Today was an epicurious delight as I wandered around the rows and rows of fabulous vendors at the annual Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show. I met lots of wonderful people and picked up several gourmet sauces, spices, and kitchen gadgets to liven up my winter cooking.
After an ample amount of time was spent shopping and tasting wines in the wine tasting area I headed off for the Tyler Florence show. When I arrived the room was fairly filled. However, since I went all by myself to this event I was fortunate that there was a sole seat at the very front of the show. I seated myself next to two very nice ladies whose company I enjoyed throughout the show.
The show was very informal and Tyler confessed to pretty much “winging it”. I have to say I’m a bit disappointed in his lack of preparation and discussion points. However, for the complete novice I’m sure there were some points that may have been interesting. Despite the lack of structure I do admit I enjoyed Tylers laid back conversational style. As an added bonus to the show Paula Dean stopped by twice during the show to say hello and comment on the food/wine pairings of Tyler’s she was trying backstage. To start the show off Tyler prepared Scallop Saltimbocca with Green Apple and Crispy Sage. This dish was paired with the 2007 Hendry Pinot Gris & 2007 Tyler Florence Pinot Noir (yes…Tyler is dipping is foot into winemaking. No vineyard of his own. Although he hinted he and his wife like the idea of retiring down the road and running their own vineyard. He’s simply used a service called Crushpad. Similar to our Vint Hill winery here in Virginia where for about $5,000 you can take part in the wine making process and create your own barrels of wine.)
Here’s the recipe for Tyler’s Scallops:
Yield: 4 servings
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
12 slices speck
12 large sea scallops
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 fresh sage leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges
1/2 lemon
Wrap a strip of speck around the perimeter of each scallop and squeeze gently so that speck sticks to itself and the scallops.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sage leaves and fry until lightly browned and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently lift the leaves out of the pan and drain flat on paper towels. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Add the scallops to the hot pan and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side until well browned. Remove scallops from the pan and put them on a platter. Now add the apples to the pan and give them a quick sauté until wilted and caramelized, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and pepper.
To serve, spoon a smear of potato purée on plates and set 3 scallops on top of the potatoes. Spoon the apples around the plate and garnish with sage leaves.
The next dish we tried was a Pan Roasted Duck Breast with Truffled Spaghetti Squash. Let me begin by saying I’ve never tried duck before. I was quite suprised that I actually enjoyed again. It was presented on a bed of truffled spaghetti squash. Just a bit of butter and truffle oil. Oh it was devine. I’m going to have to pick up some spaghetti squash this week and make this w/ my prized truffle oil. The recipes for this dish and the last pairing should be posted on TylerFlorence.com tomorrow if you’re interested. This dish was paired with the 2007 Calera Mount Harlan Chardonnay. I absolutely LOVED this wine. It had a wonderful infusion of oak and a creamy, buttery finish. It was just devine. Tyler also had us try the 2007 Elizabeth Spencer Cabernet Sauvignon which was very pleasant.
The last dish we tried was Braised Beef Short Rib with Brussel Sprouts, Pancetta and Parcinis in a Bordelaise Sauce. The entire dish was scruptious! This dish was paired with the 2005 Turnbull Viognier and Tyler’s 2007 TF Zifandel. Both of these were very nice wines. At the end of the show Tyler invited us to come up and grab the left over bottles. Almost all of them had been open and partially used in the tasting. However, I was able to score an unopened bottle of the 05′ Turnbull Viognier. It was a very enjoyable show and I’m glad I made it down to the venue this year!
