40th Anniversary 9 Course Tasting Menu

It was my parents 40th so I went all out. It's November so I wanted to stick to an autumn theme. I also wanted to give them the experience of going to a very fancy restaurant. So this is what I did. Every single component (including the juices & oils) was made by hand. It took about a week of research. A day of shopping. 3-4 nights of prep work. And finally about 2 full days of cooking. Worth. Every. Second. I included some pics at the bottom. Do this for someone you love and make them feel like the center of the universe!

-APPETIZERS-

cave-agued gruyere puffs, cranberry chutney

-SALAD-

arugula & fennel, serrano ham, pomegranate, balsamic reduction, orange oil

-INTERMEZZO-

pomegranate granita

-SOUP-

cream of cauliflower, candied ginger

-INTERMEZZO-

grapefruit granita

-SEAFOOD-

seared scallops, apple-onion marmalade, bacon, cider sauce

served with pinot grigio

-INTERMEZZO-

pear sorbet, cardamom

-MEAT-

pan-roasted beef tenderloin w/ rosemary & garlic, orange honey roasted baby carrots, celery root & potato puree

served with zinfindel

-DESSERT-

berry cobbler, creme anglaise

served with port

Gruyere Puffs:


Cranberry Chutney:

Salad:

Seafood:

Meat:

Dessert:

Celery Root & Potato Puree

I made this to go alongside beef tenderloin and carrots. It's a nice change of pace from your regular mashed potatoes. The celery root adds a different dimension.

• 1 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes (I used red potatoes)
• 1 1/2 lbs celery root (celeriac)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chopped chervil (or just use parsley cuz they're damn near the same thing)

Peel potatoes & celery root. Cut into 1-inch chunks. Steam in a large steamer set over boiling water, covered, until very tender, 30-40 minutes. Force through a food mill into a bowl (I ended up putting it in the food processor), stir in cream, chervil, 3/4 tsp salt and about 1/2 tsp pepper.

*Can be made 2 days ahead & chilled. Reheat gently.

Orange-Roasted Baby Carrots w/ Honey

• 1.5 lbs slender baby carrots
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp (or more) orange zest
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1.5 tsp honey
• fleur de sel (it's fancy sea salt, folks)

Preheat oven to 400. Arrange carrots in a single layer on rimmed baking sheet (used pyrex). Add 2 tbsp olive oil & orange peel; sprinkle with salt & pepper & toss. Pour OJ over; cover tightly with foil & roast until crisp-tender (about 10 minutes). Remove foil. Increase oven to 450. Drizzle honey over the carrots. Roast uncovered until carrots are tender & browned in spots (about 10 minutes more). Transfer carrots & any juices to platter. Drizzle lightly with additional olive oil & sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Mixed Berry Cobbler

My husband called this "so good it's ridiculous".

• 2lbs mixed berries
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3tbsp raw sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 6 tbsp chilled, unsalted butter (whatever, I used salted), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup finely minced crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a bowl, combine the berries, lemon juice, the 1/2 cup of sugar, the cornstarch, cinnamon & ground ginger and toss to coat the berries evenly. Pour the berry mixture into the prepared baking dish, spreading evenly.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda & crystallized ginger in a food processor & pulse briefly to mix. Add the butter & pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg & cream. Pour the egg & cream into thae processor & pulse just until the topping mixture holds together.

Using a soup spoon, place dollops of the topping evenly over the berries, leaving a 1-inch border uncovered around the edge of the dish. Sprinkle the raw sugar over the top. I also sprinkled a few more tiny pieces of crystallized ginger over the top as well.

Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet (in case it boils over. mine didn't though.). Bake cobbler until the top is golden & the berry filling is bubbling - about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack & let cool for 10-15 minutes.

Using a large spoon or spatula, scoop out the cobbler onto individual plates and seriously consider serving it with creme anglaise. Seriously.

Pan-Roasted Beef Tenderloin w/ Rosemary & Garlic

This is a Williams-Sonoma recipe. They included a recipe for a bordelaise sauce to go alongside the meat. We made it. It turned out like crap. So if I were you I'd just make a little pan gravy and call it a day. It's awesome even without the sauce. Melt. In. Your. Mouth.

