CORNELIUS NC: I visited Executive Sous Chef Jordan Cox at The Peninsula Club the other day. He introduced me to his new Fall menu that is available at the Club in November and December. Let me share it with you.
“I use seasonal ingredients sourced as locally as possible. I believe in cross-utilization—for example, after I cut the pieces of the venison for our entrees, then we roast the venison bones to make a stock. That stock is reduced to a syrup. The syrup is then blended with goat cheese to make the tart filling that accompanies the venison.” —Chef Jordan Cox
Venison
Venison seared in a cast-iron skillet with wild mushrooms drizzled in a port wine sauce that has been infused with juniper berries and reduced with lingonberry jam. It’s accompanied by braised greens, roasted beets and a goat cheese tart. They make the fresh goat cheese in-house. In another example of cross-utilization, the greens are braised with ham hocks which are later diced and used in the Crawfish Fettuccine.
Bison Meatloaf
Wedges of bison meatloaf are glazed with a house-made steak sauce and finished with a demi-glace that was thickened with a black rue. The black rue is made by toasting flour in butter for 2 to 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. When completed, the rue looks almost like melted chocolate. This dish is accompanied by roasted brussel sprouts and a sweet potato pureé. Chef Cox shares with us his secret for truly moist meatloaf—semi-freeze buttered bacon. Then grind the bacon with the meat for the meatloaf. As it cooks, the butter will melt and blend with the other juices to keep it moist.
Crawfish Fettuccine
The key to delicious crawfish fettuccine is the house-made spicy chili oil. Sauté all the vegetables, crawfish, and pasta in this oil for spectacular flavor. The dish is made with crawfish, ham hock, roasted tomatoes and zucchini. Fresh black pepper and parsley pasta is rolled and then topped with microgreens.
Executive Sous Chef Jordan Cox
Jordan Cox is the Executive Sous Chef at The Peninsula Club. A graduate from the Culinary Institute of Michigan, he moved to Cornelius in 2016. Working with seasonal foods, he is always challenging himself to create new and exciting flavor pairing to create an exquisite eating experience.
