This Month's Recipes are from Michael and Jeff.

Classic Wine Club
For the Grenache Blanc Scallop Tartare, Fennel Cream and Crushed Rice Crackers
To me, the combined flavors of Scallop and Fennel are the perfect match for the des Tours Côtes du Rhône Blanc.   Lately, I've been loving the raw fish tartare preparations that one finds on Bay Area menus. While these are certainly not the kinds of things Mom used to make, for haute cuisine they are relatively easy to make  - provided you seek out and buy the very best, freshest fish you can find and serve it that night.

I adapted this recipe from Chef Nori Sugie of Asiate at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel - New York.  I made the portion a little larger and simplified the presentation for a splashy starter for a dinner party… say on Oscar night?


Ingredients:
Scallop tartare:
Bobotie 
South African cuisine is an amalgam of many cooking styles and influences- Native African, Dutch, French, English, Javanese/Indonesian, Indian, Malaysian, and German (as well as Portuguese influences from neighboring Mozambique).   Traditional cookery of South Africa is often referred to as "Cape Dutch"; this cuisine is characterized by the use of spices such as nutmeg, allspice and hot peppers. The Cape Dutch cookery style owes at least as much to the cookery of the slaves brought by the Dutch East India Company to the Cape from Bengal, Java and Malaysia as it does to the European styles of cookery imported by settlers, and this is reflected in the use of eastern spices and the names given to many of these dishes.

• 8 Hokkaido (extra large)scallops, small dice
•  1/2 asian pear, small dice  
• 1 shallot, finely chopped 
• 1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped  
• 2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped 
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 
• 1/2 teaspoon hazelnut oil 
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Fennel cream:

• 1 medium fennel
•  2 tablespoons vegetable oil  
• 1 cup heavy cream 
• 2 cups chicken stock 
• 1/3 teaspoon fennel seed 
• 1 tablespoon white wine  
• Salt and pepper to taste 
  
  
• 1 tablespoon crushed Rice crackers
  

Method:
Scallop tartare:
Combine scallops and pear with shallot, ginger and chives. Add olive oil, hazelnut oil and salt and pepper to taste. Mix all ingredients very well and reserve.

Fennel cream:
Thinly slice the fennel bulb and sweat* in vegetable oil. Add heavy cream, chicken stock, fennel seeds, white wine and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat until fennel is tender. Remove from heat and blend until smooth, Strain and reserve. Keep refrigerated.

To serve:
Place ¼ of the scallop tartare on a small chilled plate. Top with a teaspoon or two of fennel cream and finish with a sprinkle of crushed rice cracker.

*(to sweat:  cook slowly over low heat, with fat, without browning, sometimes covered)

For the Barbera Wild Mushroom Risotto
The Barbera grape comes from Piedmont, Italy and so I thought a Risotto would be a nice complement to Mick Unti’s terrific wine. Making risotto is a craft,  but don’t be afraid to jump in and try. 

Two key things to keep in mind  

• Risottos are about the rice so keep the ratio of other ingredients to the rice in check. Too many mushrooms and the texture will be compromised as it won’t really cling together.
  
• Try to only use homemade stock for risotto as the extra depth of homemade stock really makes a difference in the final product.

• 1 ounce dried Porcini mushrooms
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 4 ounces of assorted wild mushrooms, torn or cut into bite size pieces (chanterelles, yellow foot, hen of the woods, black trumpets)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 1 shallot, finely chopped 
• 1 cup Arborio, Carnaroli, or Vialone Nano rice
•  1/2 cup Amontillado or Manzanillo  Sherry 
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves chopped to about 2 tablespoons 
• 1/2 cup (3 handfuls) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 
• Coarse salt and pepper
  

Place dried Porcinis and stock in a saucepan and bring stock to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer.

In a large skillet on medium heat add 1 tbs of butter and sauté the wild mushrooms letting then wilt, give off their moisture and cook until dry again. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the oil and rest of the butter to the pan and add shallots and sauté 2 minutes ,then add rice and sauté 2 or 3 minutes more.

Add Sherry and cook the liquid completely absorbed. Add several ladles of hot stock or broth and reduce heat slightly. Simmer, stirring frequently until liquid is absorbed.

Remove mushrooms from water and reserve cooking liquid. Coarsely chop the porcinis and add them to the rice along with the sautéed wild mushrooms.

Continue to ladle broth into rice, half the remaining amount at a time. Stir mixture each time you add broth and remove from heat when the rice is cooked to al dente. ( This of course is the point at which all cooks depart from one another as one cook's  al dente is another's mush… therefore cook until it tastes good to you. The consistency should be creamy but loose. I much prefer risotto a little too loose to one that is gloppy and heavy.

