Gorgonzola And Walnut Fougasse Food

WALNUT FOUGASSE OR FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In the bowl of a standing mixer, or in a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water. Add the walnut oil, whole wheat flour, 200 grams of the all-purpose or bread flour and salt and mix together briefly using the paddle attachment. Change to the dough hook and beat for 8 to 10 minutes at medium speed, adding the remaining flour as necessary. The dough should eventually form a ball around the dough hook and slap against the sides of the bowl as the mixer turns but it will be sticky. Remove from the bowl, flour your hands and knead for a minute on a lightly floured surface, and shape into a ball.
• If kneading the dough by hand, dissolve the yeast in the water with the sugar as directed. Stir in the walnut oil, whole wheat flour, salt, and all-purpose flour by the half-cup, until the dough can be scraped out onto a floured work surface. Knead, adding flour as necessary, for 10 minutes, until the dough is elastic. Shape into a ball.
• Clean and dry your bowl and oil lightly with olive oil. Place the dough in it, rounded side down first, then rounded side up. Cover tightly with plastic and let rise in a warm spot for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or in the refrigerator for 4 to 8 hours, until doubled.
• Punch down the dough. A handful at a time, knead the walnuts into the dough, until they are evenly distributed. Divide the dough into two equal pieces for smaller breads, or make one large focaccia or fougasse (see instructions below). Cover with lightly oiled plastic and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, preferably with a baking stone in it. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and oil the parchment. Roll or press out each piece of dough into an oval or rectangle measuring about 9 by 7 inches. To do this efficiently, roll the dough, stop and wait 5 minutes for the gluten to relax, then roll again, and repeat until the dough reaches the right size. For fougasse, using a paring knife, make an incision down the center of the oval or rectangle, starting about 2 inches in from the top and ending 2 inches from the bottom. Make 3 diagonal slashes out from the center of the bread towards the edge, leaving about an inch of dough on either side of the center incision. The incisions should resemble the veins of a leaf. Leave a 2-inch border at the edge of the dough. Transfer the loaves to the baking sheets. Gently pull the bread apart at the slashes. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and a towel, and let rest for 30 minutes. For focaccia, roll or press out the dough and transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes. Just before baking, use your fingertips to dimple the dough all over, and if desired drizzle on a tablespoon of olive oil.
• One at a time, bake the breads on top of the baking stone for 20 to 25 minutes, until deep golden brown. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving, or allow to cool completely.

GORGONZOLA WALNUT PASTA

Steps:

• Prepare all the ingredients.
• Cook the pasta al dente (it should have a bite to it), in a small amount of well-salted water. Drain the pasta about 30 seconds before the end of the cooking time, reserve about 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. While the pasta cooks, make the sauce.
• Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan, add the walnuts, lemon zest, pepper, and garlic, cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, until the walnuts are slightly browned and fragrant.
• Add the wine, cook, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes, until almost evaporated.
• Add the cream, turn the heat to the minimum and add gorgonzola, stir until cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth, take the pan off the heat.
• Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce and add about 2-4 Tbsp of the pasta cooking water (add more if the sauce is too thick).
• Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like lots of pepper).
• Serve immediately (the sauce thickens quickly), sprinkle fresh basil leaves, grated parmesan and chopped walnuts on top (you can toast the walnut on a dry pan for extra flavor).
• Enjoy!

GORGONZOLA PASTA WITH SPINACH AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a large skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the walnuts to a cutting board (reserve the skillet) and let cool slightly, then very finely chop.
• In the last 2 minutes of cooking the pasta, add the butter to the skillet and melt over medium heat. Add the spinach, cover and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cooked pasta, gorgonzola, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water to the skillet. Toss until the cheese is melted and the pasta is evenly coated in the sauce. Add more pasta water as needed; season with salt.
• Divide the pasta among shallow bowls and top with the walnuts. Drizzle any remaining sauce in the skillet on top.

