Thanksgiving...The All-American Culinary Superbowl

Tomorrow marks two weeks until Thanksgiving; any holiday that celebrates sharing amazing food with the people you love is a good thing in my book.  Thanksgiving carries with it all the anticipation of a major championship game...the stakes are high and no one wants to disappoint the team on the big day. And, its easy to get wrapped up in planning for the main event... the potatoes, the veggies, the bread, and of course, the bird.  

Here's one game-day strategy for going from a bench-warmer to an All-Star in your house.  Prep the team with easy-to-prepare appetizers.   Sure, one of the best parts of Thanksgiving is the all-day anticipation of a huge dinner feast, but a warm-up round with tasty snacks is the best way to win big with your crowd.    

No need for a heavy appetizer display.  Opt for flavor over quantity.  With that in mind, I leave you with an 801 favorite... Marinated Olives.    Prep a day or two in advance, and they'll taste even better.  Enjoy. 

-Chef

 

Marinated Olives

1 1/2 Cups Queen Stuffed Olives

1 Cup Kalamata Olives

1/4 Cup Roasted Garlic Cloves

1/4 Cup Roasted Red Pepper; sliced into strips

Zest from 1 Orange

2 Tbs. Italian Dressing

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and allow to marinate overnight.  

To roast garlic: 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Peel away the white outer covering of the garlic bulb, leaving the cloves attached to the root.  Cut across the top of the cloves so that you can see down into the bulb. Drizzle with olive oil and spread it around the entire bulb generously with your fingers. Wrap the bulb in aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the garlic cloves are soft. Remove the garlic packet from the oven and allow to cool.   Remove the individual garlic cloves by gently squeezing the garlic bulb.  Toss the roasted garlic cloves with the olive mixture, or use it in a hummus mixture or marinade. 

Photo courtesy of Snooth.com

Harvest Slow Food- A Celebration of Real Food!

We're getting ready for another Slow Food Wine Dinner...inspired by all of the best fall harvest. Think golden squash roasted to perfection...fall and winter lettuces like Frisee and Endive... and the sweet & tart contradiction of cranberry.  'Tis the season of giving thanks, and we designed the Harvest Slow Food menu to really celebrate the best bounty of our local farms. 

I think by now that you know 801 focuses on local, sustainable cuisine.  Why, you ask? Simply put, I can guarantee that food coming from a local farm will always taste better than food that has traveled thousands of miles to get to your plate. Its the Farm-to-Plate movement, which is literally focused on shortening the distance between the farmers and your dinner table.  Don't you want to know where your food came from?   So, here's the real question that we get a lot:  What is Slow Food?

  

"Slow Food aims to be everything that Fast Food is not" -- USA Today

Slow Food is a national movement- (you can read more about it here).  Its a lifestyle and a way of eating that focuses on the sheer joy of eating good food that was grown in your community and in an environmentally sound manner.  Slow Food USA has over 200 Chapters across the country, and they operate with a focus of, "raising public awareness, improving access and encouraging the enjoyment of foods that are local, seasonal and sustainably grown."   The Slow Food movement is about celebrating food and its place in our culture. 

We think that's a great way to eat.

We say enough with the fast food commercials that accuse each other of having fake meat products and chicken made out of seaweed!  And, we won't even name the fast food restaurant with a milkshake flavored like a pecan pie.  That's not real food.  And those flavors didn't come from a farm; they came from a laboratory.  

Slow Food is Real Food. And our Harvest Slow Food Menu is our way of saying thanks to all of the farmers and their commitment to locally grow treasure. 

I look forward to seeing you at our Harvest Slow Food Dinner-- Friday, November 19, 2010.  

-Chef

 

Harvest Slow Food Menu, 11/19/10

I.     Crispy butternut squash beignets with spiced pear syrup

II.   Peppercorn duck breast salad with frisee, endive, fresh herbs and dried cranberry vinaigrette

III.  Herb roasted lamb chops with brown butter spaghetti squash risotto and root vegetable puree

IV.  Pan seared wreck fish with crispy broccolini, smoked mushroom and local potato hash with roasted garlic puree.

V.  Caramelized Apple Napoleon with egg nog ice cream

Photo courtesy of SlowFoodUSA.org

801 Risotto- The Perfect Canvas

Slow food and slow cooking are great comforts; especially as cooler fall and winter air make their way our area.  One of the best ways to warm your bones is to spend time in the kitchen, making the foods that you find comforting and warming from the inside out.  Risotto is one of those dishes. At its basic level, it's warm, creamy and satisfying...in terms of both texture and richness. But, Risotto is also the perfect canvas for an assortment of flavors...from wild mushrooms, to roasted vegetables (another slow food favorite in our kitchen), to seafood, and of course, any number of cheeses that your heart desires. 

