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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 clearly 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 than overwhelm what is in your glass. For a deeper look, find, “A Cook’s Table” respectively at Amazon.com Barnes&Noble.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
Potato Rösti, Osetra Caviar
Serves 6
Rösti originated in Switzerland, and while simple to make, it’s extremely rewarding when done correctly. The dish was probably created by mistake or with the idea of using already cooked potatoes, left over from a previous meal. The cooked potatoes are simply grated, shaped and fried. I like to add a little bacon and onion to the dish, and in this recipe, caviar as a luxurious garnish.
At first glance, you might say that this is just a potato pancake of sorts and hardly revolutionary. Depending on where you’re from, “potato pancake” can mean latkes, strata or galette. This is all true but I like rösti because the potato is cooked twice, where most other versions will start with raw potato, grated or cut thinly, then shaped and cooked.
Rösti:
● 2 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes, boiled or baked the day before in their peel, kept cold
● 1 small onion peeled
● egg yolk (optional)
● olive oil, lard or duck fat for cooking
Peel the cooked potatoes, then with a box grater, grate the potatoes and onion into a bowl.
Mix with your hands, squeezing the mixture together into a ball of dough. If the dough seems dry, add an egg yolk or two. In a non-stick skillet add a generous amount of lard, duck fat or oil and bring to medium heat.
On a cutting board, divide the dough into 2-ounce balls, or use a small cookie cutter or ring mold to measure the balls out. Flatten the dough balls with a spatula or shape them in a ring mold (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick). Using a spatula, arrange them in the skillet. Do not flip, touch or shake once the sauté is started. Allow them to sauté to a golden brown, then flip and brown on the reverse side.
Arrange them on a serving tray as an hors d’oeuvre or on a plate as a first course. Three per serving is perfect.
Garnish:
● 1 cup crème fraîche
● 1 cup finely chopped bacon, sautéed to a crisp, or sliced, crisped and chopped
● 1 celery stalk, chopped finely
● 1/4 cup parsley, chopped.
● 3 shallots peeled, chopped into a brunoise
I prefer Osetra when it comes to fish eggs. I find the species to be delicious as well as affordable but any good fish eggs will do. Let your budget be your guide.
On top of each rösti, place a dollop of crème fraîche, a small dollop of shallots, celery, then caviar and a sprinkle of parsley.
Kitchen Wisdom:
Season the rösti after they have been cooked. Doing so before will result in the salt pulling out moisture which can cause the rösti to crumble.
What to drink:
This is not only a rich dish, but starchy. Because of the bacon, I would lean toward any Champagne with lots of bottle age on it. The particular style, i.e., NV, Blanc de Blancs, etc., is less important than the aged notes that come with bottles that have been disgorged for at least two years—more is even better—which should nicely mimic the smoky and “oily” notes of the rösti. Rosé would work as well. Champagne’s inherent acidity can handle the fish eggs.
Roquefort Cheese Beignets
Serves 6
The first time I made cheese beignets was for a fairly large dinner party. Beignets are one of those things that can be served in multiple ways. I prefer them with a lighter style of wine with good acidity as a complement to the richness of the beignets. They work very nicely served as a warm snack before dinner on a chilly afternoon. A dollop of summery berry jam would be a nice touch. They can be made with any blue-veined cheese but because “beignet” is a French word, try Roquefort first.
Ingredients:
● 2 cups water
● 1 stick butter
● 1 cup flour
● 8 eggs
● 1 cup Roquefort
● pinch cayenne pepper
● freshly grated nutmeg
● salt
● 2 quarts of peanut oil for deep frying
In a medium saucepan, heat water and butter to a simmer. Add the flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon over low heat until the mixture no longer sticks to the pan and forms into a ball. Remove from heat.
Move dough to an electric mixer. Add eggs one by one, mixing in each one thoroughly until the mixture is smooth. Add in the cheese and seasonings.
In a thick-bottomed pot, add the peanut oil. Heat the oil to 325. With a soup spoon, scoop a spoonful of batter and drop gently into the hot oil. Repeat, but do not overcrowd the pot.
Fry the beignets until golden brown and crisp, 3-5 minutes. Do not touch them while they are frying, they will turn over on their own. When done, remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.
Once removed and drained, arrange them as a pile on a cloth napkin family style.
