In this issue -- A number of celebratory dinners, some spiced with conspiracy, some involving intriguing terrines, specifically of the oxtail and trout variety ... Restaurants visited: Pizze Fritti on North Highland, La Tavola on Virginia Avenue, Petite Auberge on North Druid Hills Road ... Wines of note: Benziger Zinfandel 1996, G.D. Vaira Barbera D'Alba 1997, Viansa 1998 Sangiovese, Chateau Elan Founder's Reserve Chardonnay 1999, and Roberts Rock, South African Shiraz/Malbec.

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** An occasional newsletter devoted to food, wine, and
those things that make for a good life **

September 14, 2000 -- Vol. 3, No. 4

We've had a lot of good times around the dinner table lately. We helped my step-father, Francis Knight, celebrate his 80th birthday with a surprise dinner, a traditional Italian meal featuring Osso Bucco.

We did another surprise dinner -- seven courses -- to celebrate our friend Ellen Lindemann's birthday. Ellen's husband, Bruce, had told us Ellen was fascinated by our dinner in the kitchen at Daniel in New York. He asked us to find if any similar experience were available in Atlanta. I found lots of restaurants (Seeger's, Bachannalia, for example) will give you a kitchen tour if they "aren't too busy," but none that I know has a skybox like Daniel or even a table in the kitchen.

So, we decided to gather around our table, and the meal gave me chance to try out an oxtail terrine.

Several issues back, I wrote about having Daniel Boulud's oxtail terrine at Daniel. I was quite literally stunned it was so good. After seeing Daniel put together a couple of terrines during a guest appearance on "Emeril Live," I thought, "I've got to try this."

To make the oxtail terrine, I went down to Hardeman's at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market and bought just over three pounds of oxtails cut into 1-inch (2.5 centimeter) pieces. I browned them, then braised them in a slow oven in two bottles of red wine for about three hours. At the end, the wine that was left was poured into a container and chilled so the fat could be easily removed. When the meat cooled, it was so tender I could easily pull it apart with my fingers.

I began the terrine by lining a loaf pan with a layer of cooked carrot slices that I had put into the pot with the oxtails for their last hour of cooking. After that came a 1-inch thick layer of the oxtail meat.

Next I laid in a layer of artichoke bottoms, made by poaching trimmed globe artichokes in salted lemon water. Then came a layer of roasted red bell pepper. That was followed by a thick layer of pate of duck foie gras. A layer of roasted yellow pepper went on top of that, then a final layer of oxtail.

A cup of the reserved wine was mixed with a teaspoon of gelatin and poured into the loaf pan. The pan was covered and went into the refrigerator over night. The next day, just before the guests arrived, I went around the edge of the loaf with a sharp knife and turned the terrine out onto a cutting board.

Cut into slices, it made a beautiful presentation on the plate. The rich, wine laced flavors of the meat contrasted with the roasted pepper and then the creamy foie gras. The artichoke bottoms added a lemony touch before the finish with more beefy ox tail. It might not have been up to Daniel's (he makes his with black truffles) but it was pretty darned good.

Oxtail Terrine

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds (about 1.5 kilograms) oxtails cut into 1-inch (2.5cm) thick (6mm) slices
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 8 ounces (224g) pate of duck foie gras
• 4 medium globe artichokes
• 2 bottles, red wine
• Salt and pepper
• 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

Method:

This dish should be started three days before it is served.

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or roasting pan large enough to hold all the oxtails. Sprinkle the oxtails with salt and pepper and brown in the oil. When all are done, pour off the fat from the pan and add red wine to cover the oxtails. Put the pan in a 350F (180C) over and braise the oxtails for about three hours until the meat is falling off the bones. If the wine evaporates add more, turn the heat back to about 300F (150C) and allow more time for the meat to cook.

About an hour before the meat is done, add the carrot slices.

When the meat is so tender if pulls apart easily with your fingers, drain off the wine and put it in the refrigerator overnight or until the fat floats to the top and solidifies. Spoon off the fat and reserve the rest of the wine.

When the oxtails are cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones, separating and discarding the bones and gristle. Taste it. Add salt and pepper as needed.

To prepare the artichokes, bring two quarts of water to boil. Add a tablespoon of salt and the juice of one lemon. Trim the leaves away from the bottom of the artichokes with a sharp knife. Cut off the top inch or so of the artichokes. Put them in the water, reduce the heat to a steady simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes or until the artichoke bottoms are tender.

Trim off the leaves (they can be eaten with a little flavored mayonnaise so you can keep up your strength to finish the recipe). Pull out the chokes and trim off the stem. Reserve the artichoke bottoms.

With tongs, hold the red and yellow bell peppers over a burner until the skin of the pepper turns black. Char the skin all around and then put the peppers in a paper sack for about 20 minutes. After that time, the charred skin will rub off or wash off easily. Remove the stems, seeds and membranes. Reserve the softened flesh of the peppers.

