Chef Daniel Angerer's Blog

GUSTATORY HOLIDAYS

I love the holiday season since I get to cook with fancy food items that I usually don’t feature on my menus, so I enjoy the change of pace for the few days out of the year.
 
(cooking at home - white truffle slices on pasta) 

The other day I brought a white truffle home – I happened to have some left over from a holiday special menu addition.  Shaving truffles over a plate of steaming hot pasta tossed with a knob of butter and seasoned with a few grains of sea salt makes you realize how wonderful food can be at it’s simplest with the right ingredients. An intense waft of earthiness mesmerized our brain cells and had us lick the plates, literally.  It got me thinking about our new Year’s Even menu and enjoying the luxury of good ingredients.  Here’s what we’re serving this year…

Our New Year’s Eve Menu (in the restaurant)

1^st course
I gave myself the pleasure of paddling a spoon full of paddlefish caviar on a lightly toasted slice of brioche which was a leftover from test cooking for our New Years Eve menu. It’s seductive how these tiny caviar eggs explode on your palate with their faint brininess and silken resistance. A caviar course was supposed to be featured in the appetizer section of the menu, but for economical reasons I decided not to feature any caviar this year. An earthy golden chanterelle mushroom soup with rich duck confit dumplings will fill that menu position. On a recent seasonal menu we featured gigantic king crab from Alaska encased in a shrimp/cannelloni skin with a citrusy-tart tangerine vinaigrette and it was a hit so it will be featured as the other first course choice on our gala menu.

(duck pate on brioche toast with port wine/blueberry jelly and black walnuts)

2^nd course
Our guests may choose a house-made duck foie terrine served with port wine/blueberry jelly alongside black walnuts or crimson tuna ribbons (much like a carpaccio) over herb mesclun with truffle/soy vinaigrette. 

3^rd course
With the recent opening of our cheese restaurant Little Cheese Pub we felt we had to feature a mac & cheese style dish this year.  Our mac n cheese is a house-made spätzel pasta with chopped black truffles (in its batter mixture), crowned with Pecorino Tartufo cheese which is an Italian sheep’s milk cheese laden with black truffle pieces. How about some delicious creaminess!
Or …  The second choice for the third course is Mangalitsa pork belly -- the super rare equivalent to Kobe beef in the pig world.  We’ve been cooking this for the last couple of days for our guests and it brings tears to my eyes because it is so delicious.  It’s rich and lusciously wonderful with snow white fat with the consistency of solid meat. The porky smelling dish bedazzles.


(Brandt farm steak with root vegetables and risotto rice topped with smoked bone marrow)  
4^th course
On Christmas Eve we roasted venison and it was a big success. It was cooked sous-vide which did not disturb its leanness it was served with house-made blueberry mustard served over earthy winter greens. We were debating if we should feature venison on this years New Years Eve menu but opted against it when we test cooked a rich Brandt farm beef steak which became fork tender when braised in Cabernet and bedecked with smoked bone marrow and black truffles. 
And of course there is a great fish option which is a lovely lean King Salmon stuffed with butter poached lobster encrusted in kabocha squash on a bed of silken baby spinach.

5^th course
The “grand finale” is a Viennese pastry table which is a dessert panache consisting of  a Sacher torte tasting, a mini Linzer cup cake, a peanut butter & banana toffee bar, a petit strudel and a rich velvety pudding made with Cognac spiked French chocolate (which made us drool over the plate when we tasted it). 

Enjoy and a Happy New Year 

 

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED ABOUT QUINCE?

Quince looks a bit like a pear - oval and irregular, with a fuzzy type of coating on its yellow-greenish skin which is often mistaken for mold. It is hard textured and the raw taste of this fruit certainly will not tickle your taste buds and you’ll discover it’s inedible. The raw taste is the opposite of the perfume rose scent that raw quince releases into the air which is mesmerizing to me – it’s like you want to eat the scent from the air.

(thinly sliced quince with blue cheese in a Winter salad) 

Cooking quince does the trick and makes a beautiful jelly or quince butter which has a great texture since it has high pectin content and lends it an ideal mouthfulness so no commercial pectin has to be added to make a great jelly in fact.

It’s grown in Spain and Italy where you might know it as membrillo which is cooked and cooled quince and has the consistency of fruit pate and is certainly addictive in combination with cheese in particular. I consider myself lucky that quince is also grown in the Hudson Valley close to New York City which is one of the few places here in the US that it is grown.

Quince jelly cooking
Peel quince with a vegetable peeler and cut it in half cut around the core to end up with 1-inch sized pieces, and don’t worry about irregularly shaped pieces. Transfer cut pieces into a pot then cover with water then add honey (1 teaspoon per quince).  I like to add vanilla bean and a cinnamon stick – it’s optional though. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid than cook quince for two hours or so on low heat setting (check every 30 minutes, you might have to add more water occasionally) at this point quince pieces should be soft (pierce with a small knife to check on that) and can be pureed in a kitchen food processor.

Chef’s Tip: mix quince with equal amounts of apples then cook in the same way  described above for a perfumed applesauce.

