Jujube - Special Event Menus

Private Dinners

These are examples of “Ask and you shall receive”. I joked about the exclusive group of people for whom I’m willing to create special dinners and the one thing they all had in common. That is, they all asked me to. Yep, that is pretty much it. These people heard through the grapevine about our willingness to do this sort of thing, and called us up to let us know how ambitious and hungry they were. This is what we came up with…

September 1, 2006

Midnight in the Garden of Sweet and Savory
Seared Livers and Brown Turkey Figs with Piquant Dressing, Mint, and Watercress
Jujube Surf and Turf
Seared scallops and sweetbreads with yam fritters and black vinegar
Red-Cooked Kurobuta Pork Cheek with Pungent Jook

December 2, 2006

Jello Salad
Sevruga caviar with dashi aspic and cauliflower panna cotta
Avinyo Cava
“Bacon and Eggs” (sort of)
Poached quail egg with crumbled Chinese bacon, and sake emulsion
Fish and Chips
Oil-poached North Carolina redfish with Asian root vegetable chips
Shrimp and Grits
Tempura prawn and fried daikon cake
Chateau Le Relais de Cheval Blanc 2003
Deconstructed Fresh XO
Seared scallop with confetti of white prawn, roasted pork, garlic, and chili
Duck, Duck, Goose
Crispy sweet potato, duck cake with jujube preserves
Vietnamese style herbed duck liver pate with black rice “toasts”
Seared foie gras with green pineapple chutney and chestnut honey
Domaine Ehrhart Riesling “Vieilles Vignes” 2003
Family Style Entrees
Star anise braised beef short ribs
Butternut squash, scallion, and roasted pork belly hash with black and white truffles
Stir-fried snow pea leaf with ginger and garlic
Rotllan Torra Priorat Reserva 2000
Domaine Palliers Gigondas 2001
Cheese Course
Stinky and not-so-stinky cheeses with persimmon “snow” and chestnut honey
Dessert
Assorted sweet things

December 9, 2006

This was an elaborate meal prepared for a small firm’s Christmas party. It was a great opportunity to feature some of our more exotic and special wines, as well as push the envelope a bit on the cuisine itself.

Jello Salad
Osetra caviar with dashi aspic and scallions
Champagne Jean Milan cuvee Jean Charles Milan
T Keller’s Bacon and Eggs (sort of)
Curious Fritters
Snow pea leaf and current
Meat-stuffed sticky rice
Taro root and goat cheese
2002 Domaine Fournier Sancerre Grand Cuvee Vielles Vignes
Beans and Franks
Silken tofu and Chinese sausage in truffle-shaoxing broth and smoked paprika oil
1998 Chateau Musar Blanc
Duck, Duck, Goose
Sweet potato, five-spice duck confit cake with jujube preserves
Vietnamese-style duck liver pate with black rice “toast”
Seared foie gras with green pineapple chutney and chestnut honey
2002 Nigal Riesling Private
Pan-Roasted Duck Breast with Asian Root Vegetables and a Candied Baby Walnut Madeira Glaze
2003 Girardin Santenay 1er Cru Gravieres
Star Anise-Braised Short Rib with Crispy Daikon Cake
2002 Hyde de Villaine Syrah
Assorted Cheeses with Fig-Star Anise Confiture and Roasted Asian Pear
2002 Domaine Weinbach Pinot Gris Altenbourg Vendage Tardives
Cranberry Apple Crisp with Ginger Ice Cream
2004 Peller Estates Cabernet Franc Ice Wine
Chocolate Five-Spice Pot de Creme
Blandy’s Five year Malmsey Madeira

December 13, 2006

“Bacon and Eggs” (ala T Keller)
Poached quail egg with Chinese bacon and sake emulsion
Crispy Scallion-Potato Cake with Chinese Bacon-Daikon Salad and Sriracha Crème Fraiche
Duck, Duck, Goose
Crispy sweet potato, duck cake with jujube preserves
Vietnamese-style herbed duck liver pate with black rice “toasts”
Seared foie gras with green pineapple chutney and chestnut honey
“Beans and Franks”
Silken tofu and Chinese sausage in Sichuan broth with smoked paprika oil
Herb-Encrusted Carolina Redfish
with Snow Pea Leaf Fritters, Braised Shiitakes, and Grapefruit-Sweet Chili Sauce
Braised Short Ribs
with Daikon Cake and Tangerine Gremolata