Eat your heart out oenophiles!

You’ve gotta hand it to folks in the wine trade….they know how to party like it’s 1999.

And that’s just what Kristin and Bob Howald did last week to celebrate the third anniversary of Valley Cheese and Wine — with a wine blowout at Stratta with some of their favorite wine peeps.

We don’t know many people who can haul out friends who just show up with a pair of ’89 Chevalier-Montrachets and three California cabs (from ne plus ultra producers Chateau Montelena, Diamond Creek and Joseph Phelps) all from the same 1984 vintage.

Oh yeah, and just for grins and giggles they threw in  bottles of Chambolle-Musigny, Bienvenue Batard-Montrachet and a Grand Cru Clos Vougeot.

After a slow start with some pizza and pasta experiments that need more experimentation (the carbonara pizza was a runny disaster, the three cheese ravioli not cheesy enough), Chef Chris Starkas hit his stride with a crispy Japanese sea bass (paired with the Leflaive and Jadot Montrachets) , followed by an ultra rich short ribs that were just what those muscular cabs needed.

We’re so fed up with short ribs (a menu cliche that has become the tiramisu of meat courses), that if we never see another one of them, it’ll be a-okay with us. But for one last take on the subject, the Starkas/Stratta recipe was might fine indeed — especially when paired with and addictively creamy mascarpone polenta and thousands of dollars worth of wine. And since we know diners love them so, uber-chef Alex Stratta has agreed to give us not one, but TWO recipes for his ultra-famous meat course.*

Remarkably, there was no cheese at this winy dinner…but we’re guessing Bob and Kristin (two of the cheesiest folks we know) didn’t pine for a piece of pecorino one bit.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

STRATTA Menu for Valley Cheese and Wine 3rd Anniversary Dinner

First Course
Watercress, Prosciutto, Tuscan Melon Salad

Second Course
(Family Style)
Carbonara Pizza, Crispy Guanciale, Snap Peas, Parmesan

Third Course
Three cheese ravioli with roasted tomato sauce and pesto

Fourth Course
Crispy Japanese Suzuki Bass, Red Bell Pepper Jus, Caponata, Fennel Red Onion Salad

Fifth Course
Braised Prime Beef Short Rib, Port Shallot, Mascarpone Polenta

Dessert
(Family Style)
Tasting of Tiramisu, Bomboloni, Toffee Cake, Cannoli and Peach Crisp

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

* Alex Stratta’s two recipes for short ribs of beef (one sous vide, one classic):

Red Wine Braised Rib of Beef
Serves 4

For the Ribs:
1-4 Lb. Angus Dry-Aged Beef Rib 2 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
TT Coarse Salt 1 Tbs. Black Pepper
1 Cup Shallots 4 Each Garlic Head, Cut in Half
_ Cup Carrots, Mid-Sized _ Cup Honey
1 Cup Sherry Vinegar 1 Cup Red Burgundy Wine
10 Each Parsley Stems _ Gallon Veal Stock
4 Each Leek Greens
Preheat oven to 300°F. Cut the rib portions into 1# even pieces (about 3 to 4 ribs a piece). Place in a heavy rondo in the oven to get it very hot. Remove from oven and place over high heat on stovetop. Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and season meat with coarse salt and black pepper. Sear well on all sides. Add shallots, garlic and carrots. Roast for five minutes and then add honey. Caramelize honey until light brown and de-glaze with vinegar. Reduce vinegar until dry and add red wine and parsley stems. Reduce wine by half and add the veal stock. Bring to a boil and place in the oven for 4 _ to 5 hours until the meat falls apart. Remove ribs from jus and strain through a cheese cloth. Blanch strips of leeks, eight inches long and half an inch thick and tie around rib. Remove butcher’s twine and place back in strained sauce. Finish with seasonings and reserve.

