:27:00.004-06:00

Hey all, please check out the contest on Marxfoods. Would appreciate your vote for the Aji Limo Rojo Chile & Cola Sous Vide Carnitas from Gastronomic Guesswork. Thanks! And also, please check out Marxfoods.com for great foodie finds!

Chile Tasting from Marx Foods

2009-10-04T11:17:00.011-06:00

If you are a serious foodie, you simply must bookmark Marx Foods - the vast array of great ingredients to be had is mind boggling. Recently, Justin Marx provide me with the opportunity to sample what seemed like a bushel of varied chiles, many of which I had never even heard of before - a feat really given my propensity for cooking with diverse types of chiles. While excited by the prospect of sampling all these chiles, I was met with the fundamental difficulty of finding a way to systematical make my way through tasting each of these without scorching my palate beyond sensation.

I decided a chile tasting was in order, but how the heck to conduct one would prove challenging. After consulting various foodies on Twitter and through email, I was provided with ideas like sour cream as a palate cleanser - a start, but deeper consideration of the problem was needed. The chiles ran the gamut from mild to EXTREMELY hot, including what might prove to be my nemesis - the Bhut Jolokia; how could we sample the Bhut Jolokia, weighing in at 1 million+ scoville units? In researching the scoville system for measuring chile heat, I discovered that the numeric system was based upon perceptability of heat with different levels of dilution. More precisely, 1 million scoville means that it takes 1 million drops of water to render the heat of the chile unperceptable. I was struck that dilution in chicken broth might be a good way to deal with the high end heat monsters, while still allowing the flavor of the chile to come through. After a little more thought, and grabbing a chile-head friend to help me sample, I had settle upon a format.

For the chile tasting we would sample from mild to extremely hot in ascending scoville order, or at least that was the plan. I put together a spreadsheet of foodstuffs which might work for developing flavor pairings from the chile tasting, as well as target cleansers for varying scoville heat levels. You are welcome to share / edit this spreadsheet for your own chile tastings, let me know what you discover in your trials.

Here is a view on the ingredients we used to taste with these excellent chiles from Marx Foods..

Here are the tasting notes from the first, and hopefully not the last, Gastronomic Guesswork Chile Tasting...

Chile: Aji Limo Rojo
Flavors: Apple, Green Onion, Pear
Heat: moderate
Desirability: 4.5 of 5 (amazing)
Pairing Ideas: Carnitas (see here)

Chile: Tepin
Flavors: Bitter, Sour, Zesty, Astringent, Like Zest
Heat: On tip and back of tongue, late attack
Desirability: 3 of 5 (very good)

Chile: Aji Panca
Flavors: Cherrie, Raisin, Dusty
Heat: mild, easily overwhelmed by fat
Desirability: 4.5 of 5 (amazing)
Pairing Ideas: Lamb, Chicken

Chile: Puya
Flavors: Orange, Sage, Sunflower Seeds
Heat: mild to medium
Desirability: 3 (very good)
Pairing Ideas: Moraccan, Greek, Dumplings, Preserved Lemon, Olives

Chile: Smoked Serrano
Flavors: Smoke, Green Herbs, Extremely nice nose
Heat: nasty, not habanero, but very assertive and fairly persistent
Desirability: 2 (good, the nose was a 4)
Pairing Ideas: Soups, Carrot Soup (see here)

Chile: Chipotle
Flavors: Caramel, Smoke
Heat: healthy, not fierce
Desirability: 4 (excellent)

Chile: Aji Amarillo
Flavors: Sweet, Tropical Fruit, Guava, Lemon
Heat: Assertive, not persistent
Desirability: 4-4.5 (excellent - amazing)

Chile: Aji Cereza
Flavors: Fig, Pepper, Cassis
Heat: Ouch
Desirability: 4.5 (excellent)
Pairing Ideas: tomatillo, salsa, braised pork belly, quail

Chile: Bhut Jolokia
Flavors: sweetness against salt, makes meat sweeter
Heat: only tasted diluted broth with a dropper, incredibly hot
Desirability: 2-2.5 (good)
Pairing Ideas: providing base heat in a meat dish in combination with another chile; hospital visit possible if eaten whole

My chile compatriot Chris and I concluded the evenings festivites by making dinner ...

From gastronomic guesswork

We used the Bhut Jolokia in some chicken broth to braised a pork loin. The Aji Cereza was used in a tomatillo salsa with orange juice and roasted garlic. Pictured above is two versions of tacos: the foreground has the tomatillo and Aji Cereza salsa, the background has cointreu romesco (just add 2 oz of cointreu to the original romesco sauce during reduction). Thanks again to Justin at Marx Foods, sensational chiles, here is the complete list of their chile selection.

Cola, Coriander & Lampong Sous Vide Carnitas with Aji Limo Rojo

2009-10-04T10:53:00.011-06:00

What this dish lacks in finesse of presentation it makes up for in flavor. Wow - is this one ever an instant personal classic. The concept was to use sous vide as a technique for carefully controlling the slow cooking required of carnitas while imparting deep seasoned taste. The sous vide medium was 4 cans of 365 cola (cane sugar not HFCS), 2 tablespoons coriander seeds (toasted & put through the mortar & pestle), 1 teaspoon toasted cumen (ground), 2 tablespoons Lampong Peppercorns (ground), 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 6 stalks celery (chopped), 2 yellow onions (chopped), and 4 Aji Limo Rojo chiles from Marx Foods. After sealing the pork butt and the braising elements in a vacuum sealed bag, the bag was placed into a large pot of 145F water for 5 hours.

From gastronomic guesswork

Next, the braising liquid was separated from the roast, reduced by half, blitzed with a stick blender, then strained through a chinois. The roast was coated in duck fat and caramelized briefly in a 450F oven (~10-15 minutes), rotating to brown each side. The roast was then returned to the reduced braising liquid and allowed to steep at 200F for 40 minutes longer.

From gastronomic guesswork

The carnitas topped some grilled ciabatta, were doused with some of the braising liquid to form an open faced sandwich, and accompanied by some thinly sliced avocado. Total creature comfort food here, the flavor of the cola melded well with the toasted coriander. the Lampong pepper left a little heat in the back of the mouth, the fruitiness of the Aji Limo Rojo rounded out the coriander and cumin - addictive. Thanks to Marx Foods for the sample chiles, truly a great ingredient, one of the most complex and interesting chiles I've ever tasted.

Slow Grilled Ribeye with Scallions, Great Divide Hoss Rye Lager

2009-10-04T10:34:00.004-06:00

Perfection is the enemy of done, and while I can be very particular about food and cooking techniques, sometimes a little minimalism is in order. After a very hectic week, steak, opening night hockey, and a great beer provided a bit of venial indulgence.

The ribeye was topped with organic butter, sea salt, and mortared tellicherry peppercorns, then grilled at 400F for 15 minutes. The steak was removed from the heat, the grilled raised to 550F and I finished the steak for 3 minutes a side. This preparation made the steak increadibly moist and just really beefy, made me think about how they grill steak in Italy as seen in an episode of Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie about an eminent butcher and griller named Dario.

From gastronomic guesswork

The beer was Hoss Rye Lager from Great Divide, the bronze medal winner from the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). It's an assertive, earthy & crisp beer that is not heavy, but stands up to strong flavors. Perfect with a steak - 92 pts.

Ciao for now summer fare, fall air and hockey are upon us ... and the harvest again yields the best season for cooking.

140F Manzanillo Sous Vide Halibut with Salsa Verde

2009-09-29T06:00:00.001-06:00

Sous Vide is a great technique to employ with proteins when you're serving guests, as it allows you to attain consistent results and is forgiving when you're juggling to get the side dishes out and carry on a conversation.

