Posted by Lebanon Daily News, PA on November 06, 2008 at 12:30:49:
Chef Cooks Up Winning Soup
By ALLETTA SCHADLER
Lebanon Daily News
For the second consecutive year, Chef Nick Hostetter took top honors at the Hershey Soup Cook-Off. Last month more than 400 hungry soup fans attended the fifth annual contest, which is sponsored by the Hershey Partnership, an independent nonprofit organization. Proceeds benefit the Hershey Volunteer Fire Co.
Each of the almost 50 cook-off competitors — professional chefs and nonprofessional cooks alike — brought at least six quarts of soup to be tasted. Fans voted for their favorite soups in four categories. There were also special challenge categories for employees of local financial institutions and members of local volunteer fire companies.
Ever since the cook-off began, the top prize has gone to a Lebanon County chef. Last year, Nick Hostetter, then–sous chef at the Lebanon Country Club, where he had worked for three years, won first place with his Carolina Seafood Soup. This year, Nick, who has been the executive chef at the Blue Bird Inn in Cornwall since July, won again with Sweet Corn and Asparagus Chowder.
I visited with Chef Nick last week at the Blue Bird Inn and, as luck would have it, Sweet Corn and Asparagus Chowder was on the menu. I had a bowl for lunch and I can tell you that it is very tasty. Also, it’s not complicated and doesn’t take hours to prepare. I have added the recipe to my to-do notebook. I think you might like to try it too.
I asked the Nick, a Cedar Crest High School graduate who majored in culinary arts
and restaurant management at York Technical Institute, why he enters cooking contests. “I enjoy being creative and competing with other chefs,” he said. “I like the opportunity to cook in public and interact with the audience. Using seasonal, locally grown foods whenever I can helps make an interesting menu. Starting with fresh ingredients ensures a quality product.”
In his role as executive chef, Nick is revising the menu at the Blue Bird Inn to include new fresh seafood dishes and new steak offerings as well as seasonal specialties. The new menu makes its debut this weekend. The restaurant serves lunch Tuesday through Sunday and dinner seven days a week.
Among the seasonal specialties Nick has added to the new menu is Pumpkin Crème Brulée, a baked pumpkin custard that is topped with a carmelized sugar crust. The contrast between creamy and crunchy is delightful. I am including his recipe for 14 servings and also sharing a smaller version that I created for those who’d like to try it on a small scale as an experiment. I recommend it for a special holiday dessert.
If the recipe sounds like too much work, go visit Chef Nick. Note, however, that Pumpkin Crème Brulée is not on the menu every day. Sometimes Nick features individual-size pumpkin cheesecakes. Also yum!
SWEET CORN
AND ASPARAGUS
CHOWDER
3 ears of sweet corn, about 2 cups of kernels cut off the cob, fresh or frozen
1 pound bunch of fresh asparagus, sliced into 1/2- to 3/4-inch diagonal slices
5 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and diced with peel
1/2 onion, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 quart heavy cream
Chicken stock
Salt and pepper
Fresh parsley and chives for garnish
1. Prepare the corn, asparagus and potatoes and set aside.
2. Sauté the onion and celery in butter until soft. Do not brown. Add corn, asparagus and potatoes and continue to sauté until tender.
3. Stir in flour and stir until it bubbles throughout. Gradually add cream and gently whisk to incorporate. Heat until it thickens. Add chicken stock to adjust the consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and chive sprigs.
Cook’s note: You can use light cream or half-and-half.
CHEF NICK’S
PUMPKIN CRÈME
brulée
Makes 14 servings
1 quart of heavy cream
2 vanilla beans, split
5 ounces sugar (3/4 cup)
20 egg yolks, beaten
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups pumpkin puree
2 cups of extra granulated sugar for caramelizing the tops
1. Combine the heavy cream, vanilla and half of the sugar; bring to a boil.
2. Whisk to combine the egg yolks and remaining sugar in a separate bowl.
3. Slowly add 1/3 of the hot cream to the egg mixture, stirring constantly, to temper the mixture.
4. Pour the tempered egg mixture into the remaining hot cream, stirring constantly. Stir in cinnamon, allspice and ginger. Fold in the pumpkin puree.
5. Pour custard into buttered oval ramekins or 4- to 6-ounce soufflé dishes.
6. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a water bath. You will need a large, flat pan such as a roast or cake pan. You will need to set the filled dishes in the
pan and fill with boiling water deep enough to reach halfway up the sides of the dishes.
7. Bake about 30 to 35 minutes, depending on the ramekin size, until just barely set. Remove carefully from the oven and cool for 30 minutes and then chill overnight.
8. To caramelize, cover the surface of each custard with sugar about 1/8 inch deep. Set the ramekins in a pan of ice to keep the custard from reheating. Broil the tops under a hot broiler or use a propane torch to melt the sugar.
LETIE’S
pumpkin brulée
Makes 4 to 6
servings depending
on the dish size
1 and 3/4 cups light cream or half-and-half
5 slightly beaten egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ground spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup turbinado sugar, such as Sugar in the Raw, pulverized in blender
1. Heat cream in a saucepan until bubbly. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, spices and salt. Beat with a whisk just until combined. Slowly whisk in hot cream. Do not whip up a froth as it will make for an uneven top on the baked custards.
3. Divide the custard into 6 porcelain soufflé or brulée dishes (or custard cups).
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a water bath. See step 6 of Chef Nick’s recipe.
5. Bake custards in water bath for 30 to 40 minutes, or until center is no longer jiggly or until a knife inserted in the center of a dish comes out clean. Remove custards to a rack to cool, then refrigerate overnight. Cover with foil or plastic wrap.
6. To caramelize, spread pulverized raw sugar 1/8 inch deep on top of each dish. Melt sugar with a culinary propane torch until lightly browned. Let cool a few minutes. Top will be hard and custard creamy — delightful.
FOLLOW UP POSTS ARE NOT PERMITTED - DO NOT COMPLETE & SUBMIT FORM