• 1 beef tenderloin roast (that you maybe even butchered yourself?) 2.5-3lbs
• 3 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt & pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400. Let the roast stand at room temp. for 30-40 minutes. Set the roast on a clean work surface & lay the rosemary springs lengthwise along the roast. Using kitchen twine, tie the rosemary to the roast at 2-inch intervals (like above).

Rub the roast with garlic & season with salt & pepper. Preheat a large saute pan over med-high heat & warm the vegetable oil. Add the roast & brown, 3-4 min per side. Transfer the skillet to the oven & roast, turning occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 125 degrees (for very rare to rare), 15-20 minutes. Or cook it longer if you have bad taste. Yeah I said it. Transfer the roast to a cutting board, cover loosely w/ aluminum foil & let it rest for 5 minutes. At least.

DE-lish! (dammit I sound like rachel ray)...

Pan-Seared Scallops w/ Apple-Onion Marmalade, Bacon & Cider Sauce

This is even better than it sounds. Perfect for autumn.

• 6 slices lean bacon
• 18 large sea scallops, patted dry
• 1 cup apple cider
• salt & pepper

For the marmalade:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large vidalia onion, cut through the stem into thin wedges
• 1 large golden delicious or other baking apple, cored & cut into thin wedges
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• ground black pepper

Making the marmalade:

In a large fry pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions & cook, stirring often, until they begin to soften, about 15 minutes.

Stir in apples & cumin seeds. Cook, stirring, until the onions are golden & the apples begin to soften, about 30 minutes more. Add the cider vinegar, salt & pepper and remove from heat. Set aside.

For the scallops:

In another large fry pan over medium-high heat, fry the bacon until crisp, 3-5 minutes. Using tongs or slotted spatula, transfer to paper towels to drain. Discard all but about 1 tbsp (a light coating) of the bacon drippings from the pan.

Sprinkle the scallops lightly with salt & pepper. Return the fry pan to med-hi heat. When the pan is hot, add the scallops a few at a time & cook, turning once, until lightly browned on both sides, about 1 minute on each side. Transfer to a plate & keep warm while you cook the remaining scallops. When all the scallops are cooked, add the apple cider to the pan & boil until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Pour any juices that have collected on the scallop plate into the fry pan. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, reheat the marmalate over med-low heat until heated through. Serve creatively:

Creme Anglaise

This is like liquid creme brulee except it's easier to make & has more uses. Pour it over everything and anything sweet. I'm making mine for berry cobbler. But, honestly I could just drink the stuff.

• 2 cups half & half
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 5 large egg yolks

Have a fine medium-sized strainer & bowl ready near the stove. In a stainless steel bowl stir together, using a wooden spoon, the yolks until well blended (don't let it sit too long or a film will develop on the yolks).

In a small saucepan heat the cream & vanilla bean (if using) just to the boiling point. Remove from heat & whisk a few tbsps of the cream in the yolk mixture. Then, gradually add the remaining cream, whisking constantly.

Pour this mixture into a medium sized saucepan, and, over medium heat, gently heat to just below the boiling point. Steam will begin to appear & the mixture will be slightly thicker than heavy cream. Do not boil or the eggs will curdle. Check to see if it is the right consistency by holding a wooden spoon sideways that is covered with the custard & run your finger along the back of the spoon. If the streak remains without the cream running down through the streak, it is ready.

Immediately remove from the heat & pour through the strainer, scraping up any thickened cream that settles on the bottom of the pan. Remove the vanilla bean & scrape the seeds into the sauce. Stir until seeds separate. For maximum flavor, return the pod to the sauce until serving time. If using vanilla extract, add it now.

The creme anglaise can be refrigerated covered with plastic wrap for a couple of days.

**If sauce was overheated & curdled, IT CAN BE SAVED. Pour instantly into a blender & process until smooth before straining. If necessary, add a little extra cream before blending.

Makes 2 cups.

Mmmm...looks like someone's about to find Jesus...