Sweet Heat Panko crusted Sardine & Kale salad, with Maple vinaigrette and Roasted Squash Bisque

• Recipes appear exactly as presented to the Cook of the Week Challenge judges.

Roasted Squash Bisque

-2 squash, halved

-2 tbsp of butter

-1 white onion , diced

-4 carrots, diced

-2 1/2 cups vegetable stock

-1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

-1 teaspoon of kosher salt

-1 teaspoon of Creole

-1 ½ cups of heavy cream

-1 package of imitation crab meat

Preheat oven to 375°. On a lined baking sheet, place squash halves skin side down. Remove squash seeds and set aside. Melt 1 tbsp of butter and brush it on to squash halves. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until you can easily press a fork into the meat of the squash. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cool, set aside one half for salad, then scoop out flesh of remaining squash and discard skin. In a saucepan heat 1 tbsp of butter and sauté onion and carrots over a medium heat for eight minutes, or until onions are translucent. Then add squash, salt, nutmeg, creole seasoning, and vegetable stock to mixture in sauce pan. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Using a food processor or blender, place mixture and imitation crab meat into processor and purée until smooth. Return mixture to a pot and add cream. Heat until hot, but do not allow to boil.

Roasted Squash seeds

Seeds from one squash

-1/4 tsp kosher salt

-1/4 tsp garlic powder

-1/4 tsp onion powder

In a colander rinse seeds well. Then place seeds on paper towels and allow to fully dry (approximately 3 hours). Preheat oven to 300°. Place seeds evenly on a cookie sheet and season with salt, garlic, and onion powder. Bake for 15 minutes or until seeds are light brown and crunchy. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Asiago wheat bread bowl

-4 slices of wheat bread

-1/4 cup of butter, melted

-1/3 cup of asiago cheese, shredded

Place slices of wheat bread on cutting board and roll flat with a rolling pin. Cut bottom corners of bread off so that slices look like flower petals. Coat bread with melted butter, bot sides. Place a small bowl or cup upside down on a baking sheet. Layer pieces of bread upside down onto bowl, overlapping a ½ inch and sprinkling cheese between the layers to form the shape of an upside down bowl. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until light brown and crisp. Remove from oven and take bread bowl off of form and allow to cool. Place hot soup in bowl, top with a dash of cream and squash seeds, serve.

Kale Salad with Spicy Panko Crusted Sardines and Maple Vinaigrette Dressing

-1 bunch of kale

-2 tbsp of olive oil

-1 cup of squash, cubed (reserved from earlier)

-1 cup of apple, cubed (Honey Crisp)

-1/3 cup of brown sugar

-1 tbsp of cinnamon

-2 3.75 oz pckgs of sardines in hot sauce, (King Oscar)

-1/2 cup of flour

-2 eggs, beaten

-1cup of panko bread crumbs

-vegetable oil for frying

-1/3 cup of dried cranberries

-1/3 cup of gorgonzola cheese crumbles

Wash kale, dry and remove leaves from hard stems. Tear kale into medium size pieces and place into a bowl. Toss leaves with olive oil, then massage oil into leaves with hands to soften kale, set aside. Toss squash, apple, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, then set aside. Place flour, eggs, and bread cumbs in separate bowls. Drain sardines from hot sauce. First dredge sardines in flour, then quickly dip into egg mixture, and then roll sardines in bread crumbs. Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat, then fry sardines until golden brown ( approximately 2 minutes. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to drain. Combine all ingredients (except sardines) in a bowl and toss, including reserved squash seeds, top with sardines and serve.

Maple Vinaigrette Dressing

-1/4 cup of olive oil

-2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

-1 tbsp Dijon mustard

-2 tbsp of maple syrup, preferably real

Place all ingredients in a jar, cap and shake well. Refrigerate until ready to use. Top kale salad with dressing after assembling salad.