Tomato Soup

My deep dish pizza recipe already cribbed from Cook’s Illustrated, so why stop on Tuesday. This is their version of a creamy–creamless–tomato soup, and boy did they nail it. It’s a smooth, thick soup that puts the tomato flavor front and center. The thickness comes not from cream, but from torn pieces of bread that disintegrate into the soup and are then further blended into it. Not entirely unheard of, but still clever. All this makes for a delicious, but still low-fat and low-calorie soup.

A quick note though, this may be a tomato soup, but this is not vegetarian. Cook’s Illustrated uses chicken stock create a richness and depth to the soup. Vegetable stock would work to make this vegetarian and vegan friendly. The only thing that would be missing is the gelatin normally found in small amounts in real chicken stock. Go nuts though, there probably isn’t much gelatin in the store bought stuff anyway—just another good reason to make your own.

Tomato Soup

Creamy –creamless– Tomato Soup
From Cook’s Illustrated. [http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=16872]
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
3 med garlic cloves, minced
Pinch hot red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 (28-oz) cans crushed tomatoes (muir glen organic with basil is my favorite)
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 large slices sandwich bread (get something good, tear off the crusts)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I don’t need to say it again, but homemade is best)
2 tbsps brandy (I don’t know why Cook’s Illustrated says it’s optional, it’s excellent)

Instructions
1. In a large pot over high heat, put in 2 tbsps olive oil. Add the onion and red pepper flakes, cook for 3 to 5 mins, stirring often, until the onion starts to get translucent. Add the garlic and bay leaf, cook for a minute more.
2. Add the tomatoes and their juice and mix well. Bring to a simmer. Tear the bread into chunks and stir it, and the sugar into the soup. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until bread starts to disintegrate, about 5 mins. Remove bay leaf.
3. Blend in batches with 1 tbsp oil and process until soup is smooth. Return the soup to the pot, stir in the chicken broth and the brandy. Taste, add salt if needed.
4. Serve with cracked black pepper.

Driven both by laziness and opportunity, I stripped the ingredients to the bare minimum. All that is really needed is butternut squash. Everything else is basically optional.

Butternut Squash Soup with Chorizo

Well, almost optional. The inclusion of the chorizo adds a wonderful spicy meatiness that I wouldn’t give up. The wealth of ingredients that make up the chorizo (at least, compared to the soup) provide a great contrast and the strong, meaty flavor compliments the soup nicely.

If you are curious about winter squashes, you can head to my post about types of squash and proper preparation and storage. The more you know!

The recipe also calls for cream, but this can be reduced or eliminated. I’ve had this soup both with and without this addition. The cream contributes a luxurious smooth finish and gives it a richer flavor. Even without the cream, the butternut squash soup is still thick and rich but it feels like a much more elegant meal with it added. Either way you chose, I feel like I have to say again not to skip out on the chorizo.

Ingredients
2 small-to-medium butternut squashes
4 to 5 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock, or water)
3/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
Chorizo (enough to give 3-6 slices per person)
pepper, salt
olive oil

Directions
1. Peel and cut the squash into about 1-inch chunks. Add these to a large pot and fill with just enough of stock or water to cover the squash (add about a tsp of salt if using water instead of stock). Heat on medium high until it starts to boil, then reduce to a simmer for 12-15 minutes. Check for doneness by pressing a chuck of squash against the side or bottom of the pan. If it doesn’t resist much before smushing, it’s ready.
2. All the soup to cook slightly and then blend until smooth.
3. If using cream, stir it in now. Return the soup to the heat to keep warm. Once the cream is added, do not allow it to boil.
4. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and cook the chorizo for 1-3 minutes. There may be a lot of oil that renders from the chorizo, this can be poured out. Once cooked, blot the sausage with paper towel to remove excess grease.
5. Serve the soup in bowl with a few rounds of sausage placed onto the top of the soup. If desired, crack some black pepper over the top and trace a line of olive oil.

Make ahead tip: Prepare the soup up to the end of step 2. The soup can be refrigerated or frozen until needed. Reheat over med-low heat on the stove and continue with the remainder of the instructions.

