A Silver Celebration at Stella!

(Unfortunately, Stella is no longer open.)

Beyond breathing, loving my family, and believing in God, I haven’t done many things for twenty-five years.  So the celebration of twenty-five years of marriage was very important. 

And in honor of the occasion, my husband and I had a splendid meal at Stella! in New Orleans.  While the exclamation point is part of the restaurant’s name, I think it’s well-placed and well-deserved.

Before booking the reservation, I had checked out the restaurant’s web site and found they offered only a 4-course prix fixe or a 7-course tasting menu.  But that didn’t deter me because the selections sounded inventive and intriguing.

I’ll admit to some second-guessing after I noted that some diners had made some negative comments on-line  about the restaurant’s lack of an affordable wine list, small portions, high prices, and snobby service.  

But after our quite remarkable meal, I can say the positives far outweighed the negatives.  Yes, the prices, particularly for the wines, were high, but the portions were more than adequate, and we found the wait staff friendly and knowledgeable for the most part. 

We chose the four-course prix fixe and opted for the wine pairings to eliminate any guesswork or bad selections—we are not wine connoisseurs.  One or our waiters was a sommelier, but although he knew a lot about the wines, he might have commented more about why and how the wines worked well with our dishes. 

Beyond that small quibble, this was a fantastic meal, one we’ll remember for a long time. 

Pre-Dinner

We were seated immediately and were struck by the quiet, understated elegance of the restaurant.  The restaurant was busy, but not at all crowded—it was the weekend after Thanksgiving.  One of our two waiters took our cocktail order, offered us a choice of water types, and a serving of bread.  

Soon after our glasses of champagne arrived, we were presented with an amuse-bouche of a bite-sized serving of salmon tartar with a foam (I was so dazzled by the visual presentation, I didn’t listen closely to the description.)

1st Course

I ordered the “Deviled Egg, North Star Caviar & Champagne Gelée.”  I admit to loving caviar, not that I have it often, but I especially like “little” eggs, and these were perfect.  The saltiness of the caviar was perfectly matched by the “big” egg—the deviled egg.

I’m not a real liver fan, but the foie gras in my husband’s “Foie Gras Torchon, Satsuma Compote, Pickled Persimmon, Pistachio, Brown Butter & Cacao Nibs” was so creamy!  All of the components of his dish were in little “piles” which allowed him (us) to make our own flavor combinations.

2nd Course

I admit I would have liked just a little more of my “Gnocchi with Duck Prosciutto, Chanterelle Mushrooms & Burgundy Truffle,” but if I had eaten more I would not have made it to the end of the meal.  Each of the elements was wonderfully chewy and just lightly bathed in a creamy sauce. 

I didn’t get to try much of my husband's “Crispy Veal Sweetbreads with Andouille, Whole Grain Mustard, Hubbard Squash Purée & Duck Egg” because he’s very territorial about his sweetbreads.  The egg was a puzzle, but a delicious one.  It appeared to be in a deep-fried crust, and when it was pierced with the fork a yolky sauce flowed out.  When the waiter tried to explain the cooking process, he lost me at “liquid nitrogen.”  Maybe some culinary secrets are best kept secret.

3rd Course

I admit when I chose the “Prime Beef Tenderloin, Bone Marrow, Charcoal Roasted Carrots, Brussels Sprouts, Oyster Mushrooms & Pomme Dauphine,” I was a little nervous about the marrow part.  The last time I ate bone marrow, it entailed a long-handled spoon, and I only ate it because I was in Paris eating with French relatives who were paying for the meal.  

But here the marrow appeared mixed into a crumbly topping on my perfectly cooked medium-rare piece of tenderloin and also in a demi-glace sort of reduction that glazed the bottom of the dish.  Plus I think I fell in love with Brussels sprouts!

My husband is such a duck lover that I knew he would choose “Tasting of Duck 5 Ways.”  He was in duck heaven with the Asian flavors of the duck broth, sliced breast, lacquered leg, foie gras-stuffed wanton, and a Peking duck-style pancake. 

