Recipe of the Month

Skate Wing

Serves four

Ingredients for Roasted Delicata Squash
2 ea Delicate Squash
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 x ¼ tsp White Pepper
2 x ½ tsp Kosher Salt

Method for Roasted Delicata Squash
Cut Delicata Squash into rounds about ¾” thick
Using a butter knife, scrape the inside of the squash rounds so they are smooth
Toss the squash in 1 tbsp of olive oil, and season with ¼ tsp salt and ⅛ tsp white pepper
Spread the squash out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast it at 400 F for about 12 minutes, so that the squash retains its shape and lightly caramelizes
Turn off the over and open the oven door for a few minutes. Close the oven and hold the squash rounds hot until you are ready to eat.

Ingredients for Butternut Squash Reduction
1 small Butternut Squash
1 tbsp Unsalted Butter
¼ cup Shallots, thinly sliced
½ tbsp Garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup Roasted Butternut Squash
2 cups White Wine
1 sprig Rosemary, in sachet
4 sprigs Thyme, in sachet
1 ea Bay Leaf, in sachet
½ tbsp Black Peppercorn, toasted

Method for the Butternut Squash Reduction
Toss 1 full head of garlic with 1 tbsp garlic oil and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Roast this while you roast the delicata and butternut squash for 40 minutes at 400 F. Look for the garlic to be caramelized and soft, cooking it at additional 5-minute increments until you achieve this.
Cut the small butternut squash lengthwise and toss in 1 tbsp olive oil with ¼ tsp salt and ⅛ tsp white pepper
Roast the squash at 400 F for about 25 minutes or until cooked through and lightly caramelized
Scrape the cooked squash out and set aside 1 cup to make the reduction for the sauce and 1 cup for the puree
Sauce
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium
Add the shallot and garlic and cook until they are soft and translucent
Add the butternut squash and the wine and bring to a simmer
Using a cheesecloth and butcher’s twine, tie the bay, thyme, rosemary and peppercorn into a sachet. If you don’t have cheesecloth and twine handy, a coffee filter and a piece of plastic wrap rolled into twine shape make a perfect substitute
Add the sachet to the reduction and reduce to a final volume of 2 cups
Remove the sachet and transfer the reduction to a blender, blending on low and gradually increasing to high

Ingredients for Beurre Blanc
2 cups Butternut Squash Reduction
2 tbsp Roasted Garlic
½ tsp White Pepper Ground
1 tbsp Salt
½ cup Butter, unsalted, cubed, cold

Method for Beurre Blanc
Add the roasted garlic, white pepper and salt to the blender with the blended butternut squash reduction. Continue to blend for 2 minutes.
One cube at a time, add the butter and blend until the sauce is very smooth. Set the sauce in a warm place, but not on direct heat until ready to use

Ingredients for Butternut Squash Puree
1 cup Roasted Butternut Squash
2 cups Cream
1 ea Star Anise, toasted, in sachet
1 ea Cinnamon Stick, toasted, in sachet
2 ea Cloves, toasted, in sachet
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Roasted Garlic

Method for Butternut Squash Puree
Combine the roasted squash and cream in a small, heavy-bottomed pot
Using cheesecloth and butcher’s twine, tie the star anise, cinnamon stick, and cloves into a sachet. A coffee filter and a piece of plastic wrap rolled into twine shape make a perfectly acceptable substitute
Add the sachet to the pot and bring the cream to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot frequently to avoid scorching the cream
Reduce the cream to a final volume of two cups
Remove the sachet and transfer the puree to a blender
Add the roasted garlic and salt and blend starting slowly and gradually increasing to high
Continue to blend until you have a very smooth puree

Ingredients for Fried Sage
Vegetable Oil
12 ea Sage Leaves, picked
¼ tsp Fine Sea Salt

Method for Fried Sage
In a small sauce pot, add enough vegetable oil to come about ½ an inch up the side of the pot
Over medium-low heat, carefully bring the oil to 350 F. Make sure to have a thermometer handy, heating oil above 350 F can be hazardous
Line a plate with a paper towel and have a slotted spoon ready to go
Drop the picked sage leaves into the oil and stir with the slotted spoon. The sage will start to bubble immediately. Stir the sage until it stops bubbling, then quickly remove to the plate lined with a paper towel and season with salt

Ingredients for the Skate Wing
1 cup Rice Flour for dredging
2 x 2 oz Vegetable Oil (can substitute with Grapeseed, Avocado, or Culture Oil)
2 x 2 tbsp butter
4 x 8 oz Skate Filet
4 x 2 oz Butternut Squash Beurre Blanc
4 x 2 oz Butternut Squash Puree
4 x3 PC Roasted Delicata Squash
4 x 3 PC Fried Sage
2 Lemon Cheeks
Maldon Salt

Method for the Skate Wing
Add rice flour to a baking dish to dredge the fish easily
Season the skate wing filets with salt and white pepper, dredge in rice flour
Cook your fish in two batches, cooking two filets at a time. Have a baking sheet lined with paper towel to keep the fish warm with the roasted squash in the oven
In a large, 10” – 14” saute pan, heat up the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until it just starts to “shimmer” and move around the pan
Add the skate wing and cook for two minutes on the first side
Add 2 tbsp butter and allow the butter to brown, moving the butter around the pan by gently shaking. Continue to cook for two minutes. Then, flip the fish on to its other side and finish the cooking process, this should only take about 30 seconds to cook the fish through
Squeeze lemon juice and sprinkle Maldon salt on the skate after cooking
Place the skate on the right hand side of a large dinner plate
Ladle 2 oz of the Butternut Squash Beurre Blanc in the center of the plate
Layer the Delicata Squash Rounds starting on the skate, and then move along the edge of the plate
Fill the Delicata Squash Rounds with the Butternut Squash Puree
Place 1 PC Fried Sage on top of each bit of Butternut Squash Puree