Red Yam Flan
Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger
The Border Grill
Los Angeles CA

Flan is a traditional Southwestern dessert, one of the many dishes of Spanish derivation now part of the repertoire. Pureed yams impart a vibrant color to the usually pale dish, as well as boosting the flavor and texture. The flan can be made up to 4 days in advance and kept chilled in the refrigerator, tightly covered with plastic wrap. Yellow yams may be substituted.

Serves 6 to 8

2 or 3 red yams (about 1-1/3 pounds total weight, to yield 1-1/2 cups puree)
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
8 eggs
2 egg yolks
One 14-ounce can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 cup half-and-half
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Scrub the yams and bake for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, depending on size, until they are soft. Remove from the oven and let cool enough to handle. Peel the yams, cut into chunks, and puree. You will need 1-1/2 cups of yam puree. Leave the oven on.

While the yams are baking, prepare the caramel: In a small, heavy saucepan, bring the sugar and 1/4 cup of the water to a boil over high heat, washing down any crystals which form on the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Do not stir. Watch the syrup; when it turns golden brown and is bubbling furiously, pour it into the center of a 9-inch flan pan or souffle dish. Swirl the syrup around the bottom and partially up the sides of the pan to coat. Pour any remaining syrup back into the pot, add the remaining 1/4 cup of water, and bring the syrup back to a boil. Set aside.

Beat the eggs and egg yolks in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients along with the cooked yam puree and beat well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared flan pan and place the flan pan in a larger baking pan. Pour boiling water into the baking pan half-way up the sides of the flan pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until firm throughout. Do not overbake.

Remove from the water bath, cool to room temperature, then chill.

To serve: Unmold the flan by running a knife around the edge of the flan, placing a serving plate on top of it, and inverting it onto the plate. Rap on the counter to loosen the flan if necessary. Pour or blot any excess juice and serve with the caramel.

Krostule (Fried Christmas Cookies)
Klara Cvitanovich
Drago’s
Metairie LA
From the video “An International Holiday Table”

Makes 4 large platters of cookies

Bourbon and dark rum flavor of these crisp, fried traditional cookies. The cookies can be stored, tightly covered, for 2 to 3 weeks.

6 eggs
2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 tablespoons bourbon
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
6 tablespoons sugar
10 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
Juice of 1 lemon
Oil for deep-fat frying
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, or a mixer, combine the eggs, whipping cream, oil, vanilla, rum, and bourbon. When well blended, beat in the butter. Add the sugar and beat until light and creamy.

Sift 5 cups of flour with the baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Stir the butter mixture into the flour, Knead the dough by hand, adding flour as necessary, until the dough is not sticky and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.

Continue to knead about 6 minutes, adding flour, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into four pieces.

Working with the individual pieces, work in additional flour if the dough is still somewhat sticky. Rub each piece with lemon juice and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Roll the dough, one piece at a time, into thin sheets on a floured surface. With a pastry or pizza wheel, cut the dough into strips, stars, flowers, or other shapes. Twist or braid strips if desired.

In a deep heavy pan or deep fryer, heat the oil to 370 F. Test the temperature with a piece of dough: If the oil is hot enough, the dough will rise quickly to the surface. With a slotted spoon or spatula, add the krostule to the pan a few at a time. When they float, turn them and fry just until golden brown. Remove with a slotted utensil and drain on paper towels. Dust with confectioners’ sugar while warm. The krostule may be stored, tightly covered, for 2 to 3 weeks.

Cranberry-Apricot Relish
Bobby Flay
Mesa Grill
New York NY

Makes 4 to 5 cups

Chef Flay serves this as an accompaniment to his Ancho-rubbed Game Hens, but it´s wonderful with turkey, chicken, or pork. The tart cranberries and tangy dried apricots are a stellar pairing.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 minced seeded jalapeno chilies
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
4 cups (1 pound) fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
2 cups fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
8 ounces dried apricots, cut into julienne
1 tablespoon curry powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the jalapenos, onion, ginger, and 2 cups of the cranberries and cook for 5 minutes, or until the cranberries have popped.

