"Hairspray" is coming to Fresno, and Great Day has the scoop on the show and it's menu!
Roger Rocka's Chef Eric De Groot was live on Tuesday's show to show-off some items from the "Hairspray" dinner menu. De Groot cooked up Avocado & Heirloom Beet Salad with Lemon Oil and Wild Mushroom & Ricotta Cannelloni with Roasted Butternut Squash Jus.
Hairspray will be playing at Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater begining on November 15th. The theater is located at 1226 N Wishon Ave in Fresno. You can call for information at (559) 266-9494 or check out their website at http://www.gcplayers.com/ .
Here are Chef De Groot's recipe's for those who wish to try them at home:
Avocado & Heirloom Beet Salad with Lemon Oil
1 pound baby beets, such as red, Chioggia, or golden
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
2 large avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
Lemon oil, recipe follows
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Trim the greens off the beets and wash thoroughly. Place them in a baking dish with a good splash of water (enough to cover the bottom of the pan to the depth of ¼ inch). Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake until they can be easily pierced with a sharp knife, about 1 hour depending on size. Uncover and let cool. Slip off the skins and cut off the tops. Cut the beets into wedges or keep whole, depending on the look you want. Sprinkle the beets with the vinegar, making sure you dress the red ones separately so their color does not bleed all over the others. Let stand.
Place beets and avocados decoratively on 4 small salad plates or 1 large platter. Drizzle with the lemon oil and serve.
Lemon oil:
Zest of 4 lemons and the juice of one
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, juice, olive oil and salt. Make sure you make ahead so the oil has a chance to achieve the full flavor of the lemon. A day ahead would be great as well.
Wild Mushroom & Ricotta Cannelloni with Roasted Butternut Squash Jus
Mushroom Filling:
1 pound assorted wild mushrooms, such as shitake, oyster, and creminis, cleaned and stemmed
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
4 sheets fresh pasta ( about 5 x 4 inches )
Butternut Squash Jus, recipe follows
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large baking pan, combine the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, pepper, salt, olive oil and vinegar. Stir to blend all the ingredients together. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Slow roast the mushrooms for about 1 hour, giving them an occasional stir until the mushrooms are soft and tender. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Once cooled, pick out the bay leaves and chop the mushrooms into a fine dice. In a large bowl, combine the chopped mushrooms, ricotta and parmesan cheeses. Check for seasoning with salt and pepper.
Lay out your fresh pasta sheets on a large work space. Spoon out mushroom filling lengthwise equally distributing between the pasta sheets. Tightly role up cannelloni's lengthwise, ending with seam side down. Cut the cannelloni's in half and lay out in a buttered baking dish. Spoon out about 1 cup of butternut squash jus over the top of the pasta. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Gently place the cannelloni's in large serving bowls and top with more warm butternut squash jus.
Roasted Butternut Squash Jus:
3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
¾ cup white wine
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon curry powder
½ tablespoon honey
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3 ½ cups water or more if needed to desired consistency
Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In large baking dish, lay out the squash and drizzle the olive oil over the top. Sprinkle with a little salt and toss together until squash is well coated with the oil. Place in the oven and bake until the squash is very soft and slightly charred on the outside.
Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in large stockpot. Add onions and cook until soft. Then stir in the roasted butternut squash. Add white wine and reduce by half, about 2 to 3 minutes. Then stir in the cream, curry powder, honey and the pinch of cayenne.
Transfer mixture to food processor and puree until very smooth, adding some of the water as you go. Strain puree through a fine mesh strainer back into large stockpot. Simmer over low heat and mix in remaining water. Adjust seasonings to taste. Keep warm.
