Stuffed Portabellos

my favorite author is Nicholas Evans, he wrote the Horse Whisperer. i didn't particularly care for the movie (tho, hello Mr. Redford) but when i read the book, oh mercy, his lyrical prose was moving. i even drove 2 hours to NoVa to meet him at a bookstore where he was promoting his book the Divide. (for reals, loverly brit-ish accent...) anyway, a few years ago he, along with a few members of his family accidentally consumed some poisonous mushrooms, they are now on a dialysis regimen and on the kidney transplant list. oh the horror!

i like mushrooms, i always have. but i've also always had a very healthy respect for not putting random things in my mouth when hiking or camping. (let's be clear, i haven't been camping in forever but if i ever go again, i'm avoiding any kind of foraging of wild vegetation blah blah blah...) for this month's challenge, i used portobellos, big & beefy, a perfect item as a side but really, capable of being a stand alone entree. which is what i had for dinner friday night.

Stuffed Portobellos

adapted from Bon Appetit Hon

once again, no exact measurements

2 big portobellos, gills scraped off

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 zucchini, diced

1/4 fennel, sliced thinly

1 heirloom tomato, diced

1 small apple, diced

splash of olive oil & balsamic vinegar

goat cheese

preheat oven 350F.

drizzle a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar over mushrooms, both sides. bake in oven for 5 minutes, both sides. meanwhile, saute up onions in a bit of oil until softened. add in the apples and zucchini, about 5-7 minutes, until the zuchs are soft. put the cooked mixture in a bowl and cool slightly, add in the fennel and tomatoes, mix well, season with salt. throw in a bit of goat cheese, it'll a melt a bit.

take out the 'shrooms and scoop mixture on top. return to the oven and cook for another 5 minutes. top with a bit more cheese and serve.

just so you know, the 'shrooms shrink a smidge.

White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

do you see that cheesecake? it was delicious. i was lucky that i had an actual social event to attend to give me an excuse a valid reason to make it and not consume it myself. small blessings you know.

White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake
Crust:

1 1/3 cups vanilla wafer crumbs

3 tbsp sugar

1/3 cup melted butter (or veg oil)

Press into the bottom of a lightly greased 9” springform pan.

Batter:

3 8 oz packages cream cheese

½ cup sugar

3 eggs

3 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup whipping cream

1 cup good quality white chocolate chips

1 cup whipping cream

Heat the 1/3 cup whipping cream till scalding, pour over the white chocolate chips and mix well. Set aside. In a mixer, cream the cream cheese and ½ cup of sugar, being sure to scrape down the sides. Throw in an egg, one by one, again scraping down the sides. Add in the vanilla extract. Slowly pour in the melted white chocolate mixture, being sure to scrape down and mix well. Finally, add in the final cup of whipping cream.

Pour over the prepared base and bake at 325F for about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave it in there until it cools down completely. Remove the cake from the oven and run a sharp knife around edge of pan. Allow to cool to room temp before putting it in the fridge over night.

White Chocolate Mousse

½ cup whipping cream

8 oz white chocolate chips

1 ½ cups whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup icing sugar

Heat the whipping cream to scalding but not boiling. In a bowl, pour the hot cream over the white chocolate chips.

Set aside for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth.

Whip the 1 ½ cup whipping cream till firm peaks. Add in the vanilla extract and icing sugar.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the chocolate into the whipped cream. Chill for a couple of hours or until firm before piping it on top of the cheesecake. Top with raspberries.

Cheesecake Throwdown

big k and i have discussed it. we've neglected this blog for too long. we blame pat. him and his chicken/biscuit challenge...

this month's challenge is Cheesecake.

deadline: August 15th.

Packing Fudge

i used this recipe but added a bit of melted white chocolate on top to make it all marble-y. you know, cus it's kinda fancy looking etc.

this chocolate goodness tho, was not was for me to consume. all this chocolate-y goodness was sent to a friend for his birthday.

grow that ass.

Go Go Gnocchi!

I've actually only recently come to enjoy gnocchi, and that's to say it's only been about 6-8 months. Not sure if I didn't get enough exposure, or it was a texture thing, but I wasn't a fan. I figured I would take a stab at actually making this at home, thought it was more complicated than it actually, time consuming on the other hand.

For this month's rolled challenge, I decided to make spinach potato gnocchi, with fresh mozzarella and garlic basil red sauce (instead of a white sauce). I've had for the most part plain potato gnocchi, it's usually spinach ravioli's, so I thought to add in finely chopped spinach into the dough.

(4) russet potatoes
(1) teaspoon salt
(1/2) teasppon baking powder
(2) egg yolks
(1 1/2 cup flour)
half package of spinach
fresh mozzarella
(1) large sweet onion
(2) small cans tomato paste
(8) cloves of garlic
bunch of basil
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

Slice onion and saute slightly, adding in salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic cloves. Add in tomato paste and 2 cups of water, let simmer until paste dissolves. Add in a large bunch of the basil leaves, let simmer on low.

Bake potatoes in a 400 degree oven for 1.5 hours, uncovered. Very finely chop spinach, saute with some olive oil until wilted. Remove potatoes and peel while hot. Take peeled potatoes and run through a potato ricer, or if you don't have a ricer, use a finer grater (that's what I used). Add in salt, baking powder, egg yolks, and spinach. Using your hands, slowly mix in flour a bit at a time to incorporate, until you have a dough. You may need a bit more than 1 1/2 cup of flour.



Take a bit of dough, place onto a flat floured surface and roll out into 1/2 inch thick rope. Cut into 1-inch pieces and then roll down a gnocchi board (and if you don't have a gnocchi board, roll with fingers and use a fork) to create indentations.



Bring water to boil with a bit of salt, drop in gnocchi about a dozen at a time and when they rise to the top of the water, they're done, should be 2-3 mins max.

Plate with fresh mozzarella, sauce and a bit of extra basil