Winter Brunch: Norweigan Potato Pancake with Bacon, Swiss Cheese Sauce

From Denny: A simple hearty easy-to-do meal to get you through a cold rainy day or snowy day on the ski slopes! It's also yet another clever - and tasty - way to use up those leftover mashed potatoes.

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Norwegian potato pancake with poached eggs, Jalrsberg cheese sauce, and cranberry relish



From: Chef Zane Holmquist



Serves: 6-8 portions



INGREDIENTS



Norwegian potato pancake



• 4 Idaho potatoes (par-boiled, peeled and grated)

• 1/2 small yellow onion

• 4 bacon strips (cooked and diced)

• 1 egg white

• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon fresh chives (chopped)

• 1 teaspoon fresh Italian parsley (chopped)

• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground fresh black pepper



Jarlsberg cheese sauce



• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1/4 cup whole milk

• 2 teaspoon corn starch

• 4 teaspoon cold water

• 2 cups Jarlsberg cheese (grated)

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

• 1 pinch ground nutmeg



Cranberry relish



• 1 1/2 cups whole fresh cranberries

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• Zest of 1/2 orange

• 1 pinch kosher salt



Poached eggs



• One egg per person

• 2 quarts water

• 2 tablespoons vinegar



DIRECTIONS



Norwegian potato pancake



1. Boil potatoes in salted water for 12 minutes; cool to room temperature, peel and grate.



2. Peel and dice onion.



3. Cook bacon and dice. Onions and bacon should be diced to equal sizes.



4. Combine potatoes, onion and bacon.



5. Whip egg whites until foamy; fold into potato mixture.



6. Mix flour, chives, parsley, salt and pepper into potato combination. Be sure not to overwork; the potatoes should keep their grated texture.



7. Scoop potato mixture onto lightly oiled pancake griddle with 2 ounce ice cream scoop and cook until lightly browned on both sides; approximately 3-4 minutes per side.







Jarlsberg cheese sauce



1. Bring cream and milk to a simmer.



2. Mix corn starch and water together to make a slurry.



3. Add corn starch slurry to simmering milk and cream. (You must bring the cream to a boil, to activate the corn starch.)



4. Slowly add in grated Jarlsberg cheese, continually stirring until a smooth sauce-like consistency. (Use caution; the cheese sauce can burn easily)



5. Add salt, white pepper and nutmeg.



6. Keep sauce warm until ready to serve.







Cranberry relish



1. Mix cranberries, sugar, orange zest and salt together in a bowl.



2. Place in a thick-bottom saucepan; bring to a low simmer.



3. Stirring occasionally, cook for 12 minutes, or until the mixture is a jam-like consistency.







Poached eggs



Poach one egg per person in 2 quarts of water with 2 tablespoons of vinegar, until desired doneness. Place poached egg on potato pancake. Add 2-3 tablespoons of cheese sauce over the egg.



Garnish plate with 1 large tablespoon of cranberry relish. Finish with chopped parsley and serve immediately. The tart cranberry relish lightens the intense flavor of the Jarlsberg cheese. The dish’s primary component is the potato cake. This is a perfect Sunday brunch dish.







*** For more about Norweigan-American culture, check out one of my friend's articles at HubPages: Rolling lefse for the holidays where she talks about what the holidays were like at her house.



*** Thanks for visiting! For more recipes check out Comfort Food From Louisiana!

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Edible Christmas Decorations and Chocolate Cookies From Nigella

From Denny: Nigella Lawson is such a joyful spirit and I always enjoy watching her. Her recipes are easy too. These cookies are so easy she says that they can't be ruined when children are involved in the merry making. Now there's nothing better than that endorsement! You don't have to stress about perfection and the kids don't have to stress about getting criticized for making a mistake. This cookie dough is very forgiving - as we all should be this holiday season. :)



For some reason this video is not available for embedding so here's the link if you wish to view it:



Video: Nigella's Tasty Christmas Treats







Edible Christmas Tree Decoration



From: Nigella Lawson



Makes: approx. 35-40



Nigella: I couldn’t have Christmas without these, or at least, not happily. Rituals are essential to give us meaning, a sense of ceremony, and making these peppery gingerbready edible decorations is how I have always marked with my children that Christmas had begun.



INGREDIENTS



For the cookies



• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

• Pinch of salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1-2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) soft butter

• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

• 2 large eggs, beaten with 1/4 cup runny honey



For the icing and trimming



• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

• 2 tablespoons meringue powder

• Edible gold or silver sprinkles

• Florists’ ribbon for hanging



DIRECTIONS



Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and pepper in a food processor and, with the motor on, add the butter and sugar, then, slowly, the beaten eggs and honey, through the feed tube, though don’t use all of this liquid if the pastry has come together before it’s used up.



Form two fat discs and put one, covered in plastic wrap or in a resealable bag, in the refrigerator while you get started on the other.



Preheat the oven to 350 F and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Then dust a work surface with flour, roll out the disc, also floured, to about ¼ inch, and cut out your Christmas decoration with cutters of your choice, which could include fir-tree shapes, angels, stars, snowflakes, and so on.



Re-roll and cut out some more, setting aside the dough scraps from this first disc, well covered, while you get on with rolling out the second. When you’ve got both sets of leftover clumps of dough, roll out and cut out again, and keep doing so till all the dough’s used up.



Now take a small piping nozzle and use the pointy end to cut out a hole just below the top of each cookie (through which ribbon can later be threaded).



Arrange the pastry shapes on the lined cookie sheets and bake for about 20 minutes: it’s hard to see when they’re baked, but you can feel; if the underside is no longer doughy, they’re ready. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.



Mix together the confectioners’ sugar with the meringue powder and 3 tablespoons water, beating it until it’s thick enough to be able to cover the cookies with a just-dripping blanket of white. Carefully ice the cold decorations, using a teaspoon (the tip for dripping, the back for smoothing), and scatter sparkles or sprinkles as you like. When the icing is set, thread ribbon through the holes and hang on you tree.







Christmas Chocolate Cookies



From: Nigella Lawson



Makes: approx. 24



Nigella: I love these dark, fat patties of chocolate shortbread exuberantly topped with festive sprinkles. There’s something so cheering about the sight of them, but they have more in their favor than looks: They are a doddle to make, and meltingly gorgeous to eat.



INGREDIENTS



• 2 1/4 sticks (18 tablespoons) soft butter

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder



For the festive topping



• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

• 1/4 cup boiling water, from a kettle

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Christmas sprinkles



DIRECTIONS



Preheat the oven to 325 F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.



Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl and, when you have a light, soft whipped mixture, beat in the 1/3 cup cocoa powder (sifting if it is lumpy) and, when that’s mixed in, beat in the flour with the baking soda and baking powder. Or just put everything in the processor and blitz, if you prefer.



This mixture is very soft and sticky and I find it easiest to form the cookies wearing my disposable vinyl gloves, so pinch off pieces about 1 tablespoon in size, roll them into balls, then slightly flatten into fat discs as you place them, well spaced, on your cookies sheet; you should get about 12 on at a time.



Bake each batch for 15 minutes; even though the cookies won’t feel as if they’ve had enough time, they will continue to cook as they cool. They will look slightly cracked on top, and it’s this cosy, homespun look I love.



Remove the cookies sheet to a cold surface and let it sit for 15 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack, with a sheet of newspaper under it (to catch drips while topping them).



To make the topping, put the cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar, water and vanilla extract into a small saucepan and whisk over a low heat until everything’s smoothly combined. Take off the heat for 10 minutes.



When the cookies are cool, drizzle each one with a tablespoonful of chocolate glaze — to glue the sprinkles on in a minute — using the back of the spoon to help spread the mixture, though an uneven dribbly look is part of their charm. After you’ve iced 6 cookies, scatter with some of the Christmas sprinkles, and continue thus until all the cookies are topped. If you ice them all before sprinkling, you will find the cocoa “glue” has dried and the sprinkles won’t stick on.



*** Thanks for visiting! All these Christmas clip art and animations are FREE for use on your blog or site, enjoy!



*** For more recipes check out Comfort Food From Louisiana!

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Crazy Editorial Cartoons 5 Dec 2009

From Denny: The Secret Service took a beating this week as well they should have, how lame can you get? Tiger Woods took another beating, this one from his irate wife fed up with his sleeping around. You go, girl! Send her to Afghanistan to win the war suggests one cartoonist. :) Obama announces his controversial plans to escalate in Afghanistan while the rest of us are war weary. And plenty of Santa cartoons to get you in the mood for the holiday season...

Secret Service and their lame excuses as to why they did not protect the President or the Prime Minister of India adequately... It might as well have been Bart Simpson in charge of security.

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Dave Granlund - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by R.J. Matson - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Gary McCoy - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

Health care:

See Cartoons by Cartoon by R.J. Matson - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

Iran dilemma of thumbing their nose at world and going ahead and building now 10 times the number of nukes:

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Eric Allie - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

Obama's Afghan War controversial strategy that's just wearing out the public patience after eight years of expensive wars burdening the taxpayers and costing jobs:

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Monte Wolverton - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Bob Englehart - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by John Darkow - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Jimmy Margulies - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

Tiger Woods getting beat up by his irate wife for having an idiot affair. It's bad enough the guy is known for being a bad tipper, emotionally stingy and cheap on philanthropy. "Do ya think?" Karma is on his case...?

