Potato Gratin With Porcini And Soy Recipes

POTATO GRATIN WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS AND MASCARPONE CHEESE

Steps:

• Place porcini and 1 cup boiling water in medium bowl. Place small bowl atop mushrooms to keep submerged. Let soak 20 minutes. Drain and coarsely chop mushrooms.
• Melt butter with oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Whisk 1/4 cup Parmesan and next 4 ingredients in small bowl; season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Mushrooms and cheese mixture can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter wide shallow 2-quart baking dish. Arrange 1/4 of potato slices in bottom of dish. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Scatter 1/4 of mushrooms over. Repeat. Spread half of cheese mixture over, shaking dish to settle. Repeat with remaining potatoes and mushrooms in 2 layers each; spread remaining cheese mixture over. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over. Place gratin dish on rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake gratin until top is brown and sauce is bubbling at edges, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Let gratin rest 15 minutes before serving. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Tent loosely with foil and rewarm in 300°F oven 20 minutes.
• *Available in the produce section of many supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian markets.
• **Italian cream cheese; sold at many supermarkets and at Italian markets.

POTATO AND PORCINI GRATIN

Steps:

• In a bowl soak porcini in warm water 30 minutes, or until softened. Slowly strain soaking liquid through a fine sieve lined with a coffee filter or a double thickness of rinsed and squeezed cheesecloth into a small saucepan, being careful to leave last tablespoon (containing sediment) in bowl. Boil soaking liquid until reduced to about 1/2 cup.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Wash porcini under cold water to remove any grit and pat dry. Chop porcini coarse. Peel potatoes and slice 1/8 inch thick. In a large (4-quart) saucepan cook porcini and garlic in butter over moderate heat, stirring, 2 minutes. Add potatoes, reduced porcini liquid, milk, cream, 4 teaspoons chives, and salt and bring liquid to boil, stirring.
• Transfer mixture to a buttered 2-quart gratin dish and bake 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle gratin with remaining 2 teaspoons chives.

JULIA CHILD'S PROVENçAL POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees and place a rack at the middle level. In a large saucepan, combine onions and 2 tablespoons olive oil and stir to coat over low heat. Sprinkle lightly with salt. At a gentle simmer, cook uncovered until onions are softened and lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often. Do not brown; lower the heat if necessary. When done, fold in tomatoes just until heated through. Set aside.
• In a small food processor or a mortar, add the anchovies - anywhere from 6 to 12 fillets, depending on their size and your taste. Add garlic, herbs and a dozen grinds of pepper. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil (or use the oil from the anchovy can, if you like). Crush or pulse together into a chunky paste, thinning with oil as needed to make a loose, fluid mixture.
• In a medium-size baking dish, spread a quarter of the onion-tomato mixture. On top, arrange half the potato slices, then half the anchovy mixture. Add half the remaining onion-tomato mixture. Build one more layer with remaining potato slices, anchovy mixture and onion-tomato mixture. Sprinkle cheese on top and drizzle with olive oil.
• If the dish is very full, place on a baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake, uncovered, until potatoes are tender and have absorbed all of the juices in the bottom of the dish, 40 to 50 minutes. Test by tasting a bit of potato; it should be soft all the way through, with no raw taste. If the top is browning too fast, cover very loosely with a sheet of foil. If the top is not brown enough when the potatoes are cooked, broil briefly until deliciously glazed.
• Serve gratin hot or warm. Can be cooled and reheated later the same day, but do not refrigerate.

POTATO GRATIN WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS AND MASCARPONE CHEESE

Steps:

• Place porcini mushrooms in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water. Place a small bowl atop the mushrooms so that they stay submerged in the hot water. Soak for 20 minutes, then drain and coarsely chop the mushrooms.
• Place butter and oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. When the butter has melted add the mushrooms and saute just until they begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and remove from heat. NOTE: this step can be done the day ahead. Refrigerate the browned mushrooms until ready to use.
• Whisk 1/4 cup parmesan, the mascarpone, whipping cream, garlic and nutmeg in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. NOTE: this step can be done the day ahead - simply cover the bowl and chill until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F Butter a wide shallow 2-quart baking dish. Arrange 1/4 of the potato slices in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Scatter 1/4 of the mushroom mixture over all. Follow with another layer of 1/4 of the potatoes, and another layer of 1/4 of the mushrooms. Spread half of the cheese mixture over all, shaking the dish if necessary to allow the layers to settle.
• Cover the cheese layer with a layer of potatoes, a layer of mushrooms, another layer of potatoes and the last of the mushrooms. Finally spread all of the remaining cheese mixture over the top. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of parmesan over all.
• Place the gratin dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the top is brown and the sauce is bubbling at the edges, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before serving. NOTE: this dish can be made 2 hours ahead of time. Let stand at room temperature. Tent loosely with foil and rewarm at 300 F for 20 minutes.