Crispity Crunchity

Hello Monday!  You know you love it.  I am putting myself back on the wagon starting today, need a major detox for the nest few weeks.  No more meat or alcohol, see how long I last...

In the kitchen, a napoleon is a very vague term these days, basically defining food as a stacked item.  Something Crunchy and something soft all stacked together to give some height and texture.  I had a request yesterday for a Napoleon cake for a birthday party this afternoon at Blue Bar, and truthfully have made single serve napoleon desserts but never a cake, so it was time for some experimenting.  Did some research on Wiki (friggin love this site for stuff like this), and turns out it has nothing to do with the French Emperor Napoleon the Ist, but named after Naples, the city.  Classically with three layers of puff pastry, some kind of cream or jam, and a top layer of fondant (I despise fondant...).  Of course I like to switch some things up a little and go the Caribbean route, with lots and lots of RUM!!

I baked off a few thin Layers of Pound Cake (holds its texture very well when stacked), and a few layers of Puff Pastry, then went in search of some nice berries and fruit.  I pureed some beautiful Guava I bought off one of our few local farmers and made a Guava Pastry cream (whip cream + Guava puree), sliced some strawberries and Kiwi, and some super sweet Coconut Rum.

The Puff Pastry gives the Cake a great crust in the center, and if cooked right stays super flaky in a cake.  I soaked the Pond cake in about 2 cups of rum ( about 16 shots...) and stared layering.  Surprisingly turned out quite nice!  I finished the sides with a toasted almond crumble and a quick garnish on the top of Coconut and chocolate shavings.  Not the prettiest cake I have ever made, but DAMN GOOD. 


Spent some time in Spanish Wells over the weekend, the place is starting to grow on me...  I think I am just really tired of Briland folks right now, its good to meet some new peeps, minus the accent they have there that weirds me out.  A mix of a deep Fargo accent with Bahamian, sort of strange.  Caught dome gorgeous grouper and a few small yellowtails, probably throw them on the menu tonight.  Gonna start diving again next weekend! YAYA, water is finally warming up, get in soon before the sharks start making their way back into the reefs off the islands. 

Peace!

Into the Groove

Already Wednesday and this is the first day this week I actually feel energized again.  Last night was the first nigh in about 3 weeks I have had a full nights sleep (took about 4 advil pm), I guess sometime you have to force it!  Again its desk work all morning though, uhhg.  CFO is screaming at me to finish up inventory and end month P&L's for March...

Only really got one picture that evening, some of the hor d oeuvres we passed before dinner, left out the Salmon Mousse and Bruschetta with Duck Prosciutto.  Below is a play on Shrimp Cocktail(poached in Saffron Butter on a toast point with shaved cucmber and Chipotle cocktail sauce garnish), tuna tar tar in a cucumber cup, and a play on Sushi with Hamachi and Bluefin Tuna (stacked and sliced) with Spicy Mayonaisse and Citrus Tobiko Caviar (think I missed that garnish somewhere...)

Already planning another wedding with Ben for June this week and a few more tastings for future weddings at the resort.  Never ending right now, but thats fun of it! 

And get to pick up the boat today!  Both engines finally on and ready to go, now lets see about changing the name from Screamin Semin...!?!?!  Thats what happens when you buy a boat from a couple of flamboyant cubans in Miami!  Cheers to all and to all a fabulous day!

And its over....!!!!

The weekend of hell!  Finally came to an end, Dont think I have ever worked so much and slept so little in a period of two weeks in my life.  I am drained beyond imagination, but so glad I did it.  140 people, 2 nights, 840 plates of food and 4, 20 hour days in a row.  Managing 2 different sets of staff, that was the fun part!  My bed has never looked so comfy.
Peter DeNeufville had his friend (French Master Chef) Jean Lois Dumonet down for the weekend as well to work with me, it is so much fun to work with an award wining chef like him.  I can only dream of accomplishing what he already has in my lifetime.  And truthfully, I have never had somuch fun with a chef.  It is nice when you can click with somebody in the kitchen like that.  I will post some pics soon of the whole thing, but let me tell you, the food was amazing!  Not just because of me... But I had an amazing staff to pull it off.  I catered his privately on Saturday on Arki and Uma Thermans property.  No running water, no electricity.  i built a kitchen outside with tables, chafing dishes and grills, all the prep was done offsite, but everything was cooked and finished offsite.  Menu for both Nights are Below;

Day 1:

1st
Stone Crab
Heirloom TOmato, Avocado, Micro Basil, Soy Vinagrette

2nd
Petit Arugula
Maytag Blue Cheese, Merlot Poached Pear, Candied Walnuts, Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette

3rd
Ribeye
New Potatoes, Skillet Asparagus, Micro Greens, Sauce Poivrade

4th
Grouper
CoconutScented Rice, Wilted Spinach, Yellow Curry, Sweet Pepper Confetti

5th
Spiral Cake
Rum Ganache, Cuban Chocolate and coconut sofrito


Day 2:

1st
Gazpacho Andoule

2nd
Poached Rock Lobster
Charred Mango, Heirloom Tomato, Rosemary Oil, Local Avocado

3rd
Filet Mignon
Herbed potato Mash, Haricot Vert, Sauce Bernaise or Chimmichury

4th
Organic Greens
Montrache Goat Cheese Terrine, Cranberry Brioche, 5 oils Vinaigrette

5th
Desserts Galore!  About 15 different canapes


I had a blast, both of these also included a cocktail hour before hand with about 5 different passed canapes.  Uhhg, its over!!!!!!!!!!

Cooking Class Today

It always fun to interact with the guests and teach them a few things about the islands and cuisine.  I started these classes about a year ago now and love doing them, unfortunately they are few and far between.  I had a great couple from NY today join me, it is nice when you are working with people with alot of energy, it makes the classes much more enjoyable.  Every once and a while I get people who I have to force to interact and socialize, makes it a pain in the ass.  Anyways, we made Grilled Mahi Fish Taco's (recipe following) and Coconut Ceveche with Sour orange.  Everything Turned out Great!


Grilled Mahi Fish Tacos with Chipotle Crema and Pickled Red Onion
2ea 6oz Mahi Filet
4 ea 6 » Flour or Corn Tortilla Shells
1 cup Sour Cream
1 can Chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce
1 ea Red Onion
½ cup Red Wine Vinegar
¼ cup Granulated Sugar
1 head Romaine lettuce


For Pickled Red Onion:
Peel the Red Onion and cut in half. Gently shave off slices keeping them very thin. In a sauce pan, heat up red wine vinegar and sugar until it comes to a simmer, dump over the red onion and let sit for 20 minutes. Strain out the pickling liquid and refrigerate the red onion.

For Chipotle Crema:
In small mixing bowl combine sour cream and 2 T of the Adobo sauce out of the can, reserving the peppers. Chop up 3 of the unused peppers and add to the mixture. Whisk until smooth, add lime juice to taste.

With grill on medium heat, season the Mahi filets with salt, pepper and oil. Cut the filets in half lengthwise making 4 pieces. Places on the grill until fully cooked or translucent in the center. On your cutting board slice the romaine leaves very thin and set aside Remove the filets and let rest to the side. Place tortilla shells on the grill to slightly blacken and heat up. Spread Crema evenly on all 4 shells and place one piece of Mahi on each. Garnish with lettuce and red onion. Fresh Pico De Gallo or Fruit Salsa is a great accompaniment to this dish.

Toasted Coconut Ceveche

6 oz                  Fresh Grouper Filet

¼                      Red Bell pepper Small Dice

¼ ea                 Green Bell pepper Small Dice

1/8 ea  Red Onion Minced

2 ea                 Fresh Limes for Juicing

¼ Cup              Sweetened Coconut Flakes

3 Tbsp Cream of Coconut

2 Tbsp Coconut Cream

Salt/ Pepper

Conchy Joes Hot Sauce

Method:

With your Grouper filet double check that all skin and bones are removed before trimming.  Slice the filet into 1/4 “ slices then dice the slices into ¼” cubes.  Place into a small bowl and squeeze the juice of 2 limes into them and give it a quick stir.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place the coconut on a small sheet pan and place in the oven for 4 minutes.  Remove the coconut and stir quickly then replace for another 2-4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

In a medium size bowl place all of the peppers and onions.  Add the Brined Grouper and a pinch of salt and pepper.  A teaspoon of Conchy Joes hot Sauce is plenty for a bit of a kick, or nothing if you prefer it not as spicy.

Serve in a small bowl or martini glass and enjoy!!

Serenity

This is why I wake up early and take a jog first thing in the morning.  Cant beat a sunrise like this.

And its Potcake Fundraiser day!!!  Our annual Briland Humaine Society Fundraiser is tonight at the Fig Tree House.  This is such a great thing that Jill and a few others put on every year.  It pays for all spaying and neutering, shots, worming, and the vets building rental for the entire year.  It is crazy how far a few thousand dollars can go when you dont live in the states.  It just shows how much of a rioff the medical system is up there, when the same treatments for animals cost 1/10th as much.  AHould have some great pics tomorrow!

The Countdown Begins...

10 more days, 6 more cooks, $14,000 worth of prep, and 3 days of set up.  No running water and no electricity, did I mention 6 plated courses for them!  This event is going to kill me.  Mr. Peter DeNeufville has been the largest pain in my ass for the past month.  But i could really use the extra cash, and this one is not through the resort so I am taking a pretty big comission.  Should turn out a bit like this



It has all sort of come togetther in the past two weeks, which is nuts because I usually need about 3 months to pull it off.  Good Friend Galvin from Portland is flying in, and the Executive Chef from the Union Club New York is helping me out. 

Enough about that.  Its another sunny day on Briland!  Really wish I had my boat fixed today, could use a good swim.  I should probably get back to work...  Chers to all!

First Post!!!

So here I am, doing the inevitable, being the stereotypical chef blogger.  I guess creating this as an outlet for the nuances of my day to day life being stuck on a rock 11 months a year.  Lets get a few things out of the way, this is not a Blog dedicated to food, wine, travel or anything there of, this is a blog about the mostly dreary and sometimes fabulous life of James Van Dyke.  Don't get me wrong, I am sure a lot of these posts will contain something foodie wise, but I really just want to keep in touch and tell a little about my life as only I know it. 

I am sure my only followers will be family so hello to Mom, Warren, Dad, Marcia, Big Sis and of course my little angel Hayley. 

Talk Soon!