Estia Blog | Recipes & Stories by Chef Colin Ambrose

Estia Blog | Recipes & Stories by Chef Colin Ambrose

Beaverkill Hatchery Rainbow Trout with Roasted Grape Relish

— Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Cooking over Fire, Fish and Shellfish, Main Dishes, Recipes, Stories
Beaverkill Trout Hatchery rainbow trout with roasted potatoes and roasted grape relish

Adapted from a recipe by Galen Sampson, Chef and G.M. at the Beaverkill Valley Inn that he demonstrated over fire at the BVI.

Galen Sampson has settled into a comfortable life with his wife on the edge of the Upper Beaverkill River in the Catskill mountains. As the Chef and General manager of the Beaverkill Valley Inn, Galen works hard to create new and interesting dishes and experiences of all kinds for his guests. Chef Sampson’s recipe is a good example of how he responds to expectations that an Inn on a famous trout stream should serve trout, without pulling fish from the Inn’s private stretch of river. This is a highly prized trout fishing paradise that requires all guests to agree to catch and release practices prior to stepping into the special mile of river.

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Hatchery Steelhead with Smashed Potatoes and Wild Greens

— Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Cooking over Fire, Fish and Shellfish, Recipes, Stories, Videos
Hatchery-Steelhead-lunch_Eel-River

We cooked this delicious recipe over an open fire alongside the Eel River in Benbow, California

Adapted from a recipe demonstrated by Joshua Schwartz: Executive Chef at Del Dotto Vineyards

Josh Schwartz has an eye for all tasty things in the wild. When invited to spend a day fishing and cooking with our American Rivers Tour crew, he was quick to suggest we start by foraging for watercress and other wild greens that sprout around the cool, clear creeks which run into Humboldt County’s Eel River. He reminded me that any wild fish we catch should be returned to the resource. Hatchery steelhead are available in Northern California so our recipe will help tell that story.

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Priqly Pear & Habanero Tequila Margarita

— Posted in: Beverages, Recipes

This is our feature drink for the month of April at Estia’s Cafe in Darien! Make your own or come visit us at the restaurnat!

Ingredients:

  • 1 ounces Priqly Pear Liquor
  • 2 oz Tanteo Habanero Tequila
  • 2 oz fresh lime juice
  • 1 oz pineapple juice

Pour all over ice in a shaker glass, shake aggressively.

Salt the rim of a large wine glass, fill ½ way with fresh ice.

Strain the shaken cocktail over ice, garnish rim with lime and pineapple. Read More »

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Garzon: with Francis Mallmann and the A.Sisters

— Posted in: Stories

It’s a delightfully arid drive from Ruta 9 (Rt.9) in to the Little Uruguayan village of Garzon. The gravel road winds about for 5 miles through grazing fields surrounded by wooden fence posts topped with sparrows and hawks, bird nests and a hairy mess of wind blown moss. Cows and sheep graze the vast range, flowers bloom on some parcels suggesting the rotation of live stock provides ample time for regeneration and return of fragile forage. Read More »

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Estancia Vik in Uruguay

— Posted in: Stories

Approaching Estancia Vik for the first time brings a sense of calm, the hacienda sits atop the highest point on an expanse of open land covered by  miles of grass to the north and tidal inlet to the east. Greeted at the gate we were immediately put at ease, a suave, tanned guide shares 10 minutes of his time. We tour the building and learn that it was originally planned for the owners’ family personal use only. Later it was determined  to be too large and instead then was transitioned to a lodge.

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Cooking Rainbow Trout Over Fire: Snake River Surf & Turf

— Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Cooking over Fire, Main Dishes, Recipes, Videos
Idaho Surf and Turf

Recipe from our lakeside lunch at the South Fork of the Snake River in Idaho.
Find out more about our trip by visiting AmericanRiversTour.com !

It’s not often that a trout is harvested from any river and transferred directly to the skillet on the American Rivers Tour.

