Parsnip soup with carrot emulsion
- 1/4 ea yellow onion
- 1/2 shallot
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/8 cup blended oil
- 1 lb. parsnips, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 qt. chicken stock
- 1/2 cup Heavy cream
- 1/8 lb. sweet butter
- To Taste, salt and pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 cloves
- 1 star anise
- 1/4 Tbsp.fennel seed
- 1/4 nutmeg
- Sweat onions, garlic and shallots in oil till translucent, do not allow to color
- Add parsnips and sauté lightly, again with no color
- Add stock and bring to a simmer
- Place bay leaf, star anise, clove and fennel in cheese cloth and add to soup
- Simmer until vegetable are tender, approximately 30 minutes
- Add cream and remove spice sachet
- Blend in butter and pass through mesh screen
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper
- Serve garnished with carrot emulsion and fresh nutmeg
- 3 lbs. sweet carrots
- 2 cups grape seed oil
- 1 ea cinnamon stick
- Peel carrots and juice
- Reduce over low heat, with cinnamon stick, by almost ¾
- Blend in oil
- Pass through chinoise
CUESA's "Market to Table" program at the Ferry Building.
Chef Mark Ayers will be cooking this Satruday, 3/14 11am
A live, interactive cooking series that's held each Saturday morning at the Farmers Market.
Website: www.cuesa.org
About Chef Mark Ayers, Executive Chef Highlands Inn & Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort & Spa:
As Executive Chef at both Highlands Inn and Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort & Spa on Del Monte Golf Course, Mark Ayers brings exceptional talent and refined technique earned through many years of experience to his position overseeing the culinary functions of both hotels. Ayers began cooking at the age of 15 and quickly determined that a career as a chef suited him more than academia. He attended the Culinary Institute of America, where he graduated number one in his class in 1992 and was declared "Most Likely to Succeed." He began his professional career in Vail, Colorado, as Chef de Cuisine at Patina. Later, he served as Executive Sous Chef of the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek. While in Vail, Chef Ayers had the privilege of cooking for several high profile people including Former President Gerald Ford in his private home.
In 2002, he joined the staff of Highlands Inn as Executive Sous Chef under James Cox and was named Executive Chef in July 2003. Ayers is the creative visionary behind the renowned Pacific's Edge, and under his direction, the restaurant continues to garner prestigious awards including "Top 10 Restaurants in the Country with a View" by USA Today and numerous designations by Zagat including "Top 100 Hotel Restaurants." Most recently, in 2008, Pacific's Edge was awarded a AAA Four Diamond Award for 2008 and received recognition as a Distinguished Restaurant of North America (DiRoNA). Pacific's Edge's extensive wine list, featuring over 1,500 labels, is a perennial "Grand Award" winner from Wine Spectator.
Highlands Inn
Website: www.highlandsinn.hyatt.com
Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort & Spa
Website: www.monterey.hyatt.com
