I made the best fish chowder for Chanukah! With a little refinement, it will be part of next week’s Shabbat-Not-That-Other-Holiday celebration. This meal could also work as a New Year’s Eve dinner, the following Shabbat. How fortunate are we to be able to celebrate Shabbat every week.
Although I served the chowder with latkes, lightly toasted challah would be a better choice. If you’re planning on serving a larger crowd, this menu works well on a buffet line too. During Chanukah, I served chocolate gelt, cookies and mandarin oranges for dessert. Rather than leftover Chanukah gelt, you may want to splurge on elegant chocolates, or take the time to make this Chocolate Caramel Tart. If this meal is too rich, you can reduce the fat content by reducing or completely eliminating the crème fraîche from the chowder, and you can serve sliced, lightly sweetened oranges for dessert.
Fish Chowder | Serves 12
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 large shallot, chopped
3/4 lb. mushrooms, quartered
4 Tbs. flour
3 cups vegetable stock
2 white potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 red bell peppers, coarsely chopped
4 cups frozen corn
1 cup crème fraîche
1 1/2 lbs. salmon, cut into 3-inch cubes
1 1/2 lbs. halibut, cut into 3-inch cubes
1 Tbs. fine sea salt
2 tsp. pepper
4 Tbs. chopped flat leaf
parsley
Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the shallot and mushrooms, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, and cook slightly until the flour browns. Pour in the vegetable stock, and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes, carrots and bell peppers to the boiling stock. Simmer gently until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the corn and the crème fraîche, stirring well. Bring to a simmer and add the salmon and halibut. Simmer the fish until cooked, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper and parsley. Serve warm.
Pear and Endive Salad | Serves 8
6 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. champagne vinegar
1 Tbs. mustard
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. pepper
4 small endive, sliced
3 ripe pears, cored and sliced
8 cups mixed baby salad greens
Whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper. Toss in the endive and the pears, and allow to sit for several minutes. Just before serving, toss the endive and pears with the mixed baby greens. Divide among 8 plates and serve.
Chocolate Caramel Tart | Serves 12-14
11-inch pastry shell, baked
For caramel layer:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
4 oz. unsalted butter
1/2 cup cream
For chocolate layer:
1/2 cup cream
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Heat the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan. Cook until the sugar melts, and begins to turn dark brown. Pour in the butter and the cream. The mixture will bubble up — don’t panic, this is part of the process. Whisk until the caramel is smooth.
Fill the pastry shell with the caramel and allow the caramel to set in a cool place for 1 hour.
To make the chocolate layer, bring the 1/2 cup of cream to a boil. Remove the cream from the heat, and stir in the chopped chocolate. Continue stirring until smooth. Pour the chocolate over the caramel tart and spread gently until smooth. Allow to set for at least 2 hours before serving.
Rebecca Ets-Hokin is a Bay Area cooking teacher and food professional. Her columns alternate with those of Louise Fiszer. Questions and recipe ideas can be sent to j. or to [email protected].