CHEF'S BLOG - SEATTLE

by Jeremy McLachlan,
Executive Chef for Salty's on Alki Beach [ Email ]

July 2009

Here we are officially starting summer, and it feels great! As you know, I get pretty jazzed about local produce and I love what summer brings. I found myself talking about stone fruit all last week, so this week I'm adding two dishes with nectarines. As Rachael Ray would say, "YUM-O!" We will continue serving the chili-rubbed halibut topped with Dungeness crab, avocado, and feta salad-it's just too delicious. Here is a glimpse of what we're adding:

In Grilled and Chilled Colossal White Gulf Prawns with Nectarine and Avocado Salad, Micro Basil, and Balsamic Drizzle, we'll use the freshest ingredients to create this nice, light appetizer, starting with shell-on white Gulf prawns. We coat the prawns in herbs, garlic, shallots, olive oil, preserved lemon, and salt, grill them, then chill them. Before serving the prawns, the shells will be pulled away slightly to help with peeling. Next we will thinly slice the nectarines and the avocado and line them up on the plate. The fruit will be dusted with Fiori and Salt, dried edible flowers mixed with sea salt (see www.ritrovo.com/i-14602cas-fiori-salt.php for more).

You'll love our new Surf and Turf Kebobs-prawns with grilled pineapple and peppers, and New York steak with onions and mushrooms. The prawns will be skewered with the pineapple and mini-sweet peppers, then grilled and glazed with a nectarine gastrique made with white wine vinegar, Champagne vinegar, ginger, nectarines, lime leaves, sugar, and a touch of chili flakes to round it out. As for the New York steak, we are skewering chunks of the beef with ciopillini onions and button mushrooms. These kebobs will be grilled and then finished with our horseradish butter. I'll serve these delicious skewers with garlic mashed potatoes and a grilled corn salsa, voila! See my menus and make reservations today!

Join me and other summertime revelers for Guest Chef on the Waterfront, July 15, 6-9 p.m. at Bell Harbor's Pier 66, to savor tastes from over 70 of the Seattle area's most talented chefs, breweries, wineries and purveyors of fine food and beverages. Visit www.farestart.org/help/events/waterfront for more. Proceeds benefit FareStart.

I'll be at the Bite of Seattle Saturday, July 18. Look for me at The Alley, hosted by Tom Douglas. I'm serving chilled Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho topped with herbed Dungeness Crab and avocado. Admission is $10 per person, which includes tastes from Seattle's best restaurants. Proceeds benefit Food Lifeline (foodlifeline.com). See www.biteofseattle.com for more.

July 1, 2009

Hey did you miss me last week? I was on the radio on Saturday from 1:00-2:00pm, KTTH 770AM, talking about barbecues. I promised that I would share my mom-in-law's recipe for her macaroni salad. People go crazy over this stuff!! She has already sent three people to the looney bin over it. Yeah, watch out. I hope you have a wonderful fourth of July and if you have any extra fireworks can you light them up in front of our restaurant since there won't be any Elliott Bay fireworks this year. I am trying to make a sad face but it uses up too many muscles so I decided to smile instead!

Nancy’s Mac Salad
Serves 8-10

1 pkg or 1 pound small shells (Barilla brand preferably)
6 each eggs whole
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
3 tablespoons mustard Classic yellow
1 bunch green onions (chopped)
1 cup petit peas (frozen)
6oz canned tuna (drained)
6 slices American (or 6oz cheddar) cheese (diced)
¾ cup dill pickle (chopped)
Salt to taste (Kosher preferred)
Pepper to taste

