We had the pleasure of touring one of the many dairies in Maryland, this farm is located in the Frederick County area. Cherry Glen located just 20 minutes south of the restaurant in Boyds, Maryland is producing farmstead goat cheese from the milk of their 300 head heard. The heard has been a part of Cherry Glen farm since the early seventies. However cheese production is new to the farm and has only been available for the past two years. The couple who farm the land and produce the cheese are Diane Kirsch and Wayne Cullen, long time dairy farmers in the area who are proud of their goats, several on the farm are champion show goats. The heard consists of Toggenberg and Alpine Dairy; both breeds are prized for their high fat content milk great for cheese production.

The milk that Diane and Wayne describe as rich and silky is used to produce several cheeses that we plan to use in the restaurant as part of our composed cheese course and in other applications. The ricotta in particular I want to experiment with in the next few weeks. I am thinking of a few pasta dishes that would be on the second course portion of the ala carte menu. As well this cheese would be great for an interpretation of the classic cheese cake.The Monacacy Crottin is a new addition to their growing list. We had the opportunity to taste this cheese in a few different stages of aging.

The cheese-makers also have been forming the cheese in a few different sizes and shapes. I found that this cheese which was roughly aged 45 days to be a great choice for the classic flavor combination of beets and goat cheese as part of the composed cheese course menu.

Cherry Glen Goat Cheese Co
6120 Barnesville Rd.
Boyds, MD 20841
(301)428.3599
http://cherryglengoatcheese.com

Below excerpt is from our architect Charlie Perla. 

Bryan sees, Hilda feels, Charlie listens, and Dave builds. What a team.  

When Bryan presents one of his creations, he knows that you will first taste the dish with your eyes. He wants VOLT to become the stage, the set, and the backdrop for the culinary experience you are about to enjoy. 

Hilda wants to know that you will feel the space the way she envisions. She takes great care in making sure that the fabric texture being proposed elicits the appropriate response. She wants to be sure that the colors project an elegant feeling. She wants the seating to be plush. She wants the space to be inviting. 

Charlie hears Bryan and Hilda’s symbiotic challenges. His challenges involve creating an environment that supplements and supports the dinners being served.

Bryan and Hilda want VOLT to be multi faceted. Each room must have a different purpose and take on a different personality. The Main Dining room becomes an elegant dinner guest; The Chef’s dining room becomes a jovial dinner companion; while the Conservatory becomes that formal colleague at your reception. And of course, we mustn’t forget your laid back buddy sipping his libations in the lounge. 

All these guests, companions, friends and buddies have to live in harmony within the Historical mansion on Market Street.

Dave is building the spaces with great attention to detail. He has made this project more of a vocation than a construction job. 

VOLT is a stage for the Performance of Culinary Arts.

Charlie Perla

http://www.dmsperla.com/

Thanks Charlie, this is so sweet. HKS.

In planning the menus for VOLT, I have come to the conclusion that developing a A’la Carte menu should have more options than just your typical first course and main course headings. I also believe that dessert should be included in the presentation of the menu. Dessert is apart of the meal. Dessert sometimes is treated as an afterthought. Furthermore when I dine, I appreciate the opportunity to try many different flavors and techniques. It is not so often a Chef is on the receiving end of the dining experience, so I enjoy tasting menus, middle course options, and dessert when ever I can. So this scallop dish is an example of the planning for the menu, and it would appear in the second course portion of the A’la Carte menu. As we move forward in menu development and planning, also once our kitchen is close to completion we will post dishes that will be apart of the first menu at VOLT.

Sea Scallops with lemongrass and soy fondue, garlic root, dehydrated shiitake mushrooms 

Procedure:

For the shiitakes they can be dehydrated in a dehydrator at 95F for 12 hours or you can fry them in 280 F oil until crisp if there is not a dehydrator

Mix the toasted sesame, powdered miso, salt, and toasted seaweed with a mortar/pestle, set aside

Bloom the gelatin in ice water

Heat the coconut milk to a simmer. Season with white pepper and salt, add the agar-agar, bring to simmer again and stir for 5 minutes

Add the coconut milk to a blender and puree with the gelatin, puree smooth and pour onto a 18”X12” sheet tray and let it set under refrigeration. 

Once cold using a pickle slicer cut into long julienne to resemble vermicelli, keep cold

Combine the soy, mirin, lemongrass, scallion, ginger, lime leaf, and balsamic vinegar in a 1 qt saucepot, reduce by half

Whisk in the cold butter until incorporated one cube at a time, strain the solids and keep the sauce warm

To sear the scallops heat the coconut butter until it almost comes to the smoke point. Sear the scallops and cook on both sides until it is cooked but slightly underdone

Heat the brunoise with the butter fondue and serve over the scallop.  

Sources:

Garlic Root:The Chef’s Garden™, Inc
9009 Huron-Avery Rd.
Huron, Ohio 44839
800-289-4644

Scallops:Prawn Corp of America
700-76 Broadway - Suite 323
Westwood, NJ 07675
Tel: 201-391-9540
Fax: 201-391-9560
www.prawnco.com  

We’ve been talking a lot lately about marketing VOLT. We are designing the website, writing press releases, talking to reporters, participating in fundraising events. Where did we come from, what are we doing here, what are we offering, what makes us different? Positioning is the word of the day. How do we position Bryan, position me, position Frederick, position VOLT. It’s all about the food after all. Isn’t it?

