I have fallen in love with my new pasta roller attachment for my Kitchen-Aid mixer. Due to the large amount of noodles generated every time I make fresh pasta, I had extra chlorophyll dyed pasta dough after the ravioli production. This was turned into thin sheets (#7 cam setting) of lasagna noodles. These noodles were layered in a lightly greased pan in between alternating layers of béchamel, gruyere, Parmigiano-Reggiano, fresh basil, and a mixture of sautéed pork and beef. This was then covered and put in the fridge for supper the following evening, hoping it would hold up well. The next night it was baked at 350 degrees for about thirty five to forty minutes. This was served along side a pomegranate vinaigrette tossed salad and a piece of homemade sour dough bread with Maître d'Hôtel butter. I have never been a fan of lasagna, but this was something else entirely. Looking forward to the next pasta night!
After a recent request, I have decide to post more on this entry for the béchamel mother sauce. After a little research I have discovered that we made Auguste Escoffir's recipe as presented in Saulnier's Répertoire. This is what many chefs would regard as the authoritative recipe: "White roux moistened with milk, salt, onion stuck with clove" (aka onion pique).
Béchamel:
1 gallon whole milk
1 onion
4 large bay leaves
14 cloves, whole
7 1/2 oz butter
7 1/2 oz flour
tt. salt, pepper, nutmeg
Make a roux with the butter and flour. Set aside to cool. Cut the onion in half and remove the skin leaving the root end in tact if possible. Stud each half onion with 7 cloves and make two knife slits. These slits will be used to hold the bay leaves and keep them from floating. Pour the milk into a large sauce pot and add the onion pique's. Bring to a low simmer and hold for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the onion pique's, and add the roux slowly while whisking. Refine the sauce by passing it through a fine mesh filter, or shinwa.
Daughter Sauces:
Cheese Sauce - Add to 1 qt. béchamel, 8 oz cheddar cheese, dash of Worcestershire sauce, and 1 T dry mustard.
Mornay - Add to 1 qt. béchamel, 4 oz Gruyere, 1 oz parm., thin with scalded cream, remove from heat and swirl in 2 oz whole butter.
Nantua - Add to 1 qt. béchamel, 4 oz heavy cream, 6 oz crayfish butter, paprika for color, garnish with diced crayfish meat.
Now I'm going to have to make this. I'm assuming the butter and flour measurements are by mass and not volume. Stupid English standards.
ReplyDeleteI'm just not sure what I can do with a gallon of bechamel. Will it go with chicken wings? I'll be making a whole lot of them this Sunday.
If anyone wants to know how to make real, honest-to-god buffalo wings follow this recipe:
Defrost your wings ahead of time unless you live is some strange part of the country where you can get them fresh by the pound...maybe in the South.
The correct sauce is only two things: Frank's Red Hot and unsalted butter. 1.5 parts Frank's to 1 part butter. Just change the ratio if you want them more or less spicy. If you're like me, even consider adding a more potent pepper sauce to really kick up the heat -- habanero? Put it in a saucepan and keep on low heat for tossing the wings. Nobody likes cold sauce.
Get a decent deep fryer and use pure peanut oil. No substitutes! Heat to 350 degrees. Make sure your wings are free of any excess moisture and fry them about 10-14 minutes per batch depending on how well your fryer recovers temperature. The skin should be crispy with no soggy, fatty areas. Adjust timing if necessary; consumer grade fryers can vary greatly in keeping temperature.
Drain them in a pan lined with paper towels and then toss them with a healthy ladle of sauce in a large bowl.
Serve with celery, blue cheese dressing, and a large quantity of napkins.