Coming this month: Riesling Apple-Brined Turkey and Hercules Greens w/ Pumpkin Seed Dressing!
25thday ofNovemberin the year2009
Spiced Cranberry, Orange & Lynfred Cabernet Franc Marmalade!
Another first for us, I had absolutely no idea what to expect when making marmalade. But it was surprisingly easy…I’m assuming that making fruit preserves are sorta the same thing. Basically you get some sugar and a base (in this case the wine), then add the fruit, and simmer for a long while…details below of course.
We let the finished product cool for a few days and then brought it to an early family Thanksgiving dinner. Although we didn’t get any pictures, people served it with their stuffing and turkey and it was a big hit!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Makes about 1 mason jar
Recipe from the Private Kitchen of Lynfred Chef Chris Smith
INGREDIENTS
2 large thick-skinned navel oranges or blood oranges
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup Lynfred Cabernet Franc
1 cup plus 3 Tbsp. sugar
dash of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-12 oz. package whole fresh cranberries
DIRECTIONS
1 - Using a vegetable peeler, remove peel (orange part only) in long strips from the oranges. Cut orange peel into matchstick sized strips. Cut white pith from oranges.
2 - Working over bowl to catch juices, cut between membranes to remove segments. Cut orange segments into 1/2-inch pieces.
3 - Bring orange juice, Lynfred Cabernet Franc wine, sugar, salt and ground nutmeg to a simmer in a heavy, medium-sized sauce pan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer ten minutes.
4 - Add fresh cranberries, half of orange peel and half of orange pieces and simmer until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 12 to 15 minutes.
5 - Add remaining orange peel and orange pieces and simmer ten more minutes, stirring occasionally.
6 - Cool, cover and refrigerate (marmalade will thicken as it sits).
2006 Cabernet Franc Reserve Info
Aroma: Warm spices, cinnamon, coffee and a hint of bell pepper on the nose.
Palate: Medium-full bodied with notes of dried plums, tobacco and vanilla. A hot and balanced finish full of fruit and tannins.
Foods: Excellent with roast beef, duck, stuffed bell peppers, roasted pork, roasted vegetables and eggplant.
14thday ofNovemberin the year2009
Veal Piccata, served with Lynfred’s Vin de City White!
Okay, a couple of things before I begin this one. First, ever since finding out how veal is actually made, my wife doesn’t eat veal. So we ended up frying up regular thin flank steaks.
Also, no one I talked to at the store even knew what capers were, and I couldn’t find them anywhere. However, the piccata is still the piccata without the capers.
What we did as a side is sauteed up some mushrooms in the left-over sauce and they came out fantastic. Add even more stuff like onions and some rosemary for a really great-tasting side dish.
Makes 2 servings
Recipe from the Private Kitchen of Lynfred Chef Chris Smith
INGREDIENTS
4 veal cutlets
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ cup chicken broth or stock
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoons capers, drained
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
flour for dusting
fresh lemon slices
chopped fresh parsley
DIRECTIONS
1 - Season veal cutlets with salt and pepper, then dust with flour.
2 - Coat a sauté pan with nonstick spray, add 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil and heat over medium-high.
3 - Sauté veal cutlets 2-3 minutes on one side. Flip the veal cutlets over and sauté the other side 1-2 minutes, with the pan covered.
4 - Transfer veal cutlets to a warm plate; pour off fat from the pan.
5 - Deglaze pan with wine and add minced garlic. Cook until garlic is slightly brown and liquid is nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes.
6 - Add broth or stock, lemon juice and capers. Return veal cutlets to pan and cook on each side for 1 minute.
7 - Transfer cutlets to a warm plate.
8 - Finish sauce with butter and sliced lemons. Once butter melts pour sauce over veal cutlets.
9 - Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve.
3rdday ofNovemberin the year2009
Coming this month: Spiced Cranberry, Orange & Cabernet Franc Marmalade and Veal Piccata!
27thday ofOctoberin the year2009
Shepherd’s Pie, served with Lynfred’s Oktoberfest wine!
I’ve never had Shepherd’s Pie before, and this did not disappoint. It’s the perfect meal for a cold evening. While this wasn’t the hardest meal we’ve ever prepared, the Shepherd’s pie was very involved…there are lots of steps to follow, so allow an hour or a little more for preparation, and don’t feel overwhelmed by how big the recipe is…it’s really not too bad once you get down into it and it’s really worth it.
We actually cooked this meal awhile ago so I can’t remember impressions (usually I type out these posts within a day so I don’t forget…maybe I should start writing them down). The only thing I do remember is that if you have a big enough pan, feel free to use more cheesy potatoes. We used 1.5 pounds per the recipe, and it was really good, but the top layer of potatoes was pretty thin, so we had some bubbling up of the filling (as you can see in the closeup) even though we tried to form a good seal around the edges. More potatoes would have probably helped.
Here’s just a couple of other things:
-rather than buying shredded pork, we bought some pork sirloin cuts and chopped them up.