From time to time, we'll use risotto to showcase a great vegetable find at the farmer's market, like a butternut squash.  But, risotto can also stand up to bold add-ins like blue cheese.  The beauty of the dish is that you can coax the most creamy, decadent texture from the rice and then give it any flavor profile you like. Risotto is traditionally made with Arborio rice, a short-grained rice with an incredibly starchy exterior.  Slowly cooking and stirring the rice releases the starch, creating a creamy rice dish that's perfect as a small first course or as an accompaniment to the main entree.  

Risotto is totally approachable in the kitchen...all it takes is a little patience and the willingness to put a little love into the dish.  Use this recipe as a blank canvas for your favorite flavors-- roasted red peppers, wild mushrooms and Parmesan are just a few ideas.  What are your favorite risotto flavors?

-Chef

 

801 Franklin Risotto

2 Cups Arborio Rice

1 Shallot- minced

2 Tbs. Butter

1 Bay Leaf

1 Cup White Wine

2 Cups of Stock or Broth

Salt & Pepper to taste

• Heat a large saute pan on medium high heat.  

• Add the butter and allow it to melt.  
• Add the rice and shallot. Toasting the rice and shallot develops their flavor, giving the rice a nutty, toasted flavor.  
• In a separate pot, warm the stock or broth.  Gently stir the rice around the pan until the butter is absorbed. 
• Add the white wine to the pan and let it absorb into the rice. The alcohol will evaporate while the rice absorbs the flavors of the wine. 
• Add the Bay Leaf to the rice as well.  Reduce heat to medium and continue stirring frequently.  
• Add 1 to 2 ladles of warm stock to the rice and continue stirring.  When the stock is almost completely absorbed, add another 1 to 2 ladles of liquid.  Continue for 20-25 minutes until the rice is tender;   the amount of stock you need will vary.  
• Season to taste using salt and pepper.  Taste the rice;  it should be al dente; rich and creamy but still holding its texture and shape.  (In other words, be careful to avoid cooking your risotto to mush! Now, how's that for a gourmet term?) 
• Remove the Bay Leaf, and finish the dish with a tablespoon of butter stirred into the rice, or a dusting of Parmesan and fresh herbs on top.

 Variations:

• Add roasted vegetables or wild mushrooms after the wine has absorbed into the rice.
• Use red wine to add a rosy tint to your risotto dish
• If using a bleu cheese or Parmesan, gently crumble and stir in the cheese after the final ladle of stock has been absorbed.  

Welcome to the kitchen

Friends, Foodies, Hungry People, Gourmets, and Wine Aficionados Alike:

Welcome to our kitchen's corner of the world wide web... if you've never been our guest at the restaurant, we want to get to know you a little bit better-- and we hope you learn a little bit more about us. And if you're a long-time 801 friend, we want to share a little more time with you. You see, everything that we do at 801 Franklin is about celebrating every day.  Not waiting for a special occasion.  801 is all about feeding good food to good people.  And if you've found your way to our blog, you're already "good people" in our book. 

This blog is our story...a look behind the doors to the kitchen, behind the chef's hat and beyond the crisp white table cloths.  Our story, at its foundation, is about a passion for food and a passion for making every one of our guests and friends (we like to think that there's really no distinction between the two) as comfortable as possible.  We want you to relish every dining experience at 801, and we want you to walk away with a whole new appreciation for food, and how you cook in your very own kitchen. 

You'll hear us talk about Slow Food,  Organics, and Sustainable food choices-- we'll help you learn a little more about that movement and exactly why everything local tastes a whole lot better than food that's traveled 5,000 miles before it gets to your plate.  

So, we're glad you found us.   When we're not sharing a great moment together on the patio, in the dining room or celebrating a special event at the restaurant, we hope we can spend a little more time with you here.  We've got a few tips and tricks up our sleeves to share, and some reviews of our favorite restaurants and chefs, spiced up with a glimpse into our most current seasonal inspirations and food obsessions.

Do you love food as much as we do?

Good. 

You're in the right place. 

-Chef