Best way to spend a sunday afternoon...Bouley NYC

Bouley NYC is the finest French Dinning experience. Ofcource we chose the....

Tasting Menu.

Porcini Flan, Dungeness Crab, Black Truffle Dashi

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Beaverkill Rainbow Trout, Wild Watercress and Dandelion, Pine Nut Dressing

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Baby Skate Seasonal Ramps, Fricasée of Green Asparagus
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Long Island Duckling with a Balinese Pepper Crust, White Truffle Honey, Julienne of Snow Peas, Tahitian Vanilla-Glazed Turnips, Verjus, Ginger Dressing
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Coconut Soup Passion fruit, Pineapple Granité Organic Yogurt Sorbet

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Sirloin Sous Vide, Sunchoke Puree, Truffle Ravioli

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Hot Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé, Vermont Maple and Vanilla Ice creams, Chocolate Sorbet

After this dinner I can see why they were number 1 for so many years.

Unbelievable

Birthday Dinner at AJ Maxwell's in NY

What a great Birthday I had. First, I was surprised by my wife with plane tickets to New York. Then I was treated to an incredible dinner at AJ Maxwell's Steakhouse. Maxwell's is a 1st class Steak House that pulls out all the stops. For an appetizer i had a slab of bacon; crispy on the outside, juicy and full of flavor on the inside. For my my entree I'd enjoyed the King Louis the 14Th. Fillet Mignon, Foie Gras, and Port wine Sauce. Decadent. If your ever in New York i suggest you don't pass this one up. http://www.ajmaxwells.com/

The Harvey Hodz's Experiment.......

Tempura Fried Apple Wood Smoked Bacon Salad????

Harvey saw it on TV, so we had to try it. We tempura battered the bacon, deep-fried it, and placed it on a salad of mixed greens, tomatoes and blue cheese dressing. It was actually very tasty, but your conscience will only allow 2 bites. OK maybe three if your a Chef.

But really; this kind of stuff is fun, so if you have any crazy ideas or you've seen something weird on TV, please post here and we will make it!

I saw this sandwich on Anthony Bourdains No Reservations. It was called the three pigs. Pulled Pork, Sliced Pit Ham, Apple wood Bacon, Fried Egg, and Mornay Sauce, all placed on a toasted
kaiser. We ran it as a special in the Topsider for a week.

Oceans Edge Prix Fix!!

The Italian Dinner series will end on a high note with our last Prix Fixe Menu. Starting at the top was our sweet ending. A dessert created by our own pasty Chef Joey. He made two different ice creams and sealed them both in a White Chocolate shell. Served with some marinated strawberries and Chocolate sauce. Second picture is the Chestnut Ravioli's with Brown Butter Sauce and Pea Puree. The third picture is the White Bean Soup with Crispy Pancetta. Missing is the entree, a NY Strip Steak with Arugula Salad and Grilled Vegetables.

Dinner and Dancing at the Beach Club

Ocean's Edge was the happening place to be tonight. Dinner and Dancing was alot of fun. It was nice to see the Davis's were back from their European vacation so they could show off their dance moves!

1st Sawgrass Culinary Academy

Special thanks to all that participated in our cooking class today. Brook Adams gave an informative presentation on the different cuts of beef. Demonstrated a Chimichurri Sauce, Vinaigrette, Salad, and Passion Fruit Float. All were treated to a tour of the culinary facilities and demonstration of some new equipment. Looking forward to having our next class!!

2nd Gourmet Society

Coconut
"Sphere"
with Vanilla Pineapple Compote with Mint








Lomi Lomi Salmon
Salt Cured Salmon tossed with Pineapple and Tomato served with Curry Foam and Cilantro

Goutmet Society August cont.

"Duck Crusted Ahi Tuna"
We took the Duck skin and binded it to some ahi tuna with Transglutimase (formented protien powder) and then seared the skin side to render the fat. The Tuna was then sliced and served with seaweed salad, Papaya Puree, and Soy Sauce.


Pork Tenderloin "Sous-Vide"
We marinated the Tenderloins in Sake and Miso for 12 hours. We cooked them "under vaccum" for 2 hours at 128 degrees. Finally we pan seared them and served the Tenderloin atop Gingered Spinach, Sushi rice, and Guava BBQ.













