wise-dining

2011 Christmas Dinner 1 & 2

This Christmas will be the first one my wife and I spend away from home, in our new home. Being used to the yearly Christmas dinners, especially my parent’s house menu (oven roasted turkey, meat stuffing, cornmeal stuffing, mashed potatoes, peas, cranberry jelly, and pineapple salad for dessert) I decided to cook something different this year. We planned for two dinners. 

 

One was last Friday with some friends (they’re all going home for the 24th) at our place. The menu was a little bit more elaborate, consisted of six courses, each one accompanied by a different wine:

 

Amuse-Bouche:

Brie and pear crostini, Bourbon-aged BLiS Maple Syrup.

Salmon rillettes canapés.

Wine: Paul Goerg Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru, Champagne, France.

 

First Course:

Foie Gras au Torchon, Sauternes glaze, Pistachio powder, Toasted Freshly-baked Brioche.

Wine: Chateau Doisy-Vedrine Sauternes, 2007, France.

 

Second Course:

White Truffle Risotto with Freshly Shaved White Truffles from Alba, Brown Butter Seared Cured-Sea Scallops

Wine: Domaine Serene Pinot Noir, 2007 Magnum, Willamette Valley, Oregon.

 

Third Course:

Coffee-crusted Charbroiled Rack of Lamb; Green Beans, Cremini Mushrooms and Shallots Casserole.

Wine: Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008 Magnum, Rutherford, Napa Valley.

 

Cheese Plate:

Brillat-Savarin with Black Truffles

Mimolette Aged

Laura Chenel Chevre

Cambozola Bleu

Wine: Fonseca 20 year port, Duoro, Portugal.

 

Dessert:

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

New York style Cheesecake with Licor 43 Flambéed Berries.

 

 

The second one will be this Friday the 24th at a friend’s house in San Francisco. Her parents will fly out to meet them and her husband and herself were kind enough to invite us. I thought I could return the indulgence by cooking for them. The menu will be the following, while the wine is yet to be selected.

First Course:

Sweet Pecan Cream, Fresh Kumamoto Oyster “croquant”, Laura Chenel Goat Cheese, BLiS Bourbon Barrel Matured Maple syrup.

 

Second Course:

Foie Gras au torchon, Sauternes Glaze, Grilled Figs, Pistachio Powder, Freshly Baked Brioche Croutons.

 

Third Course:

Risotto, White truffle, Caramelized Cured and Smoked Sea scallops.

 

Fourth Course:

Turkey Breast Roulade, Bacon, Christmas Gravy, Cranberries, Sage.

 

Fifth Course:

Black Garlic infused - Sous-vide/Roasted Prime Tenderloin, Beef Jus, Orzo, White Truffles, Parmigiano-Reggiano.

 

Cheese platter:

Brillat-Savarin

Mimolette Aged

Cambozola Bleu

Sheep Manchego AOC

Beechworth Honey with Macadamias

Candied Walnuts

 

Dessert:

Traditional New York Style Cheesecake

 

Prep will begin tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted. Merry Christmas to all.

 

 

Chicken Pot-Pie

I love using the oven in the winter. It is not only capable of turning out great dishes but actually heats your kitchen and makes your home smell of deliciousness. 

 

When you roast a chicken for two, you usually get some leftovers and a carcass full of colagen and meat stuck to the bone. In other words, full of flavor. You should not discard this. You can use it to make stock which you can in turn use for so many things later.

 

Chicken potpie traditionally includes shredded chicken, vegetables and Bechamel sauce, all within a savory flaky crust.

 

For this version I substituted thickened chicken stock for the Bechamel. I thickened it with Ultra Sperse, a modified starch, from National Starch. I cut up some of the potatoes from the last Roast Chicken I cooked and added the cut up chicken leftovers as well. The intention was to concentrate the flavors. The pie is now cooling and the kitchen smells amazing. I can’t wait to cut a piece.

 

 

Roast Chicken

I love a good roasted chicken in the winter. It is simple and rewarding. It is probably the easiest way to cook for two and you can always prepare an extra dish with the leftovers. I like to air-dry mine in the fridge for 3-4 days before roasting it so that the skin crisps up. It’s simply covered in olive oil and salt, Sichuan, green and black freshly crushed pepper, some butter tucked in between the legs and in the cavity all set on top of a bed of mixed fingerling potatoes, also covered in olive oil and salt, held together in a dutch oven. It all goes into the oven at 425°F for 20 minutes and then the oven is lowered to 350°F and left in another 50-60 minutes or until the breast reads 160-165°F.  Simple deliciousness. The carcass is used for chicken stock, which has a myriad of applications, and the leftover meat is used of a chicken potpie the next day.

 

Ingredient Pairing

I came up with this website for food pairing the other day. It is absolutely amazing. The possibilities are endless. I own several books regarding this matter, and this is by far the best public, free alternative to flavor pairing that I’ve encountered, at least on an ingredient-to-ingredient basis.