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The recipes that follow are from my recently published cookbook, “A Cook’s Table” Food and Wine Together (co-authored with Todd Wernstrom). The recipes are designed to lean against a specific grape varietal. And each Recipe will suggest a wine profile to compliment the dish… I have always labelled my style of cooking as wine friendly. And it was clear that each chapter in the book should be headlined by a grape varietal. So, enjoy classical as well as new dishes, that have, and will stand the test of time. They allow the wines to show what is best and most compelling about them rather that overwhelm what is in your glass.
For a deeper look, find, “A Cook’s Table” respectively at Amazon.com BarnesandNoble.com and at Two Chefs Restaurant. I urge you to find a proper glass, dig out your favorite pot or pan, Start slicing and dicing and enjoy.
Jan Jorgensen.
Syrah recipes
Smoked Duck Terrine
Serves 8-10
We make terrines quite often at the restaurant. They are very popular, especially for lunch. My colleague Jose is quite skilled at the task and make no mistake, terrine making is a skill. Ingredients can vary, but the essential building block is the choice of binder. I typically use either chicken or pork as the “glue,” sometimes both, but leaving one of them chunky.
This recipe, however, will employ smoked Moulard duck breast. I like the product a lot and D’Artagnan, my go-to specialty meat company, has the best on the market. It’s important to use a mold to shape, cook and store the terrine. The classic cast-iron mold with lid measures 10 inches in length on the inside and 3 ½ inches wide. The lid sits on the inside lip of the mold and is equipped with a small hole to serve as a “chimney” if steam needs to escape.
Ingredients for the filling and lining:
10 slices of thinly cut bacon, slightly flattened
Prepare the terrine mold by placing a piece of plastic wrap over the mold and pushing it down, making sure all corners are filled. Any excess plastic should just hang over the sides of the mold.
Place a slice of flattened bacon crosswise inside the mold, pushing it all the way into the bottom and sides, allowing any excess to drape over the sides. Continue to cover the bottom and sides with the remaining bacon.
The filling:
2 boneless chicken thighs
6 oz pork tenderloin
8 oz smoked duck breast
fat from duck breast
1/2 cup green olives, pitted
6 oz Gruyère
8 oz shiitake mushrooms caps
4 oz foie gras
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 oz chopped thyme and rosemary
salt and pepper
Finely chop the chicken thigh meat with the chicken skin until it becomes a paste. Place in a mixing bowl. Cut the pork into 1/8-inch dice. Cut the duck meat into 1/8-inch sticks. Cut the duck fat into 1/8-inch dice. Add all the meat to the chicken mixture.
Cube the Gruyère, shiitake mushrooms and foie gras, about 1/8 inch or so. Add to the filling, along with the raisins, olives and herbs. Add salt and pepper. With your hands, mix the filling gently but thoroughly but not so much that the ingredients can’t be identified. Pour the filling into the bacon lined mold, pushing and spreading so all nooks and crannies of the terrine are filled. Fold the draped bacon slices over the top and then do the same with the excess plastic wrap.
Place the terrine in a bain-marie and bake in a preheated oven at 275 for 50 to 60 minutes. Remove the lid for a second to determine if the terrine is cooked or not—you’ll be able to tell. There should be a small border of melted fat lining the terrine. Leave the terrine covered in the bain-marie and place in the fridge to cool overnight.
Flip the terrine out onto a cutting board and you will see the benefit of the plastic lining. Remove the plastic wrap. Cut 3/4-inch slices for service, and arrange on a platter or individual plates. Garnish with gherkins and toast.
Kitchen Wisdom:
The plastic lining is a great trick, and while many will not be bothered doing it, it makes the unmolding process much easier. When mixing the filling, be careful not to overwork the ingredients, just allowing the temperature of your hands to temper the fat in the filling so it becomes soft and ready to accept the remaining ingredients resulting in a perfect emulsification.
What to drink:
Despite the various meats involved, this terrine has a real earthy richness to it. A robust, fruit-forward Syrah/Shiraz from the New World would accomplish two things. It would pick up on the fruit notes from the olives and raisins and mitigate some of the richness of the terrine at the same time.
