Hello! Happy Father's day and happy Sunday!
We're so glad to be back to regular service and to welcome Libby Winter to our team. I hope you got a chance to meet her, she will be accompanied by Angie Stehlik from our LaJolla property this week.
This week on Tuesday we will be tasting and comparing California wines with Wines from the Burgundy Region in France at our Sip and Savor event. Even if you don't care for wine, please show up and heckle me all you want, it's fun.
So the Soup of the week is Wild Mushroom & Miso and our appetizer this week is a Caprese Salad: fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil are arranged artfully on the plate then sprinkled with sea salt, drizzled with Arbequina Extra virgin olive oil from California, and finally with sweet balsamic glaze. The Caprese salad is named for the city of Capri in Italy, and the origins are somewhat murky but most food historians agree the colors are to honor the Italian flag. The tomatoes we get are pretty nice right now so I'm really looking forward to this one.
The Cheese this week is Hatch [Chili] Pepper Gouda from Beemster in Holland. Now Dutch Gouda is a real treat, and Beemster is one of my favorites so I am looking forward to tasting this one. We are serving it with a slice of fresh mango and onion crackers. I recommend this one with a glass of Don Roberto Anejo tequila. It's a high quality, smoothly aged spirit and would round this out well.
At Dinner this week we have Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with Lemon and Thyme Beurre Blanc. A Beurre Blanc is a simple emulsion of reduced wine, herbs and whole butter, similar to a Hollandaise but without eggs. Ours will have lemon zest and thyme from the garden. This is served with Haricots Verts (tiny green beans, not overcooked), and crispy potato chips. Try this one with a good buttery Chardonnay, Kendall Jackson will do nicely.
Don't miss our Carved, Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb, with tomatillo-mint sauce, roasted root vegetables, and mashed redskin potatoes. The sauce is slightly tart from the tomatillos, sweet from agave, and bright with the fresh mint from our garden as well as the gardens of several residents with more mint than they need. Excellent with Zinfandel, or even Cabernet.
Next, consider coming in for the Roasted Duck with fresh Blackberry Sauce, wild rice and steamed asparagus. The duck is roasted whole, and carved to order so you can choose breast or leg but of course it's all dark meat really. Definitely a time for Chianti.
As a vegetarian option, try the Quinoa and Grilled Vegetable Stuffed Peppers. Seasoned with fresh herbs from our garden and topped with mozzarella cheese these are hearty as well as heart healthy. Served with a lightly cooked tomato concasse, try this with Gewürztraminer.
The pasta this week is actually not a pasta at all, but a Shrimp Risotto with grilled asparagus and asiago cheese. Now risotto is a rice dish from Northern Italy, made with a short grained starchy rice called Arborio. The rice is cooked in a very hot pan, constantly stirring while hot shrimp stock is added. As the stock is absorbed into the rice more is added in small amounts. The constant stirring rubs the starch off of the rice and emulsifies it with the liquid creating a creamy pudding-like texture. When the rice is fully cooked whole butter and cheese are added and it's just amazing. Try it with Gavi Le Marne.
At Lunch, we have Carved Pork Tenderloin with Honey Mustard Glaze , Herb-Roasted Salmon with Cilantro-Lemon Butter, Fried Chicken with Honey-Lemon Glaze, Fish Tacos, Pan-Seared Calf's Liver & Onions, and a Carved Beef Tenderloin with Bleu Cheese Sauce. Dinner features include Grilled Tuna with Tamarind-Chipotle Glaze, Lobster & Pancetta Carbonara, Grilled Pork Porterhouse with Ginger-Pear Sauce and Pan-Seared Trout with Lemon-Ginger Vinaigrette.
Join us on Monday morning for Culinary Corner in Dad Clark at 10AM to discuss the menu and more!