4th Course

To be honest, I decided on my dessert choice at the beginning of the meal:  “Olive Oil & Thyme Cake, Cured Lemon Saffron Ice Cream, Candied Ginger and Olive Oil Jam.”  It turned out to be an excellent decision.  The ice cream was tangy, and the cake had a rustic texture.  But what had captured my imagination in reading the description on the menu also captured my taste buds’ attention—the olive oil jam.  It glazed the top of the cake, and tasted just like, well, olive oil jam—with just a hint of sweetness.  Wow!

Surprisingly, my husband chose the “Selection of Artisanal Cheese.”  He enjoyed it, but although I’m a Wisconsin girl, I’m not a cheese lover.

But wait—there’s more!

I’m not sure if this was something offered to all guests or if it was in honor of our anniversary, which I had noted on the reservation, but at the end of the meal, we were presented with a dessert “sampler” which included two small chocolate-ginger truffles, two tiny macaroons, two miniature cream puffs, and two each of a couple of other bites.  

What a sweet ending to a stellar meal at Stella!  Here's to another twenty-five years!

There's an App(le) for That!

I think for many of us apples are THE autumn fruit:  candied apples, bobbing for apples (did anyone really every do that?), apple pie next to pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. 

But apples hold a special place in my heart for another reason.

My father, a chiropractor, tried to raise us in a sugar-free household.  There was NEVER soda in the house and candy only entered at Halloween, Christmas, and Easter, I think at my mother’s insistence.  She also worked other “end-arounds” with occasional homemade pies (my dad did love apple pie with cheddar cheese), cookies and, the big Friday night treat, homemade milkshakes.

But most of the time, the sweet tooths (sweet teeth?) of my four siblings and I had to make due with graham crackers and . . . “apple candy.”

Apple candy was our name for my mother’s labor of love.  She would peel, core and slice at least ten apples for our bedtime snack.  To this day, although I love apples, I wish someone would present them to me on a plate as “apple candy.”

This meal presents apples in most, but not all, of the dishes and was a great way to introduce some of my favorite people to each other.  Thanks to Trish, Charlie, Lynn and Bill—and my Bill who prepared the pork and served as my extraordinary sous chef when I was “wounded” in the line of duty.  (Don’t sharpen your knives mid-prep!)

Menu

Mulled Apple Cider Cocktail

Crostini with Roasted Garlic, Goat Cheese & Apple Chutney

Red Cabbage, Apple and Caraway Soup

Apple Salad

Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Apples and Onions

Potatoes Gratinée

Green Beans with Bacon

French Apple Tart

Apple Pie-Infused Bourbon

Mulled Apple Cider Cocktail

As anyone who knows me knows, I love champagne.  In fact, for brunch I usually order a “virgin” Mimosa meaning hold the orange juice.  But I do like sparkling wines with a concentrated flavoring.  A few tablespoons of thawed cranberry juice cocktail in a glass of champagne is a favorite of mine.  This recipe called for chopped and seasoned apples in it, but the idea of trying hard NOT to swallow little pieces of apple while  sipping a cocktail didn’t apPEAL to me. 

Source:  adapted from Food Network Magazine, October 2012

Yield:  4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 quart apple cider

3 cinnamon sticks

Knob of "bruised" fresh ginger

3 whole cloves

Pinch nutmeg

1 bottle dry Cava or other dry sparkling wine

Process:

In a medium pot, over medium heat, add the cider, cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Stir to blend. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Reduce by half and taste for seasoning. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl add the apples, lemon juice and sugar. When ready to serve the cocktails, pour the cider into champagne flutes (about halfway) and top with the Cava. Stir and serve.

Crostini with Roasted Garlic, Goat Cheese & Apple Chutney

I found the inspiration for this appetizer in the title of a recipe I found  in Bon Appetit (October 1999).  However, I adapted it and used a different chutney recipe.  I presented the garlic, goat cheese and chutney in matching individual serving dishes on a platter surrounded by the crostini. 

Yield:  6-8 servings

Crostini

Ingredients:

2 baguettes (skinny)

Olive oil

Process:

Preheat oven to 350°.  Slice the baguettes diagonally.  Place bread slices on a large cookie sheet.  Brush each slice with olive oil.  Bake until slightly crispy but still soft to the touch, about 15 minutes.  If not serving immediately, store in airtight container at room temperature for several days.

