The Rogue Estate

Text encapsulated culinary elitism.

One of the easiest and quickest ways of preparing dinner is to pan sear your meat or fish and make a sauce “a la minute” (fancy French cooking term for “at the minute”), but it seems to me this process is little understood and vastly underutilized by home cooks. This post will be dedicated to de-mystifying the procedure. It really is very simple, as long as you stick to the principles, and most pro cooks value this method of sauce making above all others.

Searing involves a pan over high heat coated with just enough oil in the bottom of the pan to cover the whole surface. As soon as whisps of smoke start to rise from the pan you’re ready to go. Vegetable oil, canola, soy, peanut, and light olive oil work best for this. Don’t use Extra Virgin, it has a lower “smoke point” and therefore will burn at the high temperature needed to pull this off. Next thing to think about is drying the meat. You’ll get a better sear if the surface of the meat is as dry as possible. The best way to accomplish this is to wrap it thoroughly in paper towel and press it lightly with your hands on all sides. Seasoning, of course, is of high importance too. Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper are seen on every pro cooks work station for this very reason. Shellfish and poultry need very little, while heartier meats like beef require twice as much, keep that in mind. Also keep in mind it’s better to under-season than over-season, you can always add more at the table, you cannot take it away.

The biggest rule is DO NOT overcrowd the pan. I know it’s tempting, the more you fit in the pan the quicker you’ll be done, right? Resist this urge, anything you put in the pan will drop the temperature of the surface. If it drops too far you’ll start to cook too deeply into the meat before the proper brown crust forms (which is the whole point to this). At this point the meat will let go of too much of it’s juices, and with a pan that’s not hot enough for it to evaporate on contact your meat ends up swimming in it’s own fat and juices and you’ll end up boiling it rather than searing, which with most meats will give you an end result more akin to shoe leather than edible goodness.

When searing fish or poultry the general rule to go by is skin side first (if you didn’t skin the fish, that is) because this is the fattiest side. This also applies to whole beef loins and such for roasting purposes. In the pictures I’ve included I’m searing chicken thighs in a non-stick pan. Non-stick is not needed, and in fact, you’ll get a better feel for the process without once you’ve done it a few times.

When using a pan that’s not non-stick DO NOT move things around until it’s ready to be turned! You’ll know this by gently nudging the meat with your tongs. If it comes free and moves it’s ready to turn over, if it remains stuck to the surface of the pan, leave it be! Otherwise you’ll just end up mutilating it. And ALWAYS flip the meats away from you, meaning the side closest to you over and away. If you turn the meats toward you and your tongs slip off (we are talking about high heat and oil here) there will be splash damage. I could post pictures of burn scars that I acquired learning this the hard way, but I’ll spare you.

Once you’ve achieved a nice uniform browning of all sides, if the piece of meat you are searing is too big to thoroughly cook in the pan without burning put it on a baking sheet and finish it in the oven. Meanwhile, you’ve got this hot pan full of browned meat bits and juices, you can’t let that go to waste! Color = flavor! Turn the heat down a bit and add your sauce base ingredients. Onions, peppers, shallots, whatever it is you wish the final result to be. Saute briefly and add your garlic. Cook that until the smell of garlic smacks you in the face, a minute or less, now it’s time to deglaze. Pour in whatever beer, wine, or liquor the recipe demands. Here we’re preparing a Paella so beer was the beverage of choice due to the multitude of shellfish involved (see my last post about beer). Crank the heat back up and reduce, or boil out the water content, until the pan is nearly dry.

Here is where we decide which direction to take the sauce in. Gravy like? Add a stock that coresponds with the dish and thicken as required. Butter sauce? Add a little stock, reduce as before, and slowly whip in small cubes of cold butter. In most cases fresh herbs go in very last, right before you turn off the heat. Thirty seconds is sufficient to infuse the flavor of the herbs into the sauce. I’ll get into the difference in the culinary uses between fresh and dry herbs in a later post.

So, let’s review:

Rule 1: Pat the meats dry before searing.

Rule 2: Proper seasoning with kosher salt and whatever dry spice is called for. Fresh ground black pepper is most common.

Rule 3: High heat and just enough oil to coat the pan, and make sure the pan is screaming hot before you put anything in it.

Rule 4: The most important rule. DO NOT overcrowd the pan! Leave at least an inch between items.

Rule 5: Always turn the items away from you.

Rule 6: Use that brown goodness left in the pan to start building your sauce.

This may seem intimidating, but it’s really not, and it’s ease and quickness make it worth learning to do properly. About my insistance on Kosher salt as opposed to any other kind, it has a very clean flavor. Iodized table salt has a more metallic taste. While sea salt is quite acceptable for most applications and I’ll jump for that if Kosher isn’t at hand, there are still mineral traces in sea salt that may prove undesireable. The basic variety of sea salt is perfectly fine, it’s when you get into the red and black varieties that this is more of an issue. Those are better left to salads or finished products rather than seasoning prior to cooking because the mineral qualities get lost in the cooking process, and that’s the biggest reason to use them.

