Scrumptious Street

Clafoutis, Flaugnarde? Both? Neither?

When the season's last beautiful plums were on plump display in the Farmer's Market I knew they deserved special treatment.  I had a class coming up teaching a French-style, local market produce-inspired class coming up so I wanted to make a clafoutis.  However, a clafoutis is traditionally only made with black cherries and well, I wanted to use these succulent plums.  So, I thought I'd call it my "Plum Clafoutis". 

Upon doing more research, including my ultimate reference Larousse Gastronomique, I learned that if the French cooks add fruit other than cherry (such as pear, peach, prunes) to a Clafoutis, it becomes a flaugnarde or even more confusing, often spelled flognarde.  So then I thought, "Easy, this is flaugnarde, not a plum clafoutis".  But upon reading the recipes it became very clear that wasn't exactly the whole truth either.  The recipe and portions are different between the two.  And, I was desiring the light yet dense, puffy almost custard-meets-crepe texture of the clafoutis.  Reading the flaugnarde recipe I saw that the result would be more crepe-like, there was more liquid, more egg and the same flour.  And I didn't want to mask these decadent plums, I wanted silky and creamy sponginess that showed them off. I also added vanilla, which usually isn't in a clafoutis. But flaugnarde usually includes not only vanilla, but often rum and orange-flower water or orange tree extract (WTF?) and sometimes cinammon.  Online research only confused me more. So, this is a lovely, phenomenal dessert without a perfect name.  If any French purists out there know, please enlighten me.  Otherwise, I'm calling it a Plum Clafoutis. Regardless, it was phenomenal!

Here's how I did it, give it a try if you still happen to have gorgeous plums in season or tuck this away for for next year.   

Ingredients
Serves 6-8

6-8 fresh plums, washed, pitted and sliced into wedges
1/2 c. sugar, divided into two ¼ c. portions
1 T. unsalted butter
1 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
pinch of kosher salt
3 eggs, beaten
1 ¼ c. whole milk
1 whole vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped from pod

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Dust the plums with ¼ c. sugar and let sit for 30 minutes.  Butter the inside of a pie plate or baking dish.  Arrange the plums on the bottom in a spiral from the inside to the outside edges of the pan.

2. Place the flour, a pinch of salt and the remaining ¼  c. sugar in a mixing bowl and stir.  Whisk the eggs in a smaller bowl and add the milk and vanilla bean seeds.  Whisk again. The batter should be like a very thick pancake batter.

3. Pour the batter over the plums and smooth to even.  Bake for 35-40 minutes until the clafoutis is completely set.  Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

4. Dust with confectioner’s sugar.  Serve while still warm and enjoy!

 

Oyster Mushroom, Asparagus and Fontina Quiche

The Spring vegetables are looking fantastic here in the Bay Area and on a recent trip to the Farmer's Market I discovered these gorgeous Oyster Mushrooms.  Also finding beautiful tender asparagus there, a simple dish to boast the vegetables was in order.  I think egg dishes are wonderful ways to show off delicate vegetables and this time a beautiful quiche was my canvas.

I often go for a frittata for speed, but a quiche is perfect when you want simplicity yet a sense of elegance and sophistication.  A flaky, buttery crust adds so much texture to an airy custard studded with crisp and delicious tender vegetables.  Here's the final "Oyster Mushroom and Asparagus Quiche".

The great thing about egg dishes is that you can honestly just hunt in the markets for whatever looks beautiful, fresh, perfect and tasty and then whip one up depending on the time you have.  An omelette, a frittata, a quiche, a tart... you name it.  Actually, a quiche is a savory tart.  Did you know that?

Here's my very simple recipe with spectacular and scrumptious results.  It'd be perfect for brunch this weekend!

Ingredients

Serves about 4, makes 1 quiche

1 9" pie crust, rolled flat to 1/4" thickness

1 bunch fresh asparagus, washed, and chopped using tips and tender parts of stalks

6 oz. fresh oyster mushrooms, wiped with damp towel and chopped

1 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp. ground white pepper

3 medium eggs

1 1/4 c. milk

1/2 c. grated Fontina cheese

1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 tsp. fresh tarragon, chopped

1/4 c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.  After dough is rolled out, press the dough into a quiche pan or tart pan with removable bottom.  Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to rest after pressing into the pan.  Line the dough with aluminum foil with enough to cover the top and sides of the dough and fill with dried beans to weight the dough.  I use dried chick peas, see photo here.   This process is called "blind baking" and helps make sure your crust will be fully cooked and is not soggy. Bake the crust for 20 minutes and then remove from oven and cool.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F.