Assemble the terrine in a loaf pan 9x5x2 (22.4cm x 12.5 cm x 5 cm) or similar. Begin by brushing the pan with a little olive oil. Layer the bottom of the pan with the carrot slices.

Next, add half the oxtail, pressing each layer gently. Follow that with the layer of artichoke bottom. Yes, they are round; so trim them the best you can adding back the trimmings.

Layer the red bell pepper over the artichoke hearts. Next, spread the foie gras, spread it thick.

On top of that, layer the yellow bell pepper.

Finally, add the second half of the oxtail meat.

Pour a cup of the reserved wine -- it will be very gelatinous already because of the bone in the oxtail -- into a saucepan and add a 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of gelatin powder. Let the powder dissolve. Let the mixture cool, pour over the terrine.

Wrap the pan in plastic wrap (cling film, if you are one of my British readers). Put the pan in the refrigerator.

The next day, unwrap the terrine about 20 minutes before you intend to serve it. Run the point of a sharp knife around the edge. Place a cutting board over the terrine pan and turn the pan over onto the board.

Lift one end of the pan, then the other. The terrine may not immediately turn loose. You may need to tap on the top with a wood spoon a couple of time. After the terrine warms up, it will slip out of the pan so don't despair.

Cut the terrine in slices with an electric knife if you have one. Put a spatula at the end of the loaf and make a slice. Raise the blade of the knife diagonally and put the slice back toward the spatula. That will allow you to fold the slices back onto the spatula and transfer them to a serving plate without tearing up the slice.

Serves 6 with thick slices or eight with thinner slices.

The meal began with the oxtail terrine. That was followed by chilled tomato soup garnished with clipped fresh chives and sprinkled with crumbled goat cheese. Following the soup came pasta with fresh pesto made with basil from our garden.

The main course was lobster medallions sauteed in butter, flamed in brandy and served over a bed of sweet corn polenta.

That was followed by a salad of arugula, orange and roasted fennel with a dressing of red wine vinegar and black truffle oil.

Next came a plate of cheeses -- fontina, gorgonzola, parmegian reggiano and umbriago.

We finished with a special dessert. I had, with the help of Kathy and Bruce, discovered Ellen's favorite flavors. I sauteed peaches in butter and flamed them in brandy. Next crepes went in the pan and were stuffed with sweet marscapone cheese studded with crushed cashews. The peach mixture was spooned over the crepes and finished with a sprinkling of shaved dark chocolate.

Wines for the evening included a Cote de Gascon, clean and crisp, followed by a Lindemans Sauvignon Blanc, light and straw colored. Then came Beaulieu Vineyard Coastal Sauvignon Blanc, crisp and refreshing, and a Giesen New Zealand Sauvignon, by far the best with lush herbal flavors.

Daniel has you split the kernels on 8 ears of fresh corn and the scrape off the pulp. The pulp is reserved while the cobs are put into a pot with garlic cloves, a sprig of rosemary, and a quart of milk and simmered for 10 minutes. The milk, with the solids strained out, is the cooking liquid for the polenta.

Daniel uses instant polenta because he finds is creamier. I used traditional corn flour because I'm a South Georgia boy, after all, and like the coarser texture. The Italian corn flour came from the Salumaria Taggiasca at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. The fresh corn pulp is added to the polenta about five minutes before it is done. The effect is spectacular -- polenta with the thickness of mashed potatoes is laced with the flavor of fresh corn. For the lobster recipe, Boulud has you crush lobster shells and put them in with the corncobs for yet another layer of flavor.

I was so happy with the flavors in the oxtail terrine I made for Ellen's dinner, I began to think of what other terrines I could make. The DeKalb Farmers Market has been bringing in applewood smoked rainbow trout from Virginia for some time now. The flesh of the fish is smoky and sweet, and I've been looking for a way to use it in a way beyond just eating it.

My answer was the following terrine, which combines the flaked trout, eggplant and tart, creamy goat cheese. It requires less time and is even easier to make that the oxtail terrine.

Vegetable and Smoked Trout Terrine

Ingredients:

• 2 smoked trout -- about 12 ounces (336g) of flaked fish (smoked haddock or other smoked fish can be substituted)
• 1 fennel medium bulb
• 6 prepared artichoke hearts -- marinated or grilled
• 6 ounces (168g) goat cheese
• 2 medium eggplants
• 3 ounces (84g) pine nuts
• 2 to 3 medium beets -- enough to make 1 to 1 1/2 cups (228g to 336g) of shredded beets
• olive oil
• vegetable oil
• salt and pepper

Method:

Rub the beets with vegetable oil, wrap in foil and roast in a 350F (180C) oven for 2 1/2 hours or until they are soft. Allow them to cool. Peel the beets, shred on a coarse grater, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Toast the pine nuts by putting them into a hot skillet and swirling them until they begin to brown and start to give off that wonderful pine aroma. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Cut the eggplant into slices approximately 1/4-inch (6mm) thick -- slicing top to bottom to make long slices that will eventually wrap the terrine. Put the slices on a sheet pan oiled with olive oil. Brush the slices with more oil and cook them in a 350F (180C) oven for 10 to 12 minutes until the slices are soft and pliable. You should have enough to line the terrine plus a few left over.

