Fois Gras + Lavender Truffel Honey + Ebleskiver (pancake) + Sauterns wine. Ridiculous and over-the-top. Very fun. Any good?
This started as a friendly request to make an ebleskiver dessert for a dinner party. Actually, we would both be making ebleskiver desserts, which raised the bar a bit. The hosts would be making a "sweet" ebleskiver dessert and I was instructed to bring dessert wine. With a Sauterns burning a hole in my wine fridge and some lavender-truffle infused honey that we had to get after eating a dish at Amada (tapas restaurant in Philly), my mind quickly filled in the blank ... Fois Gras! The dinner party needed a savory dessert, and the hosts had talked about the prospect of eating Fois Gras together with us some day (not something either of us do more than once every couple years).
I knew some higher being meant for us to eat fois gras when the local Wegmans happened to have it in stock. Time for some fun.
Ebleskivers are little pancake pastries that are perfect for stuffing with different ingredients. They are purported to come from Denmark, but Williams and Sonoma have popularized them in the states by selling the pan needed to make them. My buddy (the dinner party host) got into them first and followed quickly. In addition to being a nice breakfast treat, they make for good desserts. We even joke about doing a full 5 course meal of just Ebleskivers.
For dessert tonight, it was sweet and savory. Our hosts made peanut butter and chocolate skivers--hard to go wrong there, and our fois gras + truffel-lavendar honey skivers actually worked out quite well. I'm not sure the pancake pastry really added much, but the fois gras + honey combination was great. The truffel oil added a dimension that, while really not necessary, was quite interesting.
The sauterns was a 2001 Chataeu Filhot. On its own, it was just OK. Sweet and pleasant, but lacking some of the velvety smoothness of a finer bottle. However, it was transformed with the ebleskivers. There is a reason why fois gras + sauterns is a classic pairing.
Making the ebleskivers is quite easy. The bater is just pancake mix, although Williams and Sonoma sells a fancy (and expensive) mix that tastes quite good. This is what I used because we happened to have some left over. Once mixed, a teaspoon of batter is put into each pre-buttered depression in the pot--set over medium heat. If the temperature is right, you get just enough time to fill each soon-to-be airy pancake with something delectable. Then you put another teaspoon of batter on top and wait for them to get golden brown. It doesn't take long, and you can't actually see the browning process since the underside is getting most of the heat. With a little practice, you know when to flip the pancakes and cook the other side. This is made much easier with the special turning tools also sold by Williams and Sonoma. Once both sides are golden brown, you devour them. Each one is not much more than a single bite or two.
Lessons learned from the evening:
- Ebleskivers are always fun, especially when cooked with friends at a dinner party. Having each couple make their own was a great way to break of the evening and build some suspense.
- Foie Gras + Sauterns really is a classic pairing worth experiencing every once in a while.
- Lavender-Truffel Honey is a nice treat that can be put on just about anything. Within 24 hours, we put it on peanut butter, figs, pineapple, and [of course] fois gras. Delicious.
- Experimenting with--and most importantly eating--different food combinations with good friends is priceless.
 I must reveal one of my favorite summer pairings of 2009. This pairing delighted friends, family, and my wife on three different occasions this summer–which probably puts it into the Butler “standard” realm.
Smoked Ribs were not even on my radar screen a year ago, but thanks to a generous friend who decided to part with his smoker this year, I have been having a lot of fun with them. There are more variables to play with than I expected: dry vs. wet, different spice rub combination, marinades, mob sauces, BBQ sauces, cut and quality of ribs, type and amount of wood, length of cooking, and I am sure there are others I don’t even know about yet. With three rounds under my belt, I think I am just starting to get the hang of it. Nevertheless, I have been extremely happy with the results. For the smoked rib dinner I prepared last week, I went with a dry rub preparation of pork baby back ribs. My brother-in-law from Memphis was among the crew I was cooking for, and I thought this might be the typical “style” he was used to. The recipe I used was from The Barbecue! Bible 10th Anniversary Edition–Copyright 1998, 2008 by Steven Raichle (included at bottom of this post). The rub consists of ground pepper, ground cumin, dry mustard, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, sweet paprika, garlic powder, celery salt, and sea salt. Marinated overnight, this rub give the ribs a really nice flavor, without masking the great flavors of smoked pork. To smoke the pork, I prepared my smoker with “Cowboy Charcoal” and a handful of water-soaked hickory wood chips. Once hot, I allowed the pork ribs to cook–largely undisturbed–for 3.5 hours. Here is what they looked like before I removed from the rack: 
I also made some simple cole slaw to accompany the ribs by chopping cabbage and carrots and combining with mayonaise, sour cream, cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. This is a simple, but essential side dish that serves to cool mouths heated by the spicy and smokey ribs. And now the best part. I think I like smoked ribs so much because they pair great with Petite Sirah. Petite Sirah is a good match for any BBQ’ish menu, but the spicy, smokey, sweetness of these ribs is a perfect match for me. I devote a relatively large percentage of my wine cellar to Petite Sirah because I enjoy them so much during these types of summer meals. The wine that we enjoyed with this meal was a 2003 Eaglepoint Ranch fromMendocino County. I also like some of the Petite Sirah’s from Vincent Arroyo in Napa Valley. I would love some other recommendations. 
