Parmesan Salad Bowls

Spray an 8-inch non-stick saute pan with olive oil spray.

Heat the pan over medium-low heat.

NOTE: Don't use your gourmet grade Parmesano-Reggiano for this recipe. The standard grade domestic stuff actually works better and is a LOT less expensive to use. Especially while you're experimenting with the technique.

For each Parmesan bowl, sprinkle 1/3 cup coarsely grated Parmesan to the bottom of the saute pan, distributing the cheese evenly across the pan. Allow the cheese to bubble for about 30 seconds before adding an additional 1/4 cup of finely grated Parmesan.

When the cheese starts to turn golden brown, remove from the pan and place over any (flipped upside down) bowl you would normally use. Place a paper towel (or two) over the grated Parmesan to soak up any oil, while gently pressing/molding the grated cheese to the bowl. Allow a few moments for your Parmesan bowls to cool before removing.

Divide salad among the cooled Parmesan bowls, serve and Enjoy! They will keep for several days in the refrigerator. Try storing them inside the bowl used as the form.

HINT: If you need to adjust the shape of the bowls you may put them in the microwave. Drape them over the bowl and give them about 5-10 seconds. Then gently form them to the new shape.

For a dramatic effect, tilt the bowl on the plate, allowing the greens to cascade out of the bowl onto the plate or try using different shaped molds for your Parmesan bowls.

Alternatively you could lay the softened cheese out on a board, cut it into 1/2-inch ribbons, and wrap them around something (about 1/2 inch diameter) in a spiral fashion. The resulting curls make a nice presentation on top of a salad or laid on a plate as a garnish or accent.

Each bowl (app 3 oz) contains an estimated:

Cals: 266, FatCals: 151, TotFat: 17g

SatFat: 11g, PolyFat: 0g, MonoFat: 6g

Chol: 45mg, Na: 1065mg, K: 61mg

TotCarbs: 2.5g, Fiber: 0g, Sugars: 1g

NetCarbs: 2.5g, Protein:24g