Slice the fennel bulb into 1/4 inch (6mm) slices, coat the slices with olive oil and roast in the oven with the eggplant until the slices begin to brown and are soft and pliable -- about 18 minutes.

Line a loaf pan or baking dish approximately 5 inches by 8 1/2 inches by 2 inches (12.5cm x 20.5cm x 5cm) deep with plastic wrap so there is an overhang of about 5 inches (12.5cm) of plastic wrap on each side. Spread the toasted pine nuts over the bottom of the dish.

Line the dish with slices of eggplant, putting the broadest part of the slices in the bottom of the pan and allowing the "tails" of the slices to hang over the side. Go all the way around the dish, covering the sides and ends.

Spread the smoked trout over the eggplant in a smooth layer. Cut the artichoke hearts into slices and lay them in a layer over the trout.

Place the roasted fennel on top of the artichoke hearts. Spread the goat cheese over the fennel in an even layer. Put slices of eggplant over the goat cheese.

Spoon over the shredded, roasted beets. Finally, fold over the "tails" of the eggplant. If the eggplant slices don't quite cover the beets, fill in with additional trimmed eggplant slices. Fold over the plastic wrap and press down firmly but gently on the terrine.

Wrap the dish with another sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

About 15 minutes before you intend to serve it, take the terrine out of the refrigerator. Remove the outer plastic wrap, fold open the plastic wrap covering the terrine, place a cutting board on top of the dish and turn it over.

Carefully lift the dish off the terrine. You may need to tap it a couple of times with a wooden spoon, but go gently, the plastic wrap has prevented it from sticking -- so it will come out.

Remove the wrap from the terrine. Daniel recommends using an electric knife (the one you get out once a year at Thanksgiving) to slice the terrine because it won't tear it up. If you don't have one, use a serrated knife with short sawing cuts. Use a spatula to press lightly against the end of the terrine as you cut. When you have cut the slice, push it gently with your knife toward the spatula. The slice will fall against the spatula allowing you to transfer it to a serving plate in one piece.

Serves 6 with a couple of small slices left over

As you continue, the lemony artichoke slices give way to the intensely sweet anise flavor of the roasted fennel. Then comes the tangy goat cheese rounded out by the roasted beets -- the last, the beets and the goat cheese, a classic pairing in French cuisine.

PIZZE FRITTI, 311 N. Highland Ave., 404.880.0287 -- This will be an interesting experiment. Riccardo at Sotto, Sotto has opened a room just next door featuring real Italian-style pizzas cooked in a wood-fired oven. On our first visit, Kathy had a competently rendered insalata mista with a light oil and vinegar dressing ($4). I chose sarde fritti -- fried sardines -- they were fresh and tasty, cooked in a light batter ($8). We then shared a funghi di bosco -- a dinner plate-sized pizza featuring mozzarella and wild mushrooms, drizzled with truffle oil ($13). I would have liked the crust a tad crisper, but the sauce was tasty with the flavors of truffle and wood smoke. With a bottle of good but unexceptional Allegrini Valpolicello, the tab came to $60.72 for the two of us.

Riccardo has a happy problem at his restaurants -- the crowds at Sotto, Sotto are so heavy that the place is filled with noise. The patio at Fritti with its molded plywood chairs and small tables was a nice alternative from the cacophony of the restaurant. Our server was very attentive, but it was a Tuesday with no crowd. A friend took a party there on a Saturday night and had a much different experience. The crowd was so large the service was inattentive, the pizza underdone and the guy applying the toppings acted as if he were working at Pizza Hut.

But the restaurant is new, and if Riccardo can keep his staff in line when there is a crowd around, Fritti has a lot of promise.

LA TAVOLA, 992 Virginia Ave., 404.873.5430 -- Our friends Beth Wallace and Chris Sanor were in the mood for Italian food recently, so we headed over to this tratoria in Virginia-Highlands. The meal we had was good to just a bit above average. The salad maker had a bit of a heavy hand that evening. Chris said his green salad was puckery with balamic vinegar, while Beth and I found the Caesar dressing a little thick. Kathy had the best of all -- the Caprese Salad of tomato, rounds of buffalo mozzarella and leaves of fresh basil in balsamic vinegar and oil ($7.25).

