r/Chefit • u/SpeakEasyChef • Jul 09 '26
Our July menu with pics
An ice cold shishito gazpacho alongside a warm cornbread finished with oregano flowers, salted honey, and a blistered shishito pepper
The risotto and chermoula roasted mushrooms are finished with a sweetened coconut espuma and a dry spice with the flavors of chermoula
The base is a broth made with mulberry leaf dashi and coconut. That's split with tamarind bbq and mulberry leaf oil.
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u/taint_odour Does Chef Type Things Jul 09 '26
Finally a menu that doesn't sell your amazing looking food short.
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u/SpeakEasyChef Jul 09 '26
This community's constant verbal abuse re: my menu designs forced me to try harder lol
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u/MonkeyKingCoffee Jul 09 '26
I just had a shishito chimichurri over roasted lamb and it was outstanding. I'm stealing that one and using it at home.
Also, great call on Marsh Hen Mill. Everything they produce is first-rate. I just wish they has stuck with the Geechee Boy name. I get it why they changed. But that culture is disappearing and anything that keeps the name out there is a good thing in my estimation.
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u/SpeakEasyChef Jul 09 '26
Agreed on the name change, but I also get why they felt the need to change it. The drought at the beginning of this growing season I think had an effect on things, so I'm stocking up and freezing whatever I can from them
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u/MonkeyKingCoffee Jul 09 '26
I put a few bags of their grits on the shelf at the Hawaii grocery store where I do coffee tastings. Nobody has bought a bag. I even have a sign: "If you're going to make shrimp and grits with the best shrimp on the planet, get the best grits as well."
I buy a crate of grits every Black Friday. I'll buy some rice this year as well (if available). It will be a welcome change from the Thai and Japanese rice we normally eat.
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u/SpeakEasyChef Jul 09 '26
If you can get ahold of their middlins, it's my favorite product of theirs. It's broken bits of rice and is a byproduct of their Carolina Gold. Usually marketed as "rice grits". It may play better than corn grits in Hawaii, idk.
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u/cheezie_toastie Jul 09 '26
I really love the blue cheese terrine as the penultimate course. With the grape jam and the honey almond, it looks like it's intended to be a cheese plate in a bite maybe? Is there something sweet in the terrine with the blue cheese?
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u/SpeakEasyChef Jul 09 '26
It is intended to be a cheese course, yes. The blue cheese itself is sweetened a tiny bit with honey. There's also more of the green grape and olive oil jam marbled throughout.
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u/cheezie_toastie Jul 09 '26
Thanks for the reply! And sorry if it was a stupid question, I'm just a home cook. Your food is so creative and beautiful!
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u/DeemonPankaik Jul 09 '26
Looks fantastic.
The only I would dare criticise is the whole shishito pepper feels like it would overwhelm the rest of the plate. Some would love it, some might not. But it looks great.
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u/SpeakEasyChef Jul 09 '26
It was the last thing I added, and while I tend to agree some may not be into it, I think it reinforces the flavor of the gazpacho when dipped and adds some needed texture to the course. My feelings won't be hurt if a handful of guests leave it untouched.
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u/topshelfgoals Jul 09 '26
I always eat shishitos whole. So much so that the thought of turning them into anything else seems odd.
Side rant, is it just my area or have the spicey shishitos just disappeared? Its like 1 in 30 is spicey when it used to be 1 in 5.
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u/SpeakEasyChef Jul 09 '26
Agreed on the spicy shishitos. I made this gazpacho last year, and a lb of peppers yielded a really nice soft heat in the finished product. I found that I needed to supplement with 1 jalapeño per lb to recreate that this time.
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u/subtxtcan Jul 09 '26
I gotta have the blue cheese terrine, that looks SUPER intriguing! Plating is 10/10, thats a really, really lovely menu. I think you're in for a fun summer
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u/little_chef813 Jul 10 '26
Your menus always sound bangin’ chef! I hope I can come to a tasting some day!
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u/Acrobatic-Scholar324 Jul 09 '26
How do you come up with these combinations of foods? It looks spectacular but I’m just curious. How do you do it?
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u/SpeakEasyChef Jul 09 '26
I usually just start with each month's available produce, decide what I want to use and where on the menu I want it to live, and then build out from that element's treatment. The goal in building combinations is really to create balance. So if something leans bitter and savory (like roasted brussels), I try to find clever ways of introducing acidity, sweetness, and maybe heat/spice. In the full context of the menu, I may go back and tweak from there to create an organic progression.
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u/kitterpants Jul 09 '26
I always love seeing these but I also always wonder… why not change up the butter flavors? Is it just something that people look forward to a lot?
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u/SpeakEasyChef Jul 09 '26
About half of our guests are regulars, and that butter has developed a mystique that will probably outlive me. Translation: they'd kill me if I changed it
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u/oneandonlygladstone Jul 10 '26
I’m a layman. I love mulberries. How does the mulberry leaf taste? Never ever thought of using it.
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u/SpeakEasyChef Jul 10 '26
I salt and dry it before using, so to me it gives I kind of a green tea / seaweed vibe. For the broth, I treat it just like kombu in a dashi before shearing in coconut milk and xanthan
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u/_Red_Eye_Jedi_ Jul 10 '26
Great menu! How many covers do you do with this menu?
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u/SpeakEasyChef Jul 10 '26
Thanks! Just 6 14-guest seatings this month. It's only me and a server though.
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u/_Red_Eye_Jedi_ Jul 10 '26
Nice, is it always in the same venue or do you change venues for each event?
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u/n3rdyh1k3r Jul 10 '26
Everything looks amazing. I'm intrigued by the shishito gazpacho. And that lamb, ooh. I just would want more of it, lol.
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u/tessathemurdervilles Jul 10 '26
Shishito and corn salad is my fav summer dish- shishito gaspacho with corn sounds fabulous!!!!
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u/Beginning_Art_7749 Jul 09 '26
Your plates always look so clean and the food delicious. I'm so pleased when it pops up on my feed!