PUFF PASTRY: We don’t make our own puff pastry dough for many reasons, primarily having to do with space, time, heat, and patience. Very good quality commercial products are available, but be sure to always use one made with unsalted butter. These can be found in the freezer sections of markets. Some bakeries also sell puff pastry dough. If you want to make your own, you can follow one of any number of good recipes; we recommend the one in Nancy Silverton’s Desserts.
RICE VINEGAR: There are two kinds. We use un-seasoned rice vinegar for all our dishes. The seasoned vinegar has sugar in it and is used primarily for flavoring sushi rice.
SAKE AND MIRIN: These may seem similar, but they are very different. Sake is a Japanese rice wine that is primarily for drinking but can also be used for cooking. As with wine, the sake you use should be of a quality that you would drink; it will keep, refrigerated, for about one to two months once opened. Mirin is sweet sake that is for cooking purposes only. It keeps much longer and does not need refrigeration.
SALT: All our recipes use kosher salt unless otherwise written. Kosher salt has a different crystal formation than table salt and has no additives. It also adheres more and dissolves quicker. If you are using table salt instead, remember: 1 tablespoon of table salt is equal to 2 tablespoons of kosher salt.
SOY SAUCE: We use Japanese soy sauce that is made of fermented soybeans and wheat. Do not substitute Chinese soy sauce or light soy sauce (Japanese light soy sauce actually has more salt than regular does). Low-sodium soy sauce would be fine. We don’t recommend using tamari unless you have a wheat allergy; tamari has a different flavor.
VEGETABLE OIL FOR FRYING: We use primarily canola oil but would also recommend peanut oil. Only use oils that have a high smoke point.
RED AND WHITE WINE: Always use a dry wine of a quality you would drink. Never use wines made for cooking, which have salt added.
APPETIZERS
Grilled Miso-Marinated Beef Salad with Ginger-Mustard Vinaigrette
Grilled Miso-Marinated Beef Salad with Ginger-Mustard Vinaigrette
Serves 4
Hiro says that what makes this salad so special is the way the tender slices of warm grilled steak help release the flavor of all the other ingredients. Lissa would tell you it’s the beautiful combination of colors. We’re both right. Have all the ingredients ready before you grill the steaks, so you can put everything together quickly while the meat is still hot. Be sure to use red miso (also called aka miso) in the marinade; other kinds will impart a very different flavor. Because miso does not break down the fibers in meat quickly, you can marinate the steaks for up to 24 hours.
Miso Marinade
1 tablespoon red miso
2 tablespoons plus 1½ teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
¼ teaspoon grated garlic
1 tablespoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil
½ teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1 (12-ounce) New York steak, trimmed of all fat and silver skin and cut into 4 thin steaks
Ginger-Mustard Vinaigrette
1½ teaspoons peeled and chopped ginger
¼ teaspoon chopped garlic
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1½ teaspoons Asian (toasted) sesame oil
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon corn oil
2¼ teaspoons Dijon mustard
Rice Noodles (optional)
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
8 dried flat, ½-inch wide rice noodles
Vegetable Salad
1 Japanese cucumber, or ½ hothouse cucumber, halved lengthwise and cut on the diagonal into ⅛-inch-thick slices about 2 inches long
¼ carrot, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut on the diagonal into ⅛-inch-thick slices about 2 inches long
2 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion
1½ ounces haricots verts, stemmed and blanched
2 Roma (plum) tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges
1 tablespoon crushed roasted peanuts
8 large radicchio leaves
2 cups mesclun or your favorite small-leaf lettuce mix
Garnish
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
8 fresh cilantro sprigs
TO MAKE THE MARINADE, whisk together all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the steak, cover, and marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator, turning twice.
Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill.
TO MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE, purée all the ingredients in a blender for 1 minute. Strain and set aside.
TO DEEP-FRY THE RICE NOODLES, heat 3 inches of oil in a large saucepan to 350°. Add a few rice noodles, taking care not to crowd the pan. Cook until the noodles are puffed but still white, about 30 seconds. Using tongs, transfer the rice noodles to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining noodles. Set aside.
TO MAKE THE SALAD, combine the cucumber, carrot, red onion, haricots verts, tomatoes, and peanuts in a large bowl, and set aside.
TO COOK THE STEAK, remove the steak slices from the marinade. Grill the steak for about 1 minute per side for medium rare. Or, heat a large grill pan or nonstick skillet over high heat and sauté the steak for 1 minute per side for medium rare. Cut the steak into strips about ¼ inch wide and 3 inches long. Add the steak to the salad and toss with the vinaigrette.
TO SERVE, take 2 radicchio leaves and fit them together to make a bowl. Repeat to make 4 bowls. Place each bowl in the center of a plate, then divide the mesclun among the radicchio bowls and top with the tossed salad. Sprinkle with the chives. Top each with 2 fried rice noodles and 2 cilantro sprigs.
