Dining delight
A night at AG restaurant at Sterling Inn and Spa is a sumptuous
experience
Lynn
Ogryzlo, Just a Taste
Published on Nov 09, 2007
Wow!
One word is all that's needed to describe the new AG restaurant in the
Sterling Inn & Spa. It has the definite feel of a luxury hotel with the
comfort of a quaint inn.
The Sterling Inn & Spa sits just behind Victoria Street, the stretch from
Clifton Hill to Ferry St. It's in an old building which has been renovated and
it boasts its original incarnation as a dairy with the newly renovated giant
three-storey milk bottle that now serves as the inn's reception area.
Once inside, you already know you're somewhere different. Cool colours,
soothing music and an atmosphere that seems to sweep your troubles away.
Niagara-trained Chef Cory Linkson served a sensational dinner which exceeded
anything we could have been prepared for. We were a group of 10 writers and
company and we were the guests of the inn. It was the chef's opportunity to show
off and he most certainly rose to the occasion. Here is a mouth-watering peek of
the evening's offerings.
Seared sea scallop on a bed of couscous and cured salmon salad, topped off
with Pelee Island caviar (hey, this is local caviar!) and lemon thyme beurre
blanc. Bottles of Peninsula Ridge Voigne and a Coyotes Run Red Paw (Pinot Noir)
were shared -- perfect!
The next course was a sharing course. That is, my husband started with a
beetroot cured salmon graviax and it looked lovely with its edges stained darker
red by the beets. It was accompanied by a mustard tartare, salade nicoise and
boiled quail eggs while I had the duck confit and Comfort Cream risotto with
sweet potato and chanterelle fricassee. Halfway through the dishes, we traded so
we all had a chance to taste each dish.
It was a great way to try Linkson's cuisine, which was superb. Clean
flavours, elegant textures, nothing cloying or heavy, just elegance that teased
the palate and was light on the stomach. The most exciting course was the
truffled Jerusalem artichoke veloute with fire roasted peppers and hot smoked
trout. We each had our own bowl, which I swear some of the guests licked clean.
It was so savoury and graceful, poised and cultured in every mouthful.
While the soup was served, bottles of Mike Weir Pinot Gris, Tawse Echo and
Stoney Ridge Charlotte's Chardonnay were poured in our ever growing collection
of beautiful wine glasses. The wine list at AG is an astonishing collection of
Niagara's best and we sampled plenty of them.
After the soup came the main entr?e, another sharing course. This time my
husband and I cut our dinners in half. It wasn't an ideal method to getting half
but it was a start. I was served the Arctic char with potato horseradish crust
with buttered spaghetti squash and cauliflower veloute and topped with deep
fried leeks. Jon had the toasted almond and brie crusted beef tenderloin with
wilted lemon garlic greens, herbed rosti and foie gras red currant jus. Wow!
* * *
ON THE MENU
Sterling silver beef tenderloin with almond brie crust and foie gras red
currant sauce
This recipe is shared by the Sterling Inn's Executive Chef, Cory Linkson.
Bravo, chef!
4 5-ounce (125 g) beef tenderloin
8 ounces (200 g) Comfort Cream brie, diced
1/4 cup (60 mL) toasted almonds, chopped
1/2 tablespoon (7.5 mL) almond or walnut oil
prepared mashed potatoes
2 cups (500 mL) good quality beef stock
2 tablespoons (30 mL) red currants
1/4 cup (60 mL) cranberry juice
1/3 cup (80 mL) dry red wine
1 ounce (25 g) foie gras, diced and seared
2 thyme sprigs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Remove the diced brie from the refrigerator and allow to come to room
temperature. Add the chopped almonds and season with salt and pepper. Add the
nut oil and mix until well incorporated. Draw 4 circles on a piece of waxed
paper and mold the cheese into the rounds. Refrigerate.
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce the cranberry juice and red wine
by half, approximately 5 minutes. Add the beef stock and thyme and reduce by
half again, approximately 15 minutes. If the sauce is not thick, add a teaspoon
(5 mL) of corn starch mixed with room temperature red wine. Cook for an
additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Season the beef with salt and pepper and sear in a cast iron skillet until
nicely golden. Finish it off by baking in the oven at 400F (200C) until desired
doneness. Place the cheese rounds on top of each piece of beef for the last 4
minutes of cooking so the cheese melts onto the beef. Remove from the oven and
allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, warm the sauce and stir in the currants and the foie gras.
Place a dollop of mashed potato in the middle of each plate. Place one piece
of beef on each potato. Spoon the sauce around and serve with your favourite
vegetable. Serves 4.
* * *
Lynn Ogryzlo is food and wine writer for Niagara this Week and Niagara Life
Magazine. See her Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on CHCH News' Niagara Express. Read more
of Lynn's food stories at www.NiagaraCooks.ca
