Bobby Flay's Macaroni & Cheese Carbonara

Lactose Intolerants beware. High cholesterol junkies, avert your gaze. Dieters, direct your attention elsewhere. This next post is only for those of us whose blood flows freely through their arteries.

Dawn and I have been on a cheese rampage as of late. It all started with Dawn’s Salt adventure. We gorged ourselves on cheese till we were blue in the face. You would think after stuffing ourselves full of 3 different cheeses to the point where it hurt to breathe we would avoid the cause. But, it’s actually had exactly the opposite effect. We’ve found ourselves desiring more and more cheese over the past few weeks. This past Sunday I wanted to make dinner, and I wanted to use a recipe from Bobby Flay’s Throwdown cookbook. His Thowdown with Delilah Winder over Macaroni & Cheese hit the spot.

Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-inch thick piece pancetta, cut into small dice (I used stripples)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 to 7 cups whole milk, heated
• 4 large egg yolks, lightly whisked
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups freshly grated Asiago cheese, plus more for the top
• 1 1/2 cups Irish white Cheddar, plus more for the top
• 1 1/2 cups Mountain Valley Cheddar, plus more for the top
• 1 cup grated Fontina cheese, plus more for the top
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for the top
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked just under al dente
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 3 quart baking dish and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Add the garlic to the pan and cook until lightly golden brown. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in 6 cups of the hot milk, increase the heat to high and cook, whisking constantly until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the eggs until incorporated and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the thyme, cayenne, and all of the cheese until completely melted, season with salt and pepper. If the mixture appears too thick, add some of the remaining milk 1/4 cup at a time.

Place the cooked macaroni in a large bowl, add the cheese sauce, reserved pancetta and parsley and stir until combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Combine together additional Asiago, Cheddars, Fontina, and Parmesan in a bowl and sprinkle evenly over the top of the macaroni. Bake in the oven until heated through and the top is lightly golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Follow-Up
Let me assure you of this, this is without a doubt the best macaroni & cheese I’ve ever had (sorry mom, but Bobby’s got you beat on this one). It’s rich and heavy. Your taste buds will scream for seconds, but your stomach will holler for you to put your fork down! Don’t plan to do any athletic activities after dinner, just find a good movie or football game and curl up on the couch while your stomach goes to work. The majority of us will end up in a food coma, but make no mistake, it will be the best food coma you have all year.

This blog posted whilst lying on the floor in a food coma ;)

Bruschetta

There are so many wonderful things you can do with a tomato. It’s an incredibly versatile ingredient. One of my favorite tomato-based recipes is Bruschetta. It’s a very common appetizer made in all kinds of restaurants. Everyone makes their dish a little different, uses different ingredients, different herbs. I enjoy trying everyone’s different interpretation and seeing how it varies from mine.

I remember the first time I made Bruschetta. It was when I was first beginning to discover the joy of cooking. Through most of high school my dad and I had a lot in common. Sports, cars, politics; I was growing into a man, and had a lot going on that closely related to my father. My mother and I didn’t have the same level of similar interests. I had never been interested in cooking, but we both saw it as an opportunity to spend some time together. As I recall, I was home from college and wanted to help out with dinner. Somehow I volunteered to make Bruschetta. I had no idea what I was doing and asked questions throughout the entire ordeal. But I will say this, add enough fresh basil and garlic to pretty much anything and you’ve got a winning recipe. I’ve made Bruschetta many times since that first try and I believe I’ve developed a pretty good version. Here is my rendition of this popular appetizer.

- Tomatoes: get the best looking, freshest tomatoes you can find. If you have a garden, there is no doubt that homegrown is the best. For this attempt I used a couple of different colors to change things up.
- Fresh Garlic
- Basil
- Onions
- Kalamata Olives
- Feta Cheese
- Olive Oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Salt & Pepper

These are the base ingredients. Like always I don’t have specific measurements, just keep adding whatever you think is missing or whatever taste you want more distinct.

You will need a French Baguette as well. Slice the Baguette in pretty thin slices, between ¼ and ½ inch thick. I like to put some cheese on the bread and stick it under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is browned and the bread is toasted. I have found Mozzarella to work well for this. Once you pull the bread and cheese out from the broiler spoon as much of the Bruschetta on top of each piece as possible. Just know that it will spill, that’s part of the joy. Serve while still warm.

