The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.
I kinda broke the rules on this one. We were supposed to make handmade spinach lasagna noodles and pair it with a white (béchamel) sauce and optionally a ragu sauce. I've considered posting "dinner foods" on here before, but since I haven't yet, this wasn't going to be the first time. I did handmake my noodles, and I did use a white sauce. But they were chocolate noodles and the sauce was just mascarpone cheese. Unfortunately, the least tastey part of my lasagna was the pasta. It smelled and tasted chocolate-y right up until I boiled it, but once boiled it lost all flavor and just tasted like regular old pasta. I've had chocolate pasta before (from the Pike Place market, one of the best places on earth!), and it too only tasted like regular pasta after being boiled. So I wasn't really dissapointed, and I planned ahead knowing I'd need to compensate. Thus the feuillete layer (really just chocolate covered rice crispies, but why not use a French word!).
Well, at least I can cross "homemade pasta" off my list. Definately not doing it again, at least without a machine. All that rolling left my hands bruised and my arms sore!
Layers:
Chocolate Pasta (replace 1/4 c flour with 1/4 c cocoa powder, and 1 T cinnamon, use 2 more eggs, and oh, yeah, don't put in spinach!)
Feuillete (cover rice crispies in melted chocolate and press thin between two sheets parchment paper)
Sliced strawberries
Mascarpone cheese
10 comments:
It looks delicious!
I've also experienced that 'washed out' feeling with chocolate pasta in the past. I think I'd be tempted to brush a little melted chocolate over it after cooking to bring the flavour back as I just can't see how to stop the flavour escaping.
Great take on the challenge!
Wonderful! Great adaptation!
What have you done?! You've combined chocolate and carbs! No one is safe!
Seriously though, it looks and sounds delicious. I'll have to try it (though I agree about getting a pasta machine!)
Chocolate noodles? Wow! They look great! And I think it tastes fantastic. Congrats!
I'm with you on the chocolate pasta! May as well not waste cocoa and just add brown food coloring..LOL Regardless, your dessert lasagnes came out beautiful! Very creative!
Oh, a dessert lasagne! Yummy yummy... beautiful chocolate and strawberries. Who can resist that?! Great job!
That is so cool! It looks pretty tasty anyway, even if the pasta didnt work like you had hoped. I have never tried marscapone cheese, but they use it all the time on Iron Chef America!
Sorry to hear about the chocolate pasta I thought about making it also. But the DBers forum is about trying new things and YOU did that.
You are sooo creative - I love it! Did it taste as good as it looks?!
wow these pictures look great!
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