Lacquered Squab W/ Gingered Cabbage and Fennel-Pear Puree

"Adapted from Lee Hefter, executive chef of Spago Beverly Hills. Verjus is a natural juice of seedless, unripened green grapes. Sichuan peppercorns are reddish pink and have a unique flavor. Once you make the various components, final prep and service are easy. And since the squab needs an hour of sitting in the rub, you can make the puree and the cabbage while the squab rests in its rub."
 
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Ready In:
2hrs
Ingredients:
23
Serves:
2
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ingredients

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directions

  • For the Sichuan pepper-salt:

  • In a small heavy-bottomed pot, slowly roast the salt and peppercorns over low-medium heat until very aromatic, about 20 minutes.
  • Cool; grind in a spice grinder and sift through fine sieve and set aside.
  • For the Fennel-Pear Purée:

  • Combine the fennel, pears, verjus, anise, sugar and salt in a heavy-bottom pot.
  • Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until everything is very tender, about 30 minutes.
  • Remove the star anise and purée in a high-speed blender until smooth.
  • Adjust the seasoning and pass through a fine sieve and keep warm until ready to serve (should be about i cup of puree).
  • For the Gingered Napa Cabbage.
  • Chop the cabbage and radicchio into 1-inch dice.
  • Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a medium skillet over low heat.
  • Sauté the cabbage, spinach and radicchio separately until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes each.
  • While the cabbage and radicchio are sautéing, use a mortar and pestle to reduce the ginger, garlic and scallions to a paste.
  • Return all the sautéed greens to the pan.
  • Add the ginger, garlic and scallion paste to the greens and cook until aromatic, about 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Add the raisins, vinegar, salt and sugar. Remove from the stove and dress with sesame oil (should be about 2 cups of the cabbage mixture).
  • For the Squab and assembly.
  • One hour before cooking, season the squab on both sides with the Sichuan pepper-salt (use as much as you like--at least 1/2 teaspoon).
  • Put the honey in a heavy-bottomed sauce pot and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes until it becomes reduced and thick. Set aside.
  • Grill the squabs, skin side down over high heat until golden brown and crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Turn; sear the other sides for 1 to 2 minutes and then rest the squab on a plate for 5 minutes (the squab will be medium-rare).
  • Brush the skin sides with a thin coat of warm honey.
  • Return it to the hot grill before serving to lightly caramelize the skin for 1 minute on each side.
  • Carve the squabs, slicing the breast meat.
  • On a serving platter, make a line of the hot fennel-pear purée from one end to the other. Arrange the gingered cabbage in the center and the carved squabs around it.
  • Arrange the legs standing up against the cabbage.
  • Sprinkle Sichuan pepper-salt on the sliced breast.
  • Dust the plate with Chinese 5-spice powder.

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Reviews

  1. This recipe is not as daunting as it would appear. I love that the ingredients are listed individually for each of the four components. Because we were five for dinner, obviously quantities had to be adjusted. (No hardship; my math is pretty good) Preparation of each component was made well in advance of the dinner hour, and that is the key to a successful outcome. Fortunately, these components lend themselves quite nicely to advance preparation. It was a simple matter of finishing each step just before serving. 1)The Fennel-Pear Puree reheats successfully. 2) The Napa Cabbage in combination with radicchio and spinach leaves creates a tasty red, white and green complement to an already deliciously crisp and tender squab. Following instructions at Steps 15 and 16 ensured this success completion. 3) I do not mess with other people's recipes because change creates a different outcome from what was originally intended. This time, however, while the honey was reheating, and just before brushing the squab skin, with the warm honey, I did add a dash of Chinese five spice powder to the honey and allowed the birdies to respond with crispness; I then sliced the breast meat accordingly and presented as instructed. 4) The serving platter is rectangular. I made a line of the hot Fennel-Pear Puree, from corner to corner creating 4 distinct divisions, for final assembly and presentation. One serving mound of the gingered cabbage and squab into each "division" and a fifth in the centre of the platter, with the squab legs standing up against each "mound" was appealing to the eye. Four guests and their hostess were absolutely delighted with your recipe, Chef Kate. Would I do this again? Definitely. Would I recommend this? Most assuredly. I hereby crown this recipe with 5 thumbs up! (only because that is the maximum allowed).
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p>I have always loved to cook. When I was little, I cooked with my Grandmother who had endless patience and extraordinary skill as a baker. And I cooked with my Mother, who had a set repertoire, but taught me many basics. Then I spent a summer with a French cousin who opened up a whole new world of cooking. And I grew up in New York City, which meant that I was surrounded by all varieties of wonderful food, from great bagels and white fish to all the wonders of Chinatown and Little Italy, from German to Spanish to Mexican to Puerto Rican to Cuban, not to mention Cuban-Chinese. And my parents loved good food, so I grew up eating things like roasted peppers, anchovies, cheeses, charcuterie, as well as burgers and the like. In my own cooking I try to use organics as much as possible; I never use canned soup or cake mix and, other than a cheese steak if I'm in Philly or pizza by the slice in New York, I don't eat fast food. So, while I think I eat and cook just about everything, I do have friends who think I'm picky--just because the only thing I've ever had from McDonald's is a diet Coke (and maybe a frie or two). I have collected literally hundreds of recipes, clipped from the Times or magazines, copied down from friends, cajoled out of restaurant chefs. Little by little, I am pulling out the ones I've made and loved and posting them here. Maybe someday, every drawer in my apartment won't crammed with recipes. (Of course, I'll always have those shelves crammed with cookbooks.) I'm still amazed and delighted by the friendliness and the incredible knowledge of the people here. 'Zaar has been a wonderful discovery for me.</p>
 
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