New Canaan Experts Pair Wine with Easy Valentine’s Day Recipes

By Michael Dinan

When she’s up from the city at her Fairfield County home and dining in New Canaan, Lyon-trained chef Victoria Hart Glavin’s favorite places to eat here are Ching’s Table and Thali.

The owner of Tiny New York Kitchen online, Glavin says that on a night out, she likes to order dishes that she wouldn’t normally cook at home.

There are plenty of options in town. Last week, NewCanaanite.com posted the top-5 local romantic options for those seeking to stay in town while dining out for Valentine’s Day.

Today, we’re tapping Glavin for some stay-at-home Valentine’s Day recipes, and we asked two New Canaan wine experts to help pair the right bottle with her dishes.

Glavin says that easier is better when it comes to cooking for the holiday.

“If one goes for something complicated then they run the risk of ruining dinner and good luck trying to get into a restaurant at the last minute on big restaurant date night, unless your partner doesn’t mind lining up at Five Guys,” she said.

Our New Canaan wine experts are Jeff Barbour of New Canaan Wine Merchants over on Pine Street, and Carl Franco of Francos Wine Merchants on Elm.

Thank you, Jeff and Carl, for lending us your expertise, and as always thank you Victoria for sharing your delicious recipes. Here we go.

***

Short Ribs Braised in Coffee Ancho Chile Sauce

Pairs with 2004 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva

Victoria: “These delicious ribs are flavored with rich coffee, two kinds of chiles, maple syrup and fresh lime juice. Valentine’s Day is around the corner and these ribs make a wonderful Valentine’s dinner. Serve over polenta.”

Jeff: “The recipe has spice to it. There’s sweetness, so you need a wine with a particular character. This wine has a good ripeness for this recipe and its root vegetables.”

• 4 Dried Ancho Chiles (Wipe Clean With Damp Cloth)
• 2 Cup Boiling Water
• 1 Quartered Medium Onion
• 3 Chopped Garlic Cloves
• 2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Canned Chipotle Chiles In Adobo Sauce
• 2 Teaspoons Adobo Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup (Pure Maple Syrup Only)
• 1 Tablespoon Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
• 3 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
• 6 Pounds Beef Short Ribs
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup Brewed Coffee

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Throw away stem from ancho chiles. Split anchos open and throw away seeds and ribs. Soak in boiling water for 25 minutes until softened. Drain in a colander set over a bowl. Reserve ancho water for braising. Transfer anchos to a blender or food processor and puree with onions, garlic, chipotles (with the sauce), maple syrup, lime juice, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Pat short ribs dry and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch heavy sauté pan over a medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown ribs in batches – about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a large-size Dutch oven (or a large-size roasting pan) and arrange in 1 layer. Slowly add the to the fat remaining in the sauté pan. It will spatter and steam so please be careful. Cook over a medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add reserved chile soaking water (or 1 1/2 cups water if you accidently threw the chile water out), and the brewed coffee. Bring to a boil and then pour over short ribs. The liquid should reach about halfway up the sides of the ribs. Cover Dutch oven tightly with foil. Place in oven and braise for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until very tender. Skin fat from pan juices and serve ribs with pan juices. Serves 6

Easy Polenta

• 6 Cups Water
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 1 1/2 Cups Cornmeal

Bring water to a boil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan with bay leaf and kosher salt. Gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook mixture over a medium heat for 2 minutes while continuing to whisk. Cover saucepan and simmer over a low heat for 45 minutes. Stir for 1 minute every 10 minutes. Make sure to replace lid after each stir. Remove from heat and throw away bay leaf. Serves 6

***

Tuscan Lasagna

Pairs with 2010 Aia Vecchia Lagone Toscana

Victoria: “I like to use low fat ricotta, lean ground beef, and spinach to make this lasagna healthy and lower in fat. My Tuscan Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food for these bleak winter days.”

Carl: “This is a cab-merlot with a little cabernet franc, an Italian blend. These aren’t your typical grapes from Tuscany, but would go well with some of the heaviness of the cheese.”

• 1 Pound Ground Sirloin
• 1 Cup Sliced Cremini Mushrooms
• 1 Minced Small White Onion
• 3 Crushed Garlic Cloves
• 5 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Parsley
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
• 2 Teaspoons Dried Basil
• 1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 Teaspoon Fennel Seeds
• 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
• 1 Cup Lowfat Ricotta Cheese
• 1 (8 Ounce) Package Whole-Grain Lasagna Noodles
• Vegetable Oil Cooking Spray
• 16 Ounces Marinara Sauce (Divided)
• 1/2 Cup Part-Skim Fresh Mozzarella (Divided)
• 2 Cups Frozen Spinach (Thawed)
• 1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a large-size sauté pan cook ground sirloin, mushrooms, onions, garlic, parsley, kosher salt, basil, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and pepper over a medium heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a large-size bowl. Stir in ricotta. Cook lasagna noodles as directed on package. Drain noodles. In an 8×11 inch-baking dish coated with cooking spray, place a layer of noodles. Top with 1/3 of the meat mixture, 1/3 of the marinara sauce, and 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat to create two more layers with remaining noodles, meat, marinara, and mozzarella. Before the last layer, scatter spinach. Top with Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm. Serves 6

***

Scallops with Herbed Brown Butter

Pairs with 2012 Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy Sancerre

Victoria: “When you go to your fishmonger make sure to ask for ‘dry’ scallops. Dry scallops are free of preservatives and release only a small amount of liquid while cooking, which is the key to getting a good crusty sear.”

