Sprintime Brunch :: Butternut Squash Clafoutis, Frangelico Whipped Cream and Hazelnut Praline Crunch

Butternut Squash Clafoutis

2 butternut squash – approximately 4 to 5 pounds total

5 eggs
¾ cup of sugar
½ cup of milk
½ cup of heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ of a scraped vanilla bean
Pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon of flour
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter - melted
1/3 cup of hazelnuts – toasted
2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar

One day ahead
Cut each squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Bake in a 350 degree oven, cut side down, for approximately 25 minutes or until squash is soft to the touch. Cool and scrape the flesh out of the skin.

Puree the squash in a food processor until smooth.

Line a sieve with a cheese cloth, and place the sieve in a larger bowl. Spoon the squash puree into the cheesecloth, and set in refrigerator overnight. Pass strained puree through a fine sieve. Measure 2/3 of a cup and reserve remaining puree for some other purpose.

Place eggs, ¾ cup of sugar, milk, heavy cream, vanilla, vanilla pulp and salt in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add squash puree and blend well. Add flour and pulse until combined.

Pass batter through a fine sieve and allow to rest for ½ hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Brush a 9 inch pie pan with melted butter and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar over the buttered pan. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts in the pan. Pour batter over the nuts.

Bake the clafoutis for 15 minutes, then lower the oven to 375 degrees. Bake until center is just set, approximately 12 minutes.
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Hazelnut Praline

1 cup of sugar
¼ cup of water
Pinch of salt
½ cup of toasted hazelnuts

Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Rub butter onto parchment paper to prevent the praline from sticking.

Bring sugar, water and salt to a boil swirling the pan to dissolve the sugar.

Continue to boil the syrup until in has a medium amber color.

Add hazelnuts and swirl pan to coat the nuts.

Pour onto prepared parchment paper. Allow to cool.

Break praline into medium sized pieces and pulse in a food processor until it is uniformly ground.
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Whipped Crème Fraiche

1 ½ cups of crème fraiche
1 ½ teaspoons of frangelico
Pinch of lemon zest
2 tablespoons of sugar

1. Whip crème fraiche and sugar until it holds a medium peak.

2. Add frangelico and zest.

3. Whip mixture until fully incorporated.

Recipes Courtesy of One Girl Cookies

Springtime Brunch Recipe :: Apple and Fennel Salad, Tea-Poached Salmon + Potato Cake

Photos by Karen Mordechai

Marcey Brownstein's second course at our Brunch was this delicious plate: a tart and yummy apple fennel salad, topped with a tea poached salmon and a potato cake with a fennel seed vinaigrette. deeelish, see all the recipes below.

Fennel salmon salad
For vinaigrette:
3 tb roasted fennel seed
1 tsp anise seed
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup white wine vinegar
Salt and black pepper
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1 ¼ cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients and let sit for 10 minutes. Whisk in oil and set aside.

For salad:
2 seasonal apples
1 fennel bulb with fronds
1 small red onion
¼ cup capers, well-drained
¼ cup chopped parsley
2 TB chopped chives
Juice of 2 oranges, zest of 1
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Peel and core apples. Pull a quantity of fronds from fennel, then clean bulbs. Peel onions and slice very thin. Slice apples and fennel bulbs on hand plane or mandoline. Toss with remaining ingredients and refrigerate.

For salmon:
4 each 4 oz portions salmon
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1 onion peeled and quartered
1 carrot peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery chopped
2 bay leaves
3 star anise
2 whole dried thai chili
4 TB lapsang souchong tea
2 TB salt
2 TB sugar
2 cups white wine
4 cups cold water

Combine ingredients and bring to simmer.
Place fish in perforated pan and settle into court bouillon, and lower flame. Poach gently for 8-12 minutes, or until cooked to taste.
Remove fish and allow to cool before handling.

For potato cake:
2 large potatoes
1 spanish onion
2 eggs
½ cup flour
Salt & pepper to taste

Peel onion and potatoes. Starting with the onion, grate both on a box grater, using the largest available side. Stir in eggs and flour, and season to taste. Pan fry in vegetable oil.

recipes courtesy of Marcey Brownstein Caterers

Springtime Brunch :: Brioche French Toast

Brioche french Toast, stuffed with Marscapone and Marmalade

For batter:
1 cup crème fraiche or sour cream
2 cups milk
6 eggs
1 oz brandy or…
2 TSP vanilla
½ cup sugar
2 tsp salt
Orange or lemon zest
Nutmeg

For toast:
6 slices bread 1” thick, with pocket cut from small hole on one side
6 oz mascarpone
8 oz marmalade

Combine all ingredients and whisk together until well-combined.

With jam and cheese in piping bags, fill each piece of bread, being careful to not over-fill, and keeping the ingredients within the pocket and away from the opening.

Dip each slice in batter and allow to soak thoroughly, then drain well.
On a hot griddle, begin by searing the opening, ensuring that it has cooked shut before continuing to cook until golden brown on both sides. Serve immediately.

recipe courtesy of Marcey Brownstein Catering

Photos by Karen Mordechai

Springtime Brunch :: an egg custard with pancetta crisp

Photo by Karen Mordechai

Our first recipe is an egg custard baked in a hollowed egg shell topped with pancetta crisp. This was served as an amuse bouche as guests were seated. It's a wonderful treat, looks so pretty on the table...and you can do it well in advance and keep in the fridge. if you're interested in learning how to cut off the top of an egg- check out these nifty cutters and this one for soft boiled eggs. enjoy !

Egg custard
1 pt heavy cream
½ cup roasted chicken fat
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
Whole peppercorn
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4 yolks
1 whole egg
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all except eggs and steep over low flame for 20 minutes.

Temper the egg mixture in.

Pour into shells, bake, covered, in bain marie for 20 minutes or until set.

recipe courtesy of Marcey Brownstein Caterers