Santa Barbara Underground Restaurant
SUMMER 2009 ONLY
10 DINERS PER DINNER
7 SENSORY COURSES
$110 PER PERSON
Just returning from the U.K and being entagled with MsMarmitelover and her underground restaurant of London. I have decided to start my own here in Santa Barbara. I'm calling it "Billionaire Dinner Group" for several ironic reasons. Not just because I have cooked for Billionaires before, but mostly because SB has a concentration of great artists, intellectuals, idealists, and innovative business people. And with this being said, I may be feeding a future Billionaire this summer.
Also, I would like to think that in their own world of "open mindedness", they would appreciate and grasp what I am trying to do with this style of cuisine. It is not uncommon that chefs are more aware of intergrating sensory elements into their own styles. I am no different but my focus deeply lies on flavor combinations as well. Details to come......
JUNE MENU
LIQUID WHITE ASPARAGUS
grapefruit, basil, ginger ravioli
ENGLISH PEAS
summer truffle ice cream
quatre epices butter
citrus powder
ARGENTINE PRAWN RISOTTO
frothy lemongrass and leaves
mint powder
smoked bacon paper
SEA BASS
spice almond crumble
buttermilk tapioca sabayon
syrah dried cherry paint
LAMB BELLY AND DUMPLING
eggplant caviar
candied ginger textures
banyuls paste
coriander essence
WARM BLISS SYRUP
gold potato cream
tonka bean sabayon
murray salt
70% GUANAJA CHOCOLATE CREAM
thai spice cherries
frozen malt
guiness pearls
crumbled bisquit de chocolat
Call for reservations
310 430 1907
May 4, 2009 at 4:29 AM
Being in London and just completing an event at the V&A Museum, I have just been asked to lecture a series of cooking classes at the well known Underground Restaurant. March 17, 2009 at 11:59 PM
This concept was somewhat experimental. I've served this cylinder shaped poularde with the skin and activa before. I noticed that the fleur de sel or maldon salt that I would top the poultry with would fall to the sides when it was being cut and eaten. This action lessens the impact of the poularde flavor delivery and adds extra salt to the component underneath. Then I thought, how convenient would it be if I could make a salt gel to lightly brush on top. MILK FED POULARDE, March 9, 2009 at 6:45 PM
CHOCOLATE SURPRISE, March 2, 2009 at 11:39 AM
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Surf and Turf, Terre et Mer, etc. is common in almost every fine dining establishment globally. The possiblities are only bound by a chefs imagination. Sweetbreads and prawns, lobster and poularde, salmon and veel cheeks, pork belly and spicy stirfried clams, are just some examples. I adore Uni, and the quality of them here in Santa Barbara is superb. Uni has a bold flavor that can stand up to spices, herbs, and ribeye tartare! Playing with Uni purees, I opted to try spherification uncertain of the outcome. Behold it turned out creamy, still bold and texturally pleasant. I could eat gribiche everyday on almost everything. The egg, mustard, capers, cornichons, olive and grapeseed oils, lemon peel, chervil, tarragon, and parsley create a divine mayonnaise. I knew if I altered a few ingredients, I could make ginger and seaweed fit nicely. Quite pleased with the final mix. Grain mustard in ice cream form and homemade nahm prik pao oil for heat and depth and the dish was complete. RIBEYE TARTARE February 15, 2009 at 4:06 PM
As classic as a wonderful piece of foie gras terrine or torchon is, it's usual partner in crime is a nice buttery piece of brioche. Rarely is this combination altered or varied. Last month, I thought of this dish and thought it was time for an updated version. Foie Gras Mousse January 31, 2009 at 5:36 AM
Just updated my website with some new photos. December 12, 2008 at 6:30 AM
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*FOIE GRAS, yogurt, strawberries, tandoori powder, pea gel November 25, 2008 at 2:29 AM
A few weeks ago, I was chosen to cook a charity luncheon for Barack Obama. Since I felt compelled to honor him and hopefully the future of my country, I enthusiastically accepted. I was given the menu that they wanted to eat. This consisted of Vichyssoise soup, salad with tuna and a lemon tart. Since I found this request a little bland, I added some flavor components to make it interesting.. Vichyssoise, lemon and tarragon drops, chive oil Spice Ahi Tuna, soffrito aioli, shaved asparagus, tomato, avocado and coriander greens, toasted sesame px vinaigrette Elements of a lemon tart, September 30, 2008 at 1:14 PM
