POTLUCK!!

I am honored to be the guest chef for the The Laundromat Project's 2nd Annual Public Art Potluck!! This organization is immensely important and a great resource for all 5 boroughs and even Jersey! Read all about them on their site, linked below, and find tickets at Eventbrite.com, also linked below.

I am not giving away the whole menu yet...you know I like to keep that in my pocket until after the jump. However, my teasers might be enough to get you interested in supporting this incredible group of artists!

I'll be whipping up the most extravagant "Taco Bar", a vast spread of build-your-own deliciousness, with:

Stout Carnitas, Coffee-roasted Pulled Chicken and Roasted Veggie Melange
wrapped in your choice of:

Gluten-free Herbed Waffles, Steamed Cabbage or Fresh Corn Tortillas

With a host of fresh salsa, relishes, sauces and slaws to fill your creation to the brim with layers of big flavor and local ingredients!

Let's cut to the chase, the big draw here is dessert! This may be the best request I've ever gotten, and one that I am excited to grant! You all know I've been doing the crazy bacon limit pushing for sometime now, but the takes the cake, or rather, candy.

BACON COTTON CANDY, that is. Yes. You read it correctly. I'm whipping up a special flavor of bacon just right for these clouds of sugar!

I can't wait for this event! Please head over to eventbrite.com today or come buy tickets at the door!

The Laundromat Project
www.laundromatproject.org

Thursday, September 29, 2011 | 6pm-9pm 2nd Annual Public Art Potluck Taller Boricua Puerto Rican Workshop Julia De Burgos Latino Cultural Center 1680 Lexington Avenue (and 106th Street) New York, NY 10029 Tickets | $35 includes dinner and drinks
2011 Create Change Public Artists in Residence Hector Canonge, LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Jabari Owens-Bailey, Karina Aguilera Skvirsky, and Micki Watanabe Spiller 2011 Create Change Professional Development Fellows Aliya Bonar, Elvira Clayton, Sonia Davis, Uraline Septembre Hager, Jessie Henson, Gisela Isuaste, Bianca Mona, and Piero Passacantando

New Boat (back in action part 2)

What began as a one-off experiment has now become my main project! Beginning with early season celebration back in the spring, this summer of the Farm & Table Project blossomed into a traveling dinner party that graced tables from Seattle to San Francisco. I have had an indescribable amount of fun scouring the farmer’s market in Olympia, WA just as much as my beloved NYC Greenmarkets and the historic Ferry Plaza in SF. This project has been exactly what I had hoped it would be-a sort of combination of the most fulfilling parts of the larger events and private tastings I have been doing, with a layer of personalization of the discussion around accessibility to local foods-but it has turned out to be so much more than I could have imagined. I have been humbled by the experience of becoming a traveling private chef over the last 5 months, carrying only my knives along on the journey. It has been an incredible challenge as a young chef, and rising to the occasion has honed my blades and set my sights on even bigger goals.

As a transient one-man band in this field of rock star butchers and chefs, it is exciting to look forward to continuing to build The Ethical Butcher projects with this new dimension to my work. I am honored to enter each home to meet, not just the few who attend “foodie” events often, but friends and families just coming together to share an experience. I have stood in the stupor of exhausted and incredulous glee as unashamed moans and “tink-tink” are all that break the contented silence of a dozen people in the next room.

Months into the project, I am also completely amazed nothing has gone awry yet! Schleping through NYC subways in early summer humidity, depending on Craigslist rideshares to get me from one end of the expansive West coast to the other, and rocking 3- and 4- course meals solo-style from menu to sourcing to prep to service, I’ve more than stacked the decks.

NOTHING would go so smoothly if I didn’t have the invaluable support of friends, both in the food biz and out, and the downright asskickingness of my readers and their friends is indisputable. The Farm & Table Project has been so successful because of the scores of people who have have been gathering around those aforementioned tables over the course of the project. THANK YOU! As I’ve already returned to some of you for round #2 dinners already, I hope to see many more of you next time I’m in your city! In the meantime, as I look forward to this season of harvest and abundance, and even further down to the holidays, I am focusing on streamlining some projects, expanding others and developing long-term goals for The Ethical Butcher.

Today, a summer of rejuvenation, creativity and inspiration has me ready to roll out the fall season of the Farm & Table Project!

First up...NYC Farm & Table Project September 15-October 5!!!!

My computer dying in May just before I set out on my summer travels means it’s been a while since I’ve been able to post any menus or photos. I also traveled much of the summer without a photographer -a true disgrace to the blogosphere, I know. To jog memories and fill in the blanks on this summer of food fun, I’ve included a few photos of dishes and lists of a few more things I’ve been slapping on tables lately.

So, scroll down and take a look, wipe the drool and then check the details below to get your dinner booked!

F I R S T S & S E C O N D S

L: Grilled Pretzels Spears with Grilled Fruit and Lemon-Basil Butter
R: Trio of Gazpacho with Grilled Pretzel --
roasted beet-fennel, mint-cucumber-lemon, and watermelon-pink peppercorn

more starters...
Michelada Mussels with Elotes and Grilled Bread

Summer Pea Salad-English peas, sugar snap peas, snow peas and amaranth greens in rhubarb vinaigrette

Pomegranate Molasses Popcorn with Sour Plum and Mustard Raba Salad

L: Rose-Pork Baklava with Grilled Garlic Scapes in Gin Vinaigrette--
almonds, cashews, honey, herbs & local organic rose petals, layered with pork liver, heart & kidneys
R: Spring Walla Walla, Nettle and Chinese Cilantro Fritatta with Grilled Garlic Scapes

A mouthful! Heirloom Radish, Mizuna & Mustard Raba & Baby Bok Choi in Caramelized Lemon Vinaigrette with Cumin-Chinese Cilantro Goat Panna Cotta and Piquant Peach, Rose and Bacon Popcorn

and more...
Roasted Beet, Fennel and Bing Cherry Gazpacho with Lavender-Sage Grilled Toasts

Heirloom Tomatoes on Himalayan Pink Salt Slab

Pickled Plum and Pea Shoots

Grilled Purple Potatoes with Toasted Cumin Butter

Thai Coconut Mussels in a Bed of Spiced Yam Chips

L: Trio of Crostini and Mussels with Green Garlic, White Wine & Oregon White Truffles and Mustard Raba-Black Radish Salad
R: Chocolate Cake for Breakfast- stout cake toasts with rhubarb-port bacon jam and cocoa-chili whip

M A I N S

L: Rosewater & Fig Spare Ribs with Rapini
R: Smoky Stout Carnitas with Coconut-braised Red Russian Kale, Spicy Citrus Radicchio and Red Beet Slaw, Black Pepper-seared Strawberries and Avocado Relish

some of the meatiest morsels...
Dry-roasted Ribs with Fig Sauce and Coconut-braised Greens

Dukkah-crusted Smoked Pork Chops

Oatmeal Stout Carnitas with Gold Beet/Treviso Slaw, Avocado-Charentais Melon-Jalapeno
Relish, Peach Pasilla Salsa

Horseradish and Kale-stuffed Pork Shoulder Roast with White Wine Sauce and Dueling Beets

Pistachio-crusted Lamb Lollipops over Floral Slaw-napa, chrysanthemum greens, nasturtiums, johnny jump-ups in kumquat vinaigrette

Spice-rubbed Roasted Lamb Sirloin with Braised Komatsuna and Queen of Vegetables

Yuzu-Blackberry-Scallion Sausage with Green Garlic Potatoes and Spiced Whip

Stout-soaked Sightglass Coffee-crusted Chicken with Tequila-glazed Grilled Padrones

Thai Coconut Fried Chicken with Habenero Pickled Plums

D E S S E R T S

L: Smoky Chocolate Stout Cake with Stout Berries and Fifty Licks Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream
R: Turkish Affogato with Rose-Almond Puffs- Intelligentsia organic Anjilanaka coffee over Fifty Licks lemon-saffron coconut sorbet.

a few more ways to end a meal...
Grilled Nectarine with Dirty Pretzels and Julep Whip
maple candied dry-toasted crushed pretzel

Cheese Course-Cocoa Sheep’s Milk Panna Cotta with Fresh Tayberry Smash, Grilled Peaches, Bourbon-roasted Mixed Nuts & an assortment of soft and hard cheeses served with Sweet Crostini.

