The following is an online extra from our April issue, heading to newsstands now.
Note: Read this recipe through completely, as there are multiple components that need to be pieced together for final assembly. This is the perfect brunch dish, as you’ll have plenty of extra Champagne to enjoy while you work!
Recipes from Walter Bundy of Shagbark
Prosciutto-Wrapped Shad Roe
1 set (2 pieces) of pristinely fresh shad roe
6 to 8 slices (4 inches wide) of thinly sliced prosciutto
2 ounces olive oil
4 to 5 ounces butter
Lay the prosciutto slices on a cutting board, making sure to overlap them, and fully covering an entire shad roe’s length. Lay one piece of shad roe on the prosciutto, starting at the edge. Gently bring the edges of the prosciutto up, and roll up the shad roe into a tube shape. Tuck any extra pieces of prosciutto underneath the roll. Repeat this process with the other piece.
Heat a sauté pan to medium/medium-high heat. Drizzle olive oil in the pan, then gently lay the shad roe pieces in the pan, prosciutto side down. Allow the prosciutto to crisp. Gently flip/roll the shad roe to the opposite side, and allow to sear to the same crisp doneness.
Returning the roe to the starting side, add the butter to the pan and let it melt. Baste the roe with the melted butter for a minute, then remove the roe from the heat and set it on a small baking pan large enough to hold both pieces. Reserve until needed.
To serve, pair the roe with Camembert grits, a shaved spring asparagus salad and Champagne hollandaise.
Creamy Camembert Grits
6 cups whole milk
6 ounces whole butter
1 bay leaf
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups Byrd Mill stone-ground grits
1/2 cup Goats R Us Camembert cheese
Place milk, butter, and bay leaf in a 4-quart or larger sauce pot on low to medium heat. A Dutch oven or cast-iron pot — or any enamel-coated cookware that holds heat well — is ideal for this. Bring to a simmer and season the liquid with salt and pepper. Whisk in grits and keep on very low heat until they’re soft and creamy (a couple of hours), stirring occasionally to make sure they don’t stick or scorch.
Finish the grits by folding in the cheese at the last moment and checking the seasoning so you can adjust to your preference. Keep warm until serving. (This can be done ahead of time and reheated with a touch of milk or cream so you’re not waiting on grits for hours.)
Shaved Spring Asparagus Salad
1 bunch finger-thick asparagus
1 bunch fresh radishes
1 bunch fresh dill
2 hard-boiled eggs
2 tablespoons lemon olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
Cut all the tips off the asparagus and place in a bowl of salted ice water. With a vegetable peeler, shave all the stalks of the asparagus into strips and place into the ice water. Slice the radishes thin on a Japanese mandolin or box grater and add to bowl of ice water. Drain ice and water and shake off asparagus and radishes to remove extra moisture. Reserve in bowl.
Grate or slice hard-boiled egg to a desire texture (box grater, microplane, pushed through a wire cooling grate). Season and dress the asparagus salad with olive oil and vinegar, then lightly fold in the hard-boiled egg. Reserve salad until needed.
Champagne Hollandaise
3 egg yolks
2 sticks butter, melted and clarified (or use whole butter, which will yield a slightly thinner sauce but richer flavor)
1/4 cup Champagne or sparkling wine
1/4 cup fresh minced chives
Sea salt and white pepper to taste
Combine Champagne with egg yolks and whisk over a double boiler (a bowl placed over a boiling pot of water) until the yolks and Champagne have a nice fluffy thickness and a light sunshine color (about 5 to 7 minutes). YouTube has some great videos helping to demystify this culinary endeavor.
Turn off the pot, throw a small handful of ice cubes in the simmering water to knock the temp down a touch and put your fluffy egg mixture bowl back over the top. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the clarified butter until the mixture is emulsified and slightly thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss in your chives, cover bowl with plastic wrap and keep over double boiler until needed so it stays warm.
Assembling the Dish
Pop your shad roe in the oven. They will only need about 3 to 5 minutes to heat sufficiently and finish cooking. With a sharp knife, cut the roe into the portions that you need. Set them atop a nice spoonful of Camembert grits. Drape the shad roe with a loving spoonful of the warm Champagne hollandaise. To finish, garnish the top of the dish with the asparagus salad and serve immediately.
