The Desert Dish

On January 9th Santa Monica Seafood Company approached me to do a lunch for 25 Chef's in the valley. A company called Clean Fish wanted to promote there farm raised product. This company is trying to reverse the so called myth of farm raised product being unhealthy and poor farming methods.

Some of the ways they are doing this is by not over stocking the waters with fish, and correct feeding methods to ensure healthy fish. Also preserving our ecosystem for the future.

I was very happy to finish this lunch, talk about a hard crowd to please. Us Chef's can be very critical when it comes to food.

* Arnold Palmer’s Restaurant
Welcomes
Clean Fish and Santa Monica Seafood
*

Kona Kampachi Tartar with Cauliflower Florets, Soya and Nori Marinade
2007 Kim Crawford, Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc

Toasted Angel Hair with Caribbean White Shrimp, Snow Peas and Lobster-Curry Sauce
2005 Ferrari-Carano, Alexander Valley
Chardonnay

Slowly Cooked Loch Duart Scottish Salmon with Tomato Lasagna and Tomato Thai Broth
2006 Luna, Napa Valley
Pinot Grigio

Honey-Soy Glazed Gigha Island Atlantic Halibut with Clam Shell Mushrooms and Chinese Long Beans
2005 Joel Gott, Napa Valley
Sauvignon Blanc

Bronzed Texas Redfish with Creamy Polenta, Southwestern Corn Relish and Wild Sonora Shrimp
2005 Robert Stemmler, Carneros
Pinot Noir

State Fair Mini Doughnuts with Mocha Ice Cream and Coffee Sauce

Brett Maddock

This dish I prepared for our Pine Ridge Dinner on October 18th. It was the first course paired with Pine Ridge 2006 Chenin Blanc, Voigner.

The smoked salmon I small diced and added olive oil, pepper, shallot, lemon zest and chive. I fried some peruvian potatoes and made the sauce with heavy cream, horseradish and a little red wine vinegar.
Then finished it with diced cucumber and a dollop of caviar.

This is an easy dish to prepare at home with little trouble and has a nice presentation.

Brett Maddock

I have to admit cooking on my day off is not on the top of my priorities, especially when I don't have any help. So when my brother Kris and good friend Chef Mark Rigano (Chef of Toscana Country Club) and I got together we decided to have an unusual BBQ in my backyard.

We decided to spark up my wood burning pizza oven that has been collecting dust all summer. Mark having a strong background in Italian food was in charge of making his secret pizza dough recipe and getting all the condiments he was going to use, while I started the fire, filled the coolers and made the phone calls to friends. It was very easy to fill up my backyard with friends once they knew two chef's were in the kitchen.

Mark showed up with his dough all ready to cut and roll. I tried to get his super secret dough recipe but had no luck, the only thing I go out of him was "ferment the dough slow". By Mark not adding so much yeast and letting the dough rise slow he ended up with a thin crust that had great texture and flavor.

Once all the fixings were cut and in hands reach the BBQ started! By the time the kitchen closed we counted at least 30 pizzas have been created. Everyone had a great time creating there own pizzas, a few of the creations were:

BBQ Chicken with Red Onion, Blue Cheese and cilantro
Pepperoni, Sopressata, Sweet Peppers, Italian Parsley and Parmesan
Smoked Salmon with Dill, Provelone and Goat Cheese
Chicken with Mushrooms, Parmesan and Alfredo Sauce
Pepperoni, Sausage and Tuscan Pepper Calzone

The BBQ was fun and we will be having another one soon. The only thing we forgot was who's in charge of clean up?

Brett Maddock

This is an appetizer I put on the menu. My purpose of this dish is I love Sushi and love to start my dinner with a Crispy Rice and Spicy Tuna.

So when I created this dish I decided to put a spin on it using small Risotto Cakes, and making a Lobster and Crab Salad with a little Mayo, Chive and lemon. The sauce is made with Sambal Chili and a lemon butter sauce

So far it is a hit and will remain on the menu.

Brett Maddock

This dish I did a couple of weeks ago for my weekend feature. I call every Thursday to my purveyors so I can create the specials for the weekend. It all depends on what's in season and price they are selling it for. Being a Chef knowing your prices is very important, you could be finding yourself paying a lot more than you should for product. Also having great relationships with other Chefs can keep you in the loop of what they are paying.

With having great relations with my purveyors they are good at calling me before it is sold to the other restaurants.

In this dish I filet the Trout, remove the bones and cut in a 5 ounce portion. I removed the shells from the live cold water Shrimp and wrapped them in basil and wonton wrap. I then boiled the califlower and then cooked it in a little cream until thick and I could puree. I washed the Lobster Mushrooms and cut in bite size pieces. I made my sauce with Sake,honey,soy and garlic.

One important step I do with the Trout is cook it with the skin on and then remove it before I present it on the plate. This will keep very moist.

Brett Maddock