Angela Hair Pasta Pecorino is the cheesiest

We saw this on TV and had to give it a try. The chef said she had tried 100 different ways to make this, and this was the best. It sure was easy. It takes awhile to boil a big pot of water on my stove, and this recipe cuts the water in half — so the whole recipe only took about 15 minutes total, especially with the smaller pasta. Of course, we got the real romano cheese as they suggested, per Whole Foods. We didn’t grate the cheese as fine as they suggested, and but it sure didn’t seem to effect the flavor.

We used Barilla whole grain angel hair pasta (though ATC says whole wheat pasta is better for you than whole grain with only 6 grams of fiber, and the didn’t even use whole wheat in this recipe) and skipped the black pepper. We have a lot left over — and I am so glad.

From America’s Test Kitchen’s Spaghetti with Pecorino Romano and Black Pepper (Cacio e Pepe)
Serving Size  : 6
Categories    : Pasta & Pasta Sauces

Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
6             ounces  Pecorino Romano cheese — 4 ounces finely grated (about 2 cups) and 2 ounces coarsely grated (about 1 cup)
1              pound  spaghetti
2        tablespoons  heavy cream
2        tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
1           teaspoon  black pepper

Place finely grated Pecorino in medium bowl. Set colander in large bowl.

Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add pasta and 1½ teaspoons salt; cook, stirring frequently, until al dente. Drain pasta into colander set in bowl, reserving cooking water. Pour 1½ cups cooking water into liquid measuring cup and discard remainder; return pasta to now-empty bowl.

Slowly whisk 1 cup reserved pasta cooking water into finely grated Pecorino until smooth. Whisk in cream, oil, and black pepper. Gradually pour cheese mixture over pasta, tossing to coat. Let pasta rest 1 to 2 minutes, tossing frequently, adjusting consistency with remaining ½ cup reserved pasta water. Serve, passing coarsely grated Pecorino separately.

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 448 Calories; 15g Fat (30.8% calories from fat); 19g Protein; 58g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 36mg Cholesterol; 348mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 4 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 2 Fat.

NOTES : High-quality ingredients are essential in this dish, most importantly, imported Pecorino Romano—not the bland domestic cheese labeled “Romano.” Use the small holes on a box grater to grate the cheese finely and the large holes to grate it coarsely. Alternatively, a food processor may be used to grate it finely: Cut the Pecorino into 2-inch pieces and process until finely ground, about 45 seconds. For a slightly less rich dish, substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream. Do not adjust the amount of water for cooking the pasta. Stir the pasta frequently while cooking so that it doesn’t stick to the pot. Letting the dish rest briefly before serving allows the flavors to develop and the sauce to thicken.

No-Bake Lucuma Cheesecake

The Big Cheese Sobocinski

Cooking Channel

Maureen called me from Texas to watch chef and cheese expert Jason Sobocinski, called The Big Cheese,  on the cooking channel. We don’t get it (only food tv), but I went to the website. It says: The US is now the biggest cheese producer in the world and creates over 350 high quality. She says W would do a better job — which was very sweet of her. One of the recipes on the site has our favorite blue:  Penne with Point Reyes Original Blue, Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach. It just premiered on May 1, and they don’t have much on the website yet.

Fondue in a Microwave Box

We were skeptical, but this 3-cheeese Emmental, Comté and Gruyère cheeses mixture melts into one another to form a thick and creamy fondue. No preservatives, but certainly not low-cal.  We split the container up into two, separate fondue parties, and that worked fine. Surprisingly smooth, and ready in under five minutes. La Fondue is available at Trader Joe’s 17.9 oz • $5.99.

National Cheese Fondue Day @ The Melting Pot

Swiss Cheese Fondue

For National Cheese Fondue Day, the Melting Pot offered free fondue. WT was out of town and had set up the reservation, so NA and I got to take advantage of it at the DC location on 19th Street. We had just been to a lovely program at the Italian Embassy, so we were in the a festive cheese mood. The restaurant is a pretty place, much cozier than the family-friendly restaurant in nearby Arlington, VA. The staff was quite friendly, and the place was quiet. They make a big production out of making the actual fondue at your table, and that is quite fun. The hostess let us know: Every Wednesday: Wine Down Wednesday! 50% off select  bottles of wine. The waiter, Charlie, and his trainee suggested salads and desserts, but they weren’t pushy. Charlie knew a bit about wine, and he checked with the bartender when we had a question. We went with Verdemar’s Spanish Albarino, and it went well with the Swiss cheese fondue. (There were many types of cheese fondue, but we decided to go with a classic).

