Accidental Hedonist

This recipe was inspired by a dessert that Tara and I shared at Osteria La Spiga. It would not surprise me if their recipe was inspired by Thomas Keller’s recipe that was going around the internet a few months back.

My major change to the recipe was to infuse a bit of strawberry into the simple syrup, and add about a half dozen sliced strawberries to the mascarpone itself. The result? A sorbet that reminds me of strawberry cheesecake. How can you go wrong with that?

• 12 oz cold water
• 9 oz bakers sugar
• 12 strawberries
• 16 oz Mascarpone
• 2 Tablespoons orange juice

Place the water in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in sugar. Float in 5-6 whole strawberries. Bring water to a boil, stirring to ensure that the sugar has melted into the water. Allow the syrup to reduce by about 1/4 to a third of its initial measurement. The Strawberries should have left the syrup with a bit of color. Take syrup off heat and allow to cool in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Slice the remaining strawberries. In a mixing bowl, combine the mascarpone with the strawberries . Remove the syrup from the refrigerator, discarding the whole strawberries. Whisk into mascarpone, being careful not to smash the sliced strawberries. Add the orange juice and mix in as well. Pour into an ice cream maker and follow it’s instructions (for me, by about minute 45 the sorbet had fully solidified). Place in a freezer safe bowl with lid, and store for about 2-3 hours before scooping and serving.

Serves 4-6

This Italian dish is translated to roughly “Naked Ravioli with Mascarpone”, meaning it’s Ravioli without the pasta. Hence, meat only with cheese sauce. Oi, and what a cheese sauce.

This is the kind of dish that you’re embarrassed to tell your doctor that you’ve eaten. Let’s see.. we have pork, butter, heavy cream and mascarpone. There’s not a damn thing light about this dish. And this is the way we like it.

• 4 oz Prosciutto
• 4 oz Pancetta, in one piece
• 3/4 lb. Ground Italian sausage
• 4 tbl Unsalted butter, room temp
• 4 Extra-large eggs
• 3/4 cup Bread crumbs, unseasoned
• 5 tbl Parmesan cheese, grated
• Salt & black pepper to taste
• 2 qt Chicken broth
• 8 tbl Unsalted butter
• 1/2 lb Mascarpone
• 1/2 cup Heavy cream
• 1 pch Freshly grated nutmeg
• Parmesan cheese, grated
• Italian parsley, chopped

The size of the pancetta or prosciutto doesn’t matter, as you’re going to grind it up in your food processor.

Then, in a glass bowl, mix the ground pancetta and prosciutto with the ground Italian sausage Add the eggs and butter, mixing well enough so that you cannot see any butter. Pour in the bread crumbs and 5 Tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese and thoroughly incorporate. Salt and pepper to taste and cover with Saran wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 60 minutes.

After the hour, bring the chicken broth to a rolling boil in a large soup or stock pot. While waiting for the broth to boil, feel free to roll the ground pork into balls about the size of a SuperBall (about the diameter of an American Silver Dollar).

Place a large skillet on a second burner and place over medium low heat. Place all 8 Tablespoons of butter in skillet and allow to melt.

Once the broth starts to boil, place a few meatballs into broth and cook. When the meatballs float uninterrupted, spoon them out and place in the skillet with the melted butter. Repeat this process until all the meatballs have been cooked.

Add the mascarpone and heavy cream to the skillet. Mix very well and simmer for 1 or 2 minutes, until the mascarpone is completely dissolved. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix well, then transfer to a warmed serving platter. Serve immediately, topped with Parmesan Cheese and Parsley.

Serves 8