September 10, 2011

Appetizers

Salad/Soup

Chilled Zucchini-Basil Soup

An icy, bright green soup that’s good as an afternoon pick-me-up or for brunch, supper or a picnic.

Serves 4

4 cups	Chicken or Vegetable broth		Salt (to taste)
1 ½ pounds	Zucchini		Pepper (to taste)
1	Spring onion	1 cup	Basil leaves
2	Cloves garlic		Heavy Cream (for garnish)

Bring 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Drop in 1 ½ pounds zucchini, trimmed (but not peeled), seeded and cut into small chunks, 1 spring onion trimmed and sliced and 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper and return to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, partially cover pan and cook 10-12 minutes more or until zucchini is easily pierced with a knife.

Working in small batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth. Refrigerate until chilled. Just before serving, puree 1 packed cup basil leaves with 1 cup chilled soup. Stir the puree into remaining soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then pour into soup bowls or glasses to serve. Garnish with a swirl of heavy cream, if desired.

Main Course

Guinea Hen With Caviar

(we substituted Chicken Breasts)

DAVID FÉAU

3 quarts	Chicken stock	4 Tbsp.	Butter, divided
2	Small Guinea hens	5	Shallots, diced
3 Tbsp.	Grape-seed oil	A few	Sprigs fresh thyme
8 oz.	Fresh chestnuts, each slit on the flat side (or substitute cooked, roasted chestnuts and skip the roasting in step 3)	To taste	Freshly ground black pepper
8	Small cipollini onions	6 oz.	Spinach, well-cleaned
To taste	Fleur de sel or fine sea salt	4 tsp.	Hackleback or other quality caviar

1. Bring chicken stock to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Poach the hens in the simmering stock for 4 minutes. Remove the hens to a platter and let rest for 10 minutes. Set stock aside.

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° F. Roast the guinea hens in the oven until just lightly golden brown, about 35 minutes, taking care not to overcook. While the hens cook, put the chestnuts on a sheet pan. Rub the onions with 1 tablespoon grape-seed oil and some sea salt, and put on another sheet pan.

3. Remove hens from the oven and let cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, roast the onions in the oven for 20 minutes; the chestnuts for 25 minutes. Remove and gently peel off the outer skin of the onions. Peel the chestnuts while cool enough to handle but still quite warm. Set both aside.

4. Remove the wings and debone the breasts and legs of the hens. You will get some irregular shapes and pieces, bur cut the larger pieces as evenly as possible. With poultry shears, cut the wings and bones into roughly 1-inch pieces.

5. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a deep sauté pan or Dutch oven. Add the wings, bones, shallots and thyme and sauté a few minutes. Add the poaching stock, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer for 1 hour, or until you have about 1 ½ cups. Strain through fine mesh and reserve. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Skim any fat from the surface of the sauce. Put the sauce in a saucepan. Add the chestnuts and cook until just tender, about 12 minutes. Keep hot.

7. Put the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the guinea hen meat and sauté 30 to 60 seconds, just to heat through and lightly crisp.

8. Put the spinach in a mixing bowl. Add a few tablespoons of the sauce and toss well. Swirl the caviar into the sauce with the chestnuts. Divide the sauce and chestnuts among 4 soup plates, then top with spinach, guinea hen pieces and onions.

Serves 4.

Wine

Bourgogne

Pinot Noir

Bouchard Aîné & Fils

Vin De Bourgogne

Appellation Bourgogne Controlee

Beaune – France

The XVIII^th century «Hôtel du Conseiller du Roy» in Beaune stands above the cellars of Bouchard Aîné & Fils, who have been perpetuating the tradition of making fine Burgundy wines since 1750.

Dessert

Upside-Down Pear Chocolate Cake

www.epicurious.com Epicurious | September 2009

Chocolate and pears make an excellent combination. Here, bittersweet chocolate and sweet pears meld together to form the perfect balance. For this recipe, you can either take a rustic approach and toss the pears haphazardly into the pan or opt for a more elegant look by arranging the pears in concentric circles. Look for a good dark chocolate, which is not the same as unsweetened chocolate. Also, there are two kinds of unsweetened cocoa on the market; be sure to use unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa, not natural cocoa. When combined with baking soda, natural cocoa can impart a bitter taste to baked goods and cause them to rise too much.

Yield: Serves 12 to 15. Baking time: 40 to 45 minutes

Fruit Topping:

1 cup (7 oz.)	Granulated sugar	3	Firm but ripe pears, peeled, cored, and each cut into 12 slices (1 pound prepped)
¼ cup	Water

Cake:

1 Tbsp.	Unsalted butter, at room temperature (for pan)	½ tsp.	Fine sea salt
¼ c (2 oz.)	Unsalted butter (for cake)	¾ cup (5 ¼ oz.)	Granulated sugar
4 oz.	Dark chocolate, chopped	2	Eggs
1 c (5 oz.)	All-purpose flour	1 tsp.	Pure vanilla extract
1/3 c (1 oz.)	Unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder	½ cup	Whole milk
¾ tsp.	Baking soda

Use Chantilly cream or Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, for serving (optional).

Preparation:

Butter a 9-inch round baking pan.

To make the fruit topping, put the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan (one with a tight-fitting lid) and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then cover and cook for 2 minutes (covering in this way allows the steam to wash down the sides of pan, which will prevent any sugar crystals from forming). Uncover the saucepan and continue to boil the sugar, gently and slowly swirling the pan as needed to cook the caramel evenly, until it becomes a dark amber color. Occasionally wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Carefully pour the caramel into the prepared pan and allow it to harden. The pan will be very hot from the sugar, so take care in moving it if you need to. Fan the pear slices on top of the caramel in a circle around the perimeter, filling in the center with the remaining slices.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

To make the cake, place the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat and melt, stirring occasionally. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Transfer the melted chocolate to a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and add the sugar. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the milk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake bounces back slightly when touched. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a plate, leaving the pan on top of the cake for 5 minutes before you remove it. Serve the cake warm, topped with a small dollop of Chantilly cream or a scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

Storage: Wrapped in plastic wrap, the cake will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.