Charlie prepared our fondue in a double-broiler-type fondue pot on the table with white wine, garlic, fresh lemon juice, grated Swiss Gruyere and Emmentaler, topped off with black pepper and nutmeg. It was accompanied by bread chucks, some veggies and granny smith apples. It was just perfect for 2. I’d give the fondue and service a good rating, but they need to work on the softie American bread–a good, crusty French bread would have added to the experience.

During the week you have to park on the street, and of course, we had parking meter issues, so bring plenty of change and call the phone number on the side if you have issues.

National Fondue Day

Cheese Broccoli Soup

cheese soup

Cheesy goodness with the slicester

newest gadget

The newest gadget in our cheese arsenal: the  Slicester™.  Made by chef’n, and you can adjust the slice size. I got it at TJMax for $3.99.

Romao a different Manchego

Romao is a sheep’s milk cheese from La Mancha in Spain.  Gourmet-Food.com says:  “Romao is hand-rubbed with oil and fresh rosemary and aged in caves for 8 months. The oil and rosemary permeates the cheese and complements its full flavor.” It is related to Manchego, but I think I like it a bit better than Manchego – the rosemary taste is excellent.  It’s a bit more expensive ($13.99 vs. $10.99 at Calvert Woodley) , but I’d pay it again. It was good to try the 2 sheep  cheeses together so we could compare. It wasn’t in any of our cheese books – too new? Ignore the goat and cow head – those are both sheep cheeses in the photo.

Cowgirl Creamery Fondue

Fondue in a bag

Cowgirl Creamery has assembled paper bag fondue kits for under $20. It’s easy to make your own, but it was nice to have all the rinds removed and just exactly what you need – with no preservatives.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound Cave Aged Gruyere

1/2 pound Wagon Wheel

1 clove crushed garlic

1/2 cup dry white wine

salt & pepper to taste

Dice cheese into small cubes. Heat fondue pot, add crushed garlic clove. Deglaze with white wine. Sloly add cheese until meled and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat.

Served with cubed bread or raw veggies for dipping. Nice if you have  a small crockpot or fondue part to keep it warm.

It serves 4, so we split the recipe and did it a half at a time.

Cannoli Cheesecake by W

Great New Year’s Resolution: Learn to make cheesecake.

Cannoli Cheesecake Americano
Recipe By     :Emmy Gold
Serving Size  : 12    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Desserts & Puddings

Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
8             ounces  cream cheese
15            ounces  ricotta cheese
1/3           cup  sugar
4              large  eggs
1         tablespoon  cointreau
1           teaspoon  vanilla extract
1/2      teaspoon  cinnamon
1/2           cup  mini-chocolate chips
1/2           cup  dried cranberries
2        tablespoons  orange zest

Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan. Coat the interior of the pan with nonstick cooking spray, then place the parchment paper circle in the pan. (or you can use a cheesecake pan.

In a medium bowl, using a mixer on low speed, combine the cream cheese and ricotta. Add the sugar and beat until smooth but not fluffy. With the mixer running, add the eggs one a time, blending after each addition, and then the orange liqueur, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Stop the mixer and add the chocolate chips, cranberries, and zest. Stir briefly to combine. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until the center sets and the edges just begin to brown, about 30-35 minutes.

If the cheesecake seems to be browning and cracking around the edges (a sign that it is cooking too quickly), reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. When done, it will be lightly golden on the edges  and start to pull away from the pan. A little jiggle is fine as long as the cake feels firm in the center; it will continue to set as it cools.

Cool on a rack until room temperature, then refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Loosen the edge of the cake by running a hot knife along the inner perimeter of the pan, then remove the cake by inverting it onto a plate. Give the pan a firm tap if the cheesecake didn’t release from the pan.

Source: “Culture magazine Winter 2010″

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 214 Calories; 15g Fat (62.2% calories from fat); 8g Protein; 13g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 109mg Cholesterol; 114mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 2 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : Wendell 1/23/11. Cracked on top, but didn’t matter when you inverted.