Last night we met 2012 head-on with the thought that if the world was going to end, there were some things we needed to eat and drink before it did -- and yes, Virginia, that included bacon-infused trout roe.
I was across the country planning my New Year's Eve dinner party via the Internet when I stumbled across the California Caviar Company, which focuses on sustainability and adding a creative flair to the time honored tradition of slurping up fish eggs for the new year and other festive occasions. Having done my time appreciating the purity of sevruga and beluga in the past, I was ready to try something new and skip the king's ransom the former items command. CCC's line of infused roes, at $15 or less per ounce, was just the thing. I settled on BBQ salmon roe, saffron whitefish roe, and the crowd favorite, based on amount consumed, bacon trout roe. I served them with creme fraiche, root vegetable chips, mini toasts, and plenty of bubbly, and we were merry and gay. I can also picture the bacon trout roe on scrambled eggs, the BBQ salmon roe on grilled fish, and the saffron whitefish roe on a seafood risotto or paella. Projects to squeeze in before the apocalypse!
For the main, I ended up having a disagreement with Julia Child. We had a melty roast beef tenderloin her way -- baste with melted butter and roast at 400 degrees, turning and basting a few times, to an internal temperature of 120 degrees, 35-45 minutes. But Julia, dear child, doesn't want you to salt the meat until it's been in the oven for half an hour, and while the roast was lovely in other ways, it tasted underseasoned and wasn't taking kindly to correction at table. I think Julia developed her style before the myriad modern debates about the right time to salt meat, all of which agree upon salting before cooking, and part ways only on the question of how long before cooking to start. So next time, I'll salt ahead. (This post has me sold on the hour per thickness of steak approach, but we're not talking about steak here.) I'll also repeat making Julia's pan sauce for steak, which works just fine for a roast, though it does tend to slosh red on your walls when you stir: Pour out most of the fat in the roasting pan and saute a couple tablespoons of chopped shallots in what's left. Add 1 cup red wine and 1/4 cup chicken or beef broth and stir to loosen all the bits stuck to the pan. Boil down until reduced and somewhat thickened. Gradually whisk in 2 tablespoons of butter that you've cut into a few pieces. Pour on your sliced tenderloin.
I accompanied the beef with sumptuous Wild Mushroom Bread Puddings, total keeper, and we washed it down with a 2007 Napa Valley syrah handcrafted by our friend and dinner guest Doug Hill, proprietor of Hill Family Estate. Delicious! When we'd drunk up Doug's wine, we switched to an Aussie Shiraz blend I like, though it had a hard act to follow. This vintage is no longer available, but I'll be looking for future years. A pinot noir would also work with this menu.
Hoping to get the Mayan gods to change their mind about the year to come, we finished our feast with Mayan hot chocolate from DB Infusion Chocolates, a fancy outfit located in my hometown of Madison, Wisconsin. Madtown has apparently become a chocolate hotbed, adding upscale cacao concoctions to bratwurst and fried cheese curds as a local specialty. The secret to Infusion's Mayan mix, in addition to three kinds of chiles, is cornmeal. Oh, and the glug of rum I added can't have hurt.
Happy new year and may the world keep turning!
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