Grilled Figs with Chocolate Crinkle Spears and Port Whip

Tequila-Burnt Lime Creme Brulee

Grilled Apricots with Woodlands Ricotta Ice Cream and Cocoa Nib-Bacon Crumble

(first from scratch ice cream! ricotta, fresh herbs and lavender, bourbon, honey)

I’ll admit, this isn’t from a dinner. It is the one meal of this summer I keep thinking back to, shared with a dear friend on Martha’s Vineyard the morning after a raging thunderstorm. Buttered orange peel ciabatta piled high with local crabcake, ginger gold beets and arugula and a perfectly heavily-peppered over-medium egg. Heaven. I should cook for myself more often...

Your NYC Farm & Table Project dinner will begin well ahead of time with a private menu consultation. Using the menu created together, local ingredients are sourced for your meal from local farms and markets. The day of your dinner, simply have your dining table set, kitchen free and clean and ready to be taken over at the predetermined time. Then sit back, wait for guests to arrive and savor the aromas wafting in the air as a three-course dinner brimming with the season’s best ingredients is lovingly prepared in your own home. Or, head out for the day and come home to a spread of decadence! Brunches are also a great option for weekends! Local meats and produce will, as always, will be the highlight of the meal. Expect to see breads, jams, ice creams and other local foods featured as well!

Check out the prices and details below and then contact theethicalbutcher@gmail.com to participate in NYC Farm & Table September 15- October 5.

Feasts are only $25-45/person!! Book yours today!

NYC Farm & Table Project

3 courses-first, main, dessert

Feast for 2-$90

Feast for 4-$160

Feast for 8-$240

Feast for 12- $300

*New for NYC! Weekend Brunch!*

5-8 small plates-style dishes and one main course.

$30/person, limited to 4-10 guests.

Early Bird Special- 10% off all feasts booked by September 16th!!

Not at all small print: Dates are open from September 15th to October 5th. Full payment is due at menu consultation to confirm date. All dinners are 3 courses (1st, main, dessert), brunches are served tapas-style with number of dishes determined by total number of guests. No beverages are included in meal and should be provided by host. Soy, nut & gluten-free diets are easily accommodated and all dietary concerns will be discussed during consultation. While main courses will be a carnivore’s dream, side dishes are often vegetarian, vegan and even raw. Vegetarian entree can be added to the menu for small fee. Price includes consultation meeting, ingredient sourcing, meal preparation, kitchen clean up and table service for up to 12 people. Table service for larger parties and the addition of courses can be arranged at an additional charge.

Contact at theethicalbutcher@gmail.com to schedule consultation and dinner or inquire about rates for larger parties.

Whew! That was a doosie! Now that I am back in the culinary cyberworld, it’ll much easier to keep up with the latest projects and events! Thanks for your support of The Ethical Butcher projects over the years. The rest of this year holds even more big moves and new adventures and this here bloggity blog is where to find out about them. Til next time...

New Boat (back in action part 1)

Back in cyberseafaring condition and I’ve got lots to catch up on! Let’s just jump right in!

Early this summer, Summer Beats & Bacon took place in both SF and Portland. Sold out venues were packed with a total of 90 bacon tasters sampling 10 flavors in 24 ways as DJs played hits!! However, while Portland and Bay Area bacon lovers knew the deal and moved fast on tickets, Seattle was a bit luckluster in its bacon affinity. Coming off of two sold out events, I didn’t want to lose steam with a rare slow-selling event, so, I pulled the plug and did private dinners instead. Sorry Sea-town!

