Weekend Tasting
Menu
Buttercream Bakery Split Top Rolls, Salt and Pepper Butter
Roasted Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, Fleur De Sel
Sautéed Coastal View Farms Spring Asparagus
Butter Poached Lobster Tail, Sautéed South African Porcini Mushroom, Thyme Butter
12oz New Zealand Wagyu Boneless Ribeye
Wine
2016 Gibbs Three Clones Cabernet Sauvignon
Aside from just offering individual recipes, I thought it could be a nice idea to build some tasting menus. It’s nice to switch it up every now and then, so this offers a range of dishes that can be cooked over a longer period of time instead of slamming everything together on a single plate. I also wanted to do as much as I could with as few pans as possible, so this entire meal was done with 2 pans: a 2qt saucepan and a 10 inch cast iron skillet. In keeping with the minimalist idea, I also wanted to reuse as the ingredients as much as possible, which is where the butter comes in. I made a beurre monté, which is just emulsified butter, but is versatile enough to go with most of the plates from the menu with minimal effort.
The Beurre Monté
This was the workhorse for this menu. It’s main purpose is for poaching the lobster tails, but it can also be used for the bread and asparagus courses as well as a butter drizzle. All you need is a few tablespoons of water, 16oz (or so) of room temperature butter, a medium saucepan and a whisk. Once the emulsion is formed, you’re going to want to keep it at a low temperature (between 150ºF and 190ºF). You’ll be using this as a topping for your bread, as a sauce for the asparagus and as the poaching liquid for your lobster tails.
Ingredients and tools
1lbs room temperature butter
3tbsp water
2qt saucepan
Whisk
Cooking Directions
Cut your butter into smaller chunks. This will make it easier to whisk in and also speed up the tempering process so it’s not cold when you’re ready to use it.
Bring the butter to room temperature. It should be completely soft by this point.
Bring 3tbsp water to a boil in a saucepan
Turn the heat to medium-low and whisk in the butter piece by piece
As you whisk you’ll see bubbles starting to form as the emulsion thickens
Once you have your emulsion, continue to whisk in the rest of the butter
Keep the emulsion between 150º and 190ºF, whisking occasionally so a skin doesn’t form on top.
The Bread Course
Buttercream Bakery Split Top Rolls, Salt and Pepper Butter
This is a split top roll from Buttercream Bakery in Napa, Calif. It’s got the texture of a potato roll / egg roll, similar to challah but with less of an egg-washed exterior. You can find any dinner roll to use in it’s place, but if you have a local bakery, I’d suggest going there to find your roll versus finding something pre-packaged. These will be warmed in the oven first and then topped with the beurre monté after it’s been seasoned with a little salt and pepper, then served on a warmed plate.
Ingredients
3 dinner rolls
1tbsp beurre monté per roll
a few drops of lemon juice (optional)
finishing salt (maldon, sel gris or fleur de sel)
fresh cracker pepper
Cooking Instructions
preheat your oven to 350º
have the beurre monté from above already prepared and warmed to at least 150ºF
wrap your rolls in foil
put them in the oven for 5 minutes or until warmed through
heat your oven safe serving plate for 2 minutes
add 1tbsp of the butter per roll to a small mixing bowl
add 2-3 drops of lemon juice or champagne vinegar to the butter and gently whisk
add a small pinch of salt and a couple fine grinds of black pepper, then whisk
tear or cut your warmed rolls in half
arrange on the warmed serving plate
drizzle the butter across the top of the roll
top that with a little bit of the finishing salt and a few fine grinds of pepper
The Mushroom Course
Roasted Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, Fleur De Sel
Maitakes are among my most favorite mushrooms. They are outstanding when they are roasted and are very easy to prepare. Trim the bottoms of the stems off and save them in a ziplock bag the freezer for a mushroom stock. These will be simply roasted in the oven, drizzled with a nice olive oil and then served with a little finishing salt and ground pepper. You can add a dollop of the emulsified butter underneath each one before you set them on the plate for a little added richness.
