ricotta and black pepper gnudi.

Several years ago, when Eleven Madison Park was managed by Danny Meyer, Tyler and I managed to snag a Friday night dinner reservation.  We were maybe 25 at the time and I couldn't quite believe that a restaurant as majestic, regal, and beautiful as Eleven Madison Park would allow some young girl and her boy to eat in their restaurant. It seemed like a place that only-sharp dressed, fancy-pants people could eat at.  If they thought less of us you would have never known. The service was incredible and the meal was memorable.  

The highlight of the evening and the thing I still dream about was a ricotta dish.  At first glance I thought I was given a plate of gnocchi but with one bite I realized this was an entirely different beast. This was a plate of cheese disguised as pasta; each bite resulted in an explosion of cheesiness.  To say I was smitten would have been an understatement.   

It wasn't until a couple of years later that I realized what I ate was gnudi. Gnudi are essentially balls of ricotta covered in the thinnest layer of semolina.  They are the fancy-pants (and far better) version of mozzarella sticks so you can see why I would be so obsessed.  It never occurred to me that I could make them myself and that making them could be so insanely easy (learning some things can be very dangerous) but thankfully Kenji over at Serious Eats helped me right my wrong.  

Ricotta and Black Pepper Gnudi

Recipe adapted from Serious Eats 

Kenji recommended a sage and brown butter sauce to serve with these.  I am sure that would be superb but I made a light cream sauce with peas and that paired beautifully (though I think a sorrel sauce could be pretty incredible as well).  The choice is yours! (Kenji's sauce recipe can be found in the link to the Serious Eats site.) I also wouldn't be opposed to eating these with just a drizzle of olive oil and lots of black pepper and Parmesan.     

Serves 4-6 as an appetizer or 2 to 3 as a main course. 

16 ounces best quality fresh sheep or cow's milk ricotta

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cups semolina flour

For the gnudi: Line a large plate with three layers of paper towels or a clean dish towel. Transfer ricotta directly to paper towels and spread with a rubber spatula. Place another triple layer of paper towels or a clean dish towel on top and press down firmly with the palms of your hands to blot excess moisture. Peel off upper paper towels.

Place a large bowl on a scale and zero the scale. Scrape ricotta into bowl to weigh. Remove excess ricotta to leave exactly 12 ounces. Reserve excess ricotta for another use. Add Parmesan and season heavily with black pepper. Combine mixture with a rubber spatula. Season to taste with salt. Transfer to a large clean plate and spread into a thin, even layer. Transfer to freezer and let chill for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, transfer half of the semolina flour to a large bowl and the other half to a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. When ricotta is chilled, scrape it into a separate empty large bowl and fold it with a rubber spatula until no big chunks of frozen ricotta remain. Using a small cookie scoop or spoon form a ball of ricotta about 1 1/2-inches wide (about 2 tablespoons) and transfer to the bowl with the flour. Using your fingers, scoop dry flour over the top of the ricotta ball.

Once the ball is coated, gently lift it and roll it around in your hands to form a neat sphere. Transfer it to the baking dish. Repeat with remaining ricotta. You should have about 16 to 20 finished gnudi. Sprinkle any remaining semolina in the bowl over the formed gnudi. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 and up to 3 days, turning the gnudi once per day. Once gnudi have formed a skin, they can be frozen. Transfer to a large plate or a rimmed baking sheet and freeze until solid, about 1 hour. Transfer to a zipper-lock freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Allow to thaw on a plate covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator overnight before cooking.

To Cook and Serve: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add gnudi and cook, stirring very gently, for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnudi to a platter. 

Transfer gnudi to a warm serving dish or to individual plates. Sprinkle with Parmesan and black pepper and sauce of your choice. Serve immediately.

roasted feta with honey.

I think if I could only use one word to describe my eating preferences it would probably be cheese-aholic. I'm not ashamed to admit that I don't usually consider something a meal unless it includes something of the dairy variety.  I am not embarrassed to admit that I can only eat scrambled eggs with grated Gruyere melted in.  I will continue to be vocal about the fact that it is not a pizza unless it includes cheese. (If it doesn't have cheese, it's a flatbread.  Glad we are all on the same page now.).  

