Chinese New Year Celebration: The Year of the Rabbit

A gigantic feast prepared by sister-in-law Jane Studley, enjoyed by
family and friends ranging in age from 3 to 92.

The Buffet

Assorted Spring Rolls
Sashimi platter including tuna tartare and crabmeat salads
Boned, slices of roasted duck
Boned slices of roasted chicken
Steamed artichokes with dipping sauce
Platter of cooked, mixed vegetables
Platter of raw, shredded vegetables
Whole sea bass
Bean curd
Jellyfish and shredded radish
Pigeon
Broccoli Rape
Mixed salad with raisins and walnuts

“Pigeon?” I asked Jane.
“Yes,” she said, without further explanation. She was so busy, I didn’t want to bother her.

We left before dessert. Jane offered us a doggy bag which I declined. Dumb.

Our dinner the following evening was less exalted:

Frozen Tortelloni plus Spanish Chorizo and Green Peas

Thanks to Fresh Direct I had a box of frozen Tortelloni in the freezer. Although the label stated that the tortelloni contained gorgonzola and walnuts, there was no evidence of it. Still, who was counting? I had a sweet Spanish chorizo in the refrigerator, some Parmesan, plus a small can of sweet peas.

After the tortelloni were cooked and strained, I sautéed them with olive oil in a hot pan to brown. Next I tossed small slices of chorizo, skin removed, into the pan, together with the drained peas. After plating I grated Parmesan over the pasta.

Menu

Piquillo Pepper stiffed with Italian Ricotta Cheese
Tortelloni with Sweet Spanish Chorizo & Sweet peas
Watercress salad with grape tomatoes, dried cranberry, and walnuts
Wine: Chateau Massiac, Minervervois Rouge “Cuvée Sentille, 2009
Dessert: Chocolate Frozen Yogurt

Am happy to report that my salad was almost as good as Jane's.

Perfect Weather for Duck

I thought hard about our Christmas dinnerand considered ham, rabbit and venison and--for one brief moment—goose before I hit on duck. Question was roast duck or duck breast? The fact that I don’t have the proper tool to carve a bird took care of that.

The next question was the wine. We had a bottle of Château de Beaucastel sitting in our closet. (Not the best storage place). The Wine spectator awarded 96 point to the 2005 vintage with the caveat: “Best from 2011 through 2030.” Since 2011 is just around the corner, I decided “now.” I opened the bottle three hours before serving and hoped for the best.

Menu

Duck Breast
Red Cabbage
Caramelized Apple
Wine: Château de Beaucastel 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Dessert: Chocolate Yogurt; Chocolate Lebkuchen

Because cooked cabbage improves with age I prepared it a day in advance which was a blessing since it enabled me to concentrate on the duck. Ironically, the recipe calls for duck fat which I only produced once the duck was fully cooked. Luckily I had my tried-and-true goose fat in the refrigerator.

Recipe Red Cabbage

2 tablespoons rendered goose or duck fat
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 small red cabbage, shredded
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
Bouquet garni (2 bay leaves, four cloves, coriander and pepper seeds
tied in cheesecloth)
Salt and pepper
Water as needed
Opt. 1 tablespoon Madeira

Heat the fat in a large skillet, add the onion and cook till soft. Add the cabbage. Cook for about 15 minutes to soften somewhat, then add the apple, salt and pepper and the Bouquet garni. Mix well. Cook, covered, over low flame for about 45 minutes, adding some water if needed. When ready to serve, reheat, adjust seasoning and add the Madeira.

Recipe Duck Breast

1 Duck breast, boneless, cut in half
Salt and Pepper

With a sharp knife, score the skin sides of the breast in a diamond pattern. (This helps to render the duck fat and produces a crisp skin.) Pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Sauté the duck breasts, skin side down, in a Teflon coated pan over medium heat. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until all the fat has been rendered, removing the fat as you go. (Save the fat)
Turn the breasts over and sauté for another 10 to 15 minutes. The duck will be medium rare. The skin side will be fairly crisp. If not, sauté over high heat for another few minutes.
Let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Arrange fan-like on individual plates.

P.S. The Château de Beaucastel was a winner. Can’t even imagine how much better it would be 10 or 15 years hence.

Small Bird vs Big Bird: Rock Cornish Game Hen

Since we were going to have Thanksgiving dinner at George’s brother’s house whose wife is a fabulous cook, I decided to celebrate Thanksgiving Eve with Rock Cornish Game Hen. Actually, this is neither a game bird, nor a hen, but a baby chick that weighs about 1 pound.

