Thanksgiving Recipes from Laurent Tourondel

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
November 8, 2010

Fresh From The Market
by Laurent Tourondel and Charlotte March
(Wiley, 2010)
$35

Chef Laurent Tourondel of the BLT Restaurants recently released Fresh From The Market: Seasonal Cooking with Laurent Tourondel and Charlotte March, which contains recipes that promote eating seasonally and locally.

Fresh From The Market provides several options just in time for the autumn holidays. Here are two delicious recipes from the cookbook to spruce up your Thanksgiving menu: “Butternut Squash Soup with Foie Gras & Wild Mushroom Crostini” and “Granola-Cranberry Tart with Mandarin Sorbet.”

Butternut Squash Soup with Foie Gras & Wild Mushroom Crostini
This is not your average butternut squash soup. The spices add fragrance and heat while the mushrooms and foie gras add a depth and richness, making this a new classic.

SERVES 6

Soup
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced shallots
1 fresh thyme sprig
2 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds each), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 cups Chicken Stock (page 303)
1 ½ cups heavy cream
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crostini
1 small baguette, sliced into six 1/2-inch-thick slices
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, finely chopped
3 small porcini mushrooms, trimmed and finely chopped
6 ounces black trumpet mushrooms, trimmed and finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons heavy cream
8 ounces foie gras, cut into medium dice
3 tablespoons Vermont Butter and Cheese Company crème fraîche, for garnish

Make The Soup
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and thyme and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the squash and cook until it just begins to soften, 10 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and continue cooking, covered, until the squash is very tender and can be cut with a spoon, about 20 minutes. Remove the thyme.

Add the cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Purée the soup in a blender in 2 batches, then pass the soup through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean medium saucepan.

Make The Crostini
Preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Drizzle the crostini with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and broil until golden brown, about 1 minute.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Add the porcini and black trumpet mushrooms and garlic and sauté until the mushrooms are golden brown and softened, about 8 minutes. Add the sage and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream.

Season the foie gras with salt and pepper. Heat a medium pan over high heat.

Once the pan is very hot, sear the foie gras on all sides, about 45 seconds on each side.

Drain the seared foie gras on a plate lined with paper towels, and then fold it into to the mushroom mixture.

To Serve
Top each crostini with 2 tablespoons of the mushroom mixture. Rewarm the soup and divide it among 6 soup bowls. Garnish the soup with a generous spoonful of crème fraîche. Serve immediately with the crostini on the side.

Quentin Bacon

Granola-Cranberry Tart with Mandarin Sorbet
This tart is perfect for a dinner party because the granola and compote can be made ahead during the day and the tart can easily be assembled just before serving. I love the contrast of the sweet, soft cranberry compote and the crunchy, slightly salty, granola.

SERVES 6

Special Equipment
9-inch tart pan with removable bottom
Pie weights or dried beans
Cranberry Compote
2 pounds fresh strawberries, roughly chopped
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups dried cranberries
1 tablespoon orange zest

Dough
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons ice cold water
½ teaspoon white vinegar
1 ½ cups My Favorite Granola (page 299)
Mandarin Sorbet (page 313)

Make The Compote
Combine the strawberries, sugar, and 1 cup of water in a medium saucepan and gently cook over low heat until all the juices from the strawberries are released, about 15 minutes. Pour the compote through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean saucepan and discard the solids. Heat the liquid over low heat and whisk in the cornstarch, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Pour into a large bowl and stir in the cranberries while the liquid is still hot. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight or for at least 6 hours.

Make The Crust
Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, and salt in the mixer bowl at medium-low speed. Slowly add the butter and mix until pea-size lumps form.

Add the shortening and mix until coarse grains form. Add the water and vinegar and mix until the dough is smooth and uniform. Form the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/8-inch-thick round.

Fit the dough into a 9-inch round tart pan and trim any excess dough from around the edge of the tart pan.

Line the dough with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pastry weights. Bake until the crust is golden brown and completely cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Assemble The Tart
Preheat the oven 325˚F. Remove the compote from the refrigerator and set it aside to come to room temperature.

Stir the orange zest into the compote. Fill the tart shell with the compote and cover the top evenly with granola.

Bake until the compote is bubbling and warm and the granola is crisp, about 15 minutes.

To Serve
Serve the tart warm or at room temperature with the sorbet.