Friday, November 30, 2012

Field to Feast Cookbook - Baked Penne with Four Cheeses

 Last week, a few of my blogging friends had a Moveable Blogger Feast that featured the cookbook "Field to Feast:  Recipes Celebrating Florida Farmers, Chefs, and Artisans".  We each took a day and a meal course and cooked some food for you!  Except I wasn't ready to be done with my cooking from this gorgeous book.  So I am back with another recipe that you HAVE TO TRY.

This latest recipe features Dakin Dairy Farms in Myakka City, Florida (near Tampa).  This farm is owned by a multigenerational farming family that is committed to environmentally sustainable practices and state-of-the-art production.  They now even offer tours (road trip!).   

This spin on macaroni and cheese can be made with any combination of cheeses, but the authors love the following selection for the Gruyere's nuttiness, the piquancy of the Gorgonzola, and the saltiness of the pecorino Romano and Parmesan.

Baked Penne with Four Cheeses

2/3 pound penne pasta
1 cup milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp unsalted butter
2 tsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp course salt
Pinch grated nutmeg
1 cup freshly shredded Gruyere cheese
3/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1.  Heat oven to 475 degrees.  Butter 9x13 inch baking pan, set aside.

2.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 8 minutes, or until al dente.  Drain and return to pot.

3.  While pasta is cooking, slowly heat milk and cream in a medium saucepan to just below a simmer.  Do not boil.

4.  In another saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat.  Add flour and whisk over low heat 2 minutes.  Slowly whisk in hot milk mixture and continue stirring until mixture thickens and comes to a simmer.  Whisk in salt, nutmeg, Gruyere, Gorgonzola, pecorino Romano, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/2 tsp pepper.

5.  Add cheese sauce to drained pasta, mixing thoroughly.  Cover pot and let stand 3 minutes.  Stir pasta and cheese, then spread into prepared baking dish.

6.  Combine remaining pepper, breadcrumbs, and remaining Parmesan; sprinkle mixture over top of pasta.  Bake 7 to 10 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.  Serve hot.

This stuff was AMAZING.  Now I will admit that when it came out of the oven, the dish was decimated in about 5 minutes by my family and I didn't get a picture of the finished product.  I scoured the Internet to find a picture that resembled what I had before the hungry dogs dug in, and this is what it looked like.  Soul food, I tell you!

  





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16 comments:

rhapsodyinbooks said...

Pasta? Cheese? Pizza with a fork? Yes! What's not to like?!!!

bermudaonion said...

That sounds wonderful! Do you think we can swing by the farm on our way to Sharon Springs?

JoAnn said...

Yum... feel like I've gained a pound or two just looking at the picture!

Alyce said...

Sounds delicious! I love gruyere, but would probably substitute a different cheese for the gorgonzola.

Julie P. said...

Yum! Yum! If I ate that, I'd have to run a lot more than eight miles! LOL!

caite said...

Cheese!! Cheese!! I love Cheese...
Add pasta = heaven.

Linda said...

Yum! This sounds amazing!!

Heidenkind said...

Yum, I love mac & cheese.

Anonymous said...

That's just cruel!!! Mac 'n cheese is my favorite, but I always feel SO guilty when I eat it.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh YUM! You are right, I do have to try this one. That entire cookbook is just phenomenal.

Beth F said...

YUM!!!!!!!! That's all I have to say.

(Diane) bookchickdi said...

That penne would be great for a cold winter's day; I'm pinning it right now.

Gnoe (@graasland) said...

Looking good! Making me hungry... ;)

Janel Gradowski said...

Gorgonzola with pasta - one of my favorite things. I would definitely use that.

Sue Jackson said...

Sadly, I am intolerant to dairy, so this particular recipe is out for me, but it looks so good!!!! I really miss cheese.

I am interested in the book, though, because 5 months of the year, we get weekly veggies from a local CSA, so I am always looking for ideas on how to use them.

Sue

Book By Book

Heather said...

even though I am lactose intolerant, i still find it hard to resist homemade mac and cheese. The pain is usually worth it.