The Chanterelle cookbook was one that I’ve had my eye on for quite some time, and recently finally decided to purchase. I love restaurant cookbooks most of all because they give us an inside look at some of the country’s top kitchens, and its an inexpensive way to explore the cuisines of well-known chefs. Although the recipes are usually more complicated, I enjoy cooking from restaurant cookbooks, and imagine myself creating the dish during dinner service at the restaurant.

So, this here is Chef David Waltuck’s arctic char with grapefruit. The grapefruit is what caught my eye here; I love using grapefruit juice in vinaigrettes, and was curious to see it here in a butter sauce. The candied grapefruit peel had me wondering though, wouldn’t it be too sweet and overpower the fish? Actually no, the sugar balances the bitterness of the peel, and as it cooks down and hardens, it adds an interesting textural note to the dish.

In all, it’s a fresh take on classical French cooking, and fun to both cook and eat; we get a delicious mound of buttery cabbage, a crisped-up char fillet, a rich, fruity sauce, and curly, zesty strips of grapefruit rind scattered about.

The Recipe

Source: Chanterelle by David Waltuck

zest of 1 large pink grapefruit, removed with a vegetable peeler (be sure to remove only the zest, not the white pith beneath) and julienned (3 inches long)
3 tablespoons sugar, plus more to taste
1 cup pink grapefruit juice (from 2 large grapefruits)
1 medium shallot, coarsely chopped
½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup heavy cream
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus 2 tablespoons at room temperature
1 small head Savoy or green cabbage, cored and cut into very thin strips
kosher salt
black pepper from a mill
four 6-ounce Arctic char or salmon fillets, skin on, any pin bones removed
3 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Prepare the Candied Zest:

Put the grapefruit zest in a small saucepan and cover with about 2 inches of cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then drain the zest in a fine-mesh strainer. Repeat the process twice more, for a total of three times, to soften the zest and draw out some of its bitterness.

After draining the zest for a third time, return it to the pan and add ½ cup water and the sugar. Stir together and cook over very low heat until the liquid is reduced to a syrup but is still loose and plentiful enough to cover the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes. (You do not want to completely reduce the liquid, which would result in a cloyingly sweet and sticky rind. Taste a piece if you like; it should hold its shape but be easily chewable and slightly sweet.) If the liquid seems to be reducing too much, add a tablespoon or two of water to keep the zest from burning. Drain well and let cool on a baking rack. (The candied zest will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

Prepare the Grapefruit Butter Sauce:

Put the grapefruit juice, shallot, and wine in a medium nonreactive saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the liquid is simmering and cook until reduced to about 3 tablespoons of syrupy liquid, about 15 minutes (be careful not to overcook or the natural sugars in the juice and wine will caramelize and discolor the sauce). Stir in the cream and let the sauce thicken over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. (The reduction can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 24 hours; reheat gently before continuing.)

Reduce the heat to low and gradually whisk in the cold butter, a few cubes at a time, adding the next few cubes only after the previous batch has been well incorporated. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl and season with salt. You should have about ½ cup of sauce. Taste it; the sauce should be slightly sweet and tart. If you don’t discern any sweetness, add a pinch of sugar. Keep the sauce covered and warm.

Melt the softened butter in a 10-inch saute pan over medium heat. Add the cabbage and cook, tossing, until just slightly wilted, about 3 minutes. Add ¼ cup of water and season with salt and pepper to taste.. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook until most of the water has evaporated and the cabbage is cooked through but still a little crunchy, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid.

Lay the fillets on a clean, dry surface and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat until it is very warm (don’t let it get really hot), then add the fillets, skin side down, and cook until the skin is crisp and browned, 3 to 4 minutes. (Keep a close eye on it because char burns easily.) Turn the fillets over and finish cooking the other side, 3 to 4 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the cut and the desired level of doneness. Blot the skin side with paper towels.

To serve, divide the cabbage among 4 dinner plates, placing a mound in the center of each. Evenly divide the grapefruit sauce, pouring it around the cabbage. Sprinkle the plates with the chives, then place a char fillet on top of each cabbage bed. Garnish with a sprinkling of the grapefruit zest and serve.