Cream of the Crop Vegetable Fricassee with Crispy Fried Toast Points
Difficulty: Intermediate
Serves: 6 portions
Nutritional Information (per serving): Calories 544; Total Fat 47g; Saturated Fat 10g; Carbs 28g; Fiber 4g; Sugars 7g; Protein 6g; Cholesterol 39mg; Sodium 599mg
Total Time: 50 minutes (Preparation 30 minutes, Cooking 20 minutes)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped mushrooms
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup vegetable broth
- 2 cups baby carrots, blanched
- 1/4 pound peeled asparagus, sliced into 1-inch pieces and blanched
- 1/2 cup blanched chopped green pepper
- 1/2 cup blanched chopped yellow squash
- 1/2 cup blanched chopped zucchini
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh chives, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup canola oil
- 6 slices white bread
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, mushrooms, celery, and garlic and cook until softened.
- Stir in the flour to form a roux, mixing thoroughly with the butter.
- Gradually pour in the vegetable broth, stirring constantly until smooth; cook until the sauce thickly coats the back of a spoon. Thin with additional broth or water if needed.
- Add the blanched vegetables and fresh herbs to the sauce and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the mascarpone and heavy cream, simmer another 5 minutes to blend flavors. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- While the sauce simmers, heat the canola oil in a separate large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Cut the bread slices into triangles and shallow-fry until golden and crisp on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
- To serve, ladle the fricassee into deep bowls and top each portion with fried toast points.
Chef's Tip
Blanching vegetables speeds cooking and helps retain texture and color: cook vegetables in salted boiling water until just tender but still firm, then transfer immediately to ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and hold until ready to use.
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