PINOT NOIR-FRIENDLY RECIPES
Filet Mignon with Pinot Noir Sauce and Mushrooms
2 (8-ounce) filet mignon steaks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 bacon strips
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound assorted mushrooms, such as shiitake, crimini, and chanterelle, stemmed and halved
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 cups Pinot Noir
2 tablespoons prepared demi-glace
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Season both sides of the filet mignon generously with salt and pepper. Wrap a piece of bacon around the sides of each steak and secure with butcher's twine. In a large heavy, ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Place the steaks in the hot pan and cook until well seared on 1 side, about 3 minutes. Turn the steaks over, there should be a nice crust on top.
Add the mushrooms, garlic, and rosemary; give everything a good stir. Transfer the pan to the oven. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes or until the steaks are cooked medium-rare. Remove the steaks, mushrooms, and rosemary to a platter; cover to keep warm.
Return the pan to the stove over medium-high heat. Deglaze with the wine, scraping up all the yummy bits in the bottom of the pan. Mix in the demi-glace, stirring to combine. Put the steaks and mushrooms back in the pan and coat in the pan sauce. Finish with a couple of tablespoons of butter to make it rich.
Put the steak and mushrooms on 2 serving plates and cut off the butcher's twine from the filets. Pour the wine sauce on top and garnish each plate with a roasted rosemary sprig.
Coq au Vin
4 slices bacon
2 chicken breasts 2 thighs 2 legs
1/2 cup flour
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 cups pearl onions, peeled
2 cups mushrooms
2 carrots, cut in 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup cognac or brandy
1 bottle Burgundy wine
2 cups chicken broth
5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 teaspoons herbs de Provence
3 bay leaves
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
In a large, heavy skillet or Dutch oven, fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Coat chicken pieces in flour, salt and pepper. Brown chicken in hot bacon fat on both sides. Add garlic, onions, mushrooms and carrots. Saute 2 minutes to soften. Pour cognac into a small glass. Remove pan from heat, pour in cognac, put pan back on the flame.
Flambe by lighting a long match and holding it just above the pot and light the fumes. The brandy will catch fire and the flames will burn out within 1 minute. When the flames die down, gradually stir in the wine and broth. When the wine is well blended, add the herbs. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove cover and continue to simmer for 15 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce a bit. You may want to add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste or cornstarch to aid in the thickening process.
To serve, top the chicken and vegetables with reserved crumbled bacon and fresh parsley.
Roasted Salmon with Creamed Leeks
1 veal knuckle
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 pound rutabaga, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bottle decent red wine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 leeks, trimmed, and sliced into 1/4-inch circles
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 whole fillet of salmon, about 3 1/2 pounds, scaled, with the skin attached and pin bones removed
2 shallots, minced
1/2 pound fresh porcini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/2 pound fresh chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the veal and tomato paste into a deep, oven-proof stock pot. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven to roast for 30 minutes.
Add the rutabaga, carrots, celery, onion, and 3 sprigs of the thyme to the pan. Continue to roast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and place over a medium flame. Pour in the wine and enough water to cover by 3 inches. Let simmer for 1 1/2 hours, skim any impurities that rise to the surface. When reduced by half, remove and strain through a fine sieve. Discard the solids and keep the sauce warm. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Meanwhile, heat the butter and 1/4 cup of the olive oil together in a large saute pan over a low flame. Add the leeks and 2 sprigs thyme to the pan and let soften for 5 minutes. Add the cream to the leeks and continue to cook until thick, about 10 more minutes. Stir occasionally. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
Use a sharp knife to split the fish open like a book, making a slice in the salmon fillet lengthwise from collar to tail about halfway between the skin and the bottom, being careful not to slice completely through the opposite side. Open the salmon like a book with the skin side down on the cutting board. Season the inside and outside of the fish with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and begin stuffing the salmon. Spread the leek mixture evenly over the fish. Then begin rolling the flesh side in towards the skin side like a jellyroll. The salmon should roll up until the skin covers the outside of the fish again. Secure with kitchen string in several places and coat the skin with extra virgin olive oil. Drizzle the remaining olive oil into a large roasting pan and heat over a medium-high flame. Place the salmon in the pan and sear the skin until crispy on all sides, rolling several times in the pan. Carefully place the roasting pan in the oven and roast for five minutes. Slice into 2-inch pinwheels.
While the fish is roasting, start the mushrooms. Pour the remaining olive oil into a large saute pan over a medium flame. Add the shallots, remaining sprig of thyme, and mushrooms. Let the mushrooms cook for 10 minutes, until they release their moisture. Stir often and let the moisture evaporate. Add 3/4 cup of the sauce. Let simmer until the mushrooms absorb the sauce and then season with salt and pepper. Serve the mushrooms with a pinwheel of salmon and additional sauce.