The next round was more even handed. Kathy had pappardelle with a Bolognese sauce. The sauce was just right -- a cooked down blend of veal and pork with tomatoes, onions, and spices -- atop the inch-wide fresh pasta. Beth had ricotta cheese ravioli -- pillows of pasta stuffed with the soft cheese and enough sage to actually taste it -- served in a light cream sauce.

My entree was a zuppa d'pesce, a plate of tuna and salmon chunks, scallops, shrimp and shellfish in a tomato broth served over linguine. The sauce was simple and the chef had turned a deft hand, not overcooking any of the seafood. All of it was tender and juicy.

Chris' risotto was the star of the meal. Risotto is difficult to do in a restaurant because of the 18 to 20 minute cooking time. I'm not sure what technique was used here, but the rice was creamy and the seafood, again, perfectly cooked.

While much of the menu is traditional Italian, they tend to Americanize the desserts. There is nothing simple like sliced fruit or cheese. Chris had a crostata -- a sweet, flaky tart crust filled with fruit and topped with pistachio ice cream and served on a bed of creme anglaise and rasberry sauce. The crust was superb. The tab for the four of us: $150.

PETITE AUBERGE, 2935 N. Druid Hills Rd., 404.634.6269 -- Going back to Petite Auberge with our friends Paula Gordon and Bill Russell was like visiting an old friend. I guess it's been 10 years at least since I last ate there, but we were happy to find that the food is still good.

The highlight of the first round of dishes was a ravoli stuffed with lobster and crab. The plate was divided so that the raviolis were in a lobster sauce on one side and demiglaze on the other. The filling was sweet and the pasta tender. The raviolis were complemented by the lobster sauce and contrasted with the demiglaze.

For the main courses, Kathy chose a linguine topped with a seafood sauce redolent of shellfish broth. Paula picked the scampi and was served a plate of large shrimp and scallops in a creamy seafood sauce.

Bill and I both chose the duck breast, medium rare. The skin was not crispy, which was a disappointment, but the meat was cooked just right -- moist and juicy. The slices of duck were served over a bed of Savoy cabbage cooked with pork, a real comfort to the palate. Atop all this were crisp little potato cakes with just a hint of bacon.

Because we had split down the middle on entrees, I decided to order bottles of the house wines -- bottled for Petite Auberge by our friends at Dulong Fere and Fis in Bordeaux. They were as good a value as I remembered -- a crisp, dry white for Kathy and Paula, while Bill and I had a smooth, light red.

A final note, Paula's bread pudding was unctous and heart warming. The bill for the four of us: $150.

Benziger Zinfandel 1996, $16.95 at the DeKalb Farmers Market -- This is a really good wine that will, if put down for a couple of years, be on its way to a great wine. Already smooth, this is a classic zin with big berry and spicy flavors. Blended with juice from 60 to 100 year old vines, all this wine needs is for you to resist drinking it for a while.

G.D. Vaira Barbera D'Alba 1997, $20 at Green's -- If the zin above is on its way to become a great wine, this one is already there. A few more years would also improve it, but right now this big, rich barbera is an absolute delight. Our friends Leigh Kirkland and Bob Sattelmeyer brought this one night when I had made pasta with Italian sausage from Shields Market, sprinkled with crumbled goat cheese and garnished with basil. Perfect.

Viansa 1998 Sangiovese, $22 -- My friend Kieran Baker brought me this California sangiovese from California which he gets from his wine club. It's sold locally at Lo Spuntino (3005 N. Peachtree Rd., 404.237.5724). This one was light and spicy, almost in the same way a good pinot noir can be.

Ruffino Orvieto Secco 1999, about $8 -- This is a great wine with seafood. Straw-colored, crisp and dry. You just can't beat it and the price is right.

Chateau Elan Founder's Reserve Chardonnay 1999, about $13 -- Chateau Elan has inflicted a lot of uneven wine on us, but this time they have a decent, oaky chardonnay.

Roberts Rock, South African Shiraz/Malbec, $4.99 -- Again, from the close out rack at Tower, a really drinkable red, smooth with a lot of berry flavors. Alan is keeping about a half dozen of close out wines ranging in price from $3.99 to $4.99. Unbeatable for every day drinking wines or for that tail-gate party.

Until next time, a votre sante.

Randy Harber

Check out cnn.com/food for the "Ultimate Grilling Guide." I discuss how to grill everything from ribs to steaks to fish to vegetables.

Claimer: This newsletter is produced without charge purely for the enjoyment of those who receive it. It may be reproduced free of charge entirely or in part, forwarded, or otherwise distributed to anyone you believe might enjoy it. Send comments, questions, experiences you want to share, requests for recipes, restaurant reports and requests to be added or dropped from the mailing list to Randall.Harber@mindspring.com or Randall.Harber@TF1mail.com.

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Updated 9/13/00 9:05 AM ET