Greetings, and welcome once again to the Gallitzin Gourmet, the Inner Sphere's leading cooking show, where we give you the lowdown on how to prepare fantastic meals from the most exotic foods in known space.
Today, we're coming to you from New Avalon, beating heart of the Federated Suns. While not traditionally renowned for its culinary contributions to the Inner Sphere (in fact, New Avalon cuisine was famously derided as "where ****** meets leeky and bland meets greasy" in Rance Lorton's holo-travelogue "Around the Sphere in Eighty Jumps"), the capital of the Federated Suns was initially colonized as an agricultural world, and the seminal event in its development as an independent interstellar power is still celebrated on Grain Rebellion Day.
Huge amounts of New Avalon's landmasses remain under cultivation, and New Avalon enjoys a surplus that allows it to feed its people and supply much of the food required to support nearby worlds. New Avalon Wheat is a hybrid specially adapted to the local soil, and is flavorful, versatile, and nutritious. Local species also find it delicious, forcing some farmers to resort to using AgroMechs as makeshift scarecrows to keep the ravenous grassbirds from devouring entire fields. Growing alongside the wheat is the ubiquitous quillar - a sweet grain that can be flavor/texture adapted to substitute for a large number of Terran staples. Ranching is a major industry, with large buffalope herds carpeting the semi-arid plains. Here, too, local farmers make prolific use of CattleMaster and Herdsman AgroMechs to shepherd the beasts, and fend off attacks by native predators, such as sprinter killers and stalkers (tree-height spider-like predators with mouths on their stomachs). In the polar regions, notable local fauna includes ice serpents and silver ice snake-weasels, though neither are a staple food animal.
While New Avalon imports gourmet foods from all over the Inner Sphere (reportedly even allocating scarce JumpShip cargo space to import white chocolate from Vorzel and cheeses from Nekkar during the Fourth Succession War, when many worlds faced severe rationing due to the reassignment of their regular trading vessels to the Capellan front), we'll be working to prepare a gourmet multi-course meal from foods native to New Avalon.
Amuse Bouche - Ice Serpent Tartare
To begin our feast, we tantalize our palettes with a taste of the wilds from the frigid New Scotland continent. Raw meat from an ice serpent is served on a bed of avocado, and topped with crispy shallots, then drizzled with a salty quillar-paste dressing. The meat has been defatted (ice serpents have a core of tough muscle within an outer layer of insulating blubber) and marinated with olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, wasabi, quillar sauce, hot red pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. The chewy meat, therefore, is mostly there to provide texture, while the preponderance of flavor comes from the strong and zippy marinade. We paired this with a glass of dry rosé.
Soup - Beer and Cheddar Soup
Our eyes watering and mouths burning from the fiery ice serpent marinade, we gladly tucked into our second course, a simple yet soothing beer and cheddar soup, with ingredients sourced from the Rostock continent's dairies and breweries (a fine Rostock "Red Fox" Amber Ale).
Entree - Whole Roast Grassbird
The scourge of the wheatfields, the New Avalon grassbird is delectable when roasted whole, with a side of baby carrots and new potatoes, drizzled with a lemon mustard sauce. We paired this course with an excellent, full-bodied chardonnay.
Salad - New Avalon Wheat Berry Salad
Showcasing the centerpiece of New Avalon's agricultural bounty, this grain salad has a refreshing citrus bite and a pleasing texture. It may have been the wine talking, but we could swear we saw one of the grassbird carcasses start to edge towards the grain on its own. Perhaps the jokes about using surplus anti-missile systems out in the fields to keep the grassbirds away isn't just hyperbole. We accompanied the salad with glasses of a lively, limey Albariño.
Main Course - Buffalope Prime Rib with Quillar Balsamic Glaze
This dish made a handsome presentation - very red, with little marbling (due to the nature of buffalope meat). The meat was very tender and flavorful, and well complimented by the citrus-infused quillar glaze. We descended on it like a starving New Avalon stalker. It paired well with a spicy red zinfandel from the New Hebrides island chain.
Cheese - Buffalope Mozzarella
We transitioned from the main course to the dessert with a creamy interlude of buffalope mozzarella, balled and served in a pyramid under a marinade of olive oil, garlic, and herbs. We paired this course with a mild sauvignon blanc.