This blog posted whilst listening to Mambo Italiano.

Love This Season!

There are many things that I love about the changing of the seasons this time of year. I love to see the leaves change color. I am more than happy to see the sweltering days of August fade away to the crisp, frosty days of November. I love football season. I train and prepare all summer so I’ll be ready for Thanksgiving dinner. And Christmas is undoubtedly my favorite holiday, even though I fervently loathe the rampant proliferation of Christmas emblazonry and promotions months before the actual holiday arrives. But there is one thing that I may love even more than anything else, Eggnog. The first time I see Eggnog in the grocery store I experience absolute and unfettered joy that can only be described as an amalgamation of the joy of Christmas morning for my nieces and nephews, and the cinematic depiction of Masquerade on the 2005 version of the Phantom of the Opera. Needless to say, I am very excited to announce that I had my first glass last night.

If you like eggnog, check out our eggnogg waffle post here.

PS: This is not what my glass looked like.

Holiday Ideas for the Home and Kitchen

Everywhere you look, Christmas is in the air. At the department stores, decorations are up. On the radio, the Christmas music station is in full swing. And online, the holiday gift guides are popping up everywhere. And I am a sucker for these gift guides, especially when they are at some of my favorite stores. So I thought I would share two of the websites I am following thus far.

The first website to catch my eye this season is Terrain. If you hang out with me long enough, you will learn that I have an undying love for the brand Anthropologie. Not only do I drool over the ever-changing clothes, displays, and catalogs, but I have always been a fan of their home goods section. Which is why Terrain, the lifestyles branch of the head company, makes for a welcome addition to my holiday shopping. Terrain carries a plethora of the same home goods you would find in Anthropoligie as well as garden-related items.

Currently, Terrain is only available in two locations: their website and the Pennsylvania shop. The store is called Terrain at Styer's, set in an antique greenhouse on an 11-acre site in Concordville, PA, just outside of Philadelphia. Styer's is a century-old nursery, which also offers a full range of residential landscape services. Terrain hosts in-store events and classes on things like Living Gifts for the Holidays and Holiday Tablescapes. There is even a café serving decadent menu items like Roasted Swordfish, french lentils, roasted cauliflower, thyme butter.

For holiday shopping ideas, gifts ideas range from food items like the Maple Syrup sampler to indoor gardens like the Drop Glass Tillandsia Kit.

But the Mediterranean Trio has to be my favorite thing on this website. Three matching pots hold a miniture rosemary plant, olive tree, and lavender plant - perfect for filling a house with the scents of the outdoors all year round.

As Aric and I have mentioned before, Williams-Sonoma is one of my go websites for everything from recipes to new cookware. So it would only make sense that I would make it my go-to website for holiday shopping for the foodies in my life. I think it is always fun to pick up for others the kitchen tools or accessories that aren’t essentials but are so much fun to have around. The Breville Panini Press, the Ebelskiver filled-pancake pan, and the Imperia Pasta machine are all favorites and were all gifts that I was more than happy to not only receive over the years but also give to those I love.

This year, I think my new favorite has to be the Zoku Quick Pop Maker.

Not only can you create your own customized frozen pops, they have recipe books and a character tool kit to help you make the most of this family-friendly gadget.

Happy shopping!

Bellbrook Secret

As I explained in yesterday’s post, Dawn and I have been interested in sharing our thoughts on local restaurants that we enjoy. I’d like to share about another local gem we’ve discovered. There is a great little brunch place in Bellbrook called the Blueberry Café. I used to visit this place quite regularly. I’ll be honest, I haven’t been in quite some time, but this post isn’t about the café, it’s about a restaurant that opened shortly before the last time I visited Blueberry Café. I’d never made it back down to try the new place out, but I’d heard a few good things, so about a month ago Dawn and I headed down to try things out. As we looked over the lunch menu, we were both very impressed. The lunch menu is incredibly well priced and quite diverse. Out of curiosity, we asked to look over the dinner menu, which was even more appetizing. We haven’t been back to try dinner yet, but we wanted to share some pictures of the lunch items we ate and tell you just how impressed we were, and invite anyone local to give Amelia’s Bistro a try.