Roast Duck
5 to 5 1/2 pound Long Island duck, thawed, innards removed, wing tips removed, neck trimmed, and extra fat removed
4 1/2 quarts duck stock saved from a prior roasting, or Basic Chicken Stock, or three 46-ounce cans chicken broth, skimmed, or water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS (instead of salt and pepper) 1/2 recipe Star Anise Rub 1/2 cup skimmed stock from duck or water, for deglazing
Remove the duck from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for the 20 minutes that are needed for the next step. Pour stock into a tall narrow stockpot. Be sure there is enough room left in the pot for the duck. By using a narrow pot, less stock is needed to cover the duck than in a wider pot. Add the wing tips, neck, giblets, and any blood from the duck. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
Meanwhile, using the tines of a fork, thoroughly prick the duck all over, paying special attention to the fattiest areas. Insert the tines at an angle so there is a minimum risk of pricking the meat beneath. Carefully lower the duck into the boiling stock, neck end first, allowing the cavity to fill with stock so the duck sinks to the bottom of the pot. To keep the duck submerged, place a plate or pot cover over the duck to weight it down. The Japanese otoshi-buta-wooden lids that are 1 1/2 to 2 inches smaller than the diameter of the pot-are perfect.
When the stock returns to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 45 minutes. Even with the plate as weight, the duck will tend to float to the surface, so check about every 10 to 15 minutes to see that the duck remains submerged. Keep the stock at a gentle simmer; if it boils, the duck will rise to the surface. When the duck has finished simmering, spoon 1 tablespoon of the duck fat off the top of the stock and spread it in the bottom of a shallow 12 x 8 x 1 1/2-inch roasting pan. Remove the plate and carefully lift out the duck, holding it over the pot to drain any liquid from the cavity. Place duck in roasting pan. Do not tuck the neck flap under the duck. Spread it out in the pan.
Pat the duck thoroughly dry and lightly coat the skin with the salt and pepper or one of the optional ingredients, gently pressing them against the skin. The duck is hot and the skin is tender, so work carefully.
The duck may be prepared ahead up to this point and refrigerated for a day. If made ahead, return duck to room temperature. If proceeding with roasting right away, for optimum results, leave the duck sitting out at room temperature for 30 minutes to permit the skin to dry and heat the oven to 500 degrees with oven rack on the second level from the bottom. Place duck in oven legs first. Roast 30 minutes.
After 10 minutes, spoon out the fat that accumulates in the roasting pan. Move the duck around in the pan with a wooden spatula to prevent the skin from sticking to the bottom of the pan. If it is easier, remove the pan from the oven being careful of the hot fat and spoon off fat. This will avoid getting fat on the inside of the oven, which would smoke. Make sure the oven door is closed, so that the temperature doesn't go down. After the full 30 minutes, remove the duck from the pan. Pour or spoon off the fat, and deglaze pan with stock or water. When time is available, skim duck stock and place in freezer containers for the next time, or add carcasses and bones back into pan and cook as Duck Stock, Double Rich.
STAR ANISE RUB
Scant tablespoon star anise pieces
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
8 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Place all ingredients for the rub in a spice mill. Process until a fine powder, stopping to shake several times for evenness. Makes 1/4 cup, enough for a whole duck.
Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Wild Mushroom Sauce
1 whole chicken
4 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for sauteing
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Wild Mushroom Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
plus 1 tablespoon 1/4 cup chopped shallots
4 ounces morel mushrooms, cleaned and sliced in half lengthwise (substitute 1 ounce dried morels, rehydrated)
4 ounces black trumpet mushrooms, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup chicken stock or broth
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Remove the backbone and wings from the chicken. Press the chicken open like a book. Carefully remove the bones from the chicken leaving the whole chicken intact with the skin. You can ask your butcher to do this for you.
In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, rosemary, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and mash together with the back of a fork. Turn the chicken over so the skin side is up. Gently loosen the skin by inserting your fingers underneath it to make a pocket. Stuff the rosemary goat cheese under the skin evenly over the breasts and legs. Tuck the skin back over the chicken. Season both sides of the chicken well with salt and pepper. Drizzle a little olive oil over the chicken and rub well. Heat a large, ovenproof saute pan over high heat.
When the pan is hot, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot and begins to shimmer when swirled, add the chicken, skin side down. Cook the chicken until the skin side is a deep golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully turn the chicken over and transfer to the oven. Roast for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.
Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan and return to the heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the shallots and saute for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes, or until the mushrooms begin to brown. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes or until reduced by 1/3. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter and remove from the heat. Pour the sauce over the chicken and garnish with the chives. Serve immediately. |
