ChildHood, February 23, 2014

“Think what a better world it would be if we all–the whole world–had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap.”

~ Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Time again to hit the kitchen and cook ups some warm memories from our collected childhoods, warm meals, sticky treats and family favorites. It can be just like the key moment from Ratatouille when Anton Ego (the critic) tastes a single bite of the dish and is instantly transported back to his childhood and a meal of pure bliss. ( BTW, if you haven’t seen Pixar’s Ratatouille and consider yourself a “foodie” then you are missing out! Fun Fact; Chef Thomas Keller [French Laundry, Per Se, many more…] was hired as a chef consultant for the movie and the title dish is modeled after one his own.) I believe everyone has at least one dish that can evoke feelings of nostalgia of childhood, sitting in front of the TV with a bowl of cereal, lunchables in your lunch box or my favorite; my mother’s potato salad for breakfast.

This menu was a total blast to create because of how many different ideas I came up with… spaghetti-o’s, Hostess’ many different cakes, burgers, fries, any thing really fast food related and candies galore. Also you even imagine the response of friends and family over the different opinions of what to choose to make as well.

By know you’re probably worried we might cheat and just serve Kraft Mac & Cheese and other assorted “boxed” foods. Rest assured everything per usual will be made in house and fresh to order and some of them will be updated with craft ingredients or modernist techniques. So we the staff of [ Salt / Water ] present the Childhood Menu.

[ Pop Rocks ]
Lemon / Lime

[ PB&J ]
Vanilla Sponge, Creamy Honey Peanut Butter, Carbonated Grapes, Toasted Bread Crumbs, Peanut “Dust”

[ Mac & Cheese / Hot Dog ]
Hot Smoked All Beef House-made Hot Dog, Aged Cheese Mac & Cheese, Toasted Bread Crumbs

[ Chicken Nuggets / Fries / Dipping Sauces ]
House-made Chicken Nuggets, Hand Cut Thrice Fried Potatoes, Honey Mustard, Ranch, BBQ

[ Cereal / Milk ]
Cereal Milk Panna Cotta, Caramelized Corn Flakes, Strawberry Coulis, Chocolate Shavings

This February 23rd, 2014 at La Rana Bistro. Two seating, 5:30 pm and 7:45 pm. Cost is $35 per person and BYOB. Please specify any food allergies when making reservations. Please reserve your spot by emailing Driftlessfood@gmail.com with time and the number of the party. Thanks in advance.

[ Salt / Water ] Staff

New Year, New Menu — WARMTH

“Food for the body is not enough.There must be food for the soul.”
Dorothy Day

Wow… 2013 really amped up fast. I just realized I haven’t even posted the last two dinners we had in October and December. Not to mention the wonderful article that was written about us in Edible Iowa River Valley by the great and gracious Renee Brincks. I’ve included a link below,
http://edibleiowa.imirus.com/Mpowered/book/viowa2013/i4/p30

So here we are in this current sub-zero temperatures ( as of this evening, -13 Degrees F with -35 Degrees windchill…. brrrr…) and we here at [ Salt / Water ] are ready to crank out some delicious food to take your mind off the winter. So we hear are thinking of warming foods for the soul and while we would typically go the route of old school comfort food classics, i.e. casseroles, hearty soups, braised meats, etc… Instead we are thinking south of the border, beaches, rainforests, bright sunshine and seafood, not so many calories after the holidays. So our theme for this round is WARMTH. A 4 course meal for $35 per person with two seating at 5:30pm and 7:30pm. We will only have BYOB for drinks that night.

[ Amuse Bouche ]
Warm Soup of Roasted Red and Yellow Pepper with Lime Zest

[ Ceviche / Shrimp ]
Cooked and Marinated Wild Caught Gulf Brown Shrimp, Blue Swimming Crab, Cucumber Gelee, Meyer Lemon Granita, Pickled Red Onion, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Chili

[ Thai / Red Snapper ]
Sous Vide Poached Red Snapper, Sambal, Ginger, Basil, Housin Baby Bok Choy, Crispy Fish Skin, Coconut Rice

[ Tequila / Chantilly ]
Tequila Babas, Whipped Cream with Fleur de Sel, Lime Zest, Caramel

We will make changes for dietary restrictions if given enough notice, 24 hrs please include in reservation.

So please sign up for this upcoming Sunday for a glorious night of WARMTH. Please email your reservation at Driftlessfood@gmail.com with the number of guests, time slot and any dietary restrictions. Thanks in advance and can not wait for the weekend!
[ Salt / Water ] Staff

P.S. Look forward to more on the blog soon! Yes I promise to keep this more up to date with recipes, reviews and techniques in the upcoming months.

Photos from Summer French Dinner

 

Below are links to our instagram account which holds all the photos from events and different items that are made/produced at La Rana Bistro and bonus stuff from Driftless Food & Catering.  So be sure to check us out at instagram.com/driftlessfood.

Coq au Vin

Clafoutis

Vichyssoise

Menu

Table Setting

Thanks,

[ Salt / Water ] Staff

Dinner Menu for June 9th 2013, French Summer Dinner

French Summer Dinner Menu

Above is the link to the menu for the June 9th 2013 Pop up dinner at La Rana Bistro. This round will feature French classical dishes from the country side that best showcase of the variety of produce here in the driftless region and beyond. As usual you can expect to be surprised by my riffs on the classic cuisine .  In addition, we will be pairing each course with wines from where the dishes originate.  Please email Driftlessfood@gmail.com with reservations of either 5:30 pm or 7:30 pm.  Thanks

[ Salt / Water ] Staff

[ Bar Food ] May 5th, 2013

Here is the menu for the next [ Salt / Water ] dinner this Sunday at La Rana Bistro.  We will only be doing one seating for this event, so space is limited and going fast. Six courses around the theme of “Bar Food” for a price of 42 per person.  There will also be an optional 6 course beer pairing for an additional 15 per person.  The menu will be available in regular and vegan options and all items will be made with Gluten Free items.