Together, the Smoked Ribs and Petite Sirah are fantastic. The stout, dark, and rich wine stands up well to the powerful flavors in the ribs. Many typical red table wines would taste like watered down grape juice when consumed with the ribs. Conversely, the ribs make the sometimes overpowering and mouth puckering Petite Sirah taste more gentle and refined. Said another way, the food and wine complement each other and taste better together than either could taste on their own. That is what gets me excited, and if you are still reading this, it probably excites you too! For more good smoked rib recipes, checkout the smoker-cooking.com web site–I have adapted a couple with very good results. Recipe used during this meal can be found at Epicurious.com: Advance preparation - 4 to 8 hours for marinating the ribs
Special equipment - 1 1/2 cups wood chips or chunks (preferably hickory), soaked for 1 hour in cold water to cover and drained
For the ribs and rub - 3 racks baby back pork ribs (about 7 pounds), or 2 racks pork spareribs (6 to 8 pounds total)
- 1/4 cup sweet paprika
- 4 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 4 1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons celery salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
For the mop sauce (optional) - 2 cups cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup yellow (ballpark) mustard
- 2 teaspoons salt
1. Prepare the ribs and rub: Remove the thin, papery skin from the back of each rack of ribs by pulling it off in a sheet with your fingers, using the corner of a kitchen towel to gain a secure grip, or with pliers. 2. Combine the paprika, black pepper, brown sugar, salt, celery salt, cayenne, garlic powder, dry mustard, and cumin in a small bowl and whisk to mix. Rub two thirds of this mixture over the ribs on both sides, then transfer the ribs to a roasting pan. Cover and let cure, in the refrigerator, for 4 to 8 hours. 3. Prepare the mop sauce (if using): Mix together the cider vinegar, mustard, and salt in a bowl and set aside. 4. Set up the grill for indirect grilling and place a large drip pan in the center. If using a gas grill, place all of the wood chips in the smoker box and preheat the grill to high; when smoke appears, reduce the heat to medium. If using a charcoal grill, preheat it to medium. 5. When ready to cook, if using a charcoal grill, toss the wood chips on the coals. Brush and oil the grill grate. Arrange the ribs on the hot grate over the drip pan. Cover the grill and smoke cook the ribs for 1 hour. 6. When the ribs have cooked for an hour, uncover the grill and brush the ribs with the mop sauce (if using). Re-cover the grill and continue cooking the ribs until tender and almost done, 1/4 to 1/2 hour longer for baby back ribs, 1/2 to 1 hour longer for spareribs. The ribs are done when the meat is very tender and has shrunk back from the ends of the bones. If using a charcoal grill, you’ll need to add 10 to 12 fresh coals to each side after 1 hour. Fifteen minutes before the ribs are done, season them with the remaining rub, sprinkling it on. 7. To serve, cut the racks in half or, for a plate-burying effect, just leave them whole. Source Information Excerpted from The Barbecue! Bible 10th Anniversary Edition (Workman) Copyright 1998, 2008 by Steven Raichlen
What do you do with a bunch of tuna that gets handed to you because a friend caught more than they could possibly eat? That is easy, you organize a last minute dinner party to enjoy with friends. That is exactly what a friend of mine did, and I am grateful. The coolest part about free, and plentiful, tuna is that you are less concerned about screwing it up. So my friend suggested we just experiment and cook the tuna a few different ways. Now that is a great idea! The result was tuna four different ways, served with some nice sake I have been saving—and a plethora of delicious side dishes. What started out as an informal affair turned out to be anything but. 
