Tonight's Dish - A Success?

Tonight's dish was Creamy Baked Fettuccine with Asiago and Thyme.

I am unsure what to call this.  Delicious? Yes.  But, it could definitely be improved upon.  It's a recipe I got from Giada on the Food Network and since I love many of her dishes, I thought I'd try this one.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1 pound fettuccine pasta

2 cups grated Asiago cheese, plus 1/4 cup

2 (8-ounce) containers creme fraiche

1 cup grated Parmesan

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

In a large bowl combine the 2 cups Asiago cheese, creme fraiche, Parmesan, thyme, salt, pepper, cooked pasta, and pasta cooking liquid.  Gently toss until all the ingredients are combined and the pasta is coated.  Place the pasta in a buttered baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining Asiago cheese.  Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes.  Let sit for at least 5 minutes and serve.

I'm thinking the main issue was the buttering of the baking dish because it came out more buttery and less creamy.  Next time, less butter.  Perhaps it is supposed to be rich like this in the butter department and I just didn't expect it so it didn't match up with my expectations.  The other potential issue is that due to my current location (wonderful Corvallis, OR), the grocery store did not carry creme fraiche.  I tried to use mascarpone cheese instead since I know it's made with creme fraiche but that's the closest they had.  I would like to try it again with less butter and with real creme fraiche.  Perhaps that's the answer!  But, these things are minor.  Overall, this was a yummy dish!  ...which is a good thing since I am always cooking for one (the boyfriend is across the country, the family is 2 hours north of me).  This usually means I have leftovers for days!!!

As a side note, if there is a lag in my blogging, it is probably because I am not making anything new due to the amount of leftover food from my last adventure.

It is definitely time for bed but I do encourage you to try this and let me know how it turns out for you!!