Fried Rock Shrimp with Chive-Mustard Sauce
Serves 4
When people ask us what our specialties are, we’re always somewhat hesitant to mention this one. After all, fried shrimp is something you can get in any chain restaurant in America. But the truth is, this is one of our best-loved and most requested dishes. What makes our version so good is the rock shrimp. They’re like no other shrimp—fat little balls of flavor that are totally addictive. Rock shrimp have a very hard shell, which until fairly recently made them difficult to process commercially and thus hard to find. In the early ’90s, new technology for removing the shell became widely available and rock shrimp are now sold everywhere. Whoever developed that machinery deserves a prize—or at least a plate of these fried shrimp.
If you can’t find fresh rock shrimp, frozen are fine; be sure to defrost them in the refrigerator. Fresh or frozen, rock shrimp always need to be deveined.
Chive-Mustard Sauce
1½ teaspoons egg yolk (½ yolk)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 tablespoons corn oil
Pinch of cayenne pepper
⅛ teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons chopped fresh chives
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
1½ cups pastry flour
Pinch of cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
20 ounces shelled large rock shrimp, deveined
1 tablespoon water
Salt to taste
4 cups mesclun or your favorite small-leaf lettuce mix
1 teaspoon Terra house vinaigrette
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges and seeded
TO START THE CHIVE MUSTARD SAUCE, combine the egg yolk, mustard, salt, vinegar, and lemon juice in a food processor. With the machine running, gradually add the corn oil in a thin stream. Add the cayenne, paprika, and cream, and process for 5 seconds. Transfer to a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the shrimp are ready. Just before serving, fold in the chives.
Preheat the oven to 250°.
TO DEEP-FRY THE SHRIMP, heat 3 inches of oil in a deep, heavy pot to 375°. Combine the flour, cayenne, and paprika in a medium bowl. Moisten the shrimp with the water, then toss one-quarter of the shrimp in the flour mixture, making sure each one is individually coated. Transfer them from the flour to a wire-mesh strainer in a single layer and wait 10 seconds for the coating to set. Gently shake the strainer to remove any excess flour, then carefully drop the shrimp into the oil. Cook for 1 to 1½ minutes, or until crisp but not browned. Using a wire-mesh skimmer or slotted metal spoon, transfer the shrimp to paper towels to drain, then place on a baking sheet pan and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining 3 batches of shrimp. Sprinkle all the shrimp with salt.
TO SERVE, finish the sauce by folding in the chives, then divide the sauce among 4 warmed 10-inch plates. In a large bowl, toss the mesclun with the vinaigrette and mound 1 cup in the center of each plate. Arrange the shrimp around the salads. Sprinkle with the chives and place a lemon wedge on the side of each plate.
Photo: Barney (and Lucy) in the lettuce fields at Forni Brown
Panzanella with Feta Cheese
Panzanella with Feta Cheese
Serves 4
Our Italian customers sometimes raise an eyebrow at the thought of a Japanese chef making panzanella, the classic bread salad of central Italy. But Hiro just smiles and tells them his grandmother was Italian. Panzanella is usually prepared by soaking torn pieces of day-old bread in water, then tossing them with oil, vinegar, and tomatoes. In our version, we skip the water and let the bread absorb the vinaigrette and some of the juice from the tomatoes, making the salad more intensely flavored. Instead of the traditional torn bread, Hiro starts with crunchy garlic-rubbed croutons and tosses them with a rainbow of local vine-ripened tomatoes, basil, cucumber, and red onion in a lively anchovy vinaigrette. He tops the salad with a local goat’s milk feta cheese, Italian Taleggio or Gorgonzola, or California Teleme. Panzanella shows up on our menu the moment tomatoes are at their peak, and it stays there all summer long. No one ever leaves any on their plate. Not even the Italians.
Balsamico and Caper Vinaigrette
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sherry wine vinegar
1 tablespoon capers
1½ teaspoons chopped anchovy fillets
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
½ teaspoon caper juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ baguette, or enough for 1½ cups croutons
1 clove garlic, peeled
6 vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 Japanese cucumber or ½ hothouse cucumber, quartered lengthwise, then cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick pieces
¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
12 kalamata olives
12 yellow pear tomatoes or Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 fresh basil sprigs
TO MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE, combine all the ingredients in a blender and purée for 1 minute. Set aside.
TO MAKE THE CROUTONS, preheat the oven to 500°. Slice the baguette in half lengthwise. Rub all over with the garlic, then cut in half again lengthwise. Cut these strips into ¾-inch cubes. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet pan, crust side down, and bake just until golden brown and crisp on the outside but still soft inside, about 3 minutes. Watch carefully. Let cool.
