What a delicacy!!!

On my last post, I talked about the end of the summer with all the stress that comes along with: kids returning to school, catching up on work that we left behind when we went to the vacation, nights are cooler and soon, we will not be able to show up our tan skin, be proud of all that weight that we lost…we will soon be leaving inside a bit more means eventually more food, dropping our summer diet and I do not forget that with the autumn comes the season of family parties with the pick on Thanksgiving. We all know that when the cold season comes also come the unhealthy foods. Our diet is richer and no one really cares about the next spring. But it’s already time to take care of your body, keep the summer good job, healthy diet and good looking people…
At Chef Fresh Cuisine, we will love to see everyone healthy, rich, and well fit in the community i.e. we are committed to work with local farmers, use as much as possible the seasonal ingredients to create that simple syllogism: eat local food when is available is cheap, fresh, healthier and keep our local farmer business alive.
I choose to bring into your table one of the so called winter squash that most of us are not familiar with but what a delicacy! Delicata squash, Peanut squash, Bohemian squash, Potato squash and back home in Cameroon, in my tribe the name to call that delicacy is: Lebog (when we use that word as qualification it means the most delicate and we use it only for babies, beautiful young girl…). Why so many names for such a little thing, just a squash one will ask. Yes it’s a simple winter squash but not that simple. Delicata squash is an heirloom vegetable, can be found in the market a year round because storage is simple and easy. The best to enjoy it is between August and October. Delicata squash is one of the tastier winter squashes, with creamy pulp that tastes a bit like corn and sweet potatoes. Size may range from 5 to 10 inches in length. The squash can be baked or steamed. The thin skin is also edible.
The Delicata squash is actually an heirloom variety, a fairly recent reentry into the culinary world. It was originally introduced by the Peter Henderson Company of New York City in 1894, and was popular through the 1920s. Then it fell into obscurity for about seventy-five years, possibly because of its thinner, more tender skin, which isn't suited to transportation over thousands of miles and storage over months. Source from: http://whatscookingamerica.net
This past Sunday, I had friends over and we had a baked Delicata squash stuffed with Mozzarella and wild mushrooms duxelles.
Here is the recipe to enjoy with your friends and family. Please come back for more tips at: http://www.cheffreshcuisine.com
Serves 4
Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb mix wild mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed, and finely chopped
• 2 medium shallots finely diced
• 8 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• Salt and freshly crushed black pepper to taste
• 1 cup sodium free chicken stock
• 2 Delicata squash halve, seeded
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella
• ¼ cup heavy cream

Directions
Preheat the oven at 375ºF. Prepare the squashes and reserve.
In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil. Add in mushrooms and sauté for 10 minutes or so. Add in shallots and garlic and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
Pour in wine and chicken stock. Continue to cook until the liquid is evaporated. Check the seasoning and Remove from the pan.
Let the Duxelles seat for 10 minutes or when cold. Mix together cheese and cream.
Stuff the squashes with Duxelles and top them with cheese and cream mix. Bake the finish product for 30 minutes and serve immediately with a little autumn mix green.

"Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits." what a great quote from Samuel Butler

Eat well without ripping yourself off; that is our goal at Chef Fresh Cuisine. How that can be translated simply?
1- Eat seasonally means the best flavor in your plate
2- Eat locally means flavor of course but more traceability and best value
3- Partnership at all the level between Chef, local farmers and customer means healthy community and beautiful environment.
When I create a menu, all my focus is base on these three points because I believe that, the more our customers will be well aware of terms as: seasonality, Local farmer, healthy community… the more they will be well educated about food, their exigencies of quality will make us better Chefs and our business will grow efficiently.
Here is come Fall season, every Sunday friends and family gather to watch football games; just be careful to not kill your summer diet by eating all these junks potatoes chips, Doritos… be conscious because your health is your best saving account! Lol!!! I don’t want to lecture anybody but, seriously, as summer is gone, our days become dark and cooler, and we tend to be more depressive and stressful. The immediate consequence is that we will start eating more.
Yes! We need to eat more to face the cold ahead but, we still have to be careful for our health. Practically as a recommendation, I will suggest a lot of vegetable soups with less or no cream, less or no potatoes. Meats, poultry, games… are abundant but just be careful to not exaggerated.
However, Fruits as apple, pears… Pumpkins seeds, walnuts, egg white, low fat pumpkin pie, apple pie, apple sauce… wild turkey breast without skin… All these goodies can be consummate without any moderation. Fall has so many holidays, so many occasion to party and so many occasion to break our summer diet. We need all these holidays, all these get together to face the apparent sadness of the cold season. Apparent yes but what a great season! Samuel Butler have said it so poetically:"Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits."
Visit us at http://www.cheffreshcuisine.com for our fall menu suggestion and let us pamper you.

Welcome Chef Fresh Cuisine

August is gone and the summer with it, the remaining days of summer are so hot, slowly, flowers, leaves, grasses start to wither; it’s sounds so sad! Birds start their migration to an unknowns directions, kids are back to school, the office are once again full with employees, clients, business partner and…everyone seems so busy and stress because of the hectic schedule that comes ahead.
August is gone and here is come September. Everyone feel the solitude; no more cook out or summer fun in the swimming pool, communities seems empties and the commute so hectic what a sad situation! Will all look for the Labor Day weekend as a little island of joy in the midst of our stress and sadness? No reason to be sad, September it’s a great month. Until the solstice, we still enjoying the summer, yeah right! But, we are busy and stress. Ok! Let see, summer is gone but fall is coming. New wines, new crops, all market are full of all kinds of fresh goodies, as Albert Camus will say: Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower. As for me, I will sound like Dorothy Parker: Summer makes me drowsy, autumn makes me sing…Let me give you reason for hope and joy, My friends Julie, Cliff and I have in common the love of good food reason why we decide to create Chef Fresh Cuisine. What is that has to do with the seasons? Yes it’s all about our philosophy, all about dreams for a better world, where food contributes for a better living style. Enjoying the beauty of all the season, As summer gone here is come the fall with good comfort food, lots of good vegetable, no one care about the weight, our beautiful form will soon be cover up because of the cold, we will need our body fat to fight the cold naturally…that is the real life cycle. At Chef Fresh Cuisine, we are committed to providing Personal Chef, Catering, Cooking Classes and Menu Planning services. We believe in protecting the health of people and the planet we only use organic, local and sustainable ingredients. As the chef, my cuisine is innovative French cuisine, simple and evocative of my African roots. My ingredients are local and seasonal as much as possible. Please visit us at: http://www.cheffreshcuisine.com.