Tag Archives: cream

September 12, 2012

Shell Pasta with Creamy Vodka Sauce

I don’t think there is any kind of pasta that I don’t like. I like it plain with butter, with some herbs, with marinara, with… well you get the idea. There is something about creamy vodka sauce that is addictive to me.

I mean, I lick the spoon while I am making it, I scoop out what’s left in the pan with my fingers, I run a piece of bread over any remaining molecules of sauce to get every last bit. Continue reading →

Alfredo Chicken Lasagna

Lasagna happens to be one of my favorite dishes. It is hard to resist those steamy, gooey layers of tender pasta, tangy-sweet-tomato-y sauce, and rich, mild cheese. When made with fresh pasta (which I showed you how to make yesterday) it is out of this world.

When we had goats I made my own ricotta and once in awhile even the mozzarella – but that was a few years ago. The point is that the more fresh ingredients you toss in there the better it is going to be. Fresh basil, fresh pasta, a good quality ricotta cheese… well that is the foundation for a perfect dinner. Continue reading →

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Filed under Casseroles, Main Dish, Pasta

Tagged as alfredo sauce from scratch, alfredo sauce lasagna, authentic alfredo sauce, chicken alfredo lasagna, chicken lasagna, chicken lasagna alfredo sauce, cream, cream cheese, easy chicken alfredo lasagna recipe, garlic, homemade alfredo sauce, homemade lasagna, lasagne, mozzarella, mushrooms, onions, parmesan, recipes, ricotta, the best chicken alfredo recipe, thick lasagna recipe, white lasagna

October 13, 2011

Southwestern Chile Corn Chowder

Once, when I was writing a cookbook for a publisher (who later cancelled the contract prior to publishing), an editor remarked with disdain that my food was Southwestern in its flavors and ingredients even when I was making something that was traditionally from another region.

Well DUH. It’s what I do. I love the flavors of the Southwest. I love the techniques and sauces of France, the freshness of Italian food but my heart belongs to Texas flavors and ingredients. That’s why in MY kitchen you will find a touch of chipotle in my chocolate mousse, pesto made with cilantro and pecans, and a variety of other fusions that often offend the prestigious palates of would be publishers. Continue reading →

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Filed under Main Dish, Soup

Tagged as bacon, butter, chilies, corn, corn chowder recipes, corn soup, cream, cumin, easy corn chowder, easy recipes, garlic, history of chowder, milk, onion, potatoes, quick meals, recipes, soup recipes, southwestern corn chowder

March 14, 2009

Roasted Hubbard Squash & Apple Soup with Cinnamon Chipotle Swirl

Last week we had summer. This week we are back to chilly winter. Who knows what next week will bring?

Did you see this month’s Bon Appetit? The entire thing is devoted to comfort foods. You have to admit, when you are cold and hungry, comfort foods seem to reach right in and fix you up.

And what is more comforting that soup? Nothing except maybe chocolate.

This soup is every bit as good as it looks. Hubbard squash, granny smith apple, Texas sweet onions, and garlic cloves are roasted to bring out the flavors. Cream is stirred in to give it a creamy texture that melts in your mouth. Once the soup is finished a swirl of chipotle and cinnamon puree is added. The flavors are complex, bouncing between spicy, sweet, smoky and tart; all wrapped up in silky smooth, soothing soup bowl.

You can certainly cut down the richness of this soup by using milk, skim milk, or chicken broth. Just be sure to get enough liquid in it to keep it from being a puree but not so much that it is thin.

I recommend the Texas Sweet Onions for this. They have a milder flavor that becomes very complex during roasting.

My menu was:

Roast Hubbard Squash and Apple Soup
Artisan Raisin-Pecan Bread with organic butter
Salad of Baby Herbs with homemade balsamic vinaigrette
Red Grapes

It went together well, and the flavors complimented each other. The addition of bleu cheese to the salad would have been amazing, but my family does not like bleu cheese.

Roasted Hubbard Squash and Apple Soup with Cinnamon Chipotle Swirl

2 small hubbard squash, peeled and cut in 1 inch chunks
2 large Texas Sweet onions, peeled and cut in 1 inch chunks
2 Granny Smith apples (or other tart style apple), cut in chunks but not peeled
1 head of garlic, peeled
Olive oil
2 cup cream
3 cups half and half
1/4 cup unsalted butter
salt to taste
Agave to taste

Drizzle vegetables with olive oil and toss lightly to coat. Bake at 450 until cooked and slightly caramelized. Stir often.
Puree with a little of the half and half in a blender until smooth. Depending on the size and strength of your blender you may need to do it in batches.
Add the puree back into the pan and whisk in the heavy cream and the rest of the half and half. Add butter.
Warm slowly. The soup should be thick and silky, about the texture of heavy cream.
Check the seasoning and add salt and Agave as needed.

Chipotle Cinnamon Swirl

Take about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the soup and add 1/2 tsp. chipotle granules, or to taste.
Stir in 1 tablespoon of Vietnamese Cinnamon.
Stir in 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
Heat until the chipotle softens, but do not boil. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Puree until smooth. Thin with some of the cream if necessary.

Ladle the hot soup into bowls and drizzle the chipotle cinnamon swirl over the top, use a knife to swirl it into the soup. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil or cream randomly over the top and serve hot.

Serves 6

Images: c) marye audet 2009