Ingredients
1-2 Maitake mushrooms, bottom stem removed, split in half vertically
kosher salt
black pepper
canola oil
extra virgin olive oil
Cooking Instructions
heat your oven to 400ºF
drizzle some canola oil in a flat tray large enough to hold the cut mushrooms
season the oil with salt
lay the mushrooms, cut side down in the seasoned oil
sprinkle a little salt over top as well
lay the mushrooms, cut side down on a baking sheet or cast iron pan
roast in the oven for 15 minutes
check for doneness
you should be seeing the tips of the mushroom start to char, and the base of the mushroom should be easily pierced by a knife.
once cooked, arrange on a serving plate, and drizzle the extra virgin olive oil across the mushrooms
top with some fleur de sel finishing salt and some fresh cracked pepper
The Vegetable Course
Sautéed Coastal View Farms Spring Asparagus
This tasting was done during the Spring which is the season of asparagus. When vegetables are in season, you really don’t need to do much to them. If you can get your hands on quality produce, then you’ll probably need a little salt at most and the rest will speak for itself. These particular asparagus come from Coastal View Farms, who specialize in producing fantastic asparagus. I went with the extra large variety which allowed me to split them down the middle before sautéing them. They were finished with a bit of the butter, some finishing salt and few grounds of fresh black pepper. Simple and easy, but loaded with seasonal flavor.
Ingredients
one bunch large asparagus
canola oil
kosher salt
maldon salt
1tbsp beurre monté
fresh ground black pepper
Cooking Directions
Snap the bottoms of the asparagus off, trim bottoms for a cleaner look if desired
If they are large asparagus, split them in half
On small tray or plate, add a tablespoon or so of oil to the plate
Season the oil with the salt
Lay the asparagus in the oil, cut side down
Heat your pan over medium high heat
Add a little bit of oil to the pan (the asparagus will already be coated, so you won’t need much)
Once the oil is shimmering, add the asparagus to the pan, cut side down
Sauté over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes or until the bottoms just begin to get some golden brown color
Flip the asparagus and cook on the other side for another 3-5 minutes or until they start to get a bit of char (see photo)
Remove from the pan and lay them on a paper towel to remove the excess oil
To serve: lay 3 asparagus across the plate and drizzle the beurre monté across the plate
Finish with some Maldon salt and a few grinds of black pepper
The Seafood Course
Butter Poached Lobster Tail, Sautéed South African Porcini Mushroom, Thyme Butter
I picked these up tails up at a Whole Foods nearby. They seem to have these pretty consistently in some form, and for $10 per tail, it’s not the worst deal in the world. They range in 5-6oz range and vary in origin. On a recent trip to South Florida I ended up finding some local tails that were a bit more expensive, but it’s nice knowing you’ll have regional options based on your location. If you don’t have a whole foods near, you can substitute any other lobster tail (or shellfish for that matter) for this dish. If your tail is frozen, you’ll want to defrost it before poaching.
As far as the mushrooms go, this was the first time I’ve ever come across a Porcini from South Africa, so I grabbed a couple to try them out. If you’re doing the seasonal thing, and it’s Spring time, then Morel Mushrooms would go perfectly with this dish. If not, then shoot for a hearty mushroom like a large cremini, king trumpet or shiitake, all of which are more commonly found in most stores. I’d avoid thinner mushrooms like Oyster mushrooms (also commonly found), as I think they’d get oversaturated and lost in the butter below.
The beurre monté that we’ve been working with so far was specifically created for the purpose of poaching the shellfish here, and we’ve just been adding it to other dishes so it has some extra purpose and doesn’t feel as wasteful. I added a few sprigs of thyme to the emulsion before I started cooking the lobster to try to get some extra flavor into it. You could try things like adding some cloves, or garlic, or bay leaves or any other fresh herb or whole spice to impart some new flavors into the butter. Whatever you put in there, just let it steep for a little bit and see what you get out of it. If you can start to taste it, then you’ll probably get some nice hints of it in lobster as well. Make sure the emulsion is heated to at least 150ºF. If you can cook the lobster in that 150-160º range, you’ll have an amazingly tender a flavorful result when it’s done. You’ll have to adjust the heat since the cold tails will immediately drop the temperature of the butter when they first go in, so pay attention to what’s happening there.
