Pinot Throw Down
Ingredients
All-purpose flour -- for dusting
1/2 pound frozen puff pastry -- thawed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium leeks -- white and tender green?halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
crosswise and rinsed well
1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound Gruyère cheese -- coarsely shredded (2 cups)
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
Directions
Preheat the oven to 475°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a
13-inch square. Fold the corners in and lightly roll the pastry into a rough
round. Transfer to a baking sheet; refrigerate.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the leeks and
thyme, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring
occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle half of the cheese over the pastry, leaving a 1-inch border. Spread the
leeks over the cheese. Cover with the prosciutto; sprinkle on the remaining
cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold up the tart edge to form a rim and
bake for 20 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Blot any excess fat with a paper
towel. Cut the tart into wedges.
Ingredients
1/2 pound hard pretzels -- coarsely crushed (4 cups)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 large skinless -- boneless chicken breast halves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°. In a food processor, pulse the pretzels until coarsely
ground; you should have coarse chunks and fine crumbs. Transfer to a large,
shallow bowl.
Wipe out the food processor. Add the oil, whole-grain and Dijon mustards, water
and vinegar and process until smooth. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.
Pour half of the dressing into a large shallow bowl, add the chicken breasts and
turn to coat. Dredge the chicken in the pretzel crumbs and transfer to a rack
set over a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 20 to 25
minutes, or until cooked through. Slice the chicken and serve warm or at room
temperature with the remaining mustard dressing.
MAKE AHEAD The baked chicken and dressing can be kept at room temperature for up
to 2 hours.
Sukiyaki
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
1/2 pound angel hair
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 pounds club steak -- trimmed of fat, sliced very thin
10 scallions including green tops -- cut diagonally into 1-inch lengths
3/4 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sake or dry white wine
1/2 pound soft tofu -- drained and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 pound napa cabbage -- cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 pound mushrooms -- quartered
1/2 pound spinach -- large stems removed and leaves washed
Directions
In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until just done, about 3
minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly.
Heat a large nonstick frying pan over moderately high heat. Add the oil and
sprinkle the sugar into the pan. Let sit until the sugar begins to turn golden
brown, about 1 minute. Stir until the sugar turns a medium brown. Add the steak,
in about five batches, turning quickly with tongs, until browned and just done,
1 or 2 minutes in all. Remove. The sugar should glaze the beef with brown
caramel. If the pan gets too hot, reduce the heat to moderate so the sugar won't
burn. Add the scallions; cook, stirring, until browned, about 2 minutes.
In the pasta-cooking pot, combine the pasta, the beef and any accumulated
juices, the scallions, broth, soy sauce, sake, tofu, cabbage, and mushrooms and
bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring, until the vegetables are almost tender,
about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and continue cooking until wilted, about 30
seconds longer.
Ingredients
Ten 8-ounce halibut steaks -- cut about 3/4 inch thick
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter -- melted
2 tablespoons sake
1 tablespoon mirin
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons yellow miso
3 pounds sweet potatoes -- peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425°. Put the halibut in a large shallow dish and rub
the steaks all over with the olive oil and thyme. Let stand at room temperature
for 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter with the sake, mirin, soy sauce and
miso until combined. Add the sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Spread the sweet
potatoes on a large rimmed nonstick baking sheet and roast them for 35 minutes,
turning once, until tender and lightly browned.
Shortly before serving, heat a cast-iron grill pan until almost smoking. Season
the halibut steaks with salt and pepper and grill, turning once, until they are
just cooked through, about 7 minutes. Toss the sweet potatoes with the lime
juice and parsley leaves. Set the halibut steaks on plates and top with the
Five-Vegetable Slaw. Spoon the sweet potatoes alongside and serve immediately.
Ingredients
Shallot Confit
1/2 pound shallots -- sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup ruby port
1 thyme sprig
1 teaspoon sugar
Roast Beef
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 ounces unstemmed shiitake mushrooms -- coarsely chopped
1 small onion -- coarsely chopped
1 small carrot -- coarsely chopped
1 small celery rib -- coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves -- coarsely chopped
2 sage leaves
1 rosemary sprig
1 thyme sprig
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1/2 cup ruby port
4 cups beef stock or canned broth
Two 2-pound beef tenderloin roasts -- preferably center cut
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
Directions
Make the shallot confit: Preheat the oven to 350°. Combine all of the
ingredients in a small shallow baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.
Uncover and bake for about 30 minutes longer, or until the shallots are tender
and the liquid has almost completely evaporated. Let cool to room temperature.
Discard the thyme sprig. Raise the oven temperature to 400°.
Make the roast beef: Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large
saucepan. Add the mushrooms, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, sage, rosemary and
thyme and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the
vegetables start to brown, about 12 minutes. Raise the heat to high, add the
wine and port and boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 10 minutes.
Add the beef stock to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low
and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 30 minutes. Strain the sauce into a
saucepan, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
Season the tenderloins with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of
oil in a large ovenproof skillet. Set the roasts in the skillet, smooth side
down, and brown them on all sides, about 12 minutes. Turn the roasts smooth side
up and spread the shallot confit on top. Transfer the skillet to the oven and
roast the tenderloins for about 30 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer
registers 125° for rare. Transfer the roasts to a carving board, cover loosely
with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
Set the skillet over high heat and cook until the pan juices sizzle. Whisk in
the reserved port sauce and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the
heat and whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until blended. Season the
sauce with salt and pepper and pour into a gravy boat. Carve the roasts and
serve with the port sauce.
MAKE AHEAD The shallot confit can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. The port
sauce can be refrigerated separately for up to 3 days.
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