Chef Michael Pelton of the Windham Hill Inn (Windham, Vermont) strives to produce the best seasonally available and locally available meals.  Today, he shares two of those wonderful meals with us: Pan seared Vermont duck breast with dried cherry gastric, basmati and wild rice pilaf, wilted spinach and toasted almonds; and Moroccan spiced all natural rack of lamb with white vegetable compote, fondue of potato and parmesan and olive and orange jam.  At the inn, Chef Pelton chooses vegetables from their garden and local meats to create these dishes.  At home, try locally available ingredients for the best results.

Pan seared Vermont duck breast with dried cherry gastric, basmati and wild rice pilaf, wilted spinach and toasted almonds

Duck breast

Trim the duck breast removing as much of the excess fat as possible, leaving the skin on the breast.  Pat dry with a  towel and sear the breast, skin side down, using medium heat until golden brown, turn over and roast in the oven at 450 deg F for ten minutes or until rare.  Remove from heat and let rest for five to ten minutes.  Remove the skin from the breast carefully and cut into thin strips.  Render these strips over medium heat until crispy but not burnt.  Place on a paper towel to remove excess grease and reserve for garnish.

Gastric

Make caramel using 1 cup of sugar and ¼ c water. When golden color is achieved (or an approximate temp of 320 deg F) carefully add 1 cup Cider vinegar and 1 c apple cider.  Bring this to a boil and reduce by half.  Add 3 c veal stock, ¾ c dried cherries.  Reduce by half.  Season with salt and pepper.  When ready to sauce duck, whisk in 1 oz cold unsalted butter.

Basmati and Wild Rice Pilaf

Combine the results of the following two recipes.  Season with salt and pepper, fold in 1 pat of butter. Enjoy.

Basmati Pilaf

Sweat 1 minced onion and 1 small diced carrot in butter and then add 1 ½ c rinsed (and patted dry between two towels) basmati rice.  Cook with low heat until rice starts to crackle.  Add 2 c boiling water and 2 c boiling poultry stock, 1 bay leaf, and 2 T fresh thyme.   Cover and bake 20 minutes in a 350 deg F oven.

Wild Rice

Rinse 1 ½ c wild rice in cold water.  Sweat ½ onions in butter.  Add rice, 4 c water, and 1 bay leaf.  Simmer on low heat covered until rice is just starting to crack open.  Adjust water if necessary.  Drain well.

Wilted Spinach

Sweat 1 minced shallot and 1 clove of minced garlic and 1 pat of unsalted butter on low to medium heat.  Add 2 large handfuls of washed and de-stemmed spinach.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Increase heat to high. Stir spinach being careful that it does not burn.  When properly wilted remove from heat and drain well in strainer, serve.

Almonds

Spread almonds on a cookie sheet.  Place in a 350 deg F oven and roast until light golden brown.  Approximately 5-10 minutes. 

Moroccan spiced all natural rack of lamb with white vegetable compote, fondue of potato and parmesan and olive and orange jam.

Lamb Rack

Trim the rack into equal 4 bone units, removing excessive fat from the upper part of the bones, as well as any connective tissue found on the exterior of the eye.  Do not remove too much of the fat from the meat as this helps retain the moisture in the meat.  Rub with the Moroccan seasoning listed below and allow to marinate overnight.  When you are ready to cook, season them with salt and pepper to taste and sear the rack in a heavy pan with grape seed oil until golden brown and place in a 450 deg F oven until cooked just under desired doneness approx 10-15 minutes.  The time will vary depending on the size racks you have, I do not recommend cooking this cut of meat beyond medium however due to the amount of marbling found in this cut.  Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  This will allow the juices to redistribute properly in the meat and to finish cooking.  Slice and serve.

Rub

This rub will keep well in a well sealed ziploc bag for up to a week.  Combine the following.

