Monkfish with Braised Napa Cabbage, Bacon, and Cabernet Reduction

1 bottle of good but not great Cabernet Sauvignon
3-4 shallots, peeled and minced
2 bunches of fresh thyme
1 stick butter (1/4 pound)
salt and pepper to taste
sugar to taste
2 small Napa cabbages
2 carrots, peeled and diced
¼ pound good-quality bacon, diced
2 bay leaves
2 juniper berries
4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
4 monkfish fillets (6 ounces each)
4 sprigs chervil

Begin the sauce: Combine the wine, shallots, and 1 bunch of the thyme. Bring the wine to a boil and simmer until reduced to approximately 1/8 cup. Remove the thyme.

Make the vegetables: Slice the cabbage in quarter-inch julienne. Blanch briefly in salted boiling water, then cool in ice water. Drain and set aside. In a saucepan, melt half of the butter. Add the carrots, bacon, juniper berries, and leaves from the second bunch of thyme. Cook until the carrots are soft and the bacon is translucent. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the bay leaves and cabbage. Cover and braise until the cabbage is tender.

Finish the sauce: Cut the remainder of the butter into 8 pieces. Put the reduced wine over medium heat. Add the butter, a few pieces at a time, and whisk to emulsify. Do not allow the emulsion to boil or it will break. Continue until all the butter is incorporated. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Make the monkfish: Heat the oil in a sauté pan. Salt and pepper the fillets on both sides. Cook for 4 minutes on one side, until light golden-brown. Flip and continue cooking until done, another 3 to 4 minutes.

To serve: Arrange a bed of the cabbage mixture on each plate. Top with a piece of monkfish and surround with some of the Cabernet sauce. Garnish with a sprig of chervil.

Recipe by Christophe Gerard, Chef
Angèle Restaurant & Bar
504 Main Street
Napa, CA 94559
707.252-8115

The Chef
A native of France, Christophe Gerard worked at some of the world’s finest restaurants in Paris, New York, and Miami before coming to Angèle, the latest venture of the Rouas family—creators of L’Etoile in San Francisco, Auberge du Soleil in the Napa Valley, and the Piatti restaurants. After working in the three-star Taillevent in Paris, Chef Girard cooked at New York’s Lespinasse and Café Pierre. His next stop was 1220 at the Tides in Miami, where he was applauded for his innovative blend of classic French cooking and contemporary influences. He was lured to the Napa Valley by Angèle, a new restaurant overlooking the Napa River in Napa’s historic downtown. Named after senior partner Claude Rouas’s mother, the restaurant is managed by Claude’s daughter, Bettina Rouas, whose sister, Claudia Rouas, is Angèle’s third partner. This intimate but lively bistro expresses a joie de vivre that’s very European, yet right at home in the California wine country.

The Menu
Chef Gerard waves aside the old taboos about serving fish with red wine and pairs the 2000 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon with a savory dish of monkfish with bacon-spiked cabbage, sauced with a rich Cabernet reduction.

The Pairing
“The balance and beauty of the 2000 S.L.V. make it a great match for the complex flavors of this dish,” Chef Gerard explains. “The wine is subtle as well as powerful, and the flavors of the cabbage and the bacon, as well as the full-bodied taste of the monkfish, marry with it very well.”