Celery Root and Apple Soup with Raw Oyster and Applewood Smoked Bacon

Serves 2 with leftovers

Ingredients:
Celery Root 2 lbs. Peeled, Large Diced

Granny Smith Apples 1 Apple Peeled, cored, and quartered

Chicken Stock 2 qt.

Heavy Cream 1 pt

Slab Bacon Cut into ¼” dice, and browned in a pan. (Apple Wood if possible)

Butter 1 stick

Raw Oyster 2, shucked and rinsed under cold water

Salt and Pepper To taste

Method:
1)Heat butter in large pot over medium heat. When melted, add celery root. Sweat for 5 minutes, Stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper
2)Add Chicken stock and an equal amount of water. Bring to boil over high heat, and reduce flame to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until celery root is fork tender.
3)Add apples and allow to cook for another 10 minutes.
4)Add cream and bring back to boil.
5)Working in batches, transfer to a blender and blend on high until smooth. Serve in shallow soup bowls.
6)Remove oysters from shell and 1 oyster in the center of each soup with the plum side facing up.
7)Arrange bacon pieces in soup.
Serve Immediately.

Pan-Roasted Squab with Sautéed Foie Gras and Grapefruit Reduction

Serves 2

Squab - 1 whole

Grapefruit Juice 1 cup

Pomegranate Juice ¼ cup

Canola Oil 2 T

Duck Foie Gras 2 slices, fresh, raw

Salt and White Pepper To taste

Method:
1)Using a sharp knife remove the breasts from the squab, making sure to leave the wing bone attached to the otherwise boneless breast.
2)Remove the wing tips from that wing bone by forcefully chopping down on the joint.
3)Remove the legs and thighs at the joint attaching thigh to the carcass.
4)Combine the grapefruit and pomegranate juices in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and allow to reduce by 2/3.
When reduced, turn off heat and set to the side.
5)Preheat oven to 500°
6)Heat large pan over high heat.
7)Score the foie gras with a sharp knife in a criss-cross pattern on 1 side. Season both sides very generously with salt and pepper.
8)Season the squab slightly less generously.
9)Heat small non-stick or cast-iron pan over high heat.
10)Add oil to the large pan. Carefully lay the squab down in the pan, skin side down. Allow to brown.
11)When the small pan is super hot, carefully add foie gras to dry pan. It will smoke quite a bit. Turn over squab when skin is golden brown.
12)Turn over foie gras when deep dark brown (about 1 minute).
13)Place both pans in oven. Allow the foie gras to cook for 45 seconds. Remove foie gras from oven and place on a paper towel.
14)Allow the squab to cook another 1 ½ minutes after the foie gras. The squab should be quite rare.
15)Plate decoratively skin side up and scored side up of the squab and foie gras respectively. Serve with spicy greens. Top with grapefruit/pomegranate reduction.

Fallen Chocolate and Hazelnut Souffle Cakes with Velvety Raspberry Coulis

Make 8 4oz. cakes
Ingredients:
Unsalted Butter 2 T Melted

Sugar ½ cup + 2T

Ground Hazelnuts 1 cup

Unsalted Butter softened 1 stick

Unsweetened Chocolate 2 oz.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate 2 oz.

Eggs 6 separated

Bread Crumbs 1 cup

Raspberries 3 pints

Lemon Juice 2 T

Confectioners' Sugar 1 T
Method:

1)Melt Chocolate over double boiler.
2)Preheat oven to 350°
3)Brush the sides of 8 4 oz. aluminum cups or heart shapes cake molds with melted butter and coat them with the 2T of sugar.
4)Cream the softened butter in mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat in the melted chocolate.
5)Add egg yolks one at a time while running machine.
6)In another bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy and add the remaining sugar gradually. Continue to whip until soft peaks form.
7)Whisk a little egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest of the egg whites.
8)Fold in the nuts and the breadcrumbs.
9)Fill the cups 2/3 full, then place them in a pan and pour very hot water into the pan until it reaches ½ way up the cups.
10)Bake for 30 minutes. While baking, combine the raspberries, lemon juice and confectioners' sugar in a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer.

11)Remove cakes from oven and unmold onto plate. Top with velvety raspberry coulis.

You can make these up to 1 day in advance and store them tightly covered in the refrigerator in the molds. To reheat, place in 300 degree oven for 5 minutes.