• 5 t lemon zest
• 5 sprigs rosemary, minced fine
• 10 sage leaves, minced fine
• 15 leaves basil, minced fine
• 5 star anise, ground
• 5 t ground ginger
• 10 cloves garlic, minced fine
• 5 t coriander seed, ground
• 5 t cinnamon, ground

White Vegetable Compote

Peel and dice 1 small celery boule. Sweat over low heat with butter in a heavy pot.  Add the Chiffonade, the white of one leek (which has been washed well to remove the sand).  When leek starts to soften season with salt and pepper and add two minced shallots and 2 crushed garlic cloves ,continue sweating covered until all vegetables are soft. Add ¼ c poultry stock and reduce until dry.  Finish with a pat of unsalted butter, season and enjoy.

Fondue of Potato and Parmesan

Butter a heavy baking dish.  Smear 1 clove of crushed garlic over entire surface.  Shingle with thinly sliced peeled potato.  Salt and pepper.  Add enough heavy cream to cover potatoes half way.  Sprinkle with parmesan.  Bake until golden brown in a 400 deg F oven. Approx 15 min.

Orange and Olive Jam

Caramelize 1 c sugar and ¼ c water, remove from the heat. Carefully add ½ c white balsamic vinegar to arrest cooking, and then add the Supremes of four oranges and 1 c orange juice and return to medium heat.  Cook until the temperature reaches 240 deg F. Remove from the heat, add ½ chopped dry cured Italian olives and 1 t of fresh thyme.  Cool immediately.

About Windham Hill Inn

Dining at the Windham Hill Inn is an artful experience. Crafted with skill and care, our meals are ones to remember – from our hearty breakfasts to our delectable dinners.  It is difficult to imagine a more beautiful, natural setting to serve as the backdrop for a romantic getaway. We strive to produce the best seasonally available and locally available meals possible.  From our garden in the summer and the fields of our friendly Vermont farmers, we produce bright and scrumptious meals.  We also work with our distributors to always select the best quality of all natural U.S. grown meats at our disposal ensuring the best possible meals.

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Today, Cline Cellars (Sonoma, CA) shares with us a wonderful spicy shrimp curry.  The curry mixes a tasty combination of spices, coconut milk, ginger, and red pepper with potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, peanuts and shrimp.  Cline Cellars recommends pairing this curry with their Viognier for a wonderful dinner.

Spicy Yellow-Peanut Shrimp Curry and Viognier

Serves 4

• 1 ½ c water
• 2 tbsp Cline Viognier
• 1 ½ c sweetened coconut milk
• 3 tbsp yellow curry powder
• 2 tbsp yellow curry paste
• 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger root
• 1 tbsp honey
• ¾ tbsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 ½ tbsp fish sauce
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 3 rounded tbsp peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
• ¾ c red or white potatoes, peeled and cubed
• ½ c carrots, chopped
• 1 tbsp flour
• ¾ c green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• ¾ c onion, chopped
• ¾ c mushrooms white, chopped
• 1 ½ c uncooked, shelled, de-veined shrimp

In a large saucepan, combine water, Viognier, coconut milk, curry powder, curry paste, ginger root, honey, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, white vinegar, fish sauce, garlic, peanut butter, potatoes, and carrots, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cover for 25 minutes. After the sauce has simmered, carefully dust in flour while simultaneously stirring gently to thicken sauce. When fully homogenized, mix in green bell pepper, basil, onion, and mushrooms. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes and then mix in shrimp and cover for about 3 minutes or until pink. Serve on a bed of Jasmine rice and a glass of Cline Viognier. Enjoy!

About Cline Cellars

Cline Cellars, located in the Carneros region of Sonoma, is owned and operated by Fred and Nancy Cline. Established in 1982, Cline produces rich, distinctive Rhône-style wines and intense Zinfandels for which it has garnered enormous acclaim. The tasting room is located in a charming 1850s farmhouse surrounded by a wrap-around porch, spring-fed ponds, beautifully landscaped gardens, picnic areas, an Avian collection and the California Missions Museum.

