Frank's Recipes! Parmigiano-Reggiano Custards with Romaine Lettuce, Anchovy Dressing, and Parmesan Crisps

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Parmigiano-Reggiano Custards with Romaine Lettuce, Anchovy Dressing, and Parmesan Crisps

Makes 12 servings

Anchovy Dressing

Makes 2 cups

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 salt-packed anchovy fillets, deboned, soaked in milk to cover for 30 minutes, drained, and patted dry
1 large egg yolk
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup canola oil
Freshly ground white pepper
[I added some salt]

Puree the garlic, shallots, vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, and anchovies in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a mixer with the paddle attachment and beat in the egg yolk. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the oils. Season with white pepper. [Instead of doing it this way, I put all the ingredients in the blender and whirred until it was smooth and well-blended.] Cover and refrigerate. There will be more dressing than you need for this recipe, but the extra can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Custards
2/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup milk
3 1/2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

Place the cream, milk, and Parmigiano-Reggiano in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let the flavors infuse for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Whisk the eggs and yolk together in a medium bowl. Reheat the cream mixture until it is hot. While whisking, gradually strain the cream and milk onto the eggs to temper them. Season with salt and white pepper.

Ladle 2 tablespoons of the custard mixture into each of twelve 1- to 2-ounce aluminum foil baking molds, timbale molds, or other small molds. [I don't have molds this small. I used the ramekins I have and made bigger custards.] Place the molds in a roasting pan and add hot water to come about halfway up the sides of the molds. If you are using foil cups and they float, place a baking sheet or pan over them to hold them down. Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until the custards are just set; the edges should look set, but the very centers may not be. Remove the molds from the water bath and refrigerate custards for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Parmesan Crisps
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (from a moist piece of cheese)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat [a silicon-coated non-stick baking sheet].

Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of the cheese into one corner of the Silpat.

Use your fingers to spread the cheese into a 2-inch circle. Repeat with the remaining cheese; you should have about 12 rounds. [I used less total cheese and more cheese per circle to make 2 circles, each the diameter of my ramekins.]

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Use a small spatula to transfer them to paper towels. They will still be soft when they are removed but will stiffen as they cool. Store the crisps in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Balsamic Glaze
2 cups balsamic vinegar

Makes about 1/2 cup

We use glazes often in the cheese course, always sparingly, because they are so intense. When making a vinegar or wine glaze, reduce it slowly, almost as if you were letting it evaporate. If you boil it too hard, the acid will remain and make the glaze too sharp. Reducing it slowly and gently results in a much softer tasting glaze. It's easier to control the heat with the aid of a heat diffuser.

Heat the vinegar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until steam rises from the liquid. Place the saucepan on a heat diffuser and let the liquid reduce very slowly (it shouldn't simmer) for 2 to 3 hours, until it has reduced and thickened to a syrupy glaze. There should be approximately 1/2 cup of balsamic glaze. Keep the glaze in a squeeze bottle at room temperature for garnishing plates; if the glaze is too thick, warm the bottle in hot water to loosen the glaze.

To complete:
3 cups chiffonade, or long narrow strips, romaine lettuce (cut from the "hearts," or small inner leaves) [I used more than 1/12 of this for our 2 salads]
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano [I think I used more than 2 tablespoons grated cheese for the 2 salads]
Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings for garnish (made with a vegetable peeler)
Freshly ground black pepper
12 croutons (from a baguette), about 1/4 inch thick [The idea is that the custard will rest on a crouton. Since my custards were bigger, I had to use 2 croutons side-by-side to hold the custards]

Toss the romaine with the Parmigiano-Reggiano and just enough dressing to lightly coat the lettuce. Season with pepper to taste.

Place a spoonful of dressing on each plate. Run a small paring knife around the edge of each custard, dip the molds briefly into hot water, and unmold the custard onto a crouton. Center one crouton in each pool of dressing. [I put the 2 croutons it took in my case onto the dressing. I unmolded the custard onto my hand and then planced it onto the dual croutons.] Lay a Parmesan crisp over each custard and top with a stack of the salad. Place shavings of cheese over the romaine and garnish each plate with a ring or a small pool of the balsamic glaze.