First things first. When choosing one of the more involved recipes from "Fresh from the Market," toss away all expectations of the trendy dinner-on-the-table-in-30-minutes-or-less thing. Plan instead on a few hours in the kitchen, maybe half a day of prep, perhaps a day of building up the gumption to actually attempt to pull off Aromatic Stuffed Suckling Pig.
But it's refreshing to read a cookbook that doesn't concern itself with speed. "Fresh from the Market: Seasonal Cooking with Laurent Tourondel" [Wiley, 2010; 336 pages; $35], is the foodie's affirmation that good-tasting things come to those who wait.
Tourondel's "Fresh from the Market," with persuasive, impossibly perfect photographs from Quentin Bacon, celebrates the seasonal, the artisanal, the local. The book is broken down into Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter, with recipes encompassing a sunrise breakfast, the cocktail hour, and dinner through dessert.
Certainly not all recipes are hours-long investments; Tourondel's spring and summer offerings are generally quicker how-to's with seasonal ingredients: Poached Halibut in Heirloom Tomato and Lemon Balm Water or Grilled Skirt Steak with Mustard and Caramelized Spring Onions.
It's the rich, more involved recipes that boost the book to a different level, though: My Dad's Hare Civet with Tourtou; Cauliflower and Rock Shrimp Risotto with White Truffles; and Roasted Berkshire Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Salsify, Apple, Brussels Sprouts and
Apple Cider Jus.
"Fresh from the Market," for that reason, is a nice match for holiday meal planners, who a few times a year happily jettison fat concerns for mouth-watering decadence. Tourondel makes it even easier with proposed menus for the major holidays.
Here are some of his Christmas Eve offerings. If you're on the receiving end, consider your chef's time in the kitchen as the ultimate gift:
Braised Dover Sole with Mousserons, Sunchokes and Riesling Nage
Serves 6
Sole
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
3 Dover sole, 1 pound each, skin and head removed, filleted
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry Riesling
1/4 cup fish stock
1/4 cup vermouth
6 large sunchokes, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup mousseron mushrooms, cleaned and stemmed
2 tablespoons finely diced shallots
Nage
3 tablespoons dry Riesling
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped chives
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
The Sole
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the butter over the inside of a large roasting pan to coat.
2. Season sole with salt and pepper and arrange in pan in even layer. Pour the Riesling, fish stock, and vermouth around the fish.
3. Scatter the sunchokes, mousserons and shallots around fish, making sure they don't cover top of fish or it will cook unevenly. Cover pan with aluminum foil and place on the stovetop over medium heat just until the liquids come to a simmer, about 2 minutes.
4. Transfer the pan to the oven and braise until the fish is white and flaky and just beginning to pull away from the bones, about 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully uncover the pan, taking care not to get a steam burn.
the nage
1. Transfer the sole to a plate.
2. Pour braising liquid from roasting pan into a medium saucepan and simmer over medium heat until sunchokes are tender, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the Riesling, cream, butter, chives, and lemon juice.
3. Gently simmer for 1 to 2 more minutes, making sure not to break the nage.
Serve
1. Remove sole fillet from the bones. Arrange 2 fillets on each of 6 plates. Spoon the nage over the fillets and serve.
Note: Dover sole are flatfish found in the eastern Atlantic and prized for their mild and buttery flavor. It is not the same as Pacific sole, which is actually flounder.
Banana Split Bombe Glace with Chocolate Sauce
Serves 6
Special Equipment
6 1/4-inch bombe mold or 6 1/4-inch metal bowl
Bombe
2 1/2 cups Vanilla Ice Cream
1/3 cup maraschino cherries, chopped plus one whole cherry
1 1/2 cups Chocolate Ice Cream
1 cup Banana Ice Cream
Chocolate Sauce
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup heavy cream
Make the bombe
1. Place a 6"Š 1/4-inch bombe mold or 6 "Š1/4-inch metal bowl in the freezer for 20 minutes.
2. Using a rubber spatula, spread vanilla ice cream evenly over bottom and sides of the mold to create a uniform 1/2-inch-thick layer. Place mold into the freezer until the ice cream begins to harden, about 20 minutes.
3. Remove mold from the freezer and spread the chopped maraschino cherries evenly over the vanilla ice cream and freeze for an additional 20 minutes.
4. Repeat the process with the chocolate ice cream, then with the banana ice cream. Freeze until all the ice creams harden completely.
Make the chocolate sauce
1. Bring the sugar and 6 tablespoons of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in cocoa powder until mixture reaches smooth consistency. Bring mixture back to a boil. Stir in cream.
3. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens, about 40 minutes.
To serve
1. Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip the bombe mold into the water for 30 seconds so the ice cream loosens from the sides of the mold. Unmold the bombe by inverting it onto a serving plate, then remove the mold and garnish with the whole maraschino cherry.
2. Rinse a knife with warm water and slice the bombe into 6 wedges, rinsing the knife after each cut. Serve with the hot sauce on the side or drizzled over the top.