cherries

Quite excited about presenting a 7 course cherry menu, this Friday!
Sadly, due to rather odd weather patterns, the Northern California cherry harvest is not up to par with recent years. Still uncertain what varieties i will be using as no particular varieties of cherries have stuck out in particular so far. Depends on what i find at the market on Thursday!

Some of the ideas i have been messing with and will be presenting are:

Cherry blossom infused karigane tea will be served through the evening.
Cherry wasabi sauce. This will be served with a yuba wrap filled with cherry smoked tofu and snow peas.
Cherry chipotle sauce. For a black bean pattie and anadama bread.
Cherry relish. Also for the black bean pattie.
Cherry mustard sauce.  still working on where to fit this in
Cherry balsamic dressing. for a roasted beet and endive salad.
Cherry roasted tempeh. Homemade tempeh marinated in cherry juice, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, tamarind paste, cumin, cardamom, paprika, then smothered in crushed tempeh and roasted.
Cherries stuffed into homemade truffles.
Cherry cabernet kanten. Using our friends at Wild Hog's amazing 2005 Cabernet, we will do our take (an alchoholic and gorgeous appetizer). on a Japanese classic sweet using kanten (a gelatin like substance made from a seaweed, agar agar).
Cherry walnut sorbet.
Cherry Chocolate Pistachio Cake

Thank you to our regional growers and providers of many of our very high quality ingredients:
http://www.wildhogvineyard.com/ for producing the cabernet
http://chadoen.com/ for importing the amazing tea
http://www.ranchogordo.com/ for growing the  beans
http://lotusfoods.com/ for growing the rice
http://massaorganics.com/ for growing the flour

and, of course, thank you to all the sustainable farmers and farm workers who make cooking and eating, real food possible!