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In today’s health conscious world more and more people are searching for ways to cook healthy food including professional chefs.  That’s why, in Techniques of Healthy Cooking the Culinary Institute of America takes aim at helping professionals provide nutritional and flavorful food.  Part nutritional guide and part cookbook, this book is packed with both dietary information, techniques and great recipes.  It offers practical advice, recipes and meal approaches aimed at the professional chef.  Home cooks will find much of the information useful but be warned – most recipes serve 10.  For an example, try out the recipe for Seared Scallops with Beet Vinaigrette below.  Other than the serving size, however, the recipes are approachable by the home cook and for anyone interested in creating wonderfully flavorful, yet healthy food, this is a great cookbook to check out.   

Seared Scallops with Beet Vinaigrette

From Techniques of Healthy Cooking, by The Culinary Institute of America. Wiley 2007. 

Servings: 10

Portioning information: 3H oz / 100 g scallops, H oz / 15 g salad, 2 tbsp / 30 mL

Nutrition per serving: 156 calories, 2 g fat, 12 g total carbohydrate, 23 g protein, 134 mg sodium, 53 mg cholesterol

Beet Vinaigrette

• 8 oz / 225 g beets
• N cup / 80 mL cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp / 45 mL extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp / 10 mL chopped dill
• 1 tsp / 5 mL kosher salt
• G tsp / 1.25 mL ground black pepper
• 2G lb / 1 kg sea scallops, muscle tabs removed
• 5 oz / 140 g mixed greens
• 3 oz / 85 g julienned carrot
• 3 oz / 85 g julienned daikon

1. Prepare the beet vinaigrette by simmering the beets in acidulated water until tender (see Note). When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel and chop. Place the beets and vinegar in a blender and purée until smooth. Whisk in the oil and season with the dill, salt, and pepper.

2. For each portion: Dry approximately 3H oz / 100 g scallops with paper toweling and dry-sear in a seasoned sauté pan until brown on both sides and cooked through. Arrange the scallops with 1/2 oz / 14 g greens and 1 tbsp / 15 mL each of grated carrot and daikon on a room temperature plate. Drizzle with 2 tbsp / 30 mL beet vinaigrette and serve.

Note

For a more intense color and flavor, use a juice machine to juice the raw beets. Combine the juice and vinegar, whisk in the oil, and season with dill, salt, and pepper.

About Techniques of Healthy Cooking

Created by the experts at The Culinary Institute of America, Techniques of Healthy Cooking is an indispensable companion in today’s health-conscious world. Drawing on the latest dietary guidelines, it provides detailed information for cooks eager to introduce more flavorful, healthier choices to their menus. You will find advice on ingredients and serving sizes, guidance on developing recipes and menus, and more than 400 delicious recipes. Throughout, nearly 150 vibrant, all-new color photographs showcase finished dishes and illustrate the techniques, ingredients, and equipment of healthy cooking. Inspired by the information and recipes in the book, you will be able to create dishes that are not only exciting and great-tasting, but healthy at the same time.

Available at Amazon.com

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Babette de Rozières knows Creole cuisine.  Babette was born in the Caribbean and taught the essentials of cooking by her grandmother in her home town of Guadeloupe.  Fast forward to today where she is a well-known celebrity chef in France that serves her home town inspired dishes in her restaurant The Table of Babettte.  Now, she shares her favorite recipes in her first North American targeted cookbook - Creole.  The recipes range from a large number of fish and shellfish recipes to meat, poultry, vegetable and even desserts and drinks.  The recipes are enticing and often exotic with titles such as Creole paella, Conch ravioli with a crab and lemongrass sauce, and West Indian-style tripe. And if you like to see what you’ll be making then you’ll be happy that all of the recipes have gorgeous enticing photos of the prepared dishes.  For an example of Babette’s recipes, try out the recipe for Spicy Parcels below which creates great little phyllo dough wrapped parcels of shrimp and vegetables tied with scallion ‘strings’! 

