Squash For Fall

Paul Sale's inventive seafood dishes have not only pleased diners, but also restaurant critics.

His magic touch has earned Blue Fin restaurant, located in the heart of Times Square in New York City, a two-star review from the New York Times dining critic William Grimes.

We asked Sale to create a meal for four for $30 or less for The Saturday Early Show's Chef on a Shoestring challenge.

British-born Sale says he acquired his love of cooking from his parents. He often helped his parents in the kitchen while they prepared for dinner parties. Later, he became a chef in the British Merchant Navy, and a visit to Japan prompted him to pursue formal training.

In 1987, he graduated from Southampton Culinary College in England. His first job was as First Commis at London's Michelin-rated two-star Connaught Hotel Mayfair. In 1989, he came to the United States and landed a job at the Waldorf Astoria's Peacock Alley.

In 2000, Esquire magazine named him a "Chef to Watch." He opened Blue Fin in December 2001.

Chef Sale's menu: an appetizer of Baby Mixed Greens with Chunky Stone Fruit Dressing; an entrée of Seared Scallops with Caramelized Early Fall Squash, with a Ginger Soy Vinaigrette; and for dessert, Warm Banana Bread and Butter Pudding.

Terminology

Acorn Squash: An oval-shaped winter squash with a dark green, ribbed skin and orange flesh. Winter squashes have hard, thick skins and seeds. The flesh tends to be firmer than that of summer squash and is usually cooked by baking. Winter squash is best from early fall through the winter.

Stone Fruit: The most commonly available stone fruits are almonds, apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, plums and prunes. These fruits have a hard stony pit (seed) surrounded by a fleshy fruit.

Mesclun Greens: You can find mesclun at most grocery stores. You might see it labeled as "salad mix." It is a mixture of young, baby salad greens that may include arugula, frisee, radicchio, and dandelion. You should choose mesclun with crisp leaves and no sign of wilting.

Sea scallops: Scallops fall into two broad groups: sea scallops and bay scallops. Bay scallops are tiny and generally found only on the East Coast. They are about 1/2 inch in diameter and sweeter in flavor than sea scallops. Sea scallops are larger, about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. They are not as tender as bay scallops. Their color ranges from pale beige to creamy pink.

When buying scallops, look for a sweet smell and a fresh, moist sheen. Put them in the coldest part of your refrigerator and use them within a day or two. Scallops are perfect for brief cooking. Sale says he likes to serve his scallops medium-rare because he feels that if you cook them too long, the scallops tend to get rubbery.

Recipe

Baby Mixed Greens with Chunky Stone Fruit Dressing
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 pound mesclun greens, washed and dried
1 cup (approximately) stone fruit vinaigrette, recipe below
salt and black pepper to taste

Make the vinaigrette below and strain approximately 3/4 of the stone fruit out of it.

For each plate, take one large spoonful of the strained stone fruit and place on the center of the plate. Use the back of the spoon and gently create a "well" on the plate.

In a large bowl, lightly toss the greens with the vinaigrette and season with fresh black pepper and salt.

Place the greens in the center of each well. Serve.

Stone Fruit Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
juice of 3 oranges
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon shallot, minced
4 peaches, washed and cut into 1/3 inch dice
6 plums, washed and cut into 1/3 inch dice
1 nectarine, washed and cut into 1/3 inch dice
salt and black pepper to taste

Note: Sale says you may use a 1/4 pound of cherries instead of the nectarine. He also suggests using red plums because it will make the vinaigrette a lovely color, however, you can also use yellow plums or black plums.

Place the diced stone fruit into a bowl. Add the orange juice, lime juice, ginger, and minced shallot. Slowly whisk in the oil until it's incorporated. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Seared Sea Scallops with Caramelized Early Fall Squash and
Ginger Soy Vinaigrette
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds (approximately 16 to 20 scallops in total, depending on the size)
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 acorn squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 zucchini, washed, cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
salt and white pepper to taste
black pepper to taste
3/4 cup soy ginger vinaigrette, recipe below

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. On a flat baking sheet, place the diced butternut and acorn squash. Add the vegetable oil and season with salt and black pepper. Slowly roast the butternut and acorn squash, uncovered, for approximately 30 minutes. The squash should be light golden brown in color and tender. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Heat a sauté pan over high heat. Season the scallops with salt and freshly ground white pepper. Add the olive oil to the pan. Then sauté the scallops in the olive oil until medium rare. You want both sides to be golden brown in color. You will cook the scallops for a little under 2 minutes on each side to achieve medium-rare. Sale suggests serving it medium-rare, because scallops tend to get rubbery when overcooked.

Heat a separate non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the diced zucchini to the pan and sear for approximately one minute. Do not let the zucchini brown.

Reheat the diced roasted butternut and acorn squash in a separate pan over medium-low heat. Add the zucchini to this pan.

To Serve: Divide the squash and zucchini mixture evenly among four shallow bowls. Make a mound of the squash and zucchini mixture in the center of each bowl then place the scallops to the side. Pour a spoonful of the vinaigrette around the plate.

Ginger Soy Vinaigrette
Recipe makes approximately 1 1/2 cup

Ingredients:
1/2 cup lite soy sauce
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup ginger, finely chopped

In a bowl, combine soy sauce, white wine vinegar, shallots, and ginger. Mix together. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

Warm Banana Bread and Butter Pudding
Serves 4

1 pint whole milk
4 eggs
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon white sugar (for the custard)
2 tablespoons white sugar (for the ramekins)
8 slices white bread
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons, melted unsalted butter (for the ramekins)
6 small pats of butter (for the bread)
4 ramekin dishes, approx. 4 inches in diameter
baking pan or dish
water

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, 1/3 cup plus one teaspoon sugar, and vanilla extract. In a saucepan, lightly warm the milk over low heat. Remove from heat and whisk milk into the egg mixture. Take care not to bring the milk to a simmer because you do not want to cook the egg mixture.

Cut circles of bread by placing the bottom of a ramekin on top of a slice of bread. Using the ramekin as a guide, cut around it with a sharp paring knife. Repeat this process with each of the remaining slices of bread. Butter each circle of bread with a small pat of butter. Set aside.

Using a pastry brush, brush the inside of the ramekins with the melted butter. Using the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, sprinkle a pinch of sugar inside each buttered ramekin. Line the bottom of the ramekins with a layer of sliced bananas then add a bread circle. Pour some of the custard mixture onto the bread and let it soak until moist. Add one more layer of bananas and top off with a bread circle. Pour the rest of the custard mixture over the bread. Again, allow the custard mixture to soak the bread.

Create a water bath by placing the four ramekins in a baking pan or oven-proof dish. Fill the pan halfway with warm water. Bake slowly at 300 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes.

Remove the ramekins from the oven and let them cool slightly. Then gently run a sharp paring knife around inside of the ramekin where the custard is clinging to the ramekin. Place a serving plate on top of the ramekin, invert the ramekin, so the custard comes out in one piece. Repeat this process for the remaining ramekins.