Ideas in Food Event
Last night, Aki & Alex of Ideas in Food, cooked for myself and several friends, at my mother's house. I have been a fan of their blog for a while now, and when they moved from their old haunt in Colorado, back to NYC, I was excited. When they announced that they were available for catering, I had a crazy idea - I'd hire them to cook a meal for myself and my foodie friends, and we would eat it and be happy.
The plan worked like a charm! Almost everyone arrived early, and met A&A. By the way, they are some of the warmest and sweetest people. Very genuine, not snobbish at all, just friendly and excited about food.
They had told me they had expanded the menu a bit - last night they said it was now 10 courses. I was THRILLED. We had three bottles of wine, and two bottles of dessert wine, and at 8, sat down, and began to eat.
Sake Cured Steelhead Trout Roe
crispy yogurt, arugula blossoms, banana jam
This first dish was the "really? That will work?" dish. Brought out in a tiny jar, two white yogurt crisps on the top, floating over the rich orange roe, nestled with the banana jam, dotted with flowers. It looked like a terrarium from a far off planet, which thrilled me to no end. LANDSCAPE FOOD!!!! The champagne, a rare, small vintner, marvelous champagne, was so amazing with this.
The yogurt crisps were amazing. Gentler on the teeth than merengue, but similar in terms of texture. They were sweet with a lovely tang that comes from yogurt. You bit into air and the foam recoalesced into creamy goodness in your mouth.
Then we took the lids off. Aki informed us that the roe was very fresh, and should have a briny kick. The jam was made with yuzu and lime. Honestly, I was nervous, and then I scooped up a spoonful getting a little of each and BAM! My mouth EXPLODED with flavors. High bright notes of citrus and the mellow sweetness of banana mingling with the brine of the roe. The thick mash of the jam texturewise, like eating velvet, would have bursts of refreshing liquid as the large globs of roe exploded against my tongue. One friend suggested that you make sure to eat it so that you switch the sides of where the sweet and briney hit, and I did, and it was like eating a new dish. Throughout there were moments of herb from the peppery and green arugula flowers. Wow. What a way to start a meal.
Artichoke Soup
comte, whipped horseradish, lump crabmeat
This, for me, was the weakest dish of the night. The whipped horseradish was tasty, though I wanted it to have more agressiveness in the spice. The crabmeat was very excellent - tender, and sweet, and I could have eaten that all evening :) It was a cold soup, which for myself is not my favorite, and it was coming after the riot of flavor of the previous dish, and perhaps that also made me feel as though it were a bit bland, when it was really meant to refresh the palate. I had trouble tasting the artichoke - one of my favorite vegetables - in the spoon. I upended the bowl and drank the broth, and that enabled me to taste the artichoke a lot better. The whole mouth needed to be filled for it. The broth had a slightly okra like mucilagenous feel to it. Not a bad thing, but a little startling if you weren't expecting it.
Squid Salad
lime, scallion, nasturtium flowers
Not listed? Passion Fruit Poprocks. Yeah, you heard me. This dish crackled happily as Alex brought it to us. The pop rocks were the only food I had requested for the dinner, as a while ago Aki & Alex had made a fois gras dish with violet pop rocks. On the dish were two squid dishes - a cold salad with lime, scallion and a hint of chili; and a warm flat piece of squid (tiny squid?) that had been briefly seared. Both were incredibly tender and flavorful. I particularly loved the warm squid, again, I bet, because I tend not to like cold foods as much as I like warm ones. The pop rocks sparkled through out, putting the bright flavor of passionfruit throughout. This was not one of my favorites, but it was still very successful. I drank the riesling we had with this, and it matched in a really lovely way.
Passion fruit poprocks RULE though!
Ivory King Salmon Tartare
pecorino crotonese, claytonia, minus 8 vinegar
Drop dead amazing. First of all, the vinegar? It had flavors of fruit and chocolate and Oh My God It WAS AMAZING. I could have just had the minus 8 vinegar and been full of joy but there was more! The pecorino cheese was so thinly sliced, the gentle claytonia dish, and underneath the salmon tartare. Flavors of lime and cilantro percolating up. So many of these things sound like they wouldn't work, but the genius of these chefs is that it works amazingly well. Your tongue is brought through all these different levels of taste, and experiences. High, low, dark, light. Amazing.
