A Winter’s Table

Warm up with soup, steak and sizzling bread

Chanterelle Cream Soup

Serves 8 to 10

Wine Suggestion: Dry sparkling

INGREDIENTS

3 pounds chanterelle mushrooms

½ gallon heavy whipping cream

2 cups chicken stock

2 teaspoon saffron threads

½ cup butter, plus 2 tablespoons

½ cup flour

2 tablespoons Cognac or Calvados

2 sprigs thyme

1 large lemon

DIRECTIONS

1. Clean and slice all mushrooms; set aside.
2. In large heavy-bottomed pot, add cream, chicken stock, saffron threads, and all but one cup of mushrooms; bring to a simmer.
3. Make roux in separate pan. Melt ½ cup butter and add flour, cook on low heat until blond color is reached.
4. Once mushrooms have softened in cream, add roux while stirring.
5. Cook soup for another 15 to 20 minutes on low heat, stirring frequently to keep from scorching.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper; then add Cognac (or Calvados) and juice of 1 large lemon.
7. Carefully pour soup into blender or food processor; blend on high until smooth and creamy. Return to stove in clean pot. Reserve or chill to serve at a later date.
8. In large sauté pan over high heat, add drizzle of olive oil and remaining sliced mushrooms. Once mushrooms are lightly browned, add 2 tablespoons butter and thyme.
9. To serve, place spoonful of sautéed mushrooms in center of bowl; pour cream soup around. Garnish with chives, lemon zest and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Note: For the holidays, a spoon of paddlefish roe and fresh truffle slices set this course over the top.

Oyster-Stuffed Filet Mignon

Serves 8 to 10

Wine Suggestion: Syrah

INGREDIENTS

8–10 8-ounce beef tenderloin steaks

2 dozen medium-sized oysters

1 cup Japanese bread crumbs (panko)

1 bunch flat leaf parsley

2 ounces truffles (canned if needed)

DIRECTIONS

1. To make stuffing, shuck all oysters into medium bowl, reserving liquor (liquid found naturally inside shell).
2. Finely chop parsley and truffles; add to oysters. A little at a time, add bread crumbs and liquor, until oysters hold together.
3. Using small paring knife, make small slit into side of each tenderloin steak, creating a small pocket.
4. Carefully stuff each steak with 2 to 3 oysters plus surrounding stuffing. Season steaks with salt and pepper.
5. In large sauté pan over medium to high heat, add drizzle of olive oil and steaks, being careful not to overcrowd them. Brown on both sides for 3 to 5 minutes; then place in 400°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on preferred temperature.
6. Remove steaks from oven and let rest for 2 to 3 minutes; slice on a large bias to serve.

Note: The steak tastes great with demi-glace, a time-consuming (a week!) but worthwhile process.

Demi-Glace

Allow one week to prepare

INGREDIENTS

15 pounds beef or veal knuckle bones

½ bottle red wine

3 pounds carrots

2 pounds yellow onions

2 pounds celery

2 pounds leeks

1 head of garlic

2 shallots

8 bay leaves

1 bunch parsley

1 bunch thyme

1 bunch oregano

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

8 ounces tomato paste

DIRECTIONS

1. On large sheet pan, lay out beef bones and roast in 300°F oven for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, smear tomato paste liberally over all bones; return to oven for another hour, being careful not to burn.
2. In large heavy-bottomed pot, add bones, scraping all “the good stuff” from pan into pot as well. Cover bones with water; place over medium heat until slight bubble. Reduce heat and let simmer 24 hours.
3. Next day, peel and clean all vegetables; place on sheet tray and roast in 400°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Add vegetables, herbs, bay leaves and peppercorns to pot; deglaze pan with red wine. Add (and refill) water to cover bones and vegetables. Cook on very low simmer for another 36 hours.
4. On fourth day, in large bowl with colander, strain stock, discarding bones and vegetables. Let cool overnight in refrigerator.
5. Next day, remove fat from top of stock; discard or use for cooking (great for potatoes). Pour stock through strainer into new pot and return to the heat. Bring to a bubble and let simmer for another 24 hours to reduce by at least half and should take on a very shimmery dark color.
6. To test if demi-glace is ready, pour small amount into bowl and set to refrigerate. If it becomes very firm yet soft to the touch, you did it! If not, reduce the liquid by half and strain and transfer to smaller pots each time.
7. To serve, scoop spoonful into sauté pan over medium heat; season with salt and pepper, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons butter and swirl.
8. Fortunately, demi-glace will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for months.

Cornbread with Honey-Bourbon Butter

Serves 8 to 10

Wine Suggestion: Chardonnay

Cornbread

1½ sticks unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon at room temperature

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup fine yellow cornmeal

¼ cup granulated sugar

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon table salt

2½ cups corn (fresh or thawed if frozen)

2 large eggs

1½          cups well-shaken buttermilk

Butter

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

2 tablespoons bourbon

2 tablespoons honey

DIRECTIONS

1. Make cornbread: Preheat oven to 375°F. Use room-temperature butter to grease bottom and sides of 9- by 13-inch baking dish or 10-inch cast-iron pan (if using cast iron, place in oven to get piping hot while mixing cornbread batter — the hot surface creates an even crisper, caramelized crust — once out of oven, add 2 tablespoons butter, lard or bacon fat.
2. In fine-mesh sieve set over large bowl, sift together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In food processor, pulse corn kernels until roughly puréed. Scrape corn purée into large bowl; whisk in melted butter, eggs and buttermilk. Stir flour mixture into corn-buttermilk mixture just until combined.
3. Scrape batter into prepared baking dish. Bake until cornbread is golden and resists light pressure and a toothpick inserted into center comes out nearly clean, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 30 minutes.
4. While cornbread cools, make honey-bourbon butter. In bowl of standing mixer, add butter. Using whisk attachment, whip butter on high speed until airy and light, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium-low and add bourbon. Once bourbon is incorporated, add honey and whip until well-combined.
5. Slice bread and serve with smears of honey-bourbon butter.

Note: A quality aged cheddar and pickled peppers make a wonderful addition to this recipe.

Chef Red Hauge: A father, fisherman, forager and gardener, Chef Red resides in McMinnville with his partner, Allyson, and son, Anders. Red has spent 25 years cooking alongside celebrated chefs in Chicago, Aspen, Miami, Portland, Boston, St. John, USVI, and New York. He and Raul Salinas III recently opened R&R Culinaire, a scratch kitchen and catering company (www.rnrculinaire.com).