Thursday, December 18, 2008

AAA Four Diamond Award Presentation



It was a pleasure to represent the restaurant for our second AAA Four Diamond award. It is fun to dress up and get out of the restaurant for some wine and hors d' oeuvres every once in a while. The awards ceremony took place at Richmond Hill Inn, just outside of downtown Asheville, NC. Congrats to all of the staff at The Gamekeeper! From left, Rachel (FOH Manager), Neill (Sous Chef), Edwin (Chef de Cuisine), Jeannie (Server).

The Latest Review of A Great Chef

One of my best friends, Britton Saylor, has guests 'licking their plates for another taste' at Primland Resort in Southwest Virginia. I have worked with Britt on numerous occasions over the past 10 years. He has taught me a tremendous amount and I have great respect for him as a chef, and as a friend. Check out his latest review here and Primland Resort.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Roasted Parmesan Ice Cream



My first taste of parmesan ice cream was while doing a stage at Townhouse. I did not use their recipe and to make it my own, I roasted the rind of the cheese. I'm not sure how they made their version. This allowed the oil from the cheese to be released. I strained off the oil and reserved. I heated the milk enough to dissolve the sugar and then poured the mixture over the roasted rinds and let steep for 24 hours. The roasting seemed to bring out a great nutty essence. I mixed the oil with maltodextrin and whipped it into the yolks. Next time I may microplane a bit more parm into the yolks for just a bit more of the salty side of balance.

Spicy Crawfish Tails

Friday, December 5, 2008

Tomato Pincee



This is a closeup of my tomato pincee for venison osso bucco. We have a great recipe for this dish. However, after we have served all of the portions, we find ourselves with an excess of gravy and vegetables left over from braising the shanks. If anyone has any great ideas, please let us know. We have talked, pondered, and tried different outlets but have failed to be completely successful.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Our Newest Toy



We welcomed our newest piece of modern kitchen equipment to the Gamekeeper yesterday afternoon. This is a very exciting addition, one that has been talked about for a long time. To accompany this, a couple weeks earlier, I received my copy of "Under Pressure" by Thomas Keller. Not only does this book explain sous vide, it also gives a great overview of using vaccuum sealers. Our machine is a Minipack Torre MV 31, made in Italy. From the research I have done, I think we got the European Edition. The U.S. edition I have seen is set up a bit different, with the same options, but labeled the MVS 31. The windows of opportunity just let in a little more light! We will keep you posted.