Every year as the weather started getting colder, my mother would start boiling away vegetables in a large pot to make this soup. As I started to develop an interest in cooking, I tried to pay attention to what she was putting into the pot but I could never figure it out. Just when I thought I understood, I realized that the recipe was different than the previous ones! She seemed to say something about potatoes, leeks, and “n’importe quel légume frais”. This always baffled me. Not because I didn’t understand French (I did, she was saying “any fresh vegetables”), but because it seemed impossible to consistently make the same soup over again.

A potage soup.

Of course, her reply was that you wouldn’t want to make the same soup! I insisted that you could make a good recipe and remake it for yourself or guests if needed. “Oh, mais c’est toujours bon,” she would say, proclaiming it is always good.

If it was so seemingly straightforward, what was there to worry about? Honestly, I was afraid that I would end up with baby food. Isn’t that what you think of when you think of blended, boiled carrots? It seems that the French don’t automatically think that. Instead, they think that it would probably taste good in a soup. You know what? They are right. Again.

When I got over my fear of accidentally making baby food, I finally gave it a try. I forced my mother to give me some guide lines. There was a lot of “I don’t knows” and “Just try its” but after a lot of cursing and yelling in French, I was able to find some consistencies. My biggest tip is using leeks and potatoes. Root vegetables usually work spectacularly, but broccoli, cauliflower, and even spinach work well too. Myself, I am fond of adding lots of carrots.

Don’t let this limit you though, make any additions you want or increase any of the quantities. Change it up, try other combinations. Look at what is on sale in the store and try those. This can be a deliciously cheap soup.

Ingredients
Makes enough for six good servings. For extra richness, cream or creme fraiche can be added either at the table or in the last 30 seconds of heating (don’t boil it after the cream is added).
3 large carrots
3-4 leeks
3 big potatoes
1 onion
2 turnips
water
salt, pepper to taste

Directions
1. Wash and peel all the vegetables and cut into approx. 1 inch chunks.
2. Put them in a large pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. I season very lightly. Fill the pot with just enough water to come to the top of the vegetables. Heat on medium high and bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cover. Cook for 30-45 minutes, until the vegetables are all soft and tender.
4. Blend in batches using a stand blender to directly in the pot with a stick blender.

This isn’t health food. It’s good food. Crispy, cheesy, and a little spicy (a little cayenne is always welcome) this is almost better than the original dish. After having this, I’m now pretty tempted to take my next batch of Mac and Cheese directly from the oven to the fridge to be able to fry the whole batch after it cools.

Fried Mac and Cheese. It's not healthy, it's good.

Granted, the still-hot-from-the-oven mac and cheese is fantastic and deserves to be eaten as is, but if you do have leftovers this is the best thing you can do to it. Oh, before you try this, know that it seems to work better with the baked versions. Stove top styles tend to have a more runny, loose cheese that can get a bit messy in the oil. You can make it work, but it is much easier if you stick to baked macaroni and cheese which tends to set stiffer when chilled.

I just wish I had some Popsicle sticks available… How awesome would it be to serve fried mac & cheese on a stick! Oh, well, maybe next time…

Fried Mac & Cheese
Scale the ingredients as needed. I like a little heat, so I always add in some cayenne pepper.
Ingredients
leftover mac and cheese, cut into slices or squares
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 egg
1 cup panko bread crumbs
oil for deep frying

Directions
1. Combine the flour, salt, pepper and cayenne in a shallow bowl. Beat the egg in another small bowl. Put the bread crumbs in a third bowl.
2. Press each piece of mac & cheese into the flour and shake off any excess. Then dip into the egg wash. Then coat with bread crumbs. Let the coated mac & cheese set for about 5 minutes on a wire rack.
3. Fry each piece in 350F-375F oil (no more than a couple at a time) until golden brown.

Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding

I know that in America turkey is traditional. Most people cannot imagine a Thanksgiving without turkey, I mean, it IS Thanksgiving after all. But that would be most people. So, if you think that roast beef and Yorkshire pudding sounds more appropriate in the house of a Brit, well, you would be right.