For this preparation, I obtained 1/2 lb of bulk organic manzanillo olive oil from whole foods and 1 lemon. Using vacuum bags, I added 2 thawed Alaskan halibut portions with half the oil along with the zest of one lemon to each bag. This was sealed using the "wet" setting on the vacuum sealer, then into a large pot of water which had stabilized to 140F over low heat. In this case a gas burner might be more precise, but I used one of the electric glass top burners and just added water to a large pot until it settled at 140F for a few minutes. The halibut was left at this temperature for 1 hour. The results were very delicious, but I must say I'd advise against attempting to sear the halibut afterward as the texture is such that it will fall apart. The guests were please in spite of my grilling misadventure. The halibut was accompanied by a lemon juice salsa verde, which was as epically good with seafood as the red wine vinegar version is with steak.

Sam Adams Utopias 2009

2009-09-28T22:27:00.006-06:00

The Bugatti Veyron of beer, totally impractical, hyper-indulgent, made my legs tingle, surreal, a fifteen flavor doppleganger of brewery convention that demands your undivided attention, more depth and nuance than anything else brewed, as interesting as the most eminent wines and spirits, verging on the absurd, but sheer joy to the beer aficionado. Sure you can say it's overdone, but what the hell else comes in at 27% alcohol and still is identifiable as beer? Simply NOTHING ... and I'm only guessing, but in true Veyron fashion I bet the crew at Boston Brewing hardly makes a dime on the stuff. This beer cannot be dismissed, it's the product of one of the most magnanimous craft beer groups in the world, and to ignore the amazing art here only connotes of our utter ignorance of to how to judge such a bespoke juggernaut amongst the artisanate.

Utopias is a velvet covered mallet on the fore-palate, sweet, brandy-like, caramel with acid like a gastrique, voluminously nutty, persistent, unrelenting, it just dances to different tunes in your mouth for several minutes afterward. The next taste brings something completely different, floral, herbal, beguiling you to reexamine the beast, it lingers gracefully, then finishes with a new layer of cocoa and figs, tar, vanillin, even slate. This beer is simply uncategorizable, truly the most interesting brew, maybe not the one you knowingly covet, but one you can barely even imagine in your dreams. The 2007 goes on eBay for $375-450, now I know why ... 100 pts

Duo Restuarant in Denver

2009-09-28T22:05:00.004-06:00

A couple months ago, a couple fellow food bloggers and I met up at Duo to just geek out about food. Walking in I instantly thought the place had an uptown urban vibe, and was serious about substance as I saw them pouring Oskar Blue's Pale Ale at the bar. After enjoying a cocktail and yammering about food geekery, we set about on some serious culinary gustation. Starting with some spring radishes with homemade butter, fluer de sel, on warm bread, we were struck by the simple elegance and precise flavor craft these chefs have. This was followed with the blood orange and fennel salad, an essential Italian flavor pairing. On to the duck confit, classic and perfect. For the main I had the gnocchi, after hearing the team at Duo just always nails the gnocchi - total satisfaction, perfect texture and mouthfeel. For New American dining, I'd put Duo at the top in Denver.

Thanks to Rebecca (From Argentina with Love) and Chelly (Rolling in Dough) for a great night of foodie indulgence. And special thanks to Foodbuzz for picking up the tab!

Park Burger in Denver

2009-09-28T21:55:00.004-06:00

So my wife came home from a night out with some gal pals just raving about this place. We recently made our way back there with kiddos in tow and I must say I'm impressed. I had the Frenchy Park Burger with ham and brie, my wife the Park Burger with sauteed onions and swiss, and everyone shared "the works" fries with cheese, bacon, scallions and some sour cream. The kiddos split a Mini Park Burger and some sweet potato fries. The beer selection was also impressive, with Avery IPA and Ska Brewing True Blond on tap! This south of South Pearl district eatery is one we shall put on The List, as this is definitely among the best burgers on the Front Range. Service was attentive, friendly, and toddler-friendly, comfort food with a big C. For my wife it has surpassed Cherry Cricket as her #1, I'll need to do a little more research before making a judgement, but man does that draught Avery make the total experience hard to beat.