Cream of Butternut Squash Soup

Cream of Butternut Squash Soup
with Roasted Apples and Crispy Prosciutto

Recipe courtesy of Chef Al Levinsohn

Serves 8

Ingredients:

½ C unsalted butter

¾ C all-purpose flour

1 C pureed, roasted butternut squash

¼ C minced yellow onions

¼ C minced celery

6 C chicken stock, heated

1 C half & half

1 T fresh thyme leaves ½ t ground nutmeg

To taste: ground white pepper

Kosher salt to taste

Heat butter in a heavy gauge 4-quart stockpot over medium heat. Add squash puree, celery and onions. Sweat in butter until tender. Add flour and mix into a smooth roux. Cook roux over low heat until it begins to shine. Add hot chicken stock and bring to a light boil, stirring vigorously to break up roux and form a smooth consistency. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until flour taste is gone (approximately 30-45 minutes.) Add cream, thyme, nutmeg and season to taste with salt and pepper. Strain soup through fine strainer, pressing vegetables against mesh to remove all their flavors. Return to low heat until ready to serve. Thin as needed with chicken stock.

Recommended garnish options:

Ground toasted hazelnuts or chestnuts, pan-roasted apples or pears, or crisp bacon or strips of prosciutto ham. These should be added to each bowl of soup individually just prior to serving, or at the table.

Gorgonzola Fondo
Recipe courtesy of Chef Al Levinsohn

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 C cream cheese

¾ C gorgonzola cheese

¼ C shredded parmesan

½ C heavy cream

¼ C chopped roasted garlic cloves

2 T white wine

Combine in mixer until well blended. Heat in a shallow baking dish or ramekin until brown and bubbly, at 400° for 15-20 minutes depending on depth of casserole. Serve with toasted bruschetta, french bread or crackers. Goes great with apples, grapes or similar fresh fruits.

Chef Al’s Gumbo
Recipe courtesy of Chef Al Levinsohn

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 C vegetable oil

1 ½ C flour

¾ C bell peppers, diced

¾ C onions, diced

¾ C celery, diced

1 lb andouille sausage

1 lb chicken thigh meat, diced

6 C chicken broth

To taste: gumbo seasoning (recipe follows)

1 lb large shrimp

2 C steamed rice

Green onions, minced, for garnish

Gumbo Seasoning

1 T cayenne pepper

1 T white pepper

1 T black pepper

1 T thyme

1 T basil

In a large cast-iron dutch oven or heavy-gauge soup pot, heat oil until it begins to smoke. Add flour and immediately begin stirring. Be careful as the flour will create steam when it comes in contact with the hot oil. Continue stirring constantly, scraping sides and bottom of pot to be sure no black specks appear. If black specks appear in the roux, you must start over. It should be smooth with consistent color throughout. Cook roux to the color of an old penny. Remove from heat and add vegetables. Be careful as they will produce a lot of steam. Sweat vegetables in roux until tender. Add sausage, chicken and hot chicken stock. Bring to a full boil and reduce to a simmer, skimming foam as necessary. Simmer for about 45 minutes to cook out taste of flour. Season to taste with gumbo seasonings, adding a small amount at a time until desired heat leavel is achieved. Just prior to serving, add shrimp and cook just until shrimp are firm (approximately four minutes.) Serve with steamed rice and fresh chopped scallions.

Oysters Casino
Recipe courtesy of Chef Al Levinsohn

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Rock salt

24 Alaskan oysters, shucked and on the half shell

¼ C unsalted butter, softened

1 T shallots, minced fine

1 T garlic, minced fine

¼ T celery, minced fine

¼ C green pepper, minced fine

¼ C grated Parmesan

¼ C plain bread crumbs

1½ T fresh lemon juice

2 T chopped parsley

Kosher salt to taste

Fresh-ground black pepper to taste

24 par-cooked bacon strips, cut into one-inch squares

Melt butter over low heat. Add shallots, garlic, celery and peppers. Cook over low heat until tender. Remove from heat. Add bread crumbs, parmesan, lemon juice and parsley. Season to taste with kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line the bottom of an oven-proof baking dish with rock salt about ½ inch deep. Place oysters on rock salt to keep upright. Divide mixture evenly over oysters. Top mixture with bacon. Bake in oven until bacon becomes crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Serve hot!

Flourless Chocolate Cake
Recipe courtesy of Chef Al Levinsohn

Ingredients:

1 lb bittersweet chocolate

8 oz butter, unsalted

8 whole eggs

Melt chocolate and butter over double broiler. Whip eggs until tripled in size, light and fluffy. Fold 1/3 eggs into chocolate/butter mixture, then fold in the rest. Pour into buttered, lined 8-inch cake pans. Bake at 325˚ in a water bath for 45 minutes. The cake will still be jiggly. Let sit for 10 minutes in water, then transfer to the fridge to cool overnight. Remove from pan and enjoy!