A Taste of Alaska
When preparing a menu representing Alaska, Executive Chef Chandon Clenard wanted to pay homage to the abundance of seafood that comes from the fisheries of the North Pacific.
We start our journey off the coast of the Aleutian islands in the freezing waters of the Bering Sea. During the fishing season between October and January, commercial fishing boats set out for days or weeks at a time searching for red, blue and golden king crabs
Our first starter option is Alaskan king crab in a spicy garlic-leek broth. A basil aioli-drizzled ciabatta cooked on the char grill complements this dish perfectly for toast dipping goodness.
Moving south to the Kodiak Islands in the frigid Gulf of Alaska, the largest concentration of Pacific halibut is found. An excellent source of high-quality protein and minerals, and low in sodium, fat and calories, Halibut is versatile in the kitchen and known for its delicate, sweet flavor.
As a second starter option, Chandon dipped halibut in a beer batter made of Alaskan Ale and Stout. The tempura style halibut skewers are accompanied by a lingonberry dipping sauce and watercress salad.
Making our way up the Alaskan streams and rivers is where we find millions of salmon breeding during the summer. The salmon eventually make their way down to the Pacific, where they spend most of their adult life. Sport-fishermen from all around the world travel to Alaska to catch the most popular King, Sockeye, Coho, and Chum salmon.
Chandon's multi step process starts by hickory smoking the salmon and then finishing it off on the grill. The salmon is served with black rice, baby bok choy rabe-portabellini sauté and gribiche, a mayonnaise-style cold egg sauce .
We finish our tour of Alaska with the popular dessert from the 70's, Baked Alaska. The actual origin and name sake of this dessert is up for debate, but it's cool, sweet taste is the perfect compliment to our Alaskan menu. Baked Alaska's primary components are ice cream topped with meringue. The meringue acts as an insulated covering protecting the ice cream when placed in a hot oven. Chandon puts his own twist on this classic by using mountain blackberry ice cream and drizzling spiked berries on top.
Enjoy!