Lasagna with Asparagus,Leeks, and Baby Portabello's

tonite i made a yummy lasagna that has seasonal asparagus in it. this recipe is in the april issue of bon appetite. i began by sauteing leeks, asparagus, and baby portabellos. then i used the same skillet to make the white sauce. the white sauce you make (in place of a traditional red marinara sauce) is so rich and delicious. its only ingredients are chicken broth, cream and flour! i had trouble getting the mixture to thicken. the recipe says "boil on high heat until thickened about 6 minutes" "sprinke flour over and whisk to blend" i ended up with lumps when i added the 2 tablespoons of flour...so i used my spider and fished out the lumps. then i decided to take equal parts soft butter and flour. i used 2 tablespoons each. i mashed them together until they were smooth. then i dumped that compound into the boiling liquid. it became thick and creamy instantly...and no lumps. i then boiled it another minute to cook off the flour taste. i also layered the lasagna into one pot instead of making individual portions as the recipe recommended. i did 3 layers of noodles, vegetables, and sauce. i had a total of 3 layers. on the very top i used mozarella cheese. then i baked it. it was super scrumptious....very rich. soph gave it a 5 out of 5 on taste.

for dessert i made a pastry. this is so easy and has a big wow factor for the lucky people who get to see you pull it out of the oven and eat it. here it goes:

one frozen puff pastry. thawed at room temp for one hour. flour the counter. roll out the long way to make it longer. place parchment paper on cookie sheet. place puff pastry on the paper.

i should have taken a picture on how to cut the strips into the pastry...but i only took a picture of the pastry once it was baked. the filling is easy. you can use any kind of cheeses you may have in the fridge. today i used:

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

2 ounces of cream cheese

one egg

2 tablesoons sugar

2 tablespoos flour

1/4 cup jelly or jam (i used homemade apple jelly my mom made) i whisked it all together until smooth. it was like really really thick pancake mix. i poured it down the center of the pastry...it is a little runny but just keep going! take the strips from each side starting at the top and and fold them over and over one another until you get to the last strips. put in in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. let it cool 10 minutes before cutting.

by the way...here is a prom picture. she had a great time and looked beautiful!

~bon appetite~