House Made Potato Gnocchi-New Menu Item

Our new winter menu will be released the second week of January and we are very excited. This dish is one of my favorites and I hope it will be one of yours too. I was trying to accomplish a few things when making this dish. I wanted to introduce an ingredient that not everyone may be familiar with. Oxtails are one of my favorite cuts because of the great potential that they posses if prepared properly. They must be cooked slow and low for a good two hours to reveal thier true greatness. The second reason, was to highlight one of my true culinary passions.....homemade pasta. This craft was passed down in my family through the generations and I am glad that I payed attention to my mom when she would make fresh pasta on almost a weekly basis. This menu we are featuring house made potato gnocchi. Now, I know what you are thinking........another gnocchi that is heavy and just weighs you down. I know, I have had them before too;however, I can assure you that these are different. I worked on my recipe several times to get the right flavor, consistency and texture and am really happy with the result. The gnocchi are light and flavorful and work very well with the ragu. This is truely a terrific dish. You will not have to wait much longer....they will be introduced in just a few weeks time. More dishes to come this week. Enjoy.

Live and Eat Well!
Chef Anthony Boccella

Potato Gnocchi

Idaho Potatoes 3lb.
All Purpose Flour 2 cups+extra flour set aside
Farm Fresh Egg 1
Kosher Salt pinch

Peel the potatoes and cut into equal size pieces(for even cooking.)
Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Run the cooked potatoes through a food mill or potato ricer. (achieves a light, fluffy texture) Refrigerate the potatoes until cool.
In a large bowl, Place the potatoes in the bowl and create a well in the center. Add the egg and pinch of salt to the center of the bowl and wisk with a fork. Sift the flour over the potatoes. Using a fork, slowly bring the flour and potato to the center of the well into the eggs and incorporate. Once the egg is visibly absent, start using your hands to completely form the dough. Knead for a about 3-4 minutes until a ball of dough has formed. Use the extra flour to keep the dough from becoming too sticky. Once the dough has formed wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 min. When you are ready, form pieces of the dough into ropes or dowels and cut off 1/2 in. pieces. Using a fork, press the ends of the fork into the pieces of cut dough and pull towards you. The dough will roll towards you and create the signature indentations which characterize the gnocchi. Cook in boiling, salted water until the pasta floats and serve with your favorite sauce. Enjoy.

New Years Eve 2008

The New Years Eve menu has been finalized and we are all preparing for our New Years Eve celebration. We will be offering a five course tasting menu for $75 per person. We are all very excited about this big night and hope to see manny of you here to share in the celebration. We will be having two seatings, the first starting at 5:00p.m. on half hour increments. The second seating begins at 7:oo at half hour increments through the New Year. Don't forget to plan ahead this year because tables are already being reserved. We hope to see all on this special occasion.

Eat and Live Well and Happy New Year!
Chef Anthony Boccella

New Year’s Eve
Tasting Menu

1st course
Jail island smoked salmon roulade
Boursin strudel
Chicken liver pâté, grain mustard, cornichon

2nd course
Butternut-apple bisque
Romaine hearts, roasted tomato, pecorino romano, lemon-anchovy dressing
Mixed baby greens
(choice of one)

3rd course
House made potato gnocchi, toasted walnuts, sage, brown butter
House made tagliatelle, pancetta, swiss chard, carbonara
(choice of one)

4th course

Diver scallops
french green lentils, pancetta, napa cabbage, sherry gastrique

Frenched chicken breast
french green lentils, brussels sprouts, black truffle bordelaise

Tuna
white bean puree, golden beets, pistachio oil, black olive pesto

Angus rib-eye
Tuscan style, white beans, roasted peppers & onions

Braised veal short rib
Soft mascarpone polenta, wild mushroom ragu

Petit Filet Mignon & Jumbo Lump Crab Cake
roasted red potatoes, braised swiss chard, roasted garlic aioli
(choice of one)

5th course
Holiday inspired dessert tasting

New Menu Item-Winter 2009

Pan Roasted Atlantic Cod

White Beans, Braised Swiss Chard

Saffron-Seville Orange Sauce

Winter Menu 2009

There is so much going on at the restaurant, I almost don't know where to begin. First of all, we would like to thank all who supported the Variety Club fundraiser at Willow Creek Orchards this past weekend. We all had a great time and enjoyed seeing all of you there. We experimented with a new menu item with our vegan Pumpkin Stew and it seemed to be a big hit. We will definitely be putting that on our new menu starting in January. Chef James' home made hot chocolate with homemade marshmallow made its' second annual appearance and again was the star of the show. Thanks again to all!