After that cheese confession, it seems only natural that we discuss a cheese recipe which means now is a good time to bring up the awesome roasted feta with honey that I made last week before I was infected will the flu. This is the kind of appetizer I dream about.  It exudes fanciness and is one (very easy) step above a putting a wheel of brie on a cheeseboard.  The roasting of the feta softens it, making it spreadable and malleable and perfect for topping crackers with.  The honey balances out the saltiness and the rosemary brings a little earthiness and extra warmth to the plate.  While this makes a great appetizer, I prefer serving it with an arugula salad for a satisfying winter dinner for two.  

Roasted Feta with Honey
Recipe adapted from Food 52

There are so many ways I can adapt this that the sheer amount of possibilities scares me.  Amanda uses thyme instead of rosemary which would be wonderful.  I think a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper or Urfa chiles at the end would be a pretty stellar change.  

One 8-ounce slab Greek feta, blotted dry 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

1 tablespoon honey

Freshly ground black pepper 

1 sprig rosemary, minced (optional)

Greek-style pita bread, toasted and cut into wedges or hearty crackers (I prefer the crackers here)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Select a small oven-to-table earthenware dish or a small ovenproof sauté pan lined with aluminum foil to help transfer the cheese to a plate after roasting. Place the feta in the dish and cover with the olive oil. Bake until the cheese is soft and springy to the touch but not melted, about 8 minutes.

Preheat the broiler. Heat the honey in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water until it is fluid enough to be spread with a pastry brush and then paint the surface of the feta with it. Broil until the top of the cheese browns and just starts to bubble. Season with black pepper and the minced rosemary (if using). Serve immediately with pita wedges or crackers.

soft pretzels and beer cheese.

Back in August, I joined a Fantasy Football League. 

I'm still unsure as to how I was convinced this was a good idea.  My relationship with Football pre-joining a league was fairly non-existent.  To be honest, I really don't get the sport (grown men wrestling each other for possession of a teeny ball?), and perhaps I don't get it because I thought in college my time was better spent reading fashion and gossip magazines rather than actually paying attention to what was happening on the field (I still think it was).  But now I'm being forced to pay attention (Sleeper picks! Injury Reports!) which the boy finds absurdly amusing (especially when I yell at the TV).    

The one plus-side of this new hobby is that I have begun to think immensely about game-day eating and the unfortunate things most people eat on Sunday afternoons (Chips! Cheap Pizza!). I simply refuse to join that bandwagon which is why this past weekend I made homemade pretzels because pretzels are a favorite game day eat.  These are nothing like those horrible things that are sold by NYC street vendors.  They are insanely fluffy and flavorful with a crisp exterior that gives way to a chewy interior.  The addition of beer to the batter provides an extra dimension of flavor, the kind of thing you can never find in commercial pretzels.  I served these pipping hot from the oven with beer cheese which is basically an adult cheese dip.  The combination of sharp cheddar, beer, and cayenne makes for one incredibly addicting snack and the perfect accompaniment to freshly baked pretzels.  Don't blame me if people try coming to your house every Sunday looking for these.  

Soft Pretzels

Recipe via Leite’s Culinaria

This recipe looks a lot more daunting then it really is.  The bulk of it explains how to roll and form the pretzel into the traditional pretzel shape which is why it looks so long!  If you are interested in making other shapes or pretzel rolls, Leite has further instructions on his website. 

Also to note this is a great dough for novices and children as it’s not that wet making it very easy to roll.

