Gourmet Magazine gave a holiday party at Marcus Samuellsson's new restaurant
Riingo in New York City in early December and the wine of choice was the
Smith-Madrone Riesling. Attending were many prominent New York chefs and
restaurateurs. Chef Samuelsson, who won the James Beard Award for Best New York City Chef
this past year, is well-known for his restaurant Aquavit in New York City,
and has just published "Aquavit: The New Scandinavian Cuisine."

The restaurant, located within the new elegant Alex Hotel in midtown Manhattan, serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and has stunning decor---dark ebony woodwork, bamboo floors and movable screens of rice sandwiched between glass panels. It's unlikely the built-in Sub-Zero fridges in the residential suites upstairs will be getting much use. It's located at 205 East 45th Street, 212/867-4200. Aquavit is located at 13 West 54th Street, 212/957-8884.

Chef Samuelsson allowed us to share a recipe from his new book with you:

Miso-cured Monkfish in Carrot-Ginger Broth
serves 4
for the monkfish
4 8-ounce monkfish steaks (on the bone)
1/4 cup white miso
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
for the carrot-ginger broth
Grated zest of 1 lime
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 3-inch piece ginger, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 cup water
11/2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1/2 Riesling wine
2 cups fresh carrot juice
1 teaspoon Pastrami Spices (see below)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1. Marinate the monkfish: Place each monkfish steak
between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound gently with a
meat mallet to break the connective fibers and flatten
slightly.
2. Whisk the miso, lime juice, and olive oil together in a
small bowl. Lay the monkfish in a shallow baking dish and
pour the miso mixture over it, turning the fish several
times to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at
least 12 hours or up to 24 hours.
3. Shortly before serving, prepare the broth: Combine the lime zest, lime
juice, ginger, shallot, water, Riesling and rice wine vinegar in a medium
saucepan, bring to a
simmer, and simmer for 4 minutes, or until reduced by half.
4. Strain the broth into another medium saucepan. Add the
carrot juice and spices and bring to a simmer. Turn off the
heat and cover to keep warm.
5. Sauté the monkfish: Lift the monkfish fillets out of
the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Heat the 1 tablespoon
olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat
until it is almost smoking hot. Add the monkfish and cook,
turning once, for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until lightly
browned and cooked to the desired doneness.
6. Meanwhile, reheat the broth. Whisk in the butter and
remove from the heat.
7. To serve, transfer the monkfish to shallow soup plates.
Spoon the broth around, and serve immediately.

Pastrami Spices
makes about 1/2 cup
1/4 cup pink peppercorns
3 tablespoons dry-packed green peppercorns
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1/4 cup mild paprika
2 tablespoons five-spice powder
1. Put all the spices into a small skillet and toast over
medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 3 to 4
minutes, until very fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl and
let cool.
2. Grind the spices to a fine powder in a spice grinder (or a
clean coffee grinder), or use a mortar and pestle. Store in
an airtight jar in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.