Mushroom Lasagne

Wild Mushroom Lasagne
For mushroom filling:
3 cups water
2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 cup)
2 pounds fresh white mushrooms
2 large zucchini (about 1 pound)
1 large onion
3 garlic cloves
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons sherry
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk
4 1/2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan (about 1 1/2 cups), plus 1 1/2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan (about 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
18 (7 by 3 1/2-inch) sheets dry no-boil lasagne (about 1 pound)
1/2 pound freshly grated mozzarella (about 2 cups)

Make filling: In a small saucepan bring water to a boil and remove pan from heat. Stir in the porcini. Soak the porcini 20 minutes. Lift out the porcini, squeezing out excess liquid, and reserve soaking liquid. In a sieve, rinse the porcini to remove any grit and pat dry. Chop the porcini and transfer to a large bowl. Simmer reserved soaking liquid until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Pour liquid through a sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into bowl with the porcini. Quarter white mushrooms and in a food processor pulse in 3 batches until finely chopped. Cut zucchini into 1/4-inch dice. Chop onion and mince garlic. In a 12-inch heavy skillet heat 1 tablespoon butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and cook 1/3 white mushrooms with 2 tablespoons sherry, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and they begin to brown. Add mushroom mixture to the porcini. Cook remaining mushrooms in 2 batches in butter with remaining sherry in same manner and add to the porcini mixture. In skillet cook zucchini in 1 tablespoon butter until tender and stir into the porcini mixture. In skillet cook onion in remaining tablespoon butter, stirring, until softened. Stir in garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir onion into mushroom mixture until combined. Filling may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Make sauce: In a 3-quart heavy saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes and whisk in milk. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly, and simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan, mustard, and salt. Remove pan from heat and cover surface of sauce with waxed paper. Sauce may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring sauce to room temperature before proceeding.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. and butter a 13 by 9-inch (3-quart) baking dish.
Assemble lasagne: Spread 1 1/4 cups sauce in baking dish and cover with 3 pasta sheets, making sure they don't touch each other. Spread one third filling over pasta sheets in dish and top with 3 more pasta sheets, gently pressing down layers to remove air pockets. Top pasta sheets with 1/3 mozzarella. Continue layering in same manner with sauce, pasta sheets, filling, and mozzarella, ending with mozzarella (dish will be filled to rim). Spread remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with Parmesan. On a foil-lined large baking sheet, bake lasagne in middle of oven until bubbling and golden, about 45 minutes. Let lasagne stand 20 minutes. Lasagne may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring lasagne to room temperature and reheat before serving.

Taking Requests

Okay well as I have been mulling things over I have decided that I need to start taking requests, questions, and anything I can do to help for cooking. If you have something that you are looking for specifically then I will try and find it, or if you are wanting a general topic like dessert or something send it on by. I will also do a recipe of the week were I will be posting a tried and true recipe.....with all the ingredients because usually I don't always do that. So start asking and I will start doing what I can.


And Happy Cooking Adventures!!!!

Pumpkin Cake Roll

This is one of my all time favorite dessert classics for Thanksgiving! For about the past 4 years I have made this dessert as the one main dish. In my opinion this replaces the pumpkin pie for me. It has that more elegant feel when you place it and the presentation is great!


Ingredients

Cake Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar for sprinkling
1 cup fine chopped walnuts (optional)

Frosting Ingredients
1 cup powdered sugar
6 oz cream cheese
4 tablespoons butter at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For cake: Beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes, gradually beat in sugar. Mix in pumpkin and lemon juice. Combine well. In seperate bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until well combined. Spread in a greased and floured 17x10x1 jelly roll pan (I put wax paper on the bottom before greasing and flouring for easier release. Top with the chopped nuts and pat them down into the cake with your fingers lightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn out onto the already dusted towel with powdered sugar (towel at least 2" bigger than pan). Starting at narrow end while cake is hot roll up towel and cake together. Clothes pins help keep the towel rolled up.
Combine ingredients for frosting until smooth. Unroll the cake and spread this evenly over the entire surface of the cake. Re-roll and chill until serving.

Lavender-Blueberry Ice Cream

I have never had such an amazing ice cream like this! I love how it brings the feel that you are actually tasting spring and summer. Elegant and simple goes well with pies, cakes, or alone.

Ingredients
4 fresh or dried lavender flowers
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
6 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup cold creme fraiche
1 cup bluberries, pureed in a blender and pressed through a sieve
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place lavender and milk in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, remove from heat and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Whisk sugar and egg yolks together in a heavy saucepan or the top of a double broiler. Whisk in the lavender-infused milk and the cream. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat, or over water in a double broiler, about 5 minutes, until thickeneed enough to coat the back of a spoon. Take care not to let simmer or eggs will curdle. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Transfer to a metal bowl, cover with a piece of plastic wrap placed on the surface, and refrigerate until cold. strain to remove lavender. Fold in the creme fraiche, blueberry puree and vanilla. Place in an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's directions. Serve at once or place in container and freeze until firm. Use within 2 days.