Steam the butternut squash until tender. If you don't have a steamer (we have a rice cooker that can also steam, as recommended by Cooks Illustrated) preheat oven to 400°F and toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt; bake until squash is tender, turning with spatula occasionally, 20 to 25 minutes.

Whisk eggs in large bowl. Add half and half, wine, mustard, and 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt; whisk to blend. Add bread; fold gently into egg mixture. Let soak 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until soft, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add Swiss chard; cover and cook 2 minutes. Uncover and stir until chard is wilted but still bright green, about 5 minutes (chard will be a bit crunchy).

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Generously butter 8x8x2-inch baking dish. Using slotted spoon, transfer half of bread from egg mixture to prepared baking dish, arranging to cover most of dish. Spoon half of chard over bread. Spoon half of squash over bread and chard; sprinkle with half of cheese. Repeat with remaining bread, chard, squash, and cheese. Pour remaining egg mixture over bread pudding.

Cover bread pudding with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered until custard is set and bread feels springy to touch, about 20 minutes longer.

Preheat broiler; broil pudding until cheese browns slightly, about 2 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and serve.

Labels: The Chef de Plunge

Re-posted from my food blog, The Chef de Plunge 

I love catfish po-boys. Alot. My favorite place to get one in the area is at the Highland Kitchen. I also love Asian food, especially Asian-fusion, East meets West recipes (see the Thai risotto from earlier). The carrot pickles to go on the sandwich were also perfect. We ended up making our own rolls (whole wheat from The Tassajara Bread Book) but I think a store-bought baguette would also be tasty.


Sweet and Spicy Asian Catfish Po-Boys
Adapted from Food and Wine

Ingredients
4 soft baguette rolls (about 7 inches long), split lengthwise
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 1/4 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon very finely chopped fresh ginger
1 scallion, white and green parts chopped
3 garlic cloves, 2 very finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Asian red chile sauce (we made this from scratch with leftover thai chilis, but the bottled kind works as well)
2 large, thick, skinless catfish fillets (about 10 ounces each), halved lengthwise
Vegetable oil, for brushing
Thinly sliced cucumber and cilantro sprigs, for serving

Directions
1. Preheat the broiler and position a rack 6 inches from the heat. Brush the cut sides of the rolls with the butter.
2. In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the honey with the soy sauce, ginger, scallion and chopped garlic. Season the honey glaze lightly with salt and black pepper. In another small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the honey with the vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the carrots and toss to combine. In a third small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the chili paste and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of honey; season the chili mayonnaise with salt.
3. Arrange the fish fillets on a baking sheet; brush with oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Broil for about 6 minutes, until the fish is just beginning to turn opaque. Brush the fillets very liberally with the honey glaze and broil for 8 minutes longer, until browned and cooked through.
4. Broil the buttered rolls for 1 minute, until they are toasted. Rub the whole garlic clove all over the toasted sides of the rolls and spread with the sambal mayonnaise. Using a slotted spoon, lift the carrots from the pickling liquid and spread them on the toasted rolls. Top with the glazed fish fillets, cucumber slices and cilantro sprigs and close the sandwiches. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve right away.

Labels: The Chef de Plunge

These are a lot simpler than they look, I promise! First of all, we cheated and used wonton wrapers (left over from our Asian Wonton Bundles with Curried Chicken, Carrot, and Basil Filling) instead of dealing with homemade pasta dough, that simplifies things a lot. Then, all you have to do is make the filling in the food processor, fill the wrappers and fry in brown butter!
Instructions
Make filling:

While squash is roasting, in a skillet cook onion and sage in butter with salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat, stirring, 5 minutes, or until onion is golden brown. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Meanwhile toast hazelnuts lightly and chop finely.

Cool onion mixture slightly and add to squash. Add goat cheese and finely chopped hazelnuts and stir to combine well.

