Tips and Tools » With Cabernet/Shiraz

Pulled Pork on Kaiser Rolls

Makes 12 Servings

Ingredients
1/3 cup (80 ml) ketchup
1/3 cup (80 ml) cider vinegar
1/3 cup (80 ml) Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp Coleman dry mustard
1 tsp Hungarian paprika
10 whole cloves (in a tea strainer or cheesecloth)
1/4 cup (60 ml)brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 small chili pepper halved
16 oz (475 ml) Dr Pepper
1 medium onion, quartered
3 lb (1.4 kg) pork butt (also known as shoulder)
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp cornstarch

Preparation
Put all ingredients into the crock pot except pork butt, salt and pepper and cornstarch. Rinse and pat dry pork butt and generously salt and pepper. Whisk ingredients gently to combine, but not so vigorously that the pepper seeds infiltrate everything. Add pork butt and cook on high 4-5 hours. Remove pork butt from liquid when it is fork tender and pull it apart down to shredded pieces with two forks. Discard any fat or bones. Fish out the cloves and the chili pepper from the liquid mixture. Mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup (60 ml) liquid mixture then whisk it back into the mixture. Return the pulled pork to the crockpot and cook on high another 30 minutes to thicken sauce and combine flavors. Serve on Kaiser rolls with cheese, homemade mayonnaise and a tear of lettuce.

Kaiser Rolls

Makes 12 Servings

Ingredients
1 lb (450 g) self-rising flour (has lighter results, but all purpose is also okay)
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tsp salt
1.5 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp barley malt syrup
1 tbsp butter
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1 1/4 cup (295 ml) water

Preparation
Combine all dry ingredients in bowl of standing mixer except active dry yeast and .5 tsp sugar. Dissolve the active dry yeast and sugar in 1 1/4 cup (295 ml) warm water until slightly fermented. Give the dry ingredients a few spins with the dough hook to combine them, then add water, eggs, butter and active dry yeast mixture. Knead on medium setting of mixer for about five minutes, scraping down bowl and adding flour if necessary. The dough is not a dry dough, but you don't want it so wet it sticks to everything either. Once you have achieved evenly distributed dough, grease a large bowl and put the dough in it covered by a tea towel. Leave it to rise in a warm spot in the kitchen for one hour. Punch down the dough, and allow to rise for an additional hour.

Form the dough into 12 small, even sized balls. You can make more or less depending on the size you want your rolls, but adjust the cooking time if you deviate too much so as not to end up with burned buns. Let the balls rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes. To shape the balls, flatten into a disc and pull the outer edges of the disc under the middle so that the middle becomes the top of the roll and place the formed balls on a baking sheet. Cover and let rise one final hour. Preheat the oven to 450° and put a shallow pan of water on the lower rack so that there is steam in the oven to assist in baking. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning once during baking.

Dark Chocolate Torte

Makes 8 Servings

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups (400ml) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup (180 ml) butter
1/4 cup (60 ml) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp instant espresso powder or instant coffee
5 large eggs
1 cup (240 ml) sugar
Fresh blackberries (optional)

Icing
1/2 cup (120 ml) semisweet chocolate chips
1/8 cup (30 ml) butter
1 tbsp Blackberry Coulis

Blackberry Coulis
1 cup (235 ml) fresh or frozen blackberries 4 tsp sugar
2 tbsp water
1 tsp lemon juice

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch-diameter springform pan with margarine and line bottom with parchment paper. Stir chocolate chips and butter in medium saucepan set over low heat until smooth. Whisk in cocoa and espresso. Cool 10 minutes.

Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar in large bowl on high speed until thick, about 5 minutes. Fold in chocolate mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake torte for approximately 40 minutes or until wooden cake tester inserted into center comes out with some moist batter attached. Top of torte should be dry and cracked. Cool in pan for 1 hour to allow center to fall. With a spatula press raised edges to even out torte. Using a knife, cut around pan sides. Remove outer ring of springform pan. Place serving plate on top of torte and invert onto plate. Remove pan bottom and peel off parchment. Cool torte completely before icing.

Icing
Stir chocolate with butter in small saucepan set over low heat until smooth. Whisk in 1 tbsp Blackberry Coulis. Cool glaze 15 minutes. Pour glaze into center of torte. Smooth top with spatula, allowing some of glaze to drip down sides. Refrigerate uncovered until glaze is set, about 1 hour. Can be made ahead, covered and refrigerated up to one day prior to serving. Cut torte into wedges and serve with Blackberry Coulis.

Blackberry Coulis
Purée all ingredients in blender. Transfer to a sieve set over a small bowl. Stir and press sauce through sieve. Discard seeds. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Beef Wellington

Makes 2 Servings

Ingredients
3 tbsp (45 ml) butter, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup (60 ml) red wine (such as Cabernet Shiraz)
2 beef tenderloin steaks, approx. 4 oz (120 g)
1/2 package frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg
1 tbsp (15 ml) water

Bordelaise Sauce
3 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp shallot, minced
3 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1 cup (250 ml) beef broth
1/2 cup (125 ml) red wine (such as Cabernet Shiraz)
1 bay leaf

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°F. Melt 2 tbsp of the butter in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté for approximately 2 minutes or until softened. Add mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until mushrooms are slightly browned. Add the wine and cook, stirring until liquid has evaporated. Transfer to a bowl. Using the same skillet, melt 1 tbsp of butter increasing heat to high. Add steaks to pan seasoning with additional salt and pepper if desired. Sear meat cooking for approximately 1 minute per side (for rare meat) or until desired doneness. Remove steaks from pan and let cool.

