'There's no shame in simple,' chef says

Editor's note: The nutritional breakdowns for these recipes were unavailable at press time. We will print the nutritional analyses for these in next week's Taste section. The Advertiser regrets the inconvenience.

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

Chef-restaurateur Suzette Gresham shared a cluster of her recipes with students in the culinary-arts program at Kapi'olani Community College earlier this month.

Kapi'olani Community College student Chris Texeira serves samples of chef Suzette Gresham's budino dish. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

The first recipe group comes directly from her first-course menu: an Italian-style baked Parmesan custard called budino (or budini, plural) served with a variety of vegetables and sauces that change seasonally. Pungent and yet not heavy, these are no more difficult than making a white sauce and adding some egg and cheese, and yet they'll impress guests.

Don't let the length of the recipe below intimidate you. It's four recipes in one and you can the extras, if you like. For example: Make the budini and serve with just a scattering of grated Parmesan (they are so delicious, they don't need embellishment). Or just do the budino topped with zucchini salad and forget the spinach-zucchini sauce. Your call. The budino, which is served at room temperature, can be prepared well ahead of time, as can the spinach-zucchini sauce. The zucchini salad is best fresh.

Parmesan Budino With Zucchini Salad and Spinach-Zucchini Sauce

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/8 cup heavy cream
• 1 whole egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• Dash nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
• Zucchini salad (recipe follows)
• Spinach-zucchini sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Parmesan budino is served at room temperature. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Mix together half-and-half, cream and milk. Add mixture slowly, mixing well with wire whisk between additions. Remove from heat.

Beat egg and egg yolks together just to incorporate. Slowly add a little of the warm butter-flour-milk mixture to the egg, beating with whisk. (Do not dump hot liquid in or eggs will curdle or scramble.) Once the eggs are gently warmed while the flour mixture is gently cooled, mix all together.

Add cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. The mixture will be fairly liquid.

Spray 2-ounce mini custard cups with nonstick spray. Place cups in a baking pan and ladle budino mixture into cups. Pour warm water around cups three-quarter up the sides.

Bake at 350 degrees 20 to 25 minutes, until set and very lightly browned on top. Test with knife; blade should come out clean. Remove from oven. Cool.

Place a dollop of spinach-zucchini sauce on a plate (about 2 tablespoons) and spread with back of spoon. Turn budini out by running a thin flexible knife or spatula blade around the edge and overturning it onto your hand. Place budino on top of spinach-zucchini sauce. Add a large pinch of zucchini salad on top of budino. Sprinkle each plate with a little Parmesan cheese and serve as first course.

Yields 10 to 12 mini-budini.

Zucchini Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

• 1 medium firm-fleshed green zucchini
• 1 tablespoon Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon vinaigrette (recipe follows)
• Kosher salt and fresh-ground white pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Wash and dry zucchini. Do not peel. Shave lengthwise on mandoline through fine julienne setting. Just before serving, toss with vinaigrette, add salt and pepper. Grate Parmesan over salad on plates (or on top of budino).

Makes 6 servings.

Lemon Vinaigrette

• 1 cup lemon juice, strained
• 3 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups pure olive oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• Pinch of sugar

Mix all ingredients and steep 20 minutes. Stir and taste. Adjust seasonings (more salt or sugar may be needed depending on type and season of lemons). Strain. Keep refrigerated and use as needed. Mix very well before using.

Makes 48 servings (a tablespoon per serving).

Spinach-Zucchini Sauce

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• One-half a large onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 shallots, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
• 12 zucchini
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 bags spinach, cleaned, stemmed, roughly cut
• 1 bunch Italian parsley, lightly chopped
• 1 to 2 cups chicken stock

Cut ends from zucchini, then cut in half crossways. Stand zucchini on end and, working around the edges, cut one-quarter-inch long slices. (Save core and seeds to make soup or for other uses.) Cut slices into fine strips.

On medium-high heat, saute onions, shallots and garlic in olive oil. Add zucchini and water. Cover and cook briefly, allowing zucchini to soften.

Add spinach and parsley and chicken stock; cover and cook quickly, just until spinach wilts. Do NOT overcook or you'll lose the bright color.

Remove from heat and drain, reserving the liquid.

Puree solids in blender, adding back as much liquid as is needed to make a thinnish sauce (about the consistency of a well-emulsified vinaigrette).