-Boursin. Cheese. RULES. Get some! The Garlic Herb kind though, not the pepper one. We used the whole wheel rather than half for the potatoes. I would’ve used even more.
And that’s about it. Try this one out! We ate it between the both of us in just two meals (it re-heats very well)!
Makes 8 servings
Recipe from the Private Kitchen of Lynfred Chef Joe Hetman
INGREDIENTS
For Mashed Potatoes
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
1/2 cup half and half
2 ounces butter
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg yolk
1/2 round of Boursin cheese
For the Meat Filling
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 carrots, peeled and diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds cooked, chopped pork
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup frozen green peas
DIRECTIONS
1 - Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice.
2 - Place in a medium sauce pan and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.
3 - Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs (approximately 10 to 15 minutes).
4 - Place the half and half, butter and Boursin cheese in a sauce pan and heat until warmed through, about 2 to 3 minutes.
5 - Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan.
6 - Mash the potatoes and then add the half and half, Boursin and butter.
7 - Season with salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth.
8 - Stir in the yolk until well combined.
9 - Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
10 - While potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling: place the vegetable oil into a 12-inch sauté pan and set over medium-high heat.
11 - Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and sauté just until they begin to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
12 - Add the garlic and stir to combine.
13 - Add the pork, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes.
14 - Sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat. Continue to cook for another minute.
15 - Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme and stir to combine.
16 - Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly for 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.
17 - Add the corn and peas to the pork mixture and spread evenly into an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish.
18 - Top with Boursin mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula.
19 - Place on a half sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown.
20 - Remove and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
12thday ofOctoberin the year2009
Maine Lobster Rolls, served with a 2008 Chenin Blanc!
As some may have noticed, I started this month posting “previews” of the upcoming meals. It’s going to be interesting how different the finished product versus the “food sculpture” preview is going to look. Well, I’m interested anyways.
Something I never knew about lobster tails: they are extraordinarily easy to make. We were a bit worried, never having cooked lobster before, but everywhere we looked it was just throw it on a grill, or boil it, or what-have-you. We finally decided to boil it.
TO COOK LOBSTER TAILS: Boil a pot of water with some salt. Throw in lobster tails and cook 1 minute per ounce. Remove. Done. Seriously that’s it. And don’t forget to let them cool before cracking them open!
Overall this tasted really good although we could’ve probably done with less celery (not because of the recipe, I think we put more in than what it called for). Also, the cost might be a little steep for people looking for a salad type of sandwich and using lobster, but hey, what’s life without a little bit of off-the-beaten-path?
Also, I don’t know what New England style hot dog buns are, so we used French rolls. The Midwest does not contain New England style hot dog buns. We contain Chicago style hot dog buns. The French rolls worked really well though, especially buttered and toasted in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Makes 4 servings
Recipe from the Private Kitchen of Lynfred Chef Chris Smith
INGREDIENTS
5 lobster tails or 1 3/4 pounds lobster meat
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 stalks and leaves of celery, finely chopped
3 1/2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
4 New England style hot dog rolls
Melted butter for brushing rolls
DIRECTIONS
1 - Cook lobster meat until firm yet still tender, about 8 to 10 minutes…or if using tails, see above.
2 - Cool and refrigerate until well chilled (we waited about 2 hours and that was fine).
3 - Remove the meat from the tails, chopping any large chunks into bite-size pieces.
4 - In a bowl, combine the lobster meat, mayonnaise, lemon juice, celery, tarragon leaves, chopped parsley, and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
5 - Brush cut sides of hot dog rolls with melted butter and toast lightly (oven 350 degrees for 10 minutes is what we did).
6 - Fill rolls with lobster salad.
2008 Chenin Blanc Info
Aroma: Pale straw in color. Lovely aromas of freshly sliced limes and oranges with hints of mineral.
Palate: This svelte white brightens the palate with flavors of fresh peaches and orange popsicle. A crisp and refreshing finish!
Foods: Incredible with calamari, white fish with lemon, fried fish, sushi, smoked salmon and apples. (or Maine Lobster Rolls!)
2ndday ofOctoberin the year2009
Coming this month: Maine Lobster Rolls and Shepherd’s Pie!
23rdday ofSeptemberin the year2009
Caramelized Fennel Soup Gratin, containing Lynfred Viognier!
Right, so we didn’t actually have too much Viognier left-over, so it was wasn’t really served with it…but we had enough for the recipe.
We’ve never done anything like this at all, and to be honest, I was pretty nervous. The prep isn’t really that difficult, especially if you have a large stock pot. But it took awhile and I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out until the very end.
It was delicious. I’ve mentioned fennel before, and for all intents and purposes after it cooks it tastes like onion to me…so we basically made our own french onion soup.
Also, oven-proof bowls are a PAIN to find. After going to 5 stores I finally found some small ones at Bed Bath and Beyond. In the recipe it mentions putting the bread into the bowl before topping with cheese, so make sure that the bread is cut small enough to fit snugly inside the rim without having to push down on it too much.
