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The goal of my new "Local with Local" series is to not only show how well Long Island food goes with Long Island wine, but also to make it easier for people to try putting the two together at home.

For our inaugural pairing, I’ve worked with Doug Gulija of Plaza Cafe to put together a delectable spring offering. I told him that I wanted to focus on sauvignon blanc-specifically the latest vintage from Channing Daughters Winery and this is what he came up with. He’s known for his masterful work with seafood, and this looks delicious (even to someone who doesn’t eat much seafood).

The dish is  Sauteed Local Monkfish Medallions with Baby Grilled Asparagus and Sorrel Hollandaise and it was inspired by the local sorrel Doug found at a local farm stand. And, Doug tells me that he’s planning to put this on the menu, and while he doesn’t have the 2006 CDW Sauvignon Blanc on his list, he does have the 2005 right now.

The recipe is available by clicking on the "Continue reading…" link below. The picture of this month’s dish was taken by Ellen Watson.

Sauteed Local Monkfish Medallions with Baby Grilled Asparagus and Sorrel Hollandaise

2.5 to 3lbs    Monkfish, cleaned* and cut into 4oz. medallions
15-20           Stalks baby asparagus, trimmed

2-3 oz.         Olive oil

1 tsp            Shallots minced

1 tsp            Fresh herbs, minced (chives, parsley, chervil)

Microgreens and lemon olive oil for garnish
Sorrel hollandaise (recipe below)

  1. Dredge
    monkfish medallions in seasoned flour and sauté in blended oil until golden;
    approximately 2 minutes per side
  2. Combine
    olive oil, shallots, and herbs and then brush onto asparagus
  3. Grill
    asparagus being careful not to burn tips, season with salt and pepper and
    portion in center of plate
  4. Top
    asparagus with monkfish medallions
  5. Nape
    monkfish and asparagus with sorrel hollandaise
  6. Dress
    micro greens with lemon oil and garnish top of monkfish

* Be careful to remove all sinew
or monkfish with curl up when placed in hot oil

Sorrel Hollandaise
1 T           White wine vinegar
2 T           White wine
1 T           Lemon juice
1 t            Shallots, minced
1 t            White peppercorns
1 t            Cayenne pepper
6 oz          Clarified butter
2 oz          Pasteurized egg yolks
1/2 oz       Sorrel, chiffonade

  1. Reduce
    white wine, vinegar, shallots and peppercorns to half; keep warm and
    reserve
  2. Whisk
    egg yolks into reserved mixture over double boiler and gradually drizzle in warm butter
  3. Add
    lemon juice, cayenne, and sorrel; adjust seasoning with salt

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