Red Port Jelly

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup vintage red port
1 ½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
½ cup golden raisins
Aged cheddar cheese
Water crackers

Method:

Place the port in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the port and let stand for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the gelatin softens. Place the saucepan over low heat and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Add the raisins.

Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Strain the mixture into a small container. Reserve the raisins. Refrigerate the mixture for 2 to 3 hours, or until the mixture forms a jelly consistency.

Transfer the jelly to a chopping board and chop it into fine pieces. Serve the jelly with the reserved raisins, aged cheddar cheese and water crackers.

Opakapaka Fish with Caramelized Fennel, Parsley, Capers and Lemon

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the fennel:
4 fennel bulbs, each cut into 6 wedges
1 onion, thinly sliced
½ cup pitted kalamata olives
½ cup caper berries
2 tablespoons drained extra fine capers
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Juice of 2 lemons
1 garlic glove, chopped
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the fish:
3 tablespoons olive oil
Four 6-ounce filets of opakapaka
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

To make the fennel:
Preheat the oven to 400 °F/200°C. Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat and grill the fennel and onion until grill marks appear. Place in a 13 x 9 baking dish. Add the olives, caper berries, fine capers, parsley, lemon juice and garlic to the fennel mixture, and toss well to combine. 

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the flavors blend. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and keep in a warm place.

To cook the fish:
Drizzle the olive oil into a cold, non-stick sauté pan. Season the filets with salt and pepper. Place the filets skin side down in the cold sauté pan.  Turn the heat to high and cook the fish for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and a deep golden color. Turn the fish over and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through. (Note: the cooking time may vary depending on the size and thickness of the filets.)
 
Place the fennel mixture in the center of 4 plates.  Place the fish on top of the fennel mixture.  Drizzle the fennel juices from the baking dish around the fish and on the plates, and serve.

Apple Tarte Tatin

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the tarts:
7 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into halves
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
Two 7-inch-diameter discs of puff pastry, rolled to ¼ inch thickness

For the caramel sauce:
1 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream

Method:

To make the tarts:

Divide the butter between two 6-inch-diameter, high-sided copper pans and spread it over the bottoms of the pans.  Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the butter in each pan. Using a small sharp knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla beans into the sugar mixture. Reserve the vanilla beans. 

Place the pans over medium heat and cook until the butter and sugar have melted.  The sugar should start to turn a light golden color; once this has happened, remove from the heat.  Place four apple halves, core-side facing up, onto the butter and sugar in each pan. Place 2 cinnamon stick halves and 1 reserved vanilla bean between the apple halves in each pan to resemble a cross.  Stretch the pastry over the apples and tuck the pastry down between the apples and the sides of the pans. Prick the pastry 4 to 5 times with a fork. 

Place the tarts in the refrigerator to chill the pastry for 1 hour.  Preheat the oven to 375°F/180ºC.  Transfer the tarte tatin to the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

To make the caramel sauce:

Place the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, watching carefully once the sugar has dissolved since the sugar begins to change color and will burn quickly.  Allow the sugar to turn a golden brown. Add the cream and stir to blend. Once the cream is incorporated, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

To serve tarte tatin:

Place the pans with the tarts over high heat until the caramel in the bottom of the pans begins to bubble.  Place a plate over each pan. In a swift movement, invert the tarte tatins onto the plates. Discard the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. If the plate is a little messy, it may be easier to transfer the tarte tatins onto clean plates to serve.

Drizzle the caramel sauce around the tarte tatins.  Serve each tarte tatin to two people.