ORMOND WINE COMPANY - RESTAURANT REVIEW #2

I've been a horrible slacker as of late. Judy and I went to the Ormond Wine Company a few weekends ago and I never wrote up the review. So here it is. Please note - this is my second review of this restaurant. You may view the first review here. Also please excuse the quality of the pics. They were taken with my cell phone and the restaurant was rather dark. Take my word for it - the pics do NOT do the food justice.

We stopped by for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. We were the only people there at first, although a couple came in and did have lunch at the bar a little later. For the high quality of food the place puts out and for the beer and wine selection - this place should be packed. Even on a Saturday afternoon. Our server was wonderful and very informed on the wine and beer lists. She answered Judy's wine questions and my beer questions. We started off with the House Blue Chips. Although quite salty, the chips were delicious and crunchy. They were topped with blue cheese and blue cheese dressing, along with truffle oil and a kalmata olive sauce that upped both the saltiness and taste factor. The appetizer was more than ample for two people. 

We both decided on salads. Judy chose the duck breast salad (duck, field greens, blue cheese, dried cherries, red onion, mixed nuts and a raspberry walnut vinaigrette.) I went with the steak and mozz salad (grilled sirloin, field greens, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, roasted red peppers, Roma tomatoes, and a balsamic vinnegarette.) We don't usually choose salads, but we had seen the dessert menu and had ulterior motives. 

We couldn't choose which dessert to share so we of course ordered two. The white chocolate coconut creme brulee was one of the best creme brulees I had ever eaten. The top was caramelized just right and the dish was flavorful without being too strong, as I often find coconut desserts. We also split a truffle tasting plate. We had their truffles on our first visit and were eager to try more. The flavors included on the plate included: caramel with Fleur de Sel; dried cherry; Grand Marnier; and espresso. We also enjoyed a freshly brewed coffee.

All in all - another great meal at the Ormond Wine Company! And they have a web site now!

CHICKEN MARSALA

I based my recipe on Emeril's recipe for chicken Marsala. In his version, Emeril does not do the three step breading method that I use. Other ways my recipe differs - I reduce my sauce twice, I use more Marsala, I use different mushrooms, and I do not add the cutlets to the finished sauce in the pan. Rather I spoon the sauce over the cutlets which are already on the serving platter or dish.

The first thing you need to do is to prepare your chicken cutlets. I pound mine as thin as I can get them, as long as the breast is not falling apart. You, however, may pound YOUR chicken to whatever degree you wish. After all, it is YOUR chicken. And if you've had a bad day, it could be therapeutic.

After pounding the chicken, I dredge it in flour, seasoned with Emeril's Essence, available in your grocery store spice aisle. (The above link also has a recipe for making your own Essence, just scroll to the bottom of the recipe at the link and you'll find it.) If you have a seasoning you prefer, change it up!

I then dip the cutlet in egg, allowing the excess egg to drip off before I put it in the seasoned breadcrumbs. I'm making the assumption that you know how to pound and bread chicken cutlets so I won't waste much time on it. If you are new to the breading of chicken cutlets, here's a nice short video showing you the method I use. Please note that I always pound the chicken to the desired thickness before I bread it for this recipe. (And no . . . it's not me on the video.)

Video

Breading chicken cutlets

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour, seasoned with 1 tablespoon Essence

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs

2 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves and pounded thin

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, divided
3 cups sliced mushrooms, I use baby bellas
1 1/2 cups of Marsala, divided

1 cup chicken stock

Directions

Pound the breasts to desired thickness. Dredge in seasoned flour, dip in eggs, then place in bread crumbs until thoroughly covered.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. (I usually place mine in the microwave until I'm ready for them.)

Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are brown around the edges and have given off their liquid. Add 1 cup of the Marsala wine and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine/broth mixture has reduced by half, add the rest of the Marsala and reduce again or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Be patient. Reducing a sauce takes time. It will be worth it. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Place your cutlets on the serving platter or dish and spoon the Marsala and mushrooms over the cutlets.

PORK LOIN WITH PEANUT SLATHER

This is a wonderful tasting recipe, but I have yet to take a decent pic of it. I had some pics of it being served with roasted green beans and jasmine rice, but somehow or another I deleted the pics before I could post them. {sigh} You can use your oven or your grill. I've tried it both ways.

If you like peanut sauces, you'll like this. I usually make a double batch of the slather.

You'll need . . .

2 pork tenderloins, each about 12 ounces

Flavorless cooking oil to brush on the cooking rack

Trim off and discard any excess fat from the pork. Set aside the cooking oil, if grilling.

Ingredients for Slather

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter, salted

1/4 cup Chinese rice wine or dry sherry 

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce 

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons flavorless cooking oil 

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

1 tablespoon Sambal Badjak Fresh Ripe Chili Paste with Onion or other Asian chile sauce

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 tablespoons finely minced ginger 

1/4 cup minced green onion

To Make the Slather

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredi­ents for the peanut slather and mix to combine evenly. Reserve, cover, and refrigerate 1/2 cup of the slather. Evenly coat the pork with the remaining slather and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours. All advance preparation may be completed up to 8 hours be­fore you begin the final steps.


Final Steps

Thirty minutes prior to cooking, remove the pork and 1/2 cup reserved peanut slather from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

To Grill: If using a gas or electric grill, preheat to medium (350°). If using char­coal or wood, prepare a fire. When the gas or electric grill is preheated or the coals or wood are ash covered, brush the cooking rack with the oil, then lay the pork in the center of the rack. Make sure the pork is lying open on the grill. Cover the grill and regulate the heat so that it remains at a medium tempera­ture. Grill the pork until an instant-read thermometer registers 150° when in­serted deeply into the meat, about 20 minutes.


To Roast: Preheat the oven to 450°. Roast the pork until the internal temperature reaches 150°, about 30 minutes.

To Serve: Let the pork rest for 5 minutes. Cut the pork into serving-sized pieces and transfer to a heated serving platter or 4 dinner plates. Spoon the reserved peanut sauce around the meat and serve at once.