Increase the heat to high, add the orange juice, brown sugar, and honey, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the apricots, curry powder, and seasonings. Mix well and remove the pan from the heat. Pour the relish into a shallow non-aluminum container and let cool at room temperature. Pour the mixture into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. The relish will keep up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

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.

Seafood Kabobs
Alvarado Catering
Kansas City MO

Expand your grill-abilities with seafood. These kabobs combine shrimp, scallops, and mushrooms, marinated in barbecue sauce. One change from grilling meats: lightly oil the grill to prevent sticking (seafood has much less natural fat than meats).

Serves 8

3/4 cup honey
1/4 cup natural stone ground mustard
One 32-ounce bottle K.C. Masterpiece barbecue sauce
2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound large sea scallops
1 pound whole button mushrooms

Combine the honey, mustard, and barbecue sauce. Beginning and ending with shrimp, alternate the shrimp, scallops, and mushrooms on metal or wooden skewers (if using wood, soak in water for 15 minutes before using to prevent burning). Place the loaded skewers in a flat shallow dish and cover with the marinade. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, 12 hours to overnight.

Before placing the skewers on the grill, make sure the seafood and mushrooms are well-coated with marinade. Lightly grease the grill to prevent sticking, then cook the kabobs 7 to 8 minutes directly over medium-hot coals. Turn the kabobs a couple of times during cooking, and baste with additional marinade. Test for doneness with tongs; when the seafood has firmed up, remove the skewers from the grill and serve.

Sauteed Daurade with French Beans, Cepes, and Eggless Bearnaise Sauce
Roland Liccioni
Carlo´s
Highland Park IL

Elegant, delicious, yet still a simple preparation: daurade fillets are sauteed, then finished in the oven and served over slender French green beans with a Bearnaise sauce which uses no eggs and spoonfuls of sauteed cepe mushrooms. Daurade, also called dorado, is a delicate fish well-suited to sauteing.

Serves 4

Yellow Tomato Coulis
4 yellow tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Sugar to taste

Eggless Bearnaise Sauce
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
5 ounces yellow tomato coulis (above)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon minced tarragon

French Beans
2 cups French or baby green beans

Cepes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces cepe mushrooms
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Daurade
4 tablespoons unsalted butter or 1/4 cup olive oil
Four 4-ounce daurade fillets, skin on

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Garnish
4 tarragon sprigs

To make the coulis: Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spread the tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast 8 to 10 minutes, until softened. Remove and taste for sweetness; adjust with sugar. Puree in a blender and strain through a fine-meshed sieve. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour; the coulis may be made a day ahead.

To make the sauce: Combine the shallot and vinegar in a small saute pan and cook over medium heat until the shallot is softened and the liquid has reduced to the consistency of syrup. Stir in the yellow tomato coulis and continue cooking until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, a little at a time, until melted and incorporated.

To prepare the French beans: Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and add the beans. Let the water return to a boil and cook about 3 minutes; remove from heat, drain, and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

To prepare the cepes: Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat and saute the mushrooms until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

To prepare the daurade: Preheat the oven to 450 F. Heat half of the butter or olive oil in a medium saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add two of the daurade pieces, skin-side down, and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and set aside. Repeat with the remaining butter or olive oil and daurade. Place the daurade fillets in a baking pan or ovenproof skillet and bake until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from oven.

To serve: Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat and warm the beans in the butter. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat and warm the cepes. Rewarm the sauce and whisk in the chopped tarragon. Divide the beans among the plates, placing them in the centers of the plates, and top each with a daurade fillet. Spoon sauce around the daurade. Place spoonfuls of cepes in the sauce. Garnish each plate with a tarragon sprig.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta

Bryce Whittlesey

Wheatleigh

Lenox MA

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Creamy panna cotta has a brighter flavor when made with buttermilk. Chef Whittlesey suggests increasing the gelatin powder to 2 teaspoons in hot weather.