Put 1 won ton wrapper on a lightly floured surface, keeping remaining wrappers in plastic wrap, and mound 1 tablespoon filling in center. Lightly brush edges of wrapper with water and put a second wrapper over first, pressing down around filling to force out air and seal edges well. If desired, trim excess dough with a round cutter or sharp knife. Transfer ravioli to a dry kitchen towel. Make more ravioli with remaining wrappers and filling in same manner, transferring as formed to towel and turning occasionally to dry slightly.

In skillet cook butter and sage over moderate heat until butter begins to brown, then sautee raviolis until browned. Serve in brown butter with parmesan cheese.

Labels: The Chef de Plunge

On New Years Eve this year, Tucker whipped up an amazing feast for us and a few friends. I recently received The French Chef cookbook as a gift and I was inspired by Julia's Bouillabaisse, which is something I've never tried before, but I've always wanted to! We decided however, to go with a chicken bouillabaisse recipe because we had non-seafood lovers coming over, so we ended up using a Cooks Illustrated recipe (which came out so delicious, especially the rouille), but next time it will be Julia's!

I really wish I had a better picture of this because it was lovely. Sadly, I think the iPhone isn't going to cut it anymore for my pictures... sigh, I guess I'll switch to a real camera.

Chicken Bouillabaisse
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated 

Ingredients
FOR THE BOUILLABAISSE
3.5-4 pound whole chicken, broken down and trimmed of excess fat
Table salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large leek (white and light green parts only), halved lengthwise, rinsed, and sliced thin (about 1 cup)
1 small fennel bulb , halved lengthwise, cored, and sliced thin (about 2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
4 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes , drained
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 strip orange zest (from 1 orange), removed with vegetable peeler, about 3 inches long, cleaned of white pith
3/4 pound Yukon Gold potato (1 large or 2 small), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves or parsley leaves

FOR ROUILLE AND CROUTON
3 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1 baguette (ok, we didn't actually use a baguette, which is the traditional bread for bouillabaisse, but we used a homemade wheat bread from the Tassajara Bread Book... I'll post the recipe for that soon)
4 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 small cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Table salt and ground black pepper

Instructions

1. FOR THE BOUILLABAISSE: Adjust oven racks to middle and lower positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken pieces, skin-side down, and cook without moving until well browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, flip chicken and brown other side, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate.
2. Add leek and fennel; cook, stirring often, until vegetables begin to soften and turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Add saffron, cayenne, flour, garlic, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, wine, broth, orange zest, and potatoes; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Nestle chicken thighs and drumsticks into simmering liquid with skin above surface of liquid; cook, uncovered, 5 minutes. Nestle breast pieces into simmering liquid, adjusting pieces as necessary to ensure skin stays above surface of liquid. Bake on middle rack, uncovered, until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 145 degrees for breasts and 160 for drumsticks and thighs, 10 to 20 minutes.
4. FOR THE ROUILLE: While chicken cooks, microwave water and saffron in medium microwave-safe bowl on high power until water is steaming, 10 to 20 seconds. Allow to sit 5 minutes. Cut 3-inch piece off of baguette; remove and discard crust. Tear crustless bread into 1-inch chunks (you should have about 1 cup). Stir bread pieces and lemon juice into saffron-infused water; soak 5 minutes. Using whisk, mash soaked bread mixture until uniform paste forms, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in mustard, egg yolk, cayenne, and garlic until smooth, about 15 seconds. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in vegetable oil in steady stream until smooth mayonnaise-like consistency is reached, scraping down bowl as necessary. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup olive oil in steady stream until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.FOR THE CROUTONS: Cut remaining baguette into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake on lower rack until light golden brown (can be toasted while bouillabaisse is in oven), 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Remove bouillabaisse and croutons from oven and set oven to broil. Once heated, return bouillabaisse to oven and cook until chicken skin is crisp and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees for breasts and 175 for drumsticks and thighs, 5 to 10 minutes (smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces; remove individual pieces as they reach temperature).
6. Transfer chicken pieces to large plate. Skim excess fat from broth. Stir tarragon into broth and season with salt and pepper. Transfer broth and potatoes to large shallow serving bowls and top with chicken pieces. Drizzle 1 tablespoon rouille over each portion and spread 1 teaspoon rouille on each crouton. Serve, floating 2 croutons in each bowl and passing remaining croutons and rouille separately.