Kitchen Wisdom:
Make the batter as close to service as possible. Unless a recipe calls for eggs or whites at a specific temperature, it’s always best to incorporate them as close to their use in the recipe as possible. This reduces the chance that temperature change will affect them and makes it more likely that your result will be fluffy, crisp and succulent.
What to drink:
Given how assertive blue cheeses are, the best choice here would be a less assertive version of Sauvignon so as to not directly compete with the cheese. So, New Zealand is out. Sancerre on the grassy side would work as would citric versions from Northeast Italy.
The somewhat rounder New World styles (unoaked) would provide a nice textural counterpoint as well as they usually have a bit more body than Old World versions.
Grilled Swordfish “Mignon” with White Bean Stew
Serves 4
I’m breaking the rules a bit in the world of cooking terminology. “Mignon ” typically refers to a singular serving of beef tenderloin, sometimes wrapped in a bacon slice to add flavor and keep the protein tightly formed. But mostly to add flavor.
When buying swordfish to serve this way, try to find a loin measuring 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter. Cut the loin into steaks, just like a “filet mignon.” The loin should be the length of servings needed, so for this recipe, you would need about 11 to 12 inches of loin (skin and bloodline removed).
Although the recipe starts on the grill, you could do the initial part in a sauté pan on the stove. And as with many sautéed meat dishes, it should be finished in the oven. When wrapping the swordfish mignons in bacon, use good quality bacon, thick and sweet, not thin, salty and very smoky.
Ingredients:
● 4 swordfish mignons
● 8 slices of good quality bacon
● 8 wooden skewers, soaked in water
● 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
● 1/4 cup soy sauce
● 1/4 cup olive oil
● 1/4 cup thyme and rosemary, roughly chopped
● 4 garlic cloves, smashed
Mix all ingredients for the marinade.
Wrap each mignon in the bacon slices, skewer them to keep the bacon tight and in place. Set aside.
Preheat a grill with two temperature areas (hot and medium hot). I’m a big fan of grilling on wood, but I understand not all environments allow for this choice. Regardless of your fuel, temperature control is important.
Place the swordfish on the hot part of the grill, brown the fish by criss-crossing on each side. Brush each side of the fish with the marinade after browning.
Transfer them to the cooler heat area, and every 2 minutes flip the fish and brush again. The bacon will render and crisp as the dish moves along. Once the dish seems done (10 minutes of cooking time), remove a skewer to test the temperature of the skewer on the middle of your lips. Pleasantly warm and juicy equals perfectly cooked. Cold means not done, and if so, keep going. Once done, set aside, and continue flipping them, while brushing with the marinade, until service.
White bean mash:
● 2 cups white navy beans, soaked overnight in water
● 4 cups chicken stock
● 1 bouquet garni
I like “smashed” food. It provides a pleasant feel on the palate and at the same time completes a dish.
In a suitable pot, start the beans in the chicken stock on medium-high heat, along with the bouquet garni, and once a light boil has been reached, lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and let the beans cook until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Strain the beans from the pot, and keep the cooking liquid.
Finish the beans:
● 1/2 cup carrots, cut into brunoise
● 1/2 cup celery, cut into brunoise
● 1/2 cup onion, cut into brunoise
● olive oil for sautéing
● 1 tablespoon chopped sage
● 1/4 cup chopped parsley
● juice of 1 lemon
● zest of 1 lemon
● 1 cup of white wine
● salt and pepper
Sauté the vegetables in the olive oil, then add the beans, white wine and remaining ingredients (except the fresh herbs and zest). Let the stew simmer for 20 minutes, if more moisture is needed, use the bean cooking liquid to adjust. Season to taste.
Serve the swordfish mignons along the white bean stew, family style. A simple green salad would be a good addition.
Kitchen Wisdom:
Cook the beans ahead of time, letting them cool down in their cooking liquid, which will keep them juicy and flavorful.
What to drink:
Don’t hesitate to serve Pinot with swordfish. While somewhat more assertive than salmon, the fact that the fish is wrapped in bacon brings it back to this red. Pinot loves smoke and bacon. There are several ways you could go here. A version from Nuits is one. We think though that a New World version might be just a little bit more apt as they often present as more smoky than those from Burgundy.
If it all goes wrong. Make a reservation…
Two Chefs Restaurant
8287 South Dixie Highway, Miami
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