I ordered their “Different Kind of Caesar”

And their “Fish Tacos”

Dawn ordered the ½ sandwich and salad, and got a vegetarian BLT and their “Almond Crusted Goat Cheese Salad”

We also ordered a Brie and fruit appetizer.

Taste Testing: A Salt Experience at Home

Our inspiration for this blog: Salt Tasting Room - Vancouver, Canada

A couple of years ago, when I living in Vancouver, Canada, I was introduced to a fun restaurant called the Salt Tasting Room. This establishment’s whole concept centers around combinations of artisan cheese, cured meats, and drinks. The idea is simple in that guests assemble a tasting plate from the daily selections (the menu items change constantly) and you can either make your own pairings or rely on the expert opinion of your server.

Salt is located in the heart of Gastown’s historic Blood Alley, and yes, the front door to the place is actually off of an alley. Inside is a restoration gem, full of original brick, wooden beams and columns, and concrete floors. The back wall is completely covered with a chalkboard, outlining the daily selections to choose from and guests sit either at tables or benches lining the walls.

I went in skeptical, wondering how essentially tapas (in my mind) would make a meal but I was pleasantly surprised. I guess it adheres more European concept to eating in that you eat each pairing in stages so you have time to linger over your food and enjoy it. After a few pairings, I was actually full. Even more so, I had tasted different foods that I might not have otherwise thought of trying before, and thus, I was hooked on the concept

I had mentioned this restaurant to Aric in passing a couple of weeks ago and decided that it would make for a fun date night. So I ventured to the local grocery store and collected the assortment of goodies.

When it came time to actually arranging the tasting selections, Aric and I were both secretly worried that it wouldn’t be enough food. Let me me warn you now though that looks are deceiving when it comes to this meal!! By the end of the second of the third pairings, we were both stuffed but wanted to try the third one so badly, we stuffed it in. I think the key for us next time is taking each round a bit slower and spacing it out more, like what you get at Salt.

Whichever way you decide to do this fun culinary taste test, have fun with your pairings and try new products or pairings you wouldn’t think would normally go together. You might be pleasantly surprised!

Menu One: Camembert, Apricot Compote with Cashews, Blueberries

Menu Two: Bosc Pears, Honey Roasted Turkey Breast (for Aric), Drunken Goat Cheese

Menu Three: Bleu d’Auvergne cheese, Italian Roast Beef with walnuts (for Aric), Honey (for me), Gala apples

Dining Out

For quite some time Dawn and I have wanted desperately to share our thoughts on things outside of what we happened to have cooked on any given day. One of the many ideas we’ve discussed addressing is sharing our thoughts on various restaurants and eateries we’ve visited. We finally have an opportunity to do just that. A few weeks ago we stopped into a local cooking store to look around. As we were perusing through the knives and cutlery, a young man meandered up to us and asked if we would be interested in testing some food. It had been several hours since we had eaten lunch so we gladly accepted his offer. He then asked us to have a seat and said he’d be out shortly with the food. So Dawn and I waited. I think we both expected the guy to hand us a couple of to-go cups and that would be that, but that was not the case. Our wait lasted long enough that Dawn and I began to wonder if we were going to have to pay for the food we had agreed to. Shortly thereafter the gentlemen returned with a platter full of food. He brought stuffed chicken, mushroom risotto, French onion soup and pumpkin soup. We slowly began working our way through the platter and with every bite became more and more impressed with the quality and flavor of the food, and neither of us like mushrooms. As we finished off the last of the food, the gentleman came back out to chat. He told us that the store was very active, with activities ranging from education, to radio shows, to their deli, and that they were even working towards offering dinners on the weekends. Our conversation was much too short to provide a full explanation of all the activities offered, so in turn I will refer you to their website, www.culinarycompanyonline.com. I encourage anyone in the greater Dayton, OH area who hasn’t stopped in to do so, and for those who are familiar with the Culinary Company maybe it’s a good time to stop back in and see what new adventures they may have lined up for you to partake in.

This blog posted whilst listening to Pandora Radio's Smooth Jazz.