Yadkin Valley Wine Vacation Part 1

It had been awhile since we took a wine vacation but we finally did one again this past April.  The goal was to pick a spot in NC where there were a number of wineries clustered close enough together to make a four day weekend doable.  After consideration we decided to attempt to finish off the Yadkin Valley area.  Of course one can never finish off an area since wineries are opening and closing all the time in NC but for a moment in time we can consider this area "completed".

Based on the location of the wineries on our list, we made Elkin our home base for the long weekend.  We stayed at the Hampton Inn, which technically has a Jonesville address.  It is located right off the highway but far enough away not to see or hear traffic.  There are several restaurants nearby and after tasting wines all day we took advantage of walking distance locations or delivery for our evening meals versus going out to dinner.  This was a hard choice since we had heard about several good restaurants in Elkin.  However, the staying in option was actually quite nice considering that we had a huge hotel room with a seating area, a table and four chairs, and a kitchenette (although nothing stored in the kitchen area at all such as plates, pots, etc.).  We made use of the mini-fridge and the microwave more than once for our meals and ate really well each evening in our pjs drinking whatever NC wine we had bought that might go with dinner.

For delivery we ordered from Venice Valentino's Pizzeria.  The front desk of the hotel recommended this place when we asked about pizza delivery.  This place has everything Italian you can think of with a wide range of appetizers, wings, salads, steak and chicken entrees, classic Italian entrees, pizzas, calzones, strombolis, etc.  Brad ordered the sausage parmigiana dinner which came with spaghetti and I ordered a small Valentino's Stromboli.  The food was very tasty and the portions were HUGE so we had leftovers for another meal. 

The place we opted to walk to for take-out was Captains Galley Seafood.  This was decided on upon arriving back at the hotel the second night and smelling the fried seafood coming from this location.  They had a combination of fried shrimp and flounder on special and that is what we shared on two separate evenings.  It had been a long time since either of us had really good calabash style fried seafood so it was a treat which we enjoyed so much the first time that we felt no shame in ordering again a second time.

The other in Elkin dining places we "visited" included getting a beer at Fiddles Pub in downtown Elkin.  This is a really small place with a decent looking bar food menu.  We sat on the back deck to enjoy the sunshine and both had a perfectly poured Guinness.   We only stopped in for one beer to break up the monotony of wine tasting but it looked and felt like a place we would enjoy eating at and hanging out in longer.

The other Elkin spot we visited was Elkin Creek Vineyard, which was not on our list this trip because we had already visited this winery a couple of years ago (see post here: Epicurean Adventures: Elkin Creek Vineyard).  When we were asking folks about where to eat for lunch on Sunday the pizza at this winery kept coming up as a strong recommendation and we learned that it was under different ownership since our last visit.  They only do food on Sunday's and only do pizza and sourdough bread and the place is crazy popular.  There was virtually no parking left and in addition to the classic seating areas being pretty full, many groups were seated on the creek bank enjoying their meal outside.  Reservations are recommended but are for dough only - not for a seat.  We got there close to 1 PM and while we were lucky to get a table we waited an hour for our pizza but it was so worth the wait!  Elkin Creek Vineyard: The Kitchen  They do rustic brick oven pizza with two toppings and a list of about 10 toppings to choose from.  Alternatively, you can get a loaf of bread and assorted meats and cheeses.  Several tables were actually taking part in a tasting while waiting for their food.  Since we had been before we opted just to get a bottle of their Classico which we enjoyed with the pizza.



Pizza at Elkin Creek Vineyard

That covers where we stayed and food we enjoyed in Elkin.  Next post we will start with the daily winery and food stops.

Yadkin Valley Wine Vacation Part 2

Thursday was the drive up to Elkin and along the way we stopped at three wineries and one lunch spot all in the Lexington area.

First stop was Native Vines Winery, the first Native American Indian owned winery in the U.S.  The tasting was $5 a person (or $10 if you want a painted wine glass to keep) and she let us pick whatever and as many wines as we wanted to taste but since it was the first of three stops we restrained ourselves from doing too much.  We both tried the three white wines and the two red wines, then Brad and I each tried a different semi-sweet wine.   Overall the white wines were better than the red wines.  The tasting room is a rustic stone tack room off from the stable and although it had a wood burning stove it was an unseasonably cold day and we were cold.  The lady doing the tasty was pleasantly chatty but was also taking care of the 6 month old German Sheppard who was still learning his manners about where to sit when people are doing tastings.  The dog was actually really sweet and did not bother us at all.

