Cook of the Week Challenge contestants wrestle with hot dogs, delicata squash, flour and Emmentaler
Molly Sutton vs. David Rench
Molly Sutton: My challenge includes all beef hot dogs, delicata squash, Swiss cheese, and all-purpose flour. I immediately thought of the Midwest and the Fall cooking season. This includes Delicata squash, which has a flavor reminiscent of sweet potatoes. A traditional French cassoulet uses duck confit, beans, red wine, and smoked sausage. Why not a Midwest Cassoulet? It is rich in chicken, beans, pork tenderloin, hot dogs, squash, and a lightly sweetened tomato sauce with pure maple syrup and brandy. The Delicata squash is roasted, peeled, and cubed and added for bounty. Hot dogs take the place of smoked sausage and brandy instead of red wine. This great one pot Fall dish goes well with Swiss Cheese Drop Biscuits, made with artisanal Wisconsin Swiss cheese. It's cassoulet the Midwest way!
David Rench: Hot dogs! I have to admit that I love all types of food and will ingest the occasional hot dog loaded with the works, while trying not to think of what the dog is really made of. But the hot dog ingredient turned out to be quite challenging to convert to something both tasty and elegant. After many thoughts about it I decided to make a kicked up kid-friendly Sunday brunch trio that would be appealing to all ages. Quiche Lorraine entered my mind as I awoke at 5:30 a.m. after I had asked my food muse to help me out with this hot dog dilemma. But to keep it a tad more simple, and young folk enticing, I decided to create a Lorraine-inspired Frank Frittata. Since it was going to be a brunch, I needed a starch and a side to round out the plating. That notion brought me to one of my favorite fall dishes of delicata squash gnocchi. The gnocchi sauce came easy to me. A rich creamy sauce, laced with fresh sage. That sage flavor was chosen to emulate the sage flavor of a fine breakfast sausage. The final question was, would I enjoy sitting down to a brunch that offered these items? My answer of YUP, took me to the kitchen to try it out.