lexus and microsoft teamed up to do a project called fresh perspectives... i was chosen to be a part of it... had a blast filming it and had a great time with the crew... not to mention the great lighting as well as working with the sniper twins... really excited to see it all edited together hope you enjoy it as well... til then heres the link to the teasers or click the photo of prince doing his best wolf impression...
hope everyone had a great holiday and you kids are ready to crush it this year...
i am finishing my time here in oregon and ready to get back.. we are trying to step up our game and hope to give you a great experience...
we are calling this dinner series.. strike. tear. chew.
first dinner party date... 1.15.11
we will announce the dates as we adjust our schedules and figure out what dates are available..
looking forward to feeding and meeting...
oh yea and keep on the prowl through twitter as there will be some collaboration dinners with some amazing chefs... i will be leaking info as i get it.. and i have some other shit up my sleeve.. hint... i did it last year randomly and it was free...
uni. celery root. pickled celery leaf ice. mustard meringue. coffee. apple.
and we come to a close til next year! done with this series of dinners thanks to everyone who came out and had a great time at the den!!! we all had an awesome time feeding you!!! i am headed to oregon to escape this damn city and this bullshit weather (i actually like seasons and l.a. has none) and experience some real winter as well as fishing wandering around the forest eating shit off the ground and just hanging out thinking of what i can feed you kids for the next round... have a good holiday i will not have internet access often but will try to post stuff whenever i do. also if you have photos from any of the dinners could you send them my way i would love to print them up and put them on the wall at the den!!! send them to thewolf@wolvesmouth.com
grilled cheese puree. sweet one hundred tomatoes. crispy soft crouton.
this dish is literally what it says it is... the idea came obviously from tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich... reversed for the hell of it... also i am not as big of fan of hot tomatoes as much as i am room temp ones so this capitalizes on the natural flavor of the tomato rather than cooking it down and pureeing into a soup... this would be a fun dish to make for kids too you could easily thin out the puree and make it in to a soup all i ask is use good cheese and dont put your tomatoes in the fridge since it kills their natural sugars and kills their flavor...
grilled cheese puree
4 slices of good white bread
fontina cheese or gruyere (grated helps it melt more evenly and quicker) (just something not too hard as it wont melt properly nor give you the texture)
unsalted butter - be generous (always buy unsalted its the freshest)
salt tt
milk (to cover)
literally make a grilled cheese.. put your butter in the pan and throw a little salt in the pan to season the butter (enough butter too make you blush maybe 2 Tbs and if 2 Tbs doesnt make you blush then add more til you do). just as its it slightly starting to smell nutty take pan off the heat and add in your sandwich, bring back to heat which should be about medium not too hot as you dont want to burn the butter but not too cool to where its not cooking or gaining color.
once your grilled cheese is cooked let cool for a second and cut up into smaller pieces. cover with milk and put on heat once heated through (do not boil just enough heat to keep it warm) let sit for about 10 min to soften up and put into blender blend on high... adjust seasoning... put through fine strainer (chinois) reserve til you need it...
sweet 100 tomatoes (just a type of tomato if you cant find them whatever you have access to dont worry its not goign to make or break the dish)
pepper- be generous this will give the dish that extra pop
salt - tt
cut your tomatoes lay them all out individually and season individually so your tomatoes all taste more than what they are (which means if you have great tomatoes they are going to be ridiculously great when you add your salt and pepper)
crispy soft crouton
take the same type of bread you made your grilled cheese with and brown only one side using the same technique as your grilled cheese minus the cheese, by only toasting one side you are getting two textures out of one piece of bread, crunchy and chewy too textures that play really well together.
final plate up...
the picture is pretty self explanatory i know but in case anyone is unsure.. warm the puree loosening with water if needed, give a nice smear on the plate and scatter your tomatoes finish with your croutons. like i said before you could thin it out even more for a soup and put in small tomatoes whole or cut up whatever and add fresh herbs, shoot use this as a base for a sauce for a chicken (or in my case rabbit) dish. anyways have fun with it, not that this is some genius idea just something fun for the kids, other people start after school clubs or mentor kids, i make grilled cheese soup....
s'more
heres a dish from a recent dinner, my version of s'mores... there are times when i feel its important to not even try to compete with certain products, like ketchup for instance, or in this dish.. graham crackers... theres a flavor that no matter how hard you try its just not going to match that "thing" be it flavor or a flavor memory or just someone growing up with a certain product that creates a sense of comfort, most people grew up eating the graham crackers you buy from the store, they didnt have someone making them and this dish is about trying to leave at least one flavor very grounded in a persons flavor memory while changing textures and adding in the smoked pop rocks to lighten the dish and help bring in the campfire"esque" flavor... for me trying to evoke the comfort level in people is just as important as the actual food itself, and then again sometimes it sets me up to pull the rug out from underneath you...
