Crusty Hazelnut Corn Cakes with
Grilled Mushrooms and Dried Cherry Relish
By Chef Susan Goss, Zinfandel Restaurant, Chicago, IL

Made with:
Häagen-Dazs Vanilla and Chocolate Mudslide Pie

Ingredients:
5 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
6 tbls. Minced Shallot
2 tsps kosher salt
11/2 tspn. Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 tspn. Thyme Leaves (chopped)
1-2/3 cup Yellow Cornmeal
1 cup Toasted Hazelnuts (finely chopped, skinned)
2/3 cup Parsley (chopped)
1/4 cup Maple Syrup Corn Oil

Garnish:
Additional Maple Syrup, Clover Blossoms
and Thyme Sprigs for garnish

Procedure:
Bring stock to a boil. Add shallots, salt, pepper and thyme. Slowly whisk in cornmeal until smooth. Reduce heat to low and cook, whisking, until thick and beginning to pull away from sides of pan, about 10 minutes. Add hazelnuts, parsley, and maple syrup. Remove from heat and stir well. Spray a 2-inch half pan or 9x12-inch pan with vegetable oil spray and scrape cornmeal mixture into pan. Smooth top.

Refrigerate uncovered until firm. Cut chilled hazelnut corn cake into 18 squares.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add enough corn oil to film the bottom. When oil is almost smoking add corn cakes in batches, top side down. Lower heat to medium and sauté cakes until browned and crispy. Flip cakes and sauté until heated through. Cut cakes diagonally into triangles. Overlap three triangles down the center of a warm plate. Spoon two tablespoons of Grilled Mushroom Dried Cherry Relish down center of cakes.

Garnish plate with warm maple syrup, clover blossoms and thyme sprigs.

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