GORGONZOLA AND WALNUT FOUGASSE

Steps:

• Place a baking stone in the middle of the oven and preheat to 470 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured work surface, cut the dough into 4 equal pieces with a bench scraper.
• Using your fingertips, flatten the dough pieces. Transfer 1 of the pieces to the back of a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and lightly dusted with cornmeal. Cover generously with walnuts and Gorgonzola and top with another piece of dough. Press down on the edges to seal. Using a small palette knife, cut 8 evenly spaced holes in the dough. Stretch the dough to enlarge the holes. Lightly brush the fougasse with olive oil and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Place the loaf in a warm place and let rise for 30 minutes. Repeat to make 1 more loaf.
• Working with 1 loaf a time, slide the fougasse, still on the parchment paper, onto the baking stone. Bake until crispy and brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the fougasse to a rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining loaf.
• Pate Fermentee just means "old dough". "Old dough?", you say. Well, this old dough is basically a starter that is made the day before, and cuts down on the time you eventually spend in the kitchen. Nothing wrong with that. It also makes the bread last longer, gives it a slightly acidic and subtly complex flavor, and helps the inside of the bread form tiny irregular holes that are a sign of great artisanal bread (called "crumb" in baker-speak).
• If you can, try weighing out the ingredients, instead of using measuring cups and spoons-it's much more accurate.
• Use this dough to make Scali, an Italian sesame seed-crusted bread, or Gorgonzola and Walnut Fougasse-or both.
• 1 recipe refrigerated Pate Fermentee (1 3/4 pounds), recipe follows
• 1 1/2 cups minus 1 tablespoon 80 degree F. water (.71 pound)
• 3 1/2 cups unbleached, unbromated all-purpose flour (1 pound)
• 1 teaspoon minus 1/16 teaspoon instant dry yeast (2.8 grams)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt (9 grams)
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the pate fermentee and water and, using your hands, break up the dough into the water.
• In another bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the pate fermentee mixture and mix by hand until firm and cohesive, about 3 minutes. Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until very elastic and smooth, about 10 to 15 minutes. Take the dough's temperature. It should be at 78 degrees F. Transfer the dough to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap (the plastic should not touch the dough). Place the bowl in a warm place (about 75 to 78 degrees F.) and let rise for a total of 1 hour and 45 minutes. After the first 45 minutes, fold the dough and turn it over in the bowl. (It will somewhat deflate the dough, but it is gentler than what's commonly referred to as "punching down.")
• Let the dough rise, undisturbed, for 1 hour more. (The dough will rise considerably at this point.)
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Press the dough gently into a rectangle, to degas it.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast. Add the water and, using your hands, mix until incorporated, about 3 minutes. (Alternatively, mix in a mixer on the lowest setting possible.) Cover bowl with plastic wrap and put in a warm place (about 75 degrees F.). Let the dough ferment for 1 hour. Take the dough's temperature. It should be at 75 degrees F.
• Refrigerate the dough at least 10 hours and up to 36 hours. When ready, it will be roughly doubled in size and have a fine network of filaments and holes. Make this recipe the night before you mix the dough.

GORGONZOLA AND PEAR AGNOLOTTI WITH SAGE & WALNUT BROWN BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Add the flour and eggs to the bowl of a food processor. Blend for 30 seconds until the mixture is sandy but holds together when pressed between your fingers. Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface. It will be crumbly, but once you start kneading, it will all come together. Gather the dough and begin to knead with the heel of your hand until it's supple and shiny, 1 to 2 minutes. If the dough feels too dry and not springy enough, add a touch of water and continue to knead until it reaches the right consistency. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Add the pink peppercorns to a small saute pan over medium heat. Toast the peppercorns until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer into a spice grinder and blend. Set aside.
• Heat a large, high-sided saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the pear and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer the sauteed pear to a small sheet tray to cool.
• Add the garlic and stick of butter into the same pan and gently melt over medium heat. Add the walnuts and sage. Cook the butter, swirling occasionally, until the milk solids have separated, and the butter is nutty and browned, but not burned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the apple cider vinegar, then remove the garlic and discard.
• Stir together the mascarpone and Gorgonzola dolce in a large bowl, beating well with a rubber spatula until fully combined. Add the cooled sauteed pears and 1/4 teaspoon of the toasted pink peppercorns and gently stir to combine. Season to taste with salt. Set up a pastry bag with a large round tip. Fill the bag with the mascarpone and Gorgonzola filling, then set aside.
• To roll out the pasta, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time (keeping the others covered with plastic wrap so they don't dry out), flatten the dough with your palm. Feed the dough through your pasta roller on the widest setting. Fold the dough on either end to create an envelope, then feed through the pasta roller a second time. Fold the dough into an envelope again, decrease the pasta roller setting to make it thinner and run the dough through again. Repeat this process of folding and running through the pasta roller two times before decreasing the thickness of the roller, finishing with the thinnest setting.
• Lay the sheets of pasta on a parchment paper-lined sheet tray and cover with a damp towel while you repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
• To fill and shape the agnolotti, lay a pasta sheet on a floured board with one of the long edges closest to you. Brush the edge closest to you with water. Pipe a line of filling down the center of the dough. Fold over the top portion of the dough to meet the edge that's been brushed with water. Pinch the dough on either side of each mound of filling to seal the dough and to ensure there are no air pockets. Using a fluted pasta wheel, trim the edge of the dough where it's folded to create a clean edge. Pinch the line of filling into 1-inch mounds. Cut between each mound of filling and pinch the sides. Transfer the agnolotti to a sheet tray dusted with flour and repeat with the remaining dough sheets and filling.
• Set up a large pot of boiling water and season generously with kosher salt. Add the agnolotti and cook for 2 to 3 minutes; they will cook quickly.
• Transfer the agnolotti directly into the brown butter sage sauce and toss gently to ensure they're fully covered. To serve, plate and garnish with more ground pink peppercorns, Parmigiano-Reggiano and pecorino.

