Lifestyle

Here at Vanessa Vineyard, we salute Valentine’s Day and know how important it is to celebrate this romantic occasion with a loved one. We are thrilled to have partnered with Gotham Steakhouse this year to bring you one of their delicious crab cake recipes which pairs perfectly alongside our 2017 Syrah. This pairing will be sure to make your Valentine’s experience a memorable one!

Crab Cakes with Pickled Cucumber and Roasted Jalapeño Tartar Sauce

INGREDIENTS

ROASTED JALAPEÑO TARTAR SAUCE

• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp green relish juice of ½ lemon (1 tbsp)

PICKLED CUCUMBER

• 1½ cups water
• 1 cup granulated sugar ½ cup white vinegar
• 1 small English cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced

CRAB CAKES

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter (divided)
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• ½ red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 12 oz fresh Dungeness crabmeat, picked of shells or cartilage
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley 1 cup panko crumbs (divided)
• Microgreens, for garnish (optional)
• Cherry tomatoes, halved, for garnish

METHOD

ROASTED JALAPEÑO TARTAR SAUCE

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Lightly coat the jalapeño with oil and place on a small baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, then place in a small bowl. Tightly seal the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour, until cooled to room temperature.

Peel, devein and seed pepper. Chop, then mix it with remaining ingredients. Cover and refrig­erate until needed.

PICKLED CUCUMBER

Place water, sugar and vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. When sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and refrigerate for 1 hour, until chilled. Place cucumber slices in chilled pickling solution in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.

CRAB CAKES

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a small sauté pan over medium heat, add onions and peppers and cook for 7 minutes, until onions are translucent. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine crab, mayonnaise, mustard, parsley and onion-pepper mixture and mix gently, trying not to break up the crabmeat.

Add ½ cup panko crumbs and mix until every­thing binds. Form into 4 cakes and lightly coat each cake with remaining panko.

In a large oven-proof frying pan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.

Add crab cakes and pan-fry for 5 minutes, turning once very carefully, until golden on both sides. Bake in oven for 8 minutes.

Divide crab cakes between 4 small plates and garnish with pickled cucumbers, a spoonful of roasted jalapeño tartar sauce, and microgreens and tomatoes (if using).

If you try this recipe at home, remember to tag us on Instagram so that we can feature you on our feed!

“This dish was inspired by the devastating fires we have seen this year here in British Columbia. When I arrived to Red Mountain the first week we saw terrible smoke in the region and as someone who is inspired by my surroundings I wanted to put a dish together that celebrated not only the wonderful produce available by the many terrific producers here in Rossland and the Kootenays but also make a statement about the reality of wildfires here in BC we seem to be continually dealing with year after year.” 

Dish:
Kootenay Natural Meats Bison Striploin with Kicking Horse coffee soil, Happy Hills Farm leeks, Earthy organics Broccoli, forest fire butter & parsnip bark

For the forest fire butter:

3 large leeks, halved lengthwise
28g dried black trumpet mushrooms
2g smoked maldon salt
Cedar butter (see below for recipe)

Place leeks on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast at 400F until black and completely dry, about 3 hours. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Break up the burnt leeks and place in a clean blender along with the dried mushrooms and smoked salt. Process until the mixture is a fine powder. Reserve.
Melt the strained Cedar butter over medium heat and mix just enough with the leek powder to create a paint like texture. Keep the mixture warm.

For the Cedar Butter:

1 lb salted butter
2 cups Cedar greens
Preheat water bath to 65C

Using the back of a knife, crush the cedar greens to bring out the oils and aromas, Put the cedar greens in a vacuum bag with the butter and seal. Cook in the circulator 3 hours, remove and let cool in an ice bath.

For the coffee soil:

100g unsalted butter
150g ground almonds
100g flour
50g cocoa powder
100g kicking horse ground espresso
10g salt
150g sugar

Put all ingredients in a bowl and rub them together with your fingertips until they resemble breadcrumbs.  Scatter over a baking tray and bake at 170C for 30 min.  leave to cool till crisp then pulse in robot coup.

For the Leeks:

Preheat a water bath to 85C
3 Happy Hills Farm Leeks (cut into 3 equal lengths)
1 Tbsp Cedar butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the leeks on a hot grill and char the outside. Remove from the grill and cool.
Place leeks in a vacuum bag with the cedar butter, salt and pepper. Seal and place in water bath, cook until tender, (approx. 20 minutes depending on the size of the leeks). cool in an ice bath.

For the earthy Organics Broccoli:

Trim the florets to 1 inch pieces, reserving the stems for broccoli puree.
Blanch florets in boiling salted water and cool in an ice bath.

For the purée:

Sauté some shallot in a little cedar butter add the broccoli stems and a ¼ cup of water, pinch of salt and cover. Cook until the broccoli stems are tender, transfer to a blender and blend with a couple ice cubes until smooth, pass through a fine chinois and adjust seasoning.

For the Parsnip Bark:

Glaze:

100g sugar
30g vegetable stock
30g Wynndel Distilleries Sternwheeler Apple Gin
30g Robertson Estate Cabernet sauvignon vinegar
Pinch of salt
Place the sugar in a small pan and caramelize, once the caramel is amber add the vegetable stock, stir to dissolve and hardened sugar. Add the bourbon and salt and remove from the heat.
Preheat the oven to 350F.

Roast the parsnips until tender, while still hot slice the parsnips lengthwise through the skin. Gently peel the parsnips trying to keep the skin in as large a piece as possible. Remove any excess flesh that may still be attached to the parsnip skin. Spread the peels on a piece of parchment skin side down and brush with the glaze. Place in a dehydrator and dehydrate at 60C for 1.5 hours, flip the skins and continue to dehydrate until crisp. Deep fry the skins until golden and resemble tree bark. (these can be fried up to 1 hour before serving)

To Complete the Dish:

Season the Bison Striploin with salt and pepper and grill to the desired doneness (recommend rare to medium rare) and let rest.

Warm the leeks and broccoli florets, in a little butter and stock. Sautee some black trumpet mushrooms with some julienned leeks. Paint the plate with a generous amount of the forest fire butter, top with a sprinkle of the coffee soil, 2 pieces of leek and place dollops of broccoli puree around the leeks. Slice the bison and place on the leeks. top with the mushrooms and broccoli florets and garnish with the parsnip bark. Serve immediately.

If you try this recipe, remember to tag us on Instagram so that we can feature you on our feed!

Brandy Peppercorn Sauce
1/4 medium red onion, diced
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 fl.oz black pepper whole
50 ml green peppercorn
3 fl.oz molasses
100ml brandy
200ml beef stock
800ml heavy cream 33%
1/4 fl.oz fresh thyme chopped

Sauté onions, garlic, green peppercorn for 5 minutes, add brandy and all ingredients. Simmer for 15 minute.

Braised Beef Obie
2 cups chopped carrots, onion, celery
3kg beef chuck flat or obie
1 can Guinness beer
1 sprig Thyme
3 bay leafs
4 garlic cloves
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cups beef stock

Sauté all vegetables, herbs and tomato paste. Add all other ingredients except beef. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add beef, cover with foil and bake in a 300f oven for 2 hours till beef is tender. Cool in the liquid overnight.

If you try this recipe, remember to tag us on Instagram so that we can feature you on our feed!