Seven Fires Dinner at Ruka’s Table and a Recipe for Burnt Oranges with Rosemary

Fleer said that it had been quite mesmerizing watching the fires while he was cooking.  I know that most of us enjoy sitting by a roaring fire on a cold evening.  There is something almost seductive in the flames.  I can understand the fascination with this cooking method and why some chefs would want to incorporate it in their dishes.

Prepping the Wild Striped Bass – Photo courtesy of Audra Thomas

Chef Fleer with Chef Jason with the salt crusted fish

They were about to start cooking the Salt Roasted Wild Striped Bass when we left.  This method, Infiernillo (or Little Hell), uses two fires with a cooking level in between and is used mainly for cooking large pieces of meat, whole fish or poultry encrusted in salt.

Caldero – Photo courtesy of Audra Thomas

The other dishes that evening included a Locro Stew & Chapa Bread that was prepared in a Caldero, which is a large cast-iron kettle or Dutch oven.  This pot sits directly on the fire or bed of coals or ashes, depending on the amount of heat desired.

The squash are cooked directly in the ashes – Photo courtesy of Audra Thomas

One of our favorite dishes of the evening was the Ember Roasted NC Candy Roaster Squash.  This squash was filled with a salad that included Jolley Farms greens, Looking Glass Chèvre, Benton’s Prosciutto, and Pear-Sweet Sheer Vinaigrette.  This cooking method, Rescoldo, puts the squash directly in the ashes to cook it.  You can see the ashes on the outside of the squash when it was served.  The flavors were remarkable in this dish.

Ember Roasted NC Candy Roaster Squash

Other courses for the evening’s dinner and methods of cooking included:

Cast Iron Scallops with Clams – Chapa – a flat piece of cast-iron set over a fire.

East Forks Lamb – Parilla -a cast-iron barbecue grate set over hot coals.

Dessert was a Dulce de Fuego which was a Fire Roasted Rosemary Dulce de Leche with Pears Quemada, Puffed Quinoa Crisps, Torched Marshmallow and Dark Chocolate Sorbet.

Both chefs came out to tell out about each of the courses and the method of cooking