1) In a large pot add water to ¾ full.
2) Put the eggs in the water and bring to a boil. Let the eggs boil for a minute or two before adding pasta.
3) Add 1-½ teaspoons of salt and pasta.
Note: Yes cook the pasta with the eggs. It takes a step out.
4) Cook until pasta is Al Dente.
Note: Do not overcook!!! If the pasta is a little too al dente do not worry because the mayo and salt will cook it more and it will soak up the juices.
5) Place pasta in a colander and run cold water over until fully cooled.
6) Take the eggs out and cool separately because they take longer.
7) Drain the water off the pasta for 10 minutes. Yes 10 minutes.
8) In a large bowl add chopped green onions, peas, tuna, and chopped dill pickle.
9) Add pasta to the bowl and mix with the mayo and mustard.
10) Add the chopped egg and chopped cheese and mix again.
11) Taste with salt and refrigerate.
Note: Before serving taste for seasoning and add more mayo or mustard depending on how dry the pasta salad is.
12) The most important step is the last one. Oh and HAVE FUN!!!!

May 26, 2009

Hope you enjoyed our Wild Salmon and Pinot Noir wine dinner last week and if not you can read about Jay Friedman's experience on the Seattle Restaurant Examiner.

Watch my blog for future wine dinner news!

May 12, 2009

Hope you can join me Thursday, June 4, at FareStart for Guest Chef night when I’ll work with students to create a delicious three-course meal for only $24.95. You probably already know about Seattle’s FareStart but just in case you don’t, they help the homeless and disadvantaged by educating them in the culinary field and also they help graduates find jobs. They’ve provided opportunities to thousands of people over their 17 years in downtown Seattle, while also serving millions of meals to disadvantaged men, women, and children. Here’s my menu for only $24.95:

FareStart Guest Chef Night Menu
Thursday, June 4, 2009

Starter
Copper River Salmon “Soup and Salad”
Hot Smoked over Sweet Corn Chowder
Lox with Micro Arugula and Heirloom Tomato Concassé

Vegetarian
Mixed Baby Lettuces, Charred Sweet Onion Vinaigrette,
Cucumber, Grape Tomato, Cypress Chèvre

Entrée
Pan-Seared Alaskan Halibut, Lobster Risotto Cake,
Heirloom Vegetable Ratatouille, Fresh Pea “Soup”

Vegetarian
Washington Asparagus Ravioli, Lemon Crème,
Caramelized Walla Walla Onions, Preserved Lemon

Dessert
Tres Leches Cake with Fresh Summer Fruit

The FareStart Restaurant is located on 7th Avenue at the corner of 7th & Virginia in downtown Seattle, across the street from the north side of the Federal Courthouse.

Make reservations today - my night sells out! - at www.farestart.org/restaurant/guestchef/calendar or call 206-267-6210. Find directions to FareStart at www.farestart.org/restaurant/directions – hope to see you there!

May 5, 2009

Spring is in the air! I love it! I get so excited for spring vegetables. I have fresh peas and fiddlehead ferns on our market sheet as we speak and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve been keeping busy with some projects as usual. We had our annual Sexy Syrah event two weeks ago and it was the best one yet. Just check out our slide show of the event. We had a lot of fun with the food this year. Everything from blinis with smoked salmon, dilled fresh peas and caviar to creamy nettle and sunchoke soup with salmon roe to a crazy array of chocolates at our dessert table. It was great tasting and a great success!

I also participated in a guest chef dinner with Shorewood High School again this year. It took place Thursday, April 23. Diana Dillard is in charge of a culinary program there and I stopped by with some of my chefs during the day and the students helped us prep for dinner. This year we did five courses together:

First course: Trio appetizer, prawn with kumquat butter, diver scallop with fresh peas, sautéed bacon and tobiko, Cold smoked salmon with arugula pesto and some preserved apricot

Second course: Nicoise salad. We crusted some Ahi Tuna with fennel salt and seared it quick and sliced it. This was served with beet poached quail eggs, fingerling potatoes tossed in green goddess dressing, micro greens, white anchovy and topped with a nicoise olive tapenade, yum!

Third course: Root vegetable soup. We made it with celeriac (celery root), sunchokes and turnips and cooked it down with cream and pureed it. It was topped with piquillo pepper oil and served with caviar on brioche toast.