When I mentioned to my parents that I wanted to have this instead of turkey, my mom told me that it would be up to my dad and I to make it. She said that she would handle the dessert. You see, she’s French. She doesn’t have anything against a good roast beef and Yorkshire pudding but she knows that my dad, who coincidentally enough comes from Yorkshire, would get the job done right. Needless to say, my dad was quite pleased with this arrangement.

Thanksgiving dinner, British-style.

So it came to be that the full brunt of the responsibility of the roast and the puddings were on my father and I’s shoulders. I had never made a Yorkshire pudding and knew that to live up to my dad’s expectations, we needed a good recipe and technique. He had very fond memories of his mother’s puddings, and that would be a hard thing to beat. As I said, he is from Yorkshire, so I was counting on him.

If we were to do this, we would do it right. Traditionally the Yorkshire pudding is served on it’s own before the meal, almost as a sort of appetizer. The pudding would typically be quite large and have an equally copious amount of gravy poured over it. The diameter of the Yorkshire puddings my father so fondly remembered was quite large, nearly seven inches across. That’s quite a difference compared to the small, muffin sized ones more often seen today. Now, there is nothing wrong with the smaller size, but we were trying to recreate the Yorkshire pud’ of his mother so small ones were out of the question.

Yorkshire Pudding... like grandma.

So, once the roast was cooked, the fat (or “beef drippings” as they are affectionately called) was collected and poured it into 8-inch tins. Batter was ladled into the heated tins and we quickly placed them in the oven. My father supervised the oven to make sure that under no circumstances was anyone to open the oven door until they were done. We closed the door and waited. Suddenly, we saw the batter rise up the sides of the dish.

That brings me to another point. Though they may not generally be considered the best cooks, the British can be fairly passionate about certain foods. Last year the BBC reported that a scientific study was undertaken to determine the height of a perfect Yorkshire pud. The Royal Society of Chemists released a statement proclaiming that they have to be at least 4in tall. With that in mind, we nervously watched the dough creep up the sides of the pan, then rise up and out of the dish. We made it! 4 inches all around! Success!

Roast beef in all its glory.

The best way to remove the puds from the pans is simply to pick them up by one of the edges that has risen out and place it on the individual (preheated) plates. Pour the hot gravy over it and tuck in!

Roast Beef
serves 5 or 6
2.5 lbs 3.5 lbs rib of beef (still on the bone)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 – 2 Tbsp olive oil

Yorkshire Pudding
Makes three 8-inch puddings or 12 muffin-tin sized ones.
1/2 lb all purpose flour
1/3 tsp salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
10 oz whole milk
around 4 tbsp beef dripping (or vegetable oil), for lining the pan

Gravy
few thyme sprigs
4 cloves garlic
2 red onions, cut into eighths
4 tomatoes, halved
1/2 bottle of red wine (about 1 1/2 cups)
5 cups beef stock (low sodium is preferred)

Make the Yorkshire pudding batter earlier in the day (or at least 4 hours before eating). Remove the remove the meat from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature a few hours before cooking.

Directions for the Yorkshire pudding batter.
Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. In another bowl beat the eggs, then add half the milk and beat until smooth. Beat in the rest of the milk and leave the batter to rest.

Directions for the Roast.
1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Season the beef with salt. Place a large stainless steel, heavy bottom saucepan over med-high heat, and add the oil. Sear the roast on all sides, about 2 minutes on each side.
3. Put the roast onto a small roasting pan and place in the oven. Cook for about 15 minutes per pound for rare, 20 minutes per pound for medium.
4. Add about a half cup of the beef stock to the still hot saucepan over medium heat and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to get the browned bits (aka the fond). Once it simmers, remove from heat and set aside for the moment, this will be used for the gravy.
5. Once the beef is cooked, transfer to a plate to allow the juices to settle. Tent loosely with foil. Pour the juices from the roasting pan into a gravy boat to separating the fat from the juices (or use a jar and spoon the fat off the surface). You may need to allow the fat to settle and rise to the top. Set the fat aside (for the puddings) and add the juices to the pan with the one cup of stock.

