Warm Gooey Cheese Fondue 4 Cold Nights

From Denny: The Olympics food and recipes are still posting and this one is divine! There are three secrets to great cheese fondue.

1 - Prepare in a saucepan on the stove. Leave the official showy fondue pot for when the dish is ready to be served. You will be doing a lot of stirring as the cheese melts and it's just easier to control the heat temperature on the stove.

2 - Rub the inside of the saucepan with raw garlic to flavor the final dish. Then you pour in the wine and other ingredients.

3 - Place some cornstarch water in the saucepan after the garlic rub. What this does is prevent the cheese from separating into ugly unappetizing lumps. This simple little trick is a winner for keeping the cheese properly bound and smooth in the final product.

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

Pierre's fondue recipe

From: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, chef and owner Market Restaurant: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 3 1/3 c Gruyere cheese, grated
• 3 1/3 c Fribourg Vacherin cheese, grated (or Comte if not available)
• 3 1/3 c dry white wine
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 3 Tbsp kirsch
• 1 pc crushed garlic
• 1 each baguette, cut into 1" cubes with crust
• 1 each Gala apple, cut into 1" cubes
• 1 1/2 c red grapes, washed
• 4 oz Bresaola, thinly sliced
• Cornichons
• Pickled onions

DIRECTIONS

Rub inside of a heatproof casserole with the garlic. Add the wine and cornstarch and heat until liquid is steaming but not boiling. Slowly add the cheese and bring just under the boiling point, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Once the mixture is completely melted and velvety in texture, mix in the kirsch and continue stirring until it comes back together. Remove from the heat, season with fresh ground pepper and nutmeg. Serve tableside on a burner. Arrange all the garnish on a plate and serve.


*** THANKS for visiting, come back often, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers - and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Winter Brain Food: Parmigiano Pasta with Mushrooms

From Denny: Winter just goes together with pasta and fresh pasta is one of those dishes you enjoy making on a chilly day. Making bread or pasta by hand and from scratch is very relaxing and a great way to stress down from a work week when the slower weekend time comes. Even if you don't have the time or the desire for making the pasta yourself, you can still make this dish with fresh pasta from the store which is easy to find.

Mushrooms are the ultimate "brain food" and we love mushrooms at our house. A mushroom cheese pasta, well, there is nothing more comforting on a cold day! This is such an easy sauce to make with aromatic rosemary and tasty white wine to sweeten it.

Sometimes, when I run out of olive oil - or just want a different taste - I use well browned clarified butter run through a fine mesh sieve to collect the browned bits to deliver a clear dark golden oil. Butter this way acquires a wonderful deep buttery flavor with nutty overtones that goes well with herbs and pasta.

Take a look at this soul-satisfying and easy to make rich-tasting Italian comfort food: Pasta with mushrooms and rosemary

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Stracchi con funghi
(Pasta “rags” with mushrooms, rosemary and Parmigiano-Reggiano)

From: Chef Missy Robbins, executive chef at A Voce restaurant

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

For the fresh pasta

• 4 cups “00” flour (a type of flour available in Italian markets)
• 16 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1/3 of cup water

For the completed dish

• 32 pc. stracchi
• 3 TBS. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. oyster mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 1 cup veal stock (can substitute chicken broth if veal stock is difficult to find)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 3 TBS butter
• 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 sprigs rosemary, chopped fine
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

For the fresh pasta: Make a well with the flour and place the egg and water in the center of the well. With a fork gradually begin to incorporate the flour into the egg and mix until a ball of dough forms.

Knead the dough for a few minutes by hand until it is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 20 minutes.

Using a pasta machine or KitchenAid pasta attachment, roll out the pasta into thin sheet and cut into squares approximately 4 inches by 4 inches.

For the completed dish: Heat a large pot of water until it boils. Add salt to taste. Heat a large saute pan to high and add the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and saute on high heat until the mushrooms are golden in color. Add the white wine to deglaze pan, and then add the veal stock.

Cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the butter and mix until emulsified into the sauce. Set aside. Place the pasta in the boiling water and cook until tender (it will only take about a minute).

Add the pasta to the saute pan with the mushrooms and add a touch of the pasta cooking liquid. Finish cooking the pasta in the mushroom sauce for another minute or so until the sauce and pasta are married together.

Add the rosemary and finish with 1/2 the Parmigiano-Reggiano and divide amongst 4 plates. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano.

*** THANKS for visiting, come back often, huge hug to current subscribers - and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad