Lark Creek Walnut Creek

Lark Creek Walnut Creek is located in downtown Walnut Creek. The atmosphere is light, with American charm, additional seating on the sidewalk and an exhibition kitchen. The changing menu, created by Chef Scott Wall includes seasonal, farm-fresh American fare featuring traditional and updated recipes. Sustainable ingredients including produce, meats, poultry, fish, and other products from local ranchers, growers, and fishermen. Desserts are made in house and have a homey flair with both local and regional wines available.

Chef Wall began his culinary career in Danville, California where he was a busboy and prep cook at his godmother’s restaurant. It was in his blood but he did not realize until he was 20, that he attended the California Culinary Academy, that life in a restaurant was his calling.

One of my Account Executives, Patti, won a sales contest and she was able to choose a restaurant for lunch. Patti also requested to be featured on the Authentic Suburban Gourmet blog. We scheduled our adventure and went a couple weeks ago. With good appetites and expectations of a great meal we sat down to review the menu. The server was very attentive and served us bread and butter, which by the way is wonderful. Warm, chewy and crunchy little rolls of goodness. With a smattering of butter, it is a perfect little bite. She offered us beverages and then we placed our order.

We began by sharing the roasted Brussels sprouts with almonds. These were very tasty and came to the table piping hot. I actually prefer a bit of a crispy outside to the Brussels but these were quite delicious. Added a bit of salt and much pepper and then they were perfect for me. Next we were onto our main courses. Patti ordered the Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf, horseradish mashed potatoes and broccoli rabe. She was extremely please with the choice and ate every bite. My favorite salad to order is the Southern Fried Chicken Salad, pickled beets and shafts of blue cheese. Unfortunately, the dressing was had too much vinegar and not enough oil and the fried chicken had hints of fried fish. The beets were divine!

We decided to share the signature dessert of Butterscotch Pudding with chantilly cream and a chocolate chip cookie. They now offer a smaller portion dessert, which was perfect to share. Just enough to have a few bites and then you are done. The dessert was silky, creamy and the butterscotch flavor was outstanding. When the bill was brought over, our server gave us two little squares of homemade caramel candy with bits of nuts. It tasted like a caramel nougat of sorts.

Overall the service was very good. I was a bit disappointed with the food but will return. Perhaps it was an off day for the kitchen staff!

Lark Creek Walnut Creek
1360 Locust St
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
(925) 256-1234

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

Chopped Salad with Creamy Lemon Basil Dressing

One of my favorite salads is the chopped salad. The miracle of this salad is you can use any combination of ingredients from the farmers market to ethic influenced ingredients such as Asian or Mexican. It could be simple, refreshing mix of greens and vegetables, or a hearty combination of grilled flank steak, blue cheese crumbles and meaty mushrooms.

My husband and I both enjoy going to Ruth’s Chris for dinner and always order the Ruth’s Chop Salad or as he likes to call it, “Can Salad”. They form the salad in a ring and looks like it was molded with a can. My husband Charles has a great sense of humor and always makes me laugh.

After a long day at work at the beginning of the week, all I wanted was a delicious but simple hearty salad and thus this chopped salad was born. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing about your favorite combinations.

Chopped Salad with Creamy Lemon Basil Dressing

Serves 4

1 head of Iceberg lettuce, julienned
½ Medium red onion, thinly sliced
5 Large basil leaves, chiffonade
1 C. Grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 ½ C. Salami, julienned
1 ¼ C. Crimini mushrooms, sliced thin
4 to 5 Deli slices, provolone – julienned
1 C. Chopped turkey
1 ½ C. Garbonzo beans
8 Bacon slices, cooked, crumbled, set aside to garnish

Dressing

¾ C. Sour Cream
¼ C. Mayo
3 T. Lemon juice, fresh squeezed
½ t. Garlic powder
¼ to ½ t. Season salt (taste before adding second ¼ teaspoon
10 grinds fresh pepper
¼ C. Fresh basil, chiffonade

Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix. Only add ¼ teaspoon of the season salt, then taste, if you desire add the second ¼ teaspoon of season salt.