Forth course: Surf and Turf Entrée. The surf part of the dish was halibut with traditional buerre blanc and a pea puree topped with pea sprouts tossed with preserved Meyer lemon vinaigrette. For the turf we had skirt steak topped with horseradish butter and server with a blue cheese croquette.

The last course was dessert of course. This was a cinnamon chocolate cake served with fudge sauce and fresh strawberries tossed with powdered sugar vanilla. It was the perfect ending to a great meal.

In May we are doing a wine dinner on Oregon Pinot Noir and fresh wild Northwest salmon. I’m really looking forward to this one! Take a look at what we have in store on Sommelier Tim O’Brien’s Seattle wine blog.

I highly recommend joining us for this event and there are seats still available so give us a call at (206) 937-1085. Well, I have to go. I’m off to Portland to spend time with one of my favorite chefs, Dana Cress, executive chef at our Salty’s on the Columbia store! Come visit me soon. Make your restaurant reservations today!

May 2009

A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN:
PINOT NOIR AND COPPER RIVER SALMON

WINE DINNER, MAY 20, 2009
SALTY'S ON ALKI BEACH

This wine dinner is an epicurean tour through Alaska and Oregon featuring the best they have to offer. The menu celebrates wild salmon. The wine celebrates the differences of Oregon wineries focusing on three distinct vintages 2005, 2006 and 2007. In the lineup are three Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs: Broadley Reserve, Domaine Serene Yamhill Cuvée and Ken Wright Cellars Nysa Vineyard. We chose Daedalus Pinot Gris as the most impressive of the 2007 vintage because of its bracing freshness and perfectly ripe fruit – the perfect pairing with salmon sampler.

We will begin the night with Argyle Sparking Brut, yes, the same wine served at the White House. Lastly an Ice Wine from King Estate winery called Vin Glace and made from Pinot Gris is paired with a delicate dessert from Alki Pastry Chef Jane Gibson. Come taste the best of Alaska, wild salmon from the Copper River served with Oregon's pride and joy, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Some things are too perfect to pass up. This night promises to be just that. Here's the menu:

The Menu
By Executive Chef Jeremy McLachlan

1st Course
Argyle Sparkling Brut
Passed Appetizers of Copper River Salmon Terrine with Fresh Fig Salmon Mousse-Stuffed Sweet Peppers & House-Cured Lox in a Lavosch Cup

2nd Course
Daedalus Pinot Gris 2007 Willamette Valley
A Pinot Adventure:
A Sampling of the King, Coho & Sockeye Salmon

3rd Course
Broadley Reserve Pinot 2006 Willamette Valley
Soup Course of Sweet Corn Chowder with Hard Smoked River Run Salmon

4th Course
Domaine Serene Yamhill Cuvée 2005
Salad Course of Spring Sprout Salad Tossed in House Mustard with Salmon Sausage

5th Course
Intermezzo – We'll Keep You Guessing!

6th Course
Ken Wright Nysa Vineyard 2007 Willamette Valley
Entrée Course of Copper River Salmon Two Ways: Braised in Pinot with Mushrooms & Grilled with Fresh Spring Peas

7th Course
King Estate Vin Glace
Dessert Course by Pastry Chef Jane Gibson

Appetizers are served at 6:30, dinner at 7 p.m. in Salty's on Alki private dining rooms on Wednesday, May 20. Cost is $125 (all inclusive). Please call (206) 937-1085 by Friday, May 15, for reservations. Seating is limited.