Slicing the roast beef.

Directions for the gravy.
1. Transfer the collected juices from the pan into a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the thyme, garlic, onions, and tomatoes adding a bit of the stock if needed. Cook for about five minutes.
2. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Add all the stock and boil for about 20 minutes or until reduced by half.
3. Use a stick blender to blend all the ingredients to create a thick, rich stock. For a thinner consistency, pour the gravy through a sieve, pressing the vegetables to extract any juices.
4. Bring back to the boil and reduce to a gravy consistency. Check the seasoning.

Directions for Yorkshire puddings.
1. Increase the oven to 450F.
2. Put about a teaspoon of the beef fat into 3 8-inch round pan. Oil can be used instead, but fat is best. Or use a 12-hole Yorkshire pudding tray (or muffin tray). Place the pans into the top shelf of the oven. Make sure there will be enough clearance for the rise once the batter is added, at least 4-5 inches from the rack to the top of the oven. Meanwhile, give the batter a whisk.
3. Once the oil is very hot (almost smoking) open the oven and pour about a cup into each of the three 8-inch pans (or fill the cups in the tray to about 3/4 full). The batter should sizzle as it enters the tins. Work quickly to avoid losing heat and close the oven door. Do not open it until they have risen. Opening too early may cause the puddings to collapse.
4. Baking time is about 15-20 minutes. Though the best way to tell is by looking through your oven window. The Yorkshire puddings will have stopped rising and appear golden brown and crispy.

Because I thought it was ridiculous to only cook turkey once a year, I made a turkey a couple weeks ago.  I followed my previous method, and with an overnight brine the turkey was amazing.  And instead of taking the turkey carcass and throwing it in the trash, I dumped it in my stock pot.  Three hours later and I had delicious tasting turkey stock!  The next day I added a couple ingredients and voilà, a soup that was not only delicious, but it helped me turn some of my leftovers into a delicious hot dish.  So hopefully you will see this in time and save your leftover turkey.  With a little bit of effort you can get some extra mileage out of your bird.

Ingredients:
1 Turkey Carcass with some meat still on it (from a 12-14 pound turkey)
2 Cups Leftover Turkey Meat
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Medium Onions, Sliced
2 Large Carrots, Sliced (About 1 Cup)
2 Celery Ribs, Sliced (About 1 1/2 Cups)
1/2 Cup Dried Noodles (Or more if you like)
2 Tablespoons Chopped Parsley

Directions:
1. Break up the carcass, taking the wings off, and then ripping the ribs off of the backbone.  Put the wings, skin, and body into a stock pot.  Add cold water to cover everything by 3 inches.
2. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer uncovered for 3-4 hours, skimming off any froth as you go.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely uncovered (Do not cover until cooled because it can make the stock taste sour).  And then refrigerate overnight (at least 8 hours).
4. Take the pot from the fridge and pull off any fat from the top (it will be hard).  Then heat the pot for about 15 minutes until hot, and then dump through a colander sitting in a pot.  Save the stock and discard the used up solids.  Season the stock with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Heat the olive oil in a 3-4 quart stock pot over medium high heat and add the carrots, onions, and celery.  Cook for about 15 minutes and then add the stock and simmer for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
6. Add the noodles and simmer until the noodles are soft, about 15 minutes.  Add the turkey and heat through.
7. Divvy the soup into bowls and add the parsley for garnish.  Enjoy!

I love the idea of a cool, tart cranberry compote (or sauce) to go along with the turkey but I find many versions too sweet or too odd (I’ve seen one with marshmallows!). I feel that a good, tart sauce should cut through the heavier flavors that are piled on the plate. Traditional cranberry sauces just don’t do it.

As I looked around for recipes, a friend finally found this one from Bon Appetite. This implementation veered from the standard by adding pears, cardamom and five-spice. I instantly liked where the authors were trying to take this. This would allow it to be a tarter, more bitter, and unusually spiced, almost closer in spirit to an Indian chutney than to the sticky, sweet sauce usually found on most American’s Thanksgiving dining tables. I knew that not everyone would like the changes, but I didn’t care (arn’t I just the rebel~). This was my small protest hidden among the contrite condensed soup casseroles.

