Squab With Pears Recipes

SQUAB WITH MUSHROOMS AND PEARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Mix together bacon, pear and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper.
• Rinse and dry squabs. Rub with butter. Stuff cavity of each with 3 sprigs thyme, 3 sage leaves and a clove of garlic. Place in baking dish and roast for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 degrees and roast 10 minutes more. Remove from oven. Wrap each squab in foil to keep warm.
• Stir wine into baking dish, scraping the bottom. Spread the mushroom mixture into the baking dish and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in stock. Increase oven temperature to 475 degrees. Unwrap squabs and place them on top of the mushroom mixture. Return the baking dish to the oven for 5 minutes.
• Remove squabs to a cutting board. Spread mushroom mixture, including any juices in the pan, on a warm serving platter. Using poultry or kitchen shears, or a sharp heavy knife, cut the squabs in quarters. Arrange on the platter and garnish with thyme sprigs.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND PEAR SOUP

Steps:

• In a 4-quart saucepan melt the butter over medium-high heat, and add and sweat the onions. Add squash and pears and sweat those too a bit. Pour in the stock, enough to submerge solids. Add sprig of rosemary and bring to a simmer and cook until squash is fork tender about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove rosemary. Puree with immersion blender. Add a touch of cream and season, to taste.

SQUAB WITH PEARS

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven, and heat to 500 degrees. In a saucepan just large enough to hold pears in one layer, bring chicken stock, red wine and red wine vinegar to a boil. Add pears in one layer, and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through. Take 2 pear halves, and cut into chunks. Keep remaining pears covered to keep warm. In a blender, puree chunks with poaching liquid.
• Bring 1 3/4 cups of water to a boil. Add bulgur, and return to the boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover pan, and cook 15 minutes.
• While bulgur is cooking and pears are poaching, rub each squab with pear brandy, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place squabs in a roasting pan, and roast for 16 to 17 minutes, or until juices run clear.
• Drain any remaining water from bulgur, fluff with fork, stir in butter, and allow it to melt. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• When squabs are roasted, remove to a platter. If pears have cooled, reheat in microwave for 2 minutes. Place roasting pan on stove over medium heat. Pour in 1/3 cup water, and boil, scraping up any browned bits on bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in pear puree and cardamom, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in scallions. Spoon some sauce over birds and bulgur, and pass the rest.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & PEAR SOUP

Steps:

• Cut squash in half; discard seeds. Place squash cut side down in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 40-50 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly; scoop out flesh and set aside., In a Dutch oven, saute onion in oil until tender. Add the curry, garlic, ginger and salt; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, pears and squash. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Cool slightly., Puree soup using an immersion blender. Or cool slightly and puree soup in batches in a blender until smooth. Return all to the pan; add cream and heat through. Top with balsamic vinegar and chives if desired.

LACQUERED SQUAB W/ GINGERED CABBAGE AND FENNEL-PEAR PUREE

Steps:

• 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.