Previously unknown to us, the Idaho Fish & Game Department is focused on reducing non-native rainbow trout in the Snake River. For this special occasion, we harvested a 19 inch non-native rainbow and cooked it along with 2 elk steaks for lunch. This is a simple 2 skillet meal. We prefer to use Lodge Skillets. The vegetables were purchased at a grocery store in Idaho Falls, pre-cut, and poured into the skillet from a bag. The vegetable stir fry with garlic, ginger, onions, jalapeno and soy brought the vegetables and elk steaks together nicely. Adding the rainbow was a unique and unexpected surprise.

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Red Flannel Hash with poached eggs cooked over open fire

— Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Cooking over Fire, Videos

Serves 6

Recipe from our lakeside lunch at Henry’s Fork in Idaho.

Find out more about our trip by visiting AmericanRiversTour.com !

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups butternut squash, peeled and seeded, diced
  • 3 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 2 cups Spanish onion, diced
  • 2 cups, mixed yellow & red pepper
  • 10 slices smoked bacon, chopped
  • 1lb fresh chorizo or spicy Italian sausage
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • Salt & pepper
  • 6 eggs

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Blackened Buffalo Medallions cooked over open fire at the Lakeside Lodge in Idaho

— Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Cooking over Fire, Meat, Recipes, Videos

Adapted from chef Jacob Dibble’s recipe
Lakeside Lodge, Island Park, Idaho
Serves 4

This dish is made with the trim and or chain from bison tenderloin. The chain is a long thin strand of meat running from the head of the tenderloin down the side. It includes a fair amount of connective tissue that should be cut away. The whole loin includes 4 to 6 prime center cut filets that will weigh 6 to 8 ounces each after butchering. In addition to the prime filet cuts there will be trim to be used for side dishes, pasta, salads etc. This recipe is intended to make use of the additional trim meat and end pieces, including the chain, after butchering.

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Stuffed Buffalo Tenderloin | Cooking over fire at the Lakeside Lodge in Island Park, Idaho

— Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Cooking over Fire, Meat, Recipes, Videos

Adapted from chef Jacob Dibble’s recipe
Lakeside Lodge, Island Park, Idaho

This dish can be served to 4 people as a main, single course. It can also be used with other smaller courses and be cut in half to serve 8 or more as a supporting dish.

Ingredients:

  • 4 Bison tenderloin (filets) 6-8 oz each
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • ½ tablespoon of cracked black pepper

Toss cleaned filets in a bowl with the salt, pepper and oil, set aside. Read More »

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Grilled Montauk Fluke over Mrs. B’s Kale Salad

— Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Fish and Shellfish, Main Dishes, Recipes, Salads, Videos
Grilled Montauk Fluke over Mrs. B’s Kale Salad

Serves 4

Herb mayonnaise is a great way to flavor a fish fillet or steak while still keeping in the moisture as it cooks. This is a super easy recipe that can be adapted to whatever fresh herbs you have in your kitchen or garden. Serving grilled fish over a kale salad keeps the healthy component of your diet in check. It’s also an easy riverside preparation: just slice the kale, organize ingredients in advance then add vinaigrette as you start the fire.

Ingredients:

For fish & coating:

  • 2 thick fluke or flounder fillets, 8-12 oz each
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • Zest of one lemon

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Long Island Clam Supper: Bucatini & Littlenecks

— Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Fish and Shellfish, Pasta, Recipes, Sauces
Bucatini and Long Island clams on the porch at Estia's Little Kitchen in Sag Harbor

Makes 4 Generous Servings

Ingredients:

For the sauce (can be made ahead):

  • 3 dozen Little Neck clams, rinsed several times in cold water
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 T apple cider vinegar
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 cup white wine (Sauvignon Blanc)

For the pasta:

  • 6 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 4 T olive oil
  • 4 T chopped parsley
  • 1 T red chili flakes
  • 1 box Bucatini no. 5

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Mid Summer Garden Vegetable Escabeche

— Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Sides, Vegetarian
Mid Summer Garden Vegetable Escabeche with flat beans, carrots, cilantro, garlic

Makes 4 quarts (32oz Mason jars)

Ingredients:

  • 16 carrots, peeled and cut into four sticks each
  • 10 jalapeño peppers with top removed, quartered, leave the seeds
  • 1 quart flat beans, ends trimmed
  • 1 quart string beans, ends trimmed
  • 3 heads of garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 bunch of cilantro, washed twice in water bath to remove sand
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup salt
  • 32 oz white vinegar
  • 4 32 oz Mason jars, sanitized in boiling water*