• Pinot Grigio: has some smoky flavors, honeydew, mildly sweet, nice
• Sauvignon Blanc: 1% residual sugars, sweet, crisp, very nice (bought 1 bottle)
• Riesling: "off-dry", less than 1% residual sugars, tropical notes, nice
• Pinot Noir: light oak, mild licorice flavor so did not care for it, okay
• Red Zinfandel: peppery but light, okay
• Warhorse Red: semi-sweet, Pinot Noir/Cabernet/wild cherry base, clove, vanilla, good flavor but empty, okay
• Green Tea: semi-sweet, uses organic green tea, amazingly tasted like a sweetened green tea (bought 1 bottle)

I recently opened the bottle of the Green Tea wine.  It was really nice chilled as well as over ice and I used a small amount of it instead of champagne in a rich sauce for scallops which turned out really well.



Brad checking out the horses at Native Vines

Next stop was Weathervane Winery where you can chose from the dry tasting, which is what Brad did or the sweet tasting, which is what I did ($5 each, keep the glass).   This place has a pretty site and a more classic tasting room with a long bar, some seating, large fire place, and lots of stuff for sale.  The notes are from my tasting of the sweet wines but also includes the name of the one dry wine that Brad bought.

• Evening Breeze (Riesling and Semillon blend): crisp, light, sweet, floral and fruity, nice
• Blue Norther (Blueberry Shiraz): not too sweet, good berry flavor, very nice (bought 1 bottle and this is what we drank that night with our Italian meal delivered by Venice Valentino's Pizzeria)
• Placid Peach (Peach Chardonnay): great fragrance, good fruit, not tart like some peach wines, very nice
• Rooster Red (Cranberry Sangiovese): strong cranberry flavor, not tart, very light, nice
• Sweet Mountain Bliss (Raspberry White Zinfandel): light berry, very nice
• Rooster Black (Blackberry Merlot): blackberry flavor but pepper of Merlot, okay
• Strawberry Breeze (Riesling): same grape as Evening Breeze, a tad tart, nice
• Snow Drift (Temperanillo): the dry wine Brad bought



Weathervane Winery

The next stop was for lunch at Nicks Old Fashion Hamburgers actually located in Welcome, NC.  Major lesson learned at this stop - always ask how big the burgers are BEFORE ordering the double cheese burger.  This has to be the largest burger I have ever been served and yes I made the mistake of ordering the double.  It was roughly 6 inches in diameter and close to 3 inches tall and just absolutely fantastic tasting and only $5.60. 



What is left after eating 2/3 of the largest double cheeseburger on planet.

The final stop of the day was Junius Lindsay Vineyard which has the only open air tasting room in NC.  That normally would be a fantastic idea but again, unseasonably cold and rainy was the day (was actually sleeting at this point); however, they did have those tall butane heaters which made it comfortable enough. This is actually a very nice location.  The gentleman doing our tasting was from Holland and he and Brad had a nice discussion about bourbon. They make use of the same wine maker as Childress Winery.  You can chose one of two tasting glasses to keep and we opted for the smaller/cheaper glass $5 each.

 

• Second Leaf (Viognier-Roussanne): tropical, oily mouth feel, okay but Brad liked (bought 1 bottle)
• Viognier Cellar Select 2009: light, crisp, mellow, some tartness, nice
• Special Delivery (Rose): sweet, fruity, dry finish, strawberry, mildly tart, okay
• Syrah 2009: peppery, light, a little empty tasting but still had tannic finish, okay, Brad liked
• Petite Syrah: great mouth feel and character, more hearty and more tannic than Syrah, more drinkable, nice (bought 1 bottle)
• Party Line (Syrah and Petite Syrah): more tart, tasted more like the Syrah, okay
• Estelle 2008 (Viognier): dessert style wine, great mouth feel but not overly sweet, very good (bought 1 bottle)

The Estelle was consumed not long ago over several evenings as a dessert wine and was quite enjoyable.



