Rabbit Loin and Foie Gras Terrine with Chanterelle-Peach Gastrique
Chef Matt Selby of Vesta Dipping Grill and Steuben’s Food Service says this dish inspired by “New Year’s Eve” incorporates most of the ingredients that keep him up at night. Serves 8-10.
Ingredients
Chanterelle-Peach Gastrique:
1/2 pound gold chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and finely diced
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups Riesling wine
1 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground dried mushroom powder
3 peaches, cored, peeled, and finely diced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Foie Gras and Rabbit Loin
Terrine:
2 pounds foie gras, grade B
2 pounds cleaned rabbit loin
2 cups brandy
4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided use
2 cups gewürztraminer wine
1/2 cup dried cherries, simmered in water to rehydrate
4 teaspoons black pepper, coarsely ground, divided use
1/2 cup toasted pistachios
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
8 ounces fresh pork belly, sliced very thin
To serve:
12 leaves arugula
Smoked black sea salt, (available at Savory Spice Shop or at salttraders.com)
Korean chili threads, purchased in Asian specialty food markets
12 slices toasted brioche
Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine mushrooms, sugar, wine, balsamic vinegar, corn syrup, turmeric, coriander and mushroom powder. Place saucepan over medium heat.
Bring mixture to a slight boil, and reduce heat to a simmer. Allow mixture to simmer and reduce for about 20 minutes.
Add peeled and diced peaches to mixture, and allow mixture to simmer and reduce for about 15 minutes. Do not let mixture scorch!
Pour gastrique into a container, and allow to chill thoroughly before use.
Make terrine: By hand, take apart lobes of foie gras to remove and discard veins and any discoloration. Break into 1-inch pieces. Place in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Place rabbit loin into a food processor or meat grinder, and grind finely. Place in separate mixing bowl.
Pour brandy over foie gras, and mix in by hand 2 teaspoons salt. Pour gewürztraminer over rabbit, and mix in by hand 2 teaspoons salt. Cover both meats, and refrigerate for about 12 hours.
Strain alcohol from foie gras and rabbit. With foie gras: combine plumped and strained cherries, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Mix thoroughly.
With rabbit: combine pistachios, egg, bread crumbs and 3 teaspoons black pepper.
Line a terrine mold or meatloaf pan with a large single layer of plastic wrap. Place sliced pork belly into bottom and against sides of dish, so that none of the inside is exposed. Place rabbit mixture into bottom of dish, and smooth down by hand. Place foie gras over rabbit, and press down by hand. Pull pork belly slices over and across the top of the terrine, and do the same with plastic wrap. Chill terrine 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Place terrine dish in a baking dish larger than terrine. Pour hot water into baking dish so that water comes halfway up sides of the terrine. Bake 2 hours.
Remove terrine from water, chill 2 hours. Place a brick, or other heavy object over top of terrine, and leave to chill 72 hours before taking out of dish.
To serve: In the center of each plate, arrange 4 arugula leaves. Place 1 1/2-inch slice of terrine on top of arugula.
Spoon/drizzle 1/2-ounce gastrique around terrine pieces onto plate. Sprinkle a small amount of smoked black sea salt over terrine and onto plate. Arrange chili threads over terrine. Serve toasted brioche on side.
Wine ideas: The intense richness of foie gras demands a wine with very high acidity as well as heft. The two elements don’t often come together, unless the wine is made from Riesling, a grape that can get sugar-rich without loosing its backbone. Look for a German version marked Auslese, a designation of ripeness; Dr. Loosen and Robert Weil consistently put out standout versions, rich with peachy flavor propelled by laserlike acidity.
-Tara Q. Thomas
Palettes Asparagus Salad
When chef Kevin Taylor saw “Clothespin,” he chose this dish for its vertical quality. You will find it on the menu at Palettes in the Denver Art Museum and Restaurant Kevin Taylor at the Hotel Teatro. Serves 4.
Ingredients
3/4 cup red cerignola olives
3 tablespoons white
balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 small shallot
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 cup olive oil
16 jumbo asparagus spears
8 thin slices San Danielle prosciutto
8-10 long chives
6 ounces Burratta cheese
4 ounces micro arugula
Salt and pepper
Directions
Blend olives, vinegars, shallot and garlic in food processor. Add oil slowly to emulsify.
Steam asparagus 5-7 minutes, then shock in cold water.
Wrap two pieces of asparagus in one slice of prosciutto and tie with chives.
Toss arugula with vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place 1 1/2 ounces cheese on each serving plate. Surround with arugula and top with 2 asparagus bundles.
Wine ideas: Salty ham, buttery cheese and the vegetal tang of asparagus: This is a terrific place to pull out a lambrusco. The good ones are dry and fruity all at once, with fine bubbles that lift their red berry flavors. Look for Medici Ermete and Cavicchioli in particular, and dry versions at the very least. (This is not the place for Riunite.)-Tara Q. Thomas
Diver Scallop Carpaccio with Heirloom Tomato and Fennel Salad
Mary Nguyen used seasonal ingredients in this dish she calls “very simple, but complicated when you taste it.” Inspired by the translucent disc by Robert Irwin, she plans to put it on the menu at Parallel Seventeen. Serves 4.
Ingredients
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup annatto seeds
8 large diver scallops
1 cup thinly sliced fennel
1/4 cup red onion half-moon slices
8 asparagus stalks, cut on bias into 2-inch pieces
2 kiwi, peeled and wedged
2 cups pea sprouts
3 heirloom tomatoes, wedged
1/2 cup red pepper, julienned
Kiwi dressing:
1 kiwi
1/2 cup fish sauce
Salt
Pepper
Rice paper baskets:
4 cups vegetable oil
4 sheets round rice paper
6-ounce ladle
8-ounce ladle
Directions
Heat vegetable oil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan to 350 degrees. Add annatto seeds and remove the pan from heat. Allow to cool and strain out the seeds. Store the oil in a glass jar in the refrigerator.