This dinner was especially nice because it became a creative exercise, some of the ideas i've had over the last few months confined to my bed, just waiting to explore. These diners were not big dessert people but I managed to provide two small sweet treats. The requests were for a sort of fresh, raw fish- artichokes- mushrooms and beef. We talked about a mango type of margarita so I created a little drink to start off the dinner. HAMACHI TARTARE, coriander puree, chive oil, sour tomato salt CRISPY SHITAKE TERRINE, cinnamon butter, corn gel, smoked mushroom tea, brioche aromatic ARTICHOKE CHAMPAGNE VELOUTE, foie gras cremeaux, tarragon, lemon peel textures, parmesan ALASKAN HALIBUT, Jasmine rice mousse, saffron young ginger honey, wakame, spice almond crumble AGED SHORT RIBS TWO WAYS, sherry vinegar mousse, soy milk puree, caramel puffed rice, coffee oil, micro arugula LYCHEE SODA, St. Germain elderflower drops, mint tea cream PEANUT BUTTER COCOA LOLLIPOPS August 17, 2008 at 10:33 PM
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With summer in the forecast, I wanted to create a cake with clean, smooth and vibrant flavors. A cake with the potential flavor spectrum to be consumed with tea, a wonderful water, Champagne or Riesling. I always associate lavender with summer and especially the time I spent in the Provence. I once made an almond milk lavender ice cream and I enjoyed it very much. With those flavors lingering in my head, white peach was the first fruit I thought of and didn't bother to analyze another. I made a hot syrup of lavender tea and poured it over cubes of white peaches. I infused it for several hours, drained them and folded them into a white peach mousse with just a hint of Italian meringue less sweetened and a scoop of whipped cream. A thin layer of whipped white chocolate provided a neutral creamy sweet note that meshed the mousses together. I like magdalena cake when it is done well and has enough fat to retain it's moisture. Cold brown butter whipped with honey and ground almonds finalize the magdalena cake. ALMOND MILK LAVENDER MOUSSE May 10, 2008 at 5:28 PM
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Being that I can not cook at the moment I thought this story would be appropriate for the blog. She spoke of rye and pumpernickels with great adoration. Along the way she also mentioned her dark chocolate episodes. I noticed when she had tea, she found great pleasure in the flavor addition of honey. My wheels started to turn and I thought about these flavor combinations in a dessert. Rye and Chocolate? Well many pumpernickel recipes have cocoa in them, this is what gives them their beautiful dark color. When I got back to Santa Barbara, I started to play with these elements. It was difficult finding a way to combine the rye element with chocolate without the chocolate overpowering the rye. I made a rye mousse by using the chunks of bread tossed in a creme anglaise mixture and adding some molasses, caraway seeds and gelatin. Then I would blend them and fold in the half whipped cream. This produced a nice mousse but it was too light. Then it came to me. I needed a crunch element with pumpernickel notes to enhance the texture and flavor. After numerous attempts, I settled upon an inverted pumpernickel puff pastry. The first attempt fell short, but the second combination was a home run. It was caramelized, very crunchy, and with an explosion of pumpernickel. I made a chocolate cremeaux, with a 70% cocoa using Domori. 70% Domori Chocolate Cremeaux Thank you for the inspiration Katja! April 8, 2008 at 6:46 PM
One does not truly appreciate the importance of health until you are very sick or injured. I have been immobile for 10 weeks due to a vertebrae pushing into my spine. Couldn't even walk. It has been a challenge to even stand for longer than 20 minutes. With chiropractic help, I should be 100% in a couple of months. The last dinner I did a couple of months ago was quite fun. I knew one of the guests had an affinity for peanut butter and chocolate. I decided to treat him in the form of a petit four. Peanut butter mousse with cocoa glaze. Simple but very effective. I love the element of surprise and that he was. March 12, 2008 at 8:31 PM