toasted marshmallow ice cream
7 oz large marshmallow (the gelatin in the mallows will help keep your ice cream creamy and smooth)
20 oz milk
16 oz heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
salt 1 tsp (salt will enhance the flavor of the ice cream)
toast the marshmallows one by one over an open flame, once all are toasted put the milk sugar and salt into a pot and bring to a simmer then remove from heat. add in toasted marshmallow and place into blender. the mixture will be hot so be careful once in the blender. once blended pour into cream. mix. adjust seasoning and chill thoroughly (preferably 12-24 hrs) and freeze according to your ice cream makers instructions.
chocolate
8 oz valrhona (preferably 63%) chocolate (cut into small pieces for melting)
10 oz half and half
1 Tbs agar agar powder
2 sheets gelatin (1/2 packet powdered gelatin) bloomed
smoked salt good sized pinch
take the half and half and agar while cold mix in agar bring to a boil as to let the agar dissolve, this could take a few minutes, once agar is dissolved let sit for a few minutes to cool down enough to not break your chocolate, stir in your gelatin and salt let dissolve, once done pour over chocolate and mix gently til homogenous mixture is obtained then pour into a sheet tray or tray with sides and let set, once set cut into whatever shape you want.
graham cracker puree
1 package of graham crackers (you can try to make them but matching the childhood flavor of s'mores will be difficult with homemade ones, unless of course you grew up eating homemade graham crackers.. this course is about bringing that flavor memory back and less about going all out and making graham crackers... plus the ice cream and chocolate are already enough work for you)
16 oz milk (could be more could be less u will have to trust your instincts on this go lighthanded with it as first though)
salt TT (this will help bring out the graham cracker flavor)
put all ingredients in pot and let steep, once graham cracker is soft put into blender and puree adjusting with milk. adjust seasoning once blended store in container til ready to use.
smoked salt pop rocks
2 Tbs neutral pop rocks
2 tsp smoked salt (maldon smoked salt is pretty good unless you make your own which is even more ripping)
mix together... thats it.
final plate up...
its a damn s'more you know the drill, do whatever the hell you want!!!
just want to give a shout out to noah galuten and l.a. weekly for letting me do my thing!! they posted a two part interview as well as a recipe click the photos to follow the link!!!
heres one for now...
black sesame and uni profiterole. rice and dashi soup. clam. uni.
this dish is based on simplicity and texture.. playin with the profiterole which is normally served around dessert or as an amuse also i made it around halloween for explaining the black and orange... and we got a temperature contrast goin on with the cold uni and hot soup...
serves 6-8
black sesame profiterole filled with uni.
8 oz liquid (in this case 4 oz milk 4 oz water)
4 oz butter (always use good butter, buy unsalted its always the freshest)
4 oz ap flour (by your flour in smaller batches to keep it fresh)
8 oz egg (yes 8 oz egg if you want to have better results with any recipe involving baking/pastry use weight measurements!!)
salt TT (to taste) trust your tastebuds if its bland you probably need ore salt.
1 oz black sesame paste (make sure to stir well) (usually can find in little tokyo area or some of the other japanese markets)
1 tray of uni
2 oz of cream (lightly whipped)
Pre-heat oven to 425f. take your 8oz of liquid and your 4oz of butter melt in medium pan. throw in a good pinch of salt (by starting the seasoning early you can build a better depth of flavor and also use less salt in the long run)
once your butter is melted into the milk give a quick stir then dump in your flour while whisking together, once your mixture comes together change from your whisk to a wooden spoon and stir til it pulls away from the sides cook about 2-3 more minutes to cook out some of the liquid which will evaporate, once your mixture is homogenous take and let cool in the pan for a few minutes.
we are letting the mixture cool since we will be adding the egg, if the mixture was too hot the egg would scramble screwing up all your work at this point and probably leading you to either not want to do this recipe or tossing a pan through a window either way lets get back to the egg.
add the egg a little at a time (about 2 oz or 1 egg) work into your dough, once worked in add more egg and so on until done. add the 1 oz of black sesame paste and stir throughout, check your seasoning (if you think it needs more salt it probably does). put mixture into a piping bag.
take out a sheet pan and line with parchment paper. pipe small domes of the mixture a little larger than a quarter in diameter about 1/2-3/4" tall (doesn't have to be exact, don't stress out over it) place in the oven at 425f for 10-12 min then turn oven down to 320f and finish baking another 20-25 min or until done. they should be hallow in the middle ready to fill just before you plan on serving.
count out your uni leaving each person with 1 nice piece, take the rest and put in to bowl and lightly crush and whip with a whisk, fold into whipped cream, taste and adjust seasoning, if you feel it needs salt or a pinch of sugar then add it. transfer to a squeeze bottle or ghetto style in a sandwich bag and cut the corner off. just before serving poke a hole int he bottom of the profiterole and fill with the uni filling.
clams
1.5 lbs clams in shell (rinse in cold water let sit letting sediment fall to the bottom take clams out by hand.)
