Eat Drink & Be Merry

Three Potato Au Gratin

This is a fantastic dish that has won first place in cooking competitions. It is one of my favorite dishes and it pairs great with a good steak. While it may not be low calorie or low fat... It will surely put a smile on the face of every one who eats it. Enjoy!

1/4 stick of butter

2 heads garlic, halved

1 quart heavy cream

Sea salt

Freshly ground white pepper

1/4 pound brie cheese, crumbled

1/4 pound goat cheese, crumbled

1 pound russets potatoes, peeled, and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 pound sweet potatoes (not yams), peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 pound red or golden potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease a porcelain souffl'e dish with the butter.

In a sauce pot, bring the garlic and cream to a simmer. Season with salt and white pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the cream has reduced by 1/4 and has slightly thickened. Whisk in the cheese.

Season the potatoes with salt and white pepper. Layer the potatoes in the souffl'e dish, alternating the russet potatoes, sweet potatoes and red potatoes. You should have a total of six layers. Strain the cream and cheese mixture to remove the garlic and pour over the potatoes. Cover the souffl'e dish with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Remove the foil and continue cooking for 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool the gratin for 10 minutes before serving.

Lemon Chicken Breast

This is a recipe for those with a sense of humor or for any one that likes to play with their food.

Ingredients 1 whole chicken (weight is dependent on how many servings are required)

1 large lemon, cut into halves

sprig of rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

butter or olive oil, whichever you prefer

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Rub butter or oil over the skin of the chicken until it is completely coated. Take a knife and gently separate the skin from the breast meat; slide lemon halves under the skin with the peel side up. This way the juice from t! he le mon n will coat the breast. Season skin of chicken to your preference; place sprig of rosemary into the chicken. Cover and place in oven for 30-45 minutes. Remove cover and continue to roast until juices run clear, basting every 15-20 minutes, depending on size of the bird.

If you've followed these steps correctly, your chicken should look like the one in the picture. Bon Appetit!

Award Winning Gnocchi Ala Panna

I recently made this recipe for a cooking contest held by a major restaurant chain. Out of 1500 entries, my dish was selected to compete against 15 other regional finalist and I won!

1lb of russet potatoes

8 ounces of ricotta cheese

3 eggs (1 whole, 2 yokes)

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground dry shitake mushroom  

2 cups "00" Caputo Italian pizza flour

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp truffle oil

Cook 1 large russet potato, with skin left on, in a pot of salted water until soft to a fork. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Run potato through a ricer and discard skin.

Stir together the potato, ricotta cheese, eggs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, mushroom powder, and garlic powder in a large bowl until evenly combined. Mix in flour. Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough.

Divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces, and roll into 1/2-inch-thick ropes on a floured surface. Cut each rope into  1-inch pieces, and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 table spoon of extra virgin olive oil. Boil the gnocchi until they float to the surface, 1 to 2 minutes, and then drain. Place Gnocchi in a large bowl that has been lightly oiled with truffle infused olive oil.

ALA PANNA SAUCE

4 thick slices of pancetta

5 minced cloves of garlic

1 lb sliced cremini mushrooms

cup of Marsala wine

2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

1 tbsp chopped basil + a small bunch for garnish

2 cups heavy whipping cream

Salt & pepper

2 tbsp finely graded Mizithra cheese

In a large frying pan cook pancetta over med high heat until cooked but still limp. Remove pancetta from pan, chop and set aside. Add minced garlic and mushrooms to the pan and saut until mushrooms are soft. Add wine and parsley and simmer until all liquid has evaporated.  Add cream and chopped pancetta and simmer until reduced by 1/3. Add sauce to Gnocchi and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle mizithra cheese and chopped basil on top and garnish with a small sprig of basil.

Seeing Red in Amador

I have loved red wine for quite some time now. It hasn't always been that way though. I was well into my thirties until I started liking red wine. The turning point for me was when my wife accepted an invitation to a wine tasting event. Being a beer and cocktail kind of guy, I reluctantly went along. I didn't care for red wine and white wine was only palatable to me at the time.