I sometimes receive phone calls to cook a dinner for special occasions, birthdays, wine tastings etc. Amusebouche Course 1 Course 2 Course 3 Course 4 Course 5 January 9, 2008 at 6:01 PM
Just got back from a trip to Europe. Will catch up on some dinners soon. November 29, 2007 at 3:23 AM
First I want to send a warm and grateful thank you to the PERSON WHO STOLE MY CAMERA! Good luck without the battery charger. Amusebouche Course 1 Course 2 Course 3 Course 4 Course 5 Course 6 Maybe its because of the soon to be holiday season, but I have given 3 classes on "Understanding chocolate techniques", in the last week. Acknowledging the importance of Temperature is crucial. Respect the recipe, work patiently but swiftly, use a thermometer and use a high quality chocolate. It's just like a wine sauce, start with a bad wine, you get a bad sauce. October 13, 2007 at 5:38 PM
I wanted to be clear and focused about keeping this blog just for my FF dinners. But I had to throw this one in. My favorite cake! A year and a half ago or so, I started to produce my own molds that I designed with a friend and Architect Xavier Cobiani. The idea of this design originated from me being a FENCER, of all things. I wanted a cake that was slightly pointed at the tip and narrow just like my foil weapon. Fleuret is the name of my foil in French. After a few designs, it was almost there. Then I said to Xavier, " I want a hole through it". He thought I was crazy. We finally got it. At the time I was working on a milk chocolate mousse combo incorporating salted marcona almond prailine and apples. I decided to make the filling for Fleuret, milk chocolate mousse (Michel Cluizel makes a stellar milk chocolate), Salted Marcona almond prailine, candied lemon peel, caramelized rice krispies cake and creamy Calvados apple gelee.....Just plain goodness! October 4, 2007 at 11:40 PM
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Due to a chaotic schedule and an unexpected illness, I wasn't able to accomplish any dinners in July. Early August presented me with an especially enthusiastic group. They were quite eager to taste dishes they had never had. I had a few requests though, gold beets, crab, lamb, dark chocolate and fennel. Realizing the seasonal end to a few ingredients, I incorporated them for a last hurrah. **Special thanks to food photographer Chris Litwin (chrislitwin.com), for the photos of the gold beet, lamb and chocolate dishes. Your amazing!** -Amusebouche -Course 1 -Course 2 -Course 3 -Course 4 -Course 5 Lately I have been perplexed by the monotony of restaurant desserts. Usually, one or more overly sweetened ingredients clashing against the cliffs of boredom. How many creme brulees with berries must we endure before we scream "STOP"! Even though I love creme brulee, something is missing. Is it fear of experimentation with the palate of the client? I'm not sure. I will be chocolate tasting soon with some Amedei, Pralus and Domori chocolates. The discovery of new chocolates, with various cocoa percentages and flavor elements, will present a new challenge for me. As good as a chocolate mousse with whipped cream can be, I believe it is up to us chefs to discover new flavor combinations, textural innovations, and applications other than desserts. Where will the cocoa pod lure me to next? August 15, 2007 at 8:22 PM
Only two private dinners in June since I was very busy with cooking classes and some consulting. The last dinner was for 8 people with wine pairing with each course. They actually wanted two shellfish courses, one with rock shrimp and one with prawns...o.k. no problem.. Already planning another FF dinner in July. Time to get working on new menu. I'll have to take advantage of the beautiful cherries and some chanterelles my friend is currently foraging. Until next time...eat well and Hug a chef! June 10, 2007 at 9:33 PM
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Go To School!