The Entree We had at least 6 pounds of tuna to work with for the main course. In order to appeal to the entire group, we created a range of flavors that spanned bland to “wowza”: Tuna #1: The bland tuna was a simple application of oil with salt and pepper. It was … well … bland. Tuna #2: The next step up was a coating of sesame seeds with oil, salt, and pepper. This is a classic flavoring for tuna that appeals to just about everyone. It is hard to go wrong with this option. Tuna #3: This tuna was first marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, lime juice, and freshly minced ginger. After about an hour, we removed from the marinade and coated the fish with black pepper, sea salt, and coriander seeds that were freshly ground in a mortar and pedestal. This tuna had flavor, and everyone liked it (including those adverse to too much spice). We also mixed up a sauce consisting of sake, wasabi, soy sauce, lime juice, and more fresh ginger. It was tasty, but it overpowered the fish. Tuna #4: The final tuna was more of an experiment. We used a spice rub to coat fish that was briefly soaked in oil. The spice consisted of ground pepper, sea salt, coriander, paprika, dry mustard, turmeric, allspice, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, ground red pepper flakes, sugar, and dried ground orange peel. I have seen this mixture called an African Adobo rub. This has a kick. I personally liked this the best, but half of the group disagreed (which is why it is important to know who you are cooking for). My reason for liking best was primarily due to my preference for the way it paired with the sake. All four tuna dishes were seared over high heat with some canola oil. A minute or two each side did the job. 
The Sake We drank chilled sake that I bought during a business trip in Japan. The only name recognizable in English is Gekkeikan–I imagine that is probably the producer. My knowledge about sake is very limited, so I’ll stick to what my taste buds told me. The sake was a clear, clean, and light. The most noticeable flavors were sweet pear and melon. Despite being light (or maybe because it was light), the sake held up well with the tuna. As mentioned, my favorite pairing was the sake with Tuna #4 (Adobo spice rub). I think the heat of the tuna and pleasant sweetness of the sake were very complimentary. 
The Sides I can’t take any credit for the side dishes–our hosts did a fabulous job. We enjoyed cold cucumber soup, baked sweet potatoes, Asian rice, avocado, wasabi, and an apricot/pepper salad (I can’t remember the proper name). All very tasty. The rounded out an excellent “informal” meal. Dessert Wine Keeping with the Japanese theme, our host pulled out a bottle of Japanese apricot liqueur. This was a very nice accompaniment to some fresh fruit and cream. Note: We wisely stayed away from the Japanese whiskey. 
I encourage everyone to partake in this type of cooking experimentation–where everyone gets involved in the experiment. In addition to learning some new flavor combination’s, it is a lot of fun and makes for a lively dinner party.
 Grilled Sweet Potatoes and Portobello Mushrooms Looking for a quick summer meal this evening, I turned to my favorite food website for inspiration–Epicurious.com. I settled on two grilled vegetable recipes:Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette and Grilled Portobello Parmesan Mushrooms. Both recipes can be prepped in about 30 minutes and take only 5-8 minutes on the grill. The result is a tremendously tasty meal that is perfect for a hot summer evening. I served the two veggies with a chicken caesar salad and paired with an Alsatian Gewürztraminer. More on that in a bit. The Portobello Parmesan Mushrooms are the star of this meal. They would taste delicious just grilled with the olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, and garlic glaze. After adding the ricotta and parmesan cheese, tomato, and smoked Gouda (I changed the recipe a bit), these mushrooms really explode with flavor–savory, mouthwatering flavor. I am salivating as I write this. The Sweet Potatoes are a nice compliment to the Mushrooms because they add some sweetness, and the Lime Cilantro Vinagrette adds a nice tangyness. Very different from the Mushrooms, but the Sweet Potatoes round out the meal nicely.  Alsatian Gewürztraminer from Julian Meyer For the wine pairing, I chose an Alsatian Gewürztraminer from Julian Meyer in France. This semi-sweet wine is a very good example of Gewürztraminers from this region. It has flavors of pears and apricots, and has a good backbone for pairing with food. This wine paired best with the Sweet Potatoes, where the sweetness merged well with the tangy lime sauce. Surprisingly, it also did well with the Mushrooms, proving that Gewürztraminers can be very versatile wines. One interesting things about this wine that I must point out is the “cork”. Well, it wasn’t actually a cork or anything resembling a cork. It was a glass stopper with a rubber ring to seal the bottle (see picture). The glass stopper can be snapped in and out of the bottle, and it appears to seal the bottle quite well. This was the first time I have ever encountered this–and I was especially surprised to see something so progressive from a French producer.  Glass "Cork" Overall, I would give the food and wine a big thumbs up. Perfect for a light summer dinner or lunch. I am sure I will pull out this combo again when entertaining guests.
