dinner 17

dinner number 17... the first dinner we used something not made in house! we started the group off with an amuse of liverwurst on rye crouton with horseradish mayo and a cornichon wedge. the liverwurst was made by todd mussman of muss & turners and was is one of my favorite things to eat!as winter makes its last little stand, it's one last chance for a nice hearty soup. white bean puree with house cured colorado lamb bacon, mustard oil and chive.
not the best picture, but this spicy duck salad was a crowd favorite. picked duck confit tossed with scallions, ginger and a house garlic chili sauce.
chive gnocchi with black trumpet and hedgehog mushrooms and housemade ricotta cheese.
piedmontese beef eye of ribeye from montana with endive slaw and potato and pecorino hash.
dessert. housemade vanilla ice cream with grapefruit and rosemary mint syrup.
we figured since we were going to break the rules and bring in muss's liverwurst, we would do it again and have our friends from crumb bakery do the same. sabrina and rocky were gracious enough to send us 2 dozen amazing french macarons. each of our guests took one and managed to stuff themselves even more. sabrina and rocky hand deliver these and other baked goods at your request!

sunday, march 21st - SOLD OUT

sunday, march 21st

white been puree, lamb bacon, mustard oil, chives

spicy duck salad, cilantro, green onion, ginger

gnocchi, black trumpet mushrooms, housemade ricotta

eye of ribeye, potato and pecorino hash, belgian endive slaw, red wine vinaigrette

vanilla and rosemary ice cream, grapefruit, mint syrup

dinner 16

early morning, i crawl out of bed to start the dessert. though a tiny smile comes from mixing sweets and there is some sort of soothing pleasure about being the only one in a quiet kitchen, i still say, "thank god i'm not a pastry chef"!
albeit monochromatic, this salad of lump crab meat, endive, and olives with a honey mustard vinaigrette was a delicious balance of my favorite flavors. sweet crab, bitter greens, salty olives and tangy dressing... yum!
the veggie mix...
this dish is my dream pub food. though we served it with a rose, a warm spring day and this dish with a nice ipa - right up our alley! fresh spanish mackerel is lightly cured in salt for about 20 minutes then rinsed and marinated in a pickling liquid with carrots, celery and onions over night. the next day the fish is patted dry, battered and fried. the veggie mix is mixed with olive oil and fresh chopped parsley and served as a salad with the crispy fish.
the dish! finished with some celery leaves tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper.
the favorite that nearly didn't make it to the dinner - smoked gum creek farm pork cheek quesadilla with riverview farms grits. the debate was the casual nature of the dish, something that i struggle with. the balance of elegant well crafted food vs. roll-up-your-sleeves, belly warming goodness. the belly warming goodness usually wins.
"i concur ben. the roasted poblanos in the quesadillas were the right choice, but the dish still looks sloppy!"
roasted grape tomatoes with black pepper spatzle and arugula, the set for the colorado lamb loin.


so we need a better camera, i want more of an option for plates, and it all must wait. nevertheless, here is the complete lamb dish with a basil olive oil sauce.
rolling out of bed early in the morning paid off as the finished date cake with vanilla ice cream was a hit. every chef draws inspiration from somewhere, and this weeks dessert was an homage to our friends at 4th and swift! while designated driving jen and a group of her friends around town last weekend, i stopped off to say hello to jay swift and the gang. i was greeted by a warm helping of sticky toffee pudding that was the best dessert I have had in a long time. thank for inspiration guys!
the crew. thanks to (left to right) rocky, harrison, michael, abby, max, mandy, marty, emily, kenny and sabrina!

sunday, march 7th - SOLD OUT

sunday, march 7th 2010

endive salad, lump crab, olives, taragon and honey mustard vinaigrette

spanish makerel escabeche

smoked pork cheek quesadilla, grits and salsa

lamb loin, black pepper spatzel, oven roasted tomatoes and basil sauce

warm date cake, caramel, vanilla ice cream

be my valentine

staplehouse hosted it first private party this past sunday. we pre-sold this valentine's dinner for some friends and here are some photos from the night.

thank you to lesley from homemadegrits for the use of some of her photos! to view homemadegrits entire collection visit here.

potato puree and caviar started the night. it's one of those flavor combinations that tastes like love!

with all of this cold weather, ryan felt the need for hot soup. this time around we had a butternut squash puree with mascarpone cheese and toasted pumpkin seed oil.

golden beet salad with arugula, red onion, belle chevre and pickled mustard seed vinaigrette.

"pork and beans". braised pork belly with stewed white beans and pickled celery salad. right before the guests arrived ryan and i were commenting on the fact that this dinner wasn't very romantic... raw onions, pork and beans?! but hey, you cannot argue with delicious.

heart warming braised lamb sugo with homemade tagliatelle.

pre-desert. one single bite of chocolate terrine with caramel, raspberry and sea salt.

ben assembling the "hazel-nutters". in it's second appearance at prelude staplehouse dinners, they have found their way onto ryan's favorite list. a take on his favorite cookie, homemade hazelnut shortbread filled with sweet creamy peanut filling and server with custard and jam.

ok! so maybe ryan had a little too much to drink but hey, it was valentine's day! thanks to (from right to left, top row) richard, rachel, lesley, sam, stephanie, amy, marisa and (bottom row) kristin, kevin and shannon.