Salt Brush Poularde
So the experimentations began. First I clarified salt water using sea salt, filtered water and egg whites and shell. Then I continued to experiment with possible gelling powders.
Various methylcellulose, gellan, xanthan, gelatin, agar agar, etc. This ended up being quite daunting as there is such a high sodium level it was altering the normal effects of gelling agents. Finally agar agar seemed to give the best results. Being that is was to be served at room temperature in a small glass with a paint brush. At the table the diner can spread their desired amount of salt gel. I will explore this more...
The poularde is cooked sous vide then caramelized at the last minute in a pan.
Black truffle tapioca, melted bok chok raviolis, orange thyme crumble, salt brush
Chocolate Surprise
Upon serving this dessert on New Years Eve, I realized one thing... I was getting a little bored using the same molds that I had for various, mousses, cakes, etc. I originally made this chocolate cream with a creamy cappuccino center, but in a block form. I wasn't amused. Then I remembered a technique for making various molds that I learned at Ecole Bellouet Conseil in Paris. It is a gelatin, water, sugar mixture that can be used to create special forms. Now that I had the means to create a "mold", what would it be?
This was quite daunting as you find yourself getting quite crazy with possibilities. Then I realized that the egg is the perfect shape. With all its fragility and simplicity I found myself "amused" with this possiblity.
Careful planning, temperature control and finese was required to be successful with this idea. After ruining several eggs, and learning not what to do, I was on my way to the final presentation. I contemplated a shiny cocoa glaze but opted for a spray painted finish as the velvety texture appealed to me. I created a banana gel with sous vide bananas and agar agar. Then banana chips, frozen malt powder and an herb salad. The salad consists of cilantro, mint, Italian parsley and dill tossed in a mint oil vinaigrette made with a hint of lemon juice and grapeseed and almond oils. The herbs really bring a new dimension to the chocolate banana experience..
I will continue to explore the possiblilites with my mold boredom and see where it takes me next......
70% Chocolate Cream, cappuccino, elements of banana, frozen malt, herb salad
Mar Y Montaña Crudo
Uni drops, ginger seaweed gribiche, mustard ice cream, nahm prik pao oil
Revisiting An Old Foie Gras Dish
A couple of years ago, I made a hot prepartion of foie gras, soaked, cleaned, scored and seared. I had always liked the elemental nuances of Chinese cardamom. Its bold, smoky and earthy flavors begged to be combined with foie gras. I infused it in a dark caramel along with lime juice, rice wine, butter, salt and a bit of cream. This was to be served hot as well. To accompany the foie, a hot stirfry of duck skin, duck confit, potato, leek, cocoa nibs and marcona almonds. This would provide some texture and other elements of the duck. A thin coat of date puree would add a slight fruit note. Then came a starch element... Brioche? again? I thought there could be more than this. I had learned to make scallion pancakes from a Chinese friend once. I always liked the flavor of them but sometimes realized that they had this chewyness that was either desireable or not. I chose this to be the starch of for the foie. It worked well. Many clients loved this preparation but for some reason something didnt seem right.
I have to admit the even thought I like hot preparations of foie, when a terrine or mousse lies in my mouth, the texture screams with delight. I wanted to change the structure of the dish, yet keep the flavors.
Tormented by the my bad Chinese bread making skills, I contemplated the scallion pancake over and over. What was I going to do? Then it hit me....Inverted puff pastry! Flaky, crunchy, buttery, etc. but with the flavor of a scallion pancake...would this work? Only one way to find out.. So with the butter block, I infused it with toasted sesame seeds, sesame oil and very finely chopped scallions. The scallion pieces had to be small enough as not to tear through the dough as I was rolling the dough and making my turns. By the time I was done, it was quite nice.. I baked off a wedge and knew that I had made the right decision. I already knew that I wanted to change the foie element, this time a cold, creamy texture. I soaked, cleaned, brined, cooked sous vide in duck fat, then tamis the mousse. The dish would have elements of cold, cool and hot.
