The Perfect Holiday Steak

I remember growing up with traditional turkey or ham being served every holiday. I remember anticipating the dinner and the goodies that followed, which this “Husky” kid could not pass up. I was an odd kid, as I always looked forward to the meals on Christmas Eve before wondering what Saint Nick would leave for me Christmas morning. When most kids lay in bed counting sheep, I would count lamb chops with a light garlic and rosemary glaze. Let’s just say I was destined to become a cook.

Asking my friends and colleges what they are serving for the holidays; it seems that beef tenderloin has become the choice holiday feast of this generation. So I decided that I would share this recipe with you.

Here is a great steak rub that I use for almost any event. Pair this with Crofut Frontenac and you will have the perfect steak.

Dollarhide Espresso Steak Rub
8 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons dehydrated onion
1 tablespoon dehydrated garlic
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried fennel
4 tablespoons ground espresso

Happy Holidays
The Dollarhides

Oh Deer!

My favorite gifts are those of food. Whether its’ venison from one of my brother-in-laws hunts or pheasant from my uncle Craig, the gift of food is always the best. These gifts do come with an alternative motive, being that Molly and I have to cook for them, though this motive is a good one as not only do we get the gift of cuisine but the gift of family and the story of how the feast came to our table.

Venison bites “Minnesota Style”
This is the easiest recipe I have ever tried (I tend to say this a lot). It makes for a great appetizer for the football game or even just sitting around the house on a cold day watching movies or playing video games (all of which Molly tells me is me being non-productive). This is also a great recipe to introduce venison to a first timer.

For this recipe I use a sauce I found at the Prior Lake farmers market earlier this fall. It is based out of Eagan and called “Spooky All Natural Hot Sauce”.

2 pound cubed venison roast (about 1 ½ inch thick)
1 cup flour (seasoned with a little salt and pepper)
2 Tbs Olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 cup hot sauce
2 cups Frontenac
A little patience

The how:
In a large skillet heat the oil. Dredge the cubed venison in the seasoned flour. Toss the floured venison in the skillet and brown each sides of the cubed meat. Once these are brown add the wine, hot sauce & garlic. Bring to a boil for one minute then turn the heat down to a simmer for ½ hour.

The smokiness of the wine and the sauce make for a great combination.

\m/ Richard

P.S. I found the website for the sauce. Keep it local!
http://www.spookygourmethotsauce.net/index.html

Fondue and Tapenade

Due to popular demand I was going to sell these on eBay, but I decided to share it with you all instead!
\m/ Richard

Molly’s Fondue
In a medium sauce pan melt 1/2 cup Butter and1/2 Cup Flour. Whisk until thick then start adding 2% Milk a little at a time until medium consistency is reached.
Add any of the following cheese blends, just make sure they are shredded: Sharpe White Cheddar, American, Gruyere, Fontina, Herb Gouda and - maybe for something different - a little Blue Cheese.
When whisking in the cheese, only have the milk at medium heat so it will not scorch. Once you have reached a creamy pancake-like consistency, take it off the stove and add a few dashes of the following, one at a time: Crofut Frontenac Gris, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice salt & White Pepper.
When reheating, I recommend either keeping it in a crock pot or double boiler so it does not burn.


Frontenac Tapenade
2 cups pitted Kalamata olives
2 Cup Black olives
2 tablespoons capers
3 anchovy fillets
Juice of one lemon
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1/2 cup of olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup sundried tomatoes
1 cup Crofut Frontenac

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients except tomatoes. Pulse until until well combined (You want it a little chunky.) Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Evolution of a Recipe.. Not so hard!

Here's how a chef comes up with a recipe... we all want to believe that being creative is hard work but the fact is, Great things come out of nowhere!

This morning I was playing with new Ciabatta bread that our bakery made for us. I looked around and found a rarity - a half drank bottle of River Valley White. Why it was half empty? I do not know, yet it is not a crime when you find something wonderful to do with it.

I simply grilled a piece of Ciabatta bread and slapped a couple of pieces of bacon on it. Grilled a little Pacific Salmon (not that farm-raised stuff!), then sautéed some Shiitake and Button Mushrooms with the Crofut wine until the mushroom became dry. I put the mushrooms on the salmon and topped it with some Boursin Cheese. Placed everything under a broiler for two minutes then topped it with a little spinach tossed in Balsamic. ..Done

Yum!

\m/ Rock on!

Richard
rdollarhide@hotmail.com

Trick and Treat all in One Recipe!