As it turned out, I found myself enjoying some of the reds for the first time in my life. Knowing this, I was quick to accept the next invite from friends that were heading up to the Amador Wine Region in the Sierra Foothills of California. The wineries and vineyards are scattered across the rolling hills like a picture from "Under a Tuscan Sun". The wine, zinfandel in particular, was different than what I was used to. It was sweeter, bolder, spicier, and zippier than other wines I had tried before. I love it and I was converted for life.

Since that time I have enjoyed many different red wines from all over the world. I have been on wine tasting trips throughout California, as well as other parts of the world. I belong to at least a dozen wine clubs and I attend several wine festivals every year. I like several different varietals of reds but the Amador Zin is still my favorite.

This experience of converting to red wine is not unique to me. Over the years I have learned of many others that had the same experence and made the transition to red too. I have also had the pleasure of converting many "white only" drinkers to reds. All it takes is a visit to the California Foothills.

If you are a red wine lover, open to giving red wine a try, or would like to see that transformation in someone else, then take a day trip to lesser know wine country in California to the Sierra Foothills. There are so many wineries up there that you can't possibly visit all of them in a day. I think that the trip is more enjoyable if you limit your stops to five or less. Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy it at the beautiful grounds surrounding Dever Vineyards. Go slow and explore the region while you discover your own favorites. Take the time to visit with the wine makers. Unlike the Napa Area, here you're likely to find the winemaker, with his grape stained apron and a Kool-Aid smile, pouring you your tasting. This area is like no other and well worth the trip.

Here is a list of some of my favorite wineries from the Amador area:

Deaver Vineyards, Dillian Wines, Dobra Zemlja, and Story Winery.

UPDATE: New favorite from this region! "C. G. De Arie" is a little know winery located on top of Mt Aukum in the Amador wine region. Fantastic wines! A must try for anyone going to the area.

Brick Oven Turkey

1 (16 to 20 pound) frozen young turkey
For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon iced water
For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage

3 sprigs of thyme
Herbed butter:

1 stick of butter

1 sprig of rosemary

1 sprig of thyme

3 leaves of sage

Brine

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

The night before the day of cooking, combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket or ice chest that has been lined with a garbage bag. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, twist the garbage bag closed while removing the air from the bag, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 6 to 12 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.

Herbed butter

Finely chop fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme. Mix herbs into one stick of softened butter and set aside.

Oven

Fire your wood oven up slowly to 500+ degrees. (I find it best to fire the oven up very hot the night before to make pizza. The residual heat left in the oven from the previous night will help the oven to maintain its heat throughout the turkey roasting process.) After the oven is over 500 degrees, push/sweep the coals to the back of the oven. Note: I like Almond wood! It has sufficient BTU's to get the oven hot and it provides a fantastic smoky flavor to the food.

Aromatics

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Tie two separate bundles of fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage together.

Turkey

Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.

Place bird on roasting rack inside a cookie sheet (see note) and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with herbed butter. Stuff some of the butter under the skin by gently separating the skin from the breast. Note: Do not use a roasting pan. The high sides of a roasting pan will prevent the oven's heat from circulating around the bird thus causing uneven cooking.

Place 2/3 of the apple, onion, cinnamon mixture along with one herb bundle into the main cavity of the bird. Place the other herb bundle and remaining apple, onion, cinnamon mix into the neck cavity. Tie or truss the cavities closed.

With the oven at 500 degrees F, slide the cookie sheet with the turkey into the wood fired oven and close the door. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes turning once. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven. The oven temperature will lower to 350 degrees F over the next hour. If it falls below that then throw a small log onto the coals to bring the temp back up. Set the meat thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. Continue to rotate the pan every hour during the roasting process. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 1/2 to 3 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

Note - Every wood oven is different and may need longer or shorter cooking and firing times. You may want to give a trial run a few days earlier with a test turkey to see if your cooking times differ from this recipe. I have found that when you brine and roast the turkey in a wood oven, the type of turkey does not make a big difference. I have used expensive fresh turkeys as well as the least expensive frozen birds and they both turn out fabulous! That said, save your money and get the lowest price turkey you can find.

