Champagne Wishes and Caviar Biscuits - Chive Shortbread With Crème Fraîche & Caviar

Since some believe I have already  effectuated hierarchy or worse, committed one of the Cardinal Sins...  You know, the "Big 7" -- Sloth, Greed, Pride, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony and "Baconing" Shortbread.  Since I am now condemned to whatever level of hell that has been reserved for rogue bakers,  I will simply continue with the theme..  ;) 

In the interest of producing a delectable appetizer I present yet another savory shortbread recipe, laced with Provolone cheese and chives, to be lavished with Crème Fraîche which is then surmounted by a small dollop of caviar.  I am not talking Beluga or anything quite that extravagant, just some good lumpfish or paddlefish will do.  If you have an Asian market nearby you can always seek out some delicious flying fish caviar that has been laced with wasabi as well.

If you are not a fan of caviar (it took me years to appreciate it) you can always top these delightfully savory shortbreads with smoked salmon.  Either way, they will add a little more sparkle to your holiday table.  But most importantly, don't forget the Champagne!

Chive & Provolone Shortbread

(with Crème Fraîche and Caviar)

8 oz Cultured Butter
1 tsp Fleur de Sel or Kosher Salt
1 TB Chives, freshly minced
4 oz Provolone, shredded fine
12 oz AP Flour
Crème Fraîche
Caviar or Smoked Salmon

Cream Cultured Butter and Salt together until the butter is light and fluffy.

Add chives and continue beating for an additional minute.

Add shredded Provolone and beat for a couple minutes (it will look lumpy)

Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add the flour.

When the dough looks "crumby" turn out onto plastic wrap and form into a rough square.

Wrap and let sit on the counter for 30 minutes to rest.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a  lightly floured surface.

Cut out with a 1 1/2 inch round cutter. (just a smidgen larger than 2 bites in size)

Bake shortbreads for 15 - 20 minutes on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Cool for 5 minutes on the pan.

Move to a rack and allow to cool completely.

Serve with Crème Fraîche and a small spoon of caviar....  and a glass of well chilled champagne!

Phenomenal!

Mangia!!
~~

Extreme Make-Over; Macaroni Edition - Macaroni y Formaggio al Forno

I love Mac & Cheese, and I don't mean the "Blue box" either.... I do not subscribe to cheese flavored powder in any way. This is mainly because I never had it as a kid, so I don't consider it a "comfort food" like so many Americans do. Now, Top Ramen on the other hand, that is one of my comfort foods, but more on that later, or I guess that would be previous since I have already done a few posts on kicking up your Ramen.

Focus, Focus... OK, Macaroni and Cheese... I have several recipes that I have contrived such as Bleu Macaroni and Macaroni alla Nawlens (cause it has Andouille in it) as well as a 5 Cheese extravaganza (Although sometimes it's a train wreck) and a delicious Smoked Gouda Mac that was originally a low fat recipe. (Yeah, THAT needed to be changed right away to the full fat version.) I even took Macaroni south of the border with a Chipotle Cheddar version... But they have all failed in one main area. The problem with most Mac and cheese is that it is based on a Béchamel.

Don't get me wrong... I LOVE Béchamel, and I understand WHY Béchamel is used, but it really absorbs the flavors of the cheese and down plays all that aged goodness. You can only add so much cheese to Béchamel before it becomes grainy or curdles due to the higher concentration of protein between the cheese and the milk making it more heat sensative. The solution is simple less Milk & Flour.... MORE FAT....

Oh yeah baby, THAT is what I'm talkin bout! So here without too much further rambling is a Mac and Cheese recipe based on a small amount of Heavy Cream, Butter, and most importantly, Crème Fraîche... Why Crème Fraîche? Because it doesn't curdle like sour cream, cream cheese or Mascarpone would in the oven and it has a slightly "Cheesey" flavor already. The result, a deliciously creamy Macaroni y Formaggio al Forno with ALL the flavor and, of course, ALL of the guilt..... This ain't "healthy" by any means; but in this capacity, it's really a starter, not a main dish. A little goes a long way.

Penne y Formaggio al Forno

5 oz Provolone
6 oz GOOD Sharp Cheddar (I used a 3 year old Vintage White; Orange Cheese is just wrong)
4 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated; Divided
1 1/2 oz Panko
2 TB unsalted Butter
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
4 oz Crème Fraîche
1 lb Elbow Macaroni or Penne (I only used Penne cause I forgot I was out of elbow Macaroni)
1/4 tsp White Pepper
a pinch of fresh grated Nutmeg

A word of warning... Not that I am asking you to take a second mortgage out on your house so you can buy a super fancy 100 year old Cheddar; but "cheap" cheese produces bad Macaroni & Cheese. I'm just sayin... ;)

Set a large pot of water over high heat so it can come to a boil while you are grating all the cheeses so your ready.

Set aside 1 oz of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and mix it with the Panko.

Place Heavy Cream and Butter in a small sauce pan, melting it over low heat.

You should be able to drop your pasta now, boil for 1/2 the time called for on the package.

Begin preheating the oven to 325 degrees.

Once the Butter and Cream are melted and homogeneous, add a handful of each cheese and whisk until melted and smooth.

Add another handful of each of the Cheeses and whisk again until melted and smooth.

Add the Crème Fraîche and whisk again. (it will look a little runny)

Add all of the remaining cheese; stirring until blended and smooth.

Drain the Pasta.....

Add the pasta to the Cheese mixture

and stir gently to coat all the noodles

Add white pepper and a hint of Nutmeg and stir again.

Immediately pour the mixture into an 8 x 8 casserole dish. (Hooray for old CorningWare!)

