Terra : Cooking from the Heart of Napa Valley (9780307815323)
Page 7
Cured Sardines
1 teaspoon salt
4 (5- to 6-ounce) fresh sardines, filleted, boned, and skinned
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh basil chiffonade
White Bean Salad
⅔ cup cooked white beans
12 oven-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons lemon-mustard vinaigrette
2 teaspoons fresh basil chiffonade
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup thinly sliced onion, soaked in ice water for 1 hour (to make onion crispy and remove bitterness), then drained
4 teaspoons lemon-mustard vinaigrette
4 teaspoons pesto
12 dry-cured olives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
TO CURE THE SARDINES, sprinkle ½ teaspoon of the salt evenly over the surface of a baking sheet pan. Lay the sardine fillets in a single layer on the salt, then sprinkle the remaining ½ teaspoon salt over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Pat the fillets dry with paper towels. Gently toss with the olive oil and basil. Cover and refrigerate again.
TO MAKE THE SALAD, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl.
TO SERVE, lay 2 sardine fillets on the center of each of 4 chilled plates, former skin side up, then spoon the white bean salad in a line across the sardines. Put a tomato in the center and on either side of the fillets. Mound the onion slices on top of the salad, then drizzle the vinaigrette over the onions. Drizzle the pesto around the sardines. Arrange the olives on the pesto. Sprinkle with chives.
Tataki of Tuna with Whole-Grain Mustard and Soy Vinaigrette
Serves 4
These days, the term “tataki” has come to mean fish or meat that is seared on the outside and raw on the inside. In classical Japanese cuisine the technique is more complicated, but modern chefs have adapted it to highlight the excellent quality of local fresh ingredients. Use only impeccably fresh sashimi grade tuna and plan to eat it the day you buy it. If you don’t like raw tuna, this is probably not the dish for you, since the tuna is seared for only a few seconds. Cooking it through would result in dry fish that won’t work with the other ingredients and flavors.
Tataki
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 pound sashimi grade tuna loin, cut into triangle strips 2 inches on all sides
1 tablespoon olive oil
Whole-Grain Mustard and Soy Vinaigrette
3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato concassée
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cups mesclun or your favorite small-leaf lettuce mix
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
TO MAKE THE TATAKI, sprinkle pepper over all sides of the tuna strips. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick sauté pan or skillet over high heat until it starts to smoke. Carefully place the tuna in the pan and sear for 5 seconds per side. Transfer the tuna to a baking sheet pan and refrigerate.
TO MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE, whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl.
TO SERVE, using a very sharp knife, cut the tuna into ¼-inch-thick triangles. Arrange the tuna on 4 chilled plates like flower petals, leaving the center open. Divide the mesclun into 4 mounds and place in the center of each plate. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the tataki and a little on the mesclun. Sprinkle with chives.
Fricassee of Miyagi Oysters in Chardonnay Cream Sauce
Fricassee of Miyagi Oysters in Chardonnay Cream Sauce
Serves 4
Not far from us, in West Marin County, is Tomales Bay, famous for its beautiful oysters. The first time Hiro called one of the local oystermen to ask what was fresh, he got a huge surprise. They told him they had Miyagi oysters. Hiro is from Miyagi, Japan, and he couldn’t believe he had found oysters from his hometown halfway across the world. In fact, what we buy here are actually oysters grown from oyster seeds from Miyagi, but the connection is still a very special one for us. If you buy already shucked oysters, make sure you ask for the oyster liquor, too. You’ll need a bit of it to enrich the sauce.
20 small Miyagi oysters or other small fresh Pacific oysters, scrubbed and rinsed
Chardonnay Cream Sauce
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons minced shallot
¼ teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup Chardonnay
¼ teaspoon Champagne vinegar
1½ cups heavy cream
2 pinches of saffron threads
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons julienned carrot
2 tablespoons julienned leek
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1½ ounces small chanterelles or any other wild mushroom, cleaned
¼ teaspoon minced garlic
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)
Garnish
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon salmon caviar
20 fresh chervil sprigs
Preheat the oven to 350°.
CAREFULLY SHUCK THE OYSTERS, reserving the oyster liquor. Strain the liquor through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve 2 tablespoons. Scrub and reserve 8 of the nicest rounded (bottom) oyster shells.
TO MAKE THE CREAM SAUCE, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and sweat over low heat until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and vinegar and reduce over high heat until 1 tablespoon remains. Add the cream, saffron, and reserved oyster liquor, and bring to a boil. Lightly season with salt and pepper (be careful not to oversalt, as the oysters are already salty). Set aside and keep warm.
In a small sauté pan or skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat and sweat the carrot and leek over low heat for about 2 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to the sauce.
