Classic Silky Sausage Recipes

SAUSAGE AND SPINACH FETTUCCINE ALFREDO RECIPE

Steps:

• Add sausage to a wide skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon until crispy; about 10 minutes. (While the sausage cooks, move on to cooking the pasta.)
• Meanwhile, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add one tablespoon of salt and the fettuccine. Cook, stirring once or twice, for 3 minutes less than the suggested cooking time on the package. The pasta will finish cooking when making the sauce. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water then drain pasta.
• Add parmesan cheese, butter, spinach, 1 cup of reserved cooking water, and the drained pasta to the skillet with the cooked sausage. Set the skillet over low heat. Use tongs to toss the fettuccine, butter, and cheese around the pan for one minute. Take the pan off of the heat then cover the skillet with a lid. Leave for one minute.
• Uncover the skillet, toss the pasta a few more times in the sauce. If the pasta looks dry, add a splash more pasta water. If it looks wet, don't worry, the pasta absorbs some the extra moisture as it cools.
• Serve fettuccine with a few grinds of pepper and a sprinkle of extra parmesan cheese on top.

FRENCH SILK PIE

Steps:

• Make pie crust recipe and transfer to a 7-in. pie plate; flute edge.
• Line shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil.
• Bake at 450° for 4 minutes.
• Remove foil; bake until crust is golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack.
• In a small saucepan, combine sugar and eggs until well blended. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture coats the back of a metal spoon. Remove from the heat.
• Stir in chocolate and vanilla until smooth.
• Cool until the mixture is lukewarm.
• In a bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy.
• Add cooled chocolate mixture; beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• In another large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture.
• Pour into the crust. Chill for at least 6 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls.

CLASSIC SILKY SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Fill a 4- or 5-quart pot two-thirds full with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and cover to keep warm.
• Shaping and wrapping the paste is like rolling a very stubby cigar. Put a 12-by-18-inch piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil on your work surface with a short side closest to you. Center the piece of banana leaf on the foil. Use a rubber spatula to deposit the paste near the bottom edge of the leaf (the edge closest to you), roughly shaping it into a fat 5-inch-long log. Do not get any paste on the foil. Roll up the leaf to encase the paste, creating a cylinder 3 inches in diameter. Place the cylinder at one of the short ends of the foil and roll it up, letting the foil naturally overlap to form a silver tube. Finish by sealing the ends closed and then folding them toward the center. Because the paste expands during cooking, you need to tie the package with kitchen string to secure it. In general, a cross tie followed by another loop around the sausage-much like tying a very small roast-works well. There is no need to be fancy, but to ensure the shape and compactness of the paste, make sure the string is taut.
• Return the pot of water to a boil. Drop in the sausage and boil for 40 minutes, replenishing with extra boiling water as needed. During cooking, the foil will darken and the sausage will puff up, push against the string, and eventually float. Don't be alarmed; it will deflate afterward.
• Use tongs to remove the cooked sausage from the pot. Let cool completely before untying and removing the foil. Keep the banana leaf in place. Put the sausage in an airtight container or zip-top plastic bag and refrigerate until serving.