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Brian Fairrington - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Pat Bagley - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Randy Bish - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Cameron Cardow - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

And to get you in the mood for Christmas...

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Joe Heller - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by J.D. Crowe - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by David Fitzsimmons - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by John Darkow - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Brian Duffy - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Dave Granlund - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

*** Thanks for visiting and keep laughing!

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Video: Nigella Lawsons Chocolate Holiday Hits Savory and Sweet

From Denny: Nigella Lawson, the cooking beauty from Britain who is also hilarious, has a new holiday season cookbook called "Nigella Christmas." I always enjoy her and you will too! Take a look and recipes are below:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Chocolate Chip Chili

From: Nigella Lawson

Serves: 12

INGREDIENTS

• 10 (or 5 linked pairs) chorizo sausages (not the salami sort), approx 1 1/4 lbs.
• 3 1/4 lb boneless beef shank, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
• 3 onions (about 1 lb), peeled
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 fresh long red chile, seeded
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• seeds from 3 cardamom pods
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp dried pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup tomato ketchup
• 4 x 15oz cans red kidney beans, drained
• 3 x 14oz cans diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup water (swished out in one of the diced tomato cans)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Finely chop, or process the onion, garlic and chile.

3. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pan (with a lid) or cast-iron or enameled Dutch oven and fry the onion, garlic and chile until soft, on low for about 10 minutes, then add the cardamom seeds, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and red pepper flakes.

4. Stir the oniony spiced mixture together and then add the chorizo, sliced into 1/4-inch coins, letting them ooze their paprika-orange oil.

5. Drop in the cubes of beed, turning them int he pan with the chorizo and onion mix, to brown the meat.

6. Stir in the tomato paste, ketchup, drained kidney beans and diced tomatoes. Add the water and bring the chili to a boil.

7. Once bubbling, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the chili and give it a good stir. Put on the lid and transfer to the oven.

7. Cook at this low heat for 3 hours. Once cooked it is best left overnight to improve the flavor.



I love the accurate names she gives her recipes... :)

Girdlebuster Pie

From: Nigella Lawson

INGREDIENTS

For the base

• 1 x 14oz box graham crackers
• 3/4 stick (6 TSB) soft butter
• 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped or chips
• 1/4 cup milk chocolate, chopped or chips

For the ice cream filling

• 1 quart coffee ice cream

For the topping

• 1 cup golden syrup, such as Lyle
• 1/2 cup packed soft light brown sugar
• 3/4 stick (6 TSB) butter
• pinch of table salt (optional)
• 2 TSB bourbon
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Process the graham crackers with the butter and chocolate pieces or chips until it forms a damp but still crumb-like clump.

2. Press into a 9-inch pie plate or flan dish. Form a lip of cracker crumbs a little higher than the plate or dish if you can. This process takes patience as you need ideally to form a smooth even layer. Sorry.

3. Freeze this crumb-lined layer for about an hour so it gets really hard. In the meantime, let your ice cream soften, just enough to be scooped. in the refrigerator

4. Spread the ice cream into the hard-crumb-lined dish to form a layer. Then cover in plastic wrap and replace in the freezer.

5. Put the syrup, sugar, salt (if using) and butter into a saucepan and let it melt over a low to medium heat, before turning it up and boiling for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and add the bourbon, letting it hiss in the pan.

6. Add the cream and stir to mix into a sauce, then leave to cool. And once the sauce is cool, but not set cold, pour it over the pie to cover the ice cream layer and then put it back in the freezer. Once frozen, cover with plastic wrap again.

7. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer, take the whole pie out of its dish and cut into slices. Should you have any pie left over, slip it quickly back into the dish and return, covered with plastic wrap, to the freezer.

*** Thanks for visiting and have fun cooking!

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Video: Funny TV Trio Making Christmas Cookies, 3 Recipes

From Denny: These ladies are having so much fun showing you how to make their mothers' Christmas cookies that it will make you smile too!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Tasty Morsels

From: Kathie Lee Gifford

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup chopped dates
• 1 small box of Ritz crackers
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup buttercream icing

DIRECTIONS

Place chopped nuts, dates and condensed milk into double boiler.

Stir often until mixture thickens.

When thickened put aside for about 3 minutes.

When cooled, spread mixture over crackers and place on greased cookie sheet.

Place cookies in 350-degree oven for only 3 minutes. Remove and cool on cookie rack.

