Bobotie with Saffron Rice Paired with 2009 Glenelly The Glass Collection Stellenbosch South Africa Cabernet Sauvignon

Bobotie (pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable and the “tie” as “tee”) is a wonderful South African interpretation of meat loaf.  In my mind, meatloaf is a great cold weather comfort food.  But if you have grown tired of the same old uninspired meatloaf, this recipe is a fruit and curry filled take on the traditional.

Bobotie differs from the average meatloaf by adding fruit (raisins, apples, apricots), curry, and a wash of eggs to cover the dish with a pleasant texture and added layer of flavor.  This variant of meatloaf is a wonderful blend of subtle flavors that make it welcome change to your meatloaf repertoire.  My interpretation of South African Bobotie features ground bison and a tablespoon of Trinidad pepper sauce to add some kick and yet another layer of flavor.

For the pairing, my first decision point was to choose a South African wine.  Next, I decided to take the route of creating a balance in the pairing through contrast rather than complement.  I decided to go with a South African Cabernet Sauvignon and settled on the 2009 Glenelly The Glass Collection Stellenbosch South Africa Cabernet Sauvignon.  With a 90 point rating from Robert Parker, it is a classic Cabernet from South Africa but has a bit more of a polished style than others I've tried. Very balanced from start to finish with plenty of plush fruit, and firm acidity corralling the dark fruit.  This is a food friendly wine.

My hopes for balance through contrast were rewarded.  The dark plush fruits added depth of flavor to the brighter fruits in the dish, and the acidity balanced the richness nicely.  At $15, the 2009 Glenelly The Glass Collection Stellenbosch South Africa Cabernet Sauvignon is a great value.  With slightly coarse tannins, I recommend decanting to let the wine open, or better yet, save it in your collection for a couple of years.  It is sure to mature nicely.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 2 pounds ground bison
• 2 apples pealed and grated
• 1 cup milk
• 2 slices thick-sliced bread
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup almonds coarsely chopped in a food processor
• 1 tablespoon Trinidad Pepper Sauce
• 1/3 cup finely chopped dried apricots
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• Juice from 1/2 of a small lemon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 large eggs
• 3 bay leaves
• Butter

Preparation

1. Cut bread into 1 inch cubes and soak in milk.
2. Brown the bison in a hot skillet over medium high heat with one tablespoon olive oil. When browned, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
3. Sauté onions and minced garlic with one tablespoon olive oil until soft.
4. Add curry, brown sugar, salt and pepper, and lemon juice and continue to cook for two minutes.
5. Transfer onions to the bowl with ground bison.
6. Lightly squeeze milk from the bread and add to the bowl with the bison. Do not add the milk.
7. Fold in one egg, grated apple, raisins, almonds, pepper sauce, and apricots.
8. Coat a casserole dish with butter, and add the mixture.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.
10. Beat 2 eggs with the milk used for soaking the bread.
11. Pour eggs and milk over the casserole, add several pads of butter and the bay leaves to the top of the casserole.
12. Return to the oven for another 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
13. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
14. Remove the bay leaves, cut into squares, and serve over saffron rice.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

Halibut Steak Poached in Coconut Milk with Coconut Milk Foam, Garlic Sautéed Asparagus and Mushrooms, Roasted Red Peppers and Potatoes Pan Fried in Duck Fat Paired with 2010 Barboursville Vineyards Virginia Chardonnay

Cooking and creating great meals is an endless challenge with infinite possibilities.  There is always something to learn and explore.  For quite some time I have wanted to conquer culinary foams.  This week I found both the inspiration and the magic ingredient to make it happen.  While spending New Year’s with good friends who are also foodies and wine lovers, Beth mentioned a recent experience with foam she enjoyed – oysters with celery foam.  The idea of celery flavors mixing with the salty sweetness of oysters sounded like a winner to me, so I dedicated my efforts to overcoming the foam challenge.

The key to making culinary foam is lecithin.  I began my search in the local grocery stores – bust.  I moved on to the culinary specialty stores – nada.  I concluded I would have to go to the web and order it.  However, once I started my search I found that lecithin is a common dietary supplement found in health food stores and vitamin shops like GNC.  Bingo!  I jumped on the metro, went to the nearest GNC (conveniently located next to my favorite cigar store) and picked up a big canister of lecithin granules for $11 – enough to satisfy my culinary curiosity for the next year or so.

The process of making foam is pretty simple – take a cup or two of the juice or other liquid you want to use as a foam, add a tablespoon of lecithin granules and hit it with a submersion blender until it foams.  Spoon off the foam and add it to your dish – quick and easy.

Now that you have the ingredients and the process, we can back up and ask the question “why?”  The beauty of culinary foams is the ability to add a layer of flavor without changing the structure of the dish – much like a sauce, but without the addition of butter and lengthy reduction.  The result is pure flavor, and much lighter than traditional sauces. 

The oysters with celery foam is a good example.  Oysters and a celery stick doesn’t work well – the oyster slides to the floor.  You could try grating or shredding the celery, but it still does not work.  By running celery through a juicer, foaming it, and adding a dollop to the oyster, you achieve something visually appealing, does not detract from the essence of the oyster, and adds an interesting layer of flavor while not affecting your experience of oyster structure.

The same holds true for the entre – while poaching fish in coconut milk adds a hint of flavor, the coconut milk foam adds a distinctive layer of flavor to the dish.  With the rich buttery flavors of the halibut steak and coconut milk, I chose the 2010 Barboursville Vineyards Virginia Chardonnay for our pairing.  Fermented in stainless steel, this Chardonnay is nicely acidic, refreshingly crisp and features flavors of apple, pear and bright citrus.  The acidity and citrus formed an elegant balance with the richness of the fish and coconut as well as the rich flavors of the potatoes fried in duck fat. 

At $11, the 2010 Barboursville Vineyards Virginia Chardonnay is an exceptional value and holds great promise for a broad range of pairings.

Recipes

Oysters on the Half Shell with Celery Foam

Easy stuff.  Run 5 or six stalks of celery through a juicer to produce about one cup of celery juice.  Add 1 tablespoon of lecithin granules and blend with an immersion blender until foam forms.  Shuck your oysters leaving the belly in the deep side of the shell and spoon a dollop of celery foam.

Halibut Steak Poached in Coconut Milk with Coconut Foam

Ingredients

• 3 cans coconut milk
• 1 1/2 pound halibut steak
• 3-4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon lecithin granules

Preparation

1. Reserve 1 cup of coconut milk for foam and pour remainder in a pan just larger than your halibut steak.  Bring to boil over medium-high heat.
2. Reduce heat and add halibut fillets, cooking for about 10 minutes turning the halibut at the 5 minute mark.
3. Just before finished, season with salt and pepper.
4. Add lecithin granules to the reserved coconut milk and blend for about 30 seconds or until foam forms. Spoon foam over halibut and serve immediately.

Vegetables

Added to the halibut steak, I sautéed asparagus and mushrooms with minced garlic.  For additional color and flavor I halved two red peppers and put them under a broiler until the skin was charred.  After removing from the broiler, cover the peppers with a towel to let them steam.  Peel the skins (very easy after charring and steaming), slice into long thin strips, place in a shallow bowl with three thinly sliced garlic cloves, drizzle with olive oil, and season to taste.  Toss.  Do this process early to let the peppers marinade.

Finally, I pan fried thinly sliced potatoes in garlic and duck fat.  Just reach in the freezer and pull out your container of duck fat next to the ice-cream (no duck fat?  Shame.)  Just before tender and turning brown, add a healthy portion of finely chopped parsley and season to taste.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig