I consider Crostata Di Ricotta as the Italian version of cheesecake.  This is a very light and airy dessert that is fairly simple to make.  The most difficult part is the pastry, and even that’s not too hard to make.  The Ricotta gives the pie a nice texture and the lemon zest adds just enough tartness.  I even added a teaspoon of Limoncello.  That’s optional, of course.

The kids were skeptical when I told them it had cheese in it, until they tried it.  It was enjoyed by all.

Step 1 – The pastry Dough

This is an Italian recipe, so I had to convert grams into ounces for those of us on this side of the pond.  You will see both listed in this recipe.  In a large mixing bowl, add 500 grams (17 ounces) of all-purpose flour and 200  grams (7 0unces) of sugar.

In another mixing bowl, add 200 grams (7 ounces) of unsalted butter, 1 whole egg and 3 egg yolks and lemon zest.  Lightly mix until combined.

Now, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.

Knead into a dough.

Make into a ball.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes before using.

Step 2 – The filling

In a mixing bowl, whip 3 egg whites and 125 grams (4 ounces) of sugar, until you have stiff white peaks.

In a separate bowl, whip 900 grams (31 ounces) of well drained, whole milk ricotta, the remaining 125 grams (4 ounces) of sugar and the zest of one lemon.  You can add a teaspoon of Limoncello for a little more lemon taste.  This is optional.

Gently fold the ricotta mixture into the whipped egg whites.

It should look something like this.

Now it’s time to roll out your dough.  Cut the ball of dough in half.  You are going to make a bottom and top for your crostata.

Roll out your dough to just under 1/4 inch thickness or thinner.

Roll over your tart or pie pan and place it nicely.

Now, it’s ready to be filled.

Carefully fill the plate with the ricotta filling.  Be careful not to get the filling on the edges of the pie crust or it won’t seal well.

Now roll the top with the remaining pastry dough.

Seal the top with your dough.  Trim the excess pastry from the edges.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 – 30  minutes, depending on oven and pan used.  Cool on a wire rack and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Serves 8

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Pastry dough

500 grams (17 ounces)  all-purpose flour

200 grams (7 ounces) sugar

200 grams (7 ounces ) unsalted butter

3 egg yolks

1 large whole egg

zest of 1 lemon

Filling

3  egg whites

250 grams (8 ounces) sugar

900 grams (31 ounces) fresh ricotta (well drained)

zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon of Limoncello (optional)

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, add flour and sugar.  In another bowl, combine the butter, whole egg, egg yolks and zest of 1 lemon.  This is where you can add the optional teaspoon of Limoncello.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and knead into a dough.  Make into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside for 30 minutes.

For the filling, whip the egg whites and half the sugar until you have stiff white peaks.  In a separate bowl, whip the ricotta, remaining sugar and zest of 1 lemon.  Now gently fold the ricotta mixture into the egg whites.

Roll out your dough and press into pie plate.  Fill with the ricotta filling.  With the remaining pastry dough, roll out a top to your pie, and seal.  Trim the excess dough from the edges.  Place into preheated oven at 350 degrees F. and bake for 20 – 30 minutes, depending on your oven and pan used.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack and then refrigerate before serving.

Serves 8

The post Crostata Di Ricotta appeared first on Gourmetcentric.

So, I’m hungry, it’s a little late and I don’t want junk food.  I feel good about myself, having had a great workout but I want protein. I open the fridge and look around.  Hmmmm, miscellaneous produce, parsley, mushroom, a block of parmesan, a dozen of eggs, some pancetta, some cherry tomatoes.  I know, I’ll make a Frittata.  A baked, Italian Omelette.  Perfect.  The great thing about this recipe is that you can use whatever vegetables, meat, salami or cheese that you may have in your fridge.  It also serves well cold or hot and for dinner or breakfast which is exactly what I plan to do.

First ingredient, a large glass of red wine – for the chef of course.

I preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

I begin by beating five eggs with a little milk.

Then I grate a half cup of Parmesan cheese into the beaten eggs.

I get an oven proof skillet and pour in a little olive oil, or EVOO (extra virgin olive oil).

Bring that up to temperature, then saute and render the chopped pancetta.

Just before it browns too much, I add the sliced mushrooms in and saute them.

Season with salt, fresh black pepper and Herbes de Provence.

Chop a small handful of Italian parsley and a handful of cherry tomatoes and add them to the skillet.

I pour the egg, parmesan mixture into the skillet of mushrooms and pancetta.

Distribute all the ingredients evenly in the skillet so that it is well balanced when it cooks.

Then pop it into the oven for 15 minutes, or until the edges have pulled away from the skillet and the top is golden brown.

Take the skillet out of the oven and let cool for about five minutes, then slice like a pie.

Eat warm or cold with wine, or with juice or a cappuccino for breakfast.  Now I feel really good.  I hope you do too.

Enjoy.

Ingredients:

4 large eggs

1 half  cup of sliced button mushrooms

1 half cup of cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons fresh chopped Italian parsley (Flat leaf parsley)

1/4 cup of diced pancetta

1/2 cup of fresh grated parmesan

1/4 cup of milk

1 dash of salt

black pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon Herbes de Provence

Extra virgin olive oil

Cooking Method:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  In a mixing bowl, beat four to five whole eggs, adding a 1/4 cup of milk.  Grate 1/2 cup of parmesan into the bowl of beaten eggs.  Pour a tablespoon of Extra virgin olive oil into an oven proof medium size skillet, and heat to medium high.   Saute the diced pancetta for a few minutes, but be careful not to brown (they will continue cooking with the mushrooms).  Add the sliced mushrooms to the skillet and continue to saute.  Season with salt, black pepper and the Herbes de Provence.  Add the parsley and whole cherry tomatoes for a few more minutes before pouring in the beaten egg/cheese mixture. Stir to distribute the ingredients evenly in the pan and place into the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the edges begin to separate from the pan and the top is lightly brown.  Remove and let cool for five minutes before flipping onto a plate and serving sliced like a pie.

You may substitute butter for the olive oil, any type of cheese and any type and combination of vegetable or meat will suffice as well.  Experiment and enjoy.

The post Frittata – Dinner, Breakfast and in Between appeared first on Gourmetcentric.

Fried Zucchini Blossoms are one of my all time favorite things to eat.  I do not make them all the time because it’s hard to find beautiful, fresh zucchini flowers.  You can occasionally find them at good Farmer’s Markets, or even at Whole Foods.  The one’s I used were handpicked at Underwood Farm in Moorpark, California.  This farm is opened to the public and has great produce.  The advantage of picking them yourself is the freshness of the flower.  Zucchini flowers have to be fresh, and preferably used within 48 hours of picking.

There are many variations on this recipe.    You can experiment on using different types of cheeses, herbs, etc.  The list is endless on what you can stuff into a zucchini blossom.  I stuffed mine with Bufala Mozzarella and anchovies.  I kept it simple and tasty!  They are perfect as an appetizer or side dish and go great with ice cold beer or a light bodied wine.  Enjoy!

Freshly picked zucchini blossoms!

Clean and prepare the blossoms by carefully brushing out the dirt and any insects. You can also lightly rinse and pat dry thoroughly with paper towel.  Keep in mind that the blossoms are very delicate.  You don’t want to break the petals.  Make sure to remove the inner stamen.  If your flowers have stems, they can be left on.

Time to stuff the flowers.  I used Bufala Mozzarella in some blossoms and Parmigiano Reggiano in the remaining blossoms.

I used 6 anchovy fillets, cutting each fillet into three pieces.  Gently stuff the blossom with a cube of cheese and a little piece of anchovy fillet.  If you’re not a fan of anchovies, then skip that part.  They are also great with just cheese.

All stuffed and ready to be battered.

Now for the batter, use 1 cup of flour, sprinkle with herbs and a pinch of salt.  I used Herbes de Provence.

Add 2 lightly whisked eggs.

Add 3/4 to 1  12 ounce bottle of Pilsner beer.   If you don’t have any beer, you can substitute it with club soda.

Whisk batter well.

Heat a heavy bottom frying pan with 1 to 2 inches of vegetable oil.  I like using Safflower oil.  It has a high heat level without burning, does not add any flavor and has many health benefits.

Once your oil is ready, start dredging the blossoms into the batter, making sure to let the excess batter drip off before placing into the frying pan.