ROSEMARY FOUGASSE

Steps:

• Mix the dough according to the instructions given in the recipe.
• After the dough has taken its first rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (or overnight) it can be shaped into a fougasse. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and pat it into a long narrow rectangle. Sprinkle a layer of chopped rosemary over the surface of the dough being careful to cover the edges too. Fold the dough in thirds like a business letter, the top third over the middle of the dough, then the bottom third over that, completely overlapping the two. Press the 3 open sides of the fougasse tightly shut. Cover the bread well with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours.
• Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Place a baking stone in the oven to preheat and position an oven rack just below the stone.
• Sprinkle a peel or upsidedown baking sheet generously with cornmeal and place the fougasse on top, stretching it slightly to make it into a square. Cut a decorative pattern, such as a leaf or a ladder, into the dough with a dough cutter. Spread and stretch the loaf until the cuts form large openings.
• Be sure the fougasse is loosened from the peel, then carefully slide it onto the baking stone. Using a plant sprayer, quickly mist the bread with water 8 to 10 times, then quickly shut oven door. Mist again after 1 minute. Then mist again 1 minute later.
• Bake for about 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 450 degrees and bake 15 minutes longer or until the loaf sounds slightly hollow when tapped on the bottom and the crust is a medium to dark brown. (If the crust is not brown enough, the bread will soften as it cools.) Transfer the bread to a rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

GORGONZOLA PASTA WITH WALNUTS

Steps:

• Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook onion in oil over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat., Drain spaghetti; add to the skillet. Stir in the cheese, vinegar and salt. Sprinkle with walnuts.

RISOTTO WITH GORGONZOLA AND TOASTED WALNUTS

Steps:

• Bring broth to a simmer in sauce pan.
• Heat butter in large heavy skillet over low heat.
• Add onions and saute until tender.
• Add rice and saute for 1 minute.
• Add white wine and stir until absorbed.
• Begin to add broth 1 cup at a time stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
• Wait until each broth addition is absorbed before adding the next.
• When all the broth has been added and absorbed, add the cheeses and the walnuts and stir gently until cheese starts to melt.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve immediately.

GORGONZOLA AND TOASTED WALNUT SPREAD

Steps:

• Reserve 1 tablespoon of the Gorgonzola and 1 tablespoon of the walnuts for garnish.
• In food processor, place the rest of the ingredients except the parsley.
• Cover and process just until blended.
• *If you don't have a food processor, you can mix with an electric mixer on medium speed in a glass bowl.
• Stir remaining walnuts into cheese mixture.
• Spoon into shallow serving bowl.
• Sprinkle with reserved Gorgonzola, walnuts, and the parsley.

GORGONZOLA AND TOASTED WALNUT SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine lettuce with cheese and walnuts.
• Combine and whisk together dressing ingredients.
• Toss salad with enough dressing to coat but avoid over-dressing.
• Serve.