Braised Short Rib of Wagyu Beef ‘Bordelaise’ with Sweet Onions and Parmigiano Potatoes

For Sous Viding the Short Ribs:
30 LBS. – Kobe Short ribs (About 8 pieces, bone off)
1 Qt – Red wine beef stock
T.T. – Salt and White Pepper
8 EA. – Cryovac bags
Trim the short ribs and remove all silver skin and excess fat. Then season both sides with salt and white pepper. Place one piece of short rib per sous vide bag. Add 4 ounces of the red wind beef stock, not jus. Seal in cryovac bag and sous vide for 72 hours. Once the meat has reached the desired temperature, shock in very cold ice water to bring the temperature down immediately. After completely cold, remove from bag and cut into 2 ounce pieces. Then re-bag them in the small cryovac bags with about an ounce of red wine stock and seal in cryovac machine and reserve till pickup.

For the red wine sauce:
60 #- beef short rib scraps
2 C – olive oil
6 C. – Red onions
3 C. – Carrots
4 EA. – Heads of garlic (cut in half)
1 B. – Fresh thyme
_ C. – Black peppercorns
7 EA. – Bay Leaves
8 Bottles (1.5 Liters/Per Bottle) – Red Burgundy wine
20 G. – Rich chicken stock
10 OZ. – Honey
1/4 Bottle – Red wine Vinegar (4 OZ.)
1 Lb. – Butter
Preheat an oven at 375’F. Heat a heavy rondo on a high flame. Add the oil and cut the beef scraps into 1-inch cubes. Allow the oil to get smoking hot and add the scraps in an even layer in the pot. Do not stir until the temperature reaches a high temperature again. Turn the pieces of beef over and color until dark brown again, add the mire poix and the garlic heads and continue to roast and color the vegetables lightly. Add the butter to help roast the vegetables. Degrease and add the honey making sure that the honey does not burn! Deglaze with the red wine, reduce to sec and add the stock. Bring to a boil and degrease the top. Place in the oven for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Strain through a fine mesh and degrease the jus. Reduce to one cup of rich reduction.

For the Parmigiano potatoes:
8 oz. – Butter
4#- Russet potatoes (8 cups grated)
4 C. – heavy Cream
4 Ea. – cloves of garlic (thinly sliced)
2 – 3 TBS. – Prepared Horseradish (To taste)
2 B. – thyme
1 C. – grated 3 Year Parmigiano Reggiano
TT- salt and pepper
Preheat a regular oven to 350’F and line a flat half sheet pan with a piece of buttered parchment paper.
Simmer the cream with the butter, thyme, garlic, and horseradish (to taste, not too hot) and seasoning and simmer until the butter has melted. Thinly julienne the peeled potatoes with the aid of a fine toothed mandolin and proceed until there is about 8 cups of potato. Add the potatoes into the cream mixture and gently coat them, simmering for 2 minutes until the cream begins to thicken. Remove the thyme and carefully spread the mixture evenly on the lined baking sheet with the aid of an offset spatula. Once it is smooth and even, dust with the Parmigiano. Bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Remove from the oven and cool at room temperature, running a knife around the edges of the pan, loosening the potatoes. Cover and refrigerate the potatoes overnight.
The following day, invert the sheet pan onto a cutting board and place the potatoes, with the parchment side up onto the cutting surface. Cut the potatoes into 2-inch by 3-inch rectangles, with the paper, with a sharp knife or pair of scissors. Remove the paper and place the potato portions onto a flat surface, right side up. Moments before serving, place the potatoes under a broiler or salamander until golden brown and crispy. Transfer onto an absorbent towel before serving and finish with a sprinkle of ‘fleur de sel’.

For the Sauce Soubise:
6 EA. – Maui Onions
4 TBS. – Olive oil
_ C. – Heavy Cream
T.T. – Salt and White Pepper
Heat a medium sized rondo just until warm, add the olive oil. Julienne the Maui onions and add to the rondo. Do not get color on the onions! Stew them very gently until tender and sweet. Finish with the heavy cream and reduce until thick and evenly incorporated. Season and reserve until pickup.

For Plating the Dish:
Drop the short ribs into a 140 degree Fahrenheit pot of water and warm for 5 minutes. Remove from bag and sear in a pan and glaze with finished red wine jus. On a 10 inch round plate, place a dollop of the soubise sauce down and then top with the crispy potato. Place the short ribs down and drizzle with red wine jus.