Brunch Series Dish 3: Poached Lobster Benny, Waffle, Plum Tomato Jam, Gruyere, Chive Hollandaise

Here is a dish just recently launched onto our brunch menu. We use 100% Oceanwise lobster from Fabian Bates at Sing Sing lobster. This is a really nice balance of sweet tart tomato jam and rich gruyere cheese which sitting on the waffle absorbs all the released moisture. Its a nice twist on the classic eggs benedict and has gone down very well with our guests.

Brunch series: Dish 2 - Tofu, Quinoa and Miso

Here is a vegan dish which has proved very popular with our guests. It is light, extremely tasty and has a good healthy list of ingredients. The dish features red and white quinoa, green kale, edamame beans, red pepper, broccoli, onion, chick peas, snow peas, a pinch of ground flax, hemp heart, cashew nut, baby spinach, cilantro and tofu. The dish is flavoured with a miso dressing which is used to glaze the quinoa also. I cook this dish all the time at home for my vegetarian wife. It can always be adapted to suit all needs. Add a chicken breasts or a hunk of sablefish or even a beef tenderloin. Taste great with all.!!
Dressing recipe is included below.

Omiso Dressing

3 bags miso paste

8 cloves crushed garlic

1/3 cup fresh grated ginger

¼ cup dry mustard powder

2 bottles rice vinegar

2 cups sesame oil

½ cup sugar

6 litres grapeseed oil

Method:

     Combine all ingredients and emulsify with a stick blender while slowly adding the oil.

Rise and Shine

Very recently i have been working on the new breakfast and brunch menus at Yew Restaurant and bar. Going out for brunch here in Vancouver is a big thing, there are alot of restaurants in town that do a brunch. Hash n eggs, yoghurt parfaits and of course the the infamous Eggs Benny, to name just a few of the staples. What was fun about writing these menus was how to keep it "whimsy and fun" and still keep that standard high but keeping the emphasis on comfort eating, because that seems to be the way people like to eat here. Im going to take you through some of the new dishes one by one over the next few weeks just breaking it down into what the dishes contain and throwing in a few recipes to boot if needed.

Here we have the Steak N Eggs which has sumptuous chunks of Slow Braised Red Wine Short Rib of Beef, Breakfast Potatoes (Vitelotte, Yukon Gold and Red Bliss roasted in duck fat), Roasted Cherry Gem Tomatoes, Apple Wood Smoked Cheddar, Arugula, Topped off with two sunny eggs.

Time flies

Good morning, Good evening, Good afternoon,

It surprises me that my last blog from the UK was in January 2011. Mainly because I have been meaning to continue on with my posts for some time. Alot has happened for me since that time. My family and I have moved to Vancouver, Canada and we are so happy with our lives right now. We have embraced the way people eat here and have jumped feet first into the diverse melting pot of cultures and cuisine. I have so much to tell and share over the coming weeks and months........................

I transferred from the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire to Four Seasons Vancouver in late July 2011. We moved here to Canada to pursue my goal of becoming an Executive head chef of a Four Seasons hotel. I started my career at the tender age of 18 at The Langham Hilton Hotel in London and am now 35 nearing my career dream of becoming the lead chef in the kitchen of a hotel in this luxury hospitality company.

Moving from the UK to The West coast of Canada has been a revelation to me as it has opened my eyes to a completely different way of feeding people and my family. With a new lease of life in this blog i hope to share some of my new found passion for healthy tasty recipes. These inspirations come from our banqueting department, Yew restaurant in our hotel and the incredible talent of sous chefs and line cooks that i have the pleasure to work with week in, week out.

The format and content of this blog will change from the past posts as i am not the restaurant chef anymore but oversee everything in all outlets.

Please leave feedback as you see fit and leave notes on trends that are relevant where you are currently. And if you are ever in Vancouver, please stop into Yew restaurant and bar to say hi..

Laters.....

Terrines

I have always been fascinated by terrines. From the tender age of 19 working as a commis at Claridge's to working in the Cote D'Azur as a demi chef de partie I have always deemed terrines as the ultimate show off plate. That view hasn't wavered today. Now it is time to install that passion into my team of eager cooks. I remember walking through Harrods in Knightsbridge once on my day off to look at the terrines, ballontines and gallantines. Dazzled by the display of chaud froie charcuterie and layered meat terrines, I was inspired to learn this craft to the best of my ability.

Today, in modern kitchens there are so many areas to cover, from classical to contemporary, to international. I try to keep classical elements in my cooking with a modern twist. Over the festive period we made a couple of terrines from my early days. We have a spinach, ricotta terrine lined with smoked salmon, and a traditional pate en croute.

Eggs and cheese on toast

Here is a free range duck egg cooked in a waterbath for 1 hour at 63C. It is paired with almond toast, parmesan custard and shaved truffle.

The duck egg cooked in this method cooks the white so delicately, almost transclucent. The yolk though remains thickly runny and rich.

I got a bone to pick with you..........

Pardon the pun, but i couldn't help it. This is a random shot of a garnish for a beef dish that was being prepared the other weekend. I paired it as a duo. The bone has been completely cleaned out and hollowed. There is saute spinach in the bottom and sticky braised brisket on top. it is to be re - heated and topped with a local beer froth.

Beef and beer.....they love it here in the countryside. Damn right too!! ; ))