LOCAL CHEFS UPDATE HOLIDAY FARE

Produced by Linda Lacina Photos by Rosh Sillars

Traditions rule during the holidays. Even the most adventurous cook hesitates to stray from the stuffing passed down from her grandmother or the yams topped with marshmallows that the family insists she serve. Despite the demand for time-honored fare, there is room for updates and exploration. We’ve asked two metro detroit chefs for ways to modernize the thanksgiving menu.

BOWLED OVER

Nic Sims got her start as chef after quitting her job as a high-end Internet project manager. She attended culinary school at Schoolcraft College and today is owner of Skip to My Roux, an Ann Arbor company that offers culinary services and cooking classes.

PUMPKIN CHIPOTLE BISQUE WITH GINGER CREAM AND CIDER HONEY

Serves 6-8

Sims’ pumpkin bisque is adapted from a recipe passed on to her by colleague Dan Hugelier and offers the simple alchemy of flavors that inspired her to become a chef in the first place.

Make ahead and store in pint-sized containers in your freezer for an easy, microwavable lunch.

The bisque can also be made with butternut squash that is either freshly roasted, or cubed and boiled in broth. Be creative!

For the bisque

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 4 cups organic chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 29-ounce can pumpkin purée, or equal quantity fresh roasted pumpkin pulp
• 1 14-ounce can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chipotle sauce (or adobo sauce from chipotles in adobo – found in the international/Mexican aisle of most grocers)

Directions

Sauté onion in olive oil in saucepot until translucent. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add pumpkin purée, condensed milk and salt. Bring back to just bubbling. Add chipotle sauce to taste – 1 tablespoon will give you mild heat, one more will make it kick! Allow mixture to cool a bit before processing with a hand blender or in a standing blender.

If the texture isn’t perfectly smooth, call it “rustic.” But for an elegant, super smooth bisque, press through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth after processing.

For the ginger cream

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon confectioner’s sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

Combine ingredients in bowl and whip with electric whisk until soft peaks form. Keep refrigerated or make just before using.

For the cider honey

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 gallon high-quality apple cider (Sims gets hers at Dexter Cider Mill.)

This “honey love” improves a myriad of dishes for the season. Use it to garnish soups, baste onto meats before grilling or roasting, or just spread on a cracker or toast.

Directions

Pour cider into large sauce pot. Bring to a boil, then lower heat just enough so that it doesn’t boil over the sides of the pot, but is still vigorously bubbling. Skim off the froth from the solid bits of apple floating to the surface by carefully dragging a ladle around the sides of the pot. Careful and continuous skimming is the key to a clear finished product. If you boil the pot of cider just off-center of your heat source, the bubbles on the one side of the pot will push the apple film to the other, making it easier to skim off the surface. Be careful to avoid mixing the film back into the liquid. Keep skimming and boiling until the cider is reduced to 3⁄4 cup.

Strain cider into smaller sauce pot through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Bring back to boil, reduce heat to medium to achieve a constant, yet gentle bubbling. You may need to skim one or two more times, but you will begin to see the golden, rich color of the honey as it condenses. (Sims calls this “honey love.”) When about half a cup remains, pull immediately from heat – be careful to prevent from burning. Store leftover honey in a small plastic container in the refrigerator. To revive its viscosity, simply reheat in microwave.

To assemble

Ladle soup into bowl. Garnish the center of the soup with a teaspoon-sized dollop of ginger cream. Dip another teaspoon in warmed cider honey and drizzle it around the cream on the surface of the soup for a gorgeous effect.

Print: 3x5 4x6

SWEETS FOR THE SWEET

If anyone is qualified to take on Aunt Edna’s apple pie, it’s Brenda Hallberg. Not only is Hallberg a Schoolcrafttrained chef, she also teaches baking at the school’s renowned culinary school. And (lucky for us) she’s getting ready to open her own bakery and café – Rustique – mid-November in Northville. Hallberg shared her culinary skills to create a sweet ending to any daylong holiday feast.

PUMPKIN CUSTARD WITH MOLASSES COOKIE

For the pumpkin custard
Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cups fresh or canned pumpkin purée (Hallberg prefers fresh-roasted pumpkin purée.)
• 1⁄4 cup light corn syrup
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1⁄2 cup evaporated milk
• 1⁄2 cup scalded milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the sugar, salt, and spices. Add the pumpkin purée and mix. Add the corn syrup, eggs, melted butter, evaporated milk, and scalded milk.Mix until ingredients are incorporated. Butter ramekins and pour custard in dishes and bake until set, about 25 minutes.

For the ginger-molasses cookie garnish
Ingredients

• 1 2⁄3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1⁄2 cups butter
• 3⁄4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1⁄2 cup molasses
• Granulated sugar for coating

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Have butter and eggs at room temperature. Cream together butter and brown sugar. Combine the eggs and molasses. Add the egg mixture slowly to the butter mixture; scrape down bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients – flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Add this mixture to the butter/egg mixture and incorporate. Scoop dough into 1⁄2-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar. Bake until cookies set and appear cracked on the tops.

To assemble
Pipe a small rosette of whipped cream on the top of the pumpkin custard and place two of the small molasses cookies in the whipped cream.

AUTUMN APPLE COBBLER WITH WHISKEY SOAKED CHERRIES, SERVED WITH CINNAMON CREME ANGLAISE

For the spice mixture
Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 cup bread flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients together and set aside.

For the cobbler filling
Ingredients

• 7 cups diced Granny Smith apples
• Pineapple juice (to keep apples from
• turning brown)
• 1 cup tart dried cherries
• 1⁄2 cup whiskey
• 1 cup spice mixture

Directions
Peel, core, and dice apples. Drizzle a little pineapple juice on them to prevent them from turning brown. Place the cherries in a bowl with the whiskey and enough warm water to cover. Let set for 30 minutes or until plump. Drain. Drain juice off of apples. Combine the apples and cherries. Add the spice mixture and toss to coat. Pour mixture into a 2-quart buttered casserole dish.

For the streusel topping
Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter, room temperature
• 2⁄3 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 1⁄3 cups flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together butter and sugars for about 20 minutes. The sugar will be almost dissolved in the butter; mixture should be light and fluffy in appearance. Combine the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture. Rub together until coarse crumbs are formed. Top the cobbler with the streusel and bake until bubbly and browned, about 45 minutes to an hour. Note: You may have some extra streusel. Hallberg recommends freezing it to use for future baking/dessert purposes.

For the Cinnamon Creme Anglaise
Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 pint half and half
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 6 egg yolks

Directions
Place cinnamon in a coffee filter and tie with string to make into a pouch. Split vanilla bean in half. Place half and half, cinnamon bag, and vanilla and sugar in a saucepan. Heat to a simmer. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks.Whisk in the half and half mixture quickly (otherwise eggs will cook). Place mixture in a double boiler and bring mixture to 185 degrees or until it coats the back of a spoon.

To assemble
Serve Cinnamon Creme Anglaise on top of warm cobbler.