Welcome to Fresh Parmesan!

The title of this blog comes from an interaction I once had with a customer while I was working as a cheese monger. The customer came to the counter and asked for “fresh Parmesan.” Seems like a simple request, except that fresh Parmesan (or, more accurately Parmigiano-Reggiano, its proper name) doesn’t exist....

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Thursday, January 24, 2008

Immerse Yourself


About three years ago, I decided that my culinary cabinet could not be called well-stocked until it contained an immersion blender. To be honest, I don’t think I really had specific plans for putting this gadget to use, but I had seen Sarah Moulton whipping up some cream with hers and it just seemed so delightfully old-fashioned that I couldn’t resist. I figured I would, at the very least, start using it for that purpose and then shun those compressed cans of “whipped dairy topping” at the grocery store. (In actuality, I ended up using it for about a dozen other things before I got around to whipping my own cream.*)

My
Cuisinart Immersion Blender is easily the most versatile and frequently used kitchen gadget I own. The recipe for Corn and Kielbasa Chowder I just posted? Used the blender. The lemon filling for the Strawberry-Blueberry Compote over Lemon Tartlets was whipped up with the whisk attachment. Forgot-to-go-to-the-Grocery-Store Black Bean Soup was pureed to just the right chunky consistency with it.

You get the picture—the thing is useful. Mine also came with a bowl attachment that turns it into a mini food processor and I’ve found it to be the perfect size for combining a batch of guacamole or pesto. The possibilities for using this wünder-tool are limitless and I’d love to hear from any readers that have a recipe they make using their blenders. Anyone care to share?

*Side bar- And I really do whip up my own cream pretty frequently, but I still can’t seem to break the habit of impulsively buying a can of the faux stuff whenever ice cream social night rolls around.

2 comments:

Johanna said...

mine has a food processor attachment too, and its absolutely the only way i can cut an onion without crying. i immersion-blend my lentil soup, and its a great way to make a smoothie if you dont want to haul out the blender.

Jessica said...

i want an immersion blender.