In the same pan, sauté the chanterelles and garlic in the remaining butter over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper Add to the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the oysters, decrease the heat, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the edges curl and the oysters are firm, but not cooked through. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding lemon juice if the sauce is not acidic enough. Set aside and keep warm.
TO SERVE, put the oyster shells on a baking sheet pan and heat them in the oven for 3 minutes, or until warm. Place 2 oyster shells in the center of each of 4 warmed plates. Evenly and quickly divide the fricassee among and around the oyster shells and sprinkle with chives. Scatter the salmon caviar and chervil over the fricassee.
Dungeness Crab Wontons with Spicy Sweet and Sour Sauce
PASSED APPETIZERS
Dungeness Crab Wontons with Spicy Sweet and Sour Sauce
Makes 36 wontons; serves 6 as a first course
In the classic tradition of Chinese dumpling-making, the filling for these wontons is made by first puréeing uncooked scallops and shrimp, which become a binder for the whole crabmeat. If you can’t find rock shrimp, uncooked medium-size shrimp will work. Once you get the hang of it, wontons are quite easy to make, and you can stuff and fold them up to 3 hours ahead of time. One important cautionary note: Avoid overfilling. The extra moisture from too much filling can cause the wontons to explode or develop large bubbles on their surfaces.
Filling
8 ounces shelled rock shrimp, deveined
4 ounces scallops
½ beaten egg (about 1 tablespoon)
½ teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
¼ teaspoon grated garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1½ teaspoons mirin
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil
7½ ounces fresh lump Dungeness
, blue, or king crabmeat, picked over for shell
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon water
36 wonton wrappers
Spicy Sweet and Sour Sauce
¼ cup sugar
⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
⅔ cup water
1½ teaspoons soy sauce
¼ cup hoisin sauce
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch of salt
1½ teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1½ teaspoons water
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Garnish
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
12 fresh cilantro sprigs
TO MAKE THE FILLING, combine the shrimp, scallops, egg, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and white pepper in a food processor and process until smooth. With the machine running, gradually add the sesame oil through the feed tube and process to mix. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and fold in the crabmeat.
In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk and water to make an egg wash for the wonton wrappers. To assemble the wontons, follow the directions. Use about 1 tablespoon of the filling for each wonton.
TO MAKE THE SAUCE, combine all the ingredients except the cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Stir the cornstarch mixture and gradually whisk it into the sauce. Bring the sauce back to a boil, whisking constantly, then remove it from heat. Set aside and keep warm.
Preheat the oven to 250°.
TO DEEP-FRY THE WONTONS, heat 2 inches of oil in a deep, heavy pot to 360°. Add as many wontons as will fit without overcrowding and cook until crisp and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a wire-mesh skimmer or slotted metal spoon, transfer the wontons to paper towels to drain, then place them on a baking sheet pan and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining wontons.
TO SERVE AS A PASSED APPETIZER, fill a bowl with the warm sauce and put it in the center of a large serving platter. Arrange the wontons around the bowl, then sprinkle with the chives and toasted sesame seeds and garnish with the cilantro sprigs.
TO SERVE AS A FIRST COURSE, spoon the sauce onto the center of 6 dinner plates, then stack 6 wontons on each plate. Sprinkle with the chives and toasted sesame seeds and garnish each plate with 2 cilantro sprigs.
Having a Party?
WE’VE DESIGNED THE APPETIZERS IN THIS SECTION TO BE SERVED AS PASSED APPETIZERS RATHER THAN INDIVIDUAL SERVINGS. EACH RECIPE YIELD IS FOR 12 PEOPLE, 2 TO 4 PIECES PER PERSON. MAKE A VARIETY OF APPETIZERS IN A QUANTITY SUITABLE TO YOUR OCCASION. FOR EXAMPLE, TO PRECEDE A SIT-DOWN DINNER, HAVE ENOUGH APPETIZERS FOR 3 OR 4 PIECES PER PERSON. FOR A COCKTAIL PARTY, FIGURE 8 TO 9 PIECES PER PERSON, OR 6 TO 7 IF YOU’RE SUPPLEMENTING THE PASSED APPETIZERS WITH DISPLAYS OF CRUDITÉS AND DIP, CHEESE TRAYS, ETC. ALWAYS MAKE A LITTLE EXTRA. YOU’LL BE AMAZED AT HOW MANY BITES YOUR FRIENDS CAN EAT.
