Harvest Foods Gourmet Club

“Foods of the Harvest”

Gourmet Club September 2007 Recipes
Kyndra and Alicia

Asparagus and Prosciutto Crostini with Fonduta
For Fonduta:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 pound Italian Fontina cheese,* rind discarded, cut into 1/4-inch dice (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup milk
2 large egg yolks
Four 1/2-inch-thick slices from a large round crusty loaf of bread (about 8 to 9 inches across)
1 large garlic clove, halved crosswise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto
3/4 pound thin asparagus, trimmed and lower 2 inches of stalks, Peeled

Make fonduta:

In a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water melt butter. Add Fontina and milk and heat, stirring with a whisk, until cheese begins to melt. Whisk in yolks and cook, stirring constantly with whisk, until smooth and thickened slightly, about 7 minutes.
Remove pan from heat and remove bowl from pan. Stir sauce 1 minute while water in pan cools slightly. Return bowl to pan and keep sauce warm over hot water (off heat), whisking occasionally to eliminate skin that forms on surface.

Preheat broiler. On a baking sheet toast bread about 3 inches from heat, turning, until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Rub tops of crostini with cut side of garlic and brush with oil. Season crostini lightly with salt. Divide crostini among 4 plates and top with prosciutto.

In a deep 10- to 12-inch skillet bring 1 1/4 inches salted water to a boil and cook asparagus until crisp-tender, about 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus with tongs to a colander and drain. Divide asparagus among crostini. Pour fonduta over them.

Pumpkin potato soup:
1/2 onion, chopped
2 Tb salted butter
2 cups of chicken broth*
1 15oz can of pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups of mashed potatoes (recipe to follow)
1 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1-2 Tb brown sugar
salt and pepper
3 Tb heavy cream

Saute onion with butter in a saucepan. Add the chicken broth, pumpkin, and mashed potatoes and combine and bring to a slow boil. Add in garlic, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice. Transfer soup to a blender in small batches and blend until smooth, returning to pan. Simmer soup and add in cream, salt, pepper and brown sugar in small increments until it is to your liking, or even additional cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice.

* using a homemade or freshly made broth from the store makes a big difference in soups. Using a canned broth doesn't give you as much control over the flavor and doesn't work well with this recipe.

Wheat Sheaf Bread
1 Package (2 ¼ tsp.) Quick-rise Yeast
3 ½ - 4 Cups Unbleached Bread Flour
1 Cup Lukewarm Water
2 tsp. Salt
1 Tbls. Vegetable Oil
1 Egg beaten with 2 tsp. Water for glaze

In a large bowl or electric stand mixer, combine the yeast, ½ cup flour and the lukewarm water. Let stand until bubbly, about 10 minutes. Stir in the salt, oil, and 2 cupt more flour until well combined. Gradually stir in another 1 cup of the flour to make a soft dough that holds its shape.
Knead by hand or with a dough hook, adding flour as necessary. Knead by hand until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes; knead by hook until dough is not sticky and pulls cleanly from the bowl sides, 6-7 minutes.
Form the dough into a ball and place in a clean, greased bowl, turning to grease all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 60-75 minutes.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and press flat. Divide into thirds and form each portion into a ball. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Grease and flour a heavy baking sheet (can be used upside down if not large enough).

To Make the Wheat Sheaf Base: Roll out 1 ball of dough into an oval, 12 inches long and 9 inches wide. Cut away a small rectangle 2 by 3 inches at the base of the oval, forming a tall mushroom shape. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
Placing the “stalks”: Cut the second ball of dough in half. Set aside one-half to use for the “tie” and roll out the other half into a rectangle ¼ inch thick. Cut into thin strands and roll them into thin ropes. Brush the lower third of the sheaf’s prepared dough base with egg glaze and arrange the dough strands on top like stalks of wheat, pressing gently into the base to secure the stalks.
Cutting the”ears”: Roll out the third ball of dough about ¼ inch thick and cut out 1-inch diamonds. If desired, make small slices on the sides of the diamonds to more closely resemble ears of wheat. Brush the upper section of the base with egg glaze and arrange the ears in rows starting at the top, overlapping the edges of the base slightly. Press each diamond in gently to ensure they will be secure after rising and baking.
“Tying” the sheaf: Cut the reserved ball of dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 10 inches long and braid tightly as for a braided loaf. Place the braid across the stalks at the narrowest part of the base. Tuck the ends underneath the base to secure.
Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise until puffy, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F.
Brush loaf with remaining egg glaze. Bake until well risen and golden brown, 35-45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Makes 1 22oz. loaf.

Crispy Apple Shallot Puffs
1 Package of puff pastry dough
2 TB unsalted butter
10 medium shallots, thinly sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup apple cider
1 granny smith apple, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Heat butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add shallots and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add remaining sugar, and cook until shallots begin to brown, about 4 minutes. Raise heat to high, add1/2 cup of cider, and cook until liquid has been absorbed, about 2 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup of cider and the apple and cook until liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt and thyme. Remove from heat and cool.
Roll out pastry dough until thin. With a round cookie cutter, cut out 12 circles. On 6 circles place a heaping tablespoon of the mixture. Place a pastry circle over the apple mixture and seal sides of both dough circles together by pressing down firmly. Cook dough at the package direction temperature until golden brown, approximately 15 minutes (but watch closely) Serve as an appetizer or along side mixed greens.

Carrot Ginger Mashed Potatoes:
3 cups mashed potatoes (recipe to follow)
3 cups pureed carrots
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 large fresh ginger root to yield 1-2 TB of ginger juice

Boil 3-4 large pealed carrots chopped until completely tender. puree carrots in a food processor.
Grate fresh ginger and press all the juice out of the mixture and separate it from the pulp.
Combine 3 cups of carrot puree with 3 cups of mashed potatoes and combine until smooth. Add in salt and ginger. Begin with only 1 TB of ginger juice and add more to your liking. 2Tb should be plenty. Adjust salt seasoning as desired.