Cool in a water bath and hold. Reheat sauce gently and spoon into shallow-rimmed bowls or puddle on plates.

Yields 3 to 3 1/2 cups (24 to 28 servings as a light sauce).

Gresham recommends these stuffed chicken rolls for their make-ahead convenience and for the fact that the technique can be applied to other ingredients. You can stuff and wrap the rolls in advance, then just pop them in simmering water to cook right before serving while you make a quick reduction sauce with brandy and chicken stock.

The wrapping here is everyday plastic wrap and, no, it won't melt during cooking.

Note the way Gresham deals with the fact that chicken breasts have thick and thin parts and tend to cook unevenly: She uses the strip of tenderloin attached to the chicken breast to "thicken" the thin part (if you can't picture this, you'll be able to when you've got the chicken breast in front of you). This way, the rolls will have uniform thickness.

This simple sauce is dependent for flavor on the chicken stock or glaze with which you make it. You can buy a commercial chicken glaze at R. Field or a similar specialty food store. Or you can make your own chicken stock and reduce the heck out of it: Start by rendering some chicken skin or fat to get a little bit of dripping; discard skin or browned fat. To the warm dripping, add 1/2 cup of finely minced vegetables (onions, carrots, celery and herbs, if desired) and saute until tender. Add 2 cups water and a few chicken bones or chicken wings. Reduce slowly, simmering gently, to about 1/4 cup. Taste and add salt as needed; strain directly into warmed brandy.

Mushroom-filled Chicken Breast Wrapped in Romaine Lettuce With Brandied Sauce

For mushroom filling:

• 4 ounces shiitake or other mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon shallots, peeled and minced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoon sherry
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Kosher salt to taste
• Ground black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

For chicken:

• 4 romaine lettuce leaves
• 2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless, 6 ounces each)
• 1 egg white

For the sauce:

• 2 ounces brandy
• 2 ounces rich chicken stock
• Cold butter, about a teaspoon

Mushroom stuffing: Clean and slice mushrooms. Bring a saute pan to medium-high heat, splash with oil and add mushrooms, followed by shallots and garlic, allowing to cook and color. Turn down heat to medium and splash with wine. Follow with butter. Season with salt and pepper. Taste, correct seasonings and cook until tender. Finish with parsley. Remove from heat; cool and pulse briefly in food processor. Set aside.

Chicken preparation: Blanch romaine leaves briefly and shock in ice water bath. Drain and dry. Trim the rib lengthwise, paring away the thickest part; do not separately the leaf entirely but trim the rib so that the leaf can be rolled. Set aside.

Butterfly the chicken breast from the backbone side, forming pocket with 1/2-inch border. Do not include tenderloin; once the pocket is filled, you can reverse this strip of flesh underneath to form an even log of chicken. Season pocket and exterior with salt and pepper. Fill pocket with a tablespoon or so of mushroom filling.

Place a square of plastic wrap down on a clean, dry surface. Lay out 2 romaine leaves, slightly overlapping, with the stem toward you. Lightly brush the leaves with a little egg white (helps chicken adhere to leaves). Lay down the filled chicken breast with tucked tenderloin.

Roll the chicken away from you, wrapping it in the leaves a little way, then fold in leaf ends from sides and continue to roll, using the plastic wrap to keep tension on the lettuce.

Once chicken is rolled like a burrito, reposition the chicken back near you on the edge of the plastic. Roll chicken in plastic like a burrito. Twist the ends like a candy wrapper, making sure no lettuce is caught in the plastic. Tie a knot in each side. Trim ends.

Place chicken in pan of cool water. Cover and bring up to simmer (about 7 minutes). Turn at least once. Simmer 8 minutes; turning occasionally and not allow water to boil. When done, chicken rolls will be somewhat firm.

Remove from heat. Allow to rest.

Make sauce: Warm brandy in saucepan; remove from heat, flame. Return to medium heat when flame dies down; add broth or poultry glaze and heat, reducing a little. Season with salt and pepper; remove from heat and finish with knob of cold butter.

To serve: On a cutting board with a sharp knife, cut through plastic wrap and chicken, cutting diagonal slices. (A lot of juice and water will be released, so place towel on cutting board to catch these.) Peel away all plastic. Place on warm place and drizzle with sauce. Garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings.