"Land and Sea"

I call this "Land and Sea" simply because it looks like a fish washed ashore, also because it is salmon paired with some very earthy flavors. It has some salt roasted candy stripped beets, asparagus in two forms, simply cooked in some burre monte and fried strips, also I have some maple "sea" foam and maple granola "beach sand". I then garnished it with a perfect salmon skin crisp! I really love this dish, it might could use some tweeking but the texture and presentation I enjoy.

Surf 'N' Turf

This is a recent feature dish I did and it sold like crazy! It is a Maine lobster tail poached in vanilla butter and a pan seared flat iron steak as the two main protiens. Along with the protiens I put a smooth parsnip puree, sauteed asparagus and two sauces(peppercorn demi and vanilla-citrus hollandaise).

Triggerfish w/ Bacon

Here is a dish I enjoyed making. It was a part of a tasting menu I did for a newlywed couple the other day. This dish is full of local food stuff, the fish is from NC waters, and the sweet potatoes and asparagus are from a local farm. I first thinly sliced some applewood smoked bacon from the slab and layered it out onto some plastic wrap, next I layed the fish onto the bacon and covered the two with fresh tarragon leaves. I rolled that sucker tight and poached it in some warm water for about 15 min. I cooled it in an ice bath and began to cut portions.

I pan roasted the fish and bacon, made some chips of the sweet potatoes, cooked the asparagus in some butter, made a red wine shallot gastrique, plated and served.

Farm Fresh Amuse Bouche

Last night I presented tables with a bouche of vegetables from a local farm including a pureed custard of sweet potato, a creamy broth of sweet corn, and tips from the farm's first pick of asparagus, along with it was a lump of jumbo crab. The vegetables were so good! I just blanched the asparagus, and that was all it needed, great flavor. The corn broth was poured table side and I drank it up throughout the night, very clean and straight-forward. I plan on using more of these veg in the near future.