Three-Cheese Mac with Crispy Prosciutto

This recipe comes from the cookbook "One Pan, Two Plates", which has some absolutely amazing-looking recipes.  However, from the moment I received it I simply couldn't believe the dishes inside were truthfully 2 servings.  As soon as I started this one, I had a sinking feeling about how many days this was going to have to be eaten (2 Cups of elbow mac is way more than 2 servings, according to the box of pasta it's just over 4 servings).  But I had purchased all the ingredients, looked forward to it for ages, and can't review a book without cooking from it, so I went ahead.  This is ridiculously oversized.  The only way this serves two is if one of them is a horse. 

• salt
• 2 C elbow macaroni
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 6 thin slices prosciutto, cut crosswise into strips
• 1/2 C panko bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 C warm milk
• 1/3 C crumbled goat cheese
• 1/3 C grated Parmesan
• 1/3 C shredded Gruyere
• pinch grated nutmeg
• freshly ground pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Position rack in center.
2.  Fill 12-inch ovenproof skillet with water up to about 1 inch from the top.  Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add 2 tsp salt and toss in macaroni.  Stir once or twice to keep pasta from sticking.
3.  Reduce heat to medium-high.  Cook at gentle boil until almost cooked through, chewy but not tough (about 2 minutes less time than the package calls for).  Drain and run cold water over pasta to stop cooking and avoid clumping.
4.  Add 2 Tbsp butter to pan and melt over medium-high heat.  Add prosciutto and toss in pan until crispy, about 2 minutes.  Transfer prosciutto to plate.  Put panko in a small bowl, pour hot butter from pan over panko and toss to coat.
5.  Return pan to medium-high heat and add remaining 2 Tbsp butter.  When butter is melted, sprinkle in flour and 1/4 tsp salt.  Cook, stirring, until flour becomes foamy, about 1 minute.  Whisk in warm milk, and stir until mixture is thickened, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and all all three cheeses, nutmeg, and pepper, stirring until cheeses are melted.  Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.  Stir in macaroni and prosciutto until pasta is coated and prosciutto is evenly distributed.  Smooth top and sprinkle panko over top.
6.  Transfer to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until juices are bubbly and top is lightly browned. 

Robyn's notes: so many problems with this.  I don't give a lot of 1-star ratings, so clearly I had some issues.  We'll start with the two things that were entirely my own fault: a 12-inch cast-iron skillet full of food or water is beyond my ability to easily lift.  I'm disabled, and I get that this is not a problem for many cooks, but trying to move a heavy skillet full of boiling water from the stove to the sink so I can drain it was dangerous.  Secondly, my oven is not full-size.  It's not tiny, but it is slightly smaller than a normal oven, which means I don't have a burner large enough to accommodate a 12-inch skillet.  Ok, those are the only things that were my own issues.  I was very careful about the heat level, especially since my burner is small, but when I added the first butter in step 4, it smoked up fast and sudden and started to burn immediately.  I did the best I could with it, but that meant the prosciutto was given a slight burnt taste, as was the panko.  The sauce looked luscious and thick and creamy and cheesy when I stirred in the mac and prosciutto, but when the pan came out of the oven there was no sauce left.  The noodles were just dry, and basically have no flavour.  Any bite without a bit of prosciutto in it is bland bland bland.  Since this is, as I said above, way more than two servings, and the cheeses and prosciutto were not cheap, I will be eating this terribly bland meal at least once a day for the next couple days.  I am not happy.  

* 1 Star: Not Too Good. Neither of us liked this enough for me to bother making it again without complete overhaul

 

Raspberry Gratin

Sometimes when the original recipe is bad, there's nothing you can do to fix it. 

• 1 C milk
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 C raspberries
• 2 Tbsp flaked almonds

1.  In a small saucepan over low heat, combine milk and split vanilla bean.  Stir until warmed through, then remove from heat and allow to infuse.
2.  Mix sugar and yolks until the mixture turns white.  Remove the vanilla bean from milk and set it aside.  Stir sugar mixture into milk and heat on low, stirring constantly, until cream thickens.
3.  Heat broiler.  Spoon raspberries into cocottes or individual casserole dishes, top with cream mixture, and sprinkle with almonds.  Cook 3-4 minutes, or until almonds are golden.

Robyn's notes: I really hoped I could fix the recipe I found, because a raspberry gratin sounded so great.  The original recipe was missing instructions, was formatted poorly, and had things in the wrong order.  Here's an example:  "Divide the into the mini casserole dishes, squeezing and sprinkle the lot with flaked almonds."  HUH?!  Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any fixing this one, and if I want a raspberry gratin I'll have to write it from scratch.  Also, clearly I don't put any effort into food styling when the dish doesn't come out well, haha!

* 1 Star: Not Too Good. Neither of us liked this enough for me to bother making it again without complete overhaul

 

Tarragon Crusted Chicken with Garden Salad

• 1/4 C dry bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh tarragon
• 1 tsp grated lemon peel
• 1/4 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1. In a shallow bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, combine lemon juice and oil. Dip the chicken in lemon juice mixture, then crumb mixture.
2. In a small skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chicken over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

Fresh Garden Salad

• 1/2 small zucchini, sliced
• 1/2 small summer squash, sliced
• 1/2 sweet red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 thin slice sweet onion, quartered
• 1/4 cup poppy seed salad dressing

1. In a small bowl, combine the zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper and onion. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.

Robyn's notes: salad was fine, but the chicken just wasn't good. Very little flavor and I had to burn them to get them to cook through, even though I used thin sliced chicken breasts. He was not impressed.

* 1 Star: Not Too Good. Neither of us liked this enough for me to bother making it again without complete overhaul

Southwest Turkey Casserole

• 2/3 C condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1/4 C sour cream
• 1/4 C chopped onion
• 1/4 C canned chopped green chilies
• 3 corn tortillas (6 inches) cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 C cubed cooked turkey
• 1/4 C shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a small saucepan, combine the first six ingredients. Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
2. Pour half of the turkey mixture into a 3-cup baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Top with remaining turkey mixture and cheese.
3. Bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.


Robyn's notes: I used flour tortillas, because I can't have the corn. This was not exciting, mostly just tasted like the chilies.
* 1 Star: Not Too Good. Neither of us liked this enough for me to bother making it again without complete overhaul