Salad with Deep Fried Manchego Cheese and a Madeira Reduction

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Madeira reduction:
2 cups/450 ml Madeira

For the Salad:

1 jalapeno chili, finely chopped
2 tablespoons/about 5 g finely chopped fresh cilantro
Two 6-ounce wedges Manchego cheese (preferably made from raw milk), each cut into four 1/4-inch-/1/2-cm-thick wedges
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1/4 cup/35 g crushed ice
1 cup/225 ml cold water
1 cup/150 g plus 2 tablespoons/20 g all purpose flour
1/3 cup/70 ml fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup/100 ml grape seed oil
1 head butter lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces 
1 head oak leaf lettuce or red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

To make the Madeira reduction:

Simmer the Madeira in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat for 35 minutes, or until it is reduced to 2 tablespoons/30 ml and forms a syrupy consistency. Set aside.

To make the salad:

Mix the chili and cilantro in a small bowl. Coat the cheese with the herbs and set aside to marinate while heating the oil and preparing the batter.  Add enough vegetable oil to a large saucepan to reach the depth of 3 inches/7 cm.  Heat the oil over medium heat to 350°F/180°C.

Place the crushed ice in a large bowl. Stir in the cold water. Using your fingers, slowly stir 1 cup/150 g of the flour into the ice water just until a thin batter forms and a few lumps of flour are still visible. The less the batter is mixed, the crispier the coating will be.

Lightly coat the marinated cheese with the remaining 2 tablespoons/20 g of flour.  Working in batches, dip the cheese in the batter to coat, and deep fry for 2 minutes, or until the coating is crisp and the cheese begins to melt.  Using tongs, transfer the fried cheese to absorbent paper to drain the excess oil.

Meanwhile, place the lemon juice in a medium bowl and gradually whisk in the grape seed oil to blend completely. Toss the lettuces in a large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the salad among 4 plates. Place the fried cheese atop the salads.  Drizzle the Madeira reduction over the salads and serve immediately.

Marinated and Grilled Bison Rib Eye with Pasilla Salsa

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the steaks

Zest of 2 oranges
Zest of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon/about 2 g finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon/about 2 g finely chopped fresh oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon/about 3 g ground cumin
Four 8- to 12-ounce/220- to 340-g bison rib eye steaks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons/30 ml olive oil
12 ounces/340 g baby spinach leaves, stems removed and washed

For the salsa

3 pasilla peppers
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon/15 ml olive oil
1 cup/225 ml chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

To marinate the steaks:

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a small bowl.  Rub the mixture all over the rib eye steaks.  Cover and refrigerate the steaks for 2 to 3 hours.

To make the salsa:

Preheat the oven to 450ºF/230°C.  Place a heavy large baking sheet in the oven for 10 minutes, or until very hot.  Remove the pan from the oven and place the peppers, onions, and garlic on the hot pan. Rub 1 tablespoon/15 ml of olive oil over the vegetables to coat.

Place the pan in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, turning the peppers over after the first 10 minutes, or until the skins are blistered on all sides.  Using tongs, transfer the peppers to a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to steam for 5 to 10 minutes to help loosen the skins from the peppers.

Remove the plastic wrap and allow the peppers to cool slightly.  Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Remove the skin from the peppers.  Coarsely chop the peppers and place them in a heavy medium saucepan. Add the roasted onions, garlic and chicken stock to the saucepan.

Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until the peppers and onions are very tender and the chicken stock has reduced by half.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.  Using a mortar and pestle, crush the pepper mixture into a smooth sauce. Alternately, pulse the sauce in a blender to form a puree.  Season the salsa to taste with salt and pepper.

To cook and serve the steaks and salsa:

Sprinkle the steaks with salt.  Heat a very large heavy sauté pan over a high heat and drizzle with 2 tablespoons/30 ml of olive oil. Be sure the pan is large enough to fit all of the steaks comfortably and with plenty of room so the steaks will brown rather than steam. If you do not have a pan large enough, use 2 large sauté pans and add 1 tablespoon/15 ml of oil to each pan, and cook 2 steaks in each pan.

Add the steaks to the hot pan.  Decrease the heat to medium-high and cook until the steaks are brown on both sides and cooked to desired doneness, about 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare.  Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over high heat. Add the spinach and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes, or until the spinach begins to wilt.  Using tongs, squeeze any excess liquid from the spinach and divide the spinach among 4 plates.  Place the steaks atop the spinach.  Drizzle with some of the salsa and serve.

Sautéed Baby Bananas with Sour Cream, Spearmint, Chili and Lime

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 limes
1 tablespoon/about 1 g dried spearmint (also known as yerba buena)
1 tablespoon/15 g turbinado sugar
1/2 small dried red chili (such as chili de árbol), stemmed, chopped
1/2 cup/120 g sour cream
3 tablespoons/45 g unsalted butter
8 slightly less ripened baby bananas, peeled, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon/15 g plus 1/3 cup/65 g sugar
1/2 cup/110 ml dark rum

Method:

Grate the zest from the limes then squeeze enough juice from the limes to equal 2 teaspoons/10 ml.   Using a mortar and pestle, crush the grated lime zest, spearmint, turbinado sugar, and chili until finely ground.  Add the lime juice and continue to grind to form a paste consistency.  Add the lime mixture to the sour cream in a small bowl and stir to blend.

Cover the sour cream mixture and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Melt 1 tablespoon/15 g of butter in a heavy large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add the bananas cut side down.   Sprinkle 1 tablespoon/20g of sugar over the bananas and cook for 2 minutes per side, or until the sugar dissolves and the bananas are pale golden and soften just slightly.

Divide the fried bananas among 4 serving plates.  Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons/30 g of butter in the same pan over medium heat.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup/65 g of sugar over the butter and stir for 2 minutes, or until the sugar melts and becomes amber brown.

Remove the pan from the heat.  Carefully add the rum to the pan off of the heat to prevent the rum from flambéing (the mixture will bubble vigorously and the melted sugar will harden).  Stir off of the heat for 2 minutes, or until the sugar is almost dissolved and the alcohol from the rum has cooked off.

Simmer the sauce over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, or until the sugar dissolves completely and the sauce thickens slightly.  Drizzle the sauce over and around the bananas on the plates. Place a large spoonful of the sour cream mixture on each plate and serve.