And for dessert we had chocolate mousse with candied orange peel! I'll post that next.

Labels: The Chef de Plunge

I'm a fan of one-pan dishes, especially because my main job in the kitchen is washing the dishes! This looks fancy, but was actually super easy. We got this recipe from Epicurious and adapted it by marinating the salmon and using broccoli instead of broccolini, which we like better. Enjoy!

One Skillet Lime- and Honey-Glazed Salmon with Brown Rice and Broccoli
Adapted  from Epicurious

Ingredients
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons finely grated lime peel
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro plus additional for sprinkling
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup sliced shallots (about 3 large)
1 1/2 cups brown rice (we use a Japanese short-grain brown rice by Kagayaki)
3 1/4 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
4 5-to 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets
1 bunch broccoli, bottom inch trimmed, stalks separated if necessary

Instructions
Whisk lime juice, lime peel, honey, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and soy sauce in small bowl; pour over salmon to marinate for 45 minutes (ok ok, we didn't actually marinate it this long, but this is the ideal amount of time). Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat oil in large deep ovenproof skilletor casserole (with lid) over medium-high heat. Add shallots and broccoli and sauté until beginning to soften and brown, about 5 minutes. Remove broccoli and stir in rice, then 3 1/4 cups broth; bring to boil. Cover skillet tightly with lid; place in oven and bake 10 minutes (rice will be almost cooked through and most of broth will be absorbed; mix in more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if dry).

Remove skillet from oven. Sprinkle rice lightly with salt. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper and arrange on rice, pressing in lightly, then pour the marinade over the fish. Tuck broccoli in around fish, with stems anchored in rice. Cover skillet tightly and return to oven; bake until salmon is just opaque in center and broccolini is crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with additional chopped cilantro and serve from skillet.

Labels: The Chef de Plunge

Tucker and I have been making alternative risottos for a while now, often cooking the rice in coconut milk in addition to chicken broth. This one was a little different because we had some thai chilis we wanted to use up, so those went in the risotto! This came out spicy and delicious!


Coconut Thai Risotto With Seared Scallops

Ingredients
7 thai chilis
5 cloves garlic
2 shallots
1 cup arborio rice
1 can coconut milk
2 1/2 cups of chicken broth
Scallions to garnish
The juice of 2 limes
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
12 scallops

Instructions

1.  FOR THE SCALLOPS: Make a spice rub with 1 thai chili, 2 cloves garlic, salt and pepper (chopped finely or ground in a spice grinder). 
2. Rub the spice mixture on the scallops and drizzle the juice of a half a lime on top. Sear the scallops in a hot pan with oil until they have a caramel crust.
   
3. FOR THE RISOTTO: Cook shallots in a large pan with oil for a few minutes until brown, add rest of the Thai chilis and garlic and saute for a few more minutes.
4. Add arborio rice and cook until it starts to look transparent on the edges.
   
5. Deglaze with some chicken broth, then add a can of coconut milk, some more chicken broth, fish sauce, 1/4 cup lime juice, cilantro
   
6. Continue to add broth occasionally and stir until rice is cooked the way you would with any risotto.
7. Garnish with chopped scallions, serve scallops over risotto.
   

Labels: The Chef de Plunge

This tart is a like a classier, more delicious (if possible) chocolate pecan pie, which is one of my favorite pies. There is a pecan crust followed by a layer of caramel and pecans topped with chocolate. We put candied pecans on top and served it with whipped cream. I wish I had a better picture of the tart because it was so beautiful, but it was eaten so quickly (this was the Christmas dessert we brought to Tucker's family's house), I barely got a chance to take a picture, by the time I realized it was being eaten, several of the delicious caramel pecans had been stolen! Just imagine them in an artful pattern on top of the tart.