Ingredients
One or two 5oz lobster tails, meat removed from the shells
All of the remaining beurre monté (should be enough to completely submerge the small tails)
Any additional herbs or whole spices that you’d like to add (cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary etc etc)
Porcini or any thicker mushroom (see explanation above)
Fleur de Sel
Fresh ground black pepper
Cooking Directions
Mushrooms
Stand the mushroom, cap up, and slice the ends off on each side, so you just have a nice thick center cut. About 1/2 inch thick.
Using the same technique as the asparagus, add a bit of canola to a tray or plate, season it with salt and lay the mushroom down in the seasoned oil. You don’t want it saturated, but just enough to coat the
Heat some canola oil in a pan until shimmering over medium heat
Add the mushrooms and sauté until golden brown, between 3-5 minutes
Remove from the pan and place on paper towels to remove excess oil
Lobster
Make sure your beurre monté is between 150º and 190º and any additions have been steeping
Add your lobster to the emulsion
Keep an eye on the temperature as it will drop when the cold shellfish has been added
Cook for 7-9 minutes
Remove from the emulsion
You can pat it dry if desired or leave a nice glaze of butter on the lobster to add to the richness.
To serve: spoon out some of the emulsion on to a plate. Arrange the lobster and mushrooms on the plate. If you used any fresh herbs, you can pick some fresh leaves and spread them over the dish as garnish. Finish with Fleur de sel and fresh ground pepper.
The Meat Course
12oz New Zealand Wagyu Boneless Ribeye, Eye and Cap separated and trimmed
The final course here will be the meat course. I found some outstanding looking New Zealand Wagyu (from First Light) that had just been cut. The fat was beaming white, which is sign of freshness and quality (the above pictures were taken almost a day later, so it lost some of it’s beauty as it sat wrapped in the fridge). New Zealand wagyu is similar to American Wagyu in that it’s taste and texture is a cross between the Japanese Wagyu’s ultra richness and a leaner steak that you’d traditionally be eating. It has great tenderness and flavor, and also falls into a much more affordable category than it’s Japanese counterpart. In keeping with the two pan approach, this was just seared in the same cast iron pan that the asparagus and mushrooms were cooked in, while only wiping out the pan in between plates. This one just needed a quick sear and then was finished in the oven before trimming and slicing. I separated the cap and the eye to minimize the bands of fat that ran through the steak, which eliminates the pile of fat you’re usually left with afterwards. The steak was somewhere around the 12-14oz mark when I bought it. Once the fat is trimmed and the meat has been cooked, you’ll probably end up with something around the 10oz mark. You can choose to trim the steak before or after you cook it, but in this case I chose to do afterwards, leaving the steak whole to cook as it normally would, and then slicing it to serve. This also ensured even cooking.
Ingredients
One boneless ribeye
Kosher salt
Canola oil
Sel Gris
Cooking Directions
rest your steak for at least 30 minutes at room temp
preheat your oven to 400ºF
heat a cast iron pan over medium heat while you prep your steak (you can throw it in the oven as it heats up if you’re still a ways out from cooking the steak)
five minutes before cooking, drizzle a small amount of cooking oil on the steak and spread it over the surface.
season with kosher salt
add your high heat cooking oil to the pan and heat until shimmering
1 minute before cooking, turn the heat up to high
just as the oil begins to smoke, lay your steak down in the pan
sear for two minutes. After the first minute, peek underneath the steak to make sure it’s getting an even sear. If not, rotate the steak 45º so it touches a new part of the pan.
flip and repeat for the other side for another two minutes
transfer to a cooking rack and place in the oven
cook for 4-5 minutes
remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes
Carving and Serving
Warm your oven safe plate for 2 minutes in the oven.
After fully resting, begin by remove the cap. Cut into equal sized pieces and arrange on the plate.
Trip the remaining fat away from the top and bottom of the eye, slice into 1 inch thick slices, and arrange on the plate.
Sprinkle a little bit of Sel Gris onto the steak
