White Lasagna

This is from late last week. We're still working on finishing it. It's a recipe I got in 1990 from a coworker, who ironically is about a size 0 soaking wet. I haven't made this in ages, but I got a recent persistent craving for it. It's sooooooooooo good. No excuse better than the holidays to indulge. Right?

1 to 1 1/2 pounds mushrooms cut in large pieces (quarters/thick slices)
8 Tb (one stick) butter, divided in half
2 Tb olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 C flour
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 C half-and-half cream
2 C sour cream
2 C ricotta cheese
Enough lasagna noodles to make 3 layers (15 or so)
2 C grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for sprinkling each layer and top
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute' the mushrooms and garlic in 4 Tb butter and the olive oil. Salt and pepper to season, set aside.

Make a roux by melting the other 4 Tb butter, and adding the flour. Cook and stir with a wire whisk until flour is blended and cooked, 5-7 minutes. Add the nutmeg and some pepper. Add the half-and-half cream and the sour cream. Whisk until smooth. Add the grated Parmesan cheese. Cook until cheese is completely melted. Do not allow the sauce to boil. Salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble, ladle enough sauce on the bottom of a deep 9 by 13-inch baking dish to cover. Arrange a layer of noodles on the sauce, breaking/overlapping to fit as needed. Spread half the ricotta cheese evenly over the noodles. Spread half the mushrooms over the cheese. Ladle enough sauce to cover. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Repeat for second layer.

For the third layer: noodles, then sauce, then Parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 45 minutes at 375F. Allow to stand 15-20 minutes before slicing.

Notes:

--I was generous with the mushrooms. I used more like 2 pounds.

--I was also generous with the ricotta. I had another partial container, so I used that up, too.

--Half-and-half cream is 10-12% milkfat (not sure why it's called half-and-half). There are a few substitute recipes on line using combos of skim milk, butter, evaporated milk, cream... Since I had some whole milk (about 3% fat) and some heavy whipping cream (36% fat) on hand, I just approximated amounts of these in my big measuring cup. It was waaaay too late in my day to set up the algebra problem that would have yielded a precise result.

--I had some grated Asiago in the fridge, so I used that in place of some of the Parmesan. It was a nice addition.

--I found myself wishing I'd used a bit more salt. Mushrooms, ricotta cheese and bechamel can be pretty bland on their own, and I tend to be really conservative when salting our cooking. This is a dish that needs salt.

--I used whole grain noodles (one feeble attempt at health/fiber consumption during the holiday caloric madness, and it's all I have in the pantry these days). I also do not cook my noodles before assembly. I just lay them down like shingles between the fillings--it's so much easier. But I typically assemble my lasagnas and then refrigerate them for about 6-8 hours, then bake. The final consistency is a little more al dente and velvety, but they absorb moisture (I added another splash or two of milk to the sauce before assembling) and this works just fine.