I Sugges this Recipes

Showing posts with label two. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

This Strawberry Cheesecake Sauce Recipe is the Lesser of Two Evils

I only had enough time to do one of two things; write a post with no video, or edit and upload a video with no post. Guess which one I went with? Okay, so technically this is a post, but since its really about not doing a post, Im not sure it counts. Wow, I am tired! Where was I? Oh yeah, heres video recipe for the strawberry dessert sauce I paired with the cheesecake. Enjoy!

1 pint strawberries, rinsed, green tops removed (frozen will work)
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar (depends on sweetness of berries)
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved into 2 tablespoons water

View the complete recipe

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Ricotta Gnocchi with Fresh Peas and Morel Mushrooms – A Tale of Two Recipes

This lovely bowl of spring is a perfect example of when recipes are, and are not, important. The ricotta gnocchi part of the plate requires a fairly precise formula. If any of the three main ingredient amounts are altered, you could be looking at quite a mess. Thats certainly not the case for this sauce.

If I made this same combination of ingredients 100 times, each version would be different, which I how I believe these things should work. When I buy peas at the farmers market, Im not thinking I need 2 cups, Im thinking I need to buy some peas. The same goes for the mushrooms. Grab a handful and keep moving.

Heres the recipe. Take some mushrooms, preferable wild morel, and saute in olive oil until they smell meaty and delicious. Add some garlic and cook for a minute. Add some vegetable broth, about a 1/2 cup per person, and bring to a boil. Add some peas and cook until tender. Season, add a little cheese and fresh herb, and use as a sauce for the gnocchi.

Besides a general guess at how much broth you need, theres no reason to measure anything else. You could halve or double what I used and argue either way that your sauce is better than mine. Of course, wed both be right.

Theres a common belief that chefs never use recipes, which in the case of the sauce is totally true. But, when a specific texture, density, or viscosity is required in a dish, like for these delicate dumplings, chefs have no problem whatsoever following a formula.

Whats my reason for pointing all this out? I dont really have one. You should make this. It tastes good. Enjoy!

For the ricotta gnocchi:
1 pound really good ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of fresh nutmeg
Makes enough for about 6 servings

For the sauce:
Splash of olive oil
handful of mushrooms
some fresh peas
few cloves of garlic
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
about 3 cups of vegetable broth
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
chopped parsley, mint, and/or basil