Both events were a raucous whirlwind of a farewell-for-now to the Bacon Gospel. Two years of tastings and bacon subscriptions and bacon making lessons into the project, I am so proud of the more than 100 flavors of bacon I have now etched into my little black book. Back when I started the Bacon Gospel, 100 flavors was my lofty goal. Now that I’ve exceeded it and have yet to see anyone out there trying to capitalize on the technique I’ve been perfecting, I am putting those secrets back in my pocket. Starting from scratch with these slabs, making each infused spirit and candied lemon by hand, dreaming up flavors and pushing the expectations for one of our most favored and traditional foods has been just the culinary alchemy that thrills me. Yet, for the foreseeable future, those magical slabs will be available for purchase only for those who book Farm & Table dinners. To be sure, while I focus on other projects that have been waiting in the wings, I may bring the bacon out of the vault when you least expect it...but, for now, here’s a peek at the last tastings of The Bacon Gospel.

PDX Flavors:

Hold Your Horses

(BCN/PDX Fridays! Members Choice)

3 Mustards, Fresh Horseradish, Brown Sugar,

Pickled Garlic

Coming Up Roses

Organic Local Rose Petals, Lavender, St. Germain, Gin, Thyme, Sage, White Peony Tea

Rhubarb Hill

Caramelized Lemon and Rhubarb, Gold Beets, Ginger, Pomegranate Molasses, Nutmeg

Summer Storms

Watermelon, Gin, Black Peppercorns

Heat Wave

Tequila, Plums, Jalapeno, Serrano, Habenero and Roasted Pasilla Peppers

Tasting Menu:

Miang Kham-

Black Pepper-seared Strawberries, Fresh Horseradish, Melon, Serrano and Jalapeno Peppers, Fried Shallots, Fried Red Onion, Fresh Red Onion, Ginger, Toasted Coconut, Toasted Cashews and Hazelnuts

1. Coming Up Roses Herb Bundles

with Gin Vinaigrette

2. Hold Your Horses Candied Sweet Potatoes with Cumin Whip

3. Coming Up Roses & Jaegermeister Figs

4. Summer Storm Buckwheat Waffles

with Lemon-Balsamic Redux

5. Heat Wave and 6. Rhubarb Hill Tacos

with Avocado Relish or Toasted Coriander 2-milk Yogurt Sauce

7. Hold Your Horses and 8. Rhubarb Hill Open-face Sammies

with Lemon Fromage Blanc or Pomegranate Molasses Mustard

9. Heat Wave-Almond-Cocoa Nib Crumble,

10. Summer Storms Shards and Limoncello Whip

11. Rhubarb Hill and 12. Summer Storms Candied Popcorn

SF Flavors:

The Beach House

Strawberries, Cherries, Fresh Sage, Pink Peppercorns, Gin and Rosewater

Three Islands

Lime and Shredded Coconut and Triple Ginger

(fresh, dried & crystallized ginger)

Desert Sweet Tea

Rooibos Chai Tea, Fresh Turkey Figs, Toasted Coriander, Fennel and Cumin Seeds

Beet Feat

Red and Gold Beets, Fresh Dill, Mustard Seed and Onion

Christmas in July

Brandy, Cocoa Nibs, and 5 chiles

(Sightglass coffee-soaked habenero, chipotle & ancho chiles, fresh serrano & jalapeno chiles)

Tasting Menu:

1. Beet Feat and 2. The Beach House & Pomegranate-Black Pepper Popcorn

3. Three Islands and 4. Desert Sweet Tea Miang Kham

Galia Melon, Toasted Coconut, Fried Red Onion, Fresh White Cipiollinis, Herbed Citrus, Ginger, Roasted Cashews & Filberts and Serrano Chiles wrapped in Napa Leaves

Grilled 5. The Beach House and 6. Desert Sweet Tea with Crostini

7. Christmas in July and 8. Beet Feat Tacos

9. Desert Sweet Tea and 10. Three Islands Grilled Kabobs

*toppings*

Cherry Mustard, Black Carrot-Bok Slaw, Avocado Relish, Black Pepper-seared Strawberries

Two-milk Panna Cotta with 11. The Beach House Swizzle Sticks and Tequila-Lime Sauce

12. Christmas in July Maple Pretzel Dream with Sightglass Coffee Whip

Seattle, you missed out!! See you next time!