To assemble:

Add all of the salad ingredients, except the bacon. Toss together and then add the desired amount of dressing to your preference. Divide among your guests and top with the crumbled bacon.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Butternut squash has a rich, nutty flavor, which can be enjoyed in both sweet and savory dishes. It's distinct blazing orange color, has a creamy texture once it is cooked. Can be enjoyed in lasagna, ravioli, and savory bread pudding or in a soup. Pairing butternut squash with apples balances the soup and creates a perfect marriage of two great ingredients. You can opt to roast the butternut squash prior to adding to the broth, which would give a more sweet and intense flavor to the soup. I actually purchased the prepared butternut squash that is already cut into one inch cubes - a big time saver!

I served the soup in short coffee cups, so my guests could sip and savor the flavor. One of my new found favorite crackers are made by a company called Leslie Stowe Raincoast Crisps.  We enjoyed their newest flavor, Salty Date and Almond Raincoast Crisps. They are sold at whole foods and are completely irresistible!

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

2T. Butter
1 Large onion, finely diced
36 oz. Butternut Squash, one inch cubes
6 C. Chicken broth
1 Large apple, peeled, cored and diced
½ C. Apple juice
Salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a large stock pot and then add the onions. Sweat the onions until they are soft and translucent. About five minutes. Add the broth, butternut squash, apple and apple juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then turn to low and simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes, until the squash and apples are completely soft. Use an emulsion blender or puree in batches in a blender until all of the soup is silky smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Bacon and Orange Marmalade Sandwich

Bacon and Orange Marmalade Sandwich

This a simple, yet sophisticated sandwich with a unique flavor profile. It has the “ying and yang” of the toasted, earthy bread, smoky bacon and sweet marmalade. Strangely delicious and intriguing. A great sandwich for breakfast, lunch, dinner or midnight snack. I promise you will crave it a few days later!

Recipe for one sandwich

2 Slices of dark brown or pumpernickel bread, remove crusts and toast
3 Slices of Apple wood smoked bacon, crispy
Orange Marmalade

Spread the orange marmalade lightly on each side of the toasts. Add the cooked bacon and place the two sides together. Cut in half and enjoy!

Beef Wellington with Brandy Peppercorn Cream Sauce

Beef Wellington is a preparation of beef tenderloin or filet mignon coated with pate and duxelles, then wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden brown. I wish I loved pate, but I don’t, so I have eliminated it from this recipe. Now on the other hand, I absolutely love Mushroom duxelle, which is a mixture of mushrooms, butter, shallots and thyme that are finely diced and sautéed. To add to the richness of this dish, I recommend putting the cooked mushroom mixture through the food processor to give it more of a paste texture.

Beef Wellingtons take a bit of time to prepare, but if you are looking for an elegant dinner entrée to impress your guests, this is the dish.

Quick tip: You can use the duxelle mixture along with the puff pastry to make mushroom turnovers for your next appetizer.

Mushroom Duxelle Recipe

2 T. Butter
2 Shallots, finely chopped
8 oz. Button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 t. Dried Thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

In a sauté pan, melt the butter, add the shallots and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and thyme, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have browned and the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature or chill.

Beef Wellington

4 Filet Mignon, approximately ½ pound each
Salt and pepper
1 puff pastry sheet, thawed
2 T. Butter
1 egg

Prepare the beef by trimming of any excess fat. Season each side with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, melt the butter and turn the burner to medium. Sear each side of the filets for about 2 minutes each. Remove and place onto a plate and put into the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, take out and remove any excess liquid with a paper towel. Meanwhile, on a large board, lightly flour and gently roll the puff pastry sheet just slightly. Cut into four equal squares. Add into the center of each square about 1 heaping tablespoon of the mushroom duxelle mixture. Place a seared filet on top of each duxelle mixture. Gently fold the pastry dough around the filet. May need to gently stretch the dough. Turn upright, so the smooth side is face up. Beat one egg with a splash of water and brush the top of each one.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place each beef Wellington on a large cookie sheet and cook for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the pastry is lightly golden brown.

Quick tip: I used a small cookie cutter and placed a “leaf” on each one. If you are having a dinner party, place the initials of each guest on the individual Wellingtons to add that extra special touch.

Brandy Peppercorn Cream Sauce

1 large shallot, finely diced
1 T. Butter
½ t. crushed dried green peppercorns
½ C. Cream
½ C. Brandy
¾ C. Demi-glace broth (1 T. demi-glace into ¾ cup boiling water, let melt and mix)

Using the same pan that you seared the filets in, add the shallots and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the brandy, off the flame. Cook over low heat and deglaze the pan with a wooden spatula. Then add the demi-glace liquid and cook for about 5 minutes on medium high heat. Add the crushed peppercorns and cream. Cook for 5 minutes on medium. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Return to the pan and keep on low heat or off if you are not ready to serve.

Quick tip:  If when you are adding the brandy and the pan catches on fire - don't panic!  Simply take off the burner and hold over the sink until the alcohol burns off.

Chocolate and Butterscotch Chip Cookies

What is the quintessential cookie that pops into everyone’s head? Of course it is the chocolate chip cookie. Most of us were introduced to this cookie and then discovered the enormous varieties of cookies that exist. These cookies can be crunchy with crumbs that crack & pop if they fall to the floor and stepped upon. Or they can be soft, chewy and moist, where barely a crumb falls to the plate.

All depends if you use butter or shortening in your cookie recipe. Butter adds the crispy texture and the shortening will give it the squashy, pliable and soft consistency. Whatever your preference is, there is nothing better than a fresh baked, out of the oven chocolate chip cookie with the melted chocolate dripping from breaking it in half and enjoying with a tall glass of ice cold milk.

Chocolate and Butterscotch Chip Cookie

1 ½ C. Sugar
1 2/3 C. Brown Sugar
1 ¼ C. Shortening (Butter flavor)
3 Eggs
2 t. Vanilla
1 ¼ t. Salt
2 ¼ t. Baking Soda
1 T. Cornstarch
3 ½ C. Flour
11oz. Pkg. Butterscotch Chips
12 oz. Pkg. Nestle Dark Chocolate Mini Morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a kitchen aid mixer, add and cream the sugar, brown sugar and shortening together until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, salt and baking soda. Mix together. Add the cornstarch and slowly add the flour one cup at a time until blended. Add the butterscotch and chocolate chips. Mix until combined.

Use a small ice cream scooper to form uniform cookies. Place onto a non-stick cookie sheet and bake for about 10 to 11 minutes until golden brown. Remove and let cool on a wire rack. Yields approximately 6 dozen cookies.

Annual Team Appreciation Lunch

Since 2002, I have hosted an annual appreciation lunch for the team members who directly report to me. With the challenging economic year in 2009, my entire team worked extremely hard and endured quite a bit of stress along the way, not unlike the majority of individuals around the globe. Hosting this lunch at my house is one small way to annually express to my team, how much I appreciate all that they do.

Cooking truly connects me with people since it is both creative and my gift that I can share with other people. I enjoy the entire process of entertaining from A to Z - from planning the menu, making the shopping list, preparing the food to setting the table. My endorphins get charged up and it makes me so joyful to make people happy.

December is a time in my industry that we take our clients out to lunch to thank them for their business and the calendar gets quickly booked up. I scheduled this years lunch in the first week of January and it gave the team an opportunity to relax and reflect on last year and get charged up for a much brighter year in 2010.

Everyone arrived around noon with a vigorous appetite. I created three different appetizers for everyone to munch on before the main event. We had Gruyere Olive Poppers, Walnut and Pinenut Pesto Crostini and Italian Crostini. My team was hungry and everything, with the exception of a few was devoured.

Typically, one or two team members volunteer to assist me with preparation of the plates and service. Much appreciated! First course was Bibb lettuce and Endive Salad with Warm Pecan Crusted Goat Cheese Medallion. Simply dressed the salad with olive oil, fresh lemon juice and fleur de sel and pepper. Tasted until the proportions were perfect between the oil and acid component of the lemon juice. The best tools for mixing are your hands. Each salad was adorned with pomegranate seeds and the warm goat cheese medallion.

(My assistants:  Christine and Deb)

Now onto the main course, what I called “Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner” which was Pan Roasted Chicken, Winter Vegetables, Wine Infused Pears, Mustard au Jus with Country Biscuits. The chicken bone in breasts with the skin on and quickly pan seared on high to crisp the skin, then placed onto a large baking dish adorned with potatoes and carrots. All of the chicken breasts sat on top and chicken stock were added to preserve the moisture with in the chicken. The mustard au jus was made with chicken stock, white wine, grainy and Dijon mustard and a bit of cream, then seasoned with salt and pepper. Best to make after you have pan seared all of the chicken breasts, so the flavor from the searing gets into the sauce.

Final event was handmade crème brulee. This decadent dessert is so simple and a true crowd pleaser. My team literally scraped each bit from the ramekins. Glad that everyone had a nice time and was able to take a menu home as a token.

Thank You Deb, Laurie, Matt, Christine, Patti and Stefanie!