Junius Lindsay Vineyard

Next post will cover Friday's adventures in Dobson and Mt. Airy.

Chef's Tasting Menu at Herons

We recently celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary by eating at Herons.  One of the things that Herons is known for is the option to do a chef's tasting menu with wine pairings which is of course exactly what we opted to do.  The menu the night we were there was listed as follows:

Chilled Oysters

Sturgeon Caviar, Celery, Okra, Horseradish

Sauvignon Blanc, Talinay, Limarí Valley, Chile 2011

 

White Asparagus Soup

Black Olive, Sun Gold Tomato, Sheep’s Cheese 

Grüner Veltliner, Chehalem, Ribbon Ridge, Oregon 2011

 

Seared Wreckfish

Frog Legs, Fava Beans, Spring Onions, Dill

Nerello Mascalese, Graci "Etna Rosso" Sicily, Italy 2010

 

Smoked Ribeye Cap

Lamb Sweetbreads, Green Almonds, Ash

Merlot, Soos Creek, Columbia Valley, Washington 2008

 

Pink Lemonade

Lemon, Cranberry, Vanilla, Pimm’s No.1

Beerenauslese, Römerhof, Rheinhessen, Germany 2009

To put it plainly - dinner was awesome! First to commend the service.  The staff were highly attentive without being intrusive.  We had a main waiter who was as needed accompanied by two other servers to provide water, bread, and switch out the utensils between every course.  We also were served by the sommelier who did a wonderful job describing each wine and why it was selected to go with that particular course.  Dinner took roughly three hours from the time we were seated till when we left.  There was a tad of a delay between ordering and the first actual course but after that the pace of the meal was perfect considering all the courses and needing time to enjoy the five different wines presented.

In addition to the menu we started with something like an amuse bouche only it had three different one bite dishes instead of a normal amuse bouche single one bite item.  It had a rabbit truffle (like a small meatball), fresh pea custard cube topped with fresh peas and micro greens, and smoked salmon ice cream topped with caviar.  All three tastes were incredibly good. My favorite was the smoked salmon ice cream which had a mild sweet/salty taste.  Brad liked the rabbit truffle best. 

Then they brought us breads to choose from. I picked their pretzel roll and a herb, mascarpone scone. Brad also had the pretzel roll and their rye roll.

The first official course, chilled oysters, was good but the oysters were small. They were served on glass dishes shaped like oyster shells so we finally figured out to just pick up the dish and slurp like we were eating out of the shell.  The dish consisted of a celery leaf, sliver of okra, and caviar on top of the oyster then topped with a horseradish foam. Really salty from the oyster and okra and bitter with the celery and horseradish.  It was a interesting, pleasant flavor combination.  I did not like the wine for this course but then I don’t like Sauvignon Blanc in general. Brad thought it went great with the dish. 

Second was the white asparagus soup. They brought the bowls to the table with the foamed sheep's cheese in it and poured the soup (thick puree) on top and then topped with dehydrated black olives and sun gold tomatoes. I loved the soup. I didn’t like the dehydrated olives and tomatoes (not a sun dried tomato fan).  I do believe that the flavors of the olive and tomato worked well with the soup, it was just a texture issue for me. The wine was really good on its own and it paired surprisingly well with the soup.  Because asparagus is one of those foods where most wines do not compliment it Brad was impressed with how well this wine did compliment the soup.

Third was the Wreckfish (called that because they hang around the debris of shipwrecks). It was nice and flaky and I thought it was a lot like grouper.  The frog legs with it of course reminded us of chicken, and the flavors of the fava beans with fresh dill really went with the fish. I ate all of it – as well as all of everything else up to this point. The wine was a nice light red that was kind of like a pinot but kind of not.  It paired well with the fish but it smelled a bit jammy on its own. 

Fourth was the smoked ribeye. It was served sliced next to the lamb sweetbreads which were fried kind of like fritters, a row of vegetable ash as a mouse and then they poured a dark sauce onto the dish which we swear they said was a chicken roux but it was the darkest chicken roux ever if that is what it was.  The ribeye tasted really smoky in a good way and I thought the sweetbreads were good but at this stage I was getting full so I only ate half of mine and Brad finished it off. The wine smelled a tad jammy on its own but went extremely well with the smoky flavors of the food.