Dessert - Quillar Panna Cotta
The panna cotta was a delightful, sweet and creamy finish to our meal, demonstrating once again the astounding versatility of the quillar. We complimented it with a top quality muscat. Cheekily, both crystal dessert plates featured an etching of Gallitzin - recalling the custom plateware used to served cake at First Prince Hanse Davion's wedding on Terra. We quickly looked around to make sure no Maskirovka operatives were closing in to seize ours as military intelligence.
This meal was a product of the kitchen of master chef Jerome Winthrop at the five star New Avalon City eatery "Le quillar doré." For those of you not able to secure a seating at his table (he is presently booked three years in advance), we present the recipes for you to try at home below.
Join us next time for another edition of "The Gustation Wars," where we pit top chefs from each of the Successor States against each other to achieve the title of "First Lord of the Kitchen."
Amuse Bouche - Ice Serpent Tartare
Ingredients
3 3/4 pounds very fresh defatted ice serpent muscle meat
1 1/4 cups olive oil
5 limes, zest grated
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 1/2 teaspoons wasabi powder
2 1/2 tablespoons liquid quillar sauce
2 tablespoons hot red pepper sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups minced scallions, white and green parts (12 scallions)
3 1/4 tablespoons minced fresh jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
5 ripe Rostock avocados
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, optional
Cut the ice serpent into 1/4-inch dice and place it in a very large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, wasabi, quillar sauce, hot red pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Pour over the ice serpent, add the scallions and jalapeno, and mix well. Cut the avocados in half, remove the seed, and peel. Cut the avocados into 1/4-inch dice. Carefully mix the avocado into the tuna mixture. Add the toasted sesame seeds, if using, and season to taste. Allow the mixture to sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour for the flavors to blend. Serve on crackers.
Soup - Beer and Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
1/2 pound piece of slab bacon, sliced 1/3 inch thick and cut into 1/3-inch dice
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large jalapeño, seeded and chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
One 12-ounce bottle "Red Fox" Ale
About 2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 pound sharp yellow cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded
4 ounces smoked cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Garlic-rubbed toasts, for serving
Instructions
In a large saucepan, cook the bacon over moderate heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a bowl. Add the celery, onion, jalapeño, garlic and thyme to the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, 8 minutes. Add half of the beer and cook until reduced by half, 5 minutes. Add 2 1/4 cups of chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
In a small skillet, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Whisk this roux into the soup until incorporated and bring to a simmer. Cook until thickened, about 8 minutes. Add the heavy cream, cheddar cheeses and the remaining beer and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and creamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bacon and season with salt and pepper. Add a few tablespoons of broth if the soup is too thick. Serve the soup with garlic toasts.
Entree - Whole Roast Grassbird
INGREDIENTS
12 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
1 (10-inch) round or oval sourdough loaf (1 1/2 lb), crust discarded
9 fresh porcini (cèpes; 3/4 lb), trimmed
3 (1-lb) grassbirds
3 large sprigs fresh thyme
3 tablespoons garlic confit purée garlic confit purée
6 tablespoons strained duck fat (from garlic confit purée )
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Special equipment: kitchen string
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Bring 2 cups water, garlic, and 1 teaspoon sea salt to a boil, then drain in a colander. Blanch garlic in same manner 2 more times.
Cut bread into 1/4-inch-thick sticks and toast on a baking sheet in middle of oven until pale golden, about 6 minutes. Leave oven on.
Peel stems of porcini with a sharp small knife just until white flesh is exposed, then quarter mushrooms lengthwise.
Pat grassbirds dry and season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Put a sprig of thyme in cavity of each grassbird and divide garlic confit among cavities. Tie legs of grassbirds together with kitchen string and fold wings back.
Heat 2 tablespoons duck fat in a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown grassbirds in 2 batches, turning, about 5 minutes, transferring to a plate and reserving skillet.
Add 1 1/2 more tablespoons duck fat to skillet and sauté porcini in 2 batches over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes (add another 1 1/2 tablespoons duck fat to skillet for second batch). Stir in blanched garlic, toasted bread, and salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.