Carefully lay the blossoms into the hot oil.  Make sure not to crowd them and cook in batches.  Flip them over once and cook until golden in color, about 2 – 3 minutes total.

Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Ingredients:

12 – 16 zucchini blossoms or zucchini flowers

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 12 ounce bottle of beer, preferably Pilsner or Lager beer

2 eggs

Salt

Herbes de Provence

12 – 16 cubes of Mozzarella cheese

6 anchovy fillets, cut into thirds

Vegetable oil for frying

Cooking method:

Prepare zucchini blossoms by carefully cleaning the dirt and insects out of them.  If it makes you feel better, lightly rinse and pat dry very well.  Remove the Stamen that’s  in the center of the flower.

Gently place a little cube of mozzarella and a little piece of anchovy fillet inside the zucchini blossom and close. If you don’t like anchovies, you can skip it.

Now time to make the batter.  In a mixing bowl, add 1 cup of flour, a couple of pinches of Herbes de Provence and a pinch of salt.  add 2 whisked eggs and 3/4 to 1 bottle of beer.  Whisk all together until smooth.

In a heavy bottom frying pan, heat the oil.  I like using Safflower oil.  You want your oil nice and hot.  You can test the oil for it’s readiness by dropping a little drop of batter into the pan.  If it sizzles around the edges, then it’s ready to use.  Dredge the stuffed blossoms in the batter, making sure to to let the excess batter drip off before placing into the frying pan.  Carefully lay the blossoms into the hot oil.  Make sure not to crowd them, and cook in batches.  Using a slotted spoon, flip them over once and cook until golden in color, about 2 – 3 minutes total.  Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Serves 6

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Many times, we tend to make the same dishes over and over again.  I am striving to make less common dishes.  I came across this recipe and thought, why not?

 When you think of bread pudding, tomatoes do not come to mind. This tomato bread pudding is savory, not sweet.  It makes a nice side dish, or main dish if you are a vegetarian.  It’s full of provencale flavor and is really quite filling.

Butter a 13 x 9 baking dish

You will need 3 lbs of Plum tomatoes.

Cut the tomatoes in half.

Place tomatoes in a large mixing bowl.

Add 2 teaspoons of Herbes de Provence.  Make sure to use a good quality brand.  Some Herbes de Provence are too heavy on one ingredient.  The one I use has a nice balance of ingredients.

Toss the tomatoes with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper.

Place the tomato halves on a heavy duty cookie sheet, face up.

Place a whole head of garlic, cut with the top exposed, or a hand full of peeled garlic cloves, on a sheet of foil, and drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil.  Wrap it and roast it on the same tray as the tomatoes.  Roast the tomatoes and garlic at 400 degrees F. for 50 – 60 minutes, until the tomatoes are browned, but not dried out.

Cut up a loaf of Italian Country style bread into 1 inch cubes.  If you can not find Italian Country Style bread, then the next best bet is a rustic French bread.

Next step is to toss the cubed bread with the remaining olive oil, spread out the bread on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until golden brown.  Let the bread cool.

Place the browned bread into the buttered baking dish.

Remove the yummy roasted tomatoes and set aside.

Remove roasted garlic from foil and mash it up to make a puree.

Place eggs, milk, cream, garlic puree, salt & pepper in a large mixing bowl and whisk.  Then stir in the cheeses.

Pour the egg mixture over the bread.

Now add the tomatoes, pushing some of them down in between the bread.

Top with roasted tomatoes and place in preheated oven at 350 degrees F.  Bake for 50 – 60 minutes, until firm.  Your kitchen will smell like the south of France.

Remove from oven and serve.

Enjoy!!!

Ingredients:

3 lbs plum tomatoes

2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 loaf country style Italian bread (1 pound), cubed.

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

1 head of garlic or about 15 – 20 cloves of garlic, peeled.

8 large eggs

2 cups grated Fontina cheese

1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter a 13 x 9 baking dish.

Cut the tomatoes in half.  In a large mixing bowl, toss the tomatoes with the herbes de provence, 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper.