If you have any further questions I’ll be more than happy to answer them. Just ask in the comments. Until next time, eat, drink, LIVE!

Jack

Good evening tongue followers. Brent’s tongue is dragging my face, eyes, skull and the rest of the baggage, without warning, over to France. I didn’t want to get into France this early in the game but my stupid tongue could not resist telling the folks about this wine. Any time I feel there is a must-buy wine I am going to jump on it before it disappears.

My ultimate goal with this blog is to build the readers palette from the ground up if they so choose. If a person tries each wine I review or even a different wine but same varietal they should get a good frame of reference as to what their individual tastes are. Also with a good palette frame of reference, the more complex wines will make a lot more sense. If you were to give a new wine drinker a glass of a good Chateauneuf du Pape there is no way they will enjoy it the way it should be enjoyed.

I better get this moving along my tongue is getting anxious.

The wine in question is a 2005 Graves pronounced Grahv. Chateau Cabannieux 2005 Graves is a bordeaux from the left bank of the bordeaux region. I am not going to spend a lot of time on the bordeaux classifications, I’ll leave that for another time. Chateau Cabannieux is a classified Graves and this one is a 2005 so for the price this makes it a must-have. Just a tip for those who don’t know, buy any 2005 bordeaux- everyone loves advise that rhymes? The 2005 bordeaux have been considered to be one of the best vintages in 100 years. I bought Chateau Cabannieux 2005 at Plum Market in Bloomfield Hills for 16.99. Any 2005 bordeaux at that price must be bought especially a classified Graves. I can’t imagine this wine being around for too long so buy it up. It’s truly exciting.

This wine is polar opposite from the last review I did. As far as young palettes are concerned; I would recommend buying the wine and holding on to it for a while. The Graves region of bordeaux is a very gravelly terrain which is where the name graves comes from. This feature really comes through in this wine. The earthiness is the main essence of this Graves. If you’re going to drink this I would open it and let it breathe for at least an hour. Structurally speaking this wine is very tight and needs time to open up and blossom, but the wait is sooooo worth it. Once the earthiness hits the palette it starts to unfold into a nice spice and dark berry notes. The tannin structure is fantastic and throughout the tasting hints of tobacco come to the forefront. In five to ten years this wine will be unbelievable. Beware! this wine is not for the lighter bodied, fruity wine drinkers. You will not enjoy this, but if you are feeling adventurous and open to a wine that will make you think; you won’t be dissappointed. My tongue gives this a stellar 9 out of 11.

My tongue will try to continue building on what I started with my first blog. I’m aiming at starting with the riper juicier  wines that are more one-dimensional then moving into the more complex earthier wines. The Chateau Cabannieux is more of a detour that will make a whole lot more sense in the future. And if you’re an experienced wine drinker with a palette for the more nuanced wines jump right into this one and leave some for me… son’s o’ bitches.

As you may have figured out by now, The Rogue Estate is a collective of friends who are passionate about a wide variety of topics. We come from a broad spectrum of backgrounds and careers, all sharing the common goal of bringing better food to your table.

A dedicated Bio page is forthcoming, so for now I’ll describe the Estate Founders in brief: Jack is our resident fine dining & Sushi expert, a 4 star chef for many years. Brent is a wine and cigar 0fficianto,  having spent as much time in wine cellars as any licensed sommelier. Sara, the cupcake goddess and expert on fine chocolates. Pat, our redneck outdoorsman and hard working sous-chef. Myself, I carry a passion for the spices of the world and I do a pretty righteous BBQ.

Amongst the many things that I feel really sets The Rogue Estate apart from the massive crop of food blogs on the tubes right now is that we are all friends and coworkers in real life. We get together weekly to share recipes, cook, dine, explore unusual beverages, teach each other new skills, plan events, edit articles and brainstorm. Our weekly get-together sets up a great rhythm and really helps to reinforce the ideal that we write only from personal experience – every review, every guide, every recipe – lived and tried by one or more of us.

You’ll always get the real deal at The Rogue Estate, and never any regurgitated referral content just to fill space and inflate page view stats. As we all continue to seek out the authentic cuisines and genuine experiences in this amazing world we live in, we’ll continue to share them on these pages and we hope you’ll continue to enjoy them and share your own experiences in the comments.

Building on those thoughts, at one of our January meetings, Jack marched into Pat’s kitchen with his arms full of groceries and his head full of steam. Tonight’s dinner, he declared, is PASTA PUTTANESCA!

The story behind this dish varies from telling to telling, but the common theme is that it was originally from the Italian whore houses. If customers didn’t come in for the women, they were sure to come in for the food. Another variation tells that the ingredients in this bold sauce were as easy to get one’s hands on as the women themselves. Whatever the truth of it’s origins, one thing I can tell you about Pasta Puttanesca is that it is an astoundingly powerful, pungent and delicious meal.

Jack led us on the first preparation during this particular chef’s night and I recreated his methods in my kitchen with minor alterations a few days later. In both instances, the results were rich, bold, complex and mind bogglingly delicious. Don’t let the ingredients list intimidate you: every element of this dish works together and the final product is more than the sum of it’s parts.

Pasta Puttanesca – The Software:

• 6 Tbls Olive Oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 bottle of medium bodied red wine
• 3 lbs of tomatoes, diced
  

  Basil Chiffonade

• 1 head of garlic, cloves peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 oz. Anchovies, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbls Aleppo pepper flakes
• 2 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 cup capers
• 1 cup ripe Kalamata olives, sliced
• 2 Red Bell Peppers, diced
• 1 lb chicken breast, coarsely cubed
• 12 large Basil leaves, chiffonade
• 1lb cooked seafood medley (chopped mix of whatever creatures you prefer, we went with mix of octopus, clam, squid and scallops.)
• 1 lb dried penne or farfalle pasta
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (freshly squeezed or skip it – the bottled stuff does no justice.)
• 1/2 lb Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese (throw that pre-grated sawdust in the green tube away.)

Pasta Puttanesca – The Process:

If you have room, prep your vegetables and protein (poultry last, of course) and set aside for use as needed.

Grab a large fry pan and heat 3 tbls of olive oil, toss in the onion for a sweat.

In a large sauce pan, simmer the entire bottle of wine down to 1/3 it’s original volume.

When the onion is near transparency, toss in the garlic and the anchovies and simmer for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally. Transfer the onion, garlic and anchovies to the wine reduction. Add the tomatoes and bell peppers to the reduction, reserving 1/3 of each. Bring to a boil and then reduce back to a simmer, adding the Black pepper and Aleppo pepper. Simmer this mixture, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, add 2 more Tbls of olive oil to the fry pan, bring up the heat to medium and brown the chicken to your preference. When it’s done to your liking, stir it into the main sauce main with the wine/tomato etc. mixture. Add the Kalamata olives, Seafood Medley, reserved tomato and reserved bell pepper, stirring to combine. Simmer for 5 more minutes then remove from heat, cover and let rest until it’s time to serve.

Fire up a large pot of water to a boil and pour in your pasta, cooking til done – al dente is king around The Rogue Estate. Drain and shock with cold water to stop the cooking process then drain again and toss with 1 Tbls of olive oil. Portion into serving bowls.

Stir the lemon juice and Basil into the sauce and ladle onto the pasta portions, garnish with any smaller left over whole Basil leaves and a generous portion of the shaved Parmesan, serve immediately.

As with all our recipes, if you prepare a dish with our instructions we’d love to know about it. Love it or hate it, tell us all about it in the comments.

Enjoy!

-///

I’ve been on a big shortbread kick lately.  I think it’s mostly because they are the buttery little chameleons of the cookie world.  I can be digging around on the spice shelf of our pantry and get about two dozen ideas for accessorizing a basic shortbread recipe, and then the challenge simply becomes choosing which one I want to make first.

Over the New Year’s Holiday, I stumbled across a recipe for a Parmesan shortbread with rosemary.  Savory and herbaceous, it sounded like a lovely alternative for all of the sweet I usually generate in the kitchen.  I decided to swap out the Parmesan for three-month aged Manchego cheese, which is a sheep milk cheese from Spain.  I pressed a whole blanched almond into the top of each shortbread round, though in retrospect, I wish I had had some Marcona almonds on hand instead.  The finished product was light and buttery, and deliciously herbaceous, with a nice little touch of texture from the almond.  I took it a step further and spread some quince paste on them as I ate them and it was quite a delicious homage to a country I have yet to visit.  The shortbread were accompanied by a glass of Juan Gil Jumilla, some jumbo olives that I stuffed with the aforementioned Marcona almonds, and an assortment of Spanish goat and sheep milk cheeses for an evening of tapas with friends.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup grated Manchego cheese (or any Spanish cheese of your choosing)
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon water
• blanched almonds (or Marcona almonds)
• quince paste (optional, for serving)

Put the flour, sugar, rosemary, salt and Manchego into a bowl and whisk until combined.  Add the butter and cut it into the flour mixture until a soft dough forms.  You will likely need to add the water to get it to hold together.