Remove abductor muscles from the scallops. Pat dry and place scallops in the freezer for about 1 hour.
In a large bowl, combine fennel, onion, asparagus, kiwi, pea sprouts, tomatoes and red pepper.
Remove scallops from freezer. Thinly slice each scallop so you have about 6 slices per scallop.
Make dressing: Peel kiwi, purée in a food processor. Add fish sauce, salt and pepper and pulse to blend.
Make baskets: Heat oil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan to 350 degrees. Place an 8-ounce ladle at bottom of sauté pan. Drop dry rice paper into oil, place 6-ounce ladle above the larger ladle; making a basket out of the rice paper. Allow room for oil to circulate in order to fry the rice paper into baskets. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Fry one at a time.
To serve: Place 12 slices of scallop in a circle on a plate, leaving room for the basket in the middle. Drizzle annatto oil over scallops. Follow with kiwi dressing. Place rice paper basket in the middle of plate; scoop salad into each basket.
Wine ideas: The combination of sweet and salty against the very delicate, sweet meat of the scallops calls for a light white that will let all these elements shine though. Try an Australian Riesling, which are nearly always dry and have a gingery, citrus flavor that can bridge the fruit and the sea elements of this dish. Jacob’s Creek, Annie’s Lane and Grosset all make excellent examples.-Tara Q. Thomas
Port-Poached Pears with Orange Zabaglione
Pastry chef Yasmin Lozada-Hissom created this dish to mimic the shimmering forms of “Rock Formation” in the Denver Art Museum’s Hamilton wing.
Ingredients
2 cups good quality port
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
Large strips of orange zest
4 firm Bosc or Bartlett pears, peeled, stems intact
Directions
In a covered saucepan large enough to hold the pears in a single layer, place port, wine, sugar, cinnamon and orange zest. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes.
Gently add pears to the poaching liquid. If necessary, add up to 1 cup water to completely cover the pears. Simmer gently 15-20 minutes or until a skewer poked into a pear center meets little resistance.
Using a slotted spoon, remove pears from liquid and stand upright in a serving dish deep enough for the reduced liquid to be poured over. Remove zest and cinnamon stick and continue simmering to reduce the liquid to a syrupy consistency. Serve warm or room temperature with the Orange Zabaglione.
Orange Zabaglione
Ingredients
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoons orange zest
4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier
Directions
Warm egg yolks, orange zest and sugar in a double boiler over a low heat, and then whip them with a wire whisk. Pour liqueur into yolks, drop by drop, and keep beating.
The mixture will begin to foam and then swell into a light soft cream. Do not overcook or it will collapse.
The liqueur can be replaced with your favorite one or a high-quality white, sweet, dry or sparkling wine.
Wine ideas: As a general rule, the same sort of wine used in cooking a dish goes well with the food, and Port will work here. But after a heavy meal, and with this delicate orange zabaglione, you may want something lighter. Check out Quady’s Electra Orange Muscat, which riffs off the creamy sauce and lifts the pears (and is a bargain at about $12).-Tara Q. Thomas
Seared Seafood Ragout
Inspired by the whimsical “Quiet, Quiet,” chef Daniel Young calls this cornucopia of seafood a “happy meal” for his family, and says it should be served from a large terrine. Serves 6-8.
Ingredients
4 large prawns
1 pound salmon fillet, or your favorite fish
6 sea scallops
1/2 pound mussels
1/2 pound clams
2 1/2 cups olive oil, divided use
2 lemons, juiced and cut into 1/4-inch slices
4 teaspoons salt, divided use
6 roma tomatoes
1 baby eggplant
1 red onion
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 heads garlic, cloves separated
3 cups water
1 cup tarragon vinegar
4 eggs
Bouquet garni: thyme, rosemary, basil, tarragon
Directions
Wash all fish and seafood. Split prawns down the back of the shell and clean out the inside. Slice fish in four equal portions, leaving the skin on. Place all of the seafood into a large mixing bowl and coat with 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice and 2 teaspoons salt.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high. When hot, coat bottom of pan lightly with oil. Place pieces of seafood into pan and brown on both sides. Transfer to a baking sheet.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut tomatoes, eggplant and onion into large pieces and season with salt and pepper. Add to seafood on baking sheet and bake until mixture is browned and fully cooked, about 1/2 hour, depending on thickness of fish.
In a medium pan, heat 2 cups olive oil and all of the garlic cloves until golden brown. Reserve.
Fill a pot with about 3 cups water and add vinegar. Bring to a boil and poach eggs until yolks are firm. Remove eggs to a bowl and cover with remaining olive oil.
Place tomatoes first into serving dish, then seafood, and fill in the dish with roasted vegetables. Slice eggs in half and place in the terrine.
Reheat garlic oil with lemon slices, bouquet garni, remaining salt, and a splash of tarragon vinegar to just below boiling. Pour over seafood ragout and serve. Serve with assorted fresh breads.
Wine ideas: Something as crisp, cold and saline as the sea will match the variety of seafood in this feast and pique the palate for more. Try a Vinho Verde from Portugal’s northern Atlantic coast, or a Muscadet from the cool reaches of France’s Loire Valley. Both stand out for crisp, clear flavors that recall the sea in their minerality – and in their low prices: $10 can get a fine bottle.-Tara Q. Thomas
