My Search for a Low-Carb Dessert That Doesn't Remind me of Spackle

OK, so in reality, I can only get away with a few bites of all of the beautiful desserts I photograph for you. Instead I make do with no-sugar-added Fudgesicles and Jell-o Sugar-Free Chocolate Pudding Cups. So far these are the only two desserts that I don't feel the need to throw against the wall.

Usually on my birthday I go wild and actually eat cake! But this year it just wasn't in the stars, the doctors said NO. And that makes people crazy. It's like the soul can't rest until it is buried in hallowed ground or something. The immutable law of the birthday cake must be obeyed.

My mom's fallback dessert of angel food cake, strawberries and Cool-whip is actually loaded with carbs even if it is healthy, and Cool-whip horrifies me. Is it actually plastic?

So then people try cupcakes made with Splenda. I know it's Splenda. Splenda's one molecule cannot fool me. And I have come to hate Splenda in everything except for an alcoholic drink I devised that is comprised of lemon juice, vodka and Splenda shaken with ice and strained. I call it the Ex-wife. I don't know what my ex-husband calls it.

So, where was I? Dessert. No one can stand that I don't have at least a symbolic cake on my birthday. Finally my mom said, "Why don't I make some sugar-free Jell-o Gelatin and put some Cool Whip on top?"

I said, "Because that would make me cry."

So, now, I have taken it into my own hands. I have to make something edible that will make my family secure in knowing that my birthday cake need has somehow been fulfilled.

Cream cheese is always good. The crust is easy - 1/3 butter, 1/3 crushed nuts and 1/3cookies. Use sugar-free shortbread and you're done. But then came the filling. How do I make it sweet without Splenda or some other crap?

I tried using sugar-free Jello-powder. NO.

All varieties of sugar-free coffee syrups. NO NO NO

I tried all varieties of palatable sugar-free candy like peanut butter cups. NO

Then came various canned and fresh fruits, fruit toppings, jams etc. Noooooo.

I mixed it with sugar-free ice cream topping, which actually was not bad. I was unsure of the physics of actually baking it, but it gave me hope.

Thinking about Splenda drinks made me think about Agave nectar. Although it has sugar, it is supposed to have some magic properties that defy the laws of physics and make the carbs inverse. According to wiki, it just has a low glycemic index, meaning it absorbs slowly and doesn't spike your blood sugar. It is the drink ingredient of the moment among mixologists who don't even have to worry about sugar, so maybe I won't hate it.

When I started thinking about replacing a honey recipe with agave, Bob brought up the Source. Basically The Source are hippie spiritual seekers who once ran a successful restaurant in Hollywood and made delicious, delicious cheesecake. They use honey, which sounded like maybe I could substitute Agave syrup... hmmm. OK. The first one was really bad. It needed some tweaking. But the second one was good. It was really, really good.



(adapted from) THE SOURCE RESTAURANT PLAIN CHEESECAKE

16 ounces sour cream
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 cup agave syrup
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon Almond extract

Mix all ingredients together until it is totally smooth.

Pour into pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

CRUST:

1 cup ground walnuts
1 cup ground sugar-free shortbread cookies
1/4 cup butter

Melt butter and mix together to make a paste. Pat into place in a round 10" pan to make the crust.

Real Men Don't Make Quiche

Who says? of course when men make quiche they download the recipe straight from The Food Network site. But this quiche is absolutely praise-worthy. made by a real man!

Ingredients

Short Crust Pastry:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 egg
2 to 3 ounces water
Dash salt

Filling:
Butter
1-ounce diced ham
2 ounces Swiss cheese
3 eggs
2 cups half-and-half
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
For the pastry:

Combine the flour and the salt on your work table. Add the butter and work it into the flour until the consistency is coarse. Stir and work in the egg and the water until the dough becomes a ball. Coat the work surface with a little flour and let the dough rest for at least 5 minutes.

For the quiche:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch pie dish. Spread the pastry out to cover the bottom and sides with your fingers (use flour to help, push dough from middle to sides of dish). Let the pastry stand a bit higher than the dish edge. Bake the pastry for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven before the pastry shrinks, (adjust sides if needed). Place the ham and cheese in the pan. In the meantime, beat the eggs and half-and-half with a fork in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and bake for 30 minutes, until the center is firm. Serve warm with a salad, if desired

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

The Wedding Cake of Deceit

When my friend Kristina told me she was having brownies instead of a cake at her wedding, I was aghast. "You need something to cut! What about the pictures? Don't worry. I'll make you a cake."