Sprinkle with Panko/Parmigiano-Reggiano mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes or until is begins to bubble.

Switch the broiler on and place under the element for 3 minutes to finish of the top crust.

Then indulge in cheese happiness.

Oh yeah!

Mangia!!
~~

I'm On a Roll!! - White Castle-esque Sliders

Since I am in the process of moving, or should I say "I am in a packing frenzy", as well as yard sale melodrama. (yea, I am having another one this weekend) I have been on the hunt for quick and simple recipes to prepare. When I saw my friend Spryte's blog post about these, I KNEW I had to make them.

My only White Castle experience has been from the frozen case at the local Mega Mart. Well, and that movie with Susan Sarandon and James Spader called "White Palace" in which the burger bar was loosely based on a White Castle, though be it very loosely. The movie really had nothing to do with the actual sliders themselves, though.

So it was with a very high level of anticipation, that I executed this delicious recipe. Luckily, I had made buttermilk yeasted rolls the night before (recipe forthcoming - cause I didn't take any pictures) so I was completely set to travel down the path of belly busting burger bliss.

Many thanks to Robin Sue from the Big Red Kitchen and Spryte from Spryte's Place for posting this recipe. They were awesome!! I will never purchase a box of frozen White Castles again...

I only made a half batch, because, well, it's only me and I can only eat so much beef before I get completely "Beefed" out. Luckily one of my friends was over helping me pack, so he was able to help me put a serious dent in the 12 burgers. I left out the pickles, because I didn't have any and I was not going to run to the store to replenish something that would get packed up and have to be drug to Oregon with me; especially since both my Dad and my brother Matt make AWESOME homemade pickles, so they would probably never get eaten anyway. I added a little Chipotle Powder to the seasoning, just to give em a little kick. ;)

White Castle-esque Sliders

1/4 cup dehydrated Chopped or Minced Onion flakes
1 lb ground Chuck- 80/20 (that is 20% fat content - although I think I will use 85/15 next time)
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Chipotle Chili Powder
4 slices Sharp White Cheddar cheese (or 3 sliced cheddar and 1 slice provolone)
12 Yeasted Dinner Rolls (You can use store bought if you like)
optional - 12 Dill Pickle Chips

Evenly spread the onions on the bottom of a 9x9 inch baking pan.

Press the ground beef into the pan, on top of the onion flakes, making 1 one giant Hamburger patty; then sprinkle with Salt, Pepper and Chipotle Powder.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

Use paper towels to soak up the grease on the top of the burger. (There is gonna be A LOT; I had to pour some out too)

Top with cheddar cheese, return to oven for 3 more minutes. (I only had 3 slices of Cheddar left, so I had to break into the Provolone) Incidentally, with all the onions, this would be awesome with blue cheese as well, just drop the Chipotle Powder.

Remove from oven, let set about 5 minutes.
Cut into 12 patties and place on sliced dinner rolls. (remember to scoop up some of the onion layer with spatula so it soaks into the bottom bun - YUM!).

Top with a pickle if you so desire.
Serve immediately.

Mangia!!
~~

My Friend Marlene's Hobbit Pie

Sometimes I am amazed how people can touch us so deeply that, even though we have known them for a very short period of time, it feels like we have known them our entire lives.
Thus is was with my friend Marlene on BakeSpace. Sadly, she is no longer available for forum discussions, or to offer words of encouragement on one of my outrageous experiments, nor to post another recipe. I miss her terribly, but I console myself with the thought that angels are now enjoying Schnapps Spiked Peach Trifle.

The point of all this is that I was having trouble deciding what I was going to cook for dinner... It happens sometimes... I just feel completely uninspired and nothing really sounds appetizing. So I was sifting through my recipe directory at work and I came across a copy of a recipe that Marlene had posted on BakeSpace, all marked up with notes. Basically, she was my muse for dinner. I find this a little comforting. For the original recipe Click Here.

I know I am being less than eloquent tonight, but ...

Marlene, this one's for you...

Hobbit Pie

No Hobbits were harmed in the making of this pie.

pâte brisée or 1 pkg refrigerated pie crust
6 TB Unsalted butter
1 1/2 lbs (680g) sliced Cremini mushrooms (a mixture of Cremini and Shitake is nice too)
2 cups (12 oz) (340g) Onion or Leek, chopped or sliced
2 – 3 cloves of Garlic
1/3 cup (1.5 oz) (42g) Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 cup (100ml) Dry White Wine
2 Large Eggs; Beaten
1 cup (8 oz) (225g) Cottage Cheese (You can use Ricotta too)
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) (170g) grated Sharp Cheddar or Emmental (I used 1 cup Provolone and 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano)
1 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 cup (.5 oz) (15g) chopped Flat-Leaf parsley
optional - 1 TB Porcini Powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat.

Add mushrooms, tossing to coat, and sauté them until they have given up their liquid and reabsorbed it.

Add onions and garlic, and cook over medium heat until onions are translucent.

Add Flour and cook for a minute or 2 to remove raw taste

Remove the mixture from the heat, and add Wine, mixing well.

Add all other ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

Line a 9" pie plate or tin with one pie crust.
Pour mixture into crust
Using a fluted pastry wheel, or a sharp knife, slice a second pastry into strips about 1/2 – 3/4 inch wide.

Starting in the middle of the pie and working perpendicular create a lattice top weaving each consecutive strip leaving about 1/2 inch between each of the strips.
Fold the bottom pastry up and over to create a ridge of dough around the outside edge of the pie and pinch crimp the pastry between thumb and forefinger.

Bake for 40-45 minutes;

Remove from oven and let rest for 20 minutes to set.

Mangia!!
~~