Mashed potatoes for the above recipes:
7 large Yukon gold potatoes, pealed, cubed
1.5 sticks salted butter, melted
4 oz evaporated milk
Boil potatoes until completely tender throughout. Drain potatoes and transfer to a mixing bowl. Beat potatoes and butter until fully mashed. Add in the evaporated milk gradually to make silky soft potatoes that still hold their shape, but not runny potatoes. More or less milk may be used.

Roasted Winter Squash with Asparagus, Gorgonzola, and Apples
Serves: 4-6
1 medium butternut squash, or other winter squash (about 1-1/2 pounds), rinsed, peeled, and cut into 1-inch wedges
2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ Pound Asparagus, cut into 1-inch wedges
½ Gala, Macintosh, or other red crunchy apple, cut into small pieces (almost diced)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

1/2cup slivered almonds, toasted

While peeling and preparing squash, lightly toast slivered almonds on broiler for 2 minutes – remember to set a timer! Then, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush a roasting pan lightly with some of the butter. In a medium bowl, toss the squash with the remaining butter and season with the salt. Spread out on the pan and roast for about 25 -30 minutes. Meanwhile, steam asparagus until just cooked (should be slightly crunchy still). Transfer the squash to a serving dish, season with pepper to taste and sprinkle with the cheese, apples, asparagus, and almonds while still hot. Serve, enjoy!

Blackberry Sorbet
3/4 cups sugar1 cup water
1 1/2 pounds frozen unsweetened blackberries, thawed, juices reserved2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
16 fresh blackberries and Mint sprigs for garnish

Stir sugar and 1 cup water in small saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil 1 minute. Transfer syrup to large bowl. Chill until syrup is cold, about 3 hours.
Working in batches, puree blackberries with juices and cold syrup in blender until smooth. Strain into another large bowl; discard seeds. Stir in lemon juice.
Process berry mixture in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer sorbet to container; cover and freeze until firm, about 6 hours. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep frozen.)
Garnish with fresh blackberries.

Pumpkin Fettuccine
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 cups semolina flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 large eggs

Combine the all-purpose flour, semolina flour, spices and salt in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse to combine. Add the pumpkin, oil and eggs. Process in rapid pulses just until a coarse mixture forms. Turn dough onto a board dusted with semolina flour. Knead until the dough is a smooth ball, not sticky, but not dry. Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill for an hour or up to a day in the refrigerator.

Using an electric pasta maker or a hand crank pasta maker, roll dough out and make into fettuccine noodles.
Boil noodles for 4-5 minutes and drain, cover with sage brown butter sauce.
(this recipe makes about 8 entree size servings, so I usually cut the ball of dough in half after chilling, and save half for the next day.)

Sage brown butter sauce (this recipe makes enough for half of the pasta)
1.5 sticks salted butter
1/4 coarse salt
30 sage leaves, cut in half length wise
+6 ginger snap cookies, crushed into crumbs

While pasta is boiling, melt the butter with the salt and sage leaves. Stir constantly. The butter will begin to foam, keep stirring until the butter turns a light brown color, but before the milk solids start separating and falling to the bottom (if this happens quickly remove from heat and cool the bottom of the pan so the solids don't burn). The sage leaves will get crispy during this process.
When the pasta is drained, pour the butter sauce into the pan the pasta was in, put the pasta back in the pan and coat completely with the sauce. Separate into bowls and top generously with crushed up ginger snap cookies.

Marbled Pumpkin and Chocolate Cheesecake with Brownie Crust
Crust:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick/2 oz/56g) unsalted butter
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Cheesecake:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 - 1 ½ cups canned pumpkin puree
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions:1. Make the Crust: Preheat the oven to 325°F (160 C). Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the chopped chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove the melted chocolate mixture from the heat and let it cool slightly, then stir in the sugar and the lightly beaten egg until blended. 2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the melted chocolate mixture. Spread the batter in the prepared springform pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake for 10 minutes, or until risen and dry to the touch. Let cool completely. Wrap the outside of the pan in a large sheet of foil. Leave the oven on. 3. MAKE THE CHEESECAKE: In a medium glass bowl, melt the chopped chocolate in a microwave oven on high for about 1 minute, stirring halfway through. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well between additions. Beat in the cornstarch and vanilla. Add 1 ½ cups of the cheesecake batter to the melted chocolate and stir until well blended. Beat the pumpkin puree and the cinnamon, mace and ginger into the remaining cheesecake batter. 4. Pour three-fourths of the pumpkin cheesecake batter over the brownie crust. Pour the chocolate batter on top of the pumpkin cheesecake batter. If the chocolate batter is too thick to
pour easily, heat it in a microwave oven on high for 10 seconds. Spoon the remaining pumpkin cheesecake batter on top of the chocolate batter. Use a table knife to make a few decorative swirls: Do not overswirl. 5. Set the springform pan in a medium roasting pan. Add enough hot water to the roasting pan to
reach halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake the pumpkin cheesecake in the hot water bath in the center of the oven for 50 – 60 minutes, or until it is firm around the edges but slightly jiggly in the center.
Turn the oven off, prop the door several inches open and let the cheesecake stand in the water bath in the warm oven for 1 hour, or until it is completely set. 6. Remove the marbled pumpkin cheesecake from the water bath and refrigerate it until thoroughly chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the foil and springform pan ring from the cheesecake. Carefully transfer the cheesecake to a platter, cut into wedges and serve. Makes 12 servings.