Never mind that I had never made a wedding cake before. I grew up watching my mother make a million of them; she baked cakes at home to make money and still be a stay-at-home mom. And I had once made a cake that looked exactly like a drum set, so this would be even easier.

I sold Kristina on a carrot cake because the one thing I have never been able to do it get perfectly smooth icing. I figured with a mix of buttercream and cream cheese frosting, people would expect it to be a little rough.

I called my mom to discuss piping, and she was right on board to come help me. So the plan was set. I would bake the cake and do the crumb coat, then she would come over and do a perfect, smooth icing and gorgeous professional Wilton School piping.

Well, it turned out to be over 100 degrees that week, and my house isn't air-conditioned. So my mom offered to bake the cakes at her house, which is down by the beach and nice and cool.

So early on wedding day, my mom showed up with three coolers, each with a perfectly iced cake set on a board which was set on top of dozens of blue ice packs. All I had to do was assemble them. Oh, and the topper wasn't made yet.

So yeah, my mom made the cake, Kristina. The truth comes out!

I flew around in a panic to a bunch of florists that were all closed on Saturdays and finally alighted at Ralphs supermarket. Luckily, the lady seemed to know what I wanted. I bought white roses and sunflowers and left her to make a topper while I got ready.

When I got back to the store on the way to the wedding, the topper was beautiful, but it was MASSIVE. Oh God, it would topple the cake. We hurridly pulled out stems and cut them closer. As we drove to the wedding, my mom called, "I forgot to tell you. I put some bacon under one of the cakes for you. They were on sale." We considered pulling over and trying to lift the cakes out and imagined total disaster.

I decided, "Well, it's probably sealed. If not, if the cake tastes like bacon it tastes like bacon. Kristina loves bacon."

When we made it to the yacht club and I assembled the cake, I still had to do the piping where the layers meet. Let's just say it was loopy at best. Mom's perfect icing had also suffering a little from the heat. I could only hope that the topper was so spectacular no one would notice the droopy piping.

But the topper was too heavy. It was going to make the cake fall. The flowers were set into a plastic tub filled with that green florists sponge. So I grabbed an empty plate and a knife and cut out the middle of the top layer of cake in a perfect plastic-tub-sized circle. I forced the topper's plastic tub down into the hole and prayed it wouldn't collapse.

Pictures were taken, the cake taken to the kitchen to be cut, and it turned out to be the most delicious, moist carrot cake ever. Everyone complimented me and I said, "Oh, it was nothing."



Mom’s Carrot Cake

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 oil
4 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Cream sugar, oil and eggs.

Gradually add dry ingredients.

Stir in carrots, nuts and coconut.

Pour batter into a greased 9 by 13-inch cake pan.

Bake about 50-55 minutes






They had cute retro finger sandwiches to nibble on while the wedding party took their photographs.



Never eat anything bigger than your head



Ironically, the brownies were set up as I had feared - as a symbolic wedding cake, topper and all. So I basically forced a cake upon a bride who already had a "wedding cake."

Have your Soup and Eat it Too

This week the weather started cooling before soaring back into the 90s. Just enough time for me to make soup. But I couldn't decide between albondigas and pasta fagioli. So I figured, why not have the best of both worlds?

I lifted the meatballs from Biba's Trattoria Cooking cookbook, with a few changes. I will make the meatballs smaller than the ones in the picture next time. The stock is open to interpretation. I like the flavor of "real" carrots with the tops on, but I'm willing to take shortcuts for the stock. You can probably cook the soup much faster, but I like to take my time.

Greedy Soup

Around 10 cups beef broth
1 (14.5-oz) can chopped, peeled tomatoes
Meatballs
Flour
1 bunch fresh carrots, sliced
2 small zucchini

Bring beef broth and tomatoes to a boil. Very lightly dust meatballs with flour. handle them very carefully. Drop a few at a time into the boiling broth. Let boil for about an hour.

Turn soup down to a simmer and add vegetables. Cook for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.


Meatballs

2 large eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 pound ground beef or veal
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix ingredients together with your hands until well-combined. Roll 2 to 3 Tablespoons of meat at a time gently between the palms of your hands to form small meatballs.

