I know, it is an odd combination, yet somehow all three of those ingredients came together recently.
The boys were both diagnosed with dairy allergies a few years back, and after Jacob also turned up allergic to soy, I figured our days of eating yogurt were limited (which was a shame since that was where so many of our “extras”;ground almonds, flax seeds, probiotics, etc. were eaten).
Then coconut yogurt was introduced. Oh the joys and heartache of coconut yogurt. A joy because we finally had yogurt back in our lives, a heartache because of the staggering $2 for a 4 oz container.
After a lot of research, I finally have found a recipe that makes sense, is economical, and that we enjoy for making coconut yogurt at home. And last night I was gifted with the special “this is the best yogurt I ever tasted mama!” from my Elwood. It takes a full 29 hours to ferment, and a crazy precision to make sure that it turns out the way that it should (coconut milk does not contain the sugars of regular milk that are needed to ferment properly), but it is worth it in the end. As fast as the boys put this batch away, I am going to be keeping a very continuous cycle of yogurt going on the counter top in the years ahead.
Although we ate dessert before dinner, it was still a worthy meal to share.
A few years back, my girlfriend Missy held a potluck in which her brother Travis cooked the most delicious lentil pasta I have ever tasted, and I made sure to snag the name of the recipe book it came from. Of course it was only a short while later that we found out that Jacob had celiac, and those recipes were put away for a later time.
With the amazing advances in gluten free pasta making, I am feeling more comfortable trying out the recipes that we once loved. At the farmers market this past weekend, I stumbled upon a gluten free pasta maker who had fresh papperdelle on her table. I swear I carried that small bag home like it was precious diamonds or rare rubies.
I chose papperdelle because there had always been a recipe in On Top of Spaghetti that I had been dying to try. Caviar, poached eggs, butter and Parmesan cheese. So simple, and yet so decadent.We had a jar of caviar that had come in last year’s holiday basket from my husband’s work, and this seemed like the perfect place to use it)
Pappardelle with Poached Eggs and Caviar
(from the book On Top of Spaghetti)
8 oz of pappardelle pasta
8 large eggs
4 Tbsp unsalted butter (I only had salted, so that is what we used)
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesean cheese
1 heaping Tbsp of caviar (using cheap caviar is more than fine. I am pretty sure that what we had was about $8 from Safeway, and it still tasted perfect)
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Fill a large straight sided saute pan with water and and bring to a gentle simmer for poaching the eggs.
Add a generous amount of salt to the pasta pot and drop in the Pappardelle. Cook, stirring often to prevent the pasta from sticking.
At the same time, crack the eggs one by one into a saucer, gently letting each one slie into the simmering water in the saute pan before adding another. Poach the eggs until the whites have solidified but the yolks are still soft and runny. With a slotted spoon, remove the cooked eggs to a warmed plate.
When the pasta is al dente, drain it in a colander reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Return the pasta to the empty pan and toss with 2 tbsp. cooking water, the butter an grated cheese. The butter and cooking water will create an emulsion the consistency of heavy cream. Toss to coat every ribbon of pasta. It is seems too ry, add a few more tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Divide in individual bowls, and top with eggs and a heaping tablespoon of caviar and serve immediately.
I made only one addition to this meal, I plated the pasta on top of Parmesan roasted asparagus. A small bit of extra taste, and not necessary if you choose to leave it out, but we enjoyed the extra flavor and touch of crunch.
I have gone from not wanting to even be near my kitchen over the past few months, to not being able to stay out of it. I found myself yesterday standing in the book store with a copy of Home Cheese Making, a book I have coveted since I read Meryl’s post on making Lebneh. I do believe that will be the next culinary challenge I attempt. I have this vision of a group of girlfriends standing in my kitchen, eating home made bread, jamming the last of the summer fruit, and getting the cheese board out for making mozzarella, gouda and cheddar.
One can dream, right?
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