Fifth was the dessert which was absolutely amazing. I think it took three people to serve it with all the things being added to the plate table side. It was a study on pink lemonade and at this stage the details are a bit fuzzy.  One form was shaved ice, one form was as a foam, one as a cranberry jello, some sort of lemon sugar wafers, and I think we also had an ice cream.  It was so fun and so pretty! The wine was very sweet, honey tasting and very good with the dessert to balance out all the tartness.

And to end the evening they brought us the Mignardises course, bite sized desserts, on a plate on which they wrote Happy Anniversary in chocolate. There was a small chocolate cake, a fig bite, a chocolate macaroon, and a candy coated cream. And they gave us homemade candy covered chocolates shaped like rocks in a container to take home with us.

It was a fantastic experience! While individual courses were small, the sum total was a lot of food.  It did take a long time but it was such a pleasant way to spend an evening.  It isn't cheap, in fact it is really expensive but worth it for a very special occasion.

Resolution Recap 2012: Random Entrees 2

Well, this is it finally, the last two recipes from our 2012 adventures.

The first recipe is part of my continued attempts to find a good recipe for chicken fried steak, mainly the gravy portion of that recipe.  This time I tried Alton Brown's version of the recipe but it ended up only with a *Pretty Good because I got the steak a tad over done and the gravy needed more seasoning.  However, I have saved this recipe to continue to work from the few times a year that I crave this kind of food.

Chicken Fried Steak*
(Prep Time: 45 min, Total Time: 1 hr 25 min, Serves: 4-6)

• 2 pounds beef bottom round, trimmed of excess fat
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 whole eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Cut the meat with the grain into 1/2-inch thick slices. Season each piece on both sides with the salt and pepper. Place the flour into a pie pan. Place the eggs into a separate pie pan. Dredge the meat on both sides in the flour. Tenderize the meat, using a needling device, until each slice is 1/4-inch thick. Once tenderized, dredge the meat again in the flour, followed by the egg and finally in the flour again. Repeat with all the pieces of meat. Place the meat onto a plate and allow it to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking.

 

Place enough of the vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a 12-inch slope-sided skillet and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the meat in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook each piece on both sides until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side. Remove the steaks to a wire rack set in a half sheet pan and place into the oven. Repeat until all of the meat is browned.

 

Add the remaining vegetable oil, or at least 1 tablespoon, to the pan. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of the flour left over from the dredging. Add the chicken broth and deglaze the pan. Whisk until the gravy comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Add the milk and thyme and whisk until the gravy coats the back of a spoon, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste, with more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve the gravy over the steaks.

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The final recipe rated **YUM because it is very similar in flavor profile to our favorite potato, sausage, kale soup.  It came from Cook's Country, which will not let you access the recipe online unless you are a subscriber; however, I found it elsewhere to publish here.  This is a very comforting dish.

Potato Spinach Sausage Casserole**
(Serves: 4)

 

• 1 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra to grease the baking dish
• 2 teaspoons of olive oil
• 8 oz fresh spinach, washed, dried, and stemmed
• 1/2 lb of Italian sausage (we like 1/2 sweet and 1/2 hot Italian sausage), broken out of casing into small pieces
• 1 large red onion (about 3/4 lb), peeled and sliced thin
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 3 medium sized potatoes), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
• Dash of nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup of shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese

 

 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 6x9 or 8x8 inch baking dish. Heat one of the teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer spinach to strainer and drain. When cool, squeeze out liquid and roughly chop the spinach.

Wipe skillet clean. Add sausage to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Use slotted spoon to transfer sausage to bowl. Wipe skillet clean. Heat remaining oil in skillet and add onions, cooking until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Scrape mixture into bowl with sausage.

Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring potatoes to boil over high heat, then lower heat to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes, wipe pot dry, put potatoes back into the pot, and mash with butter, cream, vinegar, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir in spinach and 1/2 cup of the cheese.

Transfer potato-spinach mixture to prepared baking dish. Top with sausage-onion mixture and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake until potatoes are very hot and cheese is golden and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Resolution Recap 2012: Random Entrees 1

We only have four recipes left from our 2012 adventures but they are simply too long to combine into one final blog.  Instead we will cover two recipes in this one that have ham as a common ingredient and leave the last two recipes for that final blog another day.

