Recipes: September Class at Fresina's with Anolon

Each month I block out a couple days to do a cooking class at Fresina's Pasta Company at the Drusilla Shopping Center in Baton Rouge.  Since they are an Italian specialty shop with homemade pastas, I make an Italian inspired menu for a group of up to eight people.  Over wine or local beers, I teach some tricks and show off some recipes.  It is always a good time and everybody leaves full from a homemade lunch.

Tomato Sauce for Bruschetta in Analon's "Everything Pan"

In September I made a menu of Italian Sausage Caprese Bruschetta, Chicken Canzanese over Creamy Polenta, and Double Chocolate Fennel Biscotti inspired by fellow Virtual Potlucker Food Hunters Guide.  I also got to use my new pans that Anolon sent me for the first time.  I cooked the sauce for the bruschetta on the 9.5" Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel "Everyday Pan."  The chicken canzanese was cooked in the 5 quart covered saute from the Anolon Advanced series.  Feel free to check out Anolon on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about their pots and pans.  These two were certainly incredible, especially the Anolon Advanced saute pan which held ten chicken thighs and cooked them up wonderfully with no sticking anywhere in sight!  Here are the recipes for the class.  I hope you enjoy!

Course 1: Bruschetta with Fresina’s Italian Sausage, Creamy Mozzarella, Spicy Tomato Sauce, Fresh Basil, and a reduction of Fresina's Balsamic Vinegar

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 lbs Fresina’s Italian Sausage
2 cups white wine of drinkable quality to cook with
10 cloves of garlic, peeled and divided, mince half the cloves
1 leek, diced
1/2 jar of red pepper chunky tomato sauce from Fresina’s
10 leaves fresh basil
1 baguette of Italian or French bread
1 block of fresh or aged Mozzarella from Fresina’s
Makes 8-10 servings

BALSAMIC REDUCTION
1/3 Cup Fresina’s Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

Place balsamic, sugar, and cayenne in small sauce pan over medium heat.  Allow to simmer and reduce by half until it coats the back of a spoon.

Preheat the oven to 350F

Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom to a large saute pan or high-walled skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage in its casings on all sides as much as possible for 5 minutes or so.  In a second skillet, or in this case Anolon's Everyday Pan, heat enough olive oil to over the bottom of the pan over medium heat, then add the diced leak and the five minced cloves of garlic and sauté until soft, 2-3 minutes.

When the sausage has browned, add one cup of the wine and simmer the sausage uncovered in the wine.  If you need to speed up the cooking process at any time, cover the pan.  When the leaks and garlic are ready, add the tomato sauce and stir.  Reduce heat to simmer.

Slice the baguette on a bias (diagonally) into oval pieces that are approximately a quarter inch thick.  In a food processor, add the five whole garlic cloves and approximately a 1/3 cup of olive oil.  Blend until the garlic is fully incorporated into the olive oil.  Brush the garlic oil onto the bread slices that are arranged on baking sheet.  Place the bread in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.  During the 10 minutes, stir the simmering tomato sauce, balsamic that is reducing, and flip over the sausage.  If the pan has run out of wine to simmer in, add the other cup of wine in with the sausage, or add a cup of water.  Also, slice the mozzarella into pieces that will fit nicely on the bread slices.  When the 10 minutes is up, remove the bread from the oven.  While it cools slightly, slice the sausage on the bias into pieces that will fit on the bread and are about the same thickness as the bread.  Start building the bruschetta by placing a slice of sausage followed by a slice of cheese onto each of the pieces of bread.  Place them back in the oven for another 5-6 minutes to melt the cheese.

When the bruschetta comes out of the oven, spoon the tomato sauce over each piece, followed by a drizzle of the balsamic reduction.  Top them with the basil chiffonade to garnish.  Eat immediately.

Course 2: Chicken Canzanese - White Wine Braised Chicken Thighs with Crispy Skin
served over Creamy Polenta

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
4 medium garlic cloves , sliced thin lengthwise
8-10 skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups white wine of drinkable quality to cook with
1 cup chicken stock
4 whole cloves
6-8 whole fresh basil leaves
12 whole fresh sage leaves
2 bay leaves
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed oven safe saute pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add garlic slices and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is golden brown, about 1½ minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic and pancetta to small bowl and set aside. Do not rinse pan.