Makes 8 Pretzels

2 1/4 teaspoons (one 1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water, plus more as needed, [between 100° and 115°F (38° and 45°C)]

1 tablespoon barley malt syrup, or 1 tablespoon firmly packed dark brown sugar

3 1/4 cups (420 grams) unbleached bread flour, plus more as needed

1/2 cup pilsner-style beer, cold (I used a Rye Beer)

2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature, plus more for the bowl

2 teaspoons fine sea salt, such as fleur de sel or sel gris

1/4 cup baking soda

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon cold water

Coarse sea salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion flakes, or whatever you desire

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl. Add the barley malt syrup or brown sugar and stir until it’s dissolved. Set aside until the yeast is foamy, 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in the flour, beer, butter, and salt and continue stirring until a shaggy mass forms. Attach the bowl and the dough hook to the stand mixer and begin kneading on medium-low speed. After about 1 minute the dough will form a smooth ball that’s quite firm and maybe slightly tacky but not sticky. (If the dough is sticky, add a little more flour, about 1 tablespoon at a time, and knead it in until the dough is smooth. Conversely, if the dough is too dry to come together, add more warm water, 1 teaspoon at a time.) Continue kneading on medium-low speed until the dough is elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Alternatively, turn the shaggy dough out onto an unfloured work surface and knead it by hand.

Lightly butter a bowl that will be large enough to contain the dough after it has doubled in size. Transfer the dough to the bowl.

For slow-rise pretzels, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place the dough in the refrigerator to rise for at least 8 hours and, for optimal flavor, up to 24 hours.

For quick pretzels, set the bowl aside at room temperature (in a warmish spot) and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C). For one batch soft pretzels, spread 1/4 cup baking soda on an aluminum pie pan or a small rimmed baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Bake the baking soda for 1 hour. The baking soda will lose weight as it bakes but maintain about the same volume, so you should end up with about 1/4 cup baked baking soda. Allow it to cool completely, and then keep it in an airtight container at room temperature until you are ready to make soft pretzels. (If you see more than one batch in your future, consider baking a whole box of baking soda in one shot, since it keeps indefinitely. Sift baked baking soda before using, as it cakes after prolonged storage.)

Line two 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto an unfloured work surface and firmly press it down to deflate. To form the classic pretzel shape, cut the dough into 8 equal portions. Work with 1 piece of dough at a time and keep the rest covered with a damp, clean kitchen towel. Pat a piece of dough down with your fingertips to form a rough rectangle about 3 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches. Beginning on a long side, roll the dough up tightly, forming it into a little loaf. Pinch the seam together. Shape the dough into a rope by rolling it against the work surface with your palms and applying mild pressure, working from the center of the dough out to the ends. (If you need more friction, spray the counter with a little water from a squirt bottle or drizzle a few drops of water and spread it with your hand.) Once you can feel that the dough rope doesn’t want to stretch any farther (usually when it is between 12 and 16 inches long), set it aside to rest and begin shaping another piece in the same manner. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Return to the first dough rope and continue rolling it out to a length of 24 to 28 inches, leaving the center about 1 inch in diameter and tapering the ends by applying a little more pressure as you work your way out. Position the dough rope into a U shape, with the ends pointing away from you. Holding an end in each hand, cross the ends about 3 inches from the tips and then cross them again. Fold the ends down and press them into the U at about 4 and 8 o’clock, allowing about 1/4 inch of the ends to overhang. Place the pretzel on one of the prepared baking sheets and cover it with a damp towel. Repeat this process with the remaining dough, spacing them on the baking sheets at least 1 inch apart and covering them with a damp towel.

Allow the covered dough to rise at warm room temperature until it’s increased in size by about half, 20 to 30 minutes. (At this point the soft pretzels can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 8 hours.)

At least 20 minutes before baking, position one rack in the upper third and another rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 500°F (260°C).

