Gone to Germany....

Hello all, I'm heading off to Koblenz, Germany for a month. I'm there studying wine at a wine school in Koblenz. We'll be traveling throughout Germany, Austria, France, and Switzerland doing tastings and vineyard tours. It's a wineschool located in Germany, but I'll be tasting and learning about every wine region in the world. I'm excited and anxious as can be. Also, sorry for not posting lately, my computer's in the shop, but I'll do my best to upload the page with pics from Germany if possible. Take care to everyone and I bid you farewell.

BV

Smoked Snapper and Tomato Mousse En Croute

This was really nice. I used a little bit of molecular gastronomy know how to make a mousse that was full of bold flavor but was as light as air. It was delicious, if I do say so myself.

Also, notice anything a bit different? Yes, I got a new "real" camera so I won't be taking any more pictures with my phone. Exciting, yes?

Roasted Red Fish and Carrot Espuma with Toasted Pecan and Dill Crumble

Weird sounding? Yes. Tasty? Yes. I think one of the fun parts of being a chef is creating new flavor profiles and opening people's eyes and taste buds to new and exciting flavors. Give them something out of the ordinary and surprise them with how good the unfamiliar can be....

Cucumber Noodles with Tomato and Mint Gelee and Lemon Vinaigrette

I loved this little dish. It's clean, fresh, pretty, and in season. Oh, and even better... simple. I came up with the idea the other day. I used my mandoline to get strands of cucumber to cut into juliennes (cheating? no, just a shortcut). But in the process I realized that the long strands could be like a vegetarian noodle substitute. For some reason I pair cucumber and tomatoes together almost synonymously. The mint was infused into the tomato juices for the gelee for an added freshness. Finish it all off with a simple lemon vinaigrette with some fine olive oil, fleur de sel, and a sprig of micro basil. Beautiful...

Chilled Sorrel and Arugula Soup with Ricotta Creme Fraiche

Meh...