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Makes nine 2.5-ounce timbales

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1-1/2 teaspoons gelatin powder

2 tablespoons cold water

1-1/4 cups heavy (whipping) cream

1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon sugar

1-1/4 cups buttermilk

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9 round butter cookies, or 18 long, thin butter cookies

9 mint leaves

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Rub the insides of nine 2-1/2 ounce timbales lightly with canola oil. Blot away any excess.

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Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the cold water in a small stainless steel bowl. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes, until softened.

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In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the cream and sugar to a boil. Stir in the softened gelatin until it is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the buttermilk. Blend until very smooth with a hand blender. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve into a large cup with a spout. Skim off any foam. Pour into the prepared molds. Place on a baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and chill at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. The panna cottas can keep 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator.

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To serve: Place a timbale to one end of a long dish. Place a round butter cookie, or criss-cross two long, thin butter cookies, at the other end. Roll a mint leaf and insert into the center of the panna cotta. Repeat for each serving.

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Alternatively, round butter cookies can be trimmed to fit exactly over the top of each timbale, then the timbales can be unmolded onto plates, turning the butter cookies into bases. Insert a rolled mint leaf into the top of each.

Chocolate Plastic

makes 1-1/4 pound; will decorate 2 or 3 desserts, depending on size

16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

2/3 cup light corn syrup

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Remove from heat and dry the bottom of the chocolate pan thoroughly. Stir in the corn syrup. Spread a layer of plastic wrap over a work surface and pour the chocolate out onto half of the wrap, spreading it about 1/4inch thick with a spatula. Fold the other half of the wrap smoothly over the chocolate and let cool.

To use, divide into fourths. Put one fourth of the chocolate plastic in plastic wrap and dust lightly with sifted cocoa powder. Pound with a rolling pin to warm it and make it pliable. Shape into a 4-inch-long cylinder, then roll the cylinder into a four-inch square. Dust lightly with cocoa powder again. Roll thin with a rolling pin by putting the chocolate plastic inside two sheets of plastic wrap and rolling it out. Or, run through a pasta machine until very thin. These thin sheets may be stamped into discs or other designs, gathered into ruffles, rolled into cigarettes, or shaped into flowers.

Pastry

Pie Crust

Makes one 9-inch pie, or two 9-inch pie shells

2-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup vegetable shortening

5 to 6 teaspoons ice water

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut half of the shortening into the flour. Cut the remaining half of the shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the ice water 1 teaspoon at a time, mixing it in lightly with a fork. As soon as the dough holds its shape, stop adding water and gently gather the dough into a ball with your hands. Divide the dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.

When ready to use, preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Unwrap one of the balls of dough and press it down with the heel of your hand to flatten it slightly. Lightly dust a rolling pin with flour and roll the pastry into a circle 1/8-inch thick and 2 inches larger than the pie pan. Roll the pastry around the rolling pin, place the rolling pin across the pie pan and unroll the pastry into the pan. Press it gently into the bottom and sides of the pan. Trim any extra pastry from the pan rim.

For a 2-crust pie: Repeat the process to roll out the top crust, and fill and seal the pie according to the recipe directions.

For a pie shell: Flute the edge of the dough by pinching and twisting it with your fingers. Prick the bottom and sides of the dough liberally with a fork. Line the pie shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and weight with dried beans or pie weights. Repeat with the remaining ball of dough.

For a fully baked shell: Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until just lightly browned.

For a partially baked shell (to be baked again with the filling added): Bake the shell for 5 to 7 minutes, or until just set and barely colored.

Fish

Select the freshest fish available. Look for fish with bulging, not sunken, eyes, and a sweet fresh smell (shark and skates, exceptions to the rule, will actually have a slightly ammoniated smell when very fresh). Store fresh fish in the coldest part of the refrigerator, even wrapping in plastic wrap and placing on ice chips if necessary. Lean fish keeps longer than fatty fish, but in no case keep it longer than two days. Freeze fish immediately to keep it longer. Do not freeze fish which has already been frozen.