There are a couple of different ways to prepare your shortbread for baking.  The first method is to put the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, forming it into a loose log.  Roll the dough log in the plastic wrap and twist the ends securely, then chill it in the refrigerator until it is firm – about one hour.  After it has set, cut the log into 1/4″ to 1/2″ disks, placing them on a cookie sheet.  When I prepared the dough, I simply rolled tablespoon-sized balls of it, setting them on a cookie sheet.  I placed one blanched (or Marcona) almond on the top of each ball, then pressed them flat with the floured bottom of a glass.  When they were all prepared, I set the cookie sheets in the refrigerator to let them set for one hour.

Bake the cookies in a 375 degree oven for about 12 to 14 minutes.  The edges will just begin to turn golden brown.  Cool the shortbread on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  Spread with quince paste before eating.

The cookies will keep in an airtight container for about a week.

~Sara

Welcome to my introductory post on preparing all things wild. First, let me introduce myself. My name is Pat, aka Redneck Samurai. I have been an avid grocery shopper of the great state of Michigan’s woods, fields, lakes and streams for most of my life. I have enjoyed many of Michigan’s specialties and have developed a bit of knowledge through trial and error, that I’d like to share with you. I’ll do my best to guide you through the basics of preparing wild game. In future posts I’ll share my favorite recipes and techniques for preparing your quarry.

Here in Michigan we have wrapped up another beautiful hunting season and many of us have a few pounds of something scrumptious in the freezer. Unfortunately, some of my fellow outdoor shoppers don’t know how to prepare their game and the flavors of the wild get lost. Either in the old “hide the gamey flavor” recipes from mom or burnt to a crisp because “ya gotta cook it good, it’s wild after all.”

There are three things that you need to keep in mind with wild game. First, you can hack any of your favorite recipes that call for a store bought kin of your game. Second, don’t be afraid to experiment, find an interesting recipe and run with it. Third, try to find recipes that will complement your catch and not over power or cover its natural excellence.

Here are a few things I’ve learned over the years that have helped me decide what to prepare. Most wild game will have significantly less fat than their “farm” raised cousins. This is due in part to the fact they actually get to live a real life. Oh yeah, and they aren’t shot up with hormones seven times a month to ensure massive muscle growth. This is an important piece of information when preparing wild game. In most cases you’ll have to add some kind of fat/grease or oil when hacking it into a recipe designed for farm raised fare. A good example of this is wild turkey. Your store bought Butterball has more then enough fat, water and “additives” throughout the bird to keep it moist for its full six hour bake. With a wild bird you’ll need to supplement by either packing bacon, bacon grease or duck fat under the skin (any excuse to use bacon). Or you can also rub it down with bacon grease, duck fat, butter, olive oil or peanut oil and keep it covered longer. You’ll also want to procure a good thermometer. You don’t have the room for error that you have in store bought birds. Once that bird hits temperature pull it.

The flavors of your harvest can differ greatly based on where your quarry lived and what it had been feeding on. For example, venison harvested from an area that is mainly farm land or orchards has most likely fed on corn, soybeans, apples or what ever the farmer has planted that year. They will have a lighter, sweeter flavor then one that comes from a heavily wooded area. Venison harvested from a forested location have fed on acorns, wild fruits, berries, grass and vegetation resulting in a stronger nutty, earthy flavor. In both cases this is typically what most mush mouths would refer to as the “gamey” flavor. Venison with a more robust flavor is well suited for recipes that call for lamb, pork or goat and marry well with more intense spice and seasoning palettes. They work well in Middle Eastern, Central American, Mexican or any rich flavorful cuisine that can complement its unique essence. They also pair well with aromatic cheeses and herbs. Venison from farmlands work well with lighter styles of cooking. Stir fries, grilling with light glazes or reductions and (American style) shish kabobs with fresh vegetables. They tend to work well in place of beef, veal or pork. Remember don’t hide that delicious flavor, enhance it with your spices and seasonings.

One of the most common misconceptions with wild game especially venison is that you have to cook the holy shit out of it. That is absolutely true if you want to gnaw on a wedge of flavorless leather. As I’ve mentioned before wild game is lean, which means it cooks fast and if its over cooked it turns tough, dry and flavorless. As with any meat it should be brought to an appropriate temperature. However, that does not mean you need to turn it to coal. Venison should be prepared no more then medium. I prefer medium rare. If I’m grilling or broiling half inch to one inch think portions of venison it should only see heat for three to four minutes a side. That will result in a nice brown outside with a gorgeous juicy pink inside. As with all meat but especially wild game, let it rest. I know its damn near impossible to not jab a fork in that beast and grab a bite right when it comes off the grill but…… Wait 15 minutes and let all that meat cool a bit and let the juice stay in the meat not on the plate.

Until next time,

DO NOT FEAR FLAVOR!