Increase heat to medium-high; add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and heat until just smoking. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with ground black pepper and kosher salt. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving until well browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and brown on second side, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan. Sprinkle flour over fat and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly add wine followed by the stock; bring to simmer, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Cook until liquid is slightly reduced, 3 minutes. Stir in cloves, sage leaves, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and reserved prosciutto and garlic. Nestle chicken into liquid, skin side up (skin should be above surface of liquid), and bake, uncovered, until meat offers no resistance when poked with fork but is not falling off bones, about 1 hour. (Check chicken after 15 minutes; broth should be barely bubbling. If bubbling vigorously, reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.)

Using tongs, transfer chicken to serving platter and tent with foil. Remove and discard sage leaves, cloves, and bay leaves. Place skillet over high heat and bring sauce to boil. Cook until sauce is reduced to 1¼ cups, 2 to 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in lemon juice, and butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Plate chicken over the polenta and pour sauce around chicken.  Garnish with chiffonade of basil and serve.

Polenta:
4 cups water, plus more as needed
4 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups polenta
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan

In a large saucepan, bring the water, milk and butter to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water and whisk in the polenta. Whisk constantly for 3 to 4 minutes to prevent lumps. Simmer for 45 minutes, partially covered and stirring every 10 minutes, until the polenta is thick, smooth, and creamy. Remove from heat.  Add the sour cream and Parmesan. Check for seasoning and adjust consistency by adding milk or water to the polenta.

Course 3: Double Chocolate Fennel Biscotti

2 Cups Unbleached AP Flour
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Fennel
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
3/4 Stick (6 Tablespoons) Butter, Softened
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a large baking sheet.

In a bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, ground fennel seeds, and salt. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and beat until combined.  Add vanilla.  Mix in flour mixture a little at a time.  Stir in chocolate chips.

On the prepared baking sheet with floured hands, form the dough into two slightly flattened logs, approximately 2 inches wide.  Bake for about 35 minutes, or until slightly firm to the touch. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes.  Cut logs diagonally into slices.  Arrange cut sides down on baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Wine Dinner at Niche Bar and Grill

Niche Bar and Grill on Siegen Lane recently hosted an "Around the World" Wine Dinner.  The seating area had been transformed into a white table cloth dining room and I immediately became excited about the efforts of Ause, the owner, and his staff.  I knew this dinner would be an improvement over the previous wine dinner I attended at Niche, but I didn't know how much better.

The wonderful Lauren Michaud joined me for the evening of food and wine.  Appetizer number one featured what Niche called "Tapas de Brie."  Pretty much a version of bruschetta, the slices of toasted bread were topped with tomato slices and melted Brie then drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette and rosemary.  The dish had great flavors that worked very well together.  For a small plate or an hors d'oeuvres it did the trick.  I didn't quite get the pairing with the Argentina Malbec as the Tapas de Brie seemed more Italian than Argentinean or even Spanish, but, what the heck, its all Latin, right?

Tapas de Brie

Graffingna Malbec

Appetizer two included Oysters Portofino paired with a glass of Bottega Vanaia Pinot Grigio.  The oysters were breaded and covered with a spicy basil red sauce and melted mozzarella cheese.  The wine pairing on this course was right on target.  The oysters themselves were decent, but the sweetness and acidity of the wine that matched the tomato sauce is what really made the dish work.

Oysters Portofino

Bottega Vanaia Pinot Grigio

The first entree course emerged as by far my favorite dish of the day.  A blackened redfish filet sat on top of a deliciously fried eggplant slice.  Both the redfish and eggplant were smothered in Niche's signature spicy crawfish cream sauce.  The Hess Chardonnay matched extremely well with the trio of fish, eggplant and cream sauce.  The textures and flavors of every aspect of this plate struck my taste buds in a harmonious symphony.  This is the best dish that I've had at Niche, which made me really happy!