Carl: “This is 100 percent a sauvignon blanc grape and wine from the Loire make natural pairings with seafood dishes.”

• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Pound Sea Scallops (Side Muscle Removed)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
• 3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (Cut Into Small Pieces)
• 4 Tarragon Sprigs
• 2 Teaspoons Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

In a large-size sauté pan heat olive oil over a medium-high heat for 1 minute. Season scallops with kosher salt and pepper. Place scallops in sauté pan and cook for 3 minutes on one side (until golden brown). Turn scallops and add butter and tarragon. Continue to cook. Spoon butter over scallops for 3 minutes longer or until scallops are cooked through and butter is brown and has a nutty aroma. Add lemon juice. Remove pan from heat and transfer to serving plate. Serve with brown butter pan sauce. Serves 4

Chocolate Layer Cake

Pairs with 10-year-old Taylor Fladgate Tawny Port

Victoria: “It’s the ultimate old-fashioned, everything-you-could-wish-for Valentine’s Day cake.”

Jeff: “This is just a natural with chocolate. There are lots of caramel flavors, kind of like baked coffee flavors going on, and this will work especially if you are adding fruit to complement the chocolate. The acids of a port work with the acids of fruit.”

Cake

• 2 Cups Unbleached Flour
• 2/3 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (Not Dutch-Process)
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 Cup Softened Unsalted Butter
• 1 Cup Packed Dark Brown Sugar
• 3/4 Cup Sugar
• 4 Large Eggs (Room Temperature)
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 Cups Buttermilk

Frosting

• 2/3 Cup Whole Milk
• 3 Large Egg Yolks
• 1 Tablespoon Plus 1 Teaspoon Unbleached Flour
• 1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar (Divided)
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 1/2 Cups Unsalted Butter (Cut Into Tablespoon Pieces & Softened)
• 8 Ounces Melted & Cooled Milk Chocolate
• 2 Ounces Melted & Cooled Unsweetened Chocolate

To Make The Cake: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9×2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each with a round of parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust pans with flour. Knock out any excess. In a small-size bowl sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and kosher salt. In a large-size bowl beat together butter, brown sugar and white sugar, using an electric mixer at medium-high speed for 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add chocolate and vanilla extract. Beat until just combined. Turn speed to low and add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in 3 batches. Begin and end with flour and mix just until combined. Divide batter between cake pans and spread evenly. Place in oven and bake for 25 to 35 minutes. Remember that each oven heats differently so make sure to check at 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center of each cake layer. If it comes out clean then pull the cake out of the oven. Remove from oven and cool cake layers in pans on racks for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of each layer. Invert onto racks. Peel off paper and cool layers completely.

To Make The Frosting: In a 1 1/2 quart saucepan heat milk over a medium heat until hot. In a medium-size bowl whisk together yolks, flour, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, and kosher salt. Remove milk from heat and add to egg yolk mixture while whisking. Transfer mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil over a medium heat. Whisk. Reduce heat to a simmer and whisk for 2 minutes. Mixture should be very thick. Transfer to a large-size bowl. Cover mixture with a buttered round of parchment paper and let cool for 50 minutes. Now add vanilla extract and remaining powdered sugar to the mixture. Beat with cleaned beaters at medium speed until combined well. Increase speed to medium-high and beat in butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, until smooth. Add chocolates and beat until well combined.

To Assemble: Halve each cake layer horizontally using a long serrated knife. Layer cake, using a heaping 1/2 cup frosting between each layer, then frost top and sides with remaining frosting.

Makes 1 Chocolate Layer Cake. Serves 8

Victoria’s Note: Cake layers can be made (but not halved) 1 day ahead and kept, well-wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature. Frosting can be made 1 day ahead, covered and chilled. Bring to room temperature (do NOT use a microwave) and beat with a mixer before using.

***

Moroccan Red Lentil Soup

Victoria: “My mother lived for many years in Morocco and once told me that Moroccans eat this red lentil soup to ward off the chill of the desert night. Given the weather we’ve been experiencing I think that we all need a delicious soup to ward off the chill, warm our tummies and feel all warm and fuzzy toward our loved ones. You can make my Moroccan Red Lentil Soup one day in advance and keep in the refrigerator overnight. If you’re adding any garnish then add at the moment of serving.”

• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 1 Minced Medium Carrot
• 1/3 Cup Chopped Parsley
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Cilantro
• 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Freshly Ground Pepper
• 6 Minced Large Garlic Cloves
• 2 Tablespoons Minced French Ginger
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Turmeric
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 1/4 Cup Dried Red Lentils
• 2 Teaspoons Sweet Hungarian Paprika
• 28 Ounces Canned Whole Tomatoes With Liquid (Puree)
• 8 Cups Vegetables Broth

Pour olive oil into a heavy 6-quart pot and place over a medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, parsley, cilantro, and kosher salt. Sauté for 8 minutes until golden brown. Reduce heat to a medium-low. Stir in pepper garlic, ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon. Cook for 30 seconds. Add lentils, paprika, tomatoes, and broth. Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat back to medium-low. Cover with lid and cook for 50 minutes. Add a bit of water if the soup becomes too thick. Remove from heat and ladle into serving bowls. Garnish with a teaspoon of yogurt, chopped cilantro or leave plain. Serves 4

If you’re seeking something romantic to start with Victoria’s Moroccan Lentil Soup, Carl recommends Champagne Veuve Clicquot Rosé, brought in specially for Valentine’s Day.

Enjoy, everyone!