Blackened Redfish
Serves 4
I occasionally am asked to blacken something. The preparation itself is interesting. Paul Prudhomme, the king of modern Cajun Cuisine, developed and sold any number of spice mixes that have become the basis for the preparation. And, predictably, hundreds more have ended up on grocery store shelves in the decades since his rise to fame and fortune. The idea is to not actually blacken the protein—in this case fish—but rather blacken the coating mixture. The method below will give you a tasty, tangy, spicy crust and leave the fish succulent. I’m calling for redfish but because of overfishing, in no small way caused by Prudhomme’s popularity, it’s often not available. You can substitute any firm, non-oily fish, if needed.
The blackening mix:
1 onion, peeled
2 stalks celery
1 red bell pepper, seeded
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded
1 bunch of parsley
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cracked black peppercorns
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp paprika
1 cup clarified butter
In a blender, add all of the ingredients except the butter. Blend until you have a chunky purée. Add the clarified butter and blend until a pasty texture has been achieved. Set mixture aside in a storage container.
4 8-10-oz redfish filets
2 12-inch cast iron pans
If possible, try to get four center cut filets of redfish so the servings and cook times will be uniform. Score skin with a couple of knife slices but try not to penetrate the flesh. Lay the filets on a plate, and with your hands, scoop out 4 ounces of the blackening mix. Apply it evenly to the skin side of the fish (it should give you about a 1/4-inch or so of coating).
Heat the cast iron pans to very hot. Turn on your ventilation system, or better still, do this outside on your grill. Once pans are very, very hot, carefully place each piece of fish skin-side down in the pans. Do not touch them. Let them sear literally until the mixture has blackened completely for 7-8 minutes.
With the back of a soup spoon, smear on a thin layer of blackening mix on the exposed surface of each piece. Using a metal spatula, carefully flip the fish, and sear for an additional 5-6 minutes until done. Use a wooden skewer to check for doneness. If the juices are running clear when removing the skewer, the fish is done. If milky, cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Serve.
The dish is wonderful with roasted parsnips. But can be accompanied by any sides of your choice
Kitchen Wisdom:
By scoring the skin of the fish, it will prevent the pieces from curling. Use a metal spatula to slide the fish into the hot pans. Non-metal will result in tears.
What to drink:
Again with the fish and Syrah/Shiraz! This one makes a lot of sense, however, once you get past the white-with-fish “truism.” Given the level of heat and spice brought to the fish, a white wine would be overwhelmed (although, an off-dry or Late Harvest Riesling presents a little food for thought!). You could go Old or New World here. You’ll want “cooling” fruit so if you do go Rhône, make sure it’s a somewhat riper version (ask your somm or retailer for one from a warm vintage). Be careful, however, that alcohol isn’t the most prominent feature of the bottle. You’d just be adding to the fire!
Lemon Pistachio Loaf
Unlike most of the recipes in this book which are the result of many years behind the stove, this dish originated from a bit of internet research. A customer insisted on being served a vegan dessert. I had no idea how to confront the challenge short of serving a bowl of fruit. Personally, I can’t imagine a world without eggs, especially in the dessert realm. Because there are no eggs to help the batter set, resist the urge to remove it from the oven and then its pan too early.
Serves 8
Ingredients:
1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus a little more
to coat the pan
3/4 cup raw pistachios
zest from 2 lemons
1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher salt
5 tbsp EVOO
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, divided
2 cups powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 325. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil, then line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides. Pulse pistachios in a food processor until finely ground, reserving a big spoonful. Mix lemon zest, flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and ground pistachios in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk in olive oil, 1 part of the lemon juice and the water. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula to combine. Don’t overwork the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the loaf until golden brown, 50-60 minutes. It is done when an inserted wooden skewer comes out clean. Once fully cooled, lift out the pistachio loaf with the help of the overhanging paper.
Whisk powdered sugar and remaining lemon juice to make a glaze, adding the lemon juice as needed to control consistency. The glaze should be thick and spreadable. Pour glaze over the loaf, let it run down the sides. Sprinkle with the reserved chopped pistachios.
Kitchen Wisdom:
Let the loaf cool completely before working with it.
What to drink:
This one is a little tricky. While Port-style wines do share an affinity for nuts, I think the lemony aspect of the loaf and glaze would not be an ideal match. Any Sauternes-style wine, including from the Loire, would work well.
If it all goes wrong. Make a reservation.
305-663-2100
Two Chefs Restaurant
8287 South Dixie Highway, Miami
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