Griddled Florida Shrimp
blistered ramps, bee pollen, meyer lemon
This one wasn't a big favorite, though I found it to be almost perfect. The meyer lemon sauce was bit more lemoney than MEYER lemon, which to my taste has an almost floral flavor to it. That didn't keep me from licking up the extra sauce with my finger though :) The "bee pollen" is really a Bee Pollen Spice Mix they developed, made of bee pollen, grains of paradise, sugar and salt. Grains of paradise is one of my favorite spices. Earthy, floral, warm, it was into this that I dipped my slices of shrimp and ramps. I cannot describe it. Sweet, gently garlicky, and floral earthyness..... Loved it. And then I dipped my finger and made sure i ate all the spice mix too :)
Seared Scallop
razor clams, petite potatoes, crispy zucchini
Not listed? Chinese sausage. This one brought oos and ahhs from the table as we ate it. THe potatoes were... tiny! Teeny tiny potatoes. Each one was smaller than my thumbnail and had been cooked with super thin slices of chinese sausage and a razor clam that somehow had been sliced and looked like slices of leek or something. Topped by a super sweet seared scallop, the flavors - sweet and briny, and rich and savory - danced together. The crispy zucchini was a transluscent disk of zuchhini and basil and I thought made a nice counterpoint to the richness of the dish below, though we all felt there was a lot of disk there. I nibbled it until it was gone after wards though!
Pork Shoulder
corn chips, baked pumpkin seeds, cilantro
This was another standout dish. The pork shoulder resembled mexican barbacoa of some kind, but much brighter flavored with cilantro, it had been pulled like pulled pork, and tender that way too. The pumpkin seeds were plump as they had been pressure cooked and were more like orzo in texture, and then made to taste like baked beans. Really amazing boston baked beans in fact. Smokey, sweet, bright... I used my corn chip to make sure that there was nothing left in my plate. I have a tiny bit of this as a leftover, and it is a testament to my love for midnightstation that I am going to let him eat it.
Duck Bacon
pumpernickel gnocchi, king trumpet mushrooms, pak choi hearts
Another WOW item. Afterwards, when we sat around discussing the food, some folks had issues with this dish. To my taste, it was perfect. My only complaint was that I should have put out a steak knife for the thick "duck bacon". They had brined and cooked the duck breast for 24 hours. The duck had been brined with bacon stock. Yes, bacon stock, an invention which I think could be used to create world peace - or at least joy in the mouths of everyone who tasted it. Gently smoky, the duck was meaty and rich. I had opened a 12 year old bottle of Simi, which I had bought when I was 22, and I am very glad that I did. It complemented the rich and toothy cubes of king trumpet mushrooms. The pak choi hearts were again, about the size of my thumbnail and were the cutest greens I've ever put in my mouth. For me, the knockout bit was the pumperknickel gnocci, which was light and fluffy and saturated with the juices of the rest of the dish. I saved a couple so that they would be the last thing I put in my mouth with this course, washed down with the velvety smooth black fruiits of the Simi Cabernet.
This is joy. Right here. Joy.
Caseificio dell’ Alta Langa
musk melon, blis elixir, red amaranth
Another dish that blew me away, such simple flavors. the Caseificio is a kind of goat cheese - mild and almost like a fresh ricotta, or creme fraiche of some kind. The blis elixer was another vinegar intense and rich like the minus 8, though I think I liked the minus 8 more. The red amarath sprouts were earthy - I could taste the dirt they had been grown in and that darkness playing off the gentle sweet sunlight flavor of musk melon filled me with happiness. We drank the adorable Trader Joe's moscato with this and it made us all very happy.
Sunflower Seed Pudding
red wine-rhubarb, golden raisins, ricotta
I can't explain to you what these two chefs do to pumpkin seeds. Pressure cooking them they treat them like grains, and the result is so marvelous, transforming what you thought you'd have into something else. This was a gently sweet rice-pudding-style dish, brought to a new place with the earthy flavor of the pumpkin seeds. Cubes of gelly sat atop - the tart rhubarb transformed with cabernet franc - providing a bright counterpoint to the mellow comfort of the pudding. We switched to a port I like, a zinfindel port. Some folks found it too alcholoic in flavor, though for me, that goes away rather quickly especially if I am eating with it. I like the intense zin flavor of it, especially with the rhubarb!
So, yeah, that was the food event. We might try to get together in October with them, and get a lesson in cooking next! Hot ice cream anyone?
I hope I have conveyed how thrilled I was - and still am. This was one of my favorite meals, it's up there with the dinner I had at Commander's Palace (New Orleans) , the birthday dinner at WD-50 two years ago (NY) , and the dinner I had at L'Espalier (Boston).
