Have you planned your holiday dinner yet? If not, I’ve found two recipes courtesy of The Gilded Fork: Entertaining at Home by Jennifer Iannolo and Mark Tafoya (I seriously love this book, it takes everyday recipes and gives them an extravegent twist). Fist up is Silky Blue Cheese, because who doesn’t love soup on a cold winter night especially in cheese form.
Soup pot
Medium saucepan
Whisk
Fine mesh sieve
Preparation
Melt the butter in saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the roux turns golden.
[Chef’s Note: Equal parts flour and fat, cooked together, are called a roux, which is a classic preparation used to thicken soups, stews, and other dishes. Depending upon how long you cook the roux, it will have different levels of thickening power; the longer you cook it, the less thickening power it has, but the more caramelized flavor it will bring to the finished dish. In this case, we want a blond roux.]
Add the heated chicken stock to the roux slowly, in stages, being sure to return the roux to a smooth paste or slurry after each addition. When all the chicken stock has been incorporated, return the pan to medium heat and cook until the stock has thickened into a velouté. Reduce by half, until about the consistency of heavy cream.
[Chef’s Note: Meaning “velvety” in French, a velouté is one of the grand sauces, elaborated with white stocks (chicken, veal, or seafood) and roux, and the base of many soups and finished sauces.]
If there are any lumps, strain the velouté through a fine sieve into a soup pot over medium heat. Add the beer and stir to incorporate, bringing to a low simmer. Add 4 ounces of the blue cheese and stir until the cheese has fully melted and incorporated into the soup. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
Service
Pour into individual bowls, crumble the remaining blue cheese in the center of each bowl and garnish with a sprig of watercress. Serve immediately.
Variations
You may garnish with crumbled crispy bacon instead of the watercress for an even more robust flavor.
The basic recipe can also be adapted using any creamy, flavorful cheese. A nicely ripened brie would make for a lovely soup, or a combination of Parmigiano Reggiano and white cheddar.
You may also replace the beer with a dry white wine, or make the soup chunky with the addition of diced carrots, celery and mushrooms, adding them just before the cheese and simmering until the vegetables are al dente.
Next up Potato, Mushroom and Fontina Casserole
Ooey, gooey, comfort food at it’s best.
The combination of mushroom and potato is a classic. The creamy layers of mushroom, leek and potato topped with golden brown Fontina cheese define comfort for us. This traditional gratin is a great accompaniment to a holiday feast, and the leftovers keep well for the next day.
4 servings
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups whole milk 1/2 cup half and half 2 garlic cloves, crushed
[Chef’s Note: Garlic. To ensure the garlic releases its oils and flavors, crush it with your knife. Simply lay your knife on top of the cloves, blade facing away, and hit the blade once with your fist.]
4 fresh marjoram sprigs, divided (or thyme) 2 bay leaves, divided 1 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, sliced 1 leek, white part only, cut in rings and rinsed well Salt and pepper, to taste 2 pounds baking potatoes, sliced paper-thin
[Chef’s Note: Potatoes. It is critical that your potatoes are sliced paper-thin, as this affect the cook time and texture of the dish. We highly recommend using mandolin to slice the potatoes so thin they are translucent.]
2 table spoons Italian parsley, chopped, plus extra for garnish 2 tablespoons chives, chopped 1 cup Fontina cheese, grated
Preparation
Prepare the milk infusion:
Combine the milk, half & half, garlic, 2 marjoram sprigs and 1 bay leaf in a medium saucepan and heat to just under boiling over a medium flame. Do not let it come to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover the saucepan, and let the infusion steep while preparing the rest of the dish.
Prepare the mushroom and leeks:
Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot add the olive oil to the pan. Saute the mushrooms and leeks with the remaining marjoram and bay leaf for 5-8 minutes until they give off their liquid, and it has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Once the mushrooms have finished cooking, remove the bay leaf and divide in two portions.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Prepare the potatoes:
Season the sliced potatoes with chopped parsley, chives, salt and pepper. Mix well, and divide in three equal portions.
Assemble the casserole:
Butter the bottom of a casserole dish. Layer 1/3 of the sliced, seasoned potatoes on the bottom of the casserole, overlapping them slightly in a “scaled” pattern. Top the first potato layer with half of the divided mushroom mixture. Repeat the layering with the second 1/3 of the potatoes, and the remaining 1/2 of the mushroom mixture. Arrange the remaining potatoes on top, also in a “scale” pattern. Press the layers down with a spatula to assure that they will all fit nicely in the casserole, and to make the dish firm for later slicing.
Remove the garlic cloves, marjoram sprigs and bay leaf from the infused milk, as well as any skin that may have formed, and pour the infusion over the potatoes, just until all layers are moist. Be careful not to overflow the casserole dish. Sprinkle the Fontina cheese evenly over the top of the dish. Cover the pan with foil, and bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. You may wish to remove the foil from the top during the last few minutes of cooking to help brown the cheese.
Happy Holidays!
hudsonvalleylifemag
terrietalk
vino100
Bridget