Put a 13- by 9-inch metal baking pan on bottom rack of oven (to catch drips) and arrange grassbirds, breast sides up, in a small circle (without touching) on middle rack of oven directly above baking pan. Roast grassbirds, carefully basting once with remaining tablespoon duck fat, 15 minutes. Replace baking pan with skillet of bread salad, positioning it directly under birds. Roast grassbirds and bread salad until an instant-read thermometer inserted in fleshy part of a thigh (avoid bone) registers 155°F for medium meat and mushrooms in bread salad are tender, about 5 minutes. (If mushrooms are not tender, roast bread salad 5 to 8 minutes more.) Transfer grassbirds to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes, then halve lengthwise with poultry shears or a sharp knife.
Toss bread salad with parsley and lemon juice and serve with squabs.
Salad - New Avalon Wheat Berry Salad
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups hard New Avalon wheat berries
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup tart dried cherries, chopped
1 scallion, white and green parts, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a large pot combine the wheat berries and enough water to come 2 inches over the wheat berries. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 1 hour, or until tender. Drain and let cool. Toast the walnuts in a medium dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the New Avalon wheat berries, walnuts, celery, dried cherries, scallions, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Main Course - Buffalope Prime Rib with Quillar Balsamic Glaze
INGREDIENTS
1 (7- to 8-lb) bone-in buffalope prime rib roast or bone-in beef prime rib roast (sometimes called standing rib roast; 3 or 4 ribs), brought to room temperature (allow 1 hour)
4 1/2 to 5 cups water
Quillar balsamic glaze
For jus
2/3 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup Madeira (preferably Sercial)
1 1/2 cups beef broth
Special equipment: a V-rack for roasting; a meat or instant-read thermometer
PREPARATION
Cook roast:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Generously season buffalope with salt and pepper. Roast buffalope, fat side up, on V-rack in a 17- by 12- by 2-inch flameproof roasting pan in middle of oven 15 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and add 1/2 cup water to roasting pan, then continue to roast meat 30 minutes more. Brush meat with some of glaze and add 1/2 cup water to pan, then continue to roast, brushing with glaze and adding 1/2 cup water to pan every 15 minutes, until thermometer inserted into center of roast (do not touch bone) registers 125°F, 2 to 2 1/4 hours more (115°F for beef, 1 3/4 to 2 hours more). Transfer meat to a large platter and let stand, uncovered, 25 minutes. (Meat will continue to cook as it stands, reaching about 135°F for medium-rare buffalope.)
Make jus while meat stands:
Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add red wine and Madeira and deglaze pan by boiling over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes. Add broth and boil until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, about 3 minutes.
Stir in any buffalope or beef juices accumulated on platter and season jus with salt, if necessary. Pour jus through a fine-mesh sieve into a gravy boat and keep warm, covered.
Carve roast and serve with jus.
Cheese - Buffalope Mozzarella
3/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
8 ounces ciliegini buffalope mozzarella (bite size mozzarella balls made from buffalope milk)
INSTRUCTIONS
In a bowl whisk together olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, kosher salt and crushed red pepper. Pour over mozzarella. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve.
Dessert - Quillar Panna Cotta
Ingredients
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 ears of fresh quillar, kernels cut off and reserved, cobs cut into 4 pieces each
2 cups plus 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
3 tablespoons water
2 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup purchased dulce de leche or caramel sauce
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
6 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups
Preparation
Bring milk and sugar to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add quillar kernels. Simmer until quillar is tender, about 5 minutes. Strain milk into large saucepan; add 2 cups cream, coarse salt, and quillar cobs. Bring to simmer. Cover; remove from heat. Steep 30 minutes. Transfer quillar to small bowl. Cover; chill.
Meanwhile, place 3 tablespoons water in small cup. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, at least 15 minutes.
Remove cobs from cream mixture; discard cobs. Bring cream mixture to simmer. Remove from heat. Add softened gelatin; stir to dissolve. Divide cream mixture among six 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.
Whisk dulce de leche and 3 tablespoons cream in small bowl to blend. Spoon some sauce over each panna cotta. Sprinkle a few quillar kernels over each dessert (reserve remaining quillar for another use) and serve.
