Dinner For Dad & Off to Barcelona

As a chef, cooking for your family is always special.  Cooking a dinner in honor of your father's career is simply as good as it gets.  I got to do just that on February 27th at the NC State Club in Raleigh.  The guidelines were simple; cook whatever you want for a 20 person dinner to celebrate my Dad's career.  I settled in on a four course menu.  Given my Dad's bread baking past and the incredible Challah loaf he makes I made some bread (Caraway-Pecan Rye & Rosemary Pizza Bianca).  For starters guests also got some white truffle & gruyere cheese popcorn washed down with some champagne.  Here are some pics!

   1st Course:  Roasted Red Pepper & Smoked Paprika Bisque with a Clam & Chorizo Sausage Crispy Paella Arancini.

This dish was inspired by our trip to Spain (we leave tomorrow!).  The bisque is made with roasted and raw red bell peppers, garlic, onions, a fistful of smoked paprika, and roasted tomatoes.  The Arancini is done by making a paella with shrimp broth, rice, spanish chorizo, soffrito (tomatoes, onions, green peppers cooked very slowly), and clams at the end.  This heavenly mixture is breaded and deep fried until crispy and sprinkled with smoked paprika.  First stop might just by Paella when we get to Spain.

 2nd Course:  Spring Vegetable Salad

I get tired very quickly of your typical mixed green salad with candied walnuts, goat cheese, and apples.  I wanted to do something to celebrate vegetables and the incredible farmer's market down the street.  Nearly everything you see on the plate comes from the market 1 mile from the State Club.  I made a pesto with spicy mustard greens, soaked spring onions in buttermilk and deep fried them, confit'd red and yellow beets in thyme & citrus, sliced some sweet, crisp radishes, and pickled some rhubarb in oj.  The white rectangle is Halloumi cheese (a sheep's milk grilling cheese from Cypress) that I coated in Dukkah spice (a mixture of cumin, sesame seeds, coriander, hazelnuts and black pepper  I made a vinaigrette with grapefruit and tangerine juice, plenty of zest, and olive oil for a little bitter-sweet note.

 Third Course:  Korean Chile Rubbed Short Ribs w/Black Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Tangerine Glazed Carrots, and Pickled Shiitakes, and Shichimi Spiced Breadcrumbs.

The shortribs came out perfect, tender & juicy with a little heat from the Korean chile paste.  I was really excited about the black garlic in the mashed potatoes.  A friend of mine had made some black garlic (fermenting garlic in a rice cooker for about 10 days until it turns black and gets a savory and caramel aroma).  I rehydrated this in some cream with some fresh garlic and blended it all for a deep rich almost coffee flavor.  The shiitakes got cooked down in soy sauce, sherry vinegar, and plenty of ginger until tender.  I braised the carrots in tangerine juice & olive oil. 

 4th Course;  Layered Crepe & Homemade Nutella Cake with a Rhubarb Coulis, Salted Caramel and Bruleed Banana.

Crepes and Nutella have always been a favorite in our house and I recently started making it from scratch which not only tastes better but allows you to heat it.  I made a ridiculous amount of vanilla crepes and layered them with the nutella, until it was about the thickness of a cake and pressed it overnight.  The cake was served warm with the pink rhubarb sauce and a deep, salty caramel.  The banana is tossed in sugar and then bruleed for a little crunch. 

After an incredible visit in Cape Cod, where we may have endangered the local shellfish population, this time tomorrow night Laura and I will be on our way to Barcelona where we begin our 6 month adventure (3 months in Spain, 3 in South Africa).  Looking forward to sharing all of the DELICIOUS experiences with you.