The first recipe, Ham Brie Pizza, was one of our favorites for the year (**YUM) and we ended up making this recipe several times before beginning to grow tired of it.  It is actually the only recipe we tried from the 50 Easy Pizzas recipes published in Food Network magazine.  The link starts you with how to make their pizza dough; however, we actually cheated and simply made this on pita bread or flour tortilla shells or any other dough-like item that can serve as a pizza base.  So take whatever "dough" you want to use and then:

Top with 2 ounces sliced ham, 3 ounces sliced brie and 1/2 thinly sliced green apple. Add olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake until golden.

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It should be no surprise that this second recipe was success since it came from one of my favorite cookbooks The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.  Like the first recipe we also made this recipe several times during peak summer veggie season.  It is good with several different varieties of summer squash including zucchini and Korean squash and rates a YUM** as a tasty way to turn squash into an entrée (after all it does involve using béchamel!).

Zucchini Stuffed with Ham and Cheese**
(Serves:6)

• 8-10 fresh zucchini
• 1 Tbsp butter + more to prepare baking dish
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp onion - chopped fine
• 1/4 lb boiled un-smoked ham - chopped fine
• Salt
• Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
• Béchamel Sauce, prepared as directed, using 1 cup milk, 2 Tbsp butter, 1 1/2 Tbsp flour, 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Nutmeg
• 1 egg
• Unflavored bread crumbs lightly toasted

Soak and clean the zucchini.  Bring 3 to 4 quarts water to a boil, put in the zucchini, and cook until partly tender, still somewhat resistant when prodded with a fork.  Drain, and as soon as they are cool enough for you to handle, cut off both ends, cut each zucchini into 2 shorter pieces, then cut each piece lengthwise in half.  Using a teaspoon, gently scoop out the zucchini flesh, taking care not to break the skin,  Discard half the scooped out flesh, and coarsely chop the other half.  Set both the chopped flesh and the hollowed zucchini aside.

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Put the butter, oil, and onion in a skillet, turn on the heat to medium, and sauté the onion just until it becomes translucent. Add the chopped ham, and cook it for about 1 minute, stirring once or twice.  Add the chopped zucchini flesh, turning it to coat it well, and turn the heat up to high.  Cook, stirring from time to time, until the zucchini becomes colored a rich gold and acquires a creamy consistency.  Add salt and pepper, stir quickly once or twice, then transfer the contents of the skittle to a small bowl, using a slotted spoon or spatula.

Prepare the béchamel (see below), cooking it long enough to make it rather thick.  Pour the béchamel into the bowl with the sautéed zucchini flesh, mix, then add the grated Parmesan, a tiny grating of nutmeg (about 1/8 teaspoon), and the egg, and mix quickly until you obtain a uniform blend of all the ingredients.

Smear the bottom of the baking dish with butter. place the hollowed out zucchini in the dish, skin side facing down. Fill each with the béchamel and zucchini flesh mixture, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and dot with butter.

Place the dish on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a light golden crust forms on top. After taking the dish out of the oven, allow it to settle for 5 to 10 minutes before bringing it to the table.

 

 Making the Béchamel Sauce

 

Put the milk in a saucepan, turn on the heat to medium low, and bring the milk just to the verge of boiling, to the point when it begins to form a ring of small, pearly bubbles. While heating the milk, put the butter in a heavy-bottomed, 4- to 6- cup saucepan, and turn on the heat to low. When the butter has melted completely, add all the flour, stirring it in with a wooden spoon. Cook, while stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes. Do not allow the flour to become colored. Remove from heat.

 

Add the hot milk to the flour-and-butter mixture, no more than 2 tablespoons of it at a time. Stir steadily and thoroughly. As soon as the first 2 tablespoons of milk have been incorporated into the mixture, add 2 more, and continue to stir. Repeat this procedure until you have added 1/2 cup milk; you can now put in the rest of the milk 1/2 cup at a time, stirring steadfastly, until all the milk has been smoothly amalgamated with the flour and butter.

 

Place the pan over low heat, add the salt, and cook, stirring without interruption, until the sauce is as dense as thick cream. To make it even thicker, should a recipe require it, cook and stir a little longer. For a thinner sauce, cook it a little less. If you find any lumps forming, dissolve them by beating the sauce rapidly with a whisk.