Dessert Sushi; Compressed Pineapple Roll;
Vitamin Water Cavair; Watermelon Sashimi;
Warm Chocolate Soy

Gorgonzola Cheese Marble

Gorgonzola, Boursin, Fontina, Pistacios, Macadamia Nuts, and Black Peppercorns and Pounded together to take on the appearance of Marble. Garnished with Figs, Balsamic Reduction, and Micro Greens



"The Gourmet Society"

New Pasta Machine!!

Today we were excited to accept our new "La Parmigiana" pasta extruding machine. Brook manned the controls as we experimented with some different recipes. As you can see in the top picture it mixes the semolina dough. Then the extruder pushes the dough through the die which creates the shape of the pasta. Look forward to some homemade pasta specials in the future!

Ice Carving

Here are a few pictures of the ice carving process. This one I refer to as "The Shrimp Dispenser." I hollow out the inside and fill it with shrimp cocktail. The ice keeps the shrimp very cold while they slowly spill out on to more ice.

Prix Fix Menu!! Lookin Good!!

The Italian menu this week looks great. What an incredible deal to get to try all four of these dishes for 24.95. Starting from the top we have a picture of the Raspberry Chocolate Tart, Braised Short Ribs with Mascarpone Polenta, Arugula salad with Fontina Crouton with Figs and Crispy Pancetta and at the bottom we have the Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Cheese.

Barry Mcdonald and Chef Perry Visit Safe Harbor

Tuesday afternoon Barry Mcdonald and I got to take a little road trip out to Mayport to inspect the Facilities at Safe Harbor. We were happily met by Chris Wooten who took us on a guided tour where we got to inspect the process in which they handled and stored their fish. We went across the street to the Pier where we watched a shrimp boat unload approx 1000 lbs. After, we went into the retail shop and restaurant where we sampled some fresh grouper and shrimp. I would like to thank everyone at Safeharbor for being so hospitable and showing us such a nice and informative time.

Barry inspects the shrimp.

African Pompano
We will be serving this one tomorrow!!!
If your looking for the freshest fish, this is the spot!

Les Petite Gourmets

Wow, Did i have my "Plate Full" today. 17 Apprentices came to our cooking class today. Upon arrival all of our little Chefs were fitted with a chef hat and apron. We made pizzas from scratch, Cream Puffs, and took a tour of the kitchen. We toured the entire facility including the dreaded freezer (which i will post those pictures as soon as i get them) and as you can see in our first picture they all got to see what its like to work on "the Line." They got to feel the heat of Hells Kitchen.




Out of all the questions i was asked today, i was glad Harvey was around when a young man asked, "How many hours do you stay here?"




The Joy of Food.

As you can see Abby is a natural leader as she took charge of the line to make sure all the food was coming out hot and fast.

What a great time was had today, as we all had fun the moment it started. I will be having a class next month as well so i hope to see all my little chefs there as well.

The 1st Annual Summer Camp Luncheon

The boys and girls of the Sawgrass Country Club Summer Camp were treated to a surprise luncheon by the Beach Club F&B Staff. They had a lunch Buffet of mini burgers, hot dogs and a Ice Cream Sunday. I would like to thank them for being such wonderful diners and for all the thank-you cards. I hope to see all of you at The Petites Gourmets cooking class.

Banquet "Plate ups" always look so cool

Salmon Wellington













Lobster Salad with Avocado and Mango













"Surf andTurf" Tar-tar. Beef carpacio and Tuna tar-tar.

Some of Our "Sweetest" Specials

Starting from the top we have a unique variation of our Scallops. An Asian influenced Crab Crusted Sea bass with Ginger Carrot Puree. Parmesan Topped Grouper with Angel Hair Pomodoro and Calamata Olive Puree. Rack Of Venison with Red Wine Demi, Garlic Foam, and Baby Port Wine Pear.

1st Monthly Gourmet Society

Our first Gourmet society dinner was a great success. I would like to thank all the adventurous dinners who participated for making it a memorable evening. For the first course we took a page out of Thomas Kellers book "Under Pressure" We used compressed watermelon to create a tar-tar and used Sodium Alginate to create an "egg yolk" out of Mango. Also Pictured is a Seared Fois Gras on Brioche Toast Points, Sous-Vide Onion Confit, and Blueberry Gastrique.