A Touch Of French Cuisine

Chef Kerry Heffernan of 11 Madison Park in New York City acquired a taste for fine food when he was a child. While other kids liked peanut butter sandwiches, he enjoyed foie gras. Now, at his restaurant, he brings his love of French cuisine to the menu. The Saturday Early Show asked him to come up with a three-course gourmet meal for four on a $30 budget.

Here is the menu:
Garbure
Chicken Chausseur
Pear Crepes

Garbure

Ingredients:
6 ounces smoked slab bacon, rind removed, cut into 8 rectangular pieces
1 leek, 1/4-inch diamonds, washed well
1 carrot, 1/4-inch diamonds
1 small rutabaga, 1/4-inch diamonds
1 celery root, 1/4-inch diamonds
1 onion, diced
2 white turnips, 1/4-inch diamonds
3 cloves garlic, diced finely
3 cups chicken stock
6 savory sprigs
Salt and pepper
Dried bay leaf
(Finely shredded) chiffonade of blanched mustard collard greens (6 large leaves)
Method:

1. Render bacon in a large pot over low heat for 10 minutes. The bacon should be caramelized.
   
2. Add balance of diced vegetables then season with salt and pepper. Sweat over low heat for 5 minutes.
   
3. Add leeks and garlic. Sweat for 5 minutes.
   
4. Add chicken stock, savory, bay leaf, and collard greens.
   
5. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

Ingredients:
5-pound roast chicken/small capon; neck and giblets reserved; liver discarded
1 small can of whole tomatoes drained of juice, and roughly chopped
1 head escarole quarters and ringed
1/4 cup of mushrooms, button, sliced
2 cloves of garlic peeled and minced
8 tablespoons of olive oil
1 bunch scallions; whites minced, greens cut into 1-inch length
1 bunch tarragon, leaves removed from stems

Method:

1. Cut chicken by first removing legs, leaving the breasts intact (skin and bone for both sides). Cut remaining carcass into four.
   
2. Season breast and legs and heat a large open proof skillet until quite hot. Brown both legs and breasts in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, remove and brown remaining carcass pieces. Drain excess fat. Put legs, neck, and giblets back into 3-quart sauce pan just cover with water, bring to one boil, skim well, add salt and pepper. Herb stems and vegetable trimmings from Garbure recipe and simmer 25-30 minutes until leg meat is just done, remove legs, drain excess liquid, discard bones. Reserve 2/3 for Garbure recipe.
   
3. In a 1-quart sauce pot, sweat scallion whites in 2 T olive oil for 1 minute until just softened; add chopped tomatoes and garlic season and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes.
   
4. Heat a large skillet until quite hot, add 2 T of olive oil and mushrooms, season and saute until just done. Add scallion tops and toss to wilt. Keep warm.
   
5. Finish breasts by roasting at 375 F, 20 minutes, or until juices run just pink when probed at thickest part with paring knife.
   
6. While breasts are finishing, reduce remaining 1/3 of stock by half in a 2-quart sauce pot, add escarole and braise until tender. Remove escarole; add tomato mixture and tarragon and mushrooms, season.
   
7. Arrange half of each leg and half each breast on 4 plates. Drape 1 piece escarole over each plate. Sauce chicken with tomato/mushroom mixture and drizzle remaining olive oil over all.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar
2 pears pealed, cored, and sliced into 8 slices each.
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup apple juice
Make 8 crepes total
1. Heat 10" oven proof sauté pan until quite hot. Add sugar and move constantly with a clean wooden spoon until caramelized. Take great care not to touch as caramel is in excess of 350 degrees.
2. Once sugar is browned, add pears, salt, and apple juice carefully. Continue to stir gently from time to time until pears are tender and liquid is syrupy.Then:
3 eggs
1 cup milk
4 ounces cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1/8 cup sugar
Zest of orange (1 tsp)
Tablespoon of melted butter
Mix everything together and strain through chinois (fine mesh strainer) in blender.

Method:

1. Heat non-stick pan until hot; very lightly coat with butter.
   
2. Then add 3-4 T of butter, swirl until just coated and pour off excess.
   
3. Cook 30-40 seconds (lightly browned and bubbled), then flip and repeat. Should make at least 8-12 crepes.

Method:

1. Toast almonds in oven on a baking sheet until lightly browned.
   
2. Boil half the cream; add half of the toasted almonds and infuse 20 minutes, strain and reserve cream, discard almonds.
   
3. Chill almond cream in stainless steel bowl until quite cold; add remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream and whip until soft. Peaks form, add confectioners sugar and salt.

1. Lay 1 crepe on dessert plate. Add 2 slices warm caramelized pears and fold over.
   
2. Repeat with additional crepes until you have 4 plates with 2 filled crepes on each plate.
   
3. Dollop whipped almond cream evenly over all and sprinkle with remaining toasted almonds.