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Butternut Squash
Soup
with Coconut and Ginger
In Hawaii we
often use kabocha squash, a Japanese variety, to make this luxurious soup;
butternut squash is a good alternative and perfect for a holiday dinner. Fresh
ginger provides the spark in this silky soup. Serves 8.
5 pounds butternut
squash
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
1 medium onion,
finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 tablespoons ginger, finely
minced
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
6 cups vegetable stock
Toasted
coconut for garnish
Preheat oven to
350°F.
Cut the squash in half lengthwise; remove the seeds. Place the squash
on a baking sheet, cut side up. Rub the insides of each half with 1 tablespoon
of butter. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the squash, uncovered, for about
one hour or until tender. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Scoop out the
squash into a bowl. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, melt the
remaining butter.
Add the onion, shallots, and ginger and cook until the
onions are wilted. Add the cooked squash, coconut milk, and vegetable stock.
Reduce the heat
to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Using an immersion stick, puree the soup
until smooth. If using a blender, puree in small batches, returning it to the
saucepan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve,
ladling into soup bowls and garnishing with toasted coconut. Serves
8.
Pineapple
Fried Rice
In Hawaii, fried rice topped with an egg is a favorite
breakfast dish, but it is also tasty alongside turkey or roast beef, especially
with fresh pineapple for a touch of sweetness. Chinese sausage, also known as
lup cheong, a sweet-savory sausage, can be found in Asian markets. Serves
6
7 tablespoons
peanut oil
1/2 cup peeled and finely diced pineapple
1/4 cup sliced water
chestnuts
2 tablespoons peeled and finely diced carrot
2 tablespoons
peeled and finely diced fresh ginger
1/4 cup thinly sliced Chinese
sausage
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup green peas
3 cups cooked white
rice, cooled
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly ground black
pepper
In a large sauté
pan, heat the peanut oil over high heat until smoking. Add the pineapple, water
chestnuts, carrot, ginger, sausage, onion, and peas, and stir fry for 3 to 5
minutes. Add the rice, salt and pepper, and continue to stir fry for 3 minutes,
until the rice is heated through. Spoon into a warm serving bowl and serve.
Serves 6.
Hawaiian Salt Encrusted Beef Tenderloin
Encrusting a beef
tenderloin with salt seems to seal in the juices. In Hawaii, we like to use a
coarse sea salt, especially a salt mixed with a red clay from Kauai known as
alaea; any coarse sea salt would be a good alternative.
Lemon grass is an
aromatic used especially in Southeast Asian cuisine. Be sure to use the bottom
six inches of the stalk; it is best chopped finely with a knife instead of a
food processor. Hoisin sauce is a distinctive Chinese sauce available in Asian
grocery stores.
1/2 cup finely
chopped aromatics to include cilantro, chives, basil, lemon grass, ginger,
garlic
1/2 cups red alaea
salt or coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
1 4-pound
choice or prime beef tenderloin, trimmed, preferably the
thick center cut of the tenderloin
3 tablespoons hoisin
sauce
Hoisin
Demi Glace Sauce
3 cups rich veal or beef demi glace
1/4 cup hoisin
sauce
1/2
cup plum wine
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
In a small bowl, mix
together chopped aromatics and salt and pepper.
Place the beef
tenderloin on a baking sheet and brush with the hoisin sauce. Coat the
tenderloin with the salt and aromatic mixture, pressing mixture onto the beef.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate beef for 3 to 4 hours.
Preheat oven to
400°F.
Place the beef on a
roasting rack in a roasting pan. Using aluminum foil, make a tent to lightly
cover the meat (this keeps the coating from burning). Roast the beef for about
35 minutes. When thermometer inserted into the center registers 125°F (rare),
remove from the oven. Let beef rest
for 10 minutes; then slice and serve with
hoisin demi glace
To prepare the
sauce: In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine the demi glace, hoisin
sauce, plum wine, and chopped ginger. Heat the sauce for 10 to 12 minutes.
Strain through a fine sieve into a sauce boat and
serve with beef. Serves
8.
This rich and
earthy bread pudding could take the place of
dressing for a Thanksgiving turkey or it could be just the perfect side dish to
a prime rib roast. Either way, the
fresh herbs and savory cheesiness will no
doubt please holiday diners.
1 1/2 pounds
shiitake mushrooms
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive
oil
1
tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger,
finely chopped
2 teaspoons lemon grass, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil
cut into fine chiffonade*
Salt and pepper to
taste
5
eggs, large
3 cups half and half
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon
parmigiano reggiano cheese
1/4 cup fontina cheese,
shredded
3/4
teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
6 cups crustless 1-inch cube
cut sour dough bread
1 tablespoon chives,
chopped
Preheat oven to
350°F. Using 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, lightly butter an 8 x 8 x 2-inch
glass baking dish.
To prepare the
mushrooms, remove the stems and slice each mushroom into thirds. In a large
sauté pan over medium high heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and
olive oil. Add the mushroom in batches and cook
until browned. Return all the
mushrooms to the sauté pan, and add the garlic, ginger, lemon grass, and basil
and cook one minute, stirring to blend. Remove the mushrooms from the pan to a
bowl, saving any liquid in a small cup. Season with salt and pepper to
taste.
In a large bowl
with a whisk, blend together the half and half and eggs and any leftover liquid
from the mushrooms. Add the 1/4 cup parmigiano and fontina cheeses and salt and
pepper. Add the bread cubes and let stand for 15-20 minutes, allowing the bread
to soak up the liquid. Stir in the
mushroom mixture. Pour into a baking dish.
Bake until lightly browned and puffy, approximately one hour. Remove from the
oven and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of parmigiano cheese and the chopped chives.
Serves 8 to 10 as a
side dish.
Sweet Potato
Haupia Pie
In Hawaii, we have
a deep purple-hued sweet potato that is very sweet and dense. We like to mash it
like regular potatoes, eat it like a snack, or best of all, use it in desserts
like this one. Yellow or orange sweet potatoes will do nicely, too. Haupia, a
Hawaiian coconut pudding is an
all time favorite and is especially good with
sweet potatoes in this festive dessert.
Crust
1 1/2 cups all
purpose flour
1/8 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup unsalted
butter
1 cup
macadamia nuts, finely chopped
Purple Sweet Potato
Layer
2 cups
purple sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup whole
milk
1
teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter,
room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
Haupia
Layer
1/2 cup
sugar
1/2
cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cup water, tepid
24 ounces coconut milk,
canned or frozen
Preheat oven to
350°F.
In a bowl, mix
together the flour and sugar. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until
mixture resembles medium-size crumbs. Add macadamia nuts and mix well. In a
greased 13x9-inch baking pan, press the mixture evenly on the bottom of the pan.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly
browned. Remove from the oven and set
aside to cool; keep the oven at 350°F.
Cook the sweet
potatoes in a large pot filled with water; bring to a boil over high heat. Cook
potatoes until tender (a sharp knife easily pierces through the potato cube).
Drain the potatoes in a colander. Combine the milk, vanilla, and salt in a bowl;
add the cooked potatoes and whip
until smooth
In another bowl,
using an electric mixer on low speed, cream together the butter and sugar. Add
the eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Add the whipped sweet potatoes and blend
together for 30 seconds on low speed to mix well. Mixture should be the
consistency of pancake batter. Pour mixture onto cooled crust and bake in oven
for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
For the haupia
topping, combine the sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Add the water and with a
whisk, stir until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved. In a medium-size sauce
pan, warm the coconut milk over low heat. Stirring constantly, add the
cornstarch sugar mixture to the warmed coconut milk and continue to cook over
low heat until mixture is thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon,
approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool
until lukewarm. Pour the
coconut mixture over the sweet potatoes. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Cut
into squares to serve. Makes 12 servings.
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