Chef Kelly Cattani - November 2018
For this course prepare items in this order:
Pumpkin soup, then cracker dough, then roasted pumpkin and pumpkin puree, then bake crackers, then puree the soup
Pumpkin Soup (Alain Ducasse Recipe)
yield: 14 cups
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 onion, thinly sliced
3 leek (white part only), thinly sliced
3 pound sugar pumpkin, cut into small chunks and peeled
4.5 L chicken broth
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
In a medium stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and leek, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until they soften and begin to look translucent. Stir in the pumpkin and a dash of salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
Roasted Pumpkin with Fresh Herbs
1 lb pumpkin flesh, small diced
olive oil
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced fine
1 tsp garlic puree sugar salt and pepper
2 Tbsp flat leaf parsley, minced fine
Toss together diced pumpkin, garlic and rosemary. Add enough olive oil to coat, season with salt, pepper and sugar. Roast in 350*F oven for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Toss with minced flat leaf parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning. Hold hot until service.
Pumpkin Puree
1 lb pumpkin flesh, peeled and diced
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp cream cheese
Steam or boil pumpkin until completely soft. Puree with maple syrup, cream cheese, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Grain and Seed Crackers
1.75 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 cups all purpose flour
0.75 tsp salt
0.33 cups vegetable oil
1.5 cup tepid water
0.5 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1 Tbsp ground pumpkin seeds
1 tsp poppy seeds
2 Tbsp ground quick oats
Combine all dry ingredients. Make a well in center and add oil and tepid water. Gently incorporate wet ingredients into dry. Once dough has come together knead gently four times, wrap well with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 350*F. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. On a floured surface roll out one piece of the cracker dough very thinly (2mm thick approximately). Dock with two forks, or with a docker. Use a rolling cutter to cut the dough into squares. Transfer it to parchment paper lined baking sheets. Dab each square with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds or coarse salt (or poppy seeds or everything spice, etc) and bake 15-20 minutes or until the crackers are golden brown and crispy.