What to use our fresh honey for?

 We got some fresh honey from my favorite winery in Sonoma, and it was so good had to come up with something simple to show it off.

 I peeled and diced some pears (d'anjou and green), got some great blue cheese from Whole Foods and crumbled that on the plate, and the broke apart some organic peanut brittle.  Drizzled the whole plate with a fair amount of the honey, and served with some good crackers.  Quite tasty.

Served with a Riesling from the Mosel valley (in my opinion the best region for Riesling...sorry Alsace) It was a great pairing....and the clean up was easy too!  ;)

Grand Marnier souffles w/creme anglaise

 Was afraid this would not rise, but it was perfect, light and airy.  This one is now ready for a dinner party!

 Along with my food obsession, most of you know I am now an obsessed home mixoligist.  The drink I made for this is called the 'soundwave' (after a major piece of art in our home).  Bourbon, grand marnier, sweet vermouth, and two types of specialty bitters.  Garnished with a fresh orange twist.  

 Opened it up and poured in the creme anaglaise....it did not suck.  ;)

Asparagus and Truffled seafood risotto with a seared sea scallop....

 Baked asparagus drizzled with a lemon/mayo/caper dressing

 We licked our plates with this one, maybe the best risotto I have ever made, and a very elegant meal

 Risotto was cooked with fresh made shrimp stock, and then some gently poached shrimp were added to create a very luxurious base for the seared scallops.  If that wasn't good enough, I then drizzled the whole thing with white truffle oil....A-MAZING

We drank our favorite chardonnay from our wine country vacation....

Seared NY Strip, with integral pan sauce

 Pan seared with a coarse ground black pepper crust

 Integral pan sauce was deglazed with some cognac, flamed, then added some mustard, vinegar, and finished with cold butter....delicious natural sauce

Served with a big Napa cab....excellent pairing...smoked a Cohiba red dot after dinner...perfect after the rich steak.

Short Ribs part 2

Short ribs use one of my favorite cold weather cooking techniques to perfection....braising.  How much do I love braising certain meats?  I would wear a "I love braising" shirt every day....and I bought an All-clad braiser specifically for making short ribs, coq au vin, etc.  This version of short ribs is rich and smooth.  Served on top of creme fraiche potatoes.

Ultimate Burger!

Everyone knows burgers are one of my favorite things in the world, and would probably be my last meal.  For me it does not get any better than my short rib and ground chuck burger.  Cooked over charcoal and mesquite wood.....juiciest and most flavorful burger ever!!!  Did I mentioned its topped with homemade mayo and mesquite cured bacon!!??

Southwest Flavors

Cold avocado and corn soup, with cilantro oil and la crema  

Coffee ancho rubbed fillets with bourbon sauce, roasted red pepper sauce, and cilantro oil.  Tastes even better than it looks!!!

Spice rubbed pork tenderloin, ancho bourbon sauce, my favorite thing from Mesa Grill in Vegas

Awesome queso with goat cheese and roasted pepper sauce....amazing!!!