On June 25th, Rich is tasting our two Cabernet Sauvignons with food.... Which one will win? 2014 Locus Ramseyer Cabernet Sauvignon OR the 2016 Locus Noel Cabernet Sauvignon?
Well, we will find out soon enough. Here is what we cooked for the live tasting on Instagram.
Pastry Squares with Pastirma
Yield
50-55 count 1.5 squares from a 9x13 aluminum baking pan
Ingredients
For dough
1 lb package phyllo dough
For milk and egg mixture
2 ea large eggs
350 ml whole milk
100 ml sunflower oil – DO NOT USE OLIVE OIL
For the filling
8-oz package of thinly sliced Pastirma or Bastirma, found in most Middle Eastern or Mediterranean-focused grocery stores
8 oz mozzarella
4 oz parmesan
Method
1. Thaw the phyllo dough per package instructions. Preheat the oven to 400F (375 if using convection).
2. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk and the sunflower oil. Set aside.
3. Line the baking pan with parchment paper and grease it generously with oil, all over including the sides.
4. Unwrap the phyllo dough. Lay the sheets on a cutting board; cover with slightly moist, clean kitchen towel, (If you have some mad kitchen skills and you can work really quickly, then don’t worry about the kitchen towel business)
5. Using 1 pastry sheet per side, fold the sheet in half, creating flaps that hangs partially off the pan, for each of the four sides.
6. Lay one full sheet at the bottom of pan.
7. Using a pastry brush, brush the parts of the sheets inside the pan with 2 oz of the milk and egg mixture. – DO NOT OVERWET.
8. Create another layer of dough in the pan using two sheets and moisten with 2 oz of milk and egg mixture. Repeat 2 more times.
9. Then add another layer with two sheets of dough and this time, top the sheets with slices of the pastirma (do not overlap) and then a generous layer of mozzarella and half of the parmesan. Do not moisten.
10. Create 2 more layers of dough using two sheets per layer and moisten each layer with 2 oz of milk and egg mixture.
11. Add another layer, don’t moisten, and cover it with rest of the pastirma cheese mixture. Use up the reminder of the dough making layers of two sheets per layer and moistening each layer with the milk and egg mixture.
12. When you run out of sheets, turn the flaps from the side in to the dish and then pour the remaining milk and egg mixture on the pastry.
13. Using a paring knife, make about a dozen small but deep incisions on the top of the pastry. This will allow juices to penetrate the lower levels.
14. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, rotate the pan, and bake for another 20 minutes.
15. During baking, the pastry may puff up in the process. It will deflate on its own once out of the oven. Don’t intervene.
16. Once out of the oven, let the pastry rest 10-20 minutes. It will deflate.
17. Serve warm or refrigerate for later service.
18. If serving as squares in a banquet application, chill the slab whole. Trim the edges tightly and then cut into 9 equal size stick on the long edge and turn and cut into 6 equal sizes on the short end. This will give you 54 pieces.
Seared Eye of Round Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For Seared Eye of Round
1 lb eye of round
1 Tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 tsps garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp Aleppo pepper
Basic Vinaigrette for Salad, Plus Your Choice of Salad Goodness
1/8 tsp garlic powder
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp or more to taste, balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 heaping tsp Dijon mustard
1 shallot (about 1 ounce), peeled and chopped
Your favorite salad ingredients.... go wild.
Method
Preheat the oven to 450F.
Pat dry the eye of round, and let sit at room temp until oven comes to temp.
Mix the pepper, garlic and salt and spread the mixture on a cutting board, as a thin line the length of the eye of round
Once the oven comes to temp, roll the eye of round in the spices to completely coat it. It should have a thick mostly black pepper coating. Don't forget the ends.
On an oven-safe wire rack set inside a baking sheet, roast the eye of round for 7 minutes.
Turn off the oven but do not remove the eye of round. Leave it in the oven undisturbed for 40 minutes, until the inside temp measures 135 for medium/rare.
Let the eye of round cool on the wire rack and then wrap tightly in plastic film and chill for at least 1 hour. You can store it in the fridge up to 5 days, or up to 6 months in the freezer.
For the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients except for oil in a blender and blitz for thirty seconds.Slowly add oil to mixture and blend until emulsified. Toss your favorite green ingredients with the vinaigrette.
Slice the chilled eye of round thinly and garnish the salad with the slices.