On a lightly floured surface roll the puff pastry dough into a 12 inch square. Cut the square in half and cut one of the halves in two again. Reserve remaining dough for another use or cut into festive decorations using cookie cutters and brushing with egg wash (described below) to serve alongside Beef Wellingtons. In a small bowl beat the egg with 1 tbsp of water. Brush lightly over the dough squares. Spoon half of the mushroom mixture onto each square and place one steak on top of each. Starting with the corners of the dough wrap pastry around each of the steaks sealing any openings by folding and pinching them together. Transfer steak packages to a baking pan placing folded side down. Brush with egg mixture. Note: Beef Wellingtons can be prepared up until this point and then refrigerated for several hours until ready to bake. Remove from refrigerator approximately 1 hour before baking. Bake in preheated 425°F oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F and bake an additional 20 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden. Remove Beef Wellingtons from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Bordelaise Sauce
Using pan reserved from steaks, melt butter on medium to low heat. Add garlic and shallots sautéing 1 to 2 minutes. Do not brown. Stir in flour, thyme and ground pepper stirring to form a smooth paste. Slowly add broth, red wine and bay leaf. Increase heat to medium high. Cook, stirring mixture constantly until sauce begins to bubble and thicken. Remove bay leaf and serve with Beef Wellingtons.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Makes 2 Servings

Ingredients
2 cups (500 ml) fresh strawberries
5 oz (140 g) good quality chocolate, chopped
2 oz (60 g) white chocolate (optional)

Preparation
Wash and dry strawberries. Melt chocolate in a heat safe bowl in microwave on medium setting1 minute at a time, stirring in between until smooth. Holding berries by stem dip into melted chocolate covering three quarters of their length. Place stem side down on wax paper lined baking sheet. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes or until hardened. For an added touch melt 2 squares good quality white chocolate and drizzle over hardened milk chocolate covered strawberries using fork tongs. Refrigerate again until hardened.

Rack of Lamb

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients
1 (7 bone) rack of lamb, trimmed and frenched
2 tbsp (30 ml) ground coriander
2 tbsp (30 ml) ground cinnamon
1 tbsp (15 ml) ground cumin
1 tbsp (15 ml) ground nutmeg
1 tbsp (15 ml) black pepper
1 cup (250 ml) Cabernet/Shiraz wine
1/3 cup (80 ml) honey
Coarse sea salt to taste

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C). Season lamb with sea salt, mix remaining spices and rub over lamb. In a medium cast iron skillet over medium high heat, sear lamb on all sides until evenly browned. Place skillet with lamb in the preheated oven, and roast 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature has reached a minimum of 145° F (63° C). Remove lamb from skillet, reserving juices, and allow to rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing ribs. Place skillet with juices over medium heat, and stir in wine and honey. Cook until reduced by about half. Drizzle over ribs to serve.

Oven-Roasted Portobello Mushrooms with
Red Wine Blue Cheese Sauce

Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients
12 large portobello mushrooms, peeled
1/4 cup (50 ml) olive oil
3 tbsp (45 ml) unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs (1 kg) spinach, washed and stemmed
1 tbsp (15 ml) thyme, chopped
1 tbsp (15 ml) rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup (50 ml) grated aged cheddar cheese
1 cup (250 ml) tomato sauce

Red Wine Blue Cheese Sauce
2 cups (500 ml) Cabernet Sauvignon
1 shallot, finely minced
1 tsp (5 ml) crushed black peppercorns
1 leek (white part only), finely minced
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp (30 ml) blue cheese
1 tbsp (15 ml) unsalted butter
kosher salt and white pepper to taste

Preparation
Combine the portobello mushrooms with the olive oil in a large bowl and toss to combine thoroughly. Place the mushrooms on an ovenproof tray and bake for 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan set over medium heat add the butter. When the butter is frothy add the garlic and sauté until it is golden brown. Sauté the spinach with the garlic until it has wilted, about 2 minutes. Toss the herbs with the spinach and remove the pan from the heat. Divide the sautéed spinach among the portobello mushrooms then sprinkle the aged cheddar cheese. Make 6 stacks of 2 portobello mushrooms with spinach/cheese topping. Spoon over the tomato sauce and red wine blue cheese sauce.

Red Wine Blue Cheese Sauce
Pour the wine into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the shallot, pepper, leek and bay leaf. Reduce the liquid until 1/4 cup (125 ml) remains. Strain the liquid into another small pot. Add the cheese and the butter and warm the sauce over low heat until they have melted. Blend the sauce with a whisk and season with salt and pepper.

Venison Burger with Eggplant and Oka

Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients
2.25 lbs (1.2 kg) venison shoulder or leg, ground
1/2 lb (250 g) pork, ground
2 eggs
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
2 tbsp (30 ml) grainy mustard
2 tbsp (30 ml) rosemary, chopped
kosher salt and white pepper to taste
1 tsp (5 ml) cumin seed, ground
1 tsp (5 ml) ground ginger
1 tsp (5 ml) ground paprika
1 tsp (5 ml) ground coriander

Oka Cheese Disk
1 eggplant, cut into 6 disks
2 tbsp (30 ml) kosher salt
1 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
kosher salt and white pepper to taste
6 slices Oka cheese

Preparation
Mix all ingredients until well combined. Form the mix into 6 burgers and refrigerate until ready to grill. Preheat grill to medium-high. Place the venison burgers on the grill and cook to your desired degree of doneness, 8-10 minutes per side. When the venison patties are just about ready, place one eggplant and Oka cheese disk (see below) on each burger. Allow the cheese to melt slightly and serve.

Oka Cheese Disk
Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and allow to sit at room temperature for an hour. Rinse the salt from the eggplant under cold running water and pat dry. Brush the eggplant with olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle with garlic and season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 475° F (240° C) Place the eggplant on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 10 minutes per side. Remove and let cool slightly. Top each slice of eggplant with a slice of Oka.