Stir in thyme and a few handfuls of grated cheese. Season your risotto with salt and pepper to your taste.

For the Negroamaro: Osso Bucco

It's time to eat veal again, now that humanely raised veal is appearing in better butcher counters.  Osso Bucco is a braised dish, and long braises truly deliver a lot of flavor without a ton of preparation -  most of the cooking requires no attention.

This classic rendition of Osso Buco is easy and delicious.

• 1/4 pound pancetta, diced 1/4 inch cubes (do not substitute bacon and don;t have the butcher slice into thin sheets)
• 2-1/2 to 3 pounds veal shanks (4 to 6 pieces 2-3 inches thick)
• 1/2 cup diced carrot (1/4 inch)
• 1/2 cup diced celery (1/4 inch) 
• 1 medium onion, diced (1/4 inch)
• 2 Tbsp (4 cloves) finely chopped garlic 
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried) 
• 1 cup dry white wine 
• 1-2 cups chicken or veal stock 
• Flour for dusting the meat before browning
  
• Salt and Pepper
  

for the Gremolata

• 2 Tbsp Minced flat/Italian parsley
• 1 Tbsp grated lemon zest 
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
  

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Heat a dutch oven on the stove top over medium heat for about five minutes. Add pancetta to pan, cook, stirring occasionally. When the pancetta is crispy and most of the fat has rendered (about 5 minutes), remove the pancetta to a plate covered with some paper towel and set aside. If necessary, drain off all but two tablespoons of the fat from the pan.

Season the veal shank well with salt and pepper. Dredge the veal shanks through some flour, shake off any excess, and add the meat to the hot fat in the pan. Increase the heat to medium high and cook the meat on each side until well browned (about 5 minutes per side). Remove the shanks to a plate, set aside.

Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the dutch oven. Cook the onion mixture, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent (about five minutes) and toss in the garlic and thyme. Continue cooking until the vegetables just begin to brown (about 10 minutes).

Add the shanks and the pancetta back to the pan. Pour in the wine, and then add enough stock to come a little more than half way up the side of the shanks. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pan ( I have had good success cutting out a circle of parchment and placing it directly on top of the braise and then topping with the lid) and put it in the oven to cook until the meat is tender, about an hour to an hour and a half.

Combine the gremolata ingredients, place in a separate small serving dish.

Serves 4 to 6, depending on how many shanks you have, one shank per person. Serve on top of polenta and sprinkle with gremolata.

For the Muscat: Tres Leches Cake

Tres Leches cakes are popping up in bakeries and on menus and so I wanted to try making it at home. I adapted this cake from a recipe in the Chronicle last summer. The original was a little rich and sticky for my taste so I lightened it by cutting the condensed milk in half and adding some whole milk in its place. This dessert ends up being both light and rich at the same time!

Sponge cake

• Baking spray
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose bleached flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 eggs, separated
• 2 cups extra-fine sugar, such as Baker's
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lime juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2/3 cup whole milk, room temperature

Three-milk topping

• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
• 1/2 can (7 ounces) condensed milk
• 8 ounces heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla

Berry sauce

• 1 (16 ounces) package frozen blackberries or raspberries, thawed
• 1/4 cup sugar

Whipped cream icing

• 8 ounces heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• Garnish
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 1 cup fresh blackberries

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350°. Mist a 9 x 13-inch baking pan (I use a glass pan) with baking spray. Line bottom with parchment and mist.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

In a large bowl of a standing mixer, or with a hand-held mixer, whip egg whites on medium speed to soft peaks. Slowly add the sugar; raise speed to high and continue whipping to stiff peaks.Reduce speed to low, and beat in yolks one by one. Beat in the lime juice and vanilla.Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, in two or three additions, ending with the flour. Stop the mixer when all the flour is just in. Use a spatula to quickly and gently finish folding in all the flour until it is just moistened and there are no dry spots. The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Tap on counter to release air bubbles. Bake for 30-35 minutes (exact time will depend on whether your pan is metal or glass), or until cake is golden and center springs back when touched.

For the topping
While cake is baking, whisk together evaporated milk, condensed milk, heavy cream, whole milk and vanilla. Cool cake on long baking rack for 10 minutes and then release along the sides with a thin knife (I use an old steak knife). Place rack on top of dish and turn over to release. Allow cake to cool upside down for another 20-30 minutes.

Next turn cake right-side up onto a long, serving dish with a rim to catch the excess milk topping. Poke holes in the cake with a steak knife or skewer. Pour 1 cup of the milk topping over entire top of cake. Wait until it soaks in and then repeat. When the topping is absorbed, pour over another cup of topping.

