Christmas Menu 2007

Here is the menu I cooked for Christmas dinner for a dozen family members. We finished with an insalata mista with hearts of palm (italian style). The classic sauce accompaniment to chateaubriand (classic) is bearnaise. While the bearnaise was good, it actually came in 4th in popularity ... the run-away winner was the crema del jerez which was a total experiment as a distant cousin of doing a basalmic reduction, only with a spanish flair ... 2nd was the salsa verde, and only the wine geeks liked the bordelaise. Pasta Genevieve was a hit! This is a pasta inspired by one of my daughters, earthy but delicate and fragrant ... sort of what I'd imagine a provencial french pasta might be.

Aperitivo Bellini dell'Albicocca
Prosecco, Apricot Nectar, Triple Sec

Pasta Genevieve
Linguine with Portobello Mushrooms
steeped in Soave Classico, Shallots & Fine Herbes
finished with Toasted Walnuts, Rosemary
& Artisan Olive Oil

Chateaubriand Assemblage
Pan Roasts of Beef Tenderloin
on Parsnip Puree
with French, Italian, & Spanish
inspired accompaniments
Sauce Béarnaise with Tasmanian Pepper Berries
Sauce Bordelais
Salsa Verde
Crema Gastrique del Jerez

Here are the recipes...

Pasta Genevieve
– hollow, clean & dry 2-3 lbs portobello mushrooms
– chop mushrooms
– peal & chop shallots (8)
– boil salted water (HUGE pot with pasta insert)
– toast walnuts
– finish walnuts with rosemary & olive oil
– sweat Butter + chopped shallots (10)
– slightly reduce wine (1 bottle) & small amount of champagne vinegar
– steep mushrooms
– add fine herbes & salt
– remove mushrooms & remove sauce from heat
– cook pasta (3+ packages)
– slightly thicken sauce with butter & adjust seasoning
– combine pasta, mushrooms & sauce (warm everything)
– portion pasta & mushrooms
– finish with walnuts & artisan olive oil

Sauce Bordelaise
– chop shallots (3)
– cube bone marrow
– grind tellicherry peppercorns
– heat / reconstitute demi glace
– simmer & reduce red wine (1 bottle), 2-4 sprigs thyme, ground peppercorns, 1 bay leaf & shallots by half to 2/3
– gradually add demi glace (up to equal portion to reduced wine, tasting for flavor & texture), reduce by 1/3
– add 3-4 tablespoons butter
– strain through chinois
– add bone marrow
– finish with chopped parsley

Sauce Bearnaise (note that the tasmanian pepperberries will dye the flavor reduction pink, use tellicherry peppercorns if you want the final sauce to be the classic yellow, the tasmanian route results in some spicy notes)
Flavor Reduction
– grind tasmanian peppercorns
– chop shallots (3)
– remove tarragon leaves from stem
– combine white wine (1 cup), wine vinegar (1 cup), taragon stems, ground peppercorns, & shallots
and reduce by 2/3
– strain flavor reduction through chinois
Sabayon & Final Sauce
– prep a sabayon base using 8 room temperature egg yolks & 1⁄2 cup cold water tablespoons
– heat & rapidly whisk over medium heat, as the sabayon gets close to the right consistency it will suddenly thicken and triple in volume
– add a small amount of the flavor reduction to boost the sabayon's ability to handle enough heat to eliminate possible salmonella
– once the sabayon is at the right consistency, whisk for 5 seconds more over heat to ensure the sabayon will not resume its fluid stage
– remove from heat and whisk for 20 seconds to cool & avoid carry-over heat cooking / curdling
– ladle in clarified butter (~2 1⁄2 cups) while gently stirring (don't overwork the sauce) .. the sauce will become very stiff
– add the flavored reduction until the right flavor & consistency is achieved
– add the leaves of tarragon
– adjust flavoring of the sauce with salt & white pepper, while keeping it above 145 degrees to keep the butter in liquid form

Salsa Verde
– de-stem 2 bunches of parsley
– combine 4-5 tablespoons capers, parsley leaves, anchovy paste, 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic, 1
teaspoon dijon mustard, 1/2- 1 teaspoon horseradish, 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
– stream in 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, careful not to over process (pulsing)
– salt to taste / adjust flavor components (especially vinegar, mustard & horseradish)

Crema Gastrique del Jerez (original)
Sherry Gastrique base
– combine 2 3 cups granulated sugar & 1/4-1/3 cup water
– heat sugar until it caramelizes
– add 2-4 cups sherry vinegar, reduce
– remove from heat
Finished Crema
– mince 2-3 cloves of garlic
– warm garlic with tiny amount of olive oil
– combine sherry gastrique base & hot Spanish paprika
– add splash of oloroso
– adjust flavoring & remove from heat
– whisk mixture into crème fraîche & a splash of cream to desired flavor
– warm & foam mixture using a frother

Parsnip Puree (Classic)
– peel 7lbs parsnips & 3 lbs russet potatoes
– boil the vegetables in salted water
– puree in a food processor
– combine with 1-2 cups hot heavy cream & 4 oz melted butter
– adjust flavor with salt and white pepper
– reserve in a baking dish
– reheat, covered, in a 400F oven for 15-20 minutes