Be sure to email Driftlessfood@gmail.com with your reservation soon.  Thanks as always for your support!

[Salt/Water] Staff

 

Bar Food

 

Regular Menu

[ Popcorn ]

Heirloom Popcorn, Caramel, Peanut

 

[ Bloody Mary ]

Tomato Soup, Bacon, Pickles, Black Pepper, Beer

 

[ Pretzel  ]

German Soft Pretzel, Local Manchego Fondu, Mustard

 

[ Chicken Wingz ]

Smoked, Confit and Fried,  Garnishes

 

[ Shrimp Toast ]

Poached/Pickled Shrimp, Shrimp Crisp, Capers, Remoulade

 

[ Cupcake ]

Beet – Chocolate Cake, Whipped Coconut Cream, Balsamic

Vegan

[ Popcorn ]

Heirloom Popcorn, Caramel, Peanut

 

[ Bloody Mary ]

Tomato Soup, Smoked Squash “Bacon”, Pickles, Black Pepper, Beer

 

[ Pretzel ]

German Soft Pretzel,  Olive Tapenade, Mustard

 

[ Yakitori Tofu ]

Grilled Tofu, Soy, Toasted Sesame Oil, Scallions

 

[ Tacos ]

Black Beans, Avocado, Cilantro, Cabbage Slaw, Corn Tortilla

 

[ Cupcake ]

Beet – Chocolate Cake, Whipped Coconut Cream, Balsamic

[ Flower / Citrus ] thoughts and recipe.

[ Flower / Citrus ] cauliflower, artichokes two ways, grapefruit, rosehip reduction, violets

So this happens to be my favorite dish from the last [ Salt / Water ] Spring menu.  The inspiration of this dish comes from multiple sources. First, spring itself,  how can you not think of spring with all the blooming flowers. It also pays homage to the fact winter is drawing to an end and the end of the citrus season as well.  The second is a nod to some of my favorite world-class restaurants and chefs.  Many high-end chef, [Chef Rene Redzepi of NOMA, Ben Shewery of Attica, Andoni Luis Aduriz of Murgaritz, among many others], are using lots and lots of flowers in their cuisines highlighting not only the beauty of flowers but also their unique tastes as well.  For instance, violets have a wonderful vegetable taste and nasturtiums are delightfully peppery and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are whole worlds of flavors hidden in flowers.

Where does cauliflower and artichoke come into these equation? Well if you didn’t know any better they are both actually flowers in disguise   The artichoke plant that we all know and love is actually part of the thistle family. What we eat is actually the unopened flower bloom of the plant and this also explains all the barbs that protect the tasty heart of the flower. What about Cauliflower? It is actually the genetically modified monster flowering head of the Brassica family [ also in this family is broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale…] that generations of farmers spent time enlarging the heads to the produce we are familiar with today.

So enough talk… recipe below.

Cauliflower Puree

1 head of Cauliflower, cleaned, stemmed and cut into large pieces

1/2 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt

Place the cauliflower in a pot and cover with water and add some salt.  Bring the pot to a boil and reduce to a simmer and allow to cook until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and place the still warm cauliflower in a high-speed blender.  Blend on high-speed while slowly adding the olive oil until the puree is thick.  Season to taste with salt and set aside warm until later.

Grapefruit

1 Grapefruit

1 C water

1/2 C Sugar

Supreme the grapefruit into individual segments. Combine the water and sugar in a pot and bring to a simmer and mix well until the sugar is dissolved. allow to cool and then add grapefruit segments.  Reserve in the fridge.

Fried Artichokes

2 whole Artichokes

Lemon juice

Water

Olive oil

salt

Trim the artichokes down to the hearts. Slice the artichoke hearts into thin slices. Reserve the slices in water and lemon juice to prevent oxidation.  Reserve until ready to serve

Marinated Artichokes

4 whole artichokes

1 C Olive Oil

2 garlic cloves, sliced thin

2 T Herbes de Provence

Trim the artichokes down to the hearts and cut the hearts into wedges. Place the olive oil, artichokes, garlic and herbs de provence in a pot and bring to a simmer over a medium heat.  Allow to cook for 1 hour until the artichokes are melting soft. reserve warm in the olive oil

Rose hip Reduction

20 rose hips

1/4 C honey

1 C water

Combine all ingredient in a pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Reduce the liquid by half, strain the hips out of the liquid and reserve the liquid. Pour into a squeeze bottle and chill. reserve

To Finish;

Artichoke Fried Chips; see below

Marinated Artichokes; from above

Cauliflower Puree; from above

Grapefruit; from above

Fresh Chervil, minced finely

Fresh Violets

Salt

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Heat oil to 375 degree F.  Drain the artichokes on paper towels until very dry.  Deep fry the artichoke until crispy, about 3-5 minutes. Drain well on paper towels and season with salt. Keep warm.

To Plate; Place a spoonful of the cauliflower on the middle of plate. Spoon of the olive oil poached artichokes on top the puree and top with two of the artichoke chips.  Drizzle some of the rosehip reduction around the plate. Place a grapefruit segment on the side of the puree.  Scatter the chervil and violets over the mound of cauliflower and artichokes.  Season lightly with salt and a touch of olive oil.