Episode 56: Coffee & Tea

Salmon Curried w/ Asian Black Teas
Citrus Mayonnaise
Roasted Rack of Venison w/ Rich Coffee Sauce
Braised Brisket w/ Coffee Sauce
Tea-Basted Roast Cornish Hen
Tea Rice

SALMON CURED WITH ASIAN BLACK TEAS
2 cups coarse salt (400 grams)
1 cup sugar (200 grams)
1 cup loose black tea leaves steeped in boiling water
2 lemons, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon whole coriander seed (15 millilitres)
1 tablespoon caraway seed (15 millilitres)
1 tablespoon fennel seed (15 millilitres)

Preparation time is 20 minutes and 6 hours for marinating
Ease of preparation is easy

Pour the boiling water over the tealeaves. Allow to cool.

Fillet the salmon so that you are left with a whole side with no bones but skin on. Place in the bottom of a dish. Cover the fish fillet with all the ingredients and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours.

Remove all the marinating ingredients by scraping the fillets. Lay on a board and slice very thinly. Serve like smoked salmon.

Yield: 4 servings
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CITRUS MAYONNAISE
 3 eggs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (15 millilitres)
2 cups grape seed oil (500 millilitres)
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
salt and pepper

Preparation time is 10 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

Put the eggs into a food processor with the mustard. Start the machine and add the oil in a very slow stream. Continue beating until the mixture forms a thick, yellow emulsion.

Then, slowly stir in the citrus juices and the zest. Season to taste.

Yield: 6 servings
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ROASTED RACK OF VENISON WITH RICH COFFEE SAUCE
1 rack of venison
3 cups strong fresh coffee (750 millilitres)
½ cup shallots
¼ cup 35% cream (60 millilitres)
1 tablespoon butter (15 millilitres)
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven for 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Preparation time is 35 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

In a pan over a high heat sear the venison rack. Cover with foil and move it to the oven to finish cooking for 15 minutes, or until still pink in the middle.

Brew the strong coffee. Remove the venison from the oven and put aside on a plate. In the same pan sauté the shallots for a couple of minutes and then add the coffee. Reduce the liquid by half to intensify the flavour. Stir in the cream and butter. Do not boil. Season to taste.
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BRAISED BRISKET WITH COFFEE SAUCE
4 pounds brisket of beef
3 cloves of garlic, slivered
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 large onions, sliced thinly
1-cup apple cider vinegar (250 millilitres)
1 ½ tablespoons bacon fat (20 millilitres)
1 cup strong black coffee (250 millilitres)
½ cup beef stock (125 millilitres)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Preparation time is 30 minutes, plus 6 hours marinating time
Ease of preparation is easy

With a long thin, sharp knife, make slits in the meat and insert the slivers of garlic. Place the meat in a bowl, spread 1 sliced onion and the crushed garlic over the meat, and pour in the vinegar. Marinate for 6 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator, turning several times.

Heat the bacon fat in a deep, heavy skillet large enough to hold the brisket. Remove the brisket from the marinade and discard the onion and vinegar. Dry with paper towels. Brown the meat well on all sides. Remove brisket to a platter. In the fat remaining in the skillet, sauté the remaining sliced onions until deeply browned. Pour in 1/2 cup coffee.

Bring to a boil, stirring and scraping the bottom of the skillet to loosen the browned bits. Spread the onions and liquid from the skillet in a shallow baking dish. Place the brisket on the onions. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Pour in the remaining coffee and the beef stock. Cover tightly with foil and place in oven for 1/2 hour. Turn the oven down to 250 degrees and bake for an additional 2 hours or until the meat is very tender. Slice the brisket thinly.

Skim the fat from the pan liquid. Return the meat slices to the pan.

Yield: 6 servings
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TEA-BASTED ROAST CORNISH HEN
4 cups water (1 litre)
½ cup Keemum tea leaves (if unavailable, use Darjeeling or English Breakfast)
1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into disk shapes
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup vegetable stock (250 millilitres)
½ cup olive oil (125 millilitres)
salt and pepper
2 Cornish hens
1 teaspoon brown sugar (5 millilitres)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Preparation time is 15 minutes, cooking 1 hour
Ease of preparation is easy

Bring the water to a boil. Add the tealeaves and allow to infuse for at least 3 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl and return the liquid to a saucepan. Add the garlic, ginger and vegetable stock and return the liquid to a boil. Remove from the heat and sieve once again, reserving the liquid.

Salt and pepper the Cornish hens inside and out. Put the chicken in a roasting pan and pour about ½ cup of the brewed tea over it and roast in the 350-degree oven until juices run clear, basting with the tea mixture every 20 minutes.

When done, skim fat from the liquid in the pan. Remove Cornish hens to a cutting board, carve into 8 pieces and put on a platter to keep warm. Add any remaining tea liquid and reduce all the liquid to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Season with pepper and sugar to taste. Strain and serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings
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TEA RICE
1 heaped teaspoon good quality Oolong or black tea leaves
½ tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon each diced red, yellow and green bell peppers
1 small onion, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme (5 millilitres)
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon butter (15 millilitres)
2 cups wild rice (400 grams)
4 cups chicken stock (1 litre)
2 fluid ounces demi-glace (60 millilitres)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Preparation time is 5 minutes, cooking time 45 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

Sweat the tomato, peppers, shallots and onion in butter until tender. Add the wild rice and stir for a minute before adding the tealeaves, thyme, bay leaf and chicken stock to cover. Add the demi-glace. Bake in a covered casserole dish in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Serve.

Yield: 4 servings.
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Recipe compliments of Chef Ned Bell