Chef Dave Martin and D'Artagnan: Black Truffle Mac and Cheese

Once again, I have come across a lovely black truffle in my wanderings at my local grocery, so the race is on to make as many delicious recipes as possible with the gold-plated sucker.  In Googling around, I found this recipe from Top Chef contestant Dave Martin, and I sounded just about perfect.  Note that it is VERY rich, so you only need a small bowl, although I dare you to try and stop there.

Note: To roast garlic, preheat oven to 400°F.  Remove the outer papery layers of the garlic bulb, cut ¼-inch off the top, drizzle with oil, and then wrap in aluminum foil.  Roast for 40 minutes, then begin checking the garlic for doneness.  It is ready when even the center cloves are soft, or you can keep roasting until it is golden brown.

Black Truffle Mac and Cheese
Adapted from Chef Dave Martin and D'Artagnan

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup minced shallots
12 cloves roasted garlic
4 cups heavy cream
1½ tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped and cleaned from stems
1½ tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped and cleaned from stems
¼ cup cream sherry
¼ cup brandy
3 tablespoons chopped black truffle
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for topping
¼ cup white truffle-flavored oil
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups Fontina cheese, finely grated
1 pounds gemelli noodles, cooked in salted water and drained
½ cup Progresso Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

In a stock pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over a medium flame. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to caramelize. Add thyme and oregano, stirring to combine. Turn the heat up to medium-high, add roasted garlic and continue to cook, about 2 minutes. Carefully add sherry and brandy, scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Return the heat to medium.  Stir in chopped truffle. Slowly stir in the cream, Tabasco sauce, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, and truffle-flavored oil. Continue to cook, until the cream has thickened, about 15 minutes.

Temper the egg: In a small bowl, while whisking, slowly add hot cream mixture, a few teaspoons at a time, to bring the egg up to temperature without cooking it. Whisk tempered egg into the cream mixture. Continue cooking until the mixture coats the back of a spoon and then remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together cooked and drained noodles and Fontina cheese. Add the reduced cream mixture, stirring to completely coat all of the noodles. Pour into a large casserole dish.  Stir the remaining Parmesan cheese into the breadcrumbs. Top each ramekin with the breadcrumb mixture.

Put the ramekins on a lipped sheet pan and bake until lightly golden and heated all the way through.

Against All Grain: Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chip Streusel Topping

After many happy years stuffing my face with white flour and granulated sugar, I'm slowly being converted to the benefits of maybe cutting those particular ingredients back a tad.  I'm especially interested if I can find a recipe that turns out something nearly as delicious as the original.  These little banana muffins are surprisingly delicious considering there's not a speck of flour or sugar to be seen.  Even if you're not practicing paleo - these would be a good choice for a healthier breakfast.

Note: I used big baking chips instead of minis because that's what I had, but my boyfriend thinks they worked just fine (read: big chocolate flavor).

Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chip Streusel Topping
From Against All Grain blog

4 medium eggs, at room temperature
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons coconut oil, softened
½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
½ cup coconut flour
¼ cup blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 overly ripe medium-sized bananas (big brown spots)
¼ cup whole milk
¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Streusel:
¼ cup pecans
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Using a paddle attachment in a stand mixer, cream together the coconut oil, honey, and vanilla until is light and fluffy.  Add your eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Add in the apple cider vinegar.

In a separate bowl, combine the flours, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.  Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.  Mash the bananas and the milk in a bowl until it has reached a similar consistency to baby food. Fold the banana mixture into the batter and the chocolate chips if you’re using them.  Spoon the batter into lined muffin tins or reusable silicone muffin cups. Fill to about ¾ full.

For the streusel topping, chop the pecans, honey, and cinnamon in a blender or food processor until finely chopped. Mix in the chocolate chips, then sprinkle the mixture over the muffins.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops have browned lightly and a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins

Southern Fried Corn

There's not much better than fresh summer corn.  And while I love some corn on the cob (preferably slathered in butter), I'm not a huge fan of gnawing on the cob and getting all sorts of bits in my teeth.  So this recipe combines the best of all worlds - delicious sweet corn, no bits in your teeth, and lots of amazing flavor.

Southern Fried Corn

4 ears corn
2 to 3 tablespoons bacon grease or butter
¾ teaspoon sea salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Fresh chopped parsley or chives, for garnish (optional)

Cut the corn off of the ears and set aside.  Heat the bacon grease over medium-high heat until melted and shimmering.  Add the cut corn, then scrape the milk from the cobs into the frying pan.  Season with the salt and pepper.  Fry the corn until it starts to brown, about 7 or 8 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Southern Living: Fresh Coconut Cake

It was recently my father's birthday, and I asked him what cake he wanted.  After much hemming and hawing, I finally got him to admit that he wanted a coconut cake.  Not just any coconut cake, mind you.  THIS coconut cake.  No returns, exchanges, or substitutions.  And what the birthday boy wants, the birthday boy gets.  We normally have this cake at Christmas, since it basically resembles a giant snowball, but it's good all year 'round.

Note: The recipe originally called for a fresh coconut, but my mom has always used a bag of sweetened flaked coconut in substitution.  I think it works just fine since the cake and filling isn't super sweet to begin with, but fresh might be nice.

Fresh Coconut Cake
From Southern Living magazine

1 medium coconut or 1 (14-ounce) bag sweetened flaked coconut
2¼ cups cake flour
1½ cups granulated sugar
¾ cup vegetable shortening
¾ cup whole milk
3 large eggs
2½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Custard Filling
Snow Peak Frosting
Candied orange slices for garnish

Shred the coconut (if using).  Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

Into a large bowl, measure the flour, sugar, shortening, milk, eggs, baking powder, salt, and vanilla; with mixer at low speed, beat until well mixed, constantly scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat at medium speed for 5 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the pans on racks for 10 minutes and then remove the cakes to the racks and cool completely.

Prepare the custard filling. Stir 1 cup shredded coconut into the chilled custard filling; with a sharp knife, cut each cake horizontally in half. Prepare the Snow Peak Frosting. Place the first layer of cake on a cake plate, cut-side up; spread the cake with about ⅓ of the filling. Repeat the layering, ending with a cake layer top-side up. Frost the sides and top of the cake with Snow Peak Frosting. Sprinkle the sides and top of the cake with about 2 cups of shredded coconut. Refrigerate.

Makes 16 servings

Custard Filling
4 large egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
½ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur (such as Grand Marnier)

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, with a wire whisk, mix well all of the ingredients until well blended. Over medium heat, cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Cover the custard’s surface with waxed paper; refrigerate until well chilled, about 1½ hours.

Snow Peak Frosting
1¼ cups light corn syrup
2 large egg whites
Dash salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat, heat the corn syrup to boiling; remove the pan from the heat. In a large bowl, with the mixer at high speed, beat the egg whites and salt just until soft peaks form. Slowly pour in the hot syrup; continue beating for 6 to 8 minutes until the frosting is fluffy and forms stiff peaks when the beater is raised. Beat in the vanilla extract.