Recipe of the Week

[John]

Each week, Bravo's going to feature a recipe from the show.

This week's is:

Harold's Steamed Thai Snapper
http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/Epis...ode_1/Recipes/

INGREDIENTS

Meat
1 piece Red Snapper

Sauce
1 butternut squash
2 piece garlic
2 shallots
2 oz. butter

Vegetables
3 oz. brussel sprout leaves
1 oz. rock Shrimp
1 oz. chanterelles
1 teaspoon chives 1 teaspoon parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

Roast butternut squash for 15 minutes at 375°. Sweat garlic and shallots. Add squash meat. Cover with chicken stock and simmer 10 minutes. Blend and add butter.

Sweat brussel leaves till golden brown, add shrimp and chanterelles. Cook 2 minutes. Add parsley and chives.

Steam snapper for 5 minutes.

[Mariner]

Cool. That sounds really good.

[corprip]

Sweet.

But I'm not sure where "Thai" comes in.. is it the silky butternut squash sauce?

[John]

Here's this week's recipe:

Miguel's Dessert: "The Total Orgasm"
INGREDIENTS NEEDED

1 pt. fresh strawberry
10 sprigs of mint
5 ripe mangos
1 box tapioca
1 can coconut milk
1 bunch thyme
1 block of milk chocolate (16oz)
1/2 block of bittersweet chocolate
2 tbsp. of cayenne pepper
3 tbsp. ground and 2 sticks of cinnamon
2 qt. of heavy cream
16 large eggs
1 qt. milk
1 lb. butter
1 bunch cilantro
1 cup powdered sugar
1 lb and 2-1/4 tsp. granulated sugar
1 cup water
20 oz flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. grounded ginger

INSTRUCTIONS

For the hot hot chocolate:
(serve cold)

1. Chop the milk chocolate bar and place in small pot.
2. Add 1 qt. of cream, cinnamon sticks, 1/2 qt. milk.
3. Bring to a simmer and stir consistently. Let it sit over night in cooler.

Cut strawberries in a small dice and use the mango scraps and puree it.

Lemon-thyme cream puff (tarts and titis)

Pate a Choux (the puffs)
1 Cup Water
2-1/4 tsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2.5 oz. butter
20 oz. flour
4 large eggs


Combine butter with water, sugar, and salt. Melt over gentle heat, and bring to rapid boil. Off heat, add flour and beat until mixture forms a ball and comes away from sides of pan. Add eggs one at a time.

Pipe and bake 20 minutes at 375°, 20 minutes at 300° until firm and brown. Remove from oven, puncture and return to turn off oven for 10 minutes to dry.

For the cream
Lemon juice 10 oz
4 thyme sprigs
1 lb Sugar
6 whole eggs
6 egg yolks
9 oz butter

Combine lemon juice, thyme, sugar, eggs, yolks and gradually heat over a double-boiler (bain-marie). Whisk to custard consistency. Remove from heat, add butter, whisk until smooth. Chill.

For the hot (spicy) whipped cream
1 qt. Heavy cream
3 Tbsp. of cayenne
2 Tbsp. of cinnamon
1/2 powder sugar

Combine all ingredients and whip it.

Mango pillows (the asian bed)
Follow the box recipe for tapioca pudding, substituting coconut milk for milk

Add cinnamon, cilantro, and ground ginger

Thin slice the mango on a Japanese slicer, fill the thin slices of mango with pudding. Fold like an egg roll and tie with a piece of chive.

Passion fruit gelee
2 cups of passion fruit juice
1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch and water

Cook first three ingredients in a small pot and then add the last ingredient. Bring to a boil.

[waywyrd]

Damn. I gained five pounds just reading that recipe.

[Dinahann]

It would take me two days just to make it.

[Allie]

Sweet.

But I'm not sure where "Thai" comes in.. is it the silky butternut squash sauce?

My husband lived in Thailand when he was in the Peace Corps, so I sent him the recipe because I didn't think it was Thai either. This is his response:

"No butter in Thailand - only farangs drink milk, and they think cheese is disgusting.

Don't ever remember seeing brussel sprouts there...

Other items are commonly used, though, including snapper, butternut squash, garlic, shrimp, muchrooms, including chanterelles and shallots.

still weird, no fish sauce, no soy."

[corprip]

That's interesting.. I wouldn't have guessed butternut squash is used very much in Thailand. Harold is almost using a misnomer, unless the consistency of the sauce, or somehow the composition of flavors, suggest Thai. But it may be as much BS as Stephen's "seared to the fourth power" schtick.

[SnowflakeGirl]

Okay, I am part Thai, and my dad owned a Thai restaurant for many years, and while Harold's snapper sounds delicious, there is nothing at all in that recipe that suggests Thai to me.

It sounds fairly simple to make though, and like something I could easily make at home, whereas with Miguel's dessert recipe, it was labor enough just reading the damn thing. I would never go the trouble to make that thing myself; but I guess that's what going to restaurants is for!

[Allie]

Okay, I am part Thai, and my dad owned a Thai restaurant for many years, and while Harold's snapper sounds delicious, there is nothing at all in that recipe that suggests Thai to me.

It sounds fairly simple to make though, and like something I could easily make at home, whereas with Miguel's dessert recipe, it was labor enough just reading the damn thing. I would never go the trouble to make that thing myself; but I guess that's what going to restaurants is for!

me too.

I leave the complicated stuff to my neighbor, who used to be a professional chef ... she's the reason I've gained 5 pounds!