Recipes
Watch Chef Leigh Hesling prepare some recipes using summer tomatoes (June 2008).
Watch Chef Leigh Hesling prepare recipes with fresh spring strawberries (May 2008).
Chef Leigh Hesling demonstrated these brunch recipes on the FOX 8 morning news on August 1, 2007. Enjoy!
Asparagus Milanese
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5 each asparagus spears, trimmed
1 slices Prosciutto ham, sliced thin
½ ounce butter
2 each eggs
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 ounce local heirloom tomatoes, diced
Blanch asparagus spears and then refresh in ice water. Create an asparagus bundle by rolling the spears in a slice of prosciutto. Grease an individual baking dish with butter. Lay asparagus bundle in baking dish. Crack an egg on each side of asparagus bundle. Sprinkle top with diced tomato, grated Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of pepper.
Bake in 450 degree oven for 5 minutes.
Serve with a side of fresh vegetables, fruit or a small salad.
Serves - 1
GVG Cheese Polenta
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1 cup polenta (Old Mill of Guilford)
4 cups cold water
6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup chives – chopped
Add polenta and cold water to a pot and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes or until polenta is soft. Add cheese and whisk till melted. Remove from heat and add chives.
Makes – 4 cups
Smoked Salmon over Cheese Polenta
5 fl ounces GVG Cheese Polenta (see below)
2 ounces caramelized onions (see below)
2 ounces asparagus spears – warmed
3 ounces smoked salmon – cut into strips 2” x ½ “
1 fl ounce Crème Fraîche
1 teaspoon chives – chopped
Place polenta in center of plate. Top polenta with caramelized onions and then asparagus spears. Place smoked salmon strips over asparagus and top with crème fraîche and a sprinkling of chopped chives. Serves 1
Caramelized Onions
2 pounds onions (mix yellow and red)
1 fl ounce extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Heat oil in pan. Add onions, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat, stirring often, until onions are browned and caramelized.
Makes – 1 cup
GVG Hash Browns
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1 pound potatoes, red bliss – boiled or steamed till soft
3 ounces red onions – diced
3 ounces yellow onions – diced
1 ounce green onions, chopped
½ tablespoon butter
¼ teaspoon rosemary powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Wash and cook till soft 1 pound of potatoes. Sauté in butter red and yellow onions until sugar is released and they start to caramelize. Set aside. Crush potatoes in your hands till they crumble. Place in deep fry until crisp (or toss in ½ cup extra virgin olive oil and bake at 350° for ten minutes). Once potatoes are crispy, remove from fryer or oven and place in a bowl. Add caramelized onions, green onions and seasoning. Toss together and serve.
Blackberry & Almond Brioche French Toast
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8 slices bread, Brioche – thick slice
8 ounces Almond Cream Filling (see recipe below)
4 ounce Blackberry Compote (see recipe below)
8 ounces mixed fresh berries
2 ounce almonds, Marcona
4 scoops ice cream – Buttermilk
Spread each slice of brioche with 1 ounce of almond cream filling. Spread ½ ounce of blackberry compote over each slice of brioche. Placing 2 slices of brioche together, form four sandwiches. One at a time, place brioche sandwiches into a hot sauté pan with melted butter. Cook till golden brown on both sides. Remove from pan, cut in half and arrange on plate with 2 ounces of fresh berries, a sprinkle of Marcona almonds and a scoop of buttermilk ice cream. Serves - 4
Almond Cream Filling
2 ounces butter
2 ounces sugar
2 ounces Almond flour
2.5 ounces eggs
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly add the almond flour (unsifted). Add unbeaten eggs and mix just till incorporated. Refrigerate 15 minutes before using.
Blackberry Compote
4 ounces blackberries
1/4 cup blackberry puree or berry puree
1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Combine puree and cornstarch. Add berries. Cook over medium heat until berries begin to soften.
Summer Pudding
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1 cup sugar
½ cup water
1 pound fresh strawberries
6 ounces fresh raspberries
3 ounces fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon butter
8 slices white bread
2 fl ounces Devonshire Creme (or whipped cream)
Heat water and sugar just to a boil and add strawberries. Simmer till they begin to soften, then add blueberries and raspberries. Gently stir just until natural liquids begin to come out of the berries, then remove from heat and allow to cool. Coat inside of four individual soufflé cups or small coffee cups with butter. Line the inside of each cup with a slice of bread, pressing the bread firmly inside the cups to create a sealed lining for the filling. Ladle berry filling with liquid into each cup, filling up to the rim. Cap each cup with a round cut from a slice of bread. Place all cups in a pan and then place another pan (weighted) on top of the cups, pressing them down from the top. Allow the cups to remain pressed overnight in the refrigerator. Release the pudding from the cups with a little heat. Turn each pudding out to a shallow bowl. Ladle left over berries and liquid over the top. Serve with a dollop of Devonshire Crème. Makes - 4
Disclaimer: All our recipes were originally designed for much larger batch size. This recipe has been reduced – but not tested at this scale. Please adjust as to your taste and portion size.
©2007
These recipes are the property of Quaintance-Weaver, Inc. Unauthorized commercial use is forbidden.
