The fall season brings a limited variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. We have been stockpiling winter squash for some time. Our normal supplier of Brussels sprouts, though, "forgot to harvest them." There is fennel, apples and pears, spinach, onions, chard, and potatoes. Local fowl is limited to turkey and chicken, and the occasional duck. So for Thanksgiving, we returned to d'Artagnan for a pair of squab, and to Schnucks for Brussels sprouts because Julia Child say they were a Thanksgiving tradition. Our cookbook research led us again and again to Simon Hopkinson's Roast Chicken and other Stories, volumes 1 and 2, and in the end, we decided on a Simon Hopkinson Thanksgiving.
For our first course, a delicate fennel soup, which consisted of a couple of fennel bulbs, two onions, garlic, and chicken stock. The vegetables were simmered only in butter until they were very soft, then cooked in Pernod and wine for a brief simmer, and then with chicken stock. Thereupon the directions say to puree in a blender until you're too tired to go on. Our blender bit the small appliance dust a few months ago, and hasn't been replaced, so we tried the stick blender until we were too tired to go on. And then, the whole mixture is put through a fine sieve, in our case, the chinoise.
Most of the solids -- however fibrous -- stayed in the sieve, and we were left with quite a thin soup. At the end, it is garnished with "parmesan cream" (cream in which parmesan cheese has been dissolved) and croutons. The flavor was definitely delicate, one might say anemic.
A similar method for making celery soup uses a potato for thickener -- might be a good idea for this one too.
For the main course, grilled squab. One begins with spatchcocked squab. Not having a local butcher to take care of this, per Simon's instructions, R did it himself. Start with a plump California squab.
Then cut the backbone on both sides with scissors.
Next, with a sharp knife and handy fingers, remove the breastbone, trying not to tear too much flesh. (In the end, the supremes came off and were sauteed separately with the livers.)
Once the breastbone is out, the ribs on either side remove easily; the wings were also removed, leaving a flat bird with a boneless breast, ready for marinating.
We marinated the birds for a couple of hours in sliced garlic and marsala wine.
Then we went about preparing the other parts of the meal: a puff paste pastry crust for Hopkinsons's fine apple pie (from the freezer section of Whole Foods); cutting up the squash.
The Brussels sprouts were parboiled, an x cut in their stems (per Julia), and then stewed in butter in the oven. The squash, cubed, roasted in the 375 degree oven for about 40 minutes. And the Big Green Egg was fired up, aiming for a temperature of about 450-500 degrees. A 300 degree oven was prepared indoors.
At the last moment, the squab was removed from its marinade, and grilled outside, 2 minutes skin side down, then turned skin side up for 1 minute. Put back on a plate, each bird was sprinkled with chopped shallots, hazelnut oil, and sherry vinegar, and placed covered with another plate in the oven for 15 minutes to continue cooking and for the topping to melt into a warm vinaigrette. Here is the bird served: succulant, crusty on top, and very tender.
The accompaniments were the squash mixed with pomegranate seeds
For dessert, we decided on Hopkins's tarte aux pommes fine, "because tarte Tatin is so so overused." The secret of this one, he says, is to prepare it at the last minute, so the tarte is very fresh. Start with two rounds of puff paste (for 2 tarts), rolled 8 inches square, and then cut into 7.5 inch disks. The dough is pricked and chilled. Next slice a couple of large apples into thin slices, toss with lemon juice. Arrange the apples on the disks of puff paste, leaving a half-inch margin around the edges, and chill again. When about ready to eat, brush the edges with melted butter, sprinkle granulated sugar on the apples, and put into a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until the edges are puffed and the apples beginning to brown. Top with creme chantilly, or a variation thereof - whipped cream mixed with powdered sugar blended with a piece of vanilla bean.
The only problem: no leftover tart!
But there remain two halves of grilled squab, which will be made into squab salad this evening.
Thank you, Simon, but work on that fennel soup recipe, please.
For our first course, a delicate fennel soup, which consisted of a couple of fennel bulbs, two onions, garlic, and chicken stock. The vegetables were simmered only in butter until they were very soft, then cooked in Pernod and wine for a brief simmer, and then with chicken stock. Thereupon the directions say to puree in a blender until you're too tired to go on. Our blender bit the small appliance dust a few months ago, and hasn't been replaced, so we tried the stick blender until we were too tired to go on. And then, the whole mixture is put through a fine sieve, in our case, the chinoise.
For the main course, grilled squab. One begins with spatchcocked squab. Not having a local butcher to take care of this, per Simon's instructions, R did it himself. Start with a plump California squab.
Then we went about preparing the other parts of the meal: a puff paste pastry crust for Hopkinsons's fine apple pie (from the freezer section of Whole Foods); cutting up the squash.
At the last moment, the squab was removed from its marinade, and grilled outside, 2 minutes skin side down, then turned skin side up for 1 minute. Put back on a plate, each bird was sprinkled with chopped shallots, hazelnut oil, and sherry vinegar, and placed covered with another plate in the oven for 15 minutes to continue cooking and for the topping to melt into a warm vinaigrette. Here is the bird served: succulant, crusty on top, and very tender.
and the brussels sprouts in butter.
For dessert, we decided on Hopkins's tarte aux pommes fine, "because tarte Tatin is so so overused." The secret of this one, he says, is to prepare it at the last minute, so the tarte is very fresh. Start with two rounds of puff paste (for 2 tarts), rolled 8 inches square, and then cut into 7.5 inch disks. The dough is pricked and chilled. Next slice a couple of large apples into thin slices, toss with lemon juice. Arrange the apples on the disks of puff paste, leaving a half-inch margin around the edges, and chill again. When about ready to eat, brush the edges with melted butter, sprinkle granulated sugar on the apples, and put into a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until the edges are puffed and the apples beginning to brown. Top with creme chantilly, or a variation thereof - whipped cream mixed with powdered sugar blended with a piece of vanilla bean.
The only problem: no leftover tart!
But there remain two halves of grilled squab, which will be made into squab salad this evening.
Thank you, Simon, but work on that fennel soup recipe, please.
No comments:
Post a Comment