POTATO GRATIN WITH MUSTARD

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
6 Yukon gold potatoes (about 2 pounds), sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 garlic clove, cut in half
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 Dijon mustard
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated on the large holes of a box grater
2 teaspoons yellow or brown mustard seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Coat a shallow, baking dish (about 12 by 7 inches) with butter
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the sliced potatoes, garlic, and milk and set over high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and let simmer until the potatoes just begin to get tender. About 8 minutes.
3. Drain the potatoes, reserving 1 cup of the cooking milk. Combine the milk with the heavy cream and whisk with the mustard. Season well with salt and pepper.
4. Layer the potatoes in the baking dish sprinkling the flour and scattering the cheese between the layers. Pour the cream, mustard, and milk mixture over the top of the potatoes.
5. Scatter the the remaining cheese over the top of the potato mixture and sprinkle with the mustard seeds. Bake until the potatoes are completely soft and the cream has thickened and just started to bubble, about 25 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and transfer the gratin to the rack and broil until the top is golden brown, about 3 minutes.

This recipe was adapted once again from Martha Stewart Living 2002 Annual Recipes. Yet another stellar recipe from "The Stewart." Like I have said so many times before, she can do no wrong. Who would have ever came up with a potato gratin recipe with Dijon mustard? I would have never thought of something like that in all my life!!! So I guess you can tell from my opening lines that this dish was delicious. Again the Dijon mustard was something that was an unexpected change that I just loved. But with me anything that is different I might think is the "bee's knees." But, you be the judge and tell me what you think. Till we meet again. HAPPY COOKING!!!

Macaroni Quattro

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
1 medium onion, diced
½ cup all-purpose flour
5 ½ cups milk
2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for cooking water
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 ½ cups (about 4 ½ ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 ½ cups (about 6 ounces) grated Gruyere cheese
1 ½ cups (about 6 ounces) fontina cheese
1 ½ cups (about 6 ounces) Gorgonzola cheese, broken into small pieces
1 pound ziti or mostaccioli pasta
8 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Butter a 3 quart casserole dish; set aside. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until soften but not browned, about 5 minutes. While the butter is bubbling, add the flour. Cook, stirring constantly with a wire whisk to coat the onions, for 1 minute. While whisking, slowly pour in the milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and become thick. Remove the pan from the heat; stir in the salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and all the cheese. Set the cheese sauce aside.

2. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Salt the water, add the pasta, and cook 2 to 3 minutes less than the manufacturer’s instructions, until the outside of the pasta is cooked and the inside underdone. Transfer the pasta to a colander, and rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking; drain well. Stir the pasta into the reserved cheese sauce.



3. Shred about 3 slices of the prosciutto to yield ¼ cup; set aside. Place half of the remaining prosciutto in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Layer with half of the pasta mixture. Place the remaining prosciutto in a layer over the pasta, and top with the remaining pasta mixture. Sprinkle the shredded prosciutto on top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer the dish to a wire rack, and cool 5 minutes before serving.


This recipe was also adapted from Martha Stewart Living 2002 Annual Recipes. This was yet another stand out recipe that I will have to remember if I wanna impress someone. I was a little nervous about the amount of different cheeses that I really haven’t used before. I had tried all of them before but I was unsure how all of them mixed together would taste. But, I should never doubt what “The Stewart” has handed down to me from her ivory tower that is Turkey Hill. So if you are in the mood for some good ole mac and cheese but don’t wanna have the usual mixture of cheddar cheese and Velveeta (that my step mom used to make, you all know what I am talking about so get you noses out of the air), give this a try. Good luck till next time