Breakfast at the Connoley House

Fresh grilled pita, cajun fries, Farmer's Market eggs and the latest catalog from K&L Wine Merchants in San Fran. That's the only way to wake up in the morning. BTW, we've been invited to speak at the San Fran Fancy Food Show in January. Hopefully some of you readers will be there. Let me know.

My baby's first poop!

See, you spend $300 bucks on a new mixer and you get organic peanut butter dog biscuits! Money well spent.

I'm A Proud New Papa

Isn't he beautiful!

Oui Chef!

I have always held the opinion that the term "Chef," should be reserved for someone with schooling. Technically, it simply is the title for the head of the kitchen, normally the person who does the management. I have not called myself chef since my kitchen take over.

Today, I served a guest a sandwich and a dessert. When I came to see how she was enjoying it, she was having one of those orgasmic moments...you know the ones. She told me that she attended the French Pastry School in NYC and had recently moved to town. I did a little shop talk and raced back to the kitchen to keep cooking. Later she had a second dessert - a mango, strawberry cheesecake that I had made. It was perfectly baked - perfect. Most people bake their cheesecakes until firm, but that is actually too baked. You stop when there is just a bit of jiggle left. This one was dancing in its pan perfectly. I went to see if she enjoyed the cheesecake and she started referring to me as "Chef." She must have said it ten times after that.

A very cool, key moment in my six week career. I'm willing to let my opinion soften...after all, it was a damn good cheesecake!

Tasting Menu: Next Step

This morning I wrote a bunch of concepts on poster paper on the wall in my kitchen. This is my first opportunity to see how they might flow within a meal, and how the flavors might transfer. As is typical, I am heavy on desserts, but my food is not "savory" and "sweet," but rather logically irrational. I am very happy with my draft entrees - two locally sourced, very fresh meats.

On a related note, one difficulty for me is keeping the secrets, but sharing enough info to get technical support. I would love to post the whole menu and have folks pick it apart, but what fun would that be!? Tyler really wants to know what's planned, and I want him to know just enough so that he can enjoy the flavor surprises that I want him (and everyone else) to experience.

I'm still working on a venue for this meal...just as difficult as picking a menu!

Ephinal Spewforthedness: The Creation of Tasting Menu

You saw my last tasting menu from a few weeks ago. I was fairly tight lipped about it to ensure the element of surprise for the diners. I'm gearing up for my next one in late October, and I'm going to attempt to share the formation process here for anyone interested.

I hadn't given it much thought before yesterday with the exception that I want to stay true to the season and local foods. Then late yesterday the floodgates opened! My library of tastes has been throwing reference cards out faster than I can process them. It reminds me of one of the modern magicians who asks you to pick a card, then throws the whole deck against the wall only to have your card be the one that sticks while the rest fall to the floor.

When I start tasting menus, I start with flavors, not so much techniques or texture - that will come later. For example, I have some "sure things" that have come out: Whiskey, cheddar and apples; chapagne and pomegranate. Then I have the concepts that are dangling on the wall waiting to decide if they'll make it: jicama and coffee, for example.

In less than a day I have over 20 flavor combinations that I'm playing with. More will come. Most will be tossed. And that's just the beginning.

A couple of things...

Nothing significant, but here is how my bread is looking these days:

And, here's a recent snack that we had. A wedge of Humboldt Fog cheese with some of that bread: