You will need:
12 ounces rigatoni noodles
4 ounces crushed croutons
5 cups cheese (at least three different sorts)
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 16 ounce tub sour cream
Splash of pepper sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Boil your rigatoni noodles, drain and allow to cool.
Heat half of the heavy cream in a double boiler.
Crush croutons and use 3/4 to line the bottom of a 13"x9" baking dish.
Place rigatoni in single layer on top of crushed croutons.
Slowly add 1 cup of mixed cheeses to cream.
Break three eggs into a bowl.
Add 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 3 dashes pepper sauce to cream and stir.
Beat eggs thoroughly.
Add a teaspoon of the cream mixture to the eggs and beat again to temper.
Repeat.
Repeat again, until the eggs have come to the temperature of the cream mixture.
Your egg mixture should be a light yellow.
While you are tempering the eggs, your cream mixture will thicken.
Slowly add the egg mixture to the cream mixture, stirring slowly.
Then add half of the sour cream and stir.
Add another teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
and another cup of mixed cheeses and stir.
Your mixture should be a thin custard. The cheese should form small strings.
Add the remaining cream and stir.
Your custard is ready to use.
Place your pan next to your double boiler to prevent spills.
Carefully ladle 1/3 of the custard over the noodles.
Sprinkle noodles with 1 1/2 cups of the cheese.
Your bottom layer should be level but not necessarily uniform.
Place next layer of rigatoni on top of the cheese.
This layer should be uniform, since it's what will appear on top.
Add remaining sour cream to cream mixture and stir well.
Ladle remaining cream mixture over top of layer of pasta.
Make sure you cover every noodle. You may add a splash of milk here if your cream is too thick (it will even out in the refrigerator).
Add remaining crushed croutons to top.
Scatter remaining cheese over the top.
Add one more smattering of freshly ground black pepper.
Cover and place in refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight. To cook, place cold pan in 350 degree oven covered with aluminum foil for 35 minutes. Remove top and allow to brown for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
For the cheese -- I prefer to use a combination of cheeses, usually an 8 ounce package of Five Cheese Italian, an 8 ounce package of Mexican, and another cup of Mozzarella. Feel free to experiment. I wouldn't recommend Feta.
UPDATE 1/3/17. Wow. I forgot I used to do recipes on here. And how awful the lighting is in my kitchen. Egads.
I also forgot how I used to cook before Grav moved in.
Kat!!! You should have brought me some of this when you came to Ms. Lena's Pie Shop!!!!
ReplyDeleteCandace