When cooled, cover with buttercream icing.

To firm icing quickly put frosted cookies in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Then place cookies in a tin and place in the freezer.



A favorite at our house...

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

From: Hoda Kotb

INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• Hershey Kisses
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsps. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS

Combine ingredients.

Roll into balls, roll balls in sugar. Bake on cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Top with chocolate.

Kiss immediately upon removal from oven.



Soft Sugar Cookies

From: Sara Haines

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 egg
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Beat together butter and sugar on low speed of mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in flavorings and egg. Mix. Stir in flour and baking soda.

Using a small cookie scoop or two spoons, shape dough into balls. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Press cookie down slightly to flatten. using the bottom of a glass that has been dipped in sugar. Colored or white sugar may be used.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, just until cookies have set. Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Variation: Substitute 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar for the cup of sugar in above recipe. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours (or overnight). Roll dough out 1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured surface and cut out shapes. Sprinkle with colored sugars or frost. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart in a 375° F oven for 7-8 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden brown.

Tips: Do not overbake cookies; watch closely near the end of baking time. Bake on parchment paper for easy cleanup. Use two cookie sheets and have one ready to go into the oven as the first sheet cools (or just transfer parchment paper). For softer cookies, add a tablespoon of sour cream, yogurt or buttermilk.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies, depending on size.

*** Thanks for visiting and have fun trying out these easy recipes!

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Funny Miss Speak Known as Malapropisms

From Denny: The following is a fun excerpt from Cheeky Quote Day over at The Social Poets. For the full post, go here.

*** Those funny slips of the tongue that come out weird and ridiculous!

From Denny: OK, we have all done it at one time or another. The key to good communication and understanding with others is to, well, avoid those slips of the tongue – or brain – whichever the case may be and speak something that comes out as absolutely weird and ridiculous nonsense.

What’s a malapropism? It’s one of those Freudian nuisances that have long plagued humanity – and politicians. We will get to that in a moment. A malapropism is really the unintentional use of a wrong word or strings of words into a phrase (compounding the problem) that causes confusion with the listeners as to what you truly meant to utter.

OK, so it’s unintentional and a humorous misuse or distortion of the word or phrase. A malapropism is especially effective because though it sounds a lot like the intended word so that it ends up ludicrously wrong in the context! What’s worse is if you make a habit of talking like this.



Some typographer having fun: I Shot the Serif ---- sheriff

A quick bit of history trivia for you on the origin of the word malapropism… OK, all you show-offs quit waving your hands because you already know the answer. Malapropism came into our language a few centuries ago from the pen of writer Richard Sheridan. His character, Mrs. Malaprop, was known for these speech antics in his 1775 play named The Rivals.

Here are some of her fun malapropisms and the correct word follows. If want to study how to write malapropisms this is a great example of how to write them:

"...promise to forget this fellow - to illiterate him, I say, quite from your memory." -------------- obliterate

"O, he will dissolve my mystery!" ------- resolve

"He is the very pine-apple of politeness!" ------- pinnacle

"I have since laid Sir Anthony's preposition before her;" ------- proposition

"Oh! it gives me the hydrostatics to such a degree." -------- hysterics

"I hope you will represent her to the captain as an object not altogether illegible." ------- eligible

"...she might reprehend the true meaning of what she is saying." ------- comprehend

"...she's as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of Nile." ------- alligator

"I am sorry to say, Sir Anthony, that my affluence over my niece is very small." ------- influence

"Why, murder's the matter! slaughter's the matter! killing's the matter! - but he can tell you the perpendiculars." ------- particulars

"Nay, no delusions to the past - Lydia is convinced;" ------- allusions

"...behold, this very day, I have interceded another letter from the fellow;" ------- intercepted

"I thought she had persisted from corresponding with him;" ------- desisted

"His physiognomy so grammatical!" ------- phraseology

"I am sure I have done everything in my power since I exploded the affair;" ------- exposed

"I am sorry to say, she seems resolved to decline every particle that I enjoin her." ------- article

"...if ever you betray what you are entrusted with... you forfeit my malevolence for ever..." ------- benevolence

"Your being Sir Anthony's son, captain, would itself be a sufficient accommodation;" ------- recommendation

"Sure, if I reprehend any thing in this world it is the use of my oracular tongue, and a nice derangement of epitaphs!" -------- reprehend/apprehend, oracular/vernacular, derangement/arrangement, epitaphs/epithets



*** For the full post of funny malapropisms - that my British friends call Colemanballs after a sports announcer prone to slips of the tongue - and the examples of former President Bush in all his Miss Speak glory, video of short clips included, visit Cheeky Quote Day at The Social Poets, go here.





