Sea Bass With Potatoes, Leeks, and Thyme

Another winner from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook! You can use black bass, turbot, or any type of sea bass, though I used striped sea bass from the Union Square Greenmarket. Since the fillet needs to be 1-1½ inches thick in order to cook properly, avoid the tail pieces. The chunky stew of leeks and potatoes pairs extremely well with the mild, sweet flavor and firm, flaky texture of the sea bass I used - I would definitely make this dish again!

Sea Bass With Potatoes, Leeks, and Thyme From The Zuni Cafe Cookbook Ingredients: • 4 pieces sea bass fillet, about 6 ounces each and 1-1½ inches thick • sea salt, to taste • About ¾ pound peeled yellow-fleshed potatoes, preferably yellow Finnish, Bintje, or German Butterballs, cut into irregular bite-sized chunks (I used fingerling potatoes) • 1-1½ cups diced or thinkly sliced leeks (including a little bit of the green part) • A few sprigs of fresh thyme • About 1¼ cups chicken stock • A splash or two of dry white vermouth • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced and chilled • A trickle of Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar, if needed Directions: 1. Season the fish lightly and evenly with salt. Cover loosely and refrigerate. For best flavor, do this a few hours in advance. 2. Preheat the broiler. Position the rack so that it's about 6 inches from the heating element. Place the potatoes in the saucepan, add cold water to cover, and turn the heat to medium. Season liberally with salt, stir, and taste - the water should be as seasoned as you'd like the potatoes to be. Cook the potatoes at a gentle simmer until tender and soft on the edges, about 5 minutes. 3. Drain the potatoes well and place them, still steaming, in a 12 or 14-inch ovenproof skillet. Add the leeks, thyme, about 1 cup of the chicken stock, and a splash of vermouth. Set the heat at medium and swirl as the broth starts to simmer. Add about 4 tablespoons of butter, and swirl until it melts. Taste for salt. 4. Reduce the heat to low and add the fish. Swirl and tilt the pan to baste the surface of the fish with the buttery broth. The liquid level should rise as the bass releases its juices into the broth, but if it doesn't, add more chicken stock. Make sure no bits of leek are stuck to the sides of the pan or on top of the fish, and place the pan under the broiler. Cook until the surface of the fish and potatoes is lightly gratinéed (browned), about 5-6 minutes. The liquid should be bubbling vigorously at this point. 5. Reduce the oven temperature to 500°F and cook until the fish is medium-rare, another 1-5 minutes. Transfer the pan to the stovetop and using a spatula and tongs, lift the fish, and place on a platter side by side (don't stack the fish on top of one another). The fish will finish cooking as it rests. 6. Swirl the pan gently over medium heat so that the sauce thickens as it simmers. Taste, and add the remaining butter and adjust the salt. Drain any liquid on the platter of fish into the simmering sauce in the pan. Allow the sauce to reduce until it is somewhat thick. Taste, and add a splah of vermouth or a few drops of vinegar, if it tastes flat. Transfer the fish to plates, and spoon and potato-leek sauce over the fish. Serve immediately.

Roast Pheasant and Pheasant Sausage Braised with Grapes

I love doing unconventional things with conventional ingredients, and while grapes are usually eaten in their fresh state, they are delicious baked into tarts or in this case, fried (yes, fried) and reduced into a sauce that compliment the spicy sausages in this dish perfectly. The idea came from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook, where there is a recipe for quail and sausage braised with grapes, a modern take on the traditional Umbrian dish called Salsiccia all’Uva. I couldn't find any quail at the Union Square Greenmarket today, so I chose another game bird instead - pheasant. And although the original recipe called for cooking the quail on a stovetop, I roasted the pheasant since whole pheasant is much larger than quail and cooking it on a stovetop would have been impossible. I also used spicy pheasant sausage, though Rodgers did suggest fennel sausage (which is usually pork). In fact, so much was changed from the original recipe, I can't really say that my recipe was adapted from hers; 'inspired by' is probably a more appropriate term in this case.

Choosing the right type of grapes is important to this dish. It is traditionally made with wine grapes (not seedless) and is supposed to result in something a bit crunchy due to the seeds, but at the Zuni Cafe, they use mostly seedless grapes, such as Black Emerald or Red Flame grapes. I chose small red and black seedless grapes at the farmer's market (I don't know what varieties they were), but whatever variety or varieties of grapes you choose, you want to make sure they aren't too sweet because it will result in sauce so sweet that it's cloying. Small grapes cook down the quickest and produce the best flavor and texture.

Another important note about this dish is that it's best eaten immediately because the grape sauce loses its flavor and the pheasant and pheasant sausages may dry out.

I really enjoyed this dish, although the roast pheasant came out a bit dry but probably because I wasn't diligent enough in basting it frequently. It's actually not a difficult recipe to follow at all, however, so I'll have to try this recipe again but with quail next time and see what results. I've only had quail a handful of times in my life but what a treat it was when I got to have it!

Roast Pheasant and Pheasant Sausage Braised in Grapes Inspired by The Zuni Cafe Cookbook Ingredients: • 2 whole pheasants, about 2½-2¾ pounds each • About 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • sea salt, to taste • a few pinches of fennel seeds, barely crushed • 4 fresh pheasant sausages (3-4 ounces each) • About 2 pounds (or 5-6 cups) small, red or black seedless grapes • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or lemon juice Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Rinse and dry the pheasant thoroughly. Rub it all over with salt and crushed fennel seeds. Also pour olive oil all over. 2. Place the pheasant in a shallow roasting pan, just large enough to hold it comfortably, and roast it in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the pheasant from the oven and baste the pheasant with its own juices. Cover it loosely with foil, and continue roasting for l½ hour, turning it every 15 minutes and basting it with the pan juices. 3. Cover a non-stick pan with olive oil and place a few pinches of crushed fennel seeds, then add the grapes. Stir regularly, until the skins split and release the grape juices. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 20-30 minutes. If the grapes are too sweet, add a pinch of salt and/or a little vinegar. Place the sausages in a large skillet and turn heat to medium. Cook sausages for about 15 minutes, about 3-4 minutes on each of the 4 sides. When they are brown all over, reduce the heat and pour off most of the excess fat. Then add the grapes. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes or so, or until the sauce has been reduced to a rich jam. 4. When the pheasant is done cooking, remove it from the oven and allow to rest for about 15 minutes so that the juices have time to settle. Use poultry shears to cut the pheasant into serving pieces. Stir the pheasant in with the sausage and grapes. Serve immediately, as the pheasant and pheasant sausage will become dry if reheated.