Place the tomatoes on a heavy baking sheet, cut sides up

Place 15 – 20 cloves of peeled garlic on a sheet of foil, wrap up and place on the same baking sheet as the tomatoes.  Roast the tomatoes and garlic for 50 – 60 minutes, until the tomatoes are browned but not dried out, and the garlic is soft.

While the tomatoes and garlic are roasting, cut up the loaf of bread into approx. 1 inch cubes.  Toss the bread in a large mixing bowl with the remaining olive oil, and spread on a cookie sheet.  Brown in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes, until golden brown.  Let the bread cool.  Please the browned bread into the buttered baking dish.

Remove the garlic from the foil and smash it with a fork, to make a puree.

Place eggs, milk, cream, garlic puree, salt & pepper in a large mixing bowl and whisk.  Then stir in the cheeses.  Pour the egg mixture over the bread.  Now add the tomatoes, pushing some of them down in between the bread, with a fork.

Top with roasted tomatoes and place in preheated oven at 350 degrees F.  Bake for 50 – 60 minutes, until firm.

Serves 6 – 8

Recipe : courtesy of Gourmet magazine, (with some minor adjustments )

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Pancakes are the quintessential breakfast “comfort” food, and these Blueberry Buttermilk pancakes are a definite crowd pleaser on a Sunday morning or any morning, for that matter.

With this recipe, I decided to try something a little different and replaced 1/2 a cup of the all purpose flour with 1/2 a cup of ground almond meal, for a little added nutty flavor.  They came out surprisingly light and fluffy.  The whole batch was eaten with everyone full and satisfied.

Add all the dry ingredients ( 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 cup ground almond meal, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 2 tbsp. sugar) to a large mixing bowl.  You can make these with just all purpose flour and skip the ground almond meal.  If you choose to do so, make sure you add 2 cups of flour.

In case you’re wondering, I used Bob’s Red Mill finely ground Almond Meal.

In another mixing bowl, whisk 2 eggs and then add 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 cup milk.  Whisk all together.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients.  Mix until the ingredients are all incorporated but do not over-mix.  Now add the melted butter.  You want the batter will be on the lumpy side.

Using a ladle, add pancake batter to a non stick pan or griddle that has been oiled with vegetable oil or a little butter.

Now add blueberries to the pancake.  If you prefer, you can fold the blueberries into the batter.  Make sure your blueberries are plump and fresh.

After 3-4 minutes, turn pancake over with a metal pancake spatula.  Now cook the other side.  Check the underside for doneness.   Add a little oil to the pan between batches.

Once done, remove to a plate and continue cooking the rest of the batter till you have a nice stack of yummy, fluffy,  irresistible pancakes.

Serve while hot.  You can serve them with Maple syrup or homemade blueberry compote.

Serves 3 -4.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (or 2 cups, if you choose to not use the ground almond meal)

1/2 cup finely ground almond meal

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup buttermilk

3 tbsp melted unsalted butter

vegetable oil or butter

1 cup fresh blueberries

Cooking method:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk in all the dry ingredients.  In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, and then add the buttermilk and milk.  Pour the wet ingredients into the the bowl with the dry ingredients.  Stir all the ingredients together until incorporated but not over-mixed.  Now add the melted butter.  You want your batter to be a bit lumpy.  If you over-mix your batter, you will not get fluffy pancakes.  Your batter is now ready to cook.  Ladle the batter onto a large non-stick pan or griddle that has been oiled or buttered.  Now add your blueberries to the pancake.  Continue to cook for about 3-4 minutes.  Flip the pancake over with a metal pancake spatula.  Cook the other side until done.  Continue this process until you have a nice stack of pancakes, making sure to oil the pan in between batches.  Serve them hot with some maple syrup or blueberry compote.

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With summer around the corner, Gazpacho, a cool tomato soup, is a fast, easy and refreshing dish to prepare and keep in the fridge.  There are a million variants of Gazpacho recipes on the internet.  The following is the traditional recipe which hails from Andalucía, Spain.  I figured I would try Jose Andrés’ version (which turns out to be his wife Patricia’s recipe).  Jose Andrés, is looked upon as one of the leading Spanish chefs in the world, so I figured I can’t go wrong with one of his recipes.  The only thing I adjusted in this recipe is the straining of the soup.  I added some of the pulpy goodness of the vegetables.  This is all a matter of preference.  How do I question one of the leading authorities on Spanish cuisine, you say?  Hey, that’s the way I like my soup.

The most important thing when making Gazpacho, is the tomatoes you use.  I can not stress this enough.  Buy the best Organic tomatoes you can find.  Most of the tomatoes at your local chain grocery store, are picked unripe and then gassed with Ethylene to start the ripening process.  These tomatoes are usually firm, red and no flavor.  The tomato growers are looking for profit, and longevity of product, not taste. You say tomato, I say Potato!  This is why tomatoes in other countries, like Spain, and of course Italy taste so much better.

Rinse off your tomatoes.  I used the organic Roma variety.

Core the tomatoes.

Cut them in quarters.

Peel cucumber.

Chop cucumber. Jose Andres says to remove the seeds.  As you can see, I didn’t bother to remove the seeds, and frankly I don’t think it makes much difference.

Take a nice green bell pepper………..

seeded and chopped.

Start filling up the blender with your ingredients.  As you can see, everything can not fit, so I had to blend some of the ingredients, in order to make room.  This is something that is not mentioned in “Jose Andres’ recipe.  Either he is making it in batches, or he has a hell of a big blender!

I started the blender on “Pulse” setting, so that I could make room in the blender.

Add 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup Spanish Sherry vinegar and salt for taste.

Make sure not to forget any ingredients.  I almost forgot the green bell pepper!

Check for taste, and adjust.  I needed to add some more acidity.

Strain all of that yumminess into a pitcher.  I strained most of it and left some of the pulpy goodness.  This is just a matter of personal preference.

Place in the fridge to cool.  The Gazpacho is on the right.  The left is Watermelon juice.  I have a new love affair with my new Blendtec blender.  I have been blending every fruit or Veggie in sight!

Garnish and serve chilled.  I garnished it with chives.  You can garnish it with diced cucumber, or croutons.

It’s also good with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 pounds ripe tomatoes

1/2 peeled cucumber

1/2 green bell pepper

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Spanish Sherry vinegar

2 cloves garlic

salt to taste

Method:

Wash & core the tomatoes and chop into quarters.  Peel 1/2 a large cucumber and chop.  Cut a green bell pepper, seed and chop half of it.   Place your veggies in the blender, along with 2 cloves of garlic, 3/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil, preferably Spanish, 1/4 cup Spanish Sherry Vinegar and salt to taste.  Blend until smooth.  Taste and make any adjustments necessary.  As I mentioned, I needed to blend some of the ingredients first, to make room for the remaining ingredients.  You can also do this in 2 batches.  Once done, strain the soup through a medium-hole strainer into a pitcher and cool for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Note:  I left some of the soup unstrained as a matter of personal preference.

Serve, garnish and enjoy!

Serves 6

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Pao de Queijo is a gluten free cheese bread that’s commonly found in Brazil.  Once you try these delicious cheese breads, I guarantee you will not be able to stop at only one.  They are addicting, and yes, they are gluten free.  Gluten free bread,  how is that possible, you ask?  Well, it’s made with manioc flour, also known as tapioca flour.  Tapioca flour can be found at ethnic markets, and even at Whole Foods.

The tricky thing about making Pao de Queijo is that there are a million different variations on this recipe.  The recipe I am using comes from a family friend in Brazil.  The problem I had when making this, was that the dough was too watery.  That seems to be the common problem out there.  I was disappointed in my first batch, in that it was too soft to roll into little balls.  I was about to throw out the remaining dough that I had, and then I noticed that the consistency had changed after sitting out for 30 minutes.  Something magical happened and I was finally able to make little cheese balls, with no problem.  They were no longer too soft and gooey.  The second batch came out perfectly!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Ingredients needed.

Add the whole bag of tapioca flour and 2 1/2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese to a large mixing bowl.

Here I added one cup of canola oil to 1 cup of water.

Combine the 1 cup of water, oil , salt and 1 cup of milk into a pot.  Bring to a boil.

Now pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients.