April 2009

Here I am getting all springy with our new spring menu. I love changing our menus every season. Fresh halibut is on the menu and we have removed frozen Copper River salmon. We will be able to get fresh wild salmon in late March or early April. So to kick off the menu we will feature frozen local wild salmon and then switch to fresh wild salmon as soon as we can. Check out this new spin on our crab dip:

Dungeness Crab and Brie Dip with a Puffy Crust, Crostini, House Crackers and Spring Veggies

With a golden puffy crust on top of this dish, it will have a French feel to it. We will serve it with a mix of vegetables instead of endive. The vegetables will change as they sprout around the city. For the dip we will combine Dungeness crab, Chilean crab, cream cheese, mozzarella and Brie along with thyme, parsley, garlic, green onion, cream and panko breadcrumbs. We will place the mixture in a dish and then top it with puff pastry. The puff pastry is brushed with drawn butter and then baked to perfection. When it comes out of the oven we will serve it with Julie and Jane's wonderful house-made crackers, sourdough crostini and, of course, the assorted vegetables we mentioned earlier like white asparagus, baby cauliflower, carrots, celery, etc., whatever is in season!

I'll change the beet salad to something more springy and add a second soup to the menu, red clam chowder a.k.a. Manhattan clam chowder.

Bob's Zesty Red Clam Chowder with Bacon, Fresh Clams and San Marzano Tomatoes

This recipe is from Robert "Bob" Kingen (Gerry Kingen's dad). Bob owned several famous restaurants around Seattle and Bellevue (story coming soon in the Good Times news blog). We will take his recipe and add some high-end touches to it. We will start the chowder by crisping bacon. Once the bacon is crisp we will add minced garlic, tomato paste and then some white wine. The clams will get steamed with a pan underneath that catches all the juices so we can add them back into the soup. Then we add onions, potatoes, pablano peppers, red peppers, and celery and let them cook down. Next, clam juice, base and chopped clams are added along with whole and crushed San Marzano tomatoes and chili flake. The soup will be cooked, seasoned and then finished with the fresh Manila clam meat we cooked earlier. Oh, and I almost forgot, a pinch of saffron will be added too, oh yeah!

Mixed Baby Lettuce Salad with Charred Spring Onion Vinaigrette, Grape Tomato, Cucumber, Chèvre Cheese

We will use fresh spring vegetables and baby lettuces. I love the flavor and texture of baby lettuces. It will be a mix of romaine, red romaine, iceberg, green leaf, red leaf, butter, etc. This salad is very fresh, simple and clean. The vinaigrette is made by charring spring onions on the grill. Then they are covered with plastic wrap and we let them stand for one hour. We will make vinaigrette out of red wine vinegar, garlic, shallot, Dijon mustard, thyme and canola oil. The overly charred part of the spring onions gets taken off and we chop them into the vinaigrette. The salad will also get a mix of fresh grape tomatoes, English cucumbers and small chunks of cypress grove chèvre cheese. It is really fresh and delicious!

OK, here's a sampling of some changes and additions to our entrées:

Cedar Smoked Salmon with Mashed Potatoes, Bacon Vinaigrette-Tossed Spring Pea Sprouts, Local Fruit Preserves and Cider Gastrique

Wow, how we change. I always try to keep our signature salmon dish fresh and seasonal. It is our number-one seller and I like to keep our guests guesting - or guessing - ha ha. The salmon gets brined in apple cider, salt, brown sugar, Tabasco and water. This opens the pores of the salmon so the smoke pours in, (get it, pours, pores, I know, bad joke). Okay, the pea vine sprouts will be tossed in a bacon vinaigrette. This will be simply made with apple cider vinaigrette, chunked Nueske's bacon, Dijon mustard, garlic, shallot, thyme and the fat from cooking the bacon. After the pea vines are tossed with the vinaigrette, they get placed on top of the mashed potatoes. I will only use local fruit for the preserves. We will start with the local apricots I canned last summer (see July 23, 2008 on my blog). The preserves will be made in a variety of ways but most are made with acid (lemon juice, vinegar) and sugar, then it is thickened with a variety of things like arrowroot, pectin, cornstarch, gelatin, agar agar (see Wikipedia for more), etc. Lastly, we have the cider gastrique, which will tie the dish together. We cook apple cider with sweet onion, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, cider vinegar and sugar until it bubbles and makes syrup. This syrup gets drizzled around the salmon to finish off the dish. Voila!

Grilled Alaskan Halibut with Fingerling Potatoes, Spring Pea Vines Tossed with Preserved Lemon, Smoked Tomato Beurre Blanc and Arugula Pesto

This dish has a fresh feel to it and it's delicious. Halibut is one of my favorites because it's so versatile. The different flavor combinations and creations are endless. Oh, and did I mention I'm making a special salt for it? It is going to have lemon zest, Hawaiian red Alaea sea salt), pepper, and citric acid. This will be dusted on the halibut before grilling. Next on the dish is the pea sprouts, they are tossed in preserved lemon vinaigrette and ground Parmesan cheese. This salad might be making other appearances on the menu. The preserved lemon is made using only the outside of the lemons, which are cut into strips. Then we will use the outside of Roma tomatoes also cutting it into strips and tossing all this with fresh thyme, parsley thinly shaved shallot and olive oil. It sounds pretty good, huh?

Sautéing shallots in oil with tomato paste makes the beurre blanc; then we add smoked tomatoes, wine, bay leaf, peppercorns and thyme. The mix is reduced, mounted with butter, strained and then seasoned with salt. And last but not least is the Arugula pesto. It's made the same way as traditional pesto but with Arugula instead of basil and I like to add a touch of lemon juice for freshness.

Ahi Tuna Togarashi Spiced with Sticky Rice, Radish Salad, Habanero and Passion Fruit Vinaigrette, Tobikos

Ahi is back by popular demand. Can I get a Tuna What! The tuna will be dusted with togarashi spice (see recipezaar.com for more) and pan-seared to medium rare. The rice it's served with will go back to being simple. Previously I seasoned the rice in the sushi style but it limited me from being able to use it for other things and like William Wallace I want my FREEDOM!! (Hmmm, you might need to read more on Wikipedia. Yes, I'm Scottish like you have to ask?) Plus the simple clean flavor pairs nicely with my radish salad and the vinaigrette. So the radish salad will be a mixture of radishes and it depends on what is in season but I would like to use black radish, watermelon, breakfast, daikon, etc. The radish salad will be tossed with lemon vinaigrette and a touch of salt. For the vinaigrette, we use a passion fruit purée and habanero peppers. Don't worry about the habanero peppers, we take all the seeds out, dice them super fine and use them sparingly. Then we add rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic, aji mirin, honey, and canola oil. Oh, and of course, the tobikos garnish the top. Not only does this dish taste delicious, but also it looks phenomenal, well, just look at this photo!

So this is just a taste of some of my menu changes. I'm also switching up our scallop dish and some of the a la carte items. Plus the lunch menu is getting some additions including a salmon burger with guacamole and cream cheese and there's a new halibut sandwich to name a few. There are many more things but you'll just have stop by and discover them yourself! See our complete menus at

• Seattle Lunch Menu
• Seattle Dinner Menu

In fact you can make a reservation online or just call us today at (206) 937-1600.

Look for us at the Taste Washington event on Sunday, April 5. Go to tastewashington.org and buy tickets today!

Come to Salty's on Alki for our Sexy Syrah event on April 15 and help raise funds for FareStart. Visit www.farestart.org to buy tickets.

March 2009

SEATTLE AND PORTLAND - A halibut has but only two cheeks - that's why fishermen take these sweet selections home for themselves. But we at Salty's in Seattle and Portland have tempted them to let us have enough for our guests during our March Just for the Halibut Festival.

While we usually launch our Halibut Festival with halibut cheeks perfectly pan-seared, this year we're doing something different. We will slowly braise the cheeks in a saffron lobster stock until they are tantalizingly tender. Then we will serve those gems atop Roasted Pepper Polenta, Fennel and Tomato Salata for a Mediterranean flair. That's all "chef-speak" for what will arrive on your plate - a chill-chasing meal, more like a stew, on a soft and creamy polenta foundation then topped with House-Made Fresh Ricotta - yes, we make it ourselves!

The inspiration for combining Halibut Cheeks with Polenta and Salata (salad) comes from my travels to Italy while working on our Salty's Cookbook Good Ciao with Italian Chef Roberto Russo.

To create this dish in our kitchen we will quickly sear the cheeks to lock in their sweetness. Then we will add a saffron lobster stock and slowly oven simmer the flavors until the cheeks have a fork-tender scallop-like texture. A dollop of butter tops this purely Pacific creation.

Crafting creamy polenta is the best. I love it. Polenta is basically grits that we cook and add a red pepper purée, whole black olives, sour cream, butter and Parmesan cheese.

Salata is a term used in a lot of world cuisine. It is basically a Mediterranean-style salad, quickly prepared with the freshest of ingredients.

To accompany the Halibut Cheeks and Polenta, we will mix a Salata of thinly shaved fennel, sliced Roma tomato, thyme, parsley, white wine vinegar, olive oil and salt then top it with fresh Ricotta. I learned to make Ricotta in Italy and we will make our very own Ricotta fresh for you at Salty's restaurants. Ricotta is very easy to make. All you do is heat up whole milk and then add lemon juice and strain. Very easy. Very fresh.

Remember, this Halibut nirvana is available only in March. Make your reservations today at www.saltys.com/reservations and don't forget to tell your friends. If you can't make it into Salty's, find the recipe online at www.saltys.com/recipes/entrees/halibut_cheek_saffron_lobster.asp and try it at home. Let me know how it goes. I'd love to hear from you. My email is jmclachlan@saltys.com (if I don't get back to you right away, I'm busy in the kitchen and ask that you please be patient!). Visit www.saltys.com/good_ciao for more on Salty's Good Ciao cookbook which is also available in our gift shops.

January 25, 2009

I wanted to share my Gifts from the Earth multi-course dinner menu with you. It’s an annual event to raise funds for South Seattle Community College’s Culinary Arts, Wine Studies and four-year Hospitality program. The proceeds benefit the school’s foundation, which supports college programs and student scholarships – see more at http://www.southseattle.edu/foundation/giftsfromtheearth/

Here’s the menu and photos:

Gifts from the Earth Menu
January 24, 2009
A Worldly Adventure of Seafood Cuisine
Presented by Chef Jeremy McLachlan
& His Team from Salty’s on Alki

First Stop (Cocktail)
New York, NY
5-Hour 25-Minute Flight from Seattle
Manhattan
Bitters-powdered rim, Basil Hayden’s Bourbon, pipette of sweet vermouth, ice ball and Maraschino cherries

Second Stop (Appetizer)
Tokyo, Japan
14-Hour 20-Minute Flight from New York
Sashimi
Tempura shiso leaf with seared spicy scallop and salmon roe, Hamachi spiced with Togarashi and hot oil, pickled Daikon pickled carrot jicama and tuna blocks topped with shredded nori. Served with Kariho Namahage sake

Third Stop (Soup)
Hanoi, Vietnam
9-Hour 5-Minute Flight from Tokyo
Pho
Rice noodle-wrapped fork with carrot, daikon sprouts and enoki mushrooms, raw spot prawn, sliced mackerel, tofu, Thai basil and prawn consume. Served with house-made sambal

Fourth Stop (Salad)
Delhi, India
11-Hour 45-Minute Flight from Hanoi
Hummus Salad
Whole sardine fried in Graham flour, marinated chickpeas, apricot chutney, watercress tossed in cumin vinaigrette, toasted sesame seeds

Fifth Stop (Light Entrée)
Sydney, Australia
15-Hour 25-Minute Flight from Delhi
Shrimp on a Barbie
This course began with fingerling potato gaufrettes and Australian beer (Cooper’s Brewery Sparkling Ale and Toohey’s New)
Barbecued fresh water prawn, grilled miniature corn on the cob, grilled crab-stuffed minipeppers, balsamic-glazed pearl onions