Makes 8 servings
Recipe from the Private Kitchen of Lynfred Chef Chris Smith
INGREDIENTS
1/3 pound unsalted butter
9 cups thinly sliced fennel
9 cups thinly sliced yellow onion
1/3 cup brandy
3/4 cup medium dry Sherry
1/3 cup Lynfred Viognier wine
1 3/4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
10 cups good quality chicken stock
1 1/4 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Splash of Pernod (anise-flavored liqueur)
16 slices Lynfred French bread
1 pound Gruyere cheese, grated
ovenproof bowls
DIRECTIONS
1 - Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the onions, fennel and thyme leaves and sauté for 25 to 30 minutes, until the fennel and onions are very tender and caramelized (add a small amount of water if it starts to stick).
2 - Deglaze the pan by adding the brandy. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan.
3 - Add the sherry wine and Lynfred Viognier wine and simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes.
4 - Add the chicken stock, salt and freshly ground black pepper and continue to cook uncovered for about 15 minutes.
5 - Add the Pernod and cook for 5 minutes. Check the soup and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
6 - Preheat the broiler.
7 - Ladle soup into 8 ovenproof bowls and place one to two slices of French bread and a large handful of Gruyere cheese on top of each bowl.
8 - Place the bowls on a baking sheet and put them under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes or until cheese is brown and bubbly. Serve immediately.
13thday ofSeptemberin the year2009
Easy Peasy Antipasti, served with a 2007 Syrah!
This was a really different meal for us, and although it says Easy Peasy, it can be deceptively difficult especially where cooking the red peppers are concerned, so be careful not to leave them on too long or you’ll burn them.
Also, normally I am an over-marination type of guy (i.e., if it says 2 hours, I do 6…if it says 6, I leave it to marinate overnight), however for this recipe, the few hours suggested will be more than enough. For the 3:1 ratio mentioned below, we used 3/4 cup v 1/4 cup.
Not sure if the antipasti (first course or appetizer of an Italian meal) is supposed to be arranged how we did it, but I think it came out looking pretty cool.
Also, fresh mozzarella is DELICIOUS!
Makes 8 servings
Recipe from the Private Kitchen of Lynfred Chef Joe Hetman
INGREDIENTS
Large Portobello mushrooms, stemmed and cleaned
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 shallots, thinly sliced
Variety of fresh herbs, chopped
4 red bell peppers
16 boccontini (fresh mozzarella, golf-ball size)
16 slices peppered salami
Fresh sliced Lynfred baguette and good quality extra-virgin olive oil, for dipping
Plastic wrap
Grill or grill pan
DIRECTIONS
1 - Preheat the outdoor grill, or a grill pan.
2 - In 2 sealable freezer bags, equally divide up the portobellos then pour in a 3:1 ratio of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
3 - Add the chopped herbs, garlic and shallots, and season with salt and pepper.
4 - Seal up the bags, pushing out as much air as possible. Let sit to marinate for a few hours.
5 - While marinating, oil up the bell peppers. Place on the grill to scald the outside skin.
6 - Once blackened all around, remove from the grill and apply plastic wrap to steam.
7 - When marinating mushrooms are ready, place cap side down to mark on the grill. Flip once after a few minutes and grill the other side.
8 - Move mushrooms to an indirect part of the grill and allow to cook through.
9 - As mushrooms cook, remove the plastic wrap from the bell peppers and peel the skin away.
10 - Remove the seeds, and cut into strips. Lay out the bell peppers along with the salami and the boccontini.
11 - Drizzle the boccontini with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
12 - Finish up your tray with the Portobello mushrooms after they’ve been sliced. Serve alongside the baguette and olive oil.
Wine information on the 2007 Syrah
Aroma: Concentrated aromas of licorice and raisins with hints of plum.
Palate: This medium-bodied wine is packed with dark berry flavors and smoky undertones. A long and hot finish makes this perfect for anything off the grill.
Foods: Perfect with barbecue sauces, grilled meats, mushrooms, grilled tuna, grilled eggplant, cassoulet and especially bacon.
23rdday ofAugustin the year2009
Lynfred’s Rose Sangria!
My wife is a fan of sangria (me, not so much), so here’s the recipe we got from Lynfred using their Lynfred Rose wine. It was really tasty according to her.
Recipe from Lynfred Chef Chris Smith
INGREDIENTS
1 orange, sliced
1 lime, sliced
1/2 lemon, sliced
1 1/2 ounces brandy or vodka
2 tablespoons sugar
1 bottle Lynfred Rose wine
12 ounces club soda, ginger ale, or grapefruit soda
2 quart glass pitcher
DIRECTIONS
1- Combine orange, lime, and lemon.
2 - Add brandy or vodka, along with sugar, and stir until sugar is dissolved.
3 - Slowly pour in wine, stirring gently.
4 - Refigerate at least 2 hours or as long as overnight.
5 - When serving, add ginger/club/grapefruit pop and stir gently.
6 - Add ice cubes to glasses.
7 - Pour over ice, allowing fruit slices to fall into glasses.
About
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and
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and
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