Add 3 eggs…….

and start mixing.  Stir until your dough is elastic in texture.  The consistency will be sticky.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Now here is where it gets a little tricky.  I have found, if you let the dough sit and cool, it is much easier to roll into little balls.  My first batch (right photo) was very difficult to form.   I had to scoop the dough and spoon it onto the cookie sheet.  The second batch was made with the same dough, but after it had sat out for 30 minutes.  I was actually able to roll the dough into little balls with no problem.  You want them to be about 3/4 the size of a golf ball. Another trick is to add a little bit of oil to your hands when rolling them.  Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees F and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from oven.

The cheese bread should be semi hard on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside.

Enjoy them while they’re hot!

Ingredients:

1  (1 lb 8 oz) bag Manioc flour, a.k.a. Tapioca flour, or starch.

1 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 cup water

1 cup milk

3 eggs

2 tsp salt, to taste

2 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

Cooking method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In a large bowl, mix the manioc flour and grated Parmesan cheese.  In a pot, combine oil, milk,  water and salt.  Bring to boil.  Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients.  Add the eggs and mix well.  Stir until your dough is elastic in texture.  Allow the dough to cool.  The consistency will be on the sticky side.  Add a little vegetable oil to your hands.  Now roll the dough into little balls about 3/4 size of a golf ball.  Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees F. and bake for 20 – 25 minutes.  They should be semi hard on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside.

Enjoy them while they are hot.  I dare you to eat just one!

The post Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pao de Queijo) appeared first on Gourmetcentric.

I love chocolate!  When I think of dessert, 9 out of 10 times, its chocolate related.  For some reason, I had in my mind that Chocolate Souffle was difficult to make.  I had visions of a souffle that never rose, or that collapsed as soon as I took it out of the oven.  I decided to tackle the making of a chocolate souffle.  To my pleasant surprise, it was easy peasy!  It literally took no more than 30 minutes to make, including prep time.

Another nice thing about Chocolate Souffle is that there is no cream or flour in the ingredients.  It’s basically just chocolate, eggs & sugar.  In my book, that’s healthy!  So go ahead and give it a try.  You might just surprise yourself.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Butter ramekins and sprinkle with sugar.  You should be able to fill 4 – 6 ramekins, depending on size.

You will need 5 ounces of 60 to 70 percent bittersweet chocolate.  This is where a digital scale comes in handy.

Melt chocolate in a mixing bowl over low simmering water.  If your chocolate pieces are too big, make sure to chop it up first.

Stir the chocolate constantly, till fully melted.  Make sure NOT to cook the chocolate, or you risk ruining the whole batch.

Add 3 egg yolks.  Make sure that your egg yolks are at room temperature.  I suggest taking your eggs out of the fridge, 30 – 40 minutes prior to using them.

Stir in egg yolks, until fully incorporated in the chocolate.

In a mixing bowl, add a pinch of salt to 6 egg whites.

Beat egg whites on medium high speed, until your egg whites reach a soft peak.

Crank up the speed to high and slowly add 1/3 cup sugar, until you have nice stiff peaks.

Carefully stir in 1/3 of the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture.

Now gently fold the remaining egg whites.

The souffle mixture should be even in color, with no white streaks.

Using a ladle or a spoon, fill in the ramekins with your lovely souffle mixture.  Place on a baking sheet, and bake for about 15 minutes, give or take 3 minutes, depending on your oven and ramekin size.

Voila!  Ready to serve and enjoy!

Ingredients:

5 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate (60 – 70 percent)

1/3 cup sugar

3 large egg yolks @ room temperature

6 large egg whites @ room temperature

a pinch of salt

Cooking method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Butter ramekins and sprinkle with sugar.  You should be able to fill 4 – 6 ramekins, depending on size.  Set aside.  Place 5 ounces of bittersweet chocolate in a metal mixing bowl, over low simmering water.

Stir the chocolate constantly, till fully melted.  Make sure NOT to cook the chocolate, or you risk ruining the whole batch.

Add 3 egg yolks to the melted chocolate.  Make sure that your egg yolks are at room temperature.  (To bring your eggs to room temperature,   take your eggs out of the fridge, 30 – 40 minutes prior to using them.)

Stir in egg yolks, until fully incorporated in the chocolate.  In a mixing bowl, add a pinch of salt to 6 egg whites.  Beat egg whites on medium high speed, until your egg whites reach a soft peak.  Now crank up the speed to high and slowly add

1/3 cup sugar, until you have nice stiff peaks.  Carefully stir in 1/3 of the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture.  Now gently fold the remaining egg whites.  The souffle mixture should be even in color, with no white streaks.

