Warmth Dinner January 6th, 2014

“Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.”
M.F.K. Fisher

We were yet again bless with many great souls who came and enjoy another lovely meal with the [ Salt / Water ] staff. It was especially great theme consider the weather as of late here in a cosy little corner of northeast Iowa.

Course 1

Course 2

Course 4

Course 3

As a Special Bonus I will included the recipe for the favor course of the night, Roasted Red and Yellow Pepper Soup, Roasted Pork Belly, Lime Zest.

Pork Belly:
1 6- 8 lb whole Pork belly, I prefer skin off
1/4 C Kosher Salt
3/4 C Sugar

Mix together salt and sugar. Place the pork belly in a deep container that hold the entire belly. Coat one side of belly evenly with half of the salt/sugar mixture, flip over and cover with the rest of the mix. Allow to cure for 24 hrs in the refridgator or at least 6hrs minimum.
Heat your oven to 500 degrees. Remove pork from fridge, leaving behind any excess liquid. Again place the pork belly in a roasting pan that can hold it in a single layer. Roast in the oven at 500 degrees for 1 1/2 hrs to 2 hrs, this will render out a lot of fat. Reduce hear to 350 F degrees and allow to roast for another hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cool, remove pork from rendered fat and wrap well with plastic wrap in several layers. Allow to cool in the fridge for several hours, this will help with neat slices.

Note: DO NOT THROW AWAY all that delicious fat and liquid gold at the bottom. The fat can be used to fry potatoes and the like. The liquid gold is a great base for stews, soups, sauces… instant deliciousness

Straight out of the oven Pork Belly

Roasted Pepper Soup

2 Cans of Roasted Red Pepper
1/2 Onion, minced
4 Garlic cloves, minced
2 Limes, zest and juice
2 C White Wine
2 C Water or Stock
4 T oil
4 T smoked paprika
In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add roasted peppers and continue to cook for 20 minutes to allow the peppers to break down. Add wine and water, bring to boil and reduce to simmer and continue to cook for another 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Blend soup until very smooth and creamy. Add paprika, lime juice and zest. Adjust seasonings with salt/pepper and more lime if needed.

Roasted Yellow Pepper Coulis
1 can Roasted yellow pepper
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 C oil
juice of 1/2 Lemon
salt

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until thick and emulsified, adding more oil if need. Adjust seasoning and reserve.

To Serve:
2C Roasted Pepper Soup
2T Roasted Yellow Pepper Coulis
2 Thick Slices of Pork Belly
Zest of 1 Lime
Pinch of Smoked Paprika

Heat soup over low heat until warm. In a saute pan, heat the pork belly on both sides until well crisped. Ladle soup into a bowl, place both slices of pork belly on top, soup a little of the coulis around the bowl. Sprinkle with lime zest, paprika and tiny bit of salt. Serve and enjoy!

Thanks again and we hope to see you soon! And be sure to check out more photos on Instagram; Driftlessfood.

[ 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.

Final Menu for Round 7: Totally Local Summer

Below are the final details for the menu of Round 7

[ Lots of Herbs / Turnover ]
Warm from the Oven Butter Turnover, Fresh Goat Cheese Flavored with Thyme, Bacon, Smoked Apple Jam, Thyme, Rosemary

[ Tomato / Salad ]
Roasted Heirloom Tomato Custard, Chilled Cherry Tomatoes, Tomato Water, Basil Coulis, Micro Sprouts

[ Sweet Corn / Soup ]
Chilled Raw Sweet Corn Soup, Pickled Fennel and Summer Squash, Goat Cheese Mousse, Fried Fennel Fronds

[ Pork Confit / Ratatouille ]
Pork Tenderloin Poached in its Own Fat for 12 Hours, Roasted Eggplant, Tomato, Summer Squash Gratin, Herb Jus, Roasted Garlic Puree

[ Puff Pastry / Summer Fruit ]
Honey Glazed Puff Pastry with Multiple Local Fruit Jams

This entire menu for only $45 per person. Wine/Drink pairing will also be available as well. More details on that soon. Please note the menu can be made Vegan or GF with advance notice.
Please send your reservations to Driftlessfood@gmail.com with note of preferred time [ 5:30 pm or 7:45pm ] and if you have any food allergies. Please note that space is limited and reserved as first come, first served.
Many thanks in advance,
[ Salt / Water ] staff

Round 7 : Totally Local Summer

“So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being.”
Franz Kafka

Summer Tastes sourced within Winneshiek county in Iowa

What a great idea, admittedly not my own nor the first to do it either, but something that the restaurant where I work strives to do everyday… until the dead of February any how. The timing could not be better either, the blazing heat of august allows all of our favorite veggies to come to most pleasurable. Our mind already jumps to ripe, dense eggplants, freshly scrubbed new potatoes, beautiful tender sweet corn, over abundant summer squashes, fragrant herbs of every variety perfuming the air, and let us not forget multi-hued juicy tomatoes. How could summer around Decorah be any better?