I found the date element to be too sweet and not offer enough fruit to my liking. This time I compressed halved figs with a syrup with a hint of black muscat. Then I cooked the figs, sous vide at 85C for 40 min and made a puree. Happier with the new version.
Chinese cardamom caramel, inverted puff pastry (scallion cake style), fig paper, hot crumble of cacao nibs, chicken cracklings, gold potato, marcona almonds and scallion oil
Updated Website
www.robertocortez.com
Embracing Design To Express Modern Cuisine
Meeting a London based designer named Katja Bremkamp has changed my life.
Through a chance encounter, we have developed a relationship where our worlds have
mended. She is an RCA Graduate who specializes in cutlery, not just cutlery, put technically inspiring and designed pieces. We share the same philosophy about what we do but in our own specialized fields.
At one point we talked in depth about amusebouche, the importance of, and how to approach it to significantly kick-off an entire tasting experience. Through my amazement, she came up with a piece appropriately called "Foreplay".
The handle grabbed by one hand, the bowl taken with the other hand, gently separated and the handle becomes the eating tool (spoon or fork). It is small enough to accomidate one or two bites. Just perfect! I have created a couple of food tastes just for this piece. We have just begun to explore where else we can take this, but with Katja, i'm inspired to know what lies ahead.
*TUNA, olive paste, spices, chanterelle cooked in duck fat, white asparagus
*CALAMARI CRUNCH, vadouvan, whipped buttermilk, tomato confit and skin
*GOLD BEET, ash goat cheese, mint
*CAULIFLOWER MARSHMALLOW, black truffle cream, pulled sherry, cubeb
*FIG IN BLISS SYRUP, vietnamese herb salad, whipped roquefort
Obama Charity Luncheon
Wheat crouton, mascarpone, walnuts, Iberico ham
Lemoncurd mousse, brown butter sable powder, almond gel, lemon zest marshmallows
August In Full Swing
Alas, the wounded has mended. My spine decided to heal and all is well.
MANGO MARGARITA, Reserva De Mi Familia Tequila, lime ginger mousse, mint oil
FRAGILE
WHITE PEACH MOUSSE WITH LAVENDER TEA STEEPED PEACHES
WHITE CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM
BROWN BUTTER HONEY MAGDALENA
Evolution Of The Katja Dessert
I visited London several months ago and met an incredibly talented woman named Katja.
We became great friends and spent alot of time talking about food and the whole dining experience and process. In our talks, she talked about how much she adored great German breads, being that she is German, this is one of her avenues of expertise.
Lastly, the honey was incorporated as a creme. Honey is hard to use as a predominant flavor because one needs to be able to bring out the honey flavor without making it too sweet. I tried 5 different honeys and none of them worked. Finally I found a local avocado blossom honey that was very bold and did the trick perfectly. In the end, the flavors meshed so well, yet very different and a complete palate experience. So the final dessert is:
Rye mousse parfait
Bisquit de chocolat
Avocado blossom honey cream
Inverted pumpernickel puff pastry
March On The Mend
BLACK TRUFFLES!
Not often does someone call and say "We are getting a pound of fresh black truffles from France, can you do something with them"? WHAT! I feel a slight tingling down my spine and that giddy school girl crush feel. YES!
The Black Truffles were good but not great, a little dry and not as strong as I have had in the past.
Due to the bad kitchen lighting, the photos were not worth posting, Technical difficulties! Here's the menu none the less. They insisted on the soft scrambled eggs dish in the mix and for a more classic style of cuisine to go with the truffles
FOIE GRAS CREMA, sauternes drops, salt water, green apple gel, rye crumbs
SOFT SCRAMBLED ORGANIC EGGS, Shaved Truffles, chive oil, black butter brioche
CARNAROLI RISOTTO, Black truffles, aged parmesan puree, frothy basil
HERB ROASTED CHICKEN BREAST, Black truffles, fontina raviolis, chestnut hazelnut and cippolini onion ragout
SOTTOCENARE AL TARTUFO CHEESE with accompaniments
CINNAMON PARFAIT, cognac gelee, Asian pear gel
GUANAJA CHOCOLATE CREAM, toasted sesame, whipped apple cider
European Trip
Happy Holidays everyone.
