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Chef Lydia Shire, Scampo. 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter. 1/4 cup of yellow cornmeal, plus a bit more for the dish and the top of the souffle. 1 lb. slab bacon cut into lardoons or batons. 1/2 cup flour. 1 1/2 pints of shucked oyste

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Gebratene Ganz Mit Sahne Sosse
(Roast Goose with Gravy)
Gunter Preuss
Broussard’s
New Orleans LA

Chef Gunter Preuss’ roast goose is a traditional holiday German dish, served with spiced red cabbage and potato dumplings. The goose is browned in a hot oven, then the temperature is reduced for slower roasting. Apples, onion, and rosemary are stuffed in the cavity and infuse the goose with their flavors as it cooks.

Serves 6

Rotkohl (Red Cabbage)
1 head red cabbage, about 1-1/2 pounds
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup bacon fat or vegetable oil
1 large apple, peeled, cored, and sliced
Water or red wine
1 medium white potato, peeled and grated

1 goose, 10 to 12 pounds, thawed completely if frozen
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 small firm apples, cored and peeled
1 small onion, peeled
Mirepoix: finely chopped onion, carrot, and celery stalk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Kartoffelklosse (Potato Dumplings)
3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 egg yolks
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped

To prepare the red cabbage: Wash the cabbage. Quarter the head and strip off the outer leaves. Cut off the core. Slicing at an angle, finely cut the quarters. In a large bowl, mix the vinegar, spices, bay leaves, sugar, salt, and pepper. Toss the cabbage with the mixture, cover the bowl with a towel, and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

The next day, cook the onion in bacon fat or vegetable oil until tender. Add the apple, marinated cabbage, and enough water or wine to barely cover the cabbage. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until tender. Stir in the potato. Cook until the juice has thickened and is syrupy, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; keep warm.

To prepare the goose: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Season the inside of the goose with salt and pepper. Break up the rosemary and place it in the cavity with the cored apples and whole onion. Truss the legs together with kitchen twine. Chop the neck and giblets and place them in the bottom of a roasting pan. Add 1/2 cup water. Place the goose, breast-side up, in the pan. Salt and pepper the outside. Roast 20 to 30 minutes, until the skin is browned. Reduce heat to 350 and roast for about 3 hours. Baste the goose frequently with pan drippings. After 2 hours, cover the breast with foil and place the mirepoix around the goose. When the internal temperature reaches 180 F, remove from heat and let rest for 15 minutes in the pan. Reserve the apples and onion for presentation.

To make the dumplings: Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until very tender. Drain, cover the pan, and return to moderate heat to evaporate all the liquid from the potatoes. Transfer to a mixing bowl and mash. Cool to room temperature, then add nutmeg, egg yolks, salt, and pepper. Gradually work in the flour, using your hands, until the dough forms a ball. Place on a lightly floured work surface and shape into a cylinder. Square the ends with a metal spatula. Cut the cylinder on the bias into 2- to 2-1/2-inch pieces.

Place the dumplings in boiling salted water. When the water returns to a boil and the dumplings rise to the surface, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook about 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on a towel.

To make the gravy: Melt the butter in a medium skillet. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture turns a rich brown. Add the roasting juices and mirepoix from the roasting pan. Simmer 15 minutes and strain. Add the cream and whisk together; add the lemon juice and whisk to blend. Keep warm.

To serve: Cut the roasted onion into 6 slices. Slice the goose into individual portions and place one portion on each warmed serving plate. Ladle the gravy over the sliced goose and garnish with the roasted apples and onion. Spoon red cabbage on each plate; place a dumpling on each plate and sprinkle with parsley.

Venison Medallions with Creamed Cabbage and Slip Dumplings
Stefan Hierzer
Hotel Imperial
Vienna, Austria

Venison medallions are served with creamed cabbage to which a tiny bit of nutmeg is added, and sauteed dumplings. Trim the venison ahead of time and use the bones and trimmings to make a rich stock, which will then form the basis of your demi-glace. This dish would also work well with lamb.

