Commander's Wild Side: Bold Flavors for Fresh Ingredients from the Great Outdoors - Hardcover

Martin, Ti Adelaide; McPhail, Tory

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 006111989X ISBN 13: 9780061119897

Publisher: William Morrow & Company, 2008

Synopsis

Dozens of dishes featuring wild game, fish, and fowl from one of america's favorite restaurants

With legendary talent, the freshest ingredients possible, and a tradition of fun, Commander's Palace proves that great restaurants only get better with time. A New Orleans institution since 1880, the critically acclaimed restaurant has been the winner of the James Beard Award for Most Outstanding Restaurant in America and has been ranked the top dining establishment in the city for seventeen consecutive years, officially making any visit to New Orleans incomplete without a savory meal in the beautiful Garden District landmark.

Nothing can stop the crew at Commander's Palace, and Commander's Wild Side, which features more than one hundred new recipes for fare straight from America's bayous, streams, mountains, and back-country, as well as dozens of stunning photographs, proves it.

With thrilling flavors for any palate, executive chef Tory McPhail has recipes for everything from Juniper Berry-Grilled Elk, Rabbit and Goat Cheese Turnovers, and Roasted Quail with Bourbon-Bacon Stuffing to Jamaican Conch Callaloo, Marinated Crab Salad, and Pecan Butter-Basted Flounder with Creole Mustard Cream.

Looking for something more traditional? Try the Lemon and Garlic Grilled Pork and the Roasted Turkey or any of the nongame substitutions--just in case the butcher is out of mountain lion.

Commander's Wild Side is guaranteed to have just the right dish to spice up your cooking repertoire.

About this title

About the Authors

Ti Adelaide Martin and Lally Brennan are first cousins and proprietors of Commander's Palace, Cafe Adelaide, and the Swizzle Stick Bar in the Loews New Orleans Hotel, with the outpost Brennan's of Houston run by Alex Brennan-Martin. Ti is also the author of Commander's Kitchen. The legendary Commander's Palace has won the James Beard Award for Most Outstanding Restaurant in America and was ranked #1 in New Orleans by Zagat seventeen times in a row.

Tory McPhail is currently the executive chef of Commander's Palace in New Orleans.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Commander's Wild Side

Bold Flavors for Fresh Ingredients from the Great OutdoorsBy Adelaide Martin

HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Copyright © 2008 Adelaide Martin
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780061119897

Herb-Roasted Snapper with Brown Butter Vinaigrette

Serves 4

Plain old butter can't stand up to the nutty, fragrant flavor of browned butter. In this recipe we take browned butter and make a luscious, thick sauce that has the consistency of hollandaise. It goes great with grilled lobster, shrimp, and whatever else you normally put butter on. In our case, that would be everything!

Ingredients:

Brown Butter Vinaigrette
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 large egg
Juice of ½ lemon
Pinch of kosher salt
Pinch of ground white pepper
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh tarragon
4 sprigs fresh basil
4 sprigs fresh cilantro
Four 6-ounce snapper fillets
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup dry white wine
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Instructions:

Prepare the brown butter vinaigrette: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat, swirling it occasionally, until the butter is brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Pour the butter into a bowl and let it cool to almost room temperature.

In another small bowl, whisk together the egg, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons water. Gradually whisk the melted butter into the egg mixture and continue whisking until thickened and smooth. Set aside at room temperature.Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Scatter the herb sprigs on a rimmed baking dish. Season the snapper fillets on both sides with salt and pepper, and arrange them on top of the herbs. Pour the wine and lemon juice over the fillets, and rub the tops evenly with the butter. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through. It should be moist, with the edges just starting to turn brown. Serve the fish drizzled with the brown butter vinaigrette, and place the herbs alongside.

Whole Grilled Snapper with Citrus, Herbs, and Chiles

Serves 4

This is get-your-hands-messy cooking. You work a big bowlful of lemons, herbs, and chiles with your hands to release their juices and oils. Then the mixture is poured over the fish and the whole thing, baking sheet and all, is placed on the grill and cooked. This is the best and easiest way we know to grill whole fish without losing some skin and pieces of fish to the fire gods.

A warning: use rubber gloves when handling chiles in this and any other recipe. Trust us on this one.

Ingredients:

Two 2½- to 3-pound snappers, scaled and cleaned
1 medium poblano pepper, julienned
1 lemon, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
1 lime, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
1 orange, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
3 jalapeño peppers, julienned
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
¼ cup olive oil

Instructions:

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a grill.

With a sharp knife, score the fish to the bone three times: once right behind the gills, once in the middle, and once toward the tail. Make three more scores along the other side of the fish.

Combine all the ingredients except the fish in a large bowl, and working with your hands, crush the chiles, citrus, and herbs to release their liquids and essential oils. Arrange half of this citrus mixture on a large rimmed baking sheet, and place the fish on top. Stuff more citrus mixture inside the fish and in the slits, and top the fish with the remaining mixture. Place the baking sheet directly on the grill, and cover the grill. Grill the fish for 40 to 50 minutes, or until cooked through.

Continues...

Excerpted from Commander's Wild Sideby Adelaide Martin Copyright © 2008 by Adelaide Martin. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 006111989X
• ISBN 13: 9780061119897
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256