October Dinner With Camera!
Plenty of dinners in September, but no photo means by which to capture the kodak moments. I have now filled the camera void and with an upgrade too!
Octobers first dinner was very helpful to me. Like all musicians who go through a "Rutt" of creativity, they eventually rise from this unfortunate prison with new creative life and insight. I'm getting there..
A woman begged me for a Toro tartare with ponzu. I was unamused with this request, so I asked her if she minded if I played with the dish a bit. She didn't, so I did.
A birthday was in order, so naturally a cake was planned for a proper celebration. He liked chocolate is all he said, I had to fill in the blanks.
MOULES BELGIQUE tempura and soup, malay curry, lardons, chimay gelee, white poppyseed
TORO TARTARE, soffrito aioli ice cream, ponzu gelee, Thai chili ginger oil
BEET ESCABECHE, hazelnut milk tofu, feta, wheatberry ginger crumble
FOIE GRAS ICE CREAM, Tortolli pear, tarragon, coffee oil, walnut prailine puff pastry
AGED SHORT RIBS, Black truffle mousse, Tarbais Herbes de provence pistou, artichoke
dumplings, nigella (No photo yet!)
NICOISE OLIVE CREAM, roasted thyme caramel, pecan Breton
ALPACO CHOCOLATE MOUSSE, cognac cream, orange peel marshmallow mousse,
bisquit de chocolat
Fleuret Cake
August Dinner
GOLD BEET ESCABECHE, goatcheese marshmallow, arugula, thyme powder
FENNEL SALAD AND ICE CREAM, Manni olive oil, golden Xuan tea gelee, tangerine peel vinaigrette, *(No photo yet!)*
CRAB CAKE, dungeness crab, lemongrass, pea basil pistou, orange powder, Sarawak tomato confiture
ARCTIC CHAR, dehydrated cherry jus, spiced duck rillettes, 10C onion flan, cabbage gnocchi
LAMB BELLY, Edamame melt, Vadouvan, roquefort chantilly, smoked chanterelles
ARAGUANI CHOCOLATE CREMA, malted milk curd, Thai spice cherries, Guinness pearls, bisquit de chocolat
A pastry chef in Paris once told me " Use sugar the way a chef uses salt". This was a valuable lesson and one to be constantly aware of.
June Dinner
The amuse was a small layered cup. It contained soft frozen avocado at the bottom (very cold), next was a tandoori gelee with watermelon juice (cold), then carbonated yuzu cream (cool). Dijon sesame stick.
-Course one
ENGLISH PEA VELOUTE, pressed cucumber brie mousse, sultanas, hazelnuts and hikory salt, then finished with black truffle aioli.
-Course two
CARNAROLI RISOTTO, fennel pollen rock shrimp, frothy lemongrass lemon, crunchy bacon paper.
-Course three
ARGENTINE PRAWN CUBE, harissa ragout with carrots, chorizo and chestnuts (I had some frozen in dark chicken stock from winter), cilantro gelee and pinenut sabayon.
-Course four
LEFT AND RIGHT PORK CHEEK CANNELLONIS. Left was with cauliflower gel, walnut prailine, vadouvan butter and chard (small glass of Chateauneuf de pape, Chateau la Nerthe "Cuvee des Cadettes").
Right was avocado citrus peel puree, scallion paste, asian pear and micro fennel (small glass of Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Santa Ynez Valley).
-Course five
3 TEXTURES OF STRAWBERRY (gel casing, fresh, and strawberry liquid caramel poured tableside), Michel Cluizel milk chocolate steeped with Indonesian cinnamon, hazelnut pearls and mint oil.