2. In a skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium high heat and  saute the asparagus and mushrooms until tender.  Season with the salt and white pepper and set aside.

3. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and milk.  I'd recommend whole milk here, don't go with skim.  Stir in the Fontina cheese and chopped herbs.  Sprinkle with a little more ground white pepper.

4.  Over the quiche crust has cooled, remove the beans and foil and spread the sauteed mushrooms and asparagus into an even layer on the crust.  Pour in the egg custard mixture and distribute evenly with a fork or rubber spatula.  Sprinkle the parmigiano-reggiano cheese on top.

5.  Gently place the entire quiche pan onto a rimmed baking sheet.  This will catch any possible leaks or spills.  Bake in the oven about 40-45 minutes or until the quiche is golden brown and knife comes out cleanly.  After baking, remove from the oven and cool another 10 minutes.  Then, if using a tart pan with two pieces, take out the bottom from the rim and slide the quiche onto a cutting board.  Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

C & D's New Zealand Vegetarian Pizza

My best friend and her husband went to New Zealand as honeymoon and overall celebration of their love of adventure and each other last year.  I heard reports of incredible food (which wasn't a surprise, NZ has an great food reputation) wonderful restaurants and fabulous wine.  She raved about a pizza they had, which so captivated them both that they enlisted my help to re-create the pizza and get the flavors down in a recipe.  This was a HUGE challenge for me since I actually wasn't there and didn't experience the food first-hand.  I usually have no problem re-creating dishes I've eaten but re-creating based on someone's notes and memory? Tough.  BUT.  She came to visit me and one of our major projects was to make this spectacular and memorable pizza.  Take a look at the delicious, delicate and simply divine "New Zealand Pizza".  

 

I must confess, we did this together once trying to replicate what they had eaten in New Zealand.  It was basically a white(no tomato sauce) pizza with zucchini, mushrooms, feta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. It was drizzled with honey and also aioli, which are two components that makes the pizza super-scrumptious-memorable-to-die-for.  They did find the pizza just slightly bland when they had it and they'd also ordered a delicious spinach salad with roasted squash and warm red-pepper dressing.  Well, somehow in their restaurant, they ended up putting the salad on top of the pizza and then, it hit EXACTLY the right note and that's what my friend and I re-created.  We made a pizza, we made a salad, and then we put the pizza on top of the salad.  Like this. 

Now, I did think it was delicious.  And, I loved the whole combination of flavors.  But, it was too messy, too complicated and not as simply pleasurable as eating a terrific slice of pizza.  It tasted good, but missed the mark for me.  So, I tried again and re-vamped the recipe to merge the concepts, but eliminate the need for the salad on top.  I integrated the flavors of the salad into the pizza.  And WOW.  In my opinion, my dear friend, this is the ultimate New Zealand Pizza recipe.  I think it turned out even better than the one we made together.  But, if you want them separate still, you go right ahead.  It's your choice.

Here's the recipe for what I liked best in this New Zealand-inspired pizza. Warning, this is time-intensive and process-intensive.  But WORTH IT.

Ingredients

Makes one pizza, serves about 2-4

For the Dough: (makes 2 pizza doughs, I always freeze one)

1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

1 c. lukewarm water

3 1/4 c. unbleached flour

2 1/2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 T. salt

a pizza stone

a pizza peel

cornmeal for sprinkling

For the Aioli:

2 egg yolks

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 c. canola oil

1/4 lemon, juiced

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

water, as necessary

For the Pizza:

1 12" pizza dough rolled out flat, dusted with cornmeal

1/4 c. roasted butternut squash (seasoned with salt, pepper, olive oil) smashed or pureed

1/3 c. fresh spinach, sliced

6 cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced, marinated with 1 clove garlic and 1 tsp. olive oil

1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1 small zucchini, thinly sliced

1/3 c. feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 c. garlic aioli (from recipe above)

2 T. good quality honey with nice floral taste, orange blossom honey is GREAT

Method:

1. Make the dough: Dissolve the yeast completely in a large bowl with 1/4 c. water.  When dissolved, add 1 cup flour and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.  Gradually while stirring, add 1 T. olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon salt, 1/4 c. lukewarm water and 1 cup more flour.  Add again, until you've used everything in the dough recipe but hold back a little of flour and water the last time. You may not use them all and only need enough to keep the dough soft, but not sticky.

2. Take the dough from the bowl and slap it down hard against the work counter several times and stretch it out to about 10 inches.  Then, begin kneading the dough and folding it over.  Give a quarter turn between each knead.  Repeat for about 10 minutes until the dough is pliable but stretchy.  You can also do this in a stand mixer and dough hook but I like my hands better.  Pat the kneaded dough into a round shape. 

