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Northwest Cuisine

post #1 of 13
3/6/03 at 3:53pm
Thread Starter 
Any menu/recipe ideas for Pacific Northwest
cuisine? Some interesting Salmon recipes?
Am putting on an event calling for stations:
Southwest, Southeast(Cajun/Creole) N.E. New
England and Pacific Northeast.
Thanks, ml.
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post #2 of 13
3/7/03 at 9:26am
ML,

Since they are stations you will be doing,how about whole sides of ceder planked steelheads with a lime/chipoltie sauce and carve as you go.

Maybe a raguet of elk and or venison with seasonal wild shrooms served over San Fran sourdough crostini. Wash St and Oregan are seeing early spring shrooms and berries.

Duck from Northern Cali with ramps and huckleberries.
Bison medallions with local goatcheese and a red wine reduction made from Northwestern wine.

Grilled steelhead with poached baby fennel with a wash st sparkling wine vinaigrette and preserved cippolini onions served over early spring greens.

Late harvest riesling panna cotta with simmered huckleberries

Just a couple quick idea's have fun
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post #3 of 13
3/7/03 at 4:01pm
Thread Starter 
Cape Chef,
Many thanks, they all sound very good!!
I've never used Elk, are there certain specs
I should consider when inquiring to order?
Serving it as a ragout, do you suggest this
as a means to tenderize it? I have not
worked with much game meats in my career.
I'm interested in your opinion in some
choices I've made for the other stations. I
invite you and others to please critique at
will.
This event is for 900 senior students
students and 300 faculty members. It's an
off premise event entailing one to work off
propane generated ovens, stoves and grills.
Some of the cooking may be prepared at the
central kitchen and transported over.

Southeast: Creole/Cajun: Sauteed Shrimp with
Basil Cream Sauce,Spicy pulled pork w/french
bagettes, Collard Greens sauteed with shallots
and bacon, jalepeno cornbread with whipped
honey butter.

New England: Traditional Clam chowder w/petit
biscuits, Lobster and roasted corn souffle,
Honey Baked Ham with Peach compote, Cheddar
Au gratin potatoes, ( God, this sound so boring!!!
help!)


Southwest: Roasted Poblano w/riccota and goat
cheese stuffing w/roasted red pepper sauce,
Chicken breast mole, Jicama Slaw with pepper
trio in a lime vinagrette. (need a starch here)

Dessert Buffet: still working on that, looking
at offering some stations like a bananas foster
or crepe display..thinking of trying something
that offers some tropical fruits as well.

Look forward to you/your responses. ml
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post #4 of 13
3/12/03 at 2:26pm
Thread Starter 

Cedar plank salmon

Cape Chef,
We tried out the cedar plank today on
some redfish we had in house, the fish really
absorbed the flavor of the wood (a bit too
much!)but will give the salmon a try tomorrow
when it comes in. Thanks for the suggestion,
having fun with it.
I'm working on demo plates for a preset
salad for 500 using black pepper fettucine.
I made a plate with small off center nest
of watercress, twisted bed of fettucine and
topped the pasta w/a salad of grilled asparagus
tips,shallots,diced yellow pepper and sliced
red grape tomatoes.
Looked and tasted good but not "wowed"
by it, think I'm on the right track but it
needs some tweeking, any ideas?
ml.
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post #5 of 13
3/12/03 at 3:05pm
ML,

What did you dress the salad with?

If it's in your budget,perhaps a little salpicon of dungeness crab,or a chiffinade of smoked salmon.

Grapefruit sections would go nice with the black pepper pasta and the grass.

Also, On the New England Lobster and roasted corn souffle, how do you see yourself preparing this for 900 people?

Ml, If your ceder is new it will be strong. I usually dry cure them in a low oven for about four hours,this adds a toasty nuiance,but also matures the wood which softens it's intensity.

This look like a fun event, keep us posted as it developes
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post #6 of 13
3/13/03 at 2:08pm
Thread Starter 
Hi Cape Chef,

I dropped the lobster corn souffle, changed
it to lobster/roasted corn chowder for similar
thoughts you may bestow regarding production.
The salad: I tossed the tomato,pepper,aparagus
in some high quality olive oil, s/p and some
fresh lemon juice. I worked on it this morning
and found success in tossing the pasta with
greens first, plated and finished with the compote on top with a lite garnish of shredded parm.
It worked well, the watercress added some
needed volume and color and believe it will
simplify the plating process with regards to
consistency.
Will take your advice on curing the
cedar as we plan to use that as an offering
for the dinner for 1200.
The menus are coming together, thanks again
for the input, it has been a great help to me
and my staff. Will keep you posted.
ml
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post #7 of 13
4/3/03 at 5:22pm

Salmon

For a plated dish salmon is good, but as with any large funtion your main obstical is drying out! I would like to lead you in the direction of a glaze. Keeping the smoke flavor will still work. Maybe think of Miso with your wild mushrooms. Add some zip with a shot of roasted red-peppers and japs puree. Cut the miso will a combo of soy, seseme oil, garlic and pineapple juice. And maybe mark it on your char-broiler.
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post #8 of 13
4/6/03 at 7:20am
Thread Starter 
Dear CrazyChef,
Thank you for your suggestion, I will pass
this on to the culinary staff. ml.
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post #9 of 13
4/6/03 at 8:08am
Starch for SW natural is black beans...I'd do a salad
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post #10 of 13
4/6/03 at 8:09am
The previous posts are full of great advice!! If I may add my 2-cents, check out Corey Schreiber's Wildwood: Cooking from the Source. It is a great(!) piece on Pac-Northwest gastronomy.
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post #11 of 13
4/28/03 at 7:01pm
Thread Starter 
Dear Cape Chef,
Just wanted to pass on how well received
the cedar plank steelhead was for the Northeast
buffet for 1200 this past Friday as the
venison ragout with seasonal mushrooms.
The served dinner for 550 on Saturday night went well despite having to nix using the propane generated finishing kitchen setup due to heavy rain and wind. We prepared the meal at the central kitchen and transported over. Catering will be
catering, planning to carve the beef tenderloin
by 8:15 and plate the meal to be told some
speaking will be done first and to hold off on
plating...It's a slow torture to listen to people
speak when your thinking about your beef tenderloin slowing chilling and your haricot vert
turning brown... ha! Fortunantely, it was a
short presentation and the above didn't happen!!

Thank you and the many that took the time to
respond and offer your culinary expertise and
advice in my preparation of these events.
I applied much that I received and it was
translated into the talents here that made it
happen.

We are serving lunch for Archbishop TuTu on
May 18th, if anyone has any interesting desserts
of African origin, I'm looking.

Many thank,Ml
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post #12 of 13
4/29/03 at 9:48am
And the denizens of Cheftalk do their job, and do it well.
Congratulations Melinda on a successful job anda job well done to Brad and everyone else on their input.
That's why we're here! (even if I didn't help on this one!)
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post #13 of 13
4/30/03 at 6:53am
Hey Melinda,

I'm so happy things went well.

I'm sure you and your staff worked very hard.

To bad about the rain and wind,but it sounds like you we're able work on the fly.

One of my cooks is from Ghana,i'll ask her about African deserts.
cc
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