Serves 4

Cabbage
1 head savoy cabbage
1 small onion
2 slices lean bacon
1 teaspoon flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Slip Dumplings
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and boiled
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup flour
1-1/2 tablespoons semolina
Salt to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 egg

Venison
2 venison tenderloins, trimmed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
8 small cinnamon sticks
2 rosemary sprigs
4 thyme sprigs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup red wine
1 cup cranberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1/4 cup venison or veal demi-glace

8 rosemary sprigs

To prepare the cabbage: Cut the cabbage into thin slices. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the cabbage; return to a boil and cook 1 minute. Drain the cabbage and plunge it into ice water to stop the cooking; drain well again. Set aside. In a medium saucepan or pot over medium-high heat, saute the onions, flour, and bacon in the butter until the onions are softened and the bacon has rendered its fat, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the milk and cream and cook 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and fold in the cabbage. Keep warm.

To prepare the slip dumplings: Mash the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the butter and combine with the flour and semolina in a large bowl. Season with salt and nutmeg. With your hands, mix in the egg to form a pliable dough. Shape by hand into a long roll on a floured cutting board and cut into 3/4-inch-thick pieces. Form each of the pieces into a long stick by rolling between the palm of your hand and the floured board, like working modeling clay.

Bring a large pot of salted water almost to a boil. Add the dumplings and cook 3 minutes, or until they rise to the top. Drain in a colander, immerse in cold water to stop the cooking, and drain again. Dry on a towel. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and saute the noodles until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Keep warm.

To prepare the venison: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Slice the venison into 2- to 2-1/2-inch thick medallions and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and sear the medallions for 45 seconds, then turn and sear on the other side for 1 minute. Add the cinnamon sticks, rosemary, and thyme and place in the oven. Bake 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan and let rest 3 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks from the skillet and set aside.

Put the medallions back in the skillet and saute over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of the butter for about 30 seconds. Remove the medallions and add 1/4 cup of the wine and the cranberries and raspberries to the skillet. Saute until the liquid has reduced to a syrup. Remove from heat, lift out the berries with a slotted spoon, and set aside.

Pour the remaining wine and the demi-glace into the same skillet and place over medium-high heat, stirring to bring up the browned bits. Cook until reduced by two-thirds. Remove from heat and discard the herb sprigs. Whisk in the remaining butter, a little at a time, until the butter is completely incorporated.

To serve: Spoon sauteed berries to one side on each plate, then place a large scoop of creamed cabbage next to the berries. Divide the dumplings among the plates. Arrange venison medallions on the other side of the plates, reserving two medallions. Spoon sauce from the skillet over the venison medallions. Slice the reserved medallions and divide the slices among the plates, arranging them over the venison medallions. Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs inserted into cinnamon sticks from the sauce pan.

Bing Cherry Clafouti
Thierry Rautureau
Seattle WA

Chef Thierry Rautureau makes the most of Washington´s fresh cherries with this dessert, which he makes with fresh poached cherries. But he also gives instructions for making preserved cherries, which can be used in the clafouti. Clafouti is a traditional French dessert in which cherries are embedded in a batter and baked.

Serves 6

Poached Cherries
1 cup fresh Bing cherries, pitted
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups water
2 tablespoons Kirsch liqueur

To poach the cherries: Combine all ingredients in a pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, reducing the heat when the mixture begins to boil. Poach for 4 minutes. Cool in the poaching liquid.

Or

Preserved Cherries
1 pound fresh Bing cherries, pitted
2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
1 ounce Kirsch liqueur
1 vanilla bean, split

To preserve the cherries: Familiarize yourself with canning techniques before trying this, as a jar sealed too tightly when it is cooked can explode. You want the top just tight enough to allow bubbles to get out of the jar, but no cooking water to get back in. The cooking process is to destroy bacteria in the jars before they are sealed.

Put the ingredients in a heavy saucepan, scraping the vanilla seeds out of the pods into the pan. Drop in the pods. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Lift out the vanilla pods with tongs. Place the cherries in sterilized canning jars and pour the pan liquid over the cherries. Loosely cap with canning lids; do not seal at this point. Place the jars in a large pot and submerge in cold water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes, or until all bubbles are out of the jars. When ready, lift the jars from the water with heavy tongs, tighten the caps, and stand upside-down to cool. Keeps indefinitely.

