Menu and Dinner Planning

Alright everyone, sorry about the inconsistent posting. I’m transitioning from one job to another and was in Calgary for a wedding for four days (the Canadian eating feature is coming next week.)

Because I see an impending dip in time/motivation to break my back and destroy my schedule cooking for large groups for absolutely no monetary compensation,I thought id break my back and destroy my schedule cooking for a large group for no monetary compensation one last time.

I’m having 23 guests over on Friday night to partake in a nine course dinner with wine pairings. The menu includes some favorites, some new stuff, some inspiration from restaurants and cookbooks and some animals and sea creatures that I haven’t cooked for large groups before.

Here is a brief rundown of what I have lined up and why it’s there.

Scallop Sashimi, mango horseradish puree, pickled ramps

Cremant de Jura

I like this dish because I feel like it really belongs to me. The scallops are nice and sweet and tossed with a little of the pickling liquid from the ramps to help add a touch of sourness. The mango horseradish is fun and different and adds a little bit of a kick to the dish and we’ll se how the pickled ramps turn out. I’m hoping they add a little texture and a different sort of bite to the dish.

Popcorn shrimp ceviche, achiote butter popcorn

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc


I made this on a whim when I came back from Mexico and everyone loved it. I had heard of popcorn and ceviche going together and was looking for a way to use my newly purchased achiote paste. This got me to thinking about achiote butter popcorn and shrimp as a play on the term ‘popcorn shrimp.’ Achiote really tastes great and I think marinating the shrimp in orange juice, lime juice, onions, cilantro and oregano helps to compliment the achiote while the tender shrimp lend a pleasing textural contrast to the popcorn.

Arctic Char Tartare, radish sprout, celery

This dish is pretty much directly lifted from the Gramercy Tavern menu except for a few changes. I love the citrus cured arctic char and think that its partnership with grapefruit, orange, chives, shallots and crème fraiche creates a pretty perfect bite.

Fennel Crusted Halibut, Sweet Corn, pesto, Spicy tomato sauce

Obscure Sicilian White

This is another one of my favorite personal dishes. I worked on it for a while and love how it turns out in the summer when I can find corn, tomatoes and fresh basil. It has all the elements of a great dish (in my opinion). It gets sweetness from the corn, heat and acid from the spicy tomato sauce, crunch from the corn and fennel crust, earthy flavors form the fennel and basil and a fantastically juicy thick piece of halibut


Butter Poached lobster, leeks, sugar snaps, saffron fennel puree

White burgundy

I got this idea from the French Laundry cookbook and added the saffron fennel puree. Butter poached lobster has an amazing texture and a great richness that gets cut a little by the sugar snaps and leeks. I also think that saffron goes incredibly well with lobster. Either way…It’s hard to argue with butter, lobster and white burgundy.

Roasted Marrow Bones with parsley shallot salad and Pork Belly bites with pickled cucumbers and hoisin plum sauce

Pinot Noir

The marrow bones are stolen from Fergus Henderson and are simply fantastic tasting, just like a combination of meat and butter. The idea for the pork belly comes from Momofuku with the hoisin plum being my idea. I thought these would be a nice meaty interlude and give me some time to make the…

Lamb Chop, golden raisin puree, couscous, olives, pistachios, Brussels sprouts

Oregon Pinot Noir

This seems a little disjointed possibly but I really liked a lamb dish I had with olives the other day and also love the sweet salty interplay of olives and raisins to go with the lambiness of lamb. I’ve worked on this one before but it’s definitely not finished yet so I’m hoping for the best

Short ribs, potato garlic puree, carrots, turnips

Everyone loves a good short rib and because of the cost/deliciousness ratio this has been a staple at dinners. I think this is the prettiest and best tasting incarnation of the dish so we’ll see what people think.

Cheese Board—I deserve a break at this point

Maple bread pudding soufflé, bacon walnut ice cream

People have been daring me to make bacon ice cream for some time now so I think I'm going to give it a shot. I think it will go well with the bread pudding soufflé which is delicious and maple-y but definitely needs a little salt (the bacon) to cut the sweetness and a little cold because I think any good dessert has some cold to it.


Now its time to get to my million page shopping and prep list.