Pappardelle With Wild Mushrooms

Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: June 8, 2023

With Thanksgiving over, I’ve switched to Winter Mode.

Winter Mode consists of uplifting meals whose main ingredients might include any or all of the following: pasta and/or noodles, cheese, butter, cream, and excessive liquid. Bacon makes a recurring appearance. As does chocolate. My preferred mode of cooking becomes baking. Or boiling. Boiling noodles, that is.

Of course, because our radiator goes on overdrive each and every night, we’re met with a rather bewildering dinnertime situation. To set the scene: we’re minimally dressed. No socks, no sweaters. We’re wearing t-shirts, shorts even. The window’s open—god, can we get some snow in here or something? (Just kidding, but I can’t wait!) While we eat, pools of sweat build up on our foreheads, right by our hairlines. (Why do I bother washing my hair?) My armpits start feeling damp, I’m blowing like crazy on each bite to cool it down.

It’s contradictory-feeling, the heat, and confuses my body greatly. I’m craving fats and proteins, but responding to the stuff adversely once I get it.

But it’s alright. There’s ice cream in the freezer, the perfect after-dinner aid. Armed with a heaping bowl each, we can dangle our feet on our fire escape and contemplate the following day.

To counter the richness, there are mushrooms.

In my estimation, mushrooms are the perfect stand-in for meat. They’re portly and satisfying, with their own irresistible flavors to boot. Plus, they’re not bad on the eyes. (Can tofu boast such a quality? I think not.)

I like shiitake mushrooms the best, but I like mixing them even more. This wild mushroom pasta serves them up simply, with a liberal sprinkling of parmesan cheese and parsley. I think the trick is to not overdo it on the pappardelle, which has the tendency to dry out the dish. While the original recipe called for an approximate one-to-one ratio of pasta and mushrooms, I would halve the heavy (albeit delicious) pappardelle and even increase the amount of mushrooms just a tad.

That way, you’ll really taste the garlicky mushrooms but get to savor the luscious pappardelle as well.

My body can cope with that.

PAPPARDELLE WITH WILD MUSHROOMS

Adapted from The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver

Serves 2

Ingredients:

12 oz. mixed mushrooms
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Dried red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon
up to 8 oz. pappardelle
1/2 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter
a small handful of grated Parmesan cheese
a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Directions:

Brush off dirt from the mushrooms and slice thinly. In a very hot frying pan, add the olive oil, then the mushrooms. Let them fry fast, tossing once or twice, then add the garlic and red pepper flakes with a pinch of salt (season lightly, Jamie instructs, as a little really brings out the flavor). Continue to fry fast for 4 to 5 minutes, tossing regularly. Then turn the heat off and squeeze in the lemon juice. Toss and season to taste.

Meanwhile cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Add to the mushrooms, with the parmesan, parsley and butter. Toss gently, coating the pasta with the mushrooms and their flavor. Serve, scraping out all of the last bits of mushroom from the pan, and sprinkle with a little extra parsley and Parmesan.

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Meyer Lemon Budino

Baked Dessert

Christiana George

Updated Date:
June 8, 2023

Budino is Italian for pudding, and I’m assuming this recipe is Italian in origin because it comes to us from Craig Stoll, owner of San Francisco’s Delfina. (Oh, SF, any mention of you sends prickles of homesickness down my spine.) What I can tell you is that it’s part souffle, part gooey lemon-y goodness. Especially if it’s countered with a mascarpone whipping cream, which rounds out its fruitiness.

I can also tell you that I love love love Meyer lemons, which I eat, raw, just like oranges, except I cut them in quarters and rip out their flesh with my teeth (kind of like how Chinese people eat oranges—or is this practice more international than I realize?).

I kind of realized along the way (the ‘way’ being the entire circuitous route I’ve taken to learning to bake) that I don’t really care for baked lemon desserts. I’m talking about tarts and pies, and those bar things that people always seem to make a huge fuss over. It’s probably a cultural thing. Chinese people don’t generally cook fruit into desserts, instead, preferring to eat it on its own, so it feels incongruous to pair its freshness and natural-ness with butter, dough, and high temperatures.

But Meyer lemon desserts, they’re in a league of their own. Meyer lemons possess a whole other dimension of floral-ness, a fragrance that reminds me of Asian dessert flavors like green tea and red bean and black sesame. It’s quieter, sweeter, less in-your-face. In fact, I’m rethinking my stance on lemon-y desserts, as long as they’re made with Meyer lemons. I would probably like Meyer-lemon lemon bars, and Meyer-lemon lemon meringue pie, and Meyer-lemon lemon shortbread. I know I like it in this budino.

Hint: it’s wonderful warm and fresh out of the oven, BUT if you give it a chance to sit in the fridge overnight, it is even better the next day. By then, three distinct layers will have formed: the dreamy pudding on the bottom, the feathery sponge cake layer on top, and an incredibly lush cheesecake-like layer in between. It is excellent. Excellent!

MEYER LEMON BUDINO

Adapted from Delfina, courtesy of Bon Appétit
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
3 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp fresh Meyer lemon juice
2 Tbsp finely grated Meyer lemon peel
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the mascarpone whipped cream:

1/2 cup chilled mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup chilled whipping cream
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 4 to 6 ramekins. Combine 1/2 cup sugar, egg yolks, flour, lemon juice, and lemon peel in large bowl; whisk until well blended. Whisk in milk.

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in medium bowl until frothy. Gradually add remaining 2 Tbsp sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Fold beaten egg whites into lemon mixture in 2 additions. Divide mixture among prepared custard cups. Place custard cups in roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of custard cups. Bake puddings until tops are golden and spring back when lightly touched, about 25 to 30 minutes (keep an eye on them—in some ovens, they’ll bake faster). Remove cups from water and let cool. Serve warm or cold with mascarpone whipped cream, recipe below.

For the mascarpone whipped cream:
Combine the mascarpone, whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk until thick soft peaks form. Refrigerate for a few hours.