Life on the Line #4--Tasting Menus

     Tasting menus are a way to impress the diners at a restaurant.  They are a way to show your guests that the kitchen can do much more than what's on the regular menu.  Depending on the restaurant that you go to, tasting menus can follow a particular cuisine, seasonal flavors or something off the wall that is a drastic deviation from the regular fare.
     The last restaurant where I worked, we created a tasting menu every Saturday night.  Sometimes they were well thought out during the week leading up to Saturday, the other times they were written just the night before.  We tried to write our menus inspired by product that's seasonal and readily available at the local farmers market but it didn't happen every time. 
     There were a few menus that we created that we weren't completely happy with but yet again, we were our biggest critics.  There's so much involved in writing a special tasting menu. Since it's supposed to showcase what you can do as a chef, the last thing we wanted to do was disappoint people and develop a poor name for ourselves.  Reputation is everything in the food business.  When visiting a high-end restaurant, tasting menus tend to be rather expensive if they even offer one.  I cannot say that it's always worth the money but you'll never know until you try it. 
     I find myself writing tasting menus on my own time.  It keeps my culinary brain charged and gives me ideas to try.  This is why I keep a food journal of all the past things that I've done and the future.  This is what inspired this blog entry and here is the menu that I created today.

Course One

Roasted Beet & Arugula Salad
Candied Walnuts, Roquefort Blue Cheese, Pickled Red Onions, Sorghum Vinaigrette

Fig & Goat Cheese Tart
Fennel Preserves, Mixed Greens, 10 year Balsamic Reduction

Course Two

Mavrodaphne Glazed Ribeye
Thyme Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Parsley Sauce, Olive Oil

Grilled Arctic Char

Lemon Braised Kale, Fried Capers, Tarama Caviar, Avgolemeno Emulsion

Course Three

Butterscotch Bread Pudding

Coffee Buttercream, Dulce De Leche Sauce

Apple Tart Tatin

Housemade Pistachio Gelato, Triple Cream Brie Sauce

2012: A Brand New Year

     It's the new year and it's that time in every one's life where a resolution has been made that deals primarily with one's body.  The resolution that most people make is to diet more, or exercise more, or stop drinking as much.  Everyone enjoys their traditional holiday food and I'm no exception to that.  The one thing that I cannot do and don't recommend to others is to limit their food options. 
     I've known people in my life that decide to go on a diet but limit their food intake in such a severe manner that they inevitably break and revert back to the food items that they wanted to eliminate from their bodies.  I'm not saying that I have the best diet in the world, I could definitely afford to lose a few pounds.  It's when I altered my diet to eat healthier while leaving room for the occasional indulgence is what helped me lose eighteen pounds in just a few short months.
     Eat locally where you can, avoid fried foods, cut down your sugar and carbohydrate intake and it's amazing how much better you feel on the inside.  Most importantly, completely cut out fast food or highly processed foods.  Being a chef, I thought it would be difficult to alter my diet the way that I have.  It took some research but I've been able to still enjoy some amazing food without having to call it "health food" or "diet food". 
     There are so many facets to the world of food and to this day, after roughly sixteen years in the business, I am still amazed at what's available.