Really. Just amazing. Worth every penny and I keep feeling like I should have given them more just because.....
N.
The plan worked like a charm! Almost everyone arrived early, and met A&A. By the way, they are some of the warmest and sweetest people. Very genuine, not snobbish at all, just friendly and excited about food.
They had told me they had expanded the menu a bit - last night they said it was now 10 courses. I was THRILLED. We had three bottles of wine, and two bottles of dessert wine, and at 8, sat down, and began to eat.
Sake Cured Steelhead Trout Roe
crispy yogurt, arugula blossoms, banana jam
This first dish was the "really? That will work?" dish. Brought out in a tiny jar, two white yogurt crisps on the top, floating over the rich orange roe, nestled with the banana jam, dotted with flowers. It looked like a terrarium from a far off planet, which thrilled me to no end. LANDSCAPE FOOD!!!! The champagne, a rare, small vintner, marvelous champagne, was so amazing with this.
The yogurt crisps were amazing. Gentler on the teeth than merengue, but similar in terms of texture. They were sweet with a lovely tang that comes from yogurt. You bit into air and the foam recoalesced into creamy goodness in your mouth.
Then we took the lids off. Aki informed us that the roe was very fresh, and should have a briny kick. The jam was made with yuzu and lime. Honestly, I was nervous, and then I scooped up a spoonful getting a little of each and BAM! My mouth EXPLODED with flavors. High bright notes of citrus and the mellow sweetness of banana mingling with the brine of the roe. The thick mash of the jam texturewise, like eating velvet, would have bursts of refreshing liquid as the large globs of roe exploded against my tongue. One friend suggested that you make sure to eat it so that you switch the sides of where the sweet and briney hit, and I did, and it was like eating a new dish. Throughout there were moments of herb from the peppery and green arugula flowers. Wow. What a way to start a meal.
Artichoke Soup
comte, whipped horseradish, lump crabmeat
This, for me, was the weakest dish of the night. The whipped horseradish was tasty, though I wanted it to have more agressiveness in the spice. The crabmeat was very excellent - tender, and sweet, and I could have eaten that all evening :) It was a cold soup, which for myself is not my favorite, and it was coming after the riot of flavor of the previous dish, and perhaps that also made me feel as though it were a bit bland, when it was really meant to refresh the palate. I had trouble tasting the artichoke - one of my favorite vegetables - in the spoon. I upended the bowl and drank the broth, and that enabled me to taste the artichoke a lot better. The whole mouth needed to be filled for it. The broth had a slightly okra like mucilagenous feel to it. Not a bad thing, but a little startling if you weren't expecting it.
Squid Salad
lime, scallion, nasturtium flowers
Not listed? Passion Fruit Poprocks. Yeah, you heard me. This dish crackled happily as Alex brought it to us. The pop rocks were the only food I had requested for the dinner, as a while ago Aki & Alex had made a fois gras dish with violet pop rocks. On the dish were two squid dishes - a cold salad with lime, scallion and a hint of chili; and a warm flat piece of squid (tiny squid?) that had been briefly seared. Both were incredibly tender and flavorful. I particularly loved the warm squid, again, I bet, because I tend not to like cold foods as much as I like warm ones. The pop rocks sparkled through out, putting the bright flavor of passionfruit throughout. This was not one of my favorites, but it was still very successful. I drank the riesling we had with this, and it matched in a really lovely way.
Passion fruit poprocks RULE though!
Ivory King Salmon Tartare
pecorino crotonese, claytonia, minus 8 vinegar
Drop dead amazing. First of all, the vinegar? It had flavors of fruit and chocolate and Oh My God It WAS AMAZING. I could have just had the minus 8 vinegar and been full of joy but there was more! The pecorino cheese was so thinly sliced, the gentle claytonia dish, and underneath the salmon tartare. Flavors of lime and cilantro percolating up. So many of these things sound like they wouldn't work, but the genius of these chefs is that it works amazingly well. Your tongue is brought through all these different levels of taste, and experiences. High, low, dark, light. Amazing.