Well, it’s the food and then some. A big part of what we’ve been working on for months is perfecting the 5 senses. What’s the feel of the fabric on the dining room chairs, the linens on the tables, the wall covering, the bar top. What’s the music you hear when you walk into the lobby, the dining room, the lounge. What do you see, what’s our color palate, how do we carry the look throughout the space and mirror it on the website and on the menus. What about smell, is the kitchen exhausted properly, sufficiently. Or do we use flowers on the tables, can’t have them too perfumie.  And of’ course taste, it is all about the food after all. 

But it’s also about Frederick. My 85-year old neighbor called tonight to apologize because her nurse insulted my cat. I wasn’t with my cat when he was insulted. And he certainly wouldn’t have been able to tell me if his feelings were hurt. But she called anyway. This is Frederick, people just care.

My milkman delivers eggs, milk and bread every Thursday morning, and he tells me how the cows are doing. All summer, every weekend there is a concert series in the park, there is a 1^st Saturday gallery walk downtown, and concerts on the creek. There are theaters, boutiques, coffee shops and a beautiful library. Everything you could need is only about a 10-minute drive. Downtown is architecturally beautiful and the economy is vibrant.  

So this is what we are marketing. Perfection for all your senses packaged up in Frederick. This is our home. This is VOLT.

I never realized all of the cool tools chefs have at their disposal. Its a whole arsenal of gadgets like in the James Bond movies.  I met gadget #1 Friday afternoon… About three times a week I ask Bryan to give me a chicken recipe that my two-year old twins will eat. They refuse anything with meat. In fact anything they don’t like they call chicken. This means their only source of protein is tofu, which they love, but that can’t be sufficient. So I was intrigued when Bryan told me to hold on until the Pacojet arrived. He said he could make chicken taste like ice cream. What? Really? Ice Cream? The Pacojet arrived late Friday afternoon and I’m thinking yes, salvation from the protein dilemma. I know the test kitchen is open. I’m waiting for my chicken ice cream. We’ll see. Either my kids will get their much needed protein or they will run screaming every time the ice cream truck comes down our street.

Lucky for us we actually have a master coffee roaster literally in our backyard. Serina Roy is the owner of Dublin Roasters. On meeting her you can’t help but pick up on the enthusiasm she has about roasting. She describes the coffee flavors with such terms as earthy, grassy, winey, spicy, and fruity. The flavors are clear and sharp. So one morning, with Serina’s help we set out to create the Volt coffee blend.

Here’s a list of what we tried:

Sumatra - (Asia/Indonesia) Heavy bodied, high acidity.

Tanzania Peaberry - (Africa) The smallest of all of the green beans. Tangy flavor, wonderful aroma.

Costa Rica Terazu - (Central/South America) Medium body, low acidity.

Celebes Kalossi - (Asia/Indonesia) This bean can be roasted medium, or dark. Medium body, low acidity.

Kenya - (Africa) Strong morning coffee, very full of flavor. Acidic, bold and dark.

Kona - (Hawaii) Directly from Hawaii, from a farm called Koa. Smooth and satisfying, 100% pure Kona coffee beans are organic.

There were definitely some hands down favorites like the Peaberry which had layers of flavor and the Kona which Forbes described as the “Best Coffee in America.” These two were exquisite on their own and will be featured on our coffee menu.

We also liked the richness and the deep color of Kenya which when swirled in the cup, offered a beautiful coat on the inside of our cups. This we decided would be a great bean to blend with some of our other favorites like the Celebes and Costa Rica.

Also, we are on the wait list to try the Indian Malabar which is currently out of stock. Serina refers to this bean as “white gold.” This one is a white green bean from Indonesia. As she describes it, the flavor that is released when they are roasted is wonderful–Full body and medium acid.

Well, after a few hours of drinking coffee we were too buzzed to settle on a Volt blend. We are still trying a couple different blends but are going in the direction of 75% smooth with 25% bold, acidic blend for the house.

We are also planning on offering one seasonal flavored coffee in addition to our single bean coffees.

This past Friday night, we helped raise money for the Mental Health Association of Frederick and showcased a little of VOLT’s flavors to come. Here is what was served:

• Ravioli of Spring Peas, Orange Mint and Moulin de Penitents Olive Oil
• Ceviche of Scallop with Crisp Shiitake and soy lime
• Fennel Dusted Profiterole with Cherry Hill Goat Cheese
• Smoked Steelhead Caviar with turnip and pickled celery
• Chilled Carrot and Cardamom Shooter

If you are wondering how the peas were formed, follow the link below: 

View Video

The VOLT test kitchen is officially open. Today I was reminded of one of the classics, bread pudding. Tomorrow is the Skills USA Maryland State competition and I gave pointers on the dish to a fierce competitor, Justin Zawoysky. Today bread pudding, tomorrow sea scallops with lemon grass and soy fondue, garlic root, and dehydrated shiitake mushrooms.Good luck tomorrow Justin!

This is a look at VOLT one day prior to construction in the space. As you will see, there is a lot to be done over the next twelve weeks. With extensive planning and patience we are finally underway. From this point, there will be still shots and more video showing the transformation of the house into VOLT’s dining rooms and kitchen.