This weeks $9 lunch specials at the Apple Farm Restaurant

This weeks $9 lunch specials April 21st - 25th

This will be our $9 lunch special on Wednesday at the Apple Farm Restaurant April 16th 

Strawberry Salad

This salad is from our Chef de Cuisine Steven Smeets. Borrowed from the dinner menu and soon to be on our new lunch menu. It's Wednesday's $9 lunch special. It features fresh local strawberries from Santa Maria, toasted almonds, locally grown spring mix of baby leaf lettuce and chicories, 18 year old aged balsamic vinegar, peppery California olive oil and ricotta salata. Ricotta salata is an Italian cheese made from sheep milk. The whey is pressed, salted then aged. It has a firm texture and salty taste, and is easily grated  or crumbled. All elements of this salad add good texture and contrast of flavor to the final dish. Cheers!

     

One of my all time favorite food is dungeness crab. I love a classic crab cocktail like the kind you get on the wharf in San Francisco. But crab cakes show off the flavor of the crab in a different way. UN-masked from horseradish and other high note flavors in cocktail sauce these crab cakes deliver a great crab flavor which is a bit sweet and briny. Serve with a homemade tartar sauce or remoulade.

Here is my the recipe for the crab cakes

1 lb                Dungeness crab meat picked over for shells
1 cup              Mayonnaise
1/2 cup           Dry plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup           Green onions chopped
1 tsp               Old bay seasoning
1 tsp               Lemon zest    
1 Tbsp            Light olive oil

Pick the crab over with your hands feeling for bits of shell. Put the crab into a piece of cheese cloth and squeeze as much water out as you can. Mix all ingredients except the olive oil. Form into 2 oz cakes and heat the oil in a non stick pan or well seasoned griddle. Cook the crab cakes turning only once, brown each side being careful when turning since this recipe doesn't contain a lot of filler and there is no egg to bind the mixture. These crab cakes are exceptional.  

    

Easy Quick Pickled Vegetables

Quick Pickle Basic Recipe

1 ½ cups white vinegar

1 cup water

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

2 or 3 bay leaves

5 whole allspice berries
1 1 tsp brown mustard seed

3 juniper berries

1 tsp whole black pepper

1 tsp fennel seeds

5 whole cloves
1 large clove of garlic crushed

1 small hot chile such as habanero or scotch bonnet cut in half (optional)

Put the mustard seed, allspice berries, fennel seed, black pepper, whole cloves and juniper berries in a piece of cheese cloth and tie with a piece of string to make a sack.

1 lb of prepared fresh vegetables such as, baby carrots, cauliflower, sweet onion, beets, etc.

Here is a recipe for quick pickled red onion

1 lb of sliced red onion and ingredients above

Heat the vinegar and sugar in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add the spices, garlic and chili, reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes. Add the onions and simmer for 3 min while siring, then let them cool. After they have cooled you can put into jars or other container and keep in the refrigerator. The vegetables improve with time in the fridge, Soft vegetables like onions are ready to eat in a few hours, carrots take a few day. 

I am really excited about our new lunch menu coming up at the Apple Farm Restaurant. Under the direction of chef Steven Smeets chef de cuisine we have created some new and exciting menu additions and here is one of them

 

 Rosemary Crusted Ruby Trout 

with brown jasmine rice and 

sauteed kale with mushrooms and butter. 

The ruby trout has flesh the same color of light colored salmon but tastes just like trout. It's has a mild delicate taste that is enhanced with the rosemary crust. The Jasmine brown rice is superb in flavor and nutrition and the kale with mushrooms sauteed in butter adds a nice contrast and richness to the mild flavor of the trout.

Stay tuned for more updates and recipes.    

Sunday's $9.00 lunch special

Steak and asparagus salad with fresh herb dressing.

Spit roasted tri tip with asparagus form Thursdays farmers market. 

Valentines Day Winemakers Dinner

At the Apple Farm Restaurant

Featuring Vines on the Marycrest

and the culinary pairings of 

Chef Steven Smeets and Chef Stephen Walls

This was the table setting outside on our heated patio

We started with champagne and butler passed appetizers of Serrano wrapped pear with blue cheese

 First course: Fried oysters with Meyer lemon aioli

Paired with Viognier

Second course: House-made chicken and basil sausage with pork belly, white bean puree and sauteed exotic mushrooms with mustard greens

Paired with Estate Zinfandel

Third course: Baby vegetable salad with beets, carrot and micro greens

Paired with Heart of Glass a classic GSM  59% Grenache, 29% Syrah, 12% Mourvedre

The main entree 

Medallion of filet Mignon with jumbo prawns

Lemon brown butter Haricot verts

Herb roasted potatoes and sauce Bordelaise    

Paired with Petit Syrah

Dessert was chocolate brownie pudding

Paired with Satin Doll 

A red blend of 62%Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 8% Syrah

It was and an amazing experience 

Hearty Beans Recipe

Winter is the perfect time for a pot of hearty beans. Any hearty bean will do. You can cook several beans together. I have made 17 bean soup this way and it's terrific. I like white beans a lot so I'll use them in this recipe. I also use a homemade chicken stock for the cooking liquid, this way I can use fresh produce in the stock. This recipe is so easy to make and hands on involvement time is around 25 min. and cooking time 3 1/2 hours.       

Ingredients

l lb dry white beans
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 smoked ham hock
1 tbsp dry oregano
5 cups chicken stock
2 cups Tuscan kale or spinach chopped 
salt and pepper to taste

Step 1. Soak the beans. Cover the dry beans with water by a few inches and soak over night. (Quick soak method): Add the beans to an 8 qt stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil then turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.

Step 2.
For both methods, drain the water. Put the beans, onions, ham hock and oregano into an 8 qt stock pot and cover with the stock. Bring to a boil, skim the scum then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Add more chicken stock if necessary. Do the 5 bean test. Taste 5 beans and if just one of them is under done keep cooking till a test of 5 beans results in all tender beans.

Step 3.
Remove the ham hock then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in soup bowels with crusty bread and butter.