You can keep pouring on the milk cup by cup until all of it is used up, or you can save 1/2 cup to serve along with the cake as a side since people seem to like it so much they want to lick their plates.
Cover the cake and plate well with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 3 hours, or overnight.

For the sauce
Meanwhile, pure thawed blackberries in food processor with the sugar. Pour into a wire strainer and tap edge so purée goes through leaving behind the seeds. Place sauce in covered container until ready to serve the cake.

For the icing: An hour before serving cake, whip the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread smoothly over the top of the cake. Put cake back in the refrigerator until serving time. Alternatively, you can hold the whip cream to the side, and put a couple of generous dollops on each square as you serve it.

Cut cake in 4-inch squares and place each on a pool of berry sauce. Scatter raspberries and blackberries around the edge of plate and serve with any reserved milk topping.
High End Red Wine Club

• 2 pounds grnd lamb or beef, or a mixture of the two butter, vegetable oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 slices bread, crumbled
• 1/4 cup milk
• finely grated rind and juice of 1/2 small lemon
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt  and black pepper
• 3 ounces dried apricots, chopped
• 1 crisp green (e.g. Granny Smith)apple peeled, cored and chopped
• 1/4 cup sultana golden raisins
• 1 1/2 ounces slivered almonds, roasted in a dry frying pan
• 6 lemon, orange, or bay leavesFor the Godmuskateller:  Speck Carpaccio
  Here's a simple and delicious way to enjoy the taste of Alto Adige. Speck is the smoked air-cured prosciutto-like ham,of the region,  served sliced paper thin.   It's available from specialty food stores like AG Ferrari or the Pasta Shop. I'm already salivating thinking about this dish’s salty, smoky, spicy flavors against the sweet exotic perfume of the Goldmuskateller. Yum!
  

Topping

• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325°.  Butter a large casserole. Heat butter and oil in a saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until translucent. Stir in the curry powder and turmeric, and cook briefly until fragrant. Remove the pot from the heat.

Mix in the minced meat. Mix together the crumbs, milk, lemon rind and juice, egg, saltpepper, apricots, apple, golden raisins and almonds and mix in. Pile into the casserole and level the top. Roll up the leaves and bury them at regular intervals. Seal with foil and bake for 1 1/4 hours.

Increase the oven temperature to 400°. Mix together the topping milk, eggs and salt (you may require extra topping if you've used a very large casserole), pour over and bake uncovered for a further 15 minutes until cooked and lightly browned. Serve with rice.

• 24 slices Speck
• Arugula
• Parmesan cheese shavings
• extra virgin olive oil
  
  Distribute a small hand full of arugula onto each plate. Make a pleasing curl of the Speck and nestle in the arugula. Use six slices for each plate.Top with cheese shavings. Dress to taste with extra virgin olive oil. Here is where you want to pull out your best oil..
  
  For the Lagrein Braised Meat and Speck with Langrein( Pot Roast)
  This is a basic pot roast with an Italian twist (adding a bit of speck). This easy no-nonsense home cooked winter meal will fill your home with pleasant smells that will have everyone lingering in the kitchen wondering what you are making.
  
  
• 2 1/4 pounds chuck roast
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 medium sized yellow onion
• 1 rib celery
• 1/4 pound Speck
• 1 carrot
• 1  plum tomato
• 1 cup of beef  or chicken stock, home made if possib;e
•  2 cups Langrein or other high acid red wine
•  Salt & pepper
• •Aromatic herbs (for example thyme, marjoram, and a touch of oregano), a bunch of parsley, several leaves of sage, and a bay leaf and a clove of garlic ( Take all these things and tie them up in a piece of cheese cloth so that they can be easily removed later.)

PREPARATION:
Cut the speck into thin strips and make punctures in the meat with a thin-bladed knife and slip the Speck into the holes.  Dice the carrot, onion and celery.

Preheat  oven to 350.

Heat the oil in an ovenproof pot and brown the meat, turning it to get all sides. Season with salt and pepper; add the carrot, celery and onion, and continue cooking, stirring things about, until the onion is golden.  Chop the tomato and add to the meat, then stir in the wine and add the herbs, sage, garlic, and bay leaf, putting them in a cheesecloth bag to make it easier to remove them. Cover the pot, and when the liquid begins to simmer transfer it the pot to the oven.  Cook the meat for another hour, sprinkling it occasionally with a little broth and turning it. When it is tender, remove it to a platter and keep it hot; discard the herb bag, reduce the sauce over the stove, and, when it has thickened some, correct the seasoning. Spoon the sauce over the roast and serve with polenta and a green vegetable.Couscous Crusted Salmon
It may sound hackneyed, but Salmon - fresh wild-caught Salmon - is perhaps the perfect pairing for a juicy, balanced Oregon Pinot like the Kilmore.    I found this recipe in an old Food and Wine and tweaked it a bit.

