Foodie Chap With Chef Jason Tuley of Gitane in San Francisco

Chef Jason Tuley's love for cooking started long before he opened his first restaurant or became an executive chef. A native of Santa Barbara, CA, he grew up cooking alongside his grandmother, who owned Mom's Drive In restaurant in Salinas, CA. As a kid, he often enjoyed eating fresh abalone, lobster and wild boar, curating his sophisticated palate at a young age. Inspired by the availability of fresh fish off the coast, and an abundance of local farms in California, Tuley has never strayed from using locally sourced ingredients and producing seasonally inspired dishes at each of his restaurants. His cooking style is rooted in simplicity, allowing the integrity and purity of the ingredients in each dish he creates to speak for itself.

Tuley is no stranger to bringing his expertise, creativity and personality to a new menu, as he has overseen the development of restaurants in San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz. He opened the critically acclaimed Square One in Santa Barbara, and served as executive chef at restaurant locations up and down the California coast. Most recently, Tuley served as executive chef at TBD in San Francisco, and has also held positions as executive chef at Duplex on Third in Los Angeles, Anchor Woodfire Kitchen in Santa Barbara, and The Churchill and The Hudson both in Hollywood, CA.

At Gitane on Claude Lane in San Francisco, Chef Tuley oversees the redevelopment of the restaurant's menu, inspired by the traveling gypsy lifestyle and Tuley's passion for the flavors of Southern France, Northern Spain and the adjacent regions of Italy. He brings a level of sophistication and fresh burst of creativity to Gitane. Tuley currently resides in the Russian Hill neighborhood of San Francisco and enjoys traveling up and down the California coast.

(credit: Foodie Chap/Liam Mayclem)

I have long referred to GITANE as San Francisco's sexiest restaurants. It's cosy, intimate, and sexy vibe make it a perfect spot for date night. But it is always a spot you could come alone or with a group and saddle up to the bar for a knockout cocktail made by the seasoned bar staff who can do it all with creative flair.

As you think about dining plans over the holidays and in particular New Years Eve, may I suggest booking now for a coveted table at GITANE. Chef Jason gave me a little teaser by way of the local Squab with black garlic, sunchoke, & persimmon (recipe below). You will find it on the Chef tasting menu as you say cheerio 2014 and hello 2015. I suggest you make the last seating at 9.30pm - 4 courses $95pp plus $45 for wine pairing. You can dine earlier too. Details on the GITANE web site.

Enjoy my tasty talk with the Chef who is elevating the "sexy" food at GITANE in San Francisco, Chef Jason Tuley.

(credit: Foodie Chap/Liam Mayclem)

Chef Jason Tuley's Wood Roasted Squab
For Squab
Ingredients:
1 each California squab
Olive oil sea salt, cracked pepper

Season squab with olive oil salt and pepper and let come to room temperature

For Black Garlic Puree
Ingredients:
1 head black garlic cleaned of all garlic paper.
1 firm apple
3 ea cipollini onion
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp thyme
1/2 c chicken stock
s/p to taste

Clean garlic completely and reserve. Peal apple and cipolini, then cut in 1/4 in. dice. Chop thyme and reserve. Place butter, apple and cippolinis in a sautee pan on medium heat and sauté on medium for 5 minutes. When soft deglaze with chicken stock. Place apple onion mixture and black garlic in vita prep blender and puree until very smooth, then season and reserve.

(credit: Foodie Chap/Liam Mayclem)

For Puntarelle
Ingredients:
1 bunch puntarelle
1/2 c cake flour
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1/2 c sparkling water
3 c grape seed oil

Remove center stalk from puntarelle. To make batter mix dry ingredients flour, corn starch, baking powder and salt. In separate bowl mix wet ingredient egg yolk and sparkling water.

Add wet to dry whisking until smooth then reserve.

For Sun Chokes & Persimmons
Ingredients:
3 sun chokes scrubbed clean of all dirt
1 hachia persimmon pealed
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
1 sprig rosemary
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 c finest Olive oil
s/p to taste

Cut sunchokes in 3 large pieces each, then bring a large pot of water to boil and blanch sunchokes for 3 minutes, then shock in ice water and reserve. Cut persimmon into quarters. Toss together cooked sun chokes, persimmons, herbs, cinnamon and seasoning in a bowl , then reserve.

To Finish

Place oven on 425 degrees. Place squab in roasting pan with sun chokes, persimmons and herbs around it, on bottom shelf and begin roasting. It will take approximately 30 minutes to roast or until the internal temperature reaches 125.

After 25 minutes place squab on cutting board to rest and keep vegetables warm. Heat grape seed oil to 350 degrees in appropriate pot. Dip each leaf of puntarelle in batter and fry one at a time and reserve on a plate with a paper towel.Heat black garlic puree tell warm.

To Plate

Cut squab breast and legs of center bone. Place black garlic puree in the center of two large plates. Artfully arrange squab, persimmon, puntarelle and sun chokes atop puree discarding herbs. Garnish with some fresh herbs from your garden and some of your finest sea salt.

Enjoy & HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you and yours!