Beef Stock

You know how some cooks tell you they don't have a recipe because they just throw in a little of this and a little of that until it looks right? I hate to do that to you, but stock is an inexact science. I will do my best to guess amounts. I used chopped tomatoes instead of tomato juice or puree because I had a box of Italian tomatoes, which were more flavorful and mushy than "American" chopped tomatoes. The young butcher at the market didn't know what "trimmings" were, so I told him to give me "the ground beef before it was ground" and paid full price. I miss the good old days when butchers gladly handed you an abundance of assorted trimmings. And at Eschbachs, they used to give me slices of sausage and little German kinderbourbon candies too, sigh. Of course I was 5 years old.

3 pounds beef trimmings or stewing beef
1 pound veal (whatever you can get, use less if it's $$$)
2 marrow bones or oxtails (preferably oxtails)
1 onion, quartered
1 head garlic, peeled and smashed
3 stalks celery, including tops
1/2 pound of baby carrots (the ones in a bag)
1 big bunch of fresh rosemary
1 big bunch fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
2 cups pureed tomatoes or chopped, diced tomatoes
1 quart chicken broth
Water to cover by around 2"

Throw everything into a pot. Cook the hell out of it, for maybe 5 hours. Skim the top of the icky beef froth occasionally.

Let cool a little so you don't burn the hell out of yourself and strain into another pot. Yes, I'm assuming you have as many gigantic pots as I do. If desperate, use a giant bowl, a lasagne dish, the Stanley Cup, whatever.

Return pot to stove (If you used a bowl or the Stanley cup you will have to pour the broth back in the original pot), add some salt, and let boil and boil until it is reduced to around 10 cups and tastes right (see, this is the vague crazy-making part of recipes).

If it boils down to 10 cups and you feel like it is still bland, keep reducing, add some more herbs, and later make up for it with chicken broth. Cool overnight, and remove the fat that has accumulated on the top of the pot. Tah Dah! That wasn't confusing at all, was it? The good news is you can basically do whatever you want here. It's hard to screw up. Go to town.

Pasta alla Tesoro

We will return to our regularly scheduled turtle programming in a moment, but first, this delicious recipe!



Now that Autumn is here, it seemed like time to play with some new flavors and add a little spice after summer's lightness. It may still need to be played with a little. I am also thinking that the flavors would work nicely as a ravioli filling.

PASTA ALLA TESORO

1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 ounces pancetta, chopped fine
10 fresh sage leaves, chopped fine
1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons flour
1/2 cup champagne
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon Brandy
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 (16-ounce) package linguine

Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil.

In a large pan, melt together butter and olive oil. Toss in pancetta and sage, stirring to break up the pancetta. When browned, remove pancetta and sage with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add chicken to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is lightly browned and no longer pink in the middle. Add garlic for the last few minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.

Slowly sprinkle flour into the oil in the pan, whisking constantly. Stir for about a minute, then slowly begin whisking in liquids.

Add spices and let cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add pancetta, sage and chicken back to the pan and heat through. Adjust spices.

Boil the pasta according to package directions, and toss with sauce.

Enjoy!

Rock the Crockpot!

Our generation was never quite as obsessed with kitchen gadgetry as our parents were. Most people never seem to venture beyond a blender and a George Foreman Grill. After all, Margaritas and paninis can get you through your 20s just fine.

But maybe you are starting to get a little more excited by all of that shiny, shiny, chrome in the back aisle of Crate and Barrel.

One standard in your parent's pantry is the good old crockpot. Don't allow a few bland dinners of bygone days to tarnish its memory. This is a magic machine. It cooks while keeping the house cool on the warmest of days -- we're all a little tired of salads by now, aren't we? And as the temperature drops, it is the perfect way to make the homey soups and stews of Autumn. You can even ignore it and it won't burn the house down. I can't even say that about a human child.

It's still not quite soup weather, and a human child should never, ever be put in a crockpot, not even during Hide and Seek. So what's cooking? How about a badass pulled pork sandwich from our neighbors in Tennessee?


Pulled Pork

3 to 4 pounds pork shoulder roast, boneless
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 chopped onion
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco or similar hot pepper sauce
1 Tablespoon molasses
¼ cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
¼ tsp dry mustard
1 cup ketchup
1/2 lemon, juiced

Throw all of this stuff in the crockpot, turn it on low, and give it a stir. You might want to add a little apple juice or water to cover the meat.

Now go master Guitar Hero, Twitter, get a hip hairstyle, hey, maybe go out and work all day. Whatever. The crockpot doesn't give a damn what you do. Just go away for about 6 to 8 hours. The crockpot needs its alone time.