 Espresso and Ice Cream Wikipedia says that “Anaffogato (Italian, “drowned”) is a coffee-based beverage or dessert. “Affogato style”, which refers to the act of topping a drink or dessert with espresso, may also incorporate caramel sauce or chocolate sauce.” I think we should drown more desserts with espresso. One simple treat that I have frequently enjoyed with friends and family lately is vanilla ice cream with a shot of espresso. This dessert is super-easy to prepare, yet when presented well, it feels “special” and “indulging”. To make this type of affogato, I usually put a few scoops of vanilla ice cream in a nice glass. Glassware is important if you want to get the full experience of watching the hot espresso mix with the frozen ice cream. I like to use a brandy glass (as pictured), but many other types would suffice. The espresso needs to be made fresh, and quality does matter. Fresh brewed espresso — complete with crema, the golden foam that comes along with well-shot espresso — makes the dessert so much more delightful. Present the espresso in an espresso glass along side the ice cream. The coffee and ice cream should not be mixed until it is time for it to be consumed, unless you are trying to make a coffee milk shake. Pouring espresso into ice cream When ready to enjoy, pour the espresso into glass with ice cream. This is fun to do with guests — especially ones who haven’t done this themselves. It is almost like letting your guests make their own dessert. A very simple dessert, but it makes people smile. After eating the ice cream and drinking the delicious liquid, smiles usual lead to laughter. For a more substantial dessert, add biscotti. Hey, affagoto is Italian – might as well stick with it. I like cinnamon biscotti. I have never served a dessert drink along with affagoto, but I imagine port would be a good pairing. Any other suggestions?
Tonight's meal was make in under one hour. It consisted of the following: Roast Pork Loin with Fruit Sauce - After trimming fat from pork loin and searing in a saute pan, I roast for 25 minutes. I added dried plums and orange-infused crazins (the only fruit we had lying around). I added some white wine in the pan before roasting. After removing pork from the oven, I reduced gin in the pan to get all the good stuff off of pan. I added a bit more white wine as well. The fruit sauce was served over top the sliced pork loin. Grilled Asparagus - This was grilled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Salt, pepper, onion powder, and sesame seeds were added half-way through cooking Garlic Rice Pilaf - Made out of a box  - Pork Loin, Asparagus, and Rice Pilaf
Pascal Jolivet Sancerre 2006 - We enjoyed this nice Sancerre with the meal. It was a good pairing. This Sauvignon Blanc is very food friendly, and it stood up reasonably well to the acidic vinegar/asparagus combo. The plums in sauce were a bit to much for this wine to handle, but it still complemented the pork nicely. A red zinfandel or petite syrah might have been better with the pork, but this wine was better overall considering the asparagus and rice. Good stuff Overall - This was a very pleasurable meal considering that we only had 1.5 hours from the start of cooking to the end of eating (we wanted to take our son to the beach while it was so nice out).
Rarely have I received as much praise for a meal as I did with these hot dogs. Thanks to some inspiration from the Food Network, I decided to make this during a family vacation this summer. The Mac and Cheese was made with bacon, leeks, mushrooms, and three cheeses. Hot sauce on the dogs and deep fried parsley on top finished things off nicely. The result was an irresistible and fun meal that got everyone fired up!
This is a nice pairing. The Tilapia is covered in a tomato sauce with onions, sardines, olives, oregano, and orange rind. It melts in your mouth and the crusty bread is perfect for sopping up the extra sauce. The Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc) complements the fish really well. It has the backbone to hold up against the robust olive flavor in the sauce, and a hint of citrus matches really well with the orange rind.
The wine is a 2005 gem from Gerard Boulay
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