I eventually made a few changes from the Bon Appétit version to increase the tartness and boost the flavors.

No matter how hard I tried, I could not get this to look good on camera. It just looked like a red, slightly chunky mess, which I suppose is accurate, but doesn’t look appetizing when shot and put on a webpage alone. So no pictures. You’ll have to take my word that this was really good. Different. But good.

Spiced Cranberry Compote, with Pears
Altered slightly from Bon Appétit, Nov 1998
Ingredients
2 cups frozen cranberry juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup sugar
4-5 cups chopped, peeled Bartlett pears (1/3-inch pieces)
1 12-ounce package cranberries
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

Directions
1. In a large sauce pan, combine cranberry juice concentrate and sugar. Bring to a boil while stirring over medium-high heat until dissolved.
2. Add the pears, cranberries, cardamom, and five-spice. Reduce heat to a simmer and stirr occasionally until reduced slightly and cranberries burst (about 10 minutes).
3. Allow to cool, then refrigerate until read to serve.

Oh, this is awesome over vanilla ice cream as well.

Roast Butternut Squash.

Ingredients
1 winter squash (acorn, butternut, spaghetti, etc.)
salt, pepper
olive oil
any herbs and spices or garlic (some suggestions below)

Directions
1. Cut the squash vertically in half so you have two hemispheres. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds in the center. I make 2 or 3 cuts along the flesh of the squash and slide in some thinly sliced garlic (optional).
2. Season with some salt, pepper, and any other herbs you like (thyme, sage, and rosemary are good). Drizzle on some olive oil, then place face down on a baking sheet.
3. Bake in a 375F oven for 30-45 minutes (depending on the size of the squash). Check after 30 minutes. If a fork easily slides though the thickest part of the flesh, then it is done.

That’s it. You now have roast squash.

You can turn the squashes right-side up and roast 5-10 more minutes to brown the flesh a bit. This will make for a richer flavor, but I don’t always do it.

Scoop the flesh out and use in any recipe that calls for the squash. Or, if you are lazy (and I sometimes am), simply get a fork and eat the squash directly out of the cut half. (I even toss in a few nuts sometimes…)

Gratin Dauphinois.... MMmmmm, starchy...

Though nearly every potato gratin dish involves some sprinkling of cheese, it isn’t necessary. In fact, if you want to call the dish “Gratin Dauphinois”, adding anything else is forbidden. The combination of starches in the potatoes and the cream/milk is enough to create a thick, creamy consistency. Don’t get me wrong, adding cheese isn’t a bad thing, Kyle’s dish was fantastic. The addition of cheese allows for different flavor profiles and can compliment the flavors of other additions. But each time someone adds cheese and calls it Gratin Dauphinois, a large tear wells up and rolls down the cheek of a Frenchman living in Dauphiné. Well, maybe not, but if you add cheese, you have lost the right to call it Dauphinois.

All the other flavors in this dish are there to augment the cream and potatoes. A dash of nutmeg brings a mild nutty-earthiness to the dish. Garlic is added too, but only as a hint of flavor by rubbing the baking dish with a garlic clove. If you are wondering about the use of white pepper instead of black pepper, it’s simply to keep the color of the dish consistent. Black pepper is perfectly fine, but would leave black specks throughout the dish.

I like to use mostly all heavy cream when I make this, but some people may find that very rich. You can tame the richness of the dish by using lower fat creams, half and half, or even whole milk. You may have some success with part-skim milk, but I have never used anything less than whole milk. Last night when I made this dish, I intended to use all heavy cream, but I have been stealing some from the container for my coffee so I had to make up the difference with about 1/2 cup of whole milk.

If I have it on hand, I like to use a bit of crème fraîche in the recipe as well. I find the tangy, nuttiness appealing and think it complements the flavor of potatoes nicely. I’m not sure how authentic that addition is, but I like it. I find that I get good results when I replace a bit (1/4 to 1/2 cup) of the 2 cups of cream with crème fraîche, feel free to use more.