Clafouti Batter
3 eggs
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1 vanilla bean, split
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Garnish
2 or 3 sprigs of lavender or corn flowers, torn into petals
1 anise sprig, torn into fronds
1 cup creme anglaise

To make the clafouti: Put the eggs, sugar, cream, milk, and flour in a mixing bowl. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the mixture, then drop in the pods. Beat the mixture together until smooth. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve, put back in the bowl, and let stand for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Butter 6 individual souffle dishes and sprinkle with sugar; turn to coat the insides with sugar, then dump out any excess. Place the dishes on a baking sheet. Cut at least 12 poached or preserved cherries into quarters. Place the cherry pieces in the bottoms of the prepared souffle dishes. Ladle batter over the cherries. Bake for 25 minutes, or until set.

To serve: Serve warm or cooled. Loosen around the edges with the point of a knife, then unmold near the top of each serving plate. Spoon poaching liquid or preserved juice around the clafouti. Drizzle the plates with creme anglaise. Place 3 cherries on each plate. Garnish with flower petals and anise fronds.

Hamachi with Herb Salad and Truffle Vinaigrette
Elka Gilmore
Elka
San Francisco CA

Hamachi, a farm-raised yellowfin tuna, is perfect for searing the exterior while leaving the center virtually raw. Gilmore presses herbs on the hamachi, sears them quickly, then chills the fish. She serves the sliced fish on a bed of leeks and truffles with truffle vinaigrette. The chef notes that this dish may also be made with ahi tuna.

Serves 2

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup fresh chervil leaves
2 bunches chives
8 ounces hamachi (farm-raised yellowfin tuna)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons clarified butter

2 cups oil
2 thinly-sliced shallots
1/2 cup flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 leek, blanched
1 truffle

Truffle Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Chop the parsley, chervil, and chives together, reserving a few pieces for garnish. Season the hamachi with the salt and pepper. Press the combined chopped herbs onto the hamachi. In a medium saute pan or skillet, heat the clarified butter and sear the hamachi on all sides for about 2 minutes. Remove the hamachi and chill.

Heat the oil to 350 F in a medium saucepan. Dredge the shallots in the flour. Cook the shallots for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden. Remove the shallots with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Chop the leek and truffle and combine. Season with salt and pepper and toss with the Truffle Vinaigrette.

To serve: Mound the leek and truffle mixture on two plates. Slice the chilled hamachi into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange 3 slices on each plate. Garnish with chervil, parsley, chives, and fried shallots. Sprinkle the plate with Truffle Vinaigrette.

Truffle Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon white truffle oil
Dash of sherry vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil

Whisk ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Stanford Court Bread Pudding
Christian Iser, with Jim Dodge
Fournou´s Ovens
Stanford Court Hotel
San Francisco CA

Bread Pudding is one of the great comfort foods, and a wonderful use for day-old bread. At the Stanford Court, bread pudding is made with brioche layered with apples and raspberries, an uptown version of a down home favorite. You could purchase brioche for this recipe, and save some of the time. Brioche is a very slow rising bread, and must rise in a warm place, 75 to 80 F, free of drafts, for 4 to 5 hours. Chef Iser gives his brioche recipe in case you want to go all out.

Servings; 12 Preparation time: 1 hour (note elapsed time)

Brioche
1 pound bread flour
1-1/2 ounces sugar
1/2 ounce fresh active yeast (cake or compressed)
1/2 ounce salt
5 eggs
8 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into four pieces

Fruit and Custard
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 quart heavy (whipping) cream
2 medium green apples
1 pint raspberries or sliced strawberries
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

Confectioner´s sugar for dusting

To prepare the brioche: In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and yeast. Blend well, then add the salt. Add the eggs and continue mixing until the dough is smooth. Add the butter in four additions. Continue mixing until the dough is very elastic and clings to the spoon. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for six hours. Unwrap the dough and cut in half. Shape each half into a ball, then work each into a loaf with the palms of your hands. Place each loaf in a clean loaf pan and let stand in a warm spot, 75 to 80 F, for 4 to 5 hours. When the dough has become slightly puffy, deflate with your hands. Allow the dough to rise again, to the tops of the pans.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the brioche about 45 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and is golden brown. Turn the loaves out of the pans and let cool on a wire rack. You will use one loaf for Bread Pudding.