In a 4 qt. or large stockpot, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Drop the carrots in the boiling water and simmer at medium heat for 1 minute. Add flat beans, string beans, and jalapeños. Stir and boil for 2 minutes. Read More »

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Refrigerator Beet Pickles | Red and Yellow Beet Recipes

— Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Recipes, Sides, Vegetarian
Finding pickled beets at Hayward Farmers Market

Red Beet ”Refrigerator Pickles”  

Ingredients:

  • 6 medium sized beets (peeled and sliced into ½ inch discs)
  • 2 cups shredded beet greens
  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
  • 3 dried red chilis, chopped
  • ½ cup chopped green onions
  • ½ cup chopped fennel bulb
  • ½ cup chopped celery
  • 8 oz water
  • 5 oz white vinegar (plus extra to top off jar if needed)
  • 3 oz white sugar
  • 1 ⅔ T sea salt

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Musky Country Salad

— Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Main Dishes, Meat, Salads
Musky Country Salad with bratwurst

Serves 4 hungry eaters

Ingredients:

For the Bratwurst:

  • 8 Bratwurst
  • 12 small red potatoes, golfball size
  • 2  12 oz cans Scotch lager or Amber beer
  • 2 T vegetable oil
  • 1 ½ bunches spring onions or scallions
  • 4 pretzel buns (optional)

For the salad:

  • 1 lb. small snap peas
  • ½ lb. English shell peas
  • 1 ½ bunch spring onions or scallions
  • 1 – 12 oz. jar mild Kimchi (available in Korean specialty stores)
  • 1 cup pickled beets , sliced and cut in half

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Chili Rellenos

— Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Meat, Recipes, Sauces
Chili Rellenos by the Au Sable River

We cooked this recipe alongside the Au Sable river in Michigan | Read about the adventure on American Rivers Tour 2017!

Inspired by chef Matt Haley, Gates Au Sable Lodge, Grayling, Michigan.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 8 poblano peppers
  • 1 pound fresh chorizo, cooked and drained
  • 12 oz Mexican melting cheese, (shredded Cotija or Monterey Jack)
  • 1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Roast peppers over open flame until skin is charred and blistering. Rest in paper bag or bowl covered in plastic until cool enough to handle. Chop or crumble chorizo into thumbnail sized pieces and combine with remaining ingredients. Read More »

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Lamb Taquitos

— Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Meat, Mexican inspired, Recipes
Lamb Taquitos Estia's style

This is a great do­ahead party dish appetizer that can be prepared long in advance and quickly cooked and assembled day of.

Makes 40 finger food hors d’oeuvres.

For the lamb filling:

  • 3 pounds boneless lamb shoulder
  • Salt and pepper
  • ¼ cup vegetable or olive oil
  • 6 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 Spanish onions, chopped
  • 2 tbsp fennel seed
  • 2 chopped Mexican dried Guajillo chilis, seeds and stems removed
  • 2 cups chopped canned plum tomatoes
  • 2 cups red wine
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup chopped parsley
  • 1 small bunch thyme

For the taquitos:

  • 20 six inch soft corn tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
  • 1 package sweet pea sprouts
  • Reserved shredded lamb
  • 2 cups Mexican slaw (recipe below)

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Brooklyn Fish Tacos

— Posted in: American Rivers Tour, Fish and Shellfish
Brooklyn Fish Tacos

Makes 8 bite sized appetizers
Porgy is a plentiful, sustainable, inexpensive fish that is usually found whole in most fish markets in sizes ranging from one to three pounds. Firm but flaky and slightly oily (adds richness and gets absorbed in the dish), it makes the perfect base for these soft tacos.

Ingredients:

  • 4 small porgy fillets, approximately 5­8 ounces each
  • 8 4 ½ inch soft corn tortillas
  • 3 tbsp jalapeno, finely diced with seeds and membranes removed
  • 2 tbsp red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 2 tbsp red onion, finely diced
  • 2 tbsp garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cups Mexican slaw

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