Here is the final appetizer that I’ll be making this Friday on the “Oscars” edition on Valley Dish. Hope you’ll tune in at 3:30 on channel 12.

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On Sunday I taught a demonstration cooking class as part of a bridal shower. It was a lovely afternoon with 21 delightful ladies and a beautiful bride-to-be. This was our main course. P.S. Thanks to my own lovely daughter, Marissa, for assisting me! xoxo

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When you make mozzarella cheese, you end up with a lot of whey; the nutritious and sweet-smelling liquid left over from curdled milk when the curds are removed. Whey contains water-soluble vitamins, minerals, and proteins in the milk. There are many things you can do with this leftover whey. You can feed it to your pets, it’s good for them and they love it! You can water your plants with it. And you can make more cheese with it – ricotta cheese!

Ricotta is Italian for “twice-cooked.”  It is a soft, smooth, fresh, unripened Italian cheese usually made from the whey of cow’s or sheep’s milk.  It can be used in a variety of sweet and savory dishes including lasagna, ravioli, cannoli, etc. Or you can just stir in some fresh herbs and freshly ground black pepper and use it as a cracker spread.

Ricotta is made by using heat to separate the remaining albumin protein from the whey left over from making mozzarella. Ricotta is not a high-yield cheese, but it’s deliciously worth the minimal time and effort.

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Here are the instructions to make fresh mozzarella in your own kitchen using fresh curds.  It may help to watch the Valley Dish segment, before doing it yourself.  HERE IS THAT LINK. Have fun!

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On yesterday’s Channel 12 Valley Dish, the “homemade mozzarella” segment that Tram and I filmed a few weeks ago, aired. You can watch the segment at THIS LINK.

You’ll notice that we begin with fresh curds and you may recall that I acquired those curds from a local chef friend. You can order fresh curds at THIS LINK … or bet yet, you can make your own fresh curds and whey by beginning with just plain old whole milk.  That is what today’s recipe will teach you to do.

One important note about the milk; Read the label carefully and make sure that the milk is NOT labeled “ultra-pasteurized”.  Ultra-pasteurized milk has been heated to a high temperature that kills the bacteria and cultures needed to make cheese. Raw milk or pasteurized milk is what you want to find. I think the best two options are to use either Straus Family Creamery milk, which can be found locally at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and AJ’s. Go to THIS LINK to find a store near you that carries this wonderful product. The second option is to go to a local dairy farm and purchase milk directly from the source.

We made fresh mozzarella and fresh ricotta cheese several summers ago at LPG and I’m thinking it’s time to do it again this year, so I’ll be adding that to my summer schedule, which will be emailed/mailed out on March 1, 2011.

Speaking of cooking classes, I also teach adult classes at Barbara Fenzl’s Les Gourmettes Cooking School in Phoenix. There are still a few spaces available for my series of three classes, which are held on Wednesday evenings; March 2, March 9, and March 16 from 6:30 – 9:30 PM.  If you are interested in signing up or learning more about the menus and price, please either email me at lpgourmett@aol.com or leave me a comment here and I will email you the schedule/registration.

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I failed to mention while posting the asparagus soup a couple of days ago, that the main reason Sharon asked for the recipe was that asparagus is a smoking deal at Bashas’ grocery stores this week. Gorgeous pencil-thin bunches for .99 a pound! You only have today and tomorrow to run out and pick it up before the sale ends… hurry – grab your keys and leave now – get it before it’s gone! And in case you are like me, and can’t let a good deal pass you by and you pick up a couple more pounds than needed for the soup… here’s another healthy recipe using asparagus.

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A gâteau (pronounced ga-toe) is a French cake, often specifically a sponge cake.  1. a rich or fancy cake. 2. food baked or served in the form of a cake.

After my Wednesday appearance on Valley Dish, I had a stack of about 30 herb crêpes left over. Crêpes freeze very well, so a dozen were wrapped, labeled, and frozen for future use. Fortunately, I had seen this, just the Sunday before, on my favorite daily shopping website; One Kings Lane:

Spinach Gruyere Crepe Gâteau

This savory cake is a work of genius. It is 6 inches in diameter and features a seemingly endless stack of delicate crepes, each layered with classic flavors – aged Gruyere cheese, tender onion, and spinach. This is rich, soul-satisfying fare, with an absolutely stunning presentation. $65 Retail; One Kings Lane price $45

That inspired me to make my own version with the addition of luscious duxelles. (Duxelles is a finely chopped mixture of mushrooms, shallots, and garlic sautéed in butter and reduced to a thick mixture with cream. Often used as a stuffing; notably, beef Wellington, or as a garnish.)

An alternative smoked salmon gâteau (much quicker and easier) is at the bottom of the post. Either version makes a perfect light dinner, lunch, or brunch dish.

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So, you know how I’m smack-dab in the center of celebrating my self-proclaimed holiday, citruspalooza? Well, the Chicago Tribune has completely ripped off my idea and ran a whole article about citrus on the cover of their food section today! What the heck is up with that!? Granted, their story is all about weird and exotic citrus, some of which I’ve never heard of before. Buddha’s Hand, Finger Limes, Cara Cara Oranges, and more. You can check out portions of the article at THIS LINK.

And speaking of Chicago, I want to share one of the many fabulous salad recipes from my BFF, Jen, who lives in Illinois. The girl is a wiz at cranking out quick, easy, and delicious salads in a snap. This is one of my favorites she has made for our family. Jen uses a bottled dressing she can find locally that is put out by Maggiano’s Little Italy Restaurant. We do have a Maggiano’s Restaurant on the corner of Scottsdale Road and 71st Street, but I am not certain if they sell the bottled dressing in the restaurant or not, or even if you can find it locally at your grocery store. So just in case, I’ve included a homemade version at the bottom of the recipe.

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Friday, January 7, 2011

7:30 AM – Awake, shower, dress, eat breakfast and put up a blog post for the day.

9:40 AM – Open email and find this gem:

Happy New Year Linda!
Been following your blog and your bumper crop of citrus. I bought an ACME years ago when our landscape included many prolific citrus trees. It juices at lightning speed! Would you like to borrow mine? Let me know and I’ll drop it by ; )
Jeanie

9:43 AM – Immediately Reply:

Oh, Jeanie, you are a lifesaver! YES, a thousand times, YES! Thank you so much, I was actually thinking of putting out a neighborhood search for a juicer I could borrow. I’ll have to show you the one I have, you will die laughing when you see it! Thank you! xoxo
Linda

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Sometimes the best recipe is no recipe at all. Our tradition on New Year’s Eve is to stay home, watch movies, and cook something fancy together. Sometimes the kids are involved in this, sometimes not.  This year, it was just Dave and me. We made an elegant lobster pasta dish and this antipasto platter. Honestly, I enjoyed the platter more than the pasta.  Don’t get me wrong, the pasta was delicious and decadent, but the platter was more fun and much less work. I marinated sliced bell peppers and radish halves in olive oil seasoned with salt and pepper and served it along with the usual assorted meats, olives, cheeses, and crackers. One of our favorite go-to dishes is the marinated blue cheese mushrooms. This time, I added substituted feta for the blue and added cherry tomatoes, still outstanding!

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