Menu

Roasted Cornish Hen
Sautéed Mushrooms
Cranberry Sauce *
Wine: Chiroubles, Domaine de la Chapelle des Bois, 2009
Dessert: Biscotti
Madeira

Recipe: Cornish Hen

2 Cornish Hens, butterflied, patted dry
Salt and pepper
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
¼ cup Madeira

Preheat oven to 400°.
Rub the skin of the chicken with 1 tablespoon of butter. Season with salt and pepper. Smear an ovenproof baking dish with additional butter. Add the rosemary springs. Place the chicken on top of the rosemary sprigs, skin side up, and put into the oven. Baste several times with pan juices. Roast for 25 minutes, or until the juices run clear. Remove the dish to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Let rest while making the sauce.

Place a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic in butter and olive for about 2 minutes. Scrap up juices from the baking pan and add to the skillet. Add the Madeira and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half. Adjust seasoning.

Carve the chicken and arranged on a serving plate. Pour the sauce over it and garnish with the rosemary springs.

The Beaujolais, recommended by Will Helburn of Rosenthal Wine, dispersed my prevbious prejudices against Beaujolais. A cru Beaujolais from a small producer, it was a bright and youthful wine, with just  enough fruitiness. I will definitely add the wine to our wine list.

*Store-bought at Ottomanelli
www.ottomanellibros.com

The Feast of The Squab

When the doctor told me that George was about ready to come home, I decided to have a little feast. Squab, that special little bird with
all dark meat, seemed tailor-made for the occasion. I ordered the bird
a day in advance and had the butcher butterfly and whack the breast
so that the bird would cook evenly.

Menu

Broiled Squab
Baby Peas
Sliced Tomatoes
Wine: Oyster Bay, Pinot Noir, 2009
Dessert: 85% Lindt Dark Chocolate

Recipe: Squab

1 squab, butterflied
2 tablespoons butter
about 1 tablespoon, chopped Italian parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
11/2 tablespoons soy sauce

Preheat broiler

Melt the butter in a small skillet. Add chopped parsley, minced garlic
and soy sauce. When the mixture boils, remove from heat. Brush the
squab with the basting liquid and place in preheated oven, skin side
up, and broil for 12-15 minutes. Turn the squab, baste once more with
the liquid, and broil for 5 minutes. The squab will be cooked medium
rare, which, I think, is perfect.

Frankly, the expected squab epiphany never happened. The bird was perfectly cooked, but impossible to cut. I ended up tearing it with
my hands-- which I don’t mind--but George would never tolerate.
The basting liquid was terrific. I’ll definitely adapt it for
other occasions.

Looking back, the dinner was Rabelaisian rather than festive. I'll do festive once George can eat everthing again. I am thinking risotto
with white truffles and blini with caviar.

Lazy Turkey & Red Pepper Coulis

It’s not the turkey that is lazy, but the cook. Ottomanelli* daily sells a marinated Turkey London Broil. All I had to do is pop it into the oven, put the timer on 30 minutes, and voilà, a tender, perfectly cooked, skinless, boneless turkey breast. It wasn’t a Cordon Bleu masterpiece, but a good contribution to our Sunday evening dinner. At $7.95 a pound, it was a bargain. If you want to be ultra lazy, you can buy Ottomanelli’s fully cooked version every Thursday after 11 AM.

Now that local peppers are plentiful, red pepper coulis is one of my summer staples. Properly stored, it will keep in the refrigerator for about a month. I have never been able to keep the coulis for that length of time because, before I know it, I’ve depleted my stock

Menu

Roast Turkey Breast
Red Pepper Coulis**
Wine: Moulin-e-Vent Georges Duboeuf
Dessert: Häagendasz Chocolate Ice Cream

Recipe Red Pepper Coulis

4 red peppers
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and black pepper
Pinch of sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Rub the peppers with olive oil. Bake them in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a metal bowl. Seal with plastic wrap and set aside for 10 minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the skin and seeds from the peppers. Purée the peppers in a blender, together with the oil. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar.

I thought a Beaujolais Village would go well with the meal and had gone to our local wine store to buy a bottle. All their Beaujolais were by Georges Duboeuf of whom I never had a high opinion. Still, I thought this was a bit of snobbism and bought the Moulin-A-Vent. I disliked it thoroughly.

*Chef Frank
Ottomanelli (212) 772-7900
York Ave. & 82nd St.

**The recipe comes from my book, "Life of a Restaurant." It is available at Kitchen Arts & Letters.