Blecs are handrolled pasta made from a mixture of wheat and buckwheat flours, that have a dumpling-like texture when cooked. Buckwheat flour is naturally gluten-free, resulting in a delicate pasta dough that stretches a little more than standard egg pasta when rolling. For a less intense buckwheat flavor, choose light buckwheat flour.
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This creamy polenta with three-cheese fonduta, also called Toc’ in braide, is a luxuriously rich mixture of thick, sweet polenta, and three cheeses: whole-milk ricotta, crumbly Gorgonzola, and nutty Parmigiano-Reggiano. Thyme-infused brown butter adds a woodsy, nutty bite to this indulgent side.
This simple cake relies on a well-aerated batter for its light texture; cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy before adding the flour for best results.
Weaving the pasta sheets in this lasagna allows the outer pieces to bubble and crisp in the oven around the creamy, rustic prosciutto-ricotta filling. Don’t skip the fresh pasta sheets; their length and texture are key to weaving together this show-stopping dish.To ensure that the pasta dough yields two long, even sheets, this recipe makes a bit of extra dough to allow for generous trimming. Reroll the scraps and cut into enough fresh noodles for a light meal for two. The lasagna needs to set up in the refrigerator for at least six hours and up to a day; the assembled lasagna may be frozen and thawed in the fridge before slicing and roasting. The spinach may be blanched in the pasta water and the spinach sauce may be made up to a day ahead. Once the lasagna has chilled, it takes mere minutes to heat and serve this stunning, cover-worthy recipe, making it ideal for a dinner party. For a version without prosciutto, see Note.
Chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson pairs a subtly tangy berry granita with honey-sweetened pesto in this refreshing summer dessert. Choose the sweetest, juiciest berries for the most flavorful granita.
2005 F&W Best New Chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson adds a generous amount of crisp green and wax beans to this light summer pasta for crunch and body, so the dish uses fewer noodles. Slideshow: More Spaghetti Recipes
Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson molds traditional Italian frico (cheese crisps) into cups, then fills the salty, crunchy bowls with creamy, warm polenta and nutty brown butter. The frico cups soften as the polenta sits in them, so serve right away, with a fork and knife. Slideshow: Cheese Recipes
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Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson uses Montasio, a mild Italian cow-milk cheese, for this smart, simple, rustic salad. Slideshow: Italian Salads
Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson created this ultra-rich hot chocolate topped with coconut cream for his partner Bobby Stuckey's wife, Danette, who has a sweet tooth. "At Frasca, we make a lot of desserts with chocolate or coconut, so we just kept going and came up with this drink," says Lachlan.