TO MAKE THE PANZANELLA, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, basil, croutons, and the vinaigrette in a large bowl. Toss well. Season with salt and pepper.
TO SERVE, divide the panzanella among 4 bowls or plates. Arrange 3 olives and 3 pear tomatoes on each salad. Top with the feta cheese, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with a basil sprig.
Grilled Rare Tuna with Tomato-Cucumber Salad and Tahini Sauce
Serves 4
This Middle Eastern–style tuna appetizer is a nod to Lissa’s Lebanese background. Hiro has loved the flavors of Lebanese home-cooking ever since he married into the family, and Lissa’s always delighted to see how those flavors turn up in his cooking at Terra. In Lebanon, this dish would be made with swordfish or shark and served with caramelized onions. We think the use of tuna and the addition of the fresh, crunchy salad make the dish lighter and more intriguing.
Look for tahini made from roasted sesame seeds, which is much more flavorful than the kinds made from unroasted seeds. Sumac is a remarkable Middle Eastern seasoning made from the dried berries of a Mediterranean bush. It has a distinctly sour flavor and beautiful reddish-purple color that can add a little extra touch of sparkle to a dish.
Tahini Sauce
½ cup Middle Eastern–style tahini paste
¼ cup hot water
¼ teaspoon grated garlic
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Salad
2 large tomatoes, cut into ½-inch dice
2 Japanese cucumbers or 1 hothouse cucumber, cut into ½-inch dice
2 teaspoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 globe eggplant
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 (3- to 3½-ounce) sashimi-grade tuna steaks, ¾ inch thick
Garnish
2 teaspoons pine nuts, toasted
12 kalamata olives
½ teaspoon sumac (optional)
PREPARE A FIRE in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill.
TO MAKE THE TAHINI SAUCE, combine the tahini paste, water, and garlic in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice and process again; if the tahini is still too thick, add more water, up to ½ cup (it should be thick, but not like peanut butter). Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
TO MAKE THE SALAD, toss together all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
TO COOK THE EGGPLANT, cut four ¾-inch-thick disks from the thickest part of the eggplant. Brush each slice with ¼ tablespoon of the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and soft. Or, preheat the broiler and broil 4 inches from the heat source, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
TO COOK THE TUNA, brush the steaks with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until lightly browned on the outside and rare inside. Or, heat a grill pan or skillet over high heat until very hot, and sauté the steaks for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until lightly browned on the outside and rare inside.
TO SERVE, spread 3 tablespoons of the tahini sauce on each of 4 plates. Place 1 slice of eggplant in the center of each plate. Mound the salad evenly over the eggplant and top with a tuna steak. Sprinkle with the pine nuts, olives, and sumac.
Miyagi Oysters in Ponzu
Serves 4
This is a traditional Japanese way to serve oysters that’s relatively unknown in the West. The tartness of the lemon and the saltiness of the soy sauce in the ponzu bring out the altogether different saltiness of the oysters, and the combination is unforgettable. We serve these oysters in Chinese porcelain soup spoons. If you don’t have 24 of them on hand, you can use the oyster shells instead. Or, simply put a half-dozen shucked oysters in a beautiful bowl, add the ponzu and top with a large ball of momiji oroshi (omitting the radicchio).
24 small Miyagi oysters or other small Pacific oysters, scrubbed and rinsed
1 cup ponzu
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
⅔ cup momiji oroshi
2 cups loosely packed rad
icchio chiffonade
CAREFULLY SHUCK THE OYSTERS, reserving the oyster liquor. Strain the liquor through cheesecloth into another bowl. Gently rinse the oysters in a bowl of cold water, drain well, and transfer to the bowl of the oyster liquor. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
TO SERVE, chill 24 Chinese soup spoons, or rinse and drain the bottom, rounded shell of each oyster. Drain the oysters and put 1 oyster in each spoon or shell. Spoon in the ponzu to fill the spoon or shell, and sprinkle with chives. Top with a ¼-inch ball of momiji oroshi. Divide the radicchio among 4 plates, making a mound in the center. Surround each mound of radicchio with 6 of the spoons with the handles facing out, or with the filled shells.
Wild Mushroom and Smoked Bacon Vol-au-Vent
Serves 4
Mushrooms and bacon are such a natural combination—a marriage of flavors that bring out the best in each other. We serve this in flaky pastry shells, which soak up some of the rich sauce and become meltingly tender. Try to buy bacon produced by a small company. You’ll find that it’s usually less salty and has a truer smoked flavor than commercial brands. We use a locally made apple wood-smoked bacon that has a clean, fruity sweetness. You can make a vegetarian version of this dish by omitting the bacon and the stock and adding a little Parmesan cheese to the cream sauce.
Vol-au-Vent
14 ounces all-butter puff pastry
1 egg yolk
Terra : Cooking from the Heart of Napa Valley (9780307815323) Page 4
