Bring a platter of Colorado to the dinner table.
One-hundred percent, I want my food to taste like Colorado,” says chef Kelly Liken, who has been serving simple, seasonal American cuisine for a decade at her eponymous restaurant in Vail. Guests are offered everything from Southern-fried sweetbreads to grilled collard greens and fava bean ragout, the makings of which have been locally sourced from area farmers and ranchers.
Same goes for her signature starter. “Rocky Mountain Elk Carpaccio is a dish that we’ve served every single day we’ve been open,” Liken says. “A lot of our guests are coming from elsewhere — all over the world. They want something that’s quintessentially Colorado, and this is it.
Elk Carpaccio with Tabbouleh Salad
Tabbouleh Salad
½ cup bulgur
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
1½ cups tomato concassé (peeled, seeded, and finely diced tomatoes)
¾ cup cucumbers, finely diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Bring 1¼ cups water to a boil, stir in bulgur, cover, and turn off heat. Let stand 25 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed and bulgur is fluffy and tender. Pour off any remaining liquid. Whisk next 3 ingredients together. In a bowl, mix bulgur, herbs, vegetables, and dressing until just combined.
Mustard Cream
1 egg yolk
½ lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 cup vegetable or blended oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Whisk together egg yolk, lemon juice, and mustard. Slowly incorporate the oil in a thin stream while whisking constantly. Season to taste.
Elk Carpaccio
Mix equal parts toasted and ground coriander seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, and (not toasted) salt and pepper. Cut 1 elk loin in half lengthwise. Rub loin with spice mix and then sear in a very hot pan so it stays very rare. Wrap the loin in plastic and freeze. Slice very thin on slicer and arrange in concentric circles on parchment. To serve, flip a parchment arrangement onto a plate. Top with a scoop of tabbouleh and finish with a drizzle of mustard cream.
From the May/June 2015 issue.
