Earlier this month, we took a cooking class at the Biltmore Culinary Academy located inside the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables with our friends from The Blogger Union (South Florida Bloggers Chapter). We divided into teams of 3-4 bloggers and each team cooked a recipe that featured Parmigiano Reggiano cheese! The good stuff!

In 2008, European courts decreed that Parmigiano Reggiano is the only hard cheese that can legally be called Parmesan. In so doing, they acknowledged the historical fact that the word can be traced to Parma and that consumers associate the cheese with its origin in the Parma-Reggio region of Italy. These court rulings mean that a cheese cannot be called Parmesan unless it conforms to the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) standards for Parmigiano Reggiano. More on the history of Parmesan

Fueling up on some cheese and accompaniments before we cook:

Each table had a different recipe, and how serendipitous it was that I walked up to a table with a recipe featuring sage! By the way, my blog has the word sage for 3 reasons: sage is a herb which represents the culinary arts, sage refers to a wise or knowledgeable person (in my case, knowledgeable about South Florida dining), and lastly – sage is green which represents my involvement  in the health and wellness field.

Sage Parmigiano Reggiano Bread Pudding Muffins, stuffed with Walnuts and Roasted Turkey and Gravy (Yields 8 to 10 muffins)

Ingredients                                                                         

10 Cups – Brioche Bread (diced into cubes)

4ea. – Whole Eggs

1 cup – Heavy Whipping Cream

2 cups – Rich Chicken or Turkey Stock

1 cup – Chopped toasted Walnuts

1 cup – Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

1/2 cup – Chopped Fresh Sage

1 TBSP – Chopped Garlic

1 cup – Diced Onions

1 cup – Diced Celery

2 cups – Chopped or Pulled Roasted Turkey (White or Dark Meat)

½ – cup – Blended Oil

To taste – Kosher Salt

To taste – Black Pepper

24 ea. – Whole Fresh Cranberries

Non-stick spray

Method

• Cut the Brioche into desired cubes and set aside in a large bowl.
• Chop the walnut and lightly toast them in a pan and set aside.
• Dice the celery, onions and garlic and set aside
• Finely chop the sage and set aside
• Grate the Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese and set aside
• Dice the roasted turkey into desired cubes and set aside
• Heat a medium sauté pan on the stove, once hot add the blended oil and

Sauté the celery, onions and garlic. Once the onions begin to sweat add the sage and season with Kosher Salt and Black Pepper for about a minute. Once the onions are transparent remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Once the onion mix is cooled add them to the cubed brioche bread. Continue to add the remaining ingredients: Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, heavy cream, chicken or turkey stock, whole eggs and mix thoroughly. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Once the bread pudding mixture is complete set it aside and prepare the muffin tins by spraying each one with nonstick food spray. Place enough bread pudding mixture to fill the muffins in 3 stages, after each stage you will add some roasted turkey and walnuts until the cup is full. Place a cranberry on top for garnish.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until the muffin is hot and golden brown on top, remove and allow to cool slightly, remove the muffin from the pan, sprinkle with some Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese and serve with Turkey Gravy.

Mise en place (everything in it’s place)

On the left: Sauteing the celery, onions and garlic.

Pre-oven and post-oven

They might not be the most photogenic muffins ever but they were seriously yummy. It’s a savory spin on bread pudding that’s perfect for the holiday season. Make them for thanksgiving instead of stuffing or even the day after thanksgiving. These would be great for Christmas, too. We used chopped turkey but I can see chopped ham being a good fit as well.

Chef helping our team with the final touches ad plating our dish. Time to check out some of the other dishes and have a feast!

Another team made Parmigiano Reggiano Hasselback Potatoes

Some of my other favorites included Parmigiano Reggiano Crusted Salmon
topped with Boniato Puree & Grilled Key Limes and Coconut Parmigiano Reggiano Rice Pudding in Grilled Pineapple.

What a great evening! We had so much fun learning about the authentic Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and fun facts about it – did you know that it is a lactose-free cheese?

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All images appearing in this post photographed by Holli Lapes, property of TheSoFlaSage.com