A Top Chef Thanksgiving: Recipe du Jour

Top Chef Season 6 cheftestant Bryan Voltaggio's Sunchoke and Yukon Gold Vichyssoise with Applewood Smoked Salmon Caviar (appetizer)

INGREDIENTS

6 cups fish fumet
4 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
½ cup parsnips, diced
½ cup sunchokes, diced
¼ cup leeks, diced
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup cucumbers, brunoised
1 oz salmon roe, rinsed in salt water
12 plucks fresh dill
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fennel pollen

DIRECTIONS

1. Sweat parsnips, sunchokes, and leeks with olive oil in a pot for 15 minutes. Add potatoes and fish fumet. Simmer soup for 30 minutes. Puree in blender and pass through a fine sieve. Season and cool.
2. Smoke salmon roe using a smoking gun with applewood smoking dust.
3. Season brunoised cucumbers with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Finish with fennel pollen.

To Serve:
1. Place a spoonful of cucumbers in a bowl.
2. Top cucumbers with caviar.
3. Carefully pour soup into the bowl without disturbing the roe.
4. Garnish with dill.

© 2009 BRYAN VOLTAGGIO

A Top Chef Thanksgiving: Recipe du Jour

Top Chef Season 6 cheftestant Jesse Sandlin's Sweet Potato Soup with Ginger, Brown Sugar, and Cayenne Pepper (appetizer)


INGREDIENTS
5 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 quart heavy cream
1 quart water
Dash of ground cayenne
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine all ingredients in a stock pot and cook until potatoes are tender.

2. Transfer contents to blender and liquefy until soup consistency.

3. Strain through chinois and adjust seasoning.

To Serve:

1. Pour soup into a bowl.

© 2009 JESSE SANDLIN

A Top Chef Thanksgiving: Recipe du Jour

Top Chef Masters competitor Michael Schlow's Soup of Cabbage, Smoked Bacon, Fennel and White Beans (appetizer)


INGREDIENTS

1 pound bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 onion, finely diced
12 carrots, brunoise
3 celery stalks, diced
1/2 head of cabbage, cut into small pieces
1 head of fennel, cut into small pieces
3/4 of a gallon of chicken stock
1 teaspoon of rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon of thyme, chopped
2 cans of white beans, drained
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a large soup pot, over high heat, render the bacon. Once rendered, add carrots, onion, celery – cook for three minutes. Add cabbage and fennel. Sauté for 7-8 minutes, add seasoning and herbs and cook for 3 min, add stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Adjust seasoning. Add white beans. Serve.

A Top Chef Thanksgiving: Recipe du Jour

As a first course for your meal, how about trying one of the soup recipes we'll be posting over the next few days?

Top Chef Season 5 cheftestant Jeff McInnis's Apple and Fennel Soup with Blue Cheese Fig Custard (appetizer)


INGREDIENTS

SOUP
2 large shallots
2 handfuls fennel
Few sprigs thyme, sage
2 cloves garlic
3 Granny Smith apples
3 fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup cream
Salt and pepper

CUSTARD
3 egg yolks
1 cup cream
5 figs
1 1/2 ounces blue cheese
Pinch salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

SOUP
Slowly sweat shallot, fennel, apple, and garlic. Add wine and reduce by 1/2. Add chicken stock. Simmer on low and reduce by 1/2. Add cream and simmer with herbs. Puree till very smooth.

CUSTARD
Whisk yolks and cream. Crumble blue cheese. Cut the figs and season with salt and pepper. Mix all.

Place in rubber flex molds, sprayed with Pam. Bake in water bath at 300 degrees till custard sets, about 25 min.

Garnish with fennel fronds and slices of fig. Add brunoise green apple to soup for texture.

© 2009 JEFF MCGINNIS