Redfish Feliciana

Hess Chardonnay

The lamb dish, our fourth course, is the one that I most eagerly anticipated.  The frenched lamb chops were covered in a mustard-mint demi-glace and served with rosemary red potatoes.  In another very appropriate wine pairing, the lamb came served with a glass of French Pinot Noir.  While I really liked the lamb, it didn't quite match the previous redfish plate.  The mustard-mint demi-glace fell short of being a stunning sauce with the lamb.  I enjoyed it, but it didn't quite work perfectly for me.

Lamb Chops

Louis Jadot Pinot Noir

The meal wrapped up with tiramisu and a glass of Port.  I again found it odd to pair an Italian dessert with a Portuguese wine, though they did work fairly well together.  I think a glass of Prosecco or another Italian dessert wine may have been more appropriate.  Still, the dessert tasted pretty good and the I'm a big fan of Port, so I left the dinner very happy!

Tiramisu

Fonseca Porto

Thanks to Niche for continuing to put on these dinners of assorted beverages.  I very much applaud the efforts to bring a dinner like this to a more casual dining atmosphere.  This wine dinner proved to be worth every penny.  I found some of the international pairings a little odd, but in the end they worked well enough to ensure that everyone had good food, good wine, and a great time!  And I think that Redfish Feliciana might be on the menu now or at least run fairly often as a special.  Do yourself a favor and go try that!

The Bullfrog Brewery in Williamsport, PA

Williamsport, PA's Bullfrog Brewery

I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend in Williamsport, PA in large part because Caroline knows me so well.  The planned activities for the weekend: pretty much nothing.  The suggested activities for the weekend: find cultural, local, and authentic restaurants and bars at which to eat and drink, then do so.  Oh, and play with Lola (Caroline's enormous and fantastic puppy) while we rubbed our bellies to recover from all the eating and drinking.  How could it get much better?  After all, it was pretty darn cold outside!  One of our first stops in Williamsport came at the Bullfrog Brewery.  This brewpub in downtown had plenty of character, so we went in, grabbed a seat, and ordered a couple pints.

Brew Kettles and Fermenting Tanks at the Bullfrog Brewery

I began with an Amarillo-ville American Wheat, one of the specialty brews on the menu.  It had a great hops flavor without being overpowering.  I'd certainly suggest it to those who are intimidated by pale ales and want to get their toes wet with hops before jumping in.  From there the logical decision was to order a sampler of various Bullfrog beers.

Beer Sampler at the Bullfrog Brewhouse and Eatery

Like a lot of craft breweries, I generally preferred the beers more as I moved down the line from light to dark.  Particularly of note from Bullfrog were the Apricot Wheat and the Pumpkin Stout.  The Apricot Wheat had a fruity nose that went away slightly upon taste.  I liked that the apricot flavor did not overshadow the beer and make it taste like juice.  Bravo.  The Pumpkin Stout had similar characteristics in that the pumpkin and pumpkin spices did just enough to let you know this was no ordinary stout, but they let the craft beer do most of the talking on my taste buds.

Bullfrog Bruschetta

While quenching our thirst with refreshing brews, it dawned on Caroline and I that we should probably eat as well.  We started things off with an order of the Bullfrog Bruschetta.  The dish consisted of diced tomatoes, feta cheese, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, olive oil and cracked pepper. After placing the spread on some sliced focaccia bread I flew the plane to the hanger, so to speak.  The bruschetta actually impressed me a fair amount.  Light, refreshing, fresh, and pretty delicious.

The Pittsburger

Still, I couldn't resist going from that reasonably healthy bruschetta to a greasy, beefy burger.  The Pittsburger caught my eye since I did happen to be in Pennsylvanian at the time.  This contribution to the burgering world combined bacon, provolone, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, and cole slaw.  Added to that were some pretty fantastic garlic fries.  I'm not a huge cole slaw fan, but it actually worked on the burger.  The beef had plenty of juice while all the other toppings were piled high enough to fall off the bun at times.  Despite being rather tricky to eat, the Pittsburger got my approval.  Then I washed it down with more beer.