The Winning Recipe:

Roasted Quail and Spinach Salad
chipotle peach glazed quail, cilantro grit cake, toasted pecans,
 goat cheese, and honey lime vinaigrette

Spicy Grilled Sirloin
cabernet sauvignon reduction, adobo scented sweet potato puree, crispy leeks, and shrimp spring roll

Chocolate Mousse Cake
mexican chocolate, cayenne pepper, pecan brittle,
 and strawberry coulis

Roasted Quail and Spinach Salad

Wine Pairing: Becker Vineyards Riesling 2005

Glaze

3 ripe peaches, blanched and peeled
1 cup sugar
½ cup honey
1 chipotle in adobo with 1 tsp adobo reserved
Squeeze of lime juice
Salt to taste

Place saucepan over medium heat.  Add peaches, sugar, and honey to pan and bring to a soft boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour, or until peaches are completely softened and syrup is thick.  Add chipotle, and simmer another 3 to 5 minutes.  Strain through fine mesh strainer, and discard chipotle.  Season to taste with lime, salt, and reserved adobo.  Cool.

Quail

5 quail, boned
Salt
1 Tbsp peanut oil

Tuck wingtips under to prevent burning, and making a small slit in 1 leg, slide the other leg bone through to truss the bird.  Season with salt.  Sear in peanut oil to golden brown.
Place on rack, brush liberally with peach-chipotle glaze, and broil until glaze starts to caramelize.  Remove, brush with glaze again, and broil until golden brown.  Rest loosely covered in foil for 5 to 10 minutes.

Cilantro grit cakes

1 cup coarse ground yellow corn grits
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups water
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp light olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

In saucepan sweat shallot and garlic.  Add grits, shaking pan to toast slightly.  Add water and chicken stock, stirring often.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until grits have softened, and liquid has been absorbed.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper, then stir in cilantro.  Pour out onto parchment lined and greased ½ sheet pan and spread out in even layer.  Place in refrigerator, covered, until completely cooled and firm.  When firm, cut into any desired shape and dredge in flour, shaking off excess.  Pan fry in oil over medium heat until crispy and golden brown.  Serve immediately.

Salad

Bunch spinach, stems picked
½ cup pecan halves, toasted
2 oz goat cheese

Vinaigrette

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp light olive oil

Combine lime juice, honey, vinegar, and salt.  Whisk until salt dissolves.  Add oil, whisk to combine.  Set aside. 

When time to serve, combine spinach and pecans in bowl, spoon on just enough vinaigrette to coat, and toss.  Plate, and then add small pieces of goat cheese around and on top of salad.

Spicy Grilled Sirloin

Wine pairing: Woodrose Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Sirloin

25 oz sirloin cut 1 ½ inch thick
1 part garlic powder
1 part salt
½ part cayenne
½ part cumin
½ part oregano
½ part coriander
¼ part fresh ground pepper
2 Tbsp light olive oil

Combine spices thoroughly.  Trim sirloin of excess fat and silver skin.  Reserve lean trim for sauce.  Coat sirloin with oil, and then rub all sides with spices.  Grill to medium rare, and rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Lime butter

2 oz whole butter, softened
1 ½ tsp lime zest
2 tsp lime juice
Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.  Turn out onto parchment and roll into log, refrigerate.

Cabernet reduction

2 shallots, sliced
1 clove garlic, bruised
Thyme sprig
Lean trim from sirloin
2 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup Woodrose Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
2 oz demi glace
Salt to taste

Sear sirloin trim in sauté pan, reduce heat and add shallot, garlic, and 1 Tbsp. of butter.  Sweat until shallot is translucent and softened.  Deglaze with wine, add thyme, and simmer gently to reduce au sec.  Add demi, simmer until napper.  Strain through fine mesh strainer, return to heat until simmering.  Season to taste and monte au beurre.    

Adobo scented sweet potato puree

3 sweet potatos, quartered
2 Tbsp butter
2 oz cream
3 tsp salt
Squeeze of lime juice
3 tsp adobo (reserved from chipotles in adobo).

Add sweet potatos to large pot of boiling salted water.  Cook until fork tender, and rice into warmed bowl.  Add butter, cream, salt, lime, and adobo.  Combine ingredients thoroughly, using care not to over mix.  Adjust seasoning to taste using salt, lime, and adobo.  Hold warm.

Crispy leeks

2 leeks, white only, stem trimmed
½ cup AP flour
1 Tbsp papkrika
1 tsp salt
½ cup heavy cream

Slice leeks into thin rings and place in deep bowl full of cold water to remove sand.  When clean, transfer leeks onto a clean towel to drain thoroughly before frying.  Season flour with salt and paprika.  Coat leeks in cream, dredge in seasoned flour, shake off excess and fry at 360 degrees until crisp.  Drain on rack in warm place and serve immediately.

Shrimp spring roll

¾ lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 ½ Tbsp red bell pepper brunois
1 ½ Tbsp yellow bell pepper brunois
3 Tbsp carrot brunois
3 Tbsp green onion sliced thin
12 sheets filo pastry
Melted butter
Egg wash
Salt to taste
½ Tbsp butter

Poach shrimp in salted water until just cooked, then shock in ice bath.  Coarsely chop.  Sauté bell pepper and carrot in ½ tsp of butter until just tender. Then cool.  Stir sautéed peppers and carrots into shrimp, along with green onions.  Season to taste with salt.  Lay out a sheet of filo on parchment, and brush with melted butter.  Lay another sheet on top and repeat until 4 sheets have been layered together.  Halve vertically, leaving 2 squares of filo.  Spoon 1/6 of the filling onto a filo square, slightly off center.  Brush edges with egg wash, and roll, tucking edges in.  make sure seal is good, use additional egg wash as needed.  Store under a damp towel on parchment.  Fry at 360 degrees until golden brown, drain on rack in warm place and serve with dipping sauce.
 

Spring roll dipping sauce

½ cup rice vinegar
4 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp ginger, grated
2 tsp crushed red chili flakes
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp fresh cilantro, minced

Combine all ingredients and mix well to dissolve the sugar.  Let sit for at least one hour before service.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Wine pairing: Alamosa wine cellars Orange Muscat 2005

Sponge cake

½ c milk
2Tbsp plus 2 tsp butter
8 eggs
1 c plus 2 Tbsp sugar
1 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.  Warm milk and 2 Tbsp butter over low heat.  In mixer, beat eggs and 1 c sugar until pale and tripled in volume.  Add warm milk and butter mixture and beat until smooth.  Sift flour, baking powder, and salt, and add ½ to mixer.  Beat until combined, and then add the rest and beat until smooth.  Add vanilla.  Grease 17 by 12 sheet pan with butter and coat with reserved sugar.   Pour in batter, smooth evenly and bake until cake springs back and edges pull away from the edge of the pan, about 15 minutes.  Cool 2 minutes and turn out to cool completely. 

Cayenne chocolate mousse

8 oz 61% Mexican chocolate
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp cayenne
3 eggs, separated
¼ c sugar
1 ¼ c heavy cream
½ tsp vanilla extract

In a double boiler melt chocolate, butter and cayenne stirring often until smooth.  Cool slightly, then whisk in yolks, one at a time.  In clean mixing bowl, beat whites until frothy, then add 2 Tbsp sugar until meringue forms stiff peaks.  In a chilled bowl, beat cream until frothy, then add remaining 2 Tbsp sugar and vanilla and beat until soft peaks form.  Fold meringue into chocolate mixture, 1/3 at a time.  Reserve ½ c of whipped cream for garnish, and fold remaining cream into mixture until just combined.

Pecan brittle

¼ c sugar
½ c chopped pecans
1/8 tsp cinnamon, ground

Cook sugar until amber, stir in nuts and cinnamon.  Cook about a minute, or until nuts become slightly toasted.  Pour onto parchment paper and form shapes with cutters, or smooth with spoon into desired thickness and break into pieces when cool

Strawberry coulis

9 oz strawberries
¼ c sugar
2 Tbsp water

Add sugar, water, and berries to saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Remove from heat and puree, strain, and cool. 

Assembly

Using cutter or form of desired shape, cut out sponge cake.  Line form with parchment, and spoon or pipe mousse in to desired depth.  Using a knife or small spatula, work mousse into mold, removing air bubbles.  Smooth top and place in freezer until firm.  Remove from form, and carefully remove parchment.  Using a hot spatula, smooth sides and top.  Garnish with reserved whipped cream, pecan brittle, and strawberry coulis.