Thursday, August 22, 2013

Maybe a Autumn Day .. but it's on it's way..




   Can you believe it amost Autumn.. The first day is September 22..
It's my most favorite time of year..I love Pumpkins and all the fall 
colors.I love the crisp clean feel in the air.. I'm trying to put a new 
face on today... I'm ready to flip in this silly house.. But i'm not going 
focus on that today either.. I have planned a day in my mind.. Going 
to make Giada's baked Lemon Ziti today

Lemon Ziti

Ingredients
Pasta:

Butter, for greasing the baking dish
Salt
1 pound ziti pasta
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces pancetta, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices, chopped

Sauce:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
Zest of 2 large lemons
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Topping:

2/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

For the pasta: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until brown and crispy, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta and drain on paper towels.

For the sauce: In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Add the lemon zest. Simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the cheese sauce, cooked pancetta, pasta, basil and thyme. Toss until the ingredients are coated. Stir in the lemon juice. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the mozzarella.

For the topping: In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and Parmesan.

Sprinkle the topping over the pasta mixture. Drizzle the top with olive oil and bake until the top is golden brown, 25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and serve.

It kind of feels like a Autumn day here this morning in San Francisco..and I have been wanting to make this 
forever... So this is my goal today and to try 

I'm also going to give this recipe a whirl.. from  (http://oneperfectbite.blogspot.com)   from Mary's blog I had seen it and thought it looked wonderful..

Blueberry Bread Pudding with Spiced Blueberry Sauce 

  Ingredients: Bread Pudding
5 tablespoons butter, divided
1 loaf Italian bread (1 pound)
6 large eggs
5 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups blueberries
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
Spiced Blueberry Sauce
2 cups blueberries, divided
1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
3/4 cups water

Directions for Bread Pudding:
1)  Butter six individual 8-ounce ramekins with 1 tablespoon butter; set aside.
2)  Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice bread into 1/2-inch slides and place on a cookie sheet. Toast 10 minutes, turning bread slices over once. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and place in a large bowl.
3)  Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter and drizzle over cubes, toss until evenly coated, set aside.
4)  Whisk eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. Pour egg mixture over bread cubes and stir until evenly moistened. Stir in blueberries. Spoon mixture into ramekins. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
5)  Place ramekins in a large roasting pan. Add boiling water to halfway up sides of ramekins.
Bake 1 hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. (Cover with foil if browning too quickly during baking.) Cool slightly. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve with warm Spiced Blueberry Sauce, if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

Directions for Spiced Blueberry Sauce:
1)  Purée 1 cup blueberries in a food processor or blender until smooth.
2)  Stir sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and cardamom in a small saucepan until blended. Add blueberry puree and water.Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat stir in remaining blueberries and lemon juice. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Photo by Mary from One Perfect Bite.  So I will be keeping myself busy and who knows what else I will do later on.. Wishing you an enchanting Thursday 

                     with love Janice


1 comment:

  1. Fabulous recipes! Have a wonderful day in the kitchen!

    ReplyDelete