Select a large stainless-steel pot and add about 8 cups water. Be sure to choose a pot that’s at least a finger’s length wider than the diameter of the soft pretzels and tall enough so that the water comes up no more than 2 inches from the rim. (Avoid other metal surfaces, such as aluminum and copper, and nonstick surfaces, which may react with the baked baking soda.) Add the baked baking soda and bring the liquid to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once the baking soda dissolves, reduce the heat to medium and maintain a gentle simmer. Use a large skimmer to gently dip the pretzels, 1 or 2 at a time, in the baked baking soda solution. Leave them in the solution for about 20 seconds, carefully turning them once after 10 seconds. Remove the pretzels from the liquid, drain, and return them to the baking sheets, spacing them at least 1 inch apart. If the ends of the soft pretzels come detached, simply reattach them. Repeat with the remaining soft pretzels.

Using a sharp paring knife or razor blade, cut a slit about 1/4 inch deep in the thickest part of each soft pretzel (you’ll find that at the bottom of the U) to allow steam to escape as the soft pretzels bake. Lightly beat the egg yolk with the cold water. Brush the tops of the soft pretzels lightly with the egg wash to give them a glossy finish. Top them as you choose, if desired. (If you plan to enjoy some of the pretzels later and not hot out of the oven, don’t salt them before baking. Just salt the ones you plan to eat the same day. When stored in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic—a necessity to keep them from drying out—the trapped humidity will dissolve the salt crystals on the surface of the crust. You’ll end up with droplets of water and swollen, soggy spots where the salt once was.)

Bake the soft pretzels until deep mahogany in color, 8 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan from front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Transfer the soft pretzels to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving. The soft pretzels are best enjoyed the day they’re made, ideally warm from the oven or within an hour of being baked. Soft pretzels keep at room temperature, without being wrapped up or enclosed in a container, for about 12 hours. Store your soft pretzels in an airtight container or wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap, and keep them at room temperature for up to 2 days. Or place the soft pretzels, tightly wrapped in plastic, in a resealable plastic freezer bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat the pretzels in a 350°F (180°C) oven for about 5 minutes, or for 10 to 12 minutes if frozen.

(Beer Cheese recipe below!)

Beer Cheese

I read pretty much every recipe for beer cheese that exists on the internet and you wouldn’t believe how widely different they can be.  My research led me to create this version which I find to be the quintessential version and it’s nice because it can be adapted immensely.  If you prefer an extra level of kick feel free to up the cayenne and hot sauce.  I highly suggest preparing this dip the night before to allow the flavors to meld together.  It’s great served with pretzels (duh) but also wonderful with raw vegetables. 

½ pound grated extra sharp cheddar cheese (or a combination of sharp and mild)

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 to 2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, plus more to taste

¼ teaspoon cayenne, plus more to taste if you like some extra kick

3-4 ounces of beer depending on desired texture (Dark Beer is the traditional choice but a pale ale would be nice to provide a little zing that would offset nicely with the cheese)

1 tablespoon honey

Salt and Pepper to taste

Blend everything in the food processor.  Taste, and adjust seasonings as necessary.  Refrigerate until ready to use.    

homemade ricotta.

I spend most of my work week coming up with weekend food projects.  The types of things that are impossible to tackle during the hours of 6:30 - 10:30 during the week because I am going to the gym, making sensible dinners, showering, and reading something other then the never ending stream of emails I seem to get.  I delegate Saturday's and Sunday's to making homemade breads and fresh pasta and all other illogical foods that most people don't think twice about buying from the supermarket which is why I devoted last weekend to ricotta. Perhaps it's just me, but I find the ricotta cheese that is sold in the plastic tubs at the supermarket to be completely off-putting. The texture is always bizarre, the taste is always too sweet, and it's always filled with all sorts of strange additives.  I knew there had to be something better, something homemade to fill this void between the Polly-O ricotta I can't stand and the Salvatore Brooklyn ricotta I adore.  And there is!  There is a whole world of ricotta making that seems to be happening in kitchens across the country.  There are case studies discussing the merits of vinegar vs. lemon juice and how much cream is necessary or if buttermilk is better.  I did a lot of cross referencing and I cobbled a recipe together that encompassed everything I love about ricotta.  The end result is the complete opposite of anything you will ever find in a supermarket.  This is impossibly creamy and rich.  The taste is pure and simple - the milk knows how to steal the show in the best possible way.  I love this slathered on a simple baguette with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of flaky salt and black pepper, but I am sure you can come up with a million other ways to eat it (by the spoonful is also suggested.)  

