Hello! Well we got through the first week of the full menu service pretty well, despite a snowstorm and the inevitable call outs that result. Much thanks and congratulations to Bob Burden and Anna Wiese for a well executed roll out.
As many people noted, we have replaced the "build your own salad" option at dinner with a couple of composed salads, as we had prior to the Pandemic. We have decided to keep this option at lunch to give residents that option when things are not as busy.
Basically the time it takes for the resident to make salad choices, tell the server, who writes them down, logs them into a computer one by one, which is sent to the kitchen where the cook assembles them one by one would slow us down at dinner considerably. We will be introducing a third salad to the menu this week which will give us a dinner total of two soups, six choices of appetizers, eleven choices of entrees, six desserts, plus four flavors of ice cream and two soft serves. We think this is a menu size that we can work with under the current labor market as we still battle COVID-19 exposures and staff turnovers almost weekly. I personally thank each and every one of you, we are one of the few Senior Living communities in the area or even in the company that are fully open in Independent Living. Your careful self-distancing and willingness to take precautions has helped us tremendously and I am so grateful.
So the soup of the week is Three Onion. Red onions, Spanish onions and Leeks are simmered in rich beef broth with a splash of sherry until they are very tender. The soup is garnished with croutons and fresh chives.
A new Salad will be added to the menu, the Tossed Salad will have mixed baby greens, avocado, cucumber, tomatoes, toasted almonds and sweet peppers.
The appetizer of the week is a Thai Shrimp Salad, Shrimp, lime, cilantro, mint topped with crispy rice noodles.
The Cheese this week is Called Green Thunder from-Snowdonia Cheese-a UK based Dairy. The texture is a Cheddar-style cheese, with garlic and herbs added to the curd during production. I recommend a Sauvignon Blanc with this, or if wine is not your thing, 90 Shilling Ale from O'Dell Brewing Company will always work.
At dinner, we have an Almond-Crusted Ruby Red Trout, with an Amaretto Beurre blanc. Basically, this is a sweet almond liqueur, reduced and folded into a classic butter sauce with lemon to balance the flavor. This is served with steamed broccoli, and a quinoa and brown rice pilaf.
Chef Jesus' Bourbon Barbecued Ribs are back. He uses several bottles of Kentucky Bourbon (at least he says he does...), to make this sauce, the ribs are slow-cooked; on the side we have a bright pineapple coleslaw and Brie Macaroni and Cheese.
We are preparing Confit Chicken Legs with lots of garlic. Basically, confit is where the legs are seasoned, and then covered in duck fat with whole garlic and fresh herbs. This is roasted at about 200 degrees for several hours until the meat is falling off the bone and the flavors have permeated the whole pan. The chicken is then drained, and the skin is crisped under the broiler. Red wine bordelaise is served with this , sautéed fresh spinach and mashed Yukon potatoes. I really recommend something with a strong flavor profile and lots of tannins like the Josh Cabernet.
As a Vegetarian selection his week we have a Risotto made with Roasted Eggplant and Maitake mushrooms. Risotto is a dish made from short grain very starchy rice called Arborio. The rice is cooked by adding a a cup at a time of hot stock, while stirring. As the liquid is absorbed, the stirring motion rubs the starch off of the grains of rice, making a creamy texture. Maitake or "hen of the woods" mushrooms are added towards the end with roasted eggplant, butter and shaved parmesan cheese. This dish is very hearty and would pair very well with Beaujolais wine. Ask Laura at the bar if she has a bottle or two stashed away.
For a pasta this week, we are making a White Lasagna with Crabmeat and Lobster. Pasta, ricotta, mozzarella and herbs are added to the delicious seafood, but not tomato sauce for this one. We have a lovely light cream sauce made with Madeira wine and pesto brushed toast.
For dinner specials look for Chipotle Braised Beef Short Ribs, Chilean Sea Bass, Ribeye Steak and Pork Picatta.
At Lunch, we have Pulled Chicken Quesadilla with fresh salsa and guacamole, Beef Sliders with Caramelized Onions and a Caprese Panini with fresh mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes.
As always please join me on Monday Morning at 10 am in the Dad Clark Bar for the full Culinary corner Meeting where we will go into further detail about the menus.
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I hope you have a wonderful week!
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