Gourmet Tailgating Recipes

Are you ready for some football? With Super Bowl XLVIII coming up on February 2, fans are gearing up for the party that goes with it: the traditional tailgate. If you can’t make it to the game, you can still create a tailgate-inspired soiree of your own. We asked Chef Brian Roland of Crave Culinaire to craft a menu that elevates the tailgate with a hearty gourmet twist. Here’s what’s on the menu—enjoy!

• Menu by Chef Brian Roland of Crave Culinaire.
• Styling by Margaret Short, Margaret Events.
• Photography by Vanessa Rogers.

Pineapple-Soy Braised Pork Belly Sliders

• 1 each Pork Belly, skin off (approx 3 pounds)
• 2 cups Soy Sauce
• 6 each Carrots, large dice
• 6 each Celery Stalks, large dice
• 4 each White Onions, large dice
• 10 cloves Garlic, peeled
• 1 oz. Ginger, peeled
• 5 each Cinnamon Sticks
• 4 each Bay Leaves
• 8 pods Star Anise
• 1 each Pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks
• 4 cups Sake
• 1 qt. Pineapple Juice
• 1 cup Sugar
• Water as needed (to cover the pork)
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil (for searing)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

With salt and pepper, season and sear the pork belly on medium heat in the olive oil.  Once seared evenly on all sides, remove the belly and add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, ginger and cook until lightly browned.  Add the cinnamon sticks, star anise, and bay leaves.  Deglaze the pan with the sake and reduce by half.  Return the pork belly to the pan and add the soy sauce, pineapple juice, sugar and water to cover.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pan with parchment paper and foil, and braise in a 250-degree oven for 3-4 hours (until tender).  Cool in the liquid.  The next day, remove the pork and cut into portions (this may be seared and glazed at service time) and place on mini rolls of your choosing.

Prosciutto, Fig & Gorgonzola Flatbread Pizzas

   Baby Arugula, Red Onion & Reduced Balsamic

• 6 slices Prosciutto
• 4 each Fresh Figs
• 4 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, cut into pieces for cream
• 1 oz. Gorgonzola pieces to melt on the pizza
• 8 oz. Heavy Cream
• 1/4 cup Baby Arugula
• 2 tspn. Lemon Juice
• 1 tbs. Olive Oil
• 1/4 each Red Onion, cut into thin slices
• 1 oz. Reduced Balsamic
• 1 each Pizza Dough Ball 
•  Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

Method:

1. Roll out the pizza dough ball on a floured service into a long oval shape.  Carefully place the pizza on a hot grill and grill both sides until cooked.  Remove to cool.  In a medium saucepan, reduce the heavy cream by half and whisk in the Gorgonzola cheese until fully incorporated.  Remove from the heat and let the Gorgonzola cream cool to room temperature.
2. When ready, spread the Gorgonzola cream evenly across the grilled pizza, then arrange the figs, prosciutto, onion and remaining gorgonzola on top. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes until all the ingredients are warm, and the crust has begun to crisp.
3. Dress the arugula with the lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt/pepper.  Drizzle with the balsamic reduction.  Evenly distribute the arugula over the pizza, and then cut into 8 or 10 pieces.  Serve attractively on a wooden board.

For Chef Brian Roland’s Heirloom Beet and Goat Cheese Verrines and 

Bacon-Caramel Popcorn recipes, continue to page 2.

Heirloom Beet and Goat Cheese Verrines

• 3 each Yellow Beets
• 3 each Red Beets
• 8 oz. Goat Cheese
• 8 oz. Cream Cheese
• 1/4 cup Pistachios toasted and chopped
• 3 tbs. Blood Orange Juice
• 2 oz. Olive Oil
• 1 head Frisee
• Garnish Basil Crystals
• Salt to taste

Method:

Cook the beets in a 300-degree oven for approximately an hour, or until fork tender.  Peel and dice them.  In a kitchen aid mixer, whip the cream cheese and goat cheese until fully combined and smooth.  Put the mixture into a piping bag and reserve.   Pick leaves of the frisee and lightly toss with the blood orange juice, olive oil and salt.  To present, pipe some of the cheese mixture into a verrine cup, layer with golden beets and pistachios, then do another layer of cheese, and a layer of red beets, then top with one last layer of cheese, the frisee, chopped pistachios, and basil crystals. Serve with a small spoon.

Bacon-Caramel Popcorn

• 1/2 Cup Popcorn Kernels
• 4 tbs. Vegetable oil
• 4 oz. Bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces and cooked until crispy in a pan
• 1 oz. Caramel sauce (recipe below)
• 1 oz. Manchego, shaved
• Pinch Maple Salt (recipe below)
• 1/4 cup Toasted Pecans

Method:

Pop the popcorn in a pot with oil on medium heat until fully popped.  Place in a bowl and toss with the maple salt (recipe below), cooked bacon and toasted pecans.  Drizzle with caramel sauce (recipe below) and shave manchego cheese over it.