*** Fun and intriguing informative science articles written in my usual cheeky voice:

Check Out Cosmic Generator Producing Energy at Rate of 100K Suns

Slamming Low-Ride Satellite Maps Earths Magnetic Field

*** Thanks for visiting! And if you are a blogger make sure to copy these fun free Christmas clip arts to use on your blog!

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Richard Geres Bedford Inns Holiday Appetizer

From Denny: This certainly was an unexpected find today. Apparently, the two actors Richard Gere and wife Carrie Lowell own Bedford Post Inn, Bedford, New York. The actors and the chef look like they are simpatico and have a lot of fun together. You also get an inside peek at the Inn and its kitchen. What a beautiful place it is!

The Bedford Inn's restaurant has recently been named one of the top 10 restaurants in the country. Chef Lewis must be quite excited to receive such an honor. He shows us how to turn leftover risotto into a holiday appetizer.

Besides, mushrooms are brain food! Healthy food for your brain and a simple easy-to-make hot appetizer for the holidays. Works for me! :)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Wild mushroom risotto

From: Chef Brian Lewis

INGREDIENTS

For the risotto base:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons minced Spanish onion
• 1 cup carnaroli rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups mushroom or chicken stock
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

For the roasted wild mushrooms:

• 1 pound fresh porcini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
• 1 pound chanterelles
• 8 sage leaves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

To make the risotto base:

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottom sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and season with salt. Cook until soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes.

2. Add the rice and stir together with the onions for 2 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

3. Add the white wine and let simmer and absorb fully into the rice, not stirring at this point, for 3-4 minutes. Once the wine has been absorbed and the alcohol evaporated, the rice will begin to toast and take on a nutty aroma.

4. Begin to add the chicken stock at this point, one cup at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon preferably. Stir constantly, allowing the rice to give off its creamy starch and create a delicate creamy broth with the stock.

5. Continue to cook and stir the risotto until all of the stock has been absorbed by the rice. At this point, remove the pan from the heat and add the cold butter, stirring it into the rice quickly, allowing the butter to emulsify with the rice.

6. Finish the risotto by adding the Parmesan cheese and the cooked porcini mushrooms.

7. Serve with a side of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

To roast the wild mushrooms:

1. In a heavy-bottom sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and season with a touch of salt, cooking gently until all of the moisture has evaporated and they begin to brown, about 8-10 minutes.

2. Add the butter and sage, combining with the mushrooms and cooking until the butter is lightly brown and the sage has browned.

3. Adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

4. Keep warm until ready to add to the risotto.



Wild mushroom stuffed arancini (air-en-cheen-ee), also known as risotto balls

From: Chef Brian Lewis

INGREDIENTS

For the wild mushroom stuffed arancini:

• 2 cups wild mushroom risotto, cold
• 3/4 cup imported Taleggio cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage
• 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 3 quarts canola oil, for frying
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

For the fines herbs aioli:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons fines herbs (equal parts minced tarragon, Italian parsley and chives)

DIRECTIONS

To make the wild mushroom stuffed arancini:

1. Fill a large, heavy-bottom sauce pot with the canola oil, making sure that the oil does not go higher than halfway high, to prevent the oil from spilling over.

2. Using a fryer thermometer, bring the temperature of the oil to 350 degrees F. Have a tray lined with paper towels ready to drain and season the fried arancini.

3. Using a tablespoon, form the risotto into equal-size balls, called arancini. Stuff each ball with small cubes of Taleggio.

4. Bread the arancini: Break the eggs into a medium-size mixing bowl and whisk with the milk and strain into another mixing bowl. Place the flour in a medium-size mixing bowl. Combine the bread crumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, rosemary, sage and salt and fresh black pepper to taste.

5. Roll the arancini in the flour, then dip into the eggs and then roll into the bread crumbs.

6. Fry until golden brown for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and season with a touch of salt to taste.

To make the fines herbs aioli:

1. Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt using a large heavy knife.

2. Whisk together yolk, lemon juice and mustard in a bowl. Combine oils and add, a few drops at a time, to yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until all oil is incorporated and mixture is emulsified. (If mixture separates, stop adding oil and continue whisking until mixture comes together, then resume adding oil.)

3. Whisk in garlic paste and fines herbs, season with salt and pepper to taste. If aioli is too thick, whisk in 1 or 2 drops of water.

4. Chill, covered, until ready to use.

*** Thanks for visiting and check out Winter Comfort Food from Chef Tyler Florence! And if you are a blogger, be sure to copy these great reindeer images - they are too fun!

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