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tart
(adapted from Cooks Illustrated, originally with walnuts)

Ingredients
Crust
1 large egg , separated
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup toasted pecans (2 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (2 ounces)
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
1/8 teaspoon table salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter (cold), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Caramel-Pecan Filling and Garnish
1/4 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 3 pieces
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
1/8 teaspoon table salt
16-18 pecan halves , plus 1 cup (5 ounces) toasted pecans, coarsely chopped


Chocolate Filling
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup whole milk
5 ounces semisweet chocolate , chopped fine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 4 pieces

Instructions

1. FOR THE CRUST: Beat egg white in bowl with fork until frothy; remove 1 tablespoon egg white to second bowl and whisk in yolk and vanilla. Process nuts and sugar in food processor until finely ground, 8 to 10 seconds. Add flour and salt and pulse to combine. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture; pulse to cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses. With machine running, add egg yolk mixture and process until dough forms ball, about 20 seconds. Transfer dough to large sheet plastic wrap and press into 6-inch disk; wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm but malleable, about 30 minutes.
   
2. Roll out dough between 2 large sheets lightly floured plastic wrap to 13-inch round, about 1/8-inch thick (if at any point dough becomes too soft and sticky to work with, slip dough onto baking sheet and freeze or refrigerate until workable). Place dough round on baking sheet and freeze until stiff and cold, about 15 minutes (or refrigerate about 30 minutes). Meanwhile, evenly spray 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Remove dough from freezer; discard top sheet plastic wrap but keep dough on baking sheet. Following illustrations 1 through 6 below, line tart pan with dough. Freeze dough-lined tart pan until firm, about 30 minutes. (Can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen up to 1 month.)
4. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Set dough-lined tart pan on baking sheet. Spray 12-inch square foil with nonstick cooking spray and press foil inside chilled tart shell; fill with pie weights. Bake until light golden brown, about 30 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time. Carefully remove foil and weights and continue to bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes longer. Cool on baking sheet on wire rack about 5 minutes, then brush hot crust with reserved egg white. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

5. FOR CARAMEL-PECAN FILLING AND GARNISH: While crust is cooling; pour water into medium heavy-bottomed saucepan; add sugar to center of pot to keep granules from adhering to sides of pot. Bring to boil over medium-high heat; covered; swirling pan once or twice to dissolve sugar. Uncover pot and continue to boil without stirring; until sugar is deep amber begins to smoke and registers about 375 degrees on instant-read or candy thermometer 5 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Carefully add about half of cream; mixture will sputter and steam. Add remaining cream and let bubbling subside. Return pan to low heat and stir with heatproof rubber spatula until caramel is smooth. Add butter and stir until melted. Remove pan from heat; stir in vanilla; lemon juice; and salt.
6. Add pecan halves to caramel and stir to coat; let stand until caramel is slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon and allowing excess caramel to drain back into saucepan, transfer pecans to wire rack set over baking sheet; set aside. Stir chopped pecans into caramel, then pour mixture evenly into tart shell. Refrigerate, uncovered, on baking sheet until caramel is firm and does not slip when pan is tilted, about 20 minutes.
7. FOR CHOCOLATE FILLING: Whisk yolks and 1 tablespoon cream in small bowl. Bring milk and remaining 1/3 cup cream to simmer in small saucepan; off heat, add chocolate and butter. Cover pan and let stand until chocolate is mostly melted, about 2 minutes. Using spatula, stir mixture until smooth; stir in yolk mixture. (Chocolate should be thin and pourable; if too thick to pour evenly, set saucepan over low heat to warm mixture.) Pour filling into caramel-filled tart shell, tilting tart pan as necessary to evenly distribute chocolate to edges of tart. Bake on baking sheet in 300-degree oven until tiny bubbles are visible on surface and chocolate layer is just set (if pan is gently shaken, filling will appear very wobbly because caramel layer is warm), about 25 minutes. Set baking sheet with tart on wire rack; arrange caramel-coated pecan halves on surface of tart, around perimeter. Cool tart until just warm, about 30 minutes, then refrigerate, uncovered, until chocolate is firm, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

Labels: The Chef de Plunge

Labels: The Chef de Plunge