Molly’s Pumpkin Soup

6 cups chicken stock
2-3 cups pared pumpkin, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
5 peppercorns
1 medium pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy cream, warmed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a covered saucepan, heat the stock, cubed pumpkin, onion, garlic, salt, thyme, and peppercorns to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes.
Remove 1/2 cup of the pumpkin with a slotted spoon; reserve.

Simmer remaining pumpkin mixture, uncovered, 20 minutes longer; transfer to a large bowl.
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Cut the top off the pumpkin and remove the seeds.
Place the pumpkin on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes; set aside in a warm spot.
Puree 2 cups of the pumpkin mixture in a blender or food processor; return pureed mixture to the pot.
Repeat with remaining pumpkin mixture.
Heat pureed mixture to boiling; reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Stir warm cream and reserved pumpkin into soup.
Place the warmed pumpkin on a platter; ladle the soup in and garnish with parsley.


Don's Note: River Valley white worked really well with the soup!

Crofut Risotto

Three years ago, my neighbor Joe introduced me to the most addictive thing in the world. Not cigarettes, not drugs, not gambling but duck hunting! I never thought I would look forward to waking up at 5am on a cool and sometimes downright cold, autumn Saturday morning to sit in water wearing rubber boots waiting for my favorite fall entrée to fly above me. Being careful to not wake my wife and children, I sneak down stairs, put on my camouflaged rubber outfit. Wake up my “not so smart” dog and head to the lake. I sit and wait for the first light of the morning to start blasting at every wing I see fly above me. For every 50 shots I fire I somehow miss 55 ducks, yet I promise myself that I will keep going back until I get one. I’m Elmer Fudd with an apron. Bottom line, I’m better cooking than I am at hunting! Yet, I still go out each weekend to try my luck. Some say it is a passion, though I say it has become an addiction.

\m/ Richard

Simple Jerk Seasoned Duck w/ Mushroom “Crofut” Risotto
Serves 4

Duck
2 Duck breasts
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Place the duck aside. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Toss the Duck in the bowl and let marinate for one to two hours. Grill the duck for roughly three to four minutes on each side until medium rare. Remember though it is a bird, it is not a chicken. It tastes great at medium rare/medium…

Crofut Risotto
8 to 9 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 pound fresh Portobello, Oyster & Shittake Mushroom, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine (River Valley White)
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese

Heat the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 onion and 1 clove garlic, stirring while cooking until translucent. Toss in the fresh mushrooms, all the herbs & butter. Sauté until lightly browned then season with a little salt & pepper. Take off the heat and set aside.

In a medium saucepan add 2 Tablespoons oil. Sauté the rest of the garlic and onion. Add Arborio and stir quickly until it is well-coated for one minute. Stir in wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated.

Add 1 cup of the warm broth with a ladle while stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Keep adding broth 1 cup at a time. Continue to cook and stir, cook and stir, cook and stir giving the rice time to absorb all the broth before adding the other cup. Does this take time? Yes, but it is well worth the wait. The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy.. Transfer the mushrooms to the rice mixture then stir in the cheese, cook until cheese is melted into the risotto. Garnish with the sliced grilled duck breast and a little parsley. At this point you can feel like a celebrity chef and yell BAM!

Beurre Blanc or Beurre Rouge

The other day, on my way home from work Molly called me and asked me to pick something up from the grocery store. I quickly learned that if you are wearing a chef coat in the grocery store you are going to get asked a lot of questions. One question; “what is a quick sauce for fish”? Answering her question I could have stayed there forever asking, what are you going to serve with the fish? How are you going to cook the fish? What sort of side will be with the fish?

I decided to give her a choice of two classic “gourmet” sounding though easy to make.

Beurre Blanc or Beurre Rouge.

Just because the names are French, don’t get intimidated on making this at home. These are by far the easiest pan sauces one can make. (Traditional French would strain the shallots, though I like the added bite) These both can be served with chicken, pork or fish. They heighten a dish as well as give great added flavor.


Beurre Blanc
Ingredients:
8 oz Crofut Le Crescent
1-1/2 oz white wine vinegar
2 shallots, chopped
1 lb cold butter, cut into small pieces
Salt

The How To:

Combine Wine & Shallots in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup.

Reduce heat to low; add butter, 1 piece at a time, stirring with a whisk. (Do not overheat or sauce will separate.) Season to taste

Beurre Rouge
Ingredients
8 oz Crofut St. Croix
1-1/2 oz red wine vinegar
2 shallots, chopped
1 lb cold butter, cut into small pieces
Salt

The How to:

Combine Wine & Shallots in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup.

Reduce heat to low; add butter, 1 piece at a time, stirring with a whisk. (Do not overheat or sauce will separate.) Season to taste


\m/ Richard