Griddled Florida Shrimp
blistered ramps, bee pollen, meyer lemon
This one wasn't a big favorite, though I found it to be almost perfect. The meyer lemon sauce was bit more lemoney than MEYER lemon, which to my taste has an almost floral flavor to it. That didn't keep me from licking up the extra sauce with my finger though :) The "bee pollen" is really a Bee Pollen Spice Mix they developed, made of bee pollen, grains of paradise, sugar and salt. Grains of paradise is one of my favorite spices. Earthy, floral, warm, it was into this that I dipped my slices of shrimp and ramps. I cannot describe it. Sweet, gently garlicky, and floral earthyness..... Loved it. And then I dipped my finger and made sure i ate all the spice mix too :)
Seared Scallop
razor clams, petite potatoes, crispy zucchini
Not listed? Chinese sausage. This one brought oos and ahhs from the table as we ate it. THe potatoes were... tiny! Teeny tiny potatoes. Each one was smaller than my thumbnail and had been cooked with super thin slices of chinese sausage and a razor clam that somehow had been sliced and looked like slices of leek or something. Topped by a super sweet seared scallop, the flavors - sweet and briny, and rich and savory - danced together. The crispy zucchini was a transluscent disk of zuchhini and basil and I thought made a nice counterpoint to the richness of the dish below, though we all felt there was a lot of disk there. I nibbled it until it was gone after wards though!
Pork Shoulder
corn chips, baked pumpkin seeds, cilantro
This was another standout dish. The pork shoulder resembled mexican barbacoa of some kind, but much brighter flavored with cilantro, it had been pulled like pulled pork, and tender that way too. The pumpkin seeds were plump as they had been pressure cooked and were more like orzo in texture, and then made to taste like baked beans. Really amazing boston baked beans in fact. Smokey, sweet, bright... I used my corn chip to make sure that there was nothing left in my plate. I have a tiny bit of this as a leftover, and it is a testament to my love for midnightstation that I am going to let him eat it.
Duck Bacon
pumpernickel gnocchi, king trumpet mushrooms, pak choi hearts
Another WOW item. Afterwards, when we sat around discussing the food, some folks had issues with this dish. To my taste, it was perfect. My only complaint was that I should have put out a steak knife for the thick "duck bacon". They had brined and cooked the duck breast for 24 hours. The duck had been brined with bacon stock. Yes, bacon stock, an invention which I think could be used to create world peace - or at least joy in the mouths of everyone who tasted it. Gently smoky, the duck was meaty and rich. I had opened a 12 year old bottle of Simi, which I had bought when I was 22, and I am very glad that I did. It complemented the rich and toothy cubes of king trumpet mushrooms. The pak choi hearts were again, about the size of my thumbnail and were the cutest greens I've ever put in my mouth. For me, the knockout bit was the pumperknickel gnocci, which was light and fluffy and saturated with the juices of the rest of the dish. I saved a couple so that they would be the last thing I put in my mouth with this course, washed down with the velvety smooth black fruiits of the Simi Cabernet.
This is joy. Right here. Joy.
Caseificio dell’ Alta Langa
musk melon, blis elixir, red amaranth
Another dish that blew me away, such simple flavors. the Caseificio is a kind of goat cheese - mild and almost like a fresh ricotta, or creme fraiche of some kind. The blis elixer was another vinegar intense and rich like the minus 8, though I think I liked the minus 8 more. The red amarath sprouts were earthy - I could taste the dirt they had been grown in and that darkness playing off the gentle sweet sunlight flavor of musk melon filled me with happiness. We drank the adorable Trader Joe's moscato with this and it made us all very happy.
Sunflower Seed Pudding
red wine-rhubarb, golden raisins, ricotta
I can't explain to you what these two chefs do to pumpkin seeds. Pressure cooking them they treat them like grains, and the result is so marvelous, transforming what you thought you'd have into something else. This was a gently sweet rice-pudding-style dish, brought to a new place with the earthy flavor of the pumpkin seeds. Cubes of gelly sat atop - the tart rhubarb transformed with cabernet franc - providing a bright counterpoint to the mellow comfort of the pudding. We switched to a port I like, a zinfindel port. Some folks found it too alcholoic in flavor, though for me, that goes away rather quickly especially if I am eating with it. I like the intense zin flavor of it, especially with the rhubarb!
So, yeah, that was the food event. We might try to get together in October with them, and get a lesson in cooking next! Hot ice cream anyone?
I hope I have conveyed how thrilled I was - and still am. This was one of my favorite meals, it's up there with the dinner I had at Commander's Palace (New Orleans) , the birthday dinner at WD-50 two years ago (NY) , and the dinner I had at L'Espalier (Boston).
Really. Just amazing. Worth every penny and I keep feeling like I should have given them more just because.....
N.