Chez Pascal's Recipes

On Saturday night, the Maloney family officially opened the new kitchen with a meal prepared by local Providence chef Matthew Genusso of Chez Pascal.

Here are a few items from the menu: Potato and Fennel Gratin; Butternut Squash Bisque with Brown Butter and Brioche Croutons; Chicken and Apple Stuffing; and Profiteroles.

Try Chef Genusso's recipes:

Chez Pascal's Potato And Fennel Gratin
Serves 8-12

Ingredients
2 Tbls. unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing the gratin dish
1 Head fennel, sliced thin
1 Medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
4 cup Half and Half
Pinch Nutmeg
4 pounds of Potatoes — preferable russet potatoes — peeled and sliced 1/8" thick rounds.
1/4 Tsp. black pepper

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place oven rack in center of oven.
• Generously rub the bottom and sides of a shallow 2-3 qt. gratin dish with softened, unsalted butter and set aside.
• Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add the butter. Heat until all of the butter has melted.
• Add the sliced fennel, onion and season with salt. Cover and allow to sweat for 5-10 min or until the vegetables become opaque.
• Add the chopped garlic and cook, uncovered, until aroma.
• Add the cream and nutmeg and bring to a boil.
• Add in sliced potato, then bring back to a boil and allow to thicken slightly. Be sure to stir mixture occasionally to prevent the potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning. And season with the black pepper.
• Pour the thickened mixture into prepared gratin dish and bake, uncovered for about 1 hour to 1- 1/4 hours. When finished, the top should be nicely browned.

Ingredients
2 Large Butternut Squash
4 Tbl. butter
1 Onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small head of fennel, thinly sliced
1 leek — white part only – rinsed, dried and thinly sliced
2 1/2 - 3 quarts low sodium chicken broth (store bought)
1/4 cup brown butter, room temperature
1/8 cup honey
1/4 cup heavy cream
Method:

• 
  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Wash and dry butternut squash and slice in half lengthwise.
• Remove the seeds and season the inside with a little salt and pepper. Place sliced side up on a baking sheet lined with foil, and bake until squash becomes very tender. This should take about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the squash. This is something that can be done a day or two in advance.
• Once roasted, allow the squash to cool and remove the flesh from the skin and set aside. Discard skin.
• Place a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and cook until melted.
• Add the onion, fennel and leeks and cook slowly until very tender. It is a good idea to use a lid or tinfoil in order to keep the steam from escaping. This helps develop flavor in your soup.
• Once the vegetables have released some of their moisture (sweat) and they begin to tenderize, add in your butternut squash, cover the saucepan and cook over low flame for 8-10 minutes. This will draw out any excess moisture in the squash.
• Remove the lid, add in the chicken stock and bring soup just up to a boil, allowing it to simmer for 1 hour to 1 hour and a half.
• Add the brown butter, honey and heavy cream. Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth and creamy. Garnish with croutons that have been toasted in butter and enjoy.

Ingredients
4 Tbl melted butter (equivalent to 1/4 pound)
2 cup Minced carrots, celery and onions (approximately equal amounts of each)
1 pound fresh chicken — apple sausage links (or your favorite fresh sausage)
1 Tbl. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 Tbl. fresh thyme, finely chopped
3 tsp minced garlic
6 cup white bread, diced and air dried overnight (good brand is Pepperidge Farm)
1 /4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cup low sodium chicken broth
Method:

• Place a medium-sized sauté pan over low heat.
• Add the melted butter and cook until heated.
• Add the vegetable mixture and the sausage links. (If you prefer, remove the casing from the sausage links first.) Cover the pan and cook slowly — the goal is to cook the vegetables while simultaneously poaching the sausage so that the flavors will blend as they cook.
• Check the sausage with a meat thermometer and cook until the thermometer reads 165 degrees.
• Add the chopped herbs, remove the sauté pan from the heat and let cool.
• Once cooled, finely chop the sausage to approximately the same size as the minced vegetables and place in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the minced garlic, dried croutons, parmesan cheese and chicken broth.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reserve stuffing until you are ready to stuff the cavity of your bird.

Ingredients
1 cup Water
7 Tbls. (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter,
3 Tbls. sugar
1 1/4 cup (5 ounces) all purpose flour
4 large eggs
Egg white of 1 large egg
Egg yolk of 1 large egg
Method:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place oven rack in center of oven.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the water, butter, salt and sugar and bring to a boil. Mix well to combine and add all of the flour at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon.
• Reduce the heat to medium and continue to stir the mixture, moving it back and forth across the bottom and up the sides of the saucepan to remove the excess moisture- mixture will soon form into a ball.
• Stir for approximately 2 minutes, until a small film begins to appear on the bottom of the pan and the mixture appears to start to stick ever so slightly to the bottom of the pan — this is an indication that all of the moisture has evaporated.
• Immediately transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat for about 30 seconds at medium speed to cool slightly. Add the first 4 eggs one after the other and continue to mix until completely combined and the batter has a smooth, silky texture.
• Stop the machine and lift up the beater to check the consistency of the batter. When ready to use, the batter should be just stiff enough to form a peak with a tip that falls over. If the batter is too stiff, beat in the egg white. Check the batter again and, if necessary, add the remaining egg yolk.
• Fill a pastry bag with batter. If you do not have a pastry bag, make one by using a large Ziploc bag, sealing the top after filling the bag with batter and cutting a small hole in one of the bottom corners.
• Pipe the batter into 1 tbls. mounds on the baking sheets, leave about 2 inches in-between each. The profiteroles will expand as they bake so you do not want to place them too close together. Bake for about 7-8 minutes until they puff up.
• Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 20 - 25 minutes to allow the profiteroles to dry on the inside. When done they should be golden brown.
• Place the profiteroles on a rack to cool before using. When cooled, slice the profiteroles in half lengthwise.
• Place a scoop of ice cream over the bottom of the profiterole and add the top. Cover with your favorite chocolate sauce and whipped cream.