Spicy Parcels

Recipe from Creole by Babette de Rozières, published by Phaidon Press, 2007, www.phaidon.com

Serves 4

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Bake: 10 minutes

• 16 Dublin Bay Prawns (if unavailable, substitute jumbo shrimp)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional for brushing
• 10 basil leaves, finely chipped
• 1 sprig flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• ¼ bird’s-eye chile, finely chopped (if unavailable, substitute piquin or Serrano chile
• salt and black pepper
• 4 sheets phyllo dough
• 1 scallion, quartered lengthwise, blanched, for tying bundles

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Shell and devein the prawns, removing the heads, and coarsely chop them.  Set aside. 

Heat the olive oil in a skillet or frying pan over low heat and gently fry the herbs, shallot and garlic without letting them brown.  Add the prawns, zucchini, red bell pepper and chile.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cook for 5 minutes. 

Brush each sheet of phyllo with oil and fold into a 6-inch square; place 1 tablespoon of filling at the center of each square.  Fold up the edges of the pastry and gather together at the top.  If desired, wrap and tie the bundles close with blanched scallion ‘strings.’  Bake for 10 minutes.  Serve hot. 

About Creole

CREOLE contains 160 tasty and quick-to-prepare dishes that reflect the cultures of the many different nations and continents that have influenced Creole cooing, including Spain, France, India, and Africa, among others. It is written by a true authority on Creole cooking, the original fusion cuisine of the West Indies. Every recipe is illustrated with a specially commissioned photograph, combined with images that evoke the landscape, colors, and people of the Caribbean.

Available at Amazon.com

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Almost nothing smells as good as freshly baked bread, but especially freshly baked Banana Nut Bread.  The chic and stylish German Village Guest House located in Columbus Ohio’s historic district, offers a deluxe continental breakfast with your stay that includes just such a bread; and they have been kind enough to share that special recipe with us – yum!

Banana Nut Bread

• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups mashed, ripe bananas (6-8 medium)
• 2/3 cups water
• 3 1/3 cups all purpose flour (not self-rising)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ¼ cups chopped nuts (usually pecans)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. I usually use my convection baking setting (add 10% to baking times for conventional ovens). 

Vegetable spray bottom only of loaf pan (8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 or 9x5x3 inches). Mix sugar and softened butter in 2 ½ quart bowl. Stir in eggs until blended. Add bananas and water. For best results, I use bananas that are well over-ripened and pretty well blackened on the outside. I put them in the freezer and wait until I have enough to make a batch, and then pull them out and thaw them in the refrigerator in a large bowl. Once thawed, discard any water that has collected in bottom of bowl, cut off the stem end of the banana and squeeze out the flesh (like icing in a piping bag). The soft consistency makes them blend easily into the batter without any lumps and discourages over mixing. Add the water to the banana mush and mix them together with a spatula before adding to sugar, butter and eggs. If you wait too long after thawing the bananas before using them, you may need to add a bit more water to the recipe. Beat mixture for 30 seconds. Do not over mix.

Mix remaining dry ingredients except nuts in separate bowl and thoroughly whisk together. Stir into batter just until moistened; stir in nuts. Pour evenly into pans. Bake until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. 8-inch loaf – 65 minutes, 9-inch loaf – 55 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, loosen sides of loaf and remove loaf from pan. Cool completely before slicing. Makes 2 loaves (24 thick slices). Wrap and refrigerate for up to a week, freeze for up to 2 weeks, slice and let thaw overnight before serving.

About German Village Guest House

More boutique hotel than bed & breakfast, the German Village Guest House is a chic and sophisticated interpretation of the theme. They offer a unique, historic urban neighborhood experience to guests of downtown Columbus, Ohio residents, historic and romantic tourists and both short- and extended-stay corporate housing. The German Village Guest House features spacious, stylish, and extraordinarily comfortable rooms or luxurious private apartments at Whittier Suites, both supported by concierge service, in the heart of the nation’s largest privately-funded Historic District and Preserve America community.

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