Business Not as Usual
What do you cook on a day like Halloween when most of your employees dress up and business – of course - is not as usual. Well we had some “grueling” fun too.
(black cat party invitation)
Black Cat Party
Since Halloween fell on a Saturday this year (which is in many restaurants like in mine the busiest day of the week) I wanted to create a somewhat fun environment still focused on food in the restaurant. We came up with a “black cat Halloween party” theme for the day.
(pumpkin seed crusted fried chicken, black Tuscan kale, sweet potato puree)
Black Foods
Tinkering in my repertoire of daily menu additions which we have been cooking recently we came up with a menu which incorporated many black foods such as black garlic, black radish, black Tuscan kale, pumpkin seed crusted fried chicken (since New York is in a little of a fried chicken craze lately). Going with the cat theme we made cat ear noodles (you didn’t think we were going to cook cat) and lastly a dessert – chocolate pretzel devil’s cupcakes which we served with a cherry-cranberry milkshake The dining room was decorated with a few hand carved jack-o-lanterns and some of our service team members were dressed in cute cat outfits.
(left photo: pumpkin sheet with cat ear noodles and Lynnhaven goat cheese sprinkled with black garlic)(right photo: chocolate pretzel cupcake with cranberry milk shake)
Recipe for pasta with pumpkin
1. Cut pumpkins in half then season them with apple cider spices such as cinnamon, clove and nutmeg and roast them at 320 degrees Fahrenheit until soft (1 ½ or so).
2. Scrape the “pumpkin flesh” with a soup spoon out of the skin then put on a scale. Reserve pumpkin flesh (about 1/2 cup) for later step in recipe (step 5).
3. Take weight of pumpkin flesh then weigh a ratio of one percent (1%) agar agar to total weight of pumpkin flesh (e.g. 500g pumpkin flesh : 5g agar). Dissolve agar in cold water (e.g. 1 cup : 5g agar) then boil in a pot constantly stirring with a wire whisk. Combine boiled agar and pumpkin flesh then cook for two more minutes constantly whisking.
4. Spread boiled pumpkin/agar mixture on sheet tray (about ½-inch thick) then cool in refrigerator.
5. Cook orecchiette pasta to desired tenderness (preferably al dente) then toss with reserved pumpkin flesh (from step 2). Season cooked pasta with salt and fresh pepper. Cut pumpkin sheets with knife or cutter to desired shape then heat in oven (5 minutes @ 300). Transfer heated pumpkin sheets with spatula on plate then spoon pasta on top of it and sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese and fried garlic chips (white garlic may be substituted, sliced thinly then fried @ 320 degree Fahrenheit).
(yes, I admit I have a thing for inflatable toys. Inflatable black cat crawling down the outside facade of restaurant with Lori/the host.)
