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Perfect Pairings
A great restaurant meal deserves a great wine. We asked some of our favourite chefs and sommeliers to select a wine from their list and pair it with a dish from their kitchen.
Ahi Tuna Loin with Ratatouille, Pine Nuts and Balsamic Glaze
Wine pairing: 2005 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Cuvee Yamhill
By Shonn Oborowsky (Characters Restaurant, Edmonton)
4, 6-oz pieces ahi tuna
1 tsp olive oil
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
Let tuna sit out at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile heat olive oil in a non-stick frying pan until it is very lightly smoking. Place tuna in pan and sear it for about 20-30 seconds on each side. Remove from pan and plate atop ratatouille and spoon balsamic glaze (recipes follow) around tuna. Top with pine nuts. Makes 4 servings.
Ratatouille
2 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, finely chopped
1 zucchini, cut into three-inch spears
½ eggplant, cut into one-inch cubes
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 pepper, coarsely chopped
½ cup of basil leaves
2 tbsp tomato sauce
Put all ingredients into a stock pot, starting with oil. Stir lightly to combine and to coat vegetables with oil. Cook on medium-high for about 15 minutes or until thick.
Balsamic Glaze
1 cup sugar
1 cup balsamic vinegar
Add both ingredients to non-reactive pan (avoid aluminum) and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Sablefish Caramelized with
Soy and Sake
Wine pairing: Sokol Blosser 2006 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Pairing by Andrea Vescovi (Blue Water Cafe & Raw Bar, Vancouver)
4, 6-oz sablefish fillets, skin on
1 ½ cups soy-sake marinade (see below)
1 ½ cups green beans
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups canola oil, for deep-frying
4 tbsp flour
tsp cayenne pepper
4 shallots, thinly sliced
Combine sablefish and soy-sake marinade (see recipe below) in a plastic zip-top bag and refrigerate overnight. Make orange-tamarind (see recipe below) sauce in advance.
Heat a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add beans and blanch. Transfer beans to a bowl and toss in butter. Season with salt and pepper. Heat canola oil in a deep fryer or a deep pot to 300?F. Mix flour and cayenne in a bowl. Toss shallot slices in this seasoned flour to dredge, then fry them in oil until golden and crisp, about 30 seconds. Remove shallot slices from oil and allow to drain on paper towels. Remove sablefish fillets from refrigerator and allow them to warm to room temperature. Turn broiler on. Transfer sablefish, skin-side down, to a cast-iron pan and place it on lowest rack under broiler for 5 to 10 minutes until fish is deeply caramelized. (Cooking time will depend upon thickness of fillets.) To serve, arrange a quarter of green beans in centre of each of four plates. Using a metal spatula, lift each fillet from its skin and place on beans. Sprinkle each dish with fried shallots and finish with a quarter of orange-tamarind sauce and some orange zest. Makes 4 servings.
Soy-Sake Marinade
½ cup sake
½ cup water
½ cup soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp mirin (sweet cooking wine)
In a small saucepan, bring all ingredients to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high and simmer until sugar is dissolved and alcohol has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow mixture to cool, then refrigerate until well chilled.
Orange-Tamarind sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
½ onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
jalapeño pepper, sliced
1-inch piece of ginger, sliced
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
cup balsamic vinegar
cup concentrated orange juice
2 tbsp tamarind paste
4 cups chicken stock
8 kumquats, sliced and seeded
Zest of ¼ orange, julienned for garnish
In a large saucepan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add carrot, celery, onion, garlic, jalapeño and ginger and sweat for 5 to 10 minutes until fragrant. Add mustard seeds, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaf, vinegar, orange juice, tamarind paste and chicken stock. Cook until liquid has reduced by two-thirds, 20 to 30 minutes. Strain sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Add kumquats. Will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Blueberry Bread Pudding
Wine pairing: Dutschke Muscat, Barossa Valley, Australia
By Christopher Sprague (529 Wellington, Winnipeg)
12 cups white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 2/3 cups whipping cream
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 1/3 cup frozen blueberries
Mix whipping cream, eggs, sugar, honey and nutmeg together. Pour mixture over bread cubes in a large bowl and toss together by hand until bread is saturated. Refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 325?F. Line a 9x13, 4-inch deep baking dish with waxed paper and grease lightly. Add frozen blueberries to bread mixture; don’t let it sit long as blueberries will bleed colour. Place baking dish inside a large roasting pan filled halfway with water, cover with foil and bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for 20 minutes more. When cool, invert pan and remove waxed paper. Cut into pieces. Serve warm, drizzle with warm caramel sauce and garnish with fresh berries and whipped cream. Makes 8 servings.
Turn to page 79 for another recipe...
Heirloom Tomato and Goat
Cheese Salad with Arugula and Pumpkinseed Pesto
Wine pairing: Jackson-Triggs Sauvignon Blanc, British Columbia
By Melissa Craig (Bearfoot Bistro, Whistler)
1 1/4 cups semi firm goat cheese
Olive oil
Fresh basil
Fresh thyme
Cracked pepper
1/2 lb arugula
1 cup toasted pumpkinseeds
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 head roasted garlic
2 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
3-4 seasonal heirloom tomatoes, sliced
Fleur de sel
Cracked pepper
Basil leaves, for garnish
One day in advance, break goat cheese up into bite-size
pieces. Add enough olive oil to cover, mix in herbs, one-half head of roasted garlic cloves and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.
To make pesto, blend arugula, pumpkinseeds, olive oil, two roasted garlic cloves and balsamic in food processor. Blend. Add cheese. Season with salt and pepper; adjust consistency if desired by adding more oil. Set pesto aside.
When ready to serve, season tomatoes with fleur de sel and pepper. Drizzle tomatoes with pesto and arrange goat cheese around tomatoes. Garnish with basil. Makes 6 servings.
Red Wine-Braised Lamb Shank
Wine pairing: Quinta do Crasto Douro, Portugal
By Dewey Noordhof (Brava Bistro, Calgary)
1 cup kosher salt
4 lamb shanks
1 tsp olive oil
2 long carrots, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 large red onion, diced
1 tsp dried thyme (or 2 tsp fresh)
1 ½ cups stock
1 ½ cups hearty red wine (like Zinfandel or Nebbiolo)
Spread salt on a baking pan and roll each shank until well coated. Place salt-covered shanks in refrigerator overnight, or for at least 8 hours to cure. Remove 1 hour before cooking. Place olive oil in a large cast iron frying pan with a lid and heat until just smoking. Sear shanks on all sides, remove from pan and set aside. Add carrot, celery, onion and thyme to pan and sweat for 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Deglaze pan with wine. Add stock and bring pan to a boil. Place shanks into pot. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook until meat is close to falling from bone (at least 2 ½ hours). Makes 4 servings.
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