Gratin Dauphinois
Use a 2 quart baking dish. Recipe serves about 6.
Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, (any waxy kind will do, I typically use the red ones)
2 cups heavy cream (whole milk or half and half will work too, avoid skim though)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 tsp white pepper (black pepper is fine)
up to 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 clove garlic, cut in two
1/4 cup heavy cream (or even creme fraiche)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Peel and rinse the potatoes. Slice them on the thin setting of your mandoline or food processor (1/8 of an inch, about 3mm). A knife works well too. The goal is consistency in the slicing so use whatever tools you have that can help. NOTE: Do not rinse the potatoes after slicing them! That will remove some of the starch that is needed in this dish.
3. Place a large saucepan over medium heat and combine the potatoes, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer (reduce the heat as necessary) and cook for 8 minutes. Stir the bottom of the pan to prevent the potatoes from sticking to each other or the pan. The milk or cream will thicken slightly during this time.
4. Rub the bottom of a 2 quart baking dish with the garlic clove. Add about half the potato/milk mixture to the baking dish, then about half of the unused heavy cream, then the rest of the potato/milk mixture, then the last of the heavy cream.
5. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the edges are bubbly and the top is browned. Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.
- Leftovers are good cold, but can be reheated in the oven at 400F for 10-15 minutes.

Potato & Mushroom Gratin

Alton Brown’s first show was about steak, so naturally the next episode, “This Spud’s for You”, was about potatoes.  There are so many different options when cooking potatoes.  I have already covered oven fries, and William has already covered chips, microwave chips and fries.  For a slightly different dish I decided to follow AB’s Potato/Portabello Gratin Recipe.

The gratin looked really amazing and fairly easy to make so I thought I would give it a try. It yields a dish that is amazing in flavor and texture.  The cheese on top becomes crispy and delicious and the inner layers melt in your mouth.  The asiago cheese complements the mushrooms and potatoes perfectly.  This dish is amazing as a side for your steak or even served along with some eggs for breakfast (that’s how I dispersed with some of my leftovers).

Closeup of the Gratin

A gratin is basically very thinly sliced potatoes layered with other goodies, usually topped with cream and then baked.  Preparing this will be significantly easier if you have a v-slicer or mandoline (I’ve never met anyone with cutlery skills that can outpace one).  This is the one I have, although you may be able to find a similar one for less money.  You just want to make sure it can cut chips and fries in various sizes (that’s mostly all I use mine for).  I also switched out the mushrooms in the recipe because that’s what I had on hand, but you can follow his recipe if you like.  Other than cutting the potatoes, the assembly takes little time, so this is a great dish to serve with labor intensive entrées (you can cook while it cooks).  I hope that next time you are looking for a starchy side dish, that you will consider giving this recipe a try.

Assembly of Layers

Ingredients:
5-6 Yukon Gold Potatoes, Peeled
6 oz of small mushrooms (white button or I prefer baby portabella), Sliced
1 cup Grated Asiago Cheese
3/4 Cup Half and Half
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400 F.  Slice the potatoes into thin chips about 1/8 inch thick (using a v-slicer if you have one).  If your mushroom aren’t presliced you can quickly slice them using an egg slicer (see photo below).
2. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cheese for the top of the dish.
3. Using a baking dish 13 x9 put one layer of potatoes on the bottom and then add salt and pepper, 2-3 Tablespoons of cheese, and about 8 mushroom slices.  You don’t want to put too many mushrooms in each layer or the layers of the final dish won’t set after cooking.
4. Continue making layers until you’ve use all your potatoes.  Pour about 2/3 of a cup of half and half on top of the layers and push down with both hands.  If you see cream bubble up you don’t need to add any more, if you don’t then pour the rest of the half and half on top.
5. Top with the reserved 1/2 cup of cheese and bake uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour.  Depending on your vessel you may want to check at 45 minutes.  You can test the doneness by sticking a knife through the layers, if it’s done there won’t be any resistance.

V-Slicer Action

Slicing Mushrooms