Our menu for game night bites.
The Menu
Snacks
Fried oysters with veal tartar and tuna sauce
Pastrami-wrapped beef tenderloin with pickled mustard seed
Deviled Scotch eggs
Lamb spiedies
Panko shrimp with lemon aioli
Dessert
Blueberry-lemon hand pies
Chocolate lavender panna cotta
Drinks
Ragnar’s Ruin
The Portmanteau
Snacks
Fried Oysters with Veal Tartar and Tuna Sauce
1 veal tenderloin
3 tablespoons minced shallot
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 tablespoon minced capers
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Cut the veal into a very fine dice. Mix well with remaining ingredients. Keep cold until oysters and tuna sauce are ready.
For the tuna sauce:
4 ½ ounces fresh tuna
2 ½ cups canola oil
½ cup olive oil
4 egg yolks
5 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons capers
3 tablespoons white anchovies
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon garlic
salt
In a medium pot, cover the tuna with 2 cups of the canola oil and poach on low heat gently until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Allow the tuna to cool in the oil, then remove. Measure 1 cup from the poaching oil and combine with the olive oil and remaining canola oil. Blend together tuna with eggs, vinegar, capers, anchovies, lemon juice and garlic. Slowly add the oil mixture in a steady stream until the sauce is emulsified. Season with salt to taste.
For the fried oysters:
1 quart canola oil
2-3 dozen oysters, shucked
2 cups flour
In a large pot, heat oil to 350 degrees. Dip oysters in flour and then fry in hot oil until golden brown, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels.
To assemble, add a spoonful of tuna sauce to an empty oyster shell, top with a tablespoon of veal tartar and garnish with a small fried oyster.
Serves 12-15
Pastrami-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with Pickled Mustard Seed
2 pounds center cut beef tenderloin (1 piece, not filet)
½ cup transglutaminase meat glue (available at specialty food stores or Amazon)
¾ pound thinly sliced pastrami
salt and fresh pepper
¾ cup whole yellow or brown mustard seeds
1 cup white vinegar
¹⁄3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 ounces Dijon mustard
To make pickled mustard seed, place seeds in a small heatproof bowl. In a saucepan, combine vinegar and sugar and bring to boil. Pour the hot liquid over the seeds, stir, cover and set aside at room temperature for at least 4 hours. Can be stored and refrigerated for up to 1 month. Cut the beef tenderloin into approximately 5-inch logs about 1 inch in diameter. Season with salt and pepper. Keep the logs as round as possible, as they will look and wrap better. Wearing gloves and on a clean surface, lightly dust the logs with the meat glue. Lay a shingled layer of pastrami (approximately five pieces layered) next to each other and dust those lightly as well. Place the tenderloin log at the bottom of the pastrami strips and tightly roll up the log as if you were rolling sushi. Wrap this tightly in plastic wrap and twist the ends tightly to create a sausage tightening effect on the log. Place the logs in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Transglutaminase bonds protein molecules together by linking two amino acids. It needs time to create a strong bond, in this case between the tenderloin and the pastrami. In a skillet on high heat; just before pan begins to smoke, sauté the logs until golden brown for about 6-8 minutes. You want the outside to be golden and the interior cooked to medium rare. If the outside is golden but the log is still very soft to the touch, place in the oven at 350 for about 4-5 minutes. Let the logs cool completely and slice to your desired thickness. Slices can be served flat or set upright. Place a dollop of pickled mustard seed and a drop of Dijon on top. Garnish with fresh herbs.
Serves 24
Deviled Scotch Eggs
16 eggs
32 ounces ground pork sausage
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 ½ cups fine dry breadcrumbs, divided
⅓ cup olive oil mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped sweet pickles
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon black pepper
Hard boil 12 eggs, let cool, and peel. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine sausage, rosemary, mustard, and sherry vinegar with ½ cup of the breadcrumbs. Divide the mixture into 12 portions, and wrap each egg completely with a portion of the sausage. Beat the remaining raw eggs. Roll each sausage-covered egg in the remaining breadcrumbs, then dip in the beaten egg and roll in breadcrumbs again. Bake the eggs until browned, about 30 minutes. Once cooled, halve the eggs lengthwise and remove the yolks. Mix the yolks with the mayonnaise, sweet pickles, vinegar, mustard, paprika, and pepper. Pipe the filling into the sausage-wrapped whites and garnish with sprigs of fresh rosemary.
Lamb Spiedies
3 pound boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and butterflied
For the marinade:
¾ cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon mint
dash of red pepper flakes, to taste
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all marinade ingredients together and immerse the butterflied leg of lamb. Marinate overnight. The lamb can be roasted at 400 degrees, but is best done on a medium-hot charcoal grill. Cook to desired doneness. Slice and serve on crusty Italian bread and garnish with arugula.
Serves 8
Panko Shrimp with Lemon Aioli
¼ cup finely diced Italian parsley
1 pound shrimp (20-25 count), peeled, tails on
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
seasoning salt or spice to taste
oil for frying
Season shrimp with choice of seasoning. Heat 3 inches of oil in a deep pot or fryer to 350 degrees. Put panko crumbs and parsley in a small dish. Add seasoning of choice. Put flour in a shallow dish. Beat egg and water in a dipping dish. Toss shrimp in flour to coat. Next, dip shrimp in the egg mix and toss in panko to coat. Fry in small batches until golden brown, turning the shrimp to evenly cook. Drain shrimp on paper towel and keep warm in a low oven at 175 degrees.
Makes 20-25 pieces
For the lemon aioli:
4 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs, seasoned or plain
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 egg yolks
1 ½ cups olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
In a food processor, blend bread crumbs, white wine and garlic until a paste forms. Add egg yolks and blend until well mixed. Slowly add olive oil.
Pour into a bowl. Blending well, slowly add 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Adjust seasoning or add more lemon juice as desired. Be careful not to over-whip the aioli or it will separate into a curdle-like mixture. Serve with the panko shrimp.
Makes approximately 1 ½ cups
Dessert
Blueberry-Lemon Hand Pies
For the pastry dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted chilled butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg
2 tablespoon whole milk
Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter using your fingers, pastry blender or food processor until pea-sized lumps of butter are still visible. If you’ve used a food processor, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Whisk the egg and milk together in a separate bowl and stir them into the dough, mixing until everything is just combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of one hour or overnight.
For the jam filling:
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
Combine blueberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and salt in a medium pot. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, stir together the cornstarch and water, then add this slurry (cornstarch mixture) to the boiling blueberry mixture, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened slightly, remove from heat and let cool completely.
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
To assemble the tarts:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to soften slightly, about 15 minutes. Place the dough on a generously floured work surface. Roll it into a disc about 1/8 inch thick. Using a round cookie cutter, cut as many circles as possible. Excess dough can be combined and rerolled once to obtain a few more circles. Count the total sum of circles and separate into two, reserving half of the circles for the top of the hand pies. Beat one egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush it over the entire surface of half of the dough circles. Place a heaping tablespoon of blueberry filling into the center of each round, keeping 1/2-inch bare around the edge. Place a second circle of dough on top of the first, using your fingertips to gently press edges together around the filling, sealing the dough well on all around. If desired, press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the circle. Repeat with remaining pies. Gently place the pies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of the pies with remaining egg wash. Prick the top of each pie multiple times with a fork, or alternatively cut small slits with a paring knife to release steam. Bake the hand pies until golden brown and juices are bubbling out, about 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Chocolate Lavender Panna Cotta
Fruit flavors go well with lavender, especially blueberry. Look for a fruity chocolate with berry notes for this recipe.
12 ounces heavy cream
½ cup granulated sugar
salt
1 tablespoon dried lavender buds
1 ¼ teaspoon gelatin powder
2 tablespoons cold water
6 ounces 64-70 percent dark chocolate
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
In a saucepan, combine the heavy cream, sugar, and a pinch of salt over low to medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add lavender buds. Cover pan and allow to steep for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin into the cold water and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Strain out the lavender and reheat the cream until just before it boils. Remove from heat and whisk in the gelatin, chocolate, and vanilla until smooth. Divide evenly among six half-pint ramekins or glass serving containers. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until fully set, about 1-2 hours. Serve cold.
Serves 6
Drinks
Ragnar’s Ruin
1 ½ ounces Oyster Vit
¾ ounces fresh-squeezed lime juice
¾ ounces simple syrup
12-15 drops juniper tincture
12-15 drops trinity absinthe
3 ounces Potter’s hopped dry cider
Combine first five ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake very briefly, just enough to chill and mix. Strain into a Collins glass. Top with cider. Add ice to fill glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
For the juniper tincture:
200 grams of juniper berries
1 cup vodka
Let the juniper berries infuse in the vodka, covered, at room temperature for 2 weeks, shaking every few days. Strain and bottle after 2 weeks.
The Portmanteau
2 ounces Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon
¾ ounce Amaro Nonino Quintessentia
¾ ounce locally sourced honey
3 dashes of cinnamon and allspice infused bitters (or Bittermens Tiki Bitters)
1 egg white
3 dashes chocolate bitters
Dry shake first five ingredients for 20 seconds. Add 3-4 ice cubes. Shake until ice is fully dissolved. Serve neat in a coupe glass and garnish with chocolate bitters.
For more on game nights, pick up a copy of our December 2019 issue.