    * 1 cup boiling water
    * 1 cup instant couscous
    * 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    * 2 slices lean bacon, cut into 1/4-inch dice
    * 1 garlic clove, minced
    * 6 oil-packed black olives, pitted and chopped
    * 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
    * Salt and freshly ground pepper
    * Four 6-ounce center-cut salmon fillets, skinned
    * 1 large leek, white and tender green parts only, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
    * 1/2 cup fruity Pinot Noir (try the Kilmore's younger brother - the Sharecropper Pinot, or you can substitute an even lesser priced bottle)
    * 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    * 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
    * 1 stick (4 ounces) well chilled unsalted butter, sliced into tablespoons

directions

Preheat oven to 500°. In a small heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over the couscous. Cover with a plate and let stand until the water has been completely absorbed, about 10-20 minutes.

In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the diced bacon and cook over moderate heat until it is lightly crisp, about 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant. Remove the bacon from the heat and stir in the olives, parsley and couscous. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Put the salmon fillets on a lightly oiled baking sheet, skinned side down and season with salt and pepper. Carefully mound the couscous on the fillets, pressing lightly to help it adhere. Bake the salmon in the upper third of the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the topping is crisp and the salmon is just cooked through.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the leek, cover and cook over moderately low heat until softened, about 6 minutes. Scrape the leek onto a plate. Add the wine,  vinegar and shallot to the saucepan and boil over moderately high heat until the liquid has reduced to 2 1/2 tablespoons, about 4 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time; return the pan to the heat only as necessary to keep the sauce warm. Do not let the sauce boil. Stir the leeks into the sauce and cook just until heated through. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Serve at once with the salmon.

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Spanish Wine Club
For the Albariño Spanish Anchovy and Fennel salad
I just love pickled anchovies. Forget everything you think you know about anchovies, as these are light, tangy and delicate. You can find them in most fish markets ( including JP Seafood) or at the Berkeley Bowl. If you don’t have preserved lemons don’t worry about it, you can leave them out, improvise with the quick ones below, or even substitute a bit of lemon oil in the recipe. This will be tasty with this month’s Albariño.

• 9 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 5 ounces mâche or baby arugula
• 1 large fennel bulb, very thinly sliced, divided
• 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced purchased or homemade preserved lemon*
• 8 ounces Spanish white anchovies in vinegar or smoked trout
  

Preparation
Whisk oil and vinegar in small bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper.
Combine mâche, 1/2 cup fennel, 1/3 cup onion, and preserved lemon in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Arrange on platter. Top with remaining fennel and onion, then anchovies. Drizzle with more dressing and serve.

Quick 'Preserved' Lemons: Combine 1 thinly sliced lemon, 1/2 cup lemon juice, and 4 teaspoons coarse sea salt in small skillet. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Cool.

For the Veraton:  Barbecued Pork Sandwiches with Pickled Red Onion
I really don’t think there is a match to a wine like Alto Moncayo Veraton. Massive, rich, and alcoholic (16%!), this wine can blows away almost any food… so what to do?   I made braised beef ribs with smoky chilis about a year ago for a Syrah tasting and was surprised to find the rich, sweeter Syrahs from the new world matching well to the smoky slow burn of pepper. Try this barbeque pork sandwich as a quick and easy weekday dinner and see how it works with the wine.

Onion

• 1 red onion, halved, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 6 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon (scant) salt

Vinaigrette

• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked salt or coarse kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons purchased tomato-based barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Pork

• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika (Pimentón de La Vera)*
• 1 teaspoon smoked salt or coarse kosher salt
• 2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 6 large onion rolls, split, toasted

 * available at The Spanish table

Preparation
For onion:
Place sliced onion in medium bowl. Pour boiling water over. Let stand 10 minutes; drain well, then return to bowl. Add juice, vinegar, and salt and stir to blend. Cover and chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

For vinaigrette:
Chop garlic with salt to paste; scrape into small bowl. Add barbecue sauce, orange juice, and lime juice to bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season vinaigrette to taste with pepper.
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

For pork:
Blend pepper, smoked paprika, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle seasoning mix evenly over both tenderloins. Let stand at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (high heat). Grill tenderloins uncovered 5 minutes, rolling over to sear all sides. Cover grill and continue to cook until thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 145°F, turning often and moving to cooler part of grill as needed, about 15 minutes longer. Transfer to cutting board; let rest 10 minutes.

Thinly slice tenderloins crosswise into rounds. Mound pork on roll bottoms. Top with well-drained onion slices, then drizzle with vinaigrette. Cover with roll tops and serve, passing extra onion slices and vinaigrette separately.

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Pinot Wine Club

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Italian Wine Club

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