Caramel Sauce

• 1 1/2 cups Sugar
• 1/3 cup Water
• 1 1/4 cups Heavy Cream
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 teaspoon Sea salt

Method:

1. Put sugar and water in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan. Stir and cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes until the sugar has dissolved; do not stir while the sugar cooks. Gently, use a wet pastry brush to push down any sugar crystals that have made their way up the sides of the saucepan; be careful not to drag the sugar/water mixture up the sides of the pan. (If the sugar crystallizes, you will have to start over, as this will affect the consistency of the caramel)
2. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan and increase the heat to medium. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar reaches 350 degrees F. This will take 5-8 minutes, every so often, gently swirl the saucepan to distribute any hot spots and to stir the mixture.
3. Once 350 degrees has been reached turn off the heat and immediately pour in the cream and vanilla. The cream WILL splatter and bubble violently, just stand back and be careful during this step. After bubbling the caramel will begin to solidify, do not worry.
4. Add caramel back to the burner over low heat for 2 minutes, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon until the solids have dissolved and the caramel is smooth. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, take a spoon and dip into the caramel and allow to cool to the touch, then taste for seasoning. If it needs some more salt, add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon more. Cool to room temperature. Then, tightly cover and store in the refrigerator up to two weeks, warm before serving.

Maple Salt

1. 1 cup Sea salt
2. 1/8 cup Brown sugar
3. 1 tbs. Maple Syrup

Method:

1. Blend everything together in a food processor.
2. Dry in a dehydrator or in a very low oven overnight. 

For Chef Brian Roland’s Cucumber-Tuna Tartare Puffs and Pinot Noir-Wild Berry & Peach Popsicles recipes, continue to page 3.

Pinot Noir-Wild Berry & Peach Popsicles

• 1/2 cup Pinot Noir
• 1/4 cup Wild Strawberries
• 1/4 cup Wild Blackberries
• 1/4 cup Wild Blueberries
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 2 tbs. Lemon Juice
• 2 each Peaches, peeled, halved, pit removed and rough chopped.
• 1/2 cup Yogurt
• 2 tbs. honey
• 2 tbs. Orange Juice
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. In a small saucepan cook pinot noir, sugar and lemon juice over low heat until sugar is dissolved.  Cool mixture.  In a blender, place the berries and pinot noir mixture.  Puree until smooth.  Season to taste and strain.
2. In a clean blender, blend the peaches, yogurt OJ and honey together. Season to taste.
3. In a popsicle holder, freeze the berry liquid half way up.  Once frozen, cover with the peach liquid and freeze again.  Serve this multicolored popsicle on a hot summer day!

Cucumber-Tuna Tartare Puffs

   Tequila Avocado Lime Mousse with Soy Caviar and a Wasabi Cloud.

• 1/2 lb. Tuna, small diced
• 1 bunch scallion, sliced
• 1/4 each cucumber, small diced
• 1 oz. sweet teriyaki sauce
• 1 oz. sweet chili sauce
• 1 oz. tequila
• 4 each avocado
• 2-3 each lime
• 6 oz. cream cheese
• 20 each Mini Pate a Choux Puffs
• 100 grams soy sauce
• 1 gram agar agar
• 1 tbs. wasabi
• 8 oz. cream
• 1 oz. simple syrup
• Salt to taste

Method:

Tuna:

Toss the tuna, scallions, cucumber, sweet teriyaki and sweet chili together in a bowl and reserve. 

To make the avocado mousse:

In a food processor, combine the avocados, tequila and lime.  Mix until smooth, then add the cream cheese and continue mixing until fully incorporated. Reserve the avocado mousse. 

To make the caviar:

These little gels must be formed in cold oil, so chill a container of oil really well for a few hours in the freezer.  Heat the soy sauce and add the agar agar.  Whisk for approximately 45 seconds.  The droplets may be formed using an eyedropper, or simply filling a disposable pastry bag.  Cut the tip really small and begin a small stream of the soy mixture directly into the cold oil below.  As the soy mixture hits the oil, a skin will form and the gels will chill.  Strain the “caviar” out of the oil and rinse them in cold water.  They may be stored in soy sauce for up to a week.

To make the wasabi cloud:

Whisk the cream, simple syrup and wasabi until fully combined.  For best results, use a whip cream dispenser charged with 1or 2 No2 chargers.  Charge the cream and test to be sure it is aerated.

To plate the dish:

Fill the mini pate a choux with the tequila avocado lime mousse about 1/2 way up.  Top with the tuna tartar mixture.  Dispense some of the wasabi cloud on top and finish with soy caviar and scallion for garnish.