Cauliflower & Mushroom Cream Sauce (Cooking Class)

I posted about a gnocchi cooking class that I just attended with my husband and friends. It was hosted by Chef Alex Staab who is a local KC chef specializing in Italian cuisine. If you are interested in taking any classes from him go to Eventbrite and search for cooking classes under his name.

This is one of the sauces that was paired with the gnocchi that we hand-made that evening. This was my favorite of the two sauces first off because I love CREAM. Its not the prettiest addiction, but its real. Plus who doesn't love mushrooms?!? If you aren't a cauliflower fan, this will change your mind. Just trying roasted cauliflower on its own deleted all those horrible memories of steamed versions from my youth...and sad raw versions of cauliflower seen in the standard veggie tray brought to house parties (where we all know the cauliflower is the last sad remaining veggie on the plate). Roasted is the way to go.

The sauce is rich, creamy of course, and very earthy due to the mushrooms, and the cauliflower is a bit sweet and milky which makes every bite just heavenly.

And here's how its done...

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 oz mushrooms (we used Cremini)
• 4 oz cauliflower trimmed into small 1 inch pieces
• 3 sprigs of fresh tyme
• Parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp of butter
• 1 cup of white wine
• Sea salt
• Olive oil
• Truffle oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Toss the cauliflower with 1 tbsp of olive oil and roast in 350 degree oven until charred in spots, not burnt. Pull from oven and set aside. 
2. In a large saute pan over medium heat melt the butter and add the thyme sprigs
3. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Once butter starts to turn slightly brown, add the cauliflower and mushrooms and season w/ salt & pepper again. 
5. Remove thyme sprigs with tongs and throw away.
6. Cook over medium heat with mushrooms and cauliflower for about 3 minutes. Then deglaze the pan with white wine.
• Deglazing is a big fancy word that means "pouring cold liquid into a hot pan to get the bits of burnt food off the bottom of the pan".
7. Once the wine has reduced, and you can't smell the alcohol anymore (about 3-5 minutes) add the cream and cook until it boils. 
8. Drizzle with truffle oil and stir
9. Reduce heat to low and grate in the Parmesean cheese
10. Toss in the pasta and serve hot
11. Drizzle with a bit more truffle oil

Before we get started, taking a wine pic!

Step 1: Roasting cauliflower

Mushrooms & Truffle Oil

Step 2 - melting butter, before thyme was added

Step 7: adding cream to mushroom/cauliflower mix

Step 7: adding cream to mushroom/cauliflower mix

FINAL PRODUCT!

Sage Brown Butter Sauce w/ Walnuts (Cooking Class)

I learned this recipe by attending a gnocchi cooking class hosted by Chef Alex Staab, which is a separate entry on the blog. If you are interested in taking any classes in the KC area, visit Eventbrite and search under his name.

This brown butter sauce is unreal. Breaking down this complicated terminology (insert sarcasm here) a 'brown butter sauce' is where you allow the butter to brown to bring out its nutty rich flavor in a different way than it tastes raw. Sage, walnuts and Parmesan cheese are added to the family to complete this rich and savory sauce. Its so delicate, but delicious and goes perfectly with gnocchi and any other pasta you may want to toss in. I just wanted to keep dipping my spoon in it when we were allowed a taste.

Its a much easier task than it sounds, just be sure you pay close attention to the heat and the sauce so it doesn't burn. If so it will turn quickly to a bitter mess. No fun.

Here we go...

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tbsp of butter
• 20 fresh sage leaves 
• 1 cup of chopped walnuts
• Parmesan cheese
• Pasta water (this is water reserved after pasta has been cooked in it)
• Sea salt
• Ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large saute pan heat the walnuts until you smell the nutty aroma.
2. Add butter to the pan and be sure to keep the butter moving around the pan or it will burn
3. While the butter is melting add 15 of the sage leaves along with a pinch of salt & pepper
4. Once the butter is brown, a light brown color, not dark brown add 4-6oz of pasta water to keep the butter from browning too much
5. Grate the Parmesan cheese into the sauce and taste to see if S or P is needed
6. Add the pasta or gnocchi to the pan and toss to combine
7. Plate the pasta and garnish with more cheese and remaining sage leaves

Step 1: Toasting walnuts in large pan

Separating sage leaves from the stems

Step 2 & 3- Adding butter to pan, then adding sage

Step 4: Butter beginning to brown - next add pasta water

Step 6- Adding gnocchi to pan

Rebecca likes cheese, so she took over the garnishing of the gnocchi

FINAL PRODUCT!