Nicholas Wilkins

From the ashes of winter rises the Phoenix of spring........ I didn't disappear from the blog world I just lay dormant during this tough winter, but now i return more enriched and changed!.....tbc

Fall is in the air, pots are on the stoves and the apple harvest and game birds are in full swing. There is some good eating on the horizon! Winter is coming!

With the autumn in full swing it seemed only right to take some European flavors and some home comforts as inspiration. Scottish pheasant, red cabbage, Medool date, whole grain mustard spaetzle, European soldier bean, brown butter confit pheasant thigh.

The autumn is upon us, so many different varietals of autumn products available at farmers market, so little time.

Colorado lamb, anchovies, dehydrated black olives, whipped goat feta, roasted red pepper, ichiban eggplant, mâché

So even being October and everyone telling me I should start prepping the garden for autumn. I have stood my ground, with such great tomatoes and eggplants appearing everyday, why wouldn't I ride this wave for a little longer. Let the plants and garden speak to you, they always do.

Mahogany clams, brown butter sand, ocean herbs, seaweeds, mangalista dashi

Even though its fall don't count the garden out yet! still producing great summer ingredients in October!

Butter poached lobster, root vegetable risotto, roasted chicken, vin jaune, mire poix

Taking inspiration from travels abroad, some times leads to pure deliciousness. A homage to burgundy. Escargot braised in their own juices, garlic velouté, Yukon gold gnocchi, parsley oil, toasted almond.

Fall is upon us South texas Antelope, parsnip, walnuts, pickled crosnes, curry, hibiscus

Stuffed turbot, cockles, glass wort, champagne, sea herbs, Mitsuba

Foie gras, caramelized onion dashi, bacon jam, burnt onion, pickled pearl onion

Pickled golden and yellow beets, ice plant, samphire, Meyer lemon, pistachio

Scottish langoustine, sea grass, ice plant, elderberry capers, whipped honey

With summer season in full swing, the quality and variety of available product coming in to the kitchen and from garden is second to none. There's a reason it's called the garden state.

As with the garden, the kitchen is not that much different with everything being ready at once. This week saw us finishing up multiple projects that all reached completion at the same time. Some after months, some after just hours. In the garden four kinds of potatoes (Russian fingerling, red bliss, eastern and purple fingerling) were placed into the root cellar for autumn and winter. Along with the potatoes came carrots, Parisienne, tonga di parigi and cosmic reds. The 2011 burgundy red wine vinegar was bottled as was the peach, lemon verbena champagne. The milk fed pancettas we cut down and packaged up. Figs were turned into jams and cucumbers from the farm, turned into relishes and pickles in preparation for the seasons to come.