Artisan Flat Bread

First begin by making a biga -- a rather stiff dough that ferments in the refrigerator overnight. Incorporate a portion of the biga into another, wetter dough made the next day. The biga adds a deeper flavor and extra strength to the final dough.

Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 23 hr

For biga
1/2 gram (1/8 teaspoon) active dry yeast
175 grams (a scant 3/4 cup) warm water (105-115F)
255 grams (2 cups) unbleached bread flour
For flatbread dough
170 grams biga (a scant half of above recipe)
2 grams (1/2 teaspoon) active dry yeast
120 grams (1/2 cup) warm water (105-115F)
170 grams (1/2 cup) goat's- or sheep's-milk yogurt
20 grams (3 tablespoons) whole-wheat flour
12 grams (1 1/2 teaspoons) salt
12 grams (1 tablespoon) extra-virgin olive oil
296 grams (2 1/4 cups) unbleached bread flour plus additional for dusting

1 teaspoon nigella seeds
Fine sea salt for sprinkling
Cornmeal for dusting baker's peel
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Special equipment: instant-read thermometer, dough/pastry scraper, pizza stone, baker's peel, water-filled spray bottle

 
Make biga:
Whisk yeast into 120 grams warm water to dissolve and stir in flour. (Mixture will be dry.) Knead in remaining 55 grams (a scant 1/4 cup) water and knead in bowl until a dough is formed. Turn out onto a clean surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. (Do not add extra flour; biga will become less sticky as it is kneaded.) Put in a clean bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator 16 to 18 hours. (Biga will not rise perceptibly.)
Let biga stand, still covered, in a warm place until instant-read thermometer registers 75-78F, about 1 hour.

Make flatbread dough:
Chop 170 grams (or scant half) of biga recipe. (Leftover biga keeps, covered and chilled, 2 days.) Whisk yeast into 60 grams (1/4 cup) warm water to dissolve in a large bowl and stir in yogurt, chopped biga, whole-wheat flour, salt, oil, and bread flour. Knead in enough of remaining 60 grams (1/4 cup) warm water, a little at a time, to make dough workable. (Dough will be sticky.)

Turn dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and knead, occasionally scraping up dough stuck to surface with dough scraper, 10 minutes. (If dough becomes too sticky to knead easily, periodically flour hands, not work surface; dough will become less sticky as kneaded.)

Gradually knead in any remaining water and continue to knead dough until smooth, satiny, and stretchy, about 10 minutes. Put in a clean bowl and dust very lightly with flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place 1 hour.

Turn dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and stretch into a rectangle. Fold into thirds, like a letter, then stretch and fold again in same manner. Return to bowl and let rise, covered, 1 hour. Repeat stretching and folding process and let rise again, covered, 1 hour.

Halve dough and shape each half into an 8-inch log on work surface. Dust very lightly with flour and let rise, covered loosely with plastic wrap, 30 minutes.

Bake flatbread:
Put pizza stone on rack in middle of oven and preheat to 525F. (Allow 1 hour to preheat with stone.)

Stretch each dough log into a roughly 13- by 6-inch rectangle and brush lightly with water. Dimple dough with your fingertips and sprinkle with nigella seeds and sea salt. Dimple dough again and let stand, loosely covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature 45 minutes.

Generously sprinkle baker's peel with cornmeal. Holding 1 rectangle at each end, pick up and transfer to baker's. (Dough will stretch.) Re-form into rectangle and dimple once more. Jerk peel once or twice; if dough sticks, lift and sprinkle more cornmeal underneath.

Working quickly, mist oven with 4 squirts of water from spray bottle. Line up far edge of peel with far edge of stone and tilt peel, jerking it gently to start dough moving. When edge of dough touches stone, quickly pull back peel to transfer dough to stone. Mist oven again with 4 squirts from spray bottle and bake flatbread until golden brown, 6 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack and while still hot, brush with some of butter.

Sweep burned cornmeal off pizza stone with a cloth before baking remaining flatbread in same manner.

Serve warm or at room temperature.