The Ash Creek Papers

Can someone tire of Eggs Benedict on New Year’s morning?  The brief answer is “no”.  The recipe that follows is not meant to replace in our hearts the supreme brunch dish.  On the other hand, Eggs Benedict is a particularly fussy dish to make. Consider the careful assemblage necessary in making the hollandaise sauce, and the tricky nature of poaching eggs – plus or minus 10 seconds and the yolk is all wrong! The anxiety! Runny hollandaise and overdone eggs!  And given the speed at which we can dispatch what is served to us, was all that time and work invested in producing it really worth the trouble?  The brief answer is “yes”.  Especially if someone else is making it… and cleaning up afterwards! To quote the Prince of Denmark, “Aye, there’s the rub.”

Which brings us to the dish below, Welsh Rabbit, which takes all of 25 minutes (max) from when you switch on the lights in the kitchen to when you’re happily downing forkfuls of cheesy toast (and washing it down with a flute of chilled Brut Champagne)! But before we continue, a word about the name of the dish itself.  The origin of the name is obscure, it first appeared in print in 1725 as Welsh Rabbit, and then in 1785 it was altered to Welsh Rarebit, perhaps because the dish didn’t contain a whisker of rabbit in it! In his 1926 edition of the Dictionary of Modern English Usage, the grammarian H.W. Fowler states a forthright view: “Welsh Rabbit is amusing and right. Welsh Rarebit is stupid and wrong.” So there you are, and I’m glad that we’ve put that thorny issue to rest.

The prep of Welsh Rabbit is indeed simple and the cooking simpler yet.  Whisk in hand, stirring the sauce over a low flame even allows for a sip or two of Champagne before sitting down at the table!  A great way to launch a New Year if you ask me.  But Welsh Rabbit is more than a great brunch dish, it’s also good for a light Sunday supper.  And famously, this was a White House late night snack favorite of FDR.

And now to the Champagne, and what Thomas Jefferson referred to as “old reliable”.  Reliable because there isn’t an occasion or food where Champagne fails to add to your enjoyment.  Shame that for too many folks Champagne is only put into use on “major” celebration days, and then only for a ceremonial toast.  Champagne is brilliant wine to open for just about any food!  And the Champagne recommended here is produced by a small grower —  a récoltant who has the option of selling his grapes to the big concerns (like Veuve Clicquot) or in good harvest years reserving some fruit and creating wine under his or her own label.  And if you lived in Paris you would probably drive to Champagne a couple of times a year (about 90 minutes away), stop into your grower of choice, buy a couple of cases of your favorite and laugh all the way back to Paris, “Let the stupid Americans drink all the Veuve Clicquot they want!”

Laculle Brut Premier (Champagne, France)
The Laculle family have been making Champagne in the small village of Chervey, nestled in the Cotes des Bar for the past 3 centuries. The family’s winemaking activity dates back to 1789. From this year of the French Revolution onwards, each generation has followed in the family’s wine-making footsteps. Patrick took over the family business in 1980 and married Agnes Moutard in 1986. Patrick uses exclusively his own grapes of his small, 10ha vineyard. 100% Pinot Noir.  Soft floral scent, bright on the palate, clean finish with a small persistent bubble.

 WELSH RABBIT/WELSH RAREBIT

Ingredients
6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
3 olives stuffed with blue cheese
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ cup porter beer
¾ cup heavy cream
6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (about 1½ cups)
2 drops Tabasco
4 slices of toasted rye bread

 Directions

1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!

2. In a medium sauce pan over low heat, melt butter and whisk in the flour.  Cook, whisking constantly for 2 minutes or so, being careful not to brown the flour.

3. Whisk in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper until smooth.

4. Add beer and whisk to combine. Pour in cream and whisk until well combined and smooth.

5. Gradually add cheese, stirring constantly, until cheese melts and sauce is smooth (about 4 minutes).  Add Tabasco.  Spoon sauce over rye toast.

n.b.  I used Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in place of the Porter.  Sierra Nevada actually makes a Porter. I’m sure it would be good to use, I just have a reflex reaction against a beer that is darker than motor oil. Although this recipe calls for 4 slices of rye toast, the quantity of cheese sauce can comfortably cover two more slices of toast. And… (a drum roll would be appropriate) are you a fan of grilled cheese with bacon and tomato? (crash the cymbal) Put a slice of tomato and a strip or two of crisp bacon on your rye toast before applying the blanket of cheese sauce! 

P.S. I made up the Thomas Jefferson quote… although he may in fact have at one time or another referred to Champagne as “old reliable” – after all he lived in France for years!

I was looking for a “tasty utilitarian something.” Something that could work for breakfast/brunch, or as an appetizer during cocktails, or as a first course in a fancy-shmancy dinner. I picked up this recipe for Muffin-tin Mini Quiches from Eating Well and while it lacks a pie crust, it doesn’t lack flavor. And it certainly comes in ideal serving portions for use in all of the serving opportunities noted above. Further, you can make it ahead of time (like I did). After the quiches have cooled and removed from the muffin tin, wrap the quiches individually in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days (or freeze for up to 1 month). To reheat from fridge, remove plastic, wrap in paper towel and microwave on high for 30 to 60 seconds. Tonight the quiches will be served before our standing rib roast.