(grilled quince with duck sausage and onion confit)

Versatile companion
Recently I have paired quince jelly with venison and duck which was a gustatory match; it worked perfectly in a wintery crumbled blue cheese and endive salad which I tossed with a spoonful of quince jelly, olive oil and vinegar.  To me it tastes more on the savory side but but it will also work beautifully on the holiday breakfast, tea or dessert table with ginger bread or dried fruit cake. 

 

MEATBALL HYPE

Meatballs have been the rage lately. I’ve had a dish of veal meatballs and veal roast on the menu that sells like hot cakes - It doesn’t even compare to other highlights on my restaurant menu in terms of sales.

The Italian mama in us
A basic meatball recipe is fairly easy to prepare. Fresh ground veal shoulder or stewing meat- that’s most likely how you will encounter it at markets - plus herbs such as parsley, thyme or rosemary and some bread crumbs to keep your meatballs light, and bouncy in texture, salt and pepper to spice things up will seal the deal.
In the restaurant we control the portion size with an ice cream scooper so that they are all the same size but in your home kitchen that won’t be necessary and they can be simply rolled like an Italian grandmother. The recommended size is 3-4 ounces per meatball which is about the size of a golf ball. I prefer to roast them at 250 degree Fahrenheit which is relatively low in temperature and keeps the wanted moisture in the meat. It’s best to use a shallow baking sheet pan which captures the natural roasting juices in the oven.

(veal meatball with veal cheeks beets and carrots)

Veal Meat Balls 

(recipe yields 15 large meatballs)

½ baguette bread
2 cups milk
3 pound fresh ground veal
2 tablespoons vegetable oil such as canola
1 onion diced small (1/8-inch dice)
3 garlic gloves thinly sliced
10 grindings black pepper  
1 teaspoon paprika powder
1 tablespoon Kosher style salt
1 tablespoon Dijon-style grainy mustard
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

1. Cut crust of baguette with a serrated knife  then cut in 1/4-inch dice (it should yield 3 cups)
2. In a bowl poor milk over diced bread then let sit for ten minutes (in this way bread will absorb milk).
3. Combine ground veal with bread/milk mixture.
4. In a pot (2-quart sized) heat vegetable oil then cook cut onion and sliced garlic (4-5 minutes) on medium heat setting.
5. Combine cooked onion/garlic mixture with rest of ingredients then add to bread/veal mixture.
6. Portion with ice cream scoop (3-4 ounce) and place on baking pan.
7. Cook meat balls at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes (check internal temperature with instant thermometer it should be 165 degree Fahrenheit).

We have had great success switching the ground veal in the above recipe to deboned ground duck leg meat.  Duck legs make a very moist silky textured meatball because of the natural fat content in duck leg meat – ever wondered why French duck leg confit is so tasty? We developed a recipe with 1 cup more breadcrumbsc which literally absorbs the juices of the meat and yields even more flavor.

(duck meat ball mac & cheese with Morbier cheese) 

 Dressing for the occasion

These little guys are versatile and can wear many hats.  The most simple version is a jar of your favorite tomato sauce.  However you choose to adorn your meatball make sure you combine the roasting juices from the shallow pan with your sauce. A grating of fresh nutty Parmesan cheese or sharp Pecorino will complete your meatball extravaganza.
I combine duck meatballs in our newest restaurant – Little Cheese Pub www.littlecheesepub.com
with French Morbier cheese melted right on top of it served with house-made macaroni pasta. We prepare it in a traditional mac & cheese fashion. Caramelized onions cooked with balsam vinegar made into a puree adorn the top of the mac & cheese in little spoonfuls -- this is a smart way to cut the richness and hence add some flavor balance to the dish.

WARM PUNCH...GETTING IN A HOLIDAY MOOD

A waft of beautiful cinnamon hominess was tickling my nose when I entered our restaurant the other day. I realized punch was heating up in a caldron behind the bar.  We had discussed holiday drinks earlier in the week and there were the results floating in the air. Greenmarket apple cider gently heated and infused with fragrant spices – perfect for this time of the year adding up to a beautiful holiday mood with the decorations of pine cones and snowflakes in the window.  Inspired by the pine scent and the cold weather, we started a series of different holiday hot punches and infused pine cones into red wine.  We begin with a basic recipe from Mid-Europe which is called Glühwein in German speaking countries or Glögg in Northern Europe which translates to mulled wine.

European holiday punch – Winter Sangria!
This kind of punch is commonly infused with a palate of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace, cardamom and such. Oranges and lemons add a lovely acidic tang to the punch and brighten the flavor up. If you’d like you keep the temperature around 150 degrees Fahrenheit which doesn’t boil the alcohol off and hence makes your party a real happy one.  “Virgin” punch is good too and can be prepared with grape juice. For a more woodsy punch infuse with tree cones - -it balances perfectly with the citrusy, aromatic Glühwein.  After all it’s really not novel putting the flavor of wood in red wine … think of wine stored in oak barrels, this is a warm version of it and instead of oak we use pine (but if you have some oak casks at home be my guest!). 