Sixth Stop (Palate Cleanser?)
Johannesburg, South Africa
14-Hour 45-Minute Flight from Sydney
Chutney-Stuffed Samoosa
Samoosa stuffed with dried currants, apricots, shrimp meat, parsley and touch of curry served with a glass of South African Chenin Blanc by Ken Forrester

Seventh Stop (Main Course)
Rome, Italy
14-Hour and 15-Minute Flight from Johannesburg
Crab Raviolo
Fresh pasta stuffed with a mix of fresh herbs, ricotta, chèvre, Parmigiano Reggiano and Dungeness crab legs. Topped with grape must, arugula pesto, porcini foam and red wine-braised shallot

Eighth Stop (Dessert)
Paris, France
2-Hour 10-Minute Flight from Rome
Chocolate Pearl
A combo of white and dark chocolate molded into a clam shell shape, a white chocolate truffle filled with praline and milk chocolate and finished with luster dust is inside the shell sitting on top of coarse grain sugar resembling white sand

Last Stop (Coffee)
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
11-Hour 45-Minute Flight from Paris
Brazilian Coffee
Traditional strong Brazilian cafezinho, Café Pilao, brewed with dark cocoa powder

Home (Food Coma)
17-Hour 45-Minute Flight from Rio de Janeiro to Seattle

January 14, 2009

Hello, everyone! Wow what a winter, huh? Well things have been busy around here. I have been working on a few different menus recently but I’m most excited about the Gifts From the Earth event dinner. For more info, go to
http://www.southseattle.edu/foundation/giftsfromtheearth/index.html – for this event I decided to go with a “Seafood from Around the World” theme. Stay tuned for pictures and descriptions in a few weeks.

I am adding a fun new dish to the market sheet this week and Jane is switching up a few things on her dessert menu too. Check it out:

Lemon Pepper Wild Salmon with Creamy Polenta, Grilled Fennel & Grilled Tomato Salad, House-Made Ricotta Salata

This dish has some fun Italian play to it. We will be making a creamy polenta every day and it will change a little based on what products we have in house. It might be a seafood polenta one day and then a queso fresco polenta the next and so forth. For the grilled fennel salad we will be taking fennel and cutting it in half. We will then toss it in olive oil, salt and pepper. The fennel will then be grilled and chilled. We will then take tomatoes and do the same. The tomatoes will be mashed with Banyuls vinegar, salt and olive oil. Then we will slice the fennel really thin and toss it with the tomato mix and fresh herbs. The salad will be put on top of the salmon before it is put in the salamander so it gets warm. The ricotta we will make in house. Ricotta translates to re-cook and the basic technique is to heat milk up, add lemon juice and then separate the curds from the whey. Then cook the whey a second time to get the fine curds and creaminess of ricotta. We will put a small dollop of it on top of the grilled fennel salad. This dish is available at lunch and dinner.

NOW FOR JANE’S NEW DESSERTS …

Peanut Chocolate Fudge Sundae

Chef Jeremy has been asking for a new dessert that resembles a classic peanut buster parfait. So what do I do? I make the best dang peanut buster in the world! We will be coating the giant goblet with fudge sauce and then filling it with Husky’s Deli (www.huskydeli.com) peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream (made just for Salty’s). For service we will also put chunks of fudge cake in the goblet and then top it with whipped cream, peanut brittle and tuille cookies. I know, Oh My God!!!

World’s Greatest Cherry Cobbler

This dish is back by popular demand. Last year we couldn’t make it fast enough, especially when chef is in the dessert station, ha ha. We use tart red cherries and cook them with sugar, butter and a little brandy, then the mix is thickened with cornstarch. After that we top it with pasta frolla. Pasta frolla is an Italian shortbread cookie. It is served warm and topped with our own house -made ice cream. As Rachel Ray would say, Yumo!

What are you waiting for? Make reservations today at http://www.saltys.com/reservations/ or call us at (206) 937-1600.

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