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Polenta Mascarpone and the New All-Clad with d5 Technology

Karen — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 01:48:42 +0000

When someone at All-Clad tells you that something new and revolutionary is coming, you tend to perk up and listen. I definitely perked. And when someone at All-Clad asks if you would pretty-please mind trying out this new and revolutionary thingy and giving them some feedback on what you think about it, who am I to say no? This would be how the shiny new All Clad 3 quart saucepan with d5 technology found itself a new home on the shelf next to my cast iron skillet.

The Technology:
What is this revolutionary d5 technology that sounds like rocket science, you ask? Here is a nifty diagram:

The d5 is for the 5 bonded layers as opposed to the usual 3. The inside layer is corrosion resistant, non-reactive 18/10 stainless steel. The inner stainless steel core is sandwiched between 2 aluminum layers which are responsible for the even heat distribution and the ability of the pan to quickly attain and maintain its temperature. The outer layer is shiny enough to use to put on your makeup. Oh and it’s magnetized, so you can use it on induction burners. Not that I have an induction burner. In fact I’m not really sure how an induction burner works. But I felt I should mention it, and so I did. As you can see from my pictures, they’ve also redesigned the handles on the pan and the lids, which I really like. The new design makes it easier to use potholders or towels to grab the handles.

And that’s about all any cook who doesn’t have a PhD in Metallurgical Engineering needs to know about that. I’m guessing that what you really want to know is what this all means in kitchen speak.

The Performance:
To put the saucepan through some paces, I decided to make polenta, which can go really, really wrong in the wrong kind of pot. Not that I would know anything about sticking, burning polenta. Nope, not in my kitchen. If you feel inclined to give it a try, you can find my decadently creamy, cheesy polenta recipe at the end of this post.

I really think I could have walked away from the cooking polenta for 30 whole minutes and not have had a single bit of it burnt or stuck to the pan. It would probably be a lumpy mess, but it would be an unstuck lumpy mess. As it was I whisked it only occasionally during the cooking and had no problems. Zero, zip, nada. I did have to lower the heat a bit once the pan got going, or risk a volcanic polenta eruption. This tells me that the heat retention capabilities of this cookware have not been exaggerated, which can mean having to adjust cooking temperatures for your recipes. If you are used to cooking a dish on medium high, you may have to knock that down to medium once the pan heats up.

If you don’t want to get those little scratches like I have on my pan above, just use a silicone whisk instead of a metal one. Me, I’m perfectly content with my scratches; they show that it’s a well used, well loved pan. And they in no way affect the performance.

To sum it up: No hot spots, even cooking, better heat retention, lower cooking temperatures and it’s darn nice to look at too. And did I mention that I have run it through the dishwasher a few dozen times by now, and it’s just as pretty as the day we met?

Miscellaneous (But Still Useful!) Info:
As someone who is working her way through a bad case of tennis elbow - which I got from playing Super Mario Brothers on the Wii, not from playing tennis – I do have to mention that the saucepan is surprisingly heavy. I’m not talking cast iron heavy, but it could probably take out a small mammal if I accidentally dropped it on one. This is, of course, an indicator of a great piece of cookware, but my elbow isn’t quite as convinced.

The Bottom Line:
I find myself using this saucepan for just about everything saucy, soupy and stewy, and it invariably performs without fail. My other saucepans are thinking of leaving me, and frankly, I wouldn’t be at all sad to see them go. I have a stainless fry pan, but I am putting a new d5 pan on my wish list for the very near future.

Where to Buy:
As of December 26, 2009, the new All-Clad line is available exclusively at Williams Sonoma.

Full Exposure Disclosure:
And finally, just so you (and the FTC) know, if I had turned out that I didn’t like the saucepan, I wouldn’t be writing about it. I did get to keep it, but the people at All-Clad would have had to pry it out of my cold, dead hands to get it back anyway.

The Recipe:

Polenta Mascarpone

5 cups water
3 tbsp butter
⅓ cup heavy cream
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup mascarpone cheese
½ cup parmesan, finely grated

Bring water to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Add butter, cream, salt and pepper. Whisk in the cornmeal and continue to whisk until fully incorporated and free of lumps. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in the mascarpone and parmesan. Serve immediately.