To prepare the fruit and custard: Mix the eggs, sugar, and flour together until smooth. Pour in the cream and blend well. Cut the crust off one loaf of brioche, slice the loaf into 1/2-inch thick pieces, and cut each piece in half diagonally, Peel, core, and slice the apples.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Liberally butter a 2-1/2 quart souffle dish. Line the bottom with one-third of the brioche slices. Cover the slices with apples, then pour one-third of the custard over the apples. Form a second layer of brioche slices and cover with a layer of raspberries or strawberries. Pour another third of the custard over the raspberries. Top with the remaining brioche slices and custard. Bake 60 to 70 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the custard is slightly firm. Let cool completely.

To serve: Dust with confectioner´s sugar. Cut into 12 wedges.

Duck Confit with Crepe and Berry Compote
Michel Marcais
Michabelle
Hammond LA

Shredded duck fills large crepes which are served with mesclun and a pretty sauce of caramelized blueberries and cranberries. Reduced balsamic vinegar is used to drizzle the greens and the plates. The easy berry compote sauce would be equally wonderful with venison, quail, or pork; substitute chicken stock if you do not have meat stock for the sauce.

Serves 4

1 duck, cleaned and quartered; deboned
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Duck stock to cover (2 to 3 cups)
2 to 3 tablespoons reduced veal stock
1/2 sprig each parsley, thyme, and tarragon, minced

Crepes
3 eggs
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons oil
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Berry Compote Sauce
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup cranberries
1 cup reserved braising stock (above)

3 cups mixed greens (mesclun)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, reduced until syrupy

To prepare the duck: Season the duck all over with salt and pepper. Put the duck in a deep saucepan or pot and cover with stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. Cook 1-1/2 hours, until the meat is falling apart. Cool in the stock, then drain, reserving the stock. Remove the skin and shred the meat. Toss the meat with the reduced veal stock, salt and pepper to taste, and herbs, and set aside.

To prepare the crepes: Combine all ingredients except the butter to make a thin batter; add more milk if necessary to make it as thin as heavy cream. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch non-stick saute pan over medium-high heat and pour enough batter into the pan to almost cover the bottom in a thin sheet. Tilt the pan to spread out the batter. Return to heat and cook until the edges of the crepe cook enough to pick up. Flip the crepe and cook on the other side until it just begins to color and the center is cooked through. Set the crepe aside; repeat to make at least 4 large crepes. Extra crepes may be frozen for future use.

To prepare the sauce: Put the sugar in a non-stick saute pan and cook over medium-high heat until the sugar melts and turns a golden caramel color. Add the berries and stir to coat. Slowly add the stock. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the berries are slightly softened and the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. Set aside.

To serve: Divide the greens among the plates, placing them off-center. Lay a crepe on a work surface and place a mound of shredded duck on one half of the crepe. Roll up the crepe into a cylinder. With a sharp knife, trim each end diagonally, then cut the crepe in half with a single straight cut. Stand one half upright, point up, next to the greens. Lay the other half beside the greens, point out. Spoon berry sauce over half the plate, and spoon a little over the horizontal portion of the duck crepe. Drizzle reduced balsamic vinegar over the greens and plate.

Frangipane Filling

2-1/4 cups (4-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 cups almond powder

4 whole eggs

3/4 cup flour

3 tablespoons rum

To prepare the frangipane: In the bowl of an electric mixer or food processor, cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the flour and beat to incorporate completely. Add the almond powder, and beat to incorporate completely. Add the rum and beat for 30 more seconds. Chill for 30 minutes.

(from the Pithiviers recipe)

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