Shred the pork using 2 forks in a barbarian tearing motion. Toss the fat and bone if you find any. Serve with:

Hamburger buns
A little BBQ sauce (We like Sweet Baby Rays, ourselves)
Coleslaw. (Yes, On the sandwich. That's right. Just do it. It will all make sense in a minute.)

Mmmmm - Vegan Thai Curry

Thai food can be an issue for vegans. Everything has hidden fish sauce or oyster sauce in it. Luckily, here in LA there is always Bulan Thai, California Vegan, Vegan Glory, and Vegan House. Some Thai Town restaurants will prepare the food vegan upon request. But depending upon where you live, you still might not have a convenient corner takeout. So why not make it at home?

I've made authentic Thai curries from scratch, and it can be an all-day thing - grinding, pounding, making three different "mother" sauces, so I really don't mind buying prepared curry paste. Thai Kitchen makes a delicious red and a green vegan curry paste.


THAI VEGAN CURRY

1 (12-oz package) extra-firm tofu
3 cups chopped fresh veggies (carrots, red bell pepper, zucchini, green beans, etc.)
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 (13 ½-oz) can straw mushrooms, drained
1 1/2 Tablespoons Thai Kitchen green curry
3 (13 ½-oz) cans coconut milk
½ cup vegetable broth
1 (8-oz) can sliced bamboo shoots, drained
1 cup frozen peas
Cooked jasmine rice

Put a large pot of water on to boil.

Slice tofu lengthwise into ½” slices. Lay flat on a baking sheet. In oven or toaster oven, cook at 275 for 20 minutes to remove excess liquid. Remove from oven and slice into 1” to 2” pieces.

Meanwhile, pour straw mushrooms into a medium bowl filled with water. Swish the mushrooms around and replace water occasionally to remove any grit.

Add fresh veggies, including potatoes to boiling water. Cook until just al dente (about 8 minutes). Strain and set veggies aside.

Do not shake or disturb cans of coconut milk. Open and carefully spoon off the thickened milk from the top, leaving the clear liquid in the can. Reserve both clear and thick coconut milk.

In a large wok or deep frying pan, combine 1 can of the clear coconut liquid and vegetable broth. Over a medium heat, cook tofu and vegetables in broth mixture until just cooked through (about 30 minutes). If the liquid does not cover the vegetables and tofu, add more broth and/or clear coconut broth.

Add mushrooms, bamboo shoots and peas.

Gradually stir in the thick coconut milk until the curry is the right consistency.

Add salt to taste. Cook until heated through and serve over jasmine rice.


With the red curry I would probably add peanuts. Throw in anything else that strikes your fancy. This is a mix-and-match kind of dish

*Thai Kitchen brand green curry is found in little jars in the Asian section of the supermarket. I am not sure if other brands of curry pastes are vegan.

(Not everyone separates the coconut milk, but a Thai gourmet taught me this method to get the richest curries. If you don't want to be wasteful, you can add the leftover coconut liquid to soups, boiling vegetables, casseroles - get creative!)


California Vegan
7300 W Sunset Blvd.
at N Fuller Ave.

Vegan Glory
8393 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Vegan House
2703 W. Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90189
(213) 483-2105

Bulan Thai
7168 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 857-1882
(323) 653-4900

And There's the Rub

A rub is simply a mixture of herbs and spices that can be rubbed into the meat before grilling or smoking. The longer the rub is on, the more the flavors will permeate the meat. But it can also be put on at the very last minute. If you are cooking a large cut of meat for a long time, you may also want to baste the meat every hour or so. For a baste, you can use something as simple as apple juice, or a mixture of 3 parts citrus juice, 2 parts oil and 1 part vinegar.

These spice mixes can just be measured into a bowl and stirred, or poured into a jar and shaken to mix. If you prefer to use whole spices for the freshest taste, or if you are making a rub in bulk, it is a good idea to have a coffee grinder, spice grinder, or mini food processor set aside exclusively for this purpose. If you are going to use your regular coffee grinder, clean it out by grinding raw rice in it to try to avoid jalapeno-flavored coffee. Spice rubs should be stored in an airtight container and used within six months for optimal flavor.

It is much cheaper to buy spices in envelopes and store them in cute little jars yourself. Schilling is a rip-off. Cost Plus and ethnic markets sell spices for next-to-nothing in envelopes. Even the Latino foods aisle in the grocery store sells spices cheaper. When buying in bulk, "It's Delish!" brand is a good deal.


USED TO BE ALTON BROWN'S RIB RUB
(This recipe is many times removed from the original. Good with any cut of pork).