(fragrant mulled wine with spices)

Austrian Red wine punch
(plenty for 4 mugs)

1 orange, halved
1 lemon, halved
8 cups red wine such as Chianti
1 cinnamon stick
1 nutmeg
2 cloves
1 cardamom, crushed
½ cup brown sugar

1. Rinse orange and lemon with hot water and scrub clean
2. Combine all ingredients in a pot then heat on low heat setting (35 minutes)
3. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into mugs

(apple cider bottles - right now at the farmers market)

“Big Apple” New York Punch 

Hudson Valley -- close to New York City -- grows beautiful apples so we’ve been concocting a fragrant mixture of apple punch which includes some peppercorns for a

“peppery” flavor note, and a bit of honey keeps it wholesome.

Apple Punch
(plenty for 4 mugs)

1 orange, halved
1 lemon, halved
8 cups apple cider
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
2 star anis
10 black pepper corns
1 tablespoon honey such as clover honey

1. Rinse orange and lemon with hot water and scrub clean
2. Combine all ingredients in a pot then heat on low heat setting (35 minutes)
3. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into mugs

(pear punch with cardamom and cinnamon) 

Chef’s note: I find apple punch particularly pleasant with a shot of heart-warming brandy.
Chef’s tip: substitute apple juice with pear cider

 

 

 

Kraut Doesn't Always Have to be "Sauer"

At this time of year one of the few vegetables that’s available at the Farmer’s Market is cabbage (besides winter squash and mustard greens).
 
(Wintery vegetable - spiced with juniper, coriander and bay leaf) 

I grew up with numerous cabbage dishes which were prepared with lots of different spices and a long list of ingredients but it was well worth it. The most popular of course is sauerkraut, which we made from scratch – it’s not difficult but it requires patience the recipe takes you over a week or several days. You should not mind the smell in the making of it though…  
 
(red wine braised cabbage, Wagyu beef brisket, cauliflower) 

My grandmother’s red cabbage
When it comes to red cabbage, braising is key.  In my recipe I use liquids such as orange juice and red wine.
The recipe is in two parts:  (1) marinating shredded red cabbage to soften and impregnate the cabbage with flavor, and (2) sauté onions in duck fat then add the marinated cabbage and cook slowly with a tight fitting lid to a stage where it becomes meltingly soft, for 2 hours at least. The braised cabbage will have a beautiful scent and fill your house with notes of cinnamon and cloves.  This is perfect for the holiday season and takes me right back to the memories growing up in snowy Austria. 
 

 Red Cabbage Cooked With Red Wine
(recipe yields 8 portions)

1 head red cabbage (5-inch diameter)
1 cup orange juice
1 cup Merlot-style red wine
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup cranberries (cranberry jelly may be substituted)
1 bay leaf
½-teaspoon ground cinnamon
½-teaspoon ground cloves
½-teaspoon ground nutmeg
½-teaspoon cayenne
½-teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Kosher-style salt
2 tablespoons honey such as clover honey
½-cup duck fat
2 tablespoons rice
1 onion (3-inch diameter)
4 cloves garlic or 2 tablespoons roasted garlic puree may be substituted

1. Core cabbage then slice with a knife thinly (1/8-inch thick strips) or with a vegetable slicer such as a Mandolin and transfer into a large bowl
2. Combine all other ingredients (except onion and garlic) with sliced cabbage then toss to combine and let sit for one hour or so (this way cabbage will turn bright red in color and wilt a bit)
3. Peel onions and garlic then cut (1/8-inch thick strips)
   Heat duck fat in a pot (1-gallon sized) on medium heat setting and cook cut onion and garlic (3-5 minutes) then add cabbage/spice mixture. Cook cabbage mixture on low heat setting (cook cabbage for 2 hours or until tender, stirring every 30 minutes or so, covered with a tight fitting lid)
4. Adjust seasoning with salt and fresh pepper as necessary 

Chef's Tip: If you can get your hands on lovage put some into your braised red cabbage it will noticeable improve your dish) 

Pairings
If you like wintery well marbled, rich beef dishes such as brisket or spiced foods such as sausages, braised cabbage and sauerkraut are their best friends. The richness of these meats is balanced with the rustic flavor of cabbage. For a wine pairing serve a dry crisp white wine such as Grüner Veltliner and Austrian Riesling which is dry and fruit forward -- its aroma stands up to the strong cabbage taste.  If you are out on a splurge give an Italian Barolo a try and you’ll like how this red wine will go hand in hand with the taste nuances of braised red cabbage.

Peasant food –  good eating on a budget
Let’s face it red cabbage is peasant cooking and inexpensive – it brings out the essence of every day food items. A few days ago one of my beloved regular guests at the restaurant brought along a Tupperware container of cooked red cabbage which he mastered after his grandmother’s  red cabbage recipe. The irony is that in the past years he asked me to shave high priced truffles over his dishes and now we exchange recipes of our grandmothers’ red cabbage recipes.  I guess when the economy goes south we go back to our roots, or our cabbages!