Homemade Ricotta

Adopted from about every source I could find on the subject

I imagined making cheese would be difficult but it really isn't at all.  You watch the pot boil pour the cheese into the cloth (without spilling it all over the stove like some people do...) and let gravity do its thing.  The leftover whey can be saved and used for homemade bread and I will be back with that recipe later this week (because no one should waste really good milk.)  They key here is to buy the best milk possible - local, organic milk is ideal.

Makes about 2 cups

4 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon flaky salt

3 tablespoons lemon juice

In a large heavy bottomed sauce pan combine the milk, cream, and salt and heat over medium heat.  Cook the mixture until it reached 190 degrees, stirring on occasion so the milk doesn't scorch.  Remove the pan from the heat, and pour in the lemon juice. Gently (very gently!) stir the mixture and then let sit 5 - 10 minutes.  

Line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl (to catch the whey). Ladle the curds and whey into the colander and let the curds strain for at least two hours.  it will be spreadable but a little firm, almost like cream cheese. (It will firm more as it cools, so do not judge its final texture by what you have in your cheesecloth.) Save the whey in a air-tight container unless you are silly and don’t want homemade bread. 

You can store the ricotta in a air-tight container for about 5 days (maybe even longer if your milk is super fresh.) 

Serve the ricotta on toasts, tossed in pasta, or as I suggested above, by the spoonful.   

murray's cheese.

My better half is not a fan of presents.  Actually, I think if we eliminated giving and receiving gifts he would be a much happier person.  It would eliminate the stress he gets over what to buy me (even though I think I am a rather easy person to buy gift’s for – shinny and gold are always crowd pleasers).  It would also eliminate the stress I get over what to get him (because he doesn’t like presents and impractical items which is rather silly because impractical gifts are the world’s best gifts).  Unfortunately, for him, my love affair with wrapped objects is not going to abide anytime soon (nor will my eagerness to rip open all presents the second they enter into our home). He’s going to have to suck it up a little and I’m going to have to get creative, which is how we ended up at an Italian Wine and Cheese class at Murray’s Cheese last night.  Tyler had mentioned a few times about how he wished he knew a little more about wine and I figured a class that combined wine and cheese would give us a chance to learn a little bit more about them both. 

I realized last night, that that was the first time I’ve really made a conscious effort to taste cheese and not just eat cheese.  I never really noticed the slight nuances but, when you allow a piece of cheese to really melt on your tongue, you begin to discover all the different flavors.  When you then pair cheese with wine the flavors evolve even more and the two begin to play off each other.  The ways the acidity in certain wines play beautifully with certain rich cheeses is kind of magical – each component tastes better with the addition of the other one.  We tried six cheese and six wines last night, and while I loved all the cheeses, three of them really made us swoon (so much in fact that we bought a piece of each).  I’m now envisioning a simple meal of salad and another cheese tasting to see how we feel about them the second time around (hopefully it continues to be a love affair).  Below are the names and a little description of our favorites.  All of them can be found at Murrays (and I imagine other reputable cheese shops)! 

-At 12 o'clock - Quadrello di Bufula: A cheese made from the milk of the water buffalo!  Rich and creamy, similar in texture to a Taleggio but not quite as pungent.  

-At 2 o'clock - Gorganzola Cremifcato - If you thought you hated blue cheese this is the blue cheese for you (Tyler who despises blue cheese will eat this).  Super creamy (I think runny would be appropriate here), rich and sweet, it's perfect spread on bread or used in pasta sauces (which is how I am using it tonight!). 

- At 7 o'clock - Castelrosso - This is a cheese that smells like cheese (really it smells like cheese nips!), it's the firmest of the other two, with a texture similar to cheddar.  It has a subtle gradient where you find the center tastes different then the rind.  Buttery and mild it's kind of the perfect snacking cheese!