My “go-to” white is Sauvignon Blanc. And for tonight I’ve selected a wine from New Zealand. Loire Valley would also have been a good choice… Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé and Quincy all produce excellent Sauvingon Blancs. Other Loire whites would be great choices, too: Muscadet or Dry Vouvray. Pinot Gris from Alsace or Pinot Blanc from the Alto-Adige are other wines that I love both as aperitifs and to go with the quiches.

Konrad Sauvignon Blanc ’14 (Marlborough, NZ)

A brilliant, pale straw green colour. This is a ripe style of Sauvignon showing elements of passion fruit, mango, melon and stone fruit, as well as subtle yoghurty complexity from a whisker of barrel fermentation. The palate if soft, full and dry taking richness from the excellent fruit weight achieved in the vineyard. Classic Marlborough Sauvignon flavours of tropical fruits and underlaid by a vein of exotic fruits reminiscent of guava and lychee. The extract of the wine fills the mouth while acidity keeps the palate alive through to a clean, dry finish.

Muffin-tin Mini-Quiches

Ingredients

6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1½ cups finely diced red-skinned potatoes
1 cup diced red onion
Salt
8 large eggs
1 cup shredded smoked gruyere cheese
½ cup low-fat milk
½ tsp ground pepper
1½ cups chopped fresh baby spinach

Directions

1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size. Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming. Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!
2. Preheat oven to 325°F.  Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and ¼ tsp salt and cook, stirring ’til the potatoes are just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.
4. Whisk eggs, cheese, milk, pepper, ½ tsp of salt in a large bowl. Stir in spinach and the potato mixture. Divide quiche mixture among the prepared muffin cups.
5. Bake until firm to the touch, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before removing from the tin.

n.b.  The smoked gruyere fills in a layer of flavor that could accomplished with diced bacon or ham. And next go ’round I might add ham anyway!

I consider this dish an exercise in trying to shed a childhood nightmare. When I attended Hamden Hall Country Day School, Salisbury Steak was on the hot lunch rotation — meaning I would see it at least once a month (and this was in the day when there was only one option presented on a daily basis for the hot lunch program). And from my perspective everything was wrong about the dish… its appearance on the plate (a brown lump covered in a vile looking brown sauce), its smell and taste? Honestly? I could never make it past the appearance! Granted, that may have been a function of the recipe regardless of who prepared it. Was it prepared in the kitchen or in the bathroom? Even today, in drawing up a memory from my distant past, I gag at the very thought of seeing that lunch!

Time to beat back the demon! OK, so Salisbury “Steak” is essentially a ramped-up burger served with an onion/mushroom brown gravy. And when I look at that dispassionately, it has all the makings of a “comfort food dish” perfect to enjoy on a cold and damp winter Sunday. Add to that, this recipe calls for using a slow-cooker! Prep before noon, watch the football game, ready at dinner time! Serve it with classic sides of peas and mashed potatoes, open up a bottle of “bistro” red and I’m giving it a go!

To the wine choice! First, in general I love Côtes du Rhône for good home cookin’. And second, most Côtes du Rhônes are Grenache based from the Southern Rhône, but Domaine Garon is based in the Northern Rhône and this CDR is predominately Syrah with fruit sourced from the Domaine’s Côte-Rôti vineyard!  Drink modest, and drink well!

Domaine Garon “La Part des Vivants” Côtes du Rhône ’22 (Northern Rhône, France)
Domaine Garon owns 5ha of vines in Côte Rôtie divided into 5 different lieu dits: Rochains, Triotes, Lancement, Combard and Mollard. The vineyards are planted to 100% Syrah. Vivants is 70% Syrah, 20% Grenache and 10% Carignan. The wine is aged in older, neutral barrels which helps to avoid oak influence and better serves to round out textures in the wine. It has lovely, concentrated wild berry flavors, dark chocolate, spice and dry herbs. The acidity is ample for a red wine of this nature giving it freshness and allowing this ripe Syrah to dance on your tongue and pair nicely with good food.

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak

Ingredients

6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
1½ lbs ground beef
1 egg
¼ cup minced onion
¼ cup bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 small sliced onion
6 oz sliced mushrooms
1½ cups beef broth
1 package brown gravy mix
1 tbs ketchup
1 tbs Dijon mustard
2 tbs corn starch

Directions

1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size. Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming. Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!
2. Mix ground beef, minced onion, bread crumbs, garlic, egg, salt and pepper together in a good sized bowl. Form into desired sized patties (5 or 6, depending on preference). Brown patties in skillet.
3. In slow cooker, create a bed of sliced onions & sliced mushrooms on the bottom. Place the browned patties on top.
4. In a bowl mix beef broth, gravy mix, ketchup & mustard and pour over the patties and veggies.
5. Cook on low for 5 hours.
6. Remove patties to a platter. Transfer the sauce to a skillet, whisk in the corn starch over medium-high heat, mix and let cook ‘til it sauce thickens. Return patties back to coat with sauce before serving.
7. Go to town.

n.b. Other wine choices: always “regional” Italy always works: Barbera, Aglianico, Nero d’Avola, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo & Morelino di Scansano. Pinotage from South Africa. Bonarda from Argentina.