So why not make it a of a challenge? So all the food will be limited to what can and is produced, raised or prepared within the confines of Winneshiek county. With the only except I can think of… salt (and my preference Morton’s Kosher salt). Unless somebody can think of something we could not possibly find or exchange. So in addition to all the photos we usually take, we will included photos all the sources of the food (hopefully) or at least write out where each product came from and who produced/raised it. Wish us luck.

So with summer in all it’s glory we present the layout for the menu of Round 7: Local Summer

[ Lots of Herbs / Turnover ]

[ Tomato / Salad ]

[ Sweet Corn / Soup ]

[ Pork Confit / Ratatouille ]

[ Puff Pastry / Summer Fruit ]

We will also offer a Vegan, GF option as well in addition in the regular menu. Dinner will be $45 per person and possible have a drink pairing as well. More details on the menu and drinks will come soon. BYOB is still encouraged as well.

That night we will offer two seating, 5:30 and 7:45 pm, on Sunday September 8th 2013. Seating will be limited to 20 people per seating. Please email all reservations or question to Driftlessfood@gmail.com . We look forward to serving some amazing food that night.

Thanks,
[ Salt / Water ] Staff

Round 5: Italian Farmhouse

Peasant food.

What is more satisfying than a simple meal of homely honest ingredients cooked well.  These are the dishes of mothers and grandmothers everywhere, the tastes that bring to mind happy times with family at the table.  What better image in the American psyche is the gathering of Italian American families eating Sunday meals.  From the Godfather movies to the Sopranos TV show, the Italian lifestyle of gathering to eat has shown us what a proper meal is supposed to look like. However all these meals come from a long history of not only Italian families gathering for a shared feast everyday, but one where all cultures have shown that after a long hard day working in the field , everyone could come together and share in the bounty of their shared labor. Thus we present for Round 5, The People’s choice…. Italian Farmhouse

[ L’Antipasto ]

House Made Mozzarella, Eggplant Caviar, Caper berries, La Quercia Prosciutto, Crostini

 

[ Il Primo ]

Fresh Stuffed Pasta with Gorgonzola, Beef Broth, Parmesan

 

[ Il Secondi ]

Braised Beef Short Ribs, Creamy Polenta, Tomato Ragu

 

[ Il Dolce ]

Amaretto Semifreddo, Almond Biscotti, Espresso Crema

Dinner will be $40 per person and may include a wine/drink pairing for an additional $15.  BYOB is encouraged and allowed.  We will have two seating 5:30 and 7:45 for this Sunday, July 14, 2013.  Please reserve in advance at Driftlessfood@gmail.com.

Our many 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

Follow up to “Spring” Menu – The Photos

Well we made it through another amazing Dinner service for the second [ Salt / Water ] Spring dinner menu.  Again the support was amazing from everyone who attended and those who couldn’t get seats, we will make it up to you all.

I took some lovely photos of the food this time, more than last time.  If anybody has any photos to share please email them to me and I will make sure you get some credit.

[ Pistachio ] course

pic of the [ Flower / Citrus ] course

Roasted and marinated beets, Malt “soil”, local goat cheese “sorbet”, local beet shouts, beet-balsamic reduction.

 

Below are some more links from my Instagram, please follow if what to see more pics of some lovely food. http://instagram.com/driftlessfood

[ Pistachio ]Pistachio cake with dark chocolate, toasted nuts, and meringue

[ Flower / Citrus ] Cauliflower puree, grapefruit segment, artichokes two ways, rose hip reduction, violets

The [ Flower / Citrus ] had to be my favorite course of all. Amazing tastes and so very beautiful. Recipe soon.

Some of the nice wine we had.

 

Many thanks,

[ Salt / Water ] staff

“SPRING” menu for April 7th Dinner

saltwater Spring Menu

Above is a link for the newest menu for the “SPRING” menu on April 7th, 2013.  We will be featuring both a Regular Menu and a Vegan Menu as well, for all our lovely and friendly Vegan guests.  The seating will be at 5:30 and 7:45 pm and the cost of the dinner will again be 38. for the Regular Menu and 35. for the Vegan Menu.  There will also be a possible Wine pairing as well, with details to come soon.  Please email Driftlessfood@gmail.com with your time and menu preferences.  Remember space will be limited and all reservations are on a first come and first served basis.  Again thank you all for your support and time.

[ Salt / Water ] staff

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Photos from First Dinner

Chef welcoming Diners

Fresh Whipped Cheese Curds with Aged Cheddar, Pumpernickel, Cheddar “Crumble,” Crispy Beef Thread, Fresh Chervil

Seared Sous Vide Cornish Game Hen Breast, Duck Fat Poached Leg, Olive Oil Poached Potato, Natural Jus, Upland Cress

Credit: All Photos from Julie Berg-Raymond