Lobster Salad in Rice Paper
Lobster Salad in Rice Paper
Makes 12 rolls; serves 4 as a first course
We love to serve these delicate rolls as passed appetizers or as a plated first course (figure three per person). Rice paper wrappers are sold in many markets that carry Asian products. They’re thin and brittle and can be a little tricky to work with until you get a feel for the process of softening them in water and handling them with a light touch. You can replace the lobster in this recipe with crabmeat, shredded chicken, thin slices of Chinese-style barbecued pork, grilled beef (the steak strips from the Grilled Miso-Marinated Beef Salad, work well) or just use the vegetables without meat or seafood.
Dipping Sauce
1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup rice vinegar
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ cup sugar
Lobster Salad
2 Maine lobsters (1¼ pounds each), cooked and shelled
⅓ cup julienned peeled carrot
⅓ cup julienned Japanese or hothouse cucumber
1 cup loosely packed chiffonade of butter lettuce
⅓ cup tomato concassée
⅓ cup finely diced fresh papaya
⅛ teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped toasted peanuts
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon chiffonade of fresh mint leaves
12 round rice paper wrappers (8 inches in diameter)
Garnish
3 tablespoons chopped toasted peanuts
8 fresh cilantro sprigs
TO MAKE THE DIPPING SAUCE, whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
TO MAKE THE LOBSTER SALAD, coarsely dice the lobster meat. In a medium bowl, combine the lobster with all the remaining salad ingredients.
TO ASSEMBLE, fill a large bowl with room-temperature water and put the rice paper wrappers in one at a time to soften for about 20 seconds. Carefully remove the wrappers from the water and store between damp kitchen towels in a single layer; don’t let them touch, or they will glue together.
Lay 1 wrapper on a work surface. Spoon about ¼ cup of the lobster salad in a line across the lower third of the rice paper. Fold the smaller end up over the lobster salad and lightly pull it tight. Fold the sides in about ½ inch, then continue rolling the rice paper up to the top. Place the rolls seam side down between layers of damp towels (don’t let them touch). Repeat with the remaining wrappers and lobster salad.
TO SERVE, pour the dipping sauce in a ramekin and place it in the middle of a large chilled platter. Cut the rolls in half and arrange them cut side up around the ramekin. Sprinkle with the toasted peanuts and place the cilantro sprigs over the top.
An additional decorative touch is to tie each roll with 2 pieces of chive. To do this, blanch 24 long pieces of chive for 2 seconds then shock in ice water. The chive should be pliable but not so soft that it doesn’t stay in one piece. Take 2 chives for each roll and tie them around the roll, each one about ¼ inch from the ends. Do this gently so the chive doesn’t break. Trim the ends from each chive and cut the rolls in half.
Gravlax on Potato Latkes with Dill Sour Cream
Gravlax on Potato Latkes with Dill Sour Cream
Makes about 20 latkes
Home-cured salmon, or gravlax, is actually very easy to prepare. Serve it on miniature potato pancakes, and your friends will suddenly appreciate you for the amazing cook you are. This recipe can be scaled up to cure a whole side of salmon. Gravlax is great to have around for snacking or tossing into scrambled eggs or omelets. To serve this dish as a first course, make larger pancakes and serve one per person with the gravlax draped over part of the latke and the dill sour cream drizzled in a zigzag over the plate.
Gravlax
¼ cup salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
½ cup chopped fresh dill
1 (2-pound) salmon fillet with skin, at least 1 inch thick
Dill Sour Cream
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons minced shallot
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Potato Latkes
2 tablespoons minced onion
3 cups peeled and shredded potato (do these at the last minute, so they don’t brown)
½ cup pastry flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons clarified butter
Dill sprigs, for garnish
TO MAKE THE GRAVLAX, in a medium bowl combine the salt, sugar, pepper, and dill. On a nonreactive baking sheet pan long enough to hold the salmon, spread half of the salt mixture and lay the salmon skin side down. Cover the salmon with the rest of the salt mixture, then place another
baking sheet pan of the same size on top of the salmon. Place 4 pounds of weight on the top pan (large cans or bricks work well). Refrigerate overnight.
The next day, wash the salmon in cold running water and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Remove the pin bones and cut thinly on the diagonal. Place the slices in a single layer on a plate covered with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use.
TO MAKE THE DILL SOUR CREAM, whisk together the sour cream, shallot, dill, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and refrigerate.
Preheat the oven to 250°.
TO MAKE THE LATKES, combine the onion, potato, pastry flour, egg, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. In a large sauté pan or skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the clarified butter over medium heat until hot. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the potato mixture for each latke into the pan and cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Using a slotted metal spatula, transfer the latkes to paper towels to drain, then place them on a baking sheet pan and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture, adding more clarified butter as needed.
TO SERVE, spoon a scant teaspoon of the dill sour cream onto each latke and cover with a piece of gravlax. Garnish with a very small dill sprig.