8 Tbsp. light brown sugar, tightly packed
2 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. thyme
¼ tsp. allspice



COREY'S CHICKEN RUB

1/4 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. onion salt
2 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. Lawry’s seasoned salt
1 Tbsp. dried sage
1 Tbsp. garlic salt
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper



ELISE'S JALAPENO RUB
(Best for steaks)

4 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. garlic salt
2 Tbsp. onion powder
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground Jalapeno powder
1 tsp. Bijol

Special ingredients:

Bijol is just a food coloring called annatto mixed with cornstarch. It comes in cute little tins in the Latino food section. I use it because it mellows the intensity of the stronger spices and adds an attractive orange sparkle to the mix. It has the additional side effect of turning the raw steaks yellow, which has become my jalapeno rub's trademark. It is an optional ingredient. Jalapeno powder can be purchased at hot sauce shops like Light My Fire at the Farmer's Market, or you can substitute other dried chili powders.

Mmmm Short Ribs

There are few things more comforting on a cold, rainy evening than a big roasting pan of short ribs. Serve over polenta if you are feeling fancy, or over grits for a more homey touch.

BRAISED SHORT RIBS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

6 pounds individual short ribs

1 large onion, finely chopped

12 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups Cabernet1 3/4 cups beef stock

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice, drained

1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 300°F.

In a large (at least 6-quart) Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.

Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Brown the short ribs in batches. Using tongs, transfer the ribs to a platter.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pot. Add the onion to the pot and reduce the heat. Cover and cook, stirring often, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, herbes de Provence, and flour to the pot and stir 1 minute. Stir in the wine and bring to a boil over high heat, deglazing the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Add the broth, tomatoes, and bay leaf. Return the short ribs, and any juices, to the pot. Add cold water as needed to barely reach the top of the ribs and bring to a boil over high heat.

Cover tightly, transfer to the oven, and bake until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender, about 3 hours.

(Adapted from Gourmet magazine)

Let's fry some catfish!

CATFISH “FINGERS”

2 pounds fresh catfish filets
2 cups milk
2 eggs
10 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
1 cup “fish fry” mix

½ cup cornmeal
½ cup flour
¾ cup cornstarch
2 Tablespoons Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Peanut oil

Slice catfish crosswise into 1-inch strips. The size and thickness of the strips will vary. That's OK. In a large Pyrex pan, whisk together milk, eggs, Tabasco and yellow mustard. Add the catfish pieces, turning to coat thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.

In a medium-sized baking dish or pie pan, mix together fish fry, cornmeal, flour, cornstarch and seasonings. Gently dredge catfish pieces in dry mix and set aside.

In a large cast-iron pan, heat 2 inches of peanut oil to 350 degrees. The temperature of the oil is where most people have problems with frying. I flick a little bit of water into the pan and I can tell by the sizzle when it is right. Every time you add a piece of catfish, the oil should bubble furiously around it. If not, you are adding too many pieces too quickly and the oil is cooling. You will need to constantly adjust the fire during the frying process. For the right temperature, I need to keep the dial between 4 and 6 on my stove, but that may vary. It is best to use a thermometer until you get the hang of it. I find the Chinese wire deep frying tool used for woks invaluable for deep-frying.

Fry catfish in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan or the oil will cool. Fry the less thick pieces for about 2 minutes, and the thicker pieces for about 4 minutes, turning the pieces frequently.

Drain on paper towels, and dab with additional paper towels to soak up any grease.

Dip in Tartar sauce, Remoulade, or even mayonnaise spiked with Tabasco. Or make yourself a Po'Boy! (I had a lot of help with this recipe from someone known as "Big Daddy" on a Louisiana cooking site).

Fettucini con Pesto alla Trapanese

I had some Parma ham that we didn't end up using for the braciola the other day. So I thought I would improvise on a Pesto alla Trapanese. The original inspiration for the recipe came from the LA Times Food Section about ten years ago.


FETTUCINI CON PESTO ALLA TRAPANESE

3 slices Parma ham
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons minced almonds
3 Tablespoons bread crumbs
1/2 cup coarsely chopped basil leaves
1 package fresh fettucini
2 Tablespoons white wine
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Meanwhile, chop up the Parma ham. Fry it in the butter and olive oil. When it starts to get dark and a little crispy, add almonds and bread crumbs. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the basil. saute for an additional 2-3 minutes while you cook the pasta..

When the water boils, add the fettucini and cook according to package instructions. Drain.

Deglaze the pan with white wine, add fettucini to the pan and toss. Serve topped with Parmesan.