Down Time

Sorry to anyone who is following my new food blog that I haven't been posting lately but I'm in the middle of building two new restaurants in Cincinnati Ohio which has been a load!  I promise to get things up and running again soon with all new recipes and other useful information as well to keep you up to date and enjoying some great food from Chef Dave's Table!

Butter poached lobster!

What a hit this was this week in our Gahanna location.
From top to bottom:
Lobster poached in a buere Monte, (basically 1 Tbs of water to a pound of butter slowly heated until butter melts, whisk continually and don't let the butter get above 190 degrees) poached lobster at 185 for 8 to 10 minutes until cooked through.
Below that is a shrimp scampi ravioli. Then I took a 1/2 cup measuring cup and cut a circle out of a won ton wrapper and fried it till crispy, about 15 seconds a side. Below that is a mushroom risotto cake that I pan seared till crispy on both sides. Then on bottom was a sweet pea purree of sauteed shallot garlic cream salt and pepper then purreed it in a food processor.
Lastly I topped the whole thing with a champaign butter. I reduced a whole bottle of sparkling wine down to a third and added it to 3 lb of butter. Not has hard as it sounds.

Breakfast Mexican Strata with Avocado Sauce

This is a great Sunday brunch dish for your family and is very easy to make, with a hint of cumin and Chili Powder it gives a nice change to your typical scrambled eggs and sausage. Enjoy!

Here's what you will need:

Ingredients:
1 small onion
4 oz sliced mushrooms
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese
2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 Cup your favorite breakfast sausage (cooked)
2 Cups bread cubes baked till crunchy but soft in the center ( I used a gluten free Italian baguette for my wife who is gluten sensitive)
1 TBS finely chopped chives
6 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups whole milk
Fresh fruit (optional)

Avocado Sauce (Recipe below)

Here's what you need for sauce
2 avocado's
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
2 TBS Lime juice
2 TBS Finely chopped tomato
1 TBS finely chopped onion

Blend all ingredients except tomato and onion in a food processor until creamy then stir in tomato and onion. taste for seasoning and chill.

First preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take about 7 inches of an Italian baguette and slice into 1 inch cubes put on a cookie sheet, drizzle with some olive oil and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown

Saute the onions and mushrooms until browned and then add the chopped garlic and cooked sausage and heat through and set aside

In a large mixing bowl add the eggs milk spices, salt & pepper and whisk until well blended then add the cheese and mushroom,onion, garlic and sausage mix and bread cubes and half the chives. Stir well and mix with a large spoon.

Spray a 9 1/2 in round straight sided cake pan with olive oil spray and pour mixture into it. Place on a cookie sheet and place in preheated oven 375 degree for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out just barely wet. Remove from oven and let cool for 3 to 4 minutes

To Plate:
On the center of a plate add a spoonful of the avocado sauce and spread across the plate. Cut the Strata into 6 even pieces and place one piece in the middle of the sauce. add an additional spoon of sauce on top and garnish with finely chopped tomatoes and remaining chives. Serve with fresh fruit.

Good Morning Peach Bellini!

On drinks its about flavor and I look for either great mixers or a mixer I make myself that isn't to much fuss.  Two Items here...I don't like store bought sweet and sour mixes or simple syrups, why? because they are to easy to make and anyone can do it...you just need a few ingredients that most people with have in their pantry and/or fridge.

Homemade Sweet and Sour! you will love this compared to store bought and only takes minutes

Ingredient list
1 Cup water
1 Cup sugar
2/3 cup lemon juice
2/3 cup lime juice

In a small sauce pan warm the water and sugar until it comes to a simmer. Take off heat and cool.
Once cooled add the lemon and lime juice and stir, chill and BOOM!! Sweet and Sour!

Here is a delicious and refreshing morning cocktail great for a Sunday breakfast or brunch!

Here is what you will need...

4 oz Powell & Mahoney Peach Bellini mixer
4 oz your favorite sparkling wine (Piper Sonoma Brut is a good choice) or Prosecco
1 TBSP Sweet and Sour mix (recipe above)
Ice

In a blender add ice and Bellini mixer and blend until a slushy is formed add sweet and sour and pulse 3 or 4 times.
Add sparkling and stir with a spoon and pour into a Champagne flute or white wine glass.

You can garnish with a strawberry or drop in some fresh peach slices. You can also pulse some fresh (ripe) peaches and add to this mix and triple the recipe to make a pitcher to share with friends over brunch!

This recipe can be made with just about anything such as fresh mango puree, peach or mango nectar too. It's simply refreshing! Enjoy!

Fresh Herbs!

I can't say enough about fresh herbs and I can only wish I had a larger garden then this small basket and one larger pot that has fresh lemon Thyme in it. This picture was taken earlier this year and now it has grown much larger and there is more than enough. Getting to grow your own herbs and produce is not only a joy but makes you appreciate eating and cooking in a totally new aspect! Not only does it save you money from not having to pay $3 for a small ounce at the grocery store, it is so much more fresher to walk out on your patio or garden and clip them right from the earth! The taste, color and aroma is so much better.

Try planting some but make sure you are using a good potting soil along with a good plant feed to help them grow well and water them everyday. Once your herbs have grown you can do a few things to enjoy them. I have basil and purple basil in this pot and will clip it all year long for a nice chiffinode cut over bruschetta's or pasta. Also, try the pesto from my previous post. It's great on many dishes from fish, chicken, pork and shellfish too. You can make a larger batch of it and freeze it to pull out later for your favorite dish!

Pesto Grilled Shrimp and grilled vegetables!

Pesto Grilled Shrimp with Grilled vegetables is a great summer dinner! Hope you enjoy this as much as we did tonight!

Fresh Home-made Pesto
2 Cups fresh basil
2 TBS pine nuts
1 TBS chopped garlic
2 TBS grated parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste




Put all ingredients except olive oil into a small food processor and chop until finely chopped. add 3 TBS of Olive oil to start and blend well. keep adding until you get a loose concistancy and looks like this...



It should look almost like a sauce and not a paste and should run off your spoon.















for the Shrimp skewers you will need large shrimp. they work best. Also, summer squash and zucchini. I sliced the squash/zucchini into flat pieces like lasagna noodles and seasoned them with garlic and onion seasoning and salt and pepper.
Skewer the shrimp so they are easy to handle on the grill.

Let the grill heat up and oil the grates and place the vegetables on the grill and sear for 5 minutes, turn the vegetables and place the shrimp skewers on the other end of grill...once the shrimp are pink on the bottom turn and then coat the cooked side with pesto

Pull the shrimp and vegetables off to plate...

When thinking about plating if you want to impress your family and friends think center of the plate. This means to stack layers of food...starch, vegetables and protiens on top with a sauce etc. garnish with fresh herbs and drizzle a little sauce around the plate.

White Oak Cabernet Sauvignon

Had a nice Cabernet with dinner tonight...White Oak Cabernet 2008. Nice fruit on the front with a little dryness on the end. Went well with the grilled Pesto Shrimp and grilled summer squash and zucchini and baby eggplant.

At the Dinner Table!

Chef Dave's Table is a blog all about the food experience. It will contain articles and posts that help the everyday home cook or professional with some great recipes I use in professional restaurant kitchens I have worked in over the years or some I only make at home for my friends and family. Either way I hope this blog site helps you with your culinary skills and betters you as a cook everyday!

Make great appetizers like this hanger steak stacked on top of a bed of spinach with a roasted red pepper coulis and chive oil! Topped with potato straws. It will amaze your family and/or friends when you have them over. Learn recipes and techniques to do this and many more coming soon!

I hope you enjoy.....Chef Dave!