Page 34 December 2015 By Lisa Weisenburger “I just love hearing the knives and forks touch the plates; and the impending silence after taking a delicious bite of something you’ve made and others savor,” said Maggie Norris, while standing in her Arcadia kitchen. Decades ago, Norris started cooking alongside her mother while helping with the family catering business. It wasn’t until graduating from college many years later, that Norris received a gift of cooking classes and her passion for cooking was reignited. She enrolled at Scottsdale Culinary Institute, now Le Cordon Bleu. After graduating, Norris enjoyed a varied career in the culinary industry and appliance sales, which included a move to New York in November 2001 to work with Food Network and celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Emeril, Sara Moulton and Kat Cora. Norris returned to Phoenix in February 2002, and eventually made her home in the Arcadia area. Today, she practices her passion daily by teaching cooking classes with her business Whisked Away. Her main lesson to her students: Cooking should be fun and easy. “While following a recipe may seem easy, I like to share tips and tricks that make people want to cook at home,” Norris said. Norris admits to a deep love of Italian cuisine. In fact, she frequently travels to Italy to live and learn the Italian approach to food. When Arcadia News visited Norris’ home kitchen she shared one of her original recipes: Mushroom Burrata Lasagna. This Arcadia chef and mother to a 6-year- old daughter admits this recipe is one she created when she was craving comfort food, which to her is almost always Italian. “This is not a recipe I make for my family because my husband and daughter don’t really like mushrooms. This is comfort food for me !” Burrata cheese is a unique addition to the recipe, as well as the use of béchamel sauce instead of ricotta cheese. One of Norris’ tips for this recipe is to gather a variety of mushrooms. Rehydrating dried specialty mushrooms works well if choices are limited in the produce aisle, giving this recipe a depth of rich mushroom flavor that will be difficult to achieve otherwise. When asked about her nontraditional lasagna baking dish, Norris’ reply was, “I love using this deep round orange baker for lasagna. It gives it a little whimsy and it’s fun when I walk it over to my neighbors to share.” Chef utilizes home kitchen to share culinary techniques Mushroom and Burrata Lasagna Servings: 8-10 servings • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided • 3 pounds mixed mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch dice • 3 large shallots, finely chopped (or 1/4 large onion, finely chopped) • 2/3 cup dry white wine • Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper • 6 cups béchamel sauce (see recipe below) • 1 pound no-boil lasagna noodles • 2 pounds burrata, torn into large pieces • 6 ounces Parmesan, finely grated • 1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped plus more for garnish Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a 9-by-13-by-2-inch glass baking pan with cooking spray. Prepare the béchamel sauce (recipe below). In a large saute pan, heat butter and 2 tablespoons oil. Add half of the mushrooms and shallots or onions. Saute until softened. Transfer to a small bowl. Repeat with remaining mushrooms and shallots. Add the first half of the mushrooms and shallots back to the pan. Add white wine and cook until the pan is completely dry. Season with salt and pepper. In the baking dish, spread a thin layer of béchamel sauce and cover with a layer of pasta. Spread a layer of sauce over the pasta and evenly spread mushrooms and a few pieces of burrata. Top evenly with some Parmesan and 2 tablespoons basil leaves. Top with another layer of pasta and repeat the layering process. Top final layer of pasta with the rest of the béchamel sauce and Parmesan. Loosely cover lasagna with foil and bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until the noodles are tender. Remove foil and continue baking until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let stand at least 10 minutes to set up. Garnish with basil and serve. Tip: When using no-boil lasagna noodles, make sure the noodles are completely covered with sauce and/or cheese. Otherwise, you will have dry, hard noodles! (Recipe from Maggie Norris) Béchamel Sauce Yields: 6 cups • 12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks) • 3/4 cups all-purpose flour • 6 cups milk • salt and white pepper to taste • grated or ground nutmeg In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour until well blended and smooth, about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly whisk in milk. Return the pan to the heat and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Continue to cook, whisking, until the sauce is smooth and hot and has thickened. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. (Recipe from The Joy of Cooking ) ARCADIA COOKBOOK Local chef Maggie Norris has a vast knowledge of Italian cuisine. PHOTOS BY NTK PHOTOGRAPHY