The Homebody Goes Gourmet

Inside the Ingredients

By Nora Rae Pearl | Feb. 15, 2025

Cold winter nights sometimes leave us with no other option than to seek comfort for our hearts and souls, and for me that comes in the form of food. We’ll take a look at two recipes we can make all year round, but this time with a few winter wonderland change-ups.

Inspired by Cheese and Company in Petoskey (mark your calendars for opening day April 12!), we’ve made a Three Cheese Cavatappi to bring warmth to your winter table. We shopped at The Cheese Lady in Traverse City for our favorite sharp cheddar and also found varieties like Dubliner, Gruyère, or Gouda to be especially complementary in this dish.

And for dessert, if you can’t decide between chocolate or coffee, settle for both in the Tiramisu Brownie. For chocolate, we sourced the finest at The Grocer’s Daughter in Empire. Their 70 percent cacao chocolate discs are perfect for this recipe—and don’t forget to pick up some of their famous truffles while you’re there!

Three Cheese Cavatappi

Rich, creamy, and cheesy noodles have never been so satisfying.

Cavatappi Ingredients
1 pound cavatappi noodles
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons flour
2 cups heavy cream
3 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
pinch of nutmeg
1 pound of sharp aged cheese (preferably Dubliner), coarsely grated
1 cup finely shredded Parmesan
1 cup finely shredded Romano

Breadcrumbs Ingredients
1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon of each salt & pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes

To make the cavatappi: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour. Cook for one minute while whisking constantly. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream and milk. Cook until thickened and mixture begins to bubble, stirring often. Mix in the salt through the nutmeg. Add half of your sharp aged cheese of choice, stir until melted. Take off the heat and set aside.

Cook noodles until al dente. Drain, then add to sauce. Stir until noodles are well coated. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle over the remaining sharp aged cheese, Parmesan, and Romano. Bake for 25 minutes, then broil until the top is golden. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

To make the breadcrumbs: In a microwave safe bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs through the red pepper flakes. Microwave for one minute, then stir. Continue to microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until the breadcrumbs are lightly toasted. This should not take longer than 2 to 3 minutes. Serve atop Cavatappi.

Tiramisu Brownies

Coffee and chocolate are perfect together in this restaurant-quality dessert.

Brownie Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
11 oz. Grocer’s Daughter 70 percent Esmeraldas Chocolate Discs
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Espresso Mousse Ingredients
8 oz. mascarpone
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
3 tablespoons cocoa powder, for dusting

To make the brownies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until all the chocolate is melted, turning on the heat very briefly if needed. Set aside to cool. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and espresso powder. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs through the vanilla. Beat with a hand mixer on high until the mixture thickens and becomes pale in color; it should be doubled in size. Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Add the flour mixture, and fold it gently but quickly to avoid over mixing. Pour into the prepared pan, smooth top. Bake until the top looks slightly cracked and feels soft to the touch, 25 to 28 minutes. Let cool completely.

To make the espresso mousse: In a large bowl, beat together the mascarpone and heavy cream until combined. Add the remaining ingredients. Beat until you have a whipped cream texture. Spread evenly over the cooled brownies. Dust with cocoa powder. Chill until ready to serve, then slice into small bites.