Roasted Garlic

Ingredients:

4 heads of  garlic

Olive oil

Process:

Preheat oven to 375°.  Peel off the outer papery layer of each head of garlic.  Cut the top ¼ to 1/4 –inch of each head, exposing the top of each clove of garlic.  Trim individual cloves as necessary.  Place the garlic bulbs cut side up in a baking dish.   Drizzle olive oil on each head and “massage” into the sides of the heads.  Cover the baking dish with foil and bake about 45 minutes or until all the cloves are tender.  When cool enough to the touch, squeeze each clove out of its skin into a container.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

2 4-oz. packages goat cheese

Process:

Bring the cheese to room temperature and “mash” with a fork in the serving dish.  (I heated the cheese up a bit in the microwave.)

Apple Chutney

This is so good, I just wish I had taken time to imagine a whole bunch of other uses for it.  I’m sure it would be great with pork for a starter.  It looked like applesauce but packed such a great hit of “heat.” 

Source:  Ina Garten, 2012

Yield: makes about 3 cups

Ingredients:

6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and half-inch diced

1 cup chopped yellow onion

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)

3/4 cup good cider vinegar

1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 teaspoon whole dried mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 cup raisins (I omitted because I detest raisins)

Process:

Combine the apples, onion, ginger, orange juice, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard seeds, pepper flakes and salt and in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to simmer and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Take off the heat and add the raisins.

Set aside to cool and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Red Cabbage, Apple and Caraway Soup

The flavor of this was so reminiscent of my mother-in-law’s red cabbage (See Ruth's Red Cabbage).  I actually made it the day before and reheated it—yum!

Source:  Bon Appétit, October 2000

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced

4 cups chopped red cabbage (about 12 ounces)

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

3 14.5-oz.cans beef broth

2 cups dry red wine

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

Sour cream (I used purchased crème fraiche)

Chopped fresh parsley (I used chopped chives instead) 

Process:

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add apples and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add cabbage and sauté until beginning to soften, about 6 minutes. Add caraway seeds and stir 1 minute. Add broth, wine, vinegar and honey. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 30 minutes. Uncover and simmer until cabbage is very tender, about 30 minutes longer. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Refrigerate. Rewarm soup over medium heat before continuing.)

Ladle soup into bowls. Top each bowl with dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Apple Salad

Source: original recipe

Yield:  6 servings

Ingredients:

Baby greens

1 bunch green onions, green parts only sliced in ¼-inch horizontal

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 English cucumber, peeled, cored, halved and sliced

Spicer Pecans 

Fresh, cracked pepper

Apple Vinaigrette

Process:

Divide greens on 6 plates.  Sprinkle the greens with equal amounts of the onions, apples, cucumbers and a handful of pecans on each plate.  Sprinkle with cracked pepper.  Drizzle with the vinaigrette.

Apple Vinaigrette

Source:  original recipe

Yield:  about 1 cup

Ingredients:

2 T. stone-ground mustard

2 T. apple cider vinegar

4 T. frozen apple juice, thawed

2 tsp. minced ginger root

½ c. vegetable oil

Process:

Whisk together the mustard, vinegar, apple juice and ginger root.  Slowly whisk in the vegetable oil. 

Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Apples and Onions

Source:  Bon Appétit, February 2004

Yield:  4 servings (I doubled this, and it turned out well.)

Ingredients:

1 large pork tenderloin (about 14 ounces)

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 large onion, sliced

2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/2 cup dry white wine or apple cider

Process:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Season pork with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and sear until all sides are brown, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer pork to plate. Cool slightly. Spread mustard over top and sides of pork; press fennel seeds into mustard. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Add onion slices and apples; sauté over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Spread evenly in skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place pork atop apple-onion mixture.

Transfer skillet to oven and roast until apple-onion mixture is soft and brown and meat thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 150°F, about 15 minutes. Transfer pork to platter and tent with foil. Let stand 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour white wine over apple-onion mixture in skillet. Stir mixture over high heat until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Cut pork on diagonal into ½-inch-thick slices. Spoon apple-onion mixture onto plates. Top with pork and serve.

Potatoes Gratinée

No apples in this dish—fear of overkill!