Using a ladle or a spoon, fill in the ramekins with your lovely souffle mixture.  Place on a baking sheet, and bake for about 15 minutes, give or take 3 minutes, depending on your oven and ramekin size.

And that’s it!  Easy peasy.  Enjoy!

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“Porchetta” or “Little Pig”, is one of my favorite pork roasts.  Historically, a Roman dish, it hails from Central Italy, usually made for celebrations and family gatherings.  Porchetta is also commonly found throughout Italy, being sold from roadside Food Trucks, served sliced into Panini or Ciabatta bread.   Over the years Porchetta and how it is prepared varies from region to region. Porchetta has found it’s way to the US by Italian immigrants and is sometimes referred to as Italian pulled pork.   Traditionally, Porchetta is made with a whole baby pig, that is stuffed with the loin meat, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and wild fennel.  It’s then roasted for up to seven hours at a steady but low heat.  I don’t have access to a whole baby pig nor that many people to invite over.  I make a little more simplified version of Porchetta that is oh so tasty. I start with a 7 to 8 lb. piece of Pork belly, rib meat and skin still attached and a 5 lb. Pork Loin.   Season with fennel pollen, thyme, sage, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper, basting every hour until done.  I also like using a rotisserie, so that it can slowly, self baste itself.  To accompany the Porchetta,  add potatoes to the pan, for the last hour, to cook in the drippings. This dish goes really well with Greens, cooked with pancetta and garlic.  It can be eaten with the greens and potatoes or sliced thinly in Ciabatta rolls. Either way you can’t go wrong.

Begin with fresh Rosemary, Thyme and Sage.  You will need about three to four sprigs each.  Remove the leaves from the stems as much as possible.

Add ten or more whole cloves of garlic, skin removed, and copious salt and pepper both black and white.

Add all the herbs and garlic into a food processor then pour in two to three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into the processor.

Process the herbs and garlic into a thick paste.

I use about a quarter cup of fennel pollen.  Fennel pollen was not easy to find, but boy was it worth the search.

8 lb. pork belly, rib meat and skin attached.

5 lb. pork loin roast.

Butterfly the pork loin roast.

Generously salt and pepper the pork belly and rub on the Fennel Pollen.

Rub the herb paste on the pork belly and inside the pork loin roast.

Place the pork loin roast inside of the pork belly.  When buying the meat, make sure to buy two pieces that will match up well before hand.

Make a roll with the pork belly as tight as you can.

Tie the pork belly with butchers twine every inch and a half, tying tightly.

You can roast this in the oven in a heavy roasting pan, or as I do, on a Rotisserie.  Place it on the spit, fasten snugly.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees plus for the first 20- to 30 minutes then drop the temperature down to 225 degrees for the remaining time.

Every hour pour dry white wine across the top of the roast.  Oh boy this smells good now!

Wash and slice a large bag of fingerling potatoes and season them with salt and pepper.  You can really use any type of potatoes you wish to use.

About four hours later, the potatoes go into a roasting pan below the Porchetta, for the last hour of the cooking.   At this point I check the Porchetta’s internal temperature, looking for 140 degrees.

The Potatoes are perfectly cooked.

And so is the Porchetta.  The skin is crispy.

But inside is the most tender, juicy, and fragrant roast.  Perfection is reached.

The little ring of crackling surrounds each slice, the herbs intertwine throughout the roast.  Sandwich or plate, take your pick.  I can’t wait.

INGREDIENTS/TOOLS:

8 to 10 lb. Pork Belly, skin and rib meat still attached

5 to 6 lb. Pork loin

3 to 4 sprigs of: Rosemary, Thyme, Sage (Use the leaves only)

10 to 12 Whole Garlic cloves

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Coarse Salt

Fresh black pepper

Fennel Pollen (From the flowers) if you can’t locate this you can use ground fennel seed.  It’s similar but not the same.  The Pollen is a much more fragrant, delicate flavor.