Printable Recipe

Try serving this creamy, rich polenta with a big heaping spoonful of my Bollito Di Manzo – Italian Boiled Beef with Tomato, Anchovy and Caper Sauce.

Couscous with Raisins and Toasted Almonds

Karen — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:55:40 +0000

For many Americans, couscous is a bit like the mystery meat at the school cafeteria; everybody’s eaten it, but nobody really knows exactly what it is. It’s pasta, itty bitty teeny weeny pasta. Couscous is made from coarsely ground semolina and wheat flour, and is a dietary staple in North African countries like Morocco, playing the same role as rice in Asian countries.

The real deal couscous is traditionally cooked in a couscoussière, which looks like a large steamer. Veggies and meats go in the bottom pot, and the couscous goes into the perforated basket on top, to be steamed as the main dish cooks under it.

I am not ambitious enough to either own my own couscoussière or to cook the real deal stuff. I buy the instant couscous, the kind that you add to boiling water, wait 5 minutes and voilà, instant gratification. I’m all about instant gratification when I get home from work and have to feed my hungry brood. It’s a nice change from rice or pasta, and there are countless flavoring combinations, both savory and sweet, to keep you from getting bored with it.

Here is a simple recipe that is full of flavor. Serve it with grilled Moroccan Chicken Brochettes that you marinated the night before, and you have dinner on the table before the kids and/or significant others start gnawing on the furniture for sustenance.

Couscous with Raisins and Toasted Almonds

1 cup instant couscous
½ cup golden raisins
2 tbsp unsalted butter
¼ tsp turmeric
1½ cup chicken broth or stock
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
Salt and pepper to taste

Toast the almond slivers in a dry pan over medium high heat until they just turn golden. Soak the raisins in a bowl with enough hot water to cover them. Set aside while you prepare the couscous. In a saucepan, bring the chicken broth and turmeric to a boil. Add the couscous, mix, and remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork, then drain the raisins and fold them in to the couscous along with the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

(Printable Recipe)

Oven Roasted Asparagus

Karen — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:33:55 +0000

Asparagus, harbinger (note to self: run spell-check) of spring, how I love thee. Well actually I only really love thee when thee are cooked right, not when thee are an over-boiled, limp and faded green spear.

There was a bumper crop of asparagus in these parts this year. Plenty of sales at the supermarket, gardeners giving bags of it away left and right. I’m always more than happy to help out and grab what I can carry whenever someone says “free asparagus”. I picked up a bunch of what looks to be the last crop of spring asparagus at the market last week. The spears were a little thin, but I’m not complaining. I just shortened the cooking time.

My absolute all-time favoritest way to cook asparagus is to roast the whole spears in the oven, with some olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and pepper.

Sprinkle some kosher salt on the hot spears straight out of the oven and you get asparagus magic. Tender-crisp, lightly caramelized and salty-sweet, green goodness; this is hands down the tastiest veggie you can put on your plate in the spring. I cut it up into bite sized pieces for the kids who eat it like veggie candy with their fingers.

Oven Roasted Asparagus
Serves 4

1 lb asparagus
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp garlic, crushed and finely minced
¼ tsp freshly grated pepper
Kosher salt for sprinkling.

Pre-heat the oven to 425°F. Clean the asparagus by placing it in a flat container (like a baking dish) filled with cold water and dunking it repeatedly. This is especially important for the home-grown crop, since they may not be cleaned as thoroughly as store bought.
Snap off the bottom ends of the spears. They will naturally break just above the toughest part of the stem.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and pepper. Lay the asparagus out on a baking sheet and pour the olive oil mixture over the spears. Roll the asparagus around in the mixture to coat them. Once coated, space out the spears so that they are not too close together. If they are all bunched up, the asparagus will steam, not roast. Cook in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned in spots. Remove from the oven and sprinkled with kosher salt.

Notes:
~A coarse kosher salt works best for this; not too fine and not too coarse. I use Morton’s. If you have a nice flaky sea salt, you can use that too.
~It’s easy to overcook your asparagus. It should be tender but not mushy, have a bit of a bite to it, but not crunchy. The only reliable way I have found to test for doneness is to grab one out of the oven and eat it.

(Printable Recipe)