Speaking of the Winter Menu.......................We have all work tirelessly on the new menu and our first draft has been printed. We are now in the refining stage and we are making subtle adjustments to finish the project. I am really excited about the menu and am sure that you will be too. There is a great mix of Italian, French and Spanish inspired dished that incorporate very seasonal and very local products. Using the freshest seasonal products is so important to us. We continue to use local products from local producers and continue to seek out producers who provide local products to feature in the restaurant.

I know that I promised photos of new menu items a week or so ago. So I have one so far. I will be shooting more this coming week so keep an eye out.

Live and Eat Well
Chef Anthony Boccella

bûche de Noël

[BOOSH duh noh-EHL]

Literally translated as "yule log," this traditional French Christmas cake is shaped and decorated to resemble a log.

This is one of the featured items on our new holiday pastry menu. Actually, our pastry chefs are making two varieties of this traditional holiday cake. Above is the mixed berry buche with honey roulade and berry diplomat cream. The second version is the buche de noel chocolate. We are taking orders for these and other holiday favorites from now until December 20th, so hurry to place your orders. You can call or place your order while you are dining at the restaurant.

Live and Eat Well

Happy Holidays!!!

Chef Anthony Boccella

Holiday Dessert Menu

Seasonal Cookie Trays
2lb. $28
3lb. $39
4lb. $51


Bûche De Noel Chocolaté
Chocolate roulade
soft ganache 23

Bûche De Noel Mixed Berry
Honey Roulade
Mixed Berry Diplomat Cream 21

Chocolate Hazelnut Torte
chocolate ganache
praline butter-cream
hazelnut meringue cake 19

Raspberry Chambord Cheesecake 23

Please place your holiday orders as early as possible
Order cut-off December 20th 5:00p.m.

Last Date of Pick-up Wednesday December 24th @ 3:00p.m.

Happy Thanksgiving

First of all, I have to say thank you to all who participated in our cooking class at Willow Creek Orchards. The event was a huge success and we had lots of fun. We are definitely looking forward to doing it again, so we will keep you posted. Things at the restaurant are going well. The holiday party reservations are coming in, so if anyone still needs to book a party, contact us at the restaurant. We have a private room available and will custom design menus for your special event.

I have started my research and experimentation for the upcoming winter menu which is scheduled for release after the New Year. I am really excited about some of our thoughts and trials. A sampling of the menu includes a roasted beet panzanella, braised pork cheek agnolotti, hand made gnocchi, our famous diver scallops and much, much more to come. I will have some photos of the upcoming dishes as soon as they are available.

Just a reminder.....We will be at Willow Creek Orchards on Saturday, December 6th from 10-3 for their annual Winter Open House. We will be serving a Pumpkin Stew with Moroccan flavors and Chef James will be serving his famous gourmet hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows. We hope to see you there.

Hope to see everyone soon at the restaurant and we all would like to wish one and all a Happy Thanksgiving.

Live and Eat Well!
Chef Anthony Boccella

Winter Squash

When it comes to ingredients, winter squash are some of the most underutilized
of all vegetables. That is, besides pumpkin and butternut. We are all familiar with them. But what about the acorn, hubbard, spaghetti and kabocha. They are all out there ready for you to create and experiment with. The subtleties of flavor and texture are a cook's delight. The possibilities are endless. Roasted acorn squash on a salad with pumpkin seeds and cider vinaigrette, kabocha squash bisque with a nutmeg creme fraiche, spaghetti squash with a sage brown butter and toasted hazelnuts. They do not have to be complicated; however, they will be delicious. Just for that reason we have teamed up with Willow Creek Orchards and will be presenting an instructional cooking class on Saturday, November 15th. The class will focus on the preparations and applications of winter squash. The class is limited in size, so contact Willow Creek if you are interested. Look for more classes in the future.

Live and Eat Well
Chef Anthony Boccella

C is for Cookie.........

There was once a day when I wasn't really fond of sweets. An occasional chocolate chip or ice cream. Then we opened Zacharias in 2007. I was quickly introduced to some of the most addicting treats that I have come across in my travels. Marianne & James (Zacharias' Pastry Chefs) have continuously produced some of the most delectable desserts and this holiday season is no different. While I am writing this, I can smell the next batch coming out of the oven. And as a chef, it is my duty to taste everything produced in our kitchen. For quality control purposes, of course. O.K. FOCUS..................I am writing today to share this information with everyone else. Cookies and petit fours are available daily. Special orders are welcomed. There aren't too many things that can provoke that certain reaction than placing a box of cookies in front of someone and telling them to dig in. Especially when they taste like this. The cookies are $11.99 a pound and can be packaged to specifications. Give us a call to pre-order or try a petit four plate after your meal. You will see what I am talking about.

