Recipes Du Jour: Christmas 2000

Recipes Du Jour...
	For Our Internet Visitors... From Chef Michael
Christmas Dinner Deviled Eggs Wellfleet Oysters w/ Wasabi, Pickled Ginger & Tamari Soy Crab Cakes w/ Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Horseradish-Garlic Encrusted Herbed Pork Roast w/ Port Wine Reduction Crown Roast of Lamb w/ Madeira-Peppercorn Sauce Oven-Roasted Herbed Potatoes Green Beans w/ toasted almonds
Roasted Garlic Encrusted Pork Loin
Ingredients
2 heads fresh garlic	2 T prepared horseradish
1 t kosher salt	1 t fresh ground black pepper
1 T fresh thyme (or 1 t dried)	1 3-pound pork loin roast, boned
1 t dry mustard (Coleman's)
Method
For Roasted Garlic: Remove top one-third of each garlic head, place heads in small sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and seal foil. Bake in 350 degree oven one hour or until cloves are tender. Remove from oven, cool to room temperature. (May be done one day ahead.) Prepare Pork Loin: Untie roast and lay flat on work surface. Spread 2 T well-drained prepared horseradish on inside of loin. Sprinkle with 1/2 t salt and 1/2 t black pepper. Retie loin with butcher's twine; sprinkle outside of loin with 1/2 t black pepper, 1/2 t salt, thyme and 1 t ground mustard. Place in large resealable bag and refrigerate at least six hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator and pat dry. Remove garlic cloves from roasted garlic and mash into paste. Spread paste over pork roast. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Roast pork for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees (add roasted potatoes if serving with meal). Continue roasting for 80 to 90 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove roast from oven, tent with heavy-duty aluminum foil and let rest 10 minutes before slicing into 1/4 inch slices. Serve with Port Wine Sauce (recipe below). (Reprinted with permission from "Food With An Attitude.")
Oven-Roasted Herbed Potatoes
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil	2 T minced garlic
1 t dried basil	1 t dried marjoram
1 t dill	1 t dried thyme
1 t dried parsley	1 t kosher salt
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes	2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
2 pounds Red Bliss potatoes, quartered
Method
In a medium saucepan, boil quartered potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes. Shock in ice bath, drain, and cool to room temperature. Pat dry. Add remaining ingredients to large resealable bag or mixing bowl. Add potatoes and coat well with olive oil and herbs. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roast potatoes 25 minutes and turn. Continue roasting additional 35 minutes or until tender. (Alternately, prepare potatoes as above and add to Pork Loin Roast.) (Reprinted with permission from "Food With An Attitude.")

Green Beans with Toasted Almonds
Ingredients
2 1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed	1/4 c sliced almonds
1 t kosher salt	2 T unsalted butter
Method
In a medium saucepan, add 1 t kosher salt to water, bring to boil. Add trimmed green beans and cook 6 to 8 minutes until beans are tender. Drain and shock in ice bath. Drain green beans. Over medium-high heat, add 2 T unsalted butter to sauté pan. Toast sliced almonds until lightly browned, add beans and continue sautéing until beans are thoroughly warmed. (Reprinted with permission from "Food With An Attitude.")
Crab Cakes With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
1 pound lump crabmeat	1 leek, sliced, white part only
1/2 cup finely diced red pepper	1/2 cup scallions, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise	1 T dried tarragon
2 T chopped fresh parsley	1 T white wine Worcestershire sauce
1 t Dijon-style mustard	Fine bread crumbs
2 T unsalted butter (divided)
Method
Over medium-high heat, sauté leeks and peppers in 1 T butter until tender, add scallions. Remove from heat and cool. In a medium mixing bowl, combine with remaining ingredients and form into one-inch thick patties. Coat with bread crumbs. Refrigerate patties until ready to cook. (Can be prepared two days in advance. Stored on waxed paper in air-tight container.) Sauté patties over medium high heat in 1 T butter until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with roasted red pepper sauce (recipe follows) or tartar sauce and lemon wedges. (Reprinted with permission from "Food With An Attitude.")

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
1 small onion, coarsely chopped	3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 T olive oil	2 T chopped fresh basil (or 2 t dried)
Method
In a skillet cook onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Transfer onion mixture to a food processor and add roasted peppers, basil, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend sauce until smooth and transfer to a small bowl. (Sauce may be made up to 3 days ahead and chilled, covered.) (Adapted from Epicurious Food.)
Madeira-Peppercorn Reduction
Ingredients
2 medium shallots, finely chopped	1 T unsalted butter
1 1/4 c Madeira	1 T green peppercorns in brine, coarsely chopped
Method
Over medium heat, melt butter in sauce pan. Add shallots and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Add Madeira and peppercorns. Continue cooking until reduced to 1 cup, about 12 minutes. (Reprinted with permission from "Food With An Attitude.")
Port Wine Sauce
Ingredients
1 T unsalted butter	1/2 cup minced shallots
1 cup dry red wine	3/4 cup ruby Port
1 cup beef broth	1/2 t dried rosemary
Method
Melt butter in heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in wine and Port. Boil 5 minutes. Add broth and rosemary and boil until liquid is reduced to 1/3 cup, about 12 minutes. Strain before serving. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) (Reprinted with permission from "Food With An Attitude.")
Crown Roast of Lamb
Ingredients
3 T unsalted butter (room temperature)	1 1/2 T Dijon-style mustard
2 t dried rosemary	1 4 1/2 pound crown of lamb (two 8-rib racks)
2 shallots, chopped	1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock	3 T chopped fresh mint (or 3 t dried)

Method
Preheat oven to 450°. Mix 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon mustard and 1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary in bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper. Place lamb in roasting pan. Rub all over with butter mixture. Roast 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue roasting until thermometer inserted into lamb registers 140° for medium-rare, about 40 minutes. Transfer lamb to serving platter; tent with heavy-duty aluminum foil and let stand 15 minutes. Pour off fat from roasting pan and set pan aside. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over low heat. Add shallots and 1/2 teaspoon rosemary; sauté until shallots are tender, about 5 minutes. Add wine to roasting pan and bring to boil over high heat, scraping up any browned bits. Add wine to skillet. Add stock; boil until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon mustard and mint. Season with salt and pepper.
Wellfleet Oysters With Wasabi, Pickled Ginger & Tamari Soy
Ingredients
24 Wellfleet Oysters	4 ounces Pickled Ginger
4 ounces Tamari Soy Sauce	Wasabi powder (or fresh Wasabi root)
Method
Mix 1 T Wasabi powder with 1 T boiling water. Mix into thick paste. Using oyster knife, open oysters and place half-shells on bed of rock salt or kale leaves. Place sliced pickled ginger on top of oyster, add small dab of Wasabi and dash of Tamari soy. Serve immediately.