Butchers twine

1 bottle of dry white wine (I use Friulian white or Pinot Grigio wine)

2 lbs of Fingerling potatoes

Rotisserie Grill or Large Roasting Pan with rack

Large shallow baking pan

METHOD:

Place the rosemary, thyme, sage leaves and garlic cloves in a processor, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and process to a thick paste.

Generously salt and pepper the meat side of the pork belly and rub with fennel pollen.   Rub half of the herb paste onto the Pork belly, inside only.

Make a cut in the pork loin roast, butterflying it open add salt and pepper, both sides, add the fennel pollen and herb paste on the inside of this, then fold back.

Place the pork loin into the center of the Pork belly and wrap it with the Pork belly.  Tie the Pork belly around the Pork loin roast, about every inch to inch and a half with butchers twine, tying tightly.

(If cooking in an oven without the rotisserie, make long slices into the outer skin of the Pork belly to help render some of the fat out, this is not as necessary on the rotisserie because it is constantly turning and basting itself.)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place the roast in for about thirty minutes, then reduce the heat down to 250-300 degrees.

Baste with white wine every hour for 4 to 5 hours.

Add the potatoes to the pan the last hour.  When the Porchetta has reached an internal temperature of 140 degrees it is done.  Take the Porchetta off the heat and cover with foil for 30 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy with the Potatoes and a veggie or on Ciabatta rolls.

The post Porchetta appeared first on Gourmetcentric.

As promised (although a few weeks late, a function of life, kids, the holidays, you know, the usual), the recipe for Lasagne Bolognese.  This has got to be the best Lasagne hands down, if  I do say so myself.

Lasagne Bolognese is a nice alternative to the typical holiday meal or Sunday dinner.  Just add a salad and you’re set.   The sauce can be made a day in advance, which helps shorten time in the kitchen.

What makes this recipe so delicious are the layers of Béchamel.  This Lasagne recipe hails from the Emilia Romagna region of Tuscany where it is the perfect winter comfort food. Personally, I could eat it any time of the year.

There’s no Ricotta in this Lasagne.  Also missing is the plain tomato sauce .  After eating Lasagne without the Ricotta, you won’t want to eat it any other way.    The Béchamel and the Parmigiano-Reggiano combined with my Bolognese ragu is what makes it special and decadent.  It just melts in your mouth.

Barilla No Boil Lasagne Noodles are my favorite.

If using parboiled noodles, lightly wet them first.  This helps insure that you won’t get any hard noodles.  I like using the parboiled noodles by Barilla.  The Barilla noodles are nice and thin and come out perfect every time.  You can also use fresh noodles.  I do not recommend the dry noodles that you have to boil first.  They tend to break easily and can be on the thick side.

Butter a large baking dish and start by adding a layer of Bolognese Ragu at the bottom of the pan.

Now add a layer of lasagne noodles.

Add a layer of Béchamel.  It does not have to be too thick.

Top the layer of Béchamel with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Now another layer of Bolognese Ragu.   Continue layering in the above order, until you reach the top of the baking dish, ending with Béchamel and cheese.

Place in a 350 degree pre-heated oven and bake for 40 minutes, until the top begins to lightly brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes, before serving.

Enjoy!

Note: The amount of Bolognese sauce and Bechamel depends on the size of the baking dish used, and how many people you intend on feeding.  Just make sure to make at least 4 cups of Bechamel sauce and 5 Cups of Bolognese Sauce.  If you have left-over Bolognese sauce you can always freeze it to use later.

Ingredients:

Bolognese sauce approximately 5 cups

Béchamel sauce approximately 4 cups

1 box Barilla Lasagne noodles

2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Tools:

4 Qt.  baking dish

Cooking Method:

Butter a large baking dish.  Add a ladle full of Bolognese sauce to the bottom of the baking dish.  Add the first layer of lasagne noodles.  If you are using the “No boil” noodles, lightly wet them first to insure you do not get any uncooked noodles (even though the instructions don’t require this).  Now add a light layer of Béchamel sauce, followed by a layer of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Continue this order of layering until you reach the top of the baking dish, ending with Béchamel and cheese.  You will have approximately 3 – 4 layers of each ingredient.  Place in an 350 degree pre-heated oven for about 40 minutes, until the top is light golden brown in color.

Serves: 6

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