Source:  Kay Ewing Cooking School Cookbook

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

4 baking potatoes, peeled & sliced, about 2 lbs.

Salt and pepper.

1 c. milk

1 c. heavy cream

1 c. shredded Swiss cheese

Process:

Preheat oven to 375°.  Grease a medium-sized baking dish.  Layer potatoes, slightly overlapping, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  In a small saucepan over medium heat or in the microwave, bring milk and cream to a boil.  Pour over potatoes and top with Swiss cheese.  Bake 45-50 minutes until potatoes are tender and brown. 

Green Beans with Bacon

My husband and I fell in love over green beans!  When we were in graduate school, we were invited, with our dates, to a dinner party.  However, after almost fighting  over the green beans that were served, beating everyone else playing Trivial Pursuits and making some serious “google-eyes” at each other, we were from then on a couple.  Whenever I serve green beans with bacon, I think of that night—fondly!  The “apples” in this dish come in the form of the apple wood smoked bacon.

Source:  original recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1½ lb. fresh green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 1½-inch pieces

1 lb. apple wood smoked bacon, sliced cross grain into ½ inch pieces

Soy sauce

Process:

Steam green beans until crisp tender.  Drain the beans and put in ice water to “refresh.”  (The beans can be held in the refrigerator for several hours or in the ice water for an hour or so.)  Meanwhile, sauté the bacon until crispy and brown and crumble and drain on paper towel, reserving bacon fat in a heatproof dish.  When ready to serve, heat 1-2 T. of the bacon fat in a large frying pan.  Sauté green beans in the bacon fat (adding more fat if needed) until the beans are reheated and glazed with the bacon fat.  Sprinkle the beans with soy sauce to taste.  Place the beans in a serving dish and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon.  

French Apple Tart

Ina, one of my cooking muses, says that this is one of her favorite recipes, and I can see why.  I served it with dollops of whipped cream to which I added a little sugar and cinnamon. 

Source:  Ina Garten’s Back to Basics

Yield:  6 generous servings

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

2 c. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. kosher sat

1 T, sugar (I used 2 T.)

12 T. (1½ sticks) cold, unsalted butter, diced

½ c. ice water

For the apples:

4 Granny Smith apples

½ c. sugar

4 T. (½ stick) cold, unsalted butter, small dice

½ c. apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam

2 T. Calvados, rum or water

Cinnamon (I sprinkled the apples with cinnamon when they were on the crust.)

Process:

For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 400°.. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.  (I lined it with foil first to avoid having to clean cooked apple juice from the pan—good idea!)  Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baler. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. Sprinkle with the full ½ cup of sugar and dot with the butter. (This is when I sprinkled the tart with cinnamon.)

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out.  Don’t worry!  The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine!  When the tart’s done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture.  Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn’t stick to the paper.  Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Apple Pie-Infused Bourbon

I love a not-too-sweet liqueur, and this fits the bill!  I made one batch 2 weeks before my dinner party, but I had to make another batch because we “sampled” it too much. 

 

Source:  Southern Living, Sept. 2012

Yield: Makes 3 ¼ cups

Ingredients:

1 Golden Delicious apple, chopped

2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 (750-milliliter) bottle bourbon (I used the super cheap grocery store brand.)

1/4 cup simple syrup (recipe follows

Process:

Place first 3 ingredients in a 1-qt. canning jar. Add bourbon; cover with metal lid, and screw on band. Let bourbon stand at room temperature 4 days. Shake jar to distribute flavors. Pour bourbon mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a pitcher, discarding solids. Stir in Simple Syrup, and pour into a clean 1-qt. canning jar or 3 to 4 small bottles. Cover and store in refrigerator up to 2 months.

Simple Syrup:

1 c. sugar
1/2 cup water

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil 1 minute or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, and cool 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Orange-, Clove-, and Cranberry-Infused Bourbon Variation:

Omit apple, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Place 2 (2-inch) orange rind strips, 8 whole cloves, and 1 cup lightly crushed fresh or frozen cranberries in a 1-qt. canning jar. Add bourbon; cover with metal lid, and screw on band. Let bourbon stand at room temperature 4 days. Proceed with recipe as directed in Step 2.