Our own black box

[cape chef]

Lets have some fun,

See what you can come up with using these ingredients.

1 # parsnips
1 # Carrots
1# onions
1# leeks
1 #turnips
2 heads green cabbage
2 fennel bulbs
4 pomagranits
2 heads garlic
assorted fresh herbs
1 gallon each, vegetable stock,veal stock and chicken stock
1 # diver scallops
4 # beef short ribs
2 # baby brussels sprout
1 # cheastnuts
5 # potatoes (any)
2 # rice (any)
2# pasta (any)
1 # chanterels
butter,olive oil ETC unlimited
2#flour

*************
To our Pastry chefs
5# flour(any)
2#sweet butter
2#cream cheese
12 ea,Eggs
4# chocolate (any)
5# sugar
1/2 # ea, Hazel nuts,almonds,macadamia.
1#aborio rice
2 Qts heavy cream
1qt conola oil
1# clemintines
1# black mission figs
1# persimmion
6 ea vanilla beans
2# shortning


Have fun
cc

[nancya]

I am definitely out of the running here...but I sure look forward to what our chefs can come up with! Great idea, Cape Chef!

[momoreg]

I don't know if others will mishmosh all of these ingredients into one dessert, but I just can't picture some of these ingredients together, so I have to split it up:

A hazelnut and black mission fig financier topped with candied persimmons, with a quenelle of rice pudding, lightened with whipped cream. Sauce plate with a tangy reduction of clementine juice.

Chocolate risotto served with a dense chocolate cream cheese gateau, garnished with shards of wafer-thin almond bark, and a vanilla- toasted almond sabayon.

A layered mini-torte of persimmon semifreddo, caramelized macadamia cheesecake, and warm clementine-perfumed chiffon, (layered with the coldest on the bottom and the warmest on top). Garnish with a toasted half-candied, half choc. dipped macadamia, and a persimmon, clementine zest vanilla syrup.

On the table, place the shortening in ramekins, and the canola oil in pitchers, to be used at diner's discretion.

[shroomgirl]

love the lard and canola idea....

Mine seems less imaginative.

seared scallops on fennel rissotto cakes with a dab of orange
aioli

parsnip and carrot soup served side by side in the bowl with sauteed chanterelles and frizzled leeks on top

braised short ribs with mashed potatoes and turnips,
roasted chestnut sauce over steamed brussel sprouts, caramelized pearl onions, cabbage sauteed in oodles of butter until sweet....I like rosemary and thyme with beef ribs

Pomagranite sauce on a spicy sweet kugel for dessert.....Indian spices...kinda chai like.

I added an orange, dairy and eggs to your list....did not use all the stocks, nor flour.

[cape chef]

Geez Momoreg,

That's exactly what I was going to do "copy cat)

What incredible ideas.
BTW,momoreg...saturday is Non chef and mizz Helens 55 wedding annerversery, want to through some petit fours together for me

cc

[Pete]

Amuse
Leek & Chantrelle Tartlet drizzled with a roast garlic veloute

1st Course
Vegetable-Chestnut soup: carrot, parsnip, onion, chiffanade of cabbage, pasta, fennel, and veg. stock all lightly thickened with a puree of chestnuts

Intermezzo
Clemintine Sorbet with lemon thyme

2nd course
Diver scallops on a bed of mashed potato with a short rib sauce (braise the short ribs, reduce the braising liquid, shred the short rib meat adding back to the braising liquid) and garnished with peeled brussel sprouts sauteed and finished with a little maderia (if I can use the maderia)

3rd course
Persimmon Ice Cream served with a warm soup of figs. Garnished with pomagranite seeds and a three nut brittle.

I did not use all these ingredients but attempted to use as many as possible.

[momoreg]

Wow, great ideas here. I like the poetic sound of clementine/lemon thyme sorbet. It also sounds tasty.

CC, of COURSE I'll do up some petit fours. Just tell me how many and where.

[cape chef]

~ First Course ~

Seared diver scallops dregded in chestnut flour in a pool of sweet beta carrot-lavender broth, garnished with lavender wands and pomagranite seeds.



~ second Course ~

Rissoto with fennel-garlic infused vegetable stock served with brown butter and shallot sauteed chanterels and fried sage leaves.

~ Third Course~

Braised boneless short ribs with roast garlic-yellow finnish potato gnocci,toasted caraway,carmilied onion braised cabbage and anna style parsnips and carrots

~dessert Course~

Clemintine and vanilla essence with a persimon panna cotta and a crispy hazelnut tuile

For the scallops enjoy a white burgundy or chardonnay with forward fruit and balanced acidty. For the Rissoto a lighter style piot noir or a Moulin au vent or fluire. For the short ribs a well balanced meritage ,Merlot or cabernet,Cotes du rhone would be nice to. For the desset a Vin sante,Late harvest reisling,sautern or barsac

[Peachcreek]

I'll give it a shot:

A fig and chestnut soup, garnished with crispy fried leeks.(thicken with yellow potatoes)

A salad of winter vegetables on braised cabbage greens with a garlic and pomegranite dressing.

Hazelnut and chantrelle ravioli made with persimmon pasta, with veal glace.

Seared scallops with a timbale of floral-scented rice and clementine-saffron essence.

Ginger-braised short ribs in their jus.

Chocolate souffle with vanilla bean sauce.

Assorted nut shortbread cookies.

I think I used everything on the list. No extra ingredients would be used.

[Anneke]

OMG! you are all gods! I'm just staring at the list and I still don't know what to do! So much for my culinary education!

Ok, CC, a couple of technique questions here if you don't mind:

Beta carrot-lavender broth, qu'est-ce que c'est?

Roast garlic-yellow finnish potato gnocci? What makes a gnocchi Finnish?

Anna style parsnips and carrots; how do you cut/assemble them?

Thanx!

[kuan]

Seared diver scallops with simple beurre blanc

Root vegetable "pot au feu" soup using parsnips, carrots, onions, leeks, turnips, brussel sprouts.

Pomegranate granite

Braised short ribs with cabbage and alsatian noodles

Warm roasted garlic and fennel salad

Potato ravioli with chanterelles

Sweet black rice pudding cooked in bamboo

Kuan

[W.DeBord]

Cape Chef, you gave the pastry people too many ingredients. There's just way way too many things that could be made from that list. It would be trickier if you told us what equipment we had or didn't have available and a MUCH smaller grocery list.

Providing eggs, cream, flour, vanilla and butter is equal to a whole grocery store in our black box, to a pastry chef. PLUS unlimited access to equipment....too easy!

[cape chef]

Anneke,

Beta carrots are a sweet deep red carrot with orange veins,They are cross pollinated with beets,Hence the color i simple juice the carrots in a juicer and simmer 5 minutes with lavender,strain and add lavender petals, S&P.

The Gnocci are not Finnish in origen (as you know with the great gnocci thread a while back) But i use the yellow finnish potatoes and roast garlic paste to make the gnocci. These potatoes are similar to yukon golds,butter are more buttery and less starchy.

The parsnip and carrots anna, after peeling the veggies I slice then very very thin on a bias, I take parchment paper and make circles with a ring mold as my guide. I then paint the circles with butter and sprinkel with salt and pepper,I then alternate the veggies on the circle, I do four layers,buttering and seasoning each layer.I then take another piece of parchment and butter the whole thing and lay the buttered side down ontop on the circles and bake until done and slightly golden.

I hope this helps
cc

[cape chef]

W.Debord,

Sorry

Give it a try anyway
cc

[Anneke]

Thanks CC, that helps indeed. I've worked with beta carrots before I had no idea that's what they were called...