Resolution Recap 2012:Pork Entrees

I tried three new pork dishes last year.  One was a last minute idea trying to make use of ingredients I had on hand, basically apples and a pork loin.  I found a recipe on a blog about honey pork and apples in a crockpot, used it as the base idea and tweaked it for cooking in a dutch oven.  Below is the actual recipe from that blog with my modifications noted in (parenthesis).  I think this dish was just a tad bland for me so I only gave it * Pretty Good. However, Brad ate two helpings and later all the leftovers.

Crockpot Honey Apple Pork Loin*

• Pork Loin, 2.5-3 lbs.
• Red Delicious Apples, 3 sliced (I used gala)
• Honey, approx 4 T
• Cinnamon, 2 T
• (1 cider, I used Angry Orchard Ginger Cider)

 

Lay the apple slices, from two of the apples, in the bottom of the crockpot (dutch oven). Sprinkle with cinnamon. Cut slits in the pork loin, approx 1/2″-3/4″. Drizzle some honey into the slits. Then place apple slices into the slits. (Generously salt and pepper the loin.) Place the pork loin into the crockpot (dutch oven). Drizzle the top with the remainder of the honey. Place the rest of the apples on top. Then sprinkle the whole thing with cinnamon. (Pour in the cider or you can use apple juice instead.) Cook on low for 7 hours (for dutch oven, cover with lid and start on stove top on medium heat till liquid is simmering then place into a 325F oven for an hour or until meat is at least 145F and tender). For more flavor, you may poke holes in the pork. Then place the pork loin in a bag with honey and cinnamon and marinate it overnight. (Note some reviews indicate the dish is too dry and the writer indicated the need for a complete sealing crockpot lid).
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The next recipe came from Real Simple magazine and also rated a *Pretty Good. 

Pork Scaloppine*
(Total Time: 20 min, Serves: 4)

 

• 8 ounces egg noodles
• 1 1 1/4-pound pork tenderloin, sliced 3/4 inch thick, pounded 1/4 inch thick
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2/3 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

 

Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Meanwhile, season the pork with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Coat it in the flour. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. In batches, brown the pork, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.  Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the wine and butter and cook for 1 minute. Add the pork back to the skillet and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve the pork and sauce over the noodles.

 

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The final recipe I took from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook.  I have tried several recipes from the cookbook and thus far all have been very successful for me but this one ended tasting just OK, good but not worth the effort.  I think the issue was lack of a good demi-glace.  Recipe below is copied from the book. To make this recipe you first need to make Garlic Confit.

Garlic Confit

• 2 heads of garlic, broken into unpeeled cloves
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 sprig of thyme
• Coarse sea salt

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Leaving the skin intact on each clove, gather the cloves together into a bunch and wrap with aluminum foil, adding the oil, thyme, and salt before sealing the packet. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes (you may want to agitate the bunch a few times during cooking to ward off uneven roasting, i.e., brown spots). Set aside and allow to cool before popping the garlic cloves from their skins.

 

Mignons de Porc a l'ail

• 4 heads of garlic confit (see instructions above)
• 4 pork tenderloins, about 10 ounces (280 g) each
• 2 slices of bacon
• 1 tbsp (14 ml) olive oil
• 3 tbsp (42 g) butter
• Salt and pepper
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup (56 ml) white wine
• ½ cup (110 ml) strong, dark chicken or veal stock
• 1 sprig of flat parsley, finely chopped

 

Use the fork to mash half of the garlic cloves. Reserve the remaining cloves separately in the small bowl. Lay two of the tenderloins down across the cutting board. Lay some plastic wrap across them and give them a light pounding with the heel of your hand. You’re looking to flatten the tenderloins ever so slightly on the fatter end. Remove and discard the plastic wrap.

 

Top the tenderloins with the mashed garlic, spreading the pastelike substance evenly along the length of the tenderloins. Lay the bacon slices across the garlic the long way. Now lay the other two tenderloins on top of the first two, the fatter ends pointing in the opposite direction from the ones on the bottom, so that they nestle together in a yin-yang sort of a way, creating a fairly even-shaped tube. Using kitchen string, tie each double tenderloin together tightly and evenly at several points along the tube (that way it can be sliced into medallions without cutting the string). Refrigerate overnight.