Eat and Live Well.............Have A Cookie
Chef Anthony Boccella

Thoughts of Thanksgiving

The holidays are fast approaching and our pastry department is very excited to present their creations for Thanksgiving. We are starting to take orders for our specialty dessert items which have been designed to feature all of your favorite autumn flavors. My personal favorite is the above pictured Apple Streusal Cheesecake. This is a rich and creamy cheesecake with a graham cracker crust. If that was not enough, it is topped with caramelized apples. I was lucky enough to try this exquisite creation. It is a masterpiece of carefully matched flavors and textures. But I will let you be the judge of that. Come and check out the entire Thanksgiving dessert menu and be sure to get your orders in early. Hope to hear from you all soon.

Live and Eat Well!

Chef Anthony Boccella

Thanksgiving Dessert Menu

Pumpkin Roulade
whipped crème fraîche
caramelized walnuts

16

Apple Streusel Cheesecake
caramel apples
graham cracker crust

23

Chocolate Hazelnut Torte
layers of chocolate ganache
praline butter-cream
hazelnut meringue cake

19

Spiced Cake
Caramel mousseline
candied cranberry compote

18

Seasonal Cookie Trays
2lb. 3lb. 4lb.
Also available

Autumns Bounty- Apples & Cranberries

Nothing epitomizes autumn like the produce in October. This week at the restaurant we've brought in some really nice apples and cranberries. I tend to prefer the white cranberries(pictured above) because they a bit less tart than their red counterparts. These two ingredients, I believe, really compliment eachother and we made a sauce for our flan appetizer from them. The sweet and tart combination works very well with many other ingredients. We use it in this dish in particular as a means to cut the very creamy texture in our pumpkin-sage flan.

As many know they can always be used in sweet applications, be we decided to experiment and use them in a savory dish with many flavors and textures.

Our recipe is for a Cranberry-Apple gastrique. By definition, a gastrique is a syrupy reduction of caramelized sugar and vinegar. With this sauce as a base, we add the fruit and fruit juices and create our own signature sauce. Please feel free to experiment with this recipe at home and try it out on some of your own dishes. Happy Cooking.

Eat and Live Well

Chef Anthony Boccella

1c. Sugar
2/3 c. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 c. Apple Juice
4 each Thyme
2 c. Vegetable Stock
2 c. Cranberry Juice
2 tbsp. Butter
1 lb. Sweet Cooking Apples( local if possible)
1 pt. Fresh Cranberries

1. Add the sugar to a saucepan over med-high heat until it begins to brown, stirring constantly.
2. Next, carefully add the vinegar off the heat. Reduce for 5 min.
3. Add the fruit juices, thyme, stock, cranberries and apples. Bring to a boil
4. Let simmer until it reduces to about 2 cups.
6. Skim off any foam.
6. Add the butter off the heat and swirl through.
7. Remove the thyme and allow to cool

Autumn's Bounty-Celery Root

Autumn is my favorite time of year. The food, the weather and the upcoming holiday season. I've decided to start a weekly journal of my visits to Willow Creek Orchards and showcase the ingredients that we will be using in the restaurant. This week I picked up a few goodies, but I am very excited about the celery root. I love to use celery root in many different dishes. I tend to treat it like I would a potato. That is roasted, mashed, in soups or a combination with other root vegetables. You will find it tastes like a cross between conventional celery and parsley. The celery root can also be eaten raw, once peeled, and shaved over salads. This adds a great crunchy fresh flavor. Try it out. It is a great addition to one's culinary repertoire.

Chef's Notes: A vegetable peeler may not do with this tricky vegetable. The root has a thin, rough skin so use a knife until you come to the crisp white vegetable.

Stay tuned for recipes and new ingredients

Eat and live well!

Chef Anthony Boccella

A Sampling of our Autumn Menu

Flavors of Autumn

Autumn is upon us, and there are many changes happening at Zacharias. Our Autumn menus are in full swing and they are getting rave reviews from our guests. We in the kitchen have focused on using more and more organic and all natural products in our menu, along with our continuing relationship with Willow Creek Orchards produce and Hendrick's Farm's cheeses.

We have made a concerted effort to prepare our dishes simply and full of flavor to highlight these outstanding ingredients. We hope that you enjoy your next visit to Zacharias.
Eat and live well!

Sincerely,
Chef Anthony Boccella

Welcome our Current Events and Menu Specials Page!  

Check back often for what's new at Zacharias including words from our chefs, limited time menu items, and photographs of current events.  

We thank you for visiting our site and look forward to seeing you for lunch or dinner soon!

All our best,

The Zacharias Creekside Cafe Family