1 small shallot minced
salt TT
1 Tbs butter (unsalted)
1 cup white wine
melt the butter in the pan add shallot let sweat, once translucent add clams and a small pinch of salt (clam will have salinity as well and will add that to the sauce) add white wine and cover with lid.
once clams open pour out along with sauce into a strainer lined with a bowl. save liquid, put back in pan reduce liquid by half (or taste as it reduces and stop before it becomes too salty) let the liquid cool slightly. remove clams from the shell and put into a small bowl. pour the reduced liquid over them let cool fully to room temp and reserve for finishing. (or put in fridge to finish at a later time)
rice and dashi soup
1 cup short grain sushi rice
2.5 cups water
7 in piece of konbu
3 cups filtered water (don't use tap water)
good sized handful of pre shaved bonito shavings (unless you have a katsuobushi shaver which will use a bit less with a stronger flavor)
white soy sauce TT (or regular dark soy sauce if u can't find white)
literally cook the hell out of the rice, cook til very soft as you will be pureeing this rice.
take the water and heat up to just about boiling add in konbu let sit for 5 min add bonito shavings, let sit for 1-2 min and strain reserving liquid. this will be your liquid to thin out the soup while giving it flavor.
take rice base and dashi and thin out in a blender til the soup consistency is reached, if you run out of liquid add some water. dont freak out..
final plate up...
take your clams and heat them up gently in a small pot reserving the liquid they soaked in for the soup.
heat up your soup mixture, once hot fill your profiteroles with the uni filling. take your clam liquid (reserving clams for bowls) pour into soup adjust seasoning and ladle into bowls. set the clams in the bowl giving 3-4 clams per person. lay your profiterole in the soup or on the side and finish with your cold uni.
once you get the idea down take this dish and make it your own adding different flavors to the profiterole or adding herbs or other garnishes to the soup... you can prep everything ahead, do it early in the day and serve at night by reheating.
didnt even realize i havent posted anything in well over a month... cooking will do that to you... we have been busy as hell with dinners, i need to add some photos to this site but also the main wolvesmouth.com site as well. a lot of new dishes as well as hoping to get some recipes on here for you people once i can get myself to sit and type recipes (i HATE typing recipes) so i will do my best to get some stuff up...
heres a new dish that i actually have had in my mind for a long time if you follow me you know i have been thinking about this dish for about the last 6 months, weird how most of my dishes are usually in the moment or close to it and it took me six months to get around to making this dish happen, its times like these i need to punch myself in the face for lagging... anyway the dish is called wolves in the snow and i will be posting a recipe for this sometime soon hopefully. hope everyone had a good thanksgiving, mine was pretty nice, went agro on the turkey.. turned out really good, long ass process maybe i will try to post that too so you can try it for christmas for those who eat turkey on christmas... anyway hopefully i am back to posting again we'll see how long it is before i forget again...
a couple photos from the other night taken by christie hemm... also we are currently moving into a new space so keep your eyes ears and mouths open...
tomato. cucumber ice. pickled red onion vinaigrette.
matsutake. fir gelee. hazelnut. madeira. salted cherry leaf.
steamed black sesame cake. tofu black sugar. poached pear. asian pear. black sesame paste.
so heres the deal for the curious and the people who are going to be eating at future dinner parties with the wolvesmouth crew. for main reasons of being able to do these we are NOT a restaurant if we were a restaurant we would need all the red tape and then i.e. we would not be able to do this, so instead of opening a restaurant i am "inviting friends over to eat" i repeat this is "inviting friends over to eat!!!!" in no way is this a restaurant... by coming as all my friends do they "pitch in" for the meal that i cook to help me be able to to cook for my friends again on other fun nights... so if you are a friend of wolvesmouth we will be glad to feed you when we have enough room since we have a lot of friends wanting to come over and eat... hope to see you soon and when we figure out which friends are coming over for dinner we will send you this photo to let you know its your turn to come hang out with us...
Recent Comments