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the tenderloins from the refrigerator. In the sauté pan, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter. When the butter stops foaming, season the pork, then add it to the pan, working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Cook the pork over high heat for about 6 to 8 minutes per side, after which the meat should be nicely browned. Place the meat in the roasting pan and finish cooking in the oven for about 20 minutes. When cooked through, but still moist in the center, remove from the oven and allow to rest on the plate.

 

Discard the fat from the sauté pan and add 1 tablespoon of the butter. Heat over medium-high heat, then add the shallots. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the shallots are soft. Stir in the wine with the wooden spoon, scraping the bottom to dislodge the good stuff. Cook over high heat until the wine is reduced to a glaze consistency, then stir in the stock. Cook over high heat until it’s reduced by half. (At this point you should, if you can, whisk in a spoon of that good demi-glace from your stash.) Add any drippings from the plate that’s holding your cooked pork. Whisk the remaining tablespoon (14 g) of butter into the sauce, as well as the remaining cloves of garlic confit and the parsley. A little splash of raw wine at this point is nice, too.

 

Slice the pork into 1½-inch (4-cm) medallions, arrange them around the platter, and spoon over the sauce. This dish is very good with mashed potatoes, in which case, you might want to arrange the medallions on and around the potatoes, with the garlic confit-studded sauce also poured over and around. Delicious.

Resolution Recap 2012: Chicken and Fish Entrees

The final category for 2012 recipes is entrees and we will start with chicken and fish.  The first recipe is a play on chicken Caesar salad from Bon Appetite magazine.  The flavor of the roasted romaine is amazing so this is a true YUM**.  We modified this recipe slightly, making a little bit of a dressing to add to the lettuce after cooking by using more olive oil, garlic, the anchovies (minced), and lemon juice versus just topping the lettuce with the anchovies at the finish.

Parmesan Chicken with Caesar Roasted Romaine**
(Active Time 10 min, Total Time: 20 min, Serves: 4)

• 4 7-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, Pecorino, or Asiago cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped, divided
• 2 large hearts of romaine, halved lengthwise
• 4 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained, chopped
• 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges

Preheat oven to 450°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Season chicken with salt and pepper; place on prepared sheet. Combine cheese, panko, 2 Tbsp. oil, parsley, and 1 garlic clove in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Pat panko mixture onto breasts. Roast chicken until crumbs begin to turn golden, about 10 minutes.

Drizzle romaine with 1 Tbsp. oil and sprinkle with remaining 1 chopped garlic clove. Season with salt and pepper. Remove sheet from oven; place romaine around chicken. Roast until chicken is cooked through and lettuce is browned at edges, about 5 minutes. Divide among plates. Top lettuce with anchovies; garnish with lemon wedges for squeezing over

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We tried one other new chicken recipe and it was only OK.  It was the Rotel chicken tortilla casserole dish that was really simple to make but didn't taste any better than just making up a batch of chicken nachos.  Here is the recipe link if you are interested: Chicken Tortilla Bake

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The fish recipe is another true YUM** dish that I decided to try after watching an episode of Giada De Laurentiis Giada At Home show.  I love béchamel covered food!  I was not able to find Halibut when I was making this dish so I did substitute flounder instead and it was absolutely wonderful.

Broiled Halibut with Bechamel Sauce**

(Prep Time: 12 min, Total Time: 34 min, Serves: 4)

 

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups whole milk, warmed
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 (750 ml) bottle white wine, such as pinot grigio
• 2 cups water
• 4 (6-ounce) center-cut halibut fillets, about 1-inch thick (see Cook's Note)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, diced into 1/4-inch pieces

 

Cook's Note: The halibut can be substituted with 24 ounces of sole fillets. Reduce the cooking time in the wine mixture to 3 to 4 minutes.

Spray a 7 by 11-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside. For the béchamel sauce: In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

For the halibut: In a large saucepan, bring the wine and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the halibut. Cover the pan and cook until the flesh is opaque, 8 to 10 minutes. Using a fish spatula, carefully remove the fish and arrange in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat a broiler. Spoon the béchamel sauce over the fish and top with the Parmesan. Dot with butter and broil until golden, 2 to 4 minutes.