3. Put about 1 tsp. olive oil inside a clean bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 3 hours.  30 minutes before you're ready to bake, put the pizza stone in the bottom of the oven (all racks removed) and preheat oven to 450˚F.  Divide the risen dough in half and freeze one unless you're doubling this recipe.  Flatten the dough with your hands and sprinkle cornmeal on your pizza peel.  Place the dough on the peel and roll out as thin and flat as possible. Let the rim be somewhat higher and thicker than the rest.  I also use my fingers to shape it too.

4. In a small bowl, make the aioli.  Whisk together the egg yolks and add the minced garlic. Slowly drizzle in the oils, a few drops at a time and whisk vigorously.  In essence, you're making a mayonnaise so the faster you whisk and the slower you drizzle the thicker it will be.  Add the lemon juice and whisk again.  Season with the salt and white pepper and whisk again.  If the aioli is too thick to drizzle with a spoon, add a few tablespoons of water and whisk.  

3. Begin layering the pizza while it's still on the peel.  Spread the roasted butternut squash evenly on the pizza dough in a light layer.  Think of this as the sauce layer and don't make it thick, but thinly and evenly spread.  Add the chopped spinach.  (If you're making red pepper dressing, then drizzle that on top of the spinach, see below.) Add the sliced and marinated mushrooms, then the sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini and crumbled feta cheese.  Sprinkle the oregano over the top of the pizza.  Drizzle the aioli over the pizza next and lastly, drizzle or squeeze the honey on top in long, thin stripes.  Do NOT let the pizza sit out at this state.  As soon as it's made, it should go into the screaming hot oven. 

4. Open the oven and slide the pizza onto the hot stone by quickly jerking the peel out from under the pizza.  (Think of pulling the tablecloth out from under a set table.) Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the dough is a crusty golden brown and the topping is cooked, and cheese is bubbling golden.  This make take a few minutes longer, be patient and check the crust every 5 minutes starting at 15.  Remove the pizza stone from the oven and let cool a few minutes.  Cut into pieces, I like to use kitchen shears, and serve immediately.  If you keep the pizza on the hot stone, it'll stay warm while you're eating the first round.  If you use a pizza cutter, do NOT cut it on the stone. Slide the pizza off onto a cutting board first. 

I didn't use the Red Pepper Dressing in my ultimate pizza.  I found the pizza was getting quite loaded up and didn't want it to be wet or soggy.  Also, it was one extra component that was simpler to leave out. I did miss the flavor, but the pizza was still spectacular. If you want to include the dressing too, just whip it together as follows and drizzle it over the spinach layer before you add the mushrooms. You make it using and whirling it together in a food processor until smooth.  Drizzle the oil in last, slowly.

You can see we had it on the stove but that was as a warm salad dressing.  You wouldn't need to warm it if you're going to bake it with the pizza.

Roasted Red Pepper Dressing

1 whole red pepper roasted over open flame (if you don't know how to do this, ask me!)

1 clove garlic

4 fresh basil leaves

1/3 c. parmigiano reggiano

1/4 tsp. kosher salt 

1/4 c. olive oil

Key Lime White Chocolate Tart

Continuing my celebration of peak citrus season, I've recently been working on perfecting a Key Lime tart or pie recipe.  I made this a few weeks ago with a pre-made curd and while it was good, it just wasn't blog-worthy until I got a fully homemade version ready.  Well, here it is, folks.  My "Key Lime and White Chocolate Tart".

Both filling and crust are a variation on other people's recipes, which is quite rare in my kitchen but I'm thrilled with the results nevertheless.  The addition of white chocolate is all mine and I really love the way it turns out.  The white chocolate cuts the edge off the tartness without making it sweet.  If you go for a high quality product, it adds a velvety texture and subtler flavor that is more pleasing at the end of a meal and goes well with dessert wine or coffee.  I served it last night at a dinner party I catered (yes!!) and it got rave reviews all around. My suggestions on brands are in the recipe links below.

The curd is a recipe derived from Chez Panisse Fruit by Alice Waters, but I found it on one of my favorite websites.  The crust is the same Cream Cheese Pastry adapted from Mitchell Davis that I used recently on my pot pies.

Ingredients
Makes one 9" pie or tart, 8 slices

3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. Kosher salt
1 1/2 c/ water
4 egg yolks, separated
1 T grated key lime zest
2/3 c. key lime juice (about 14-18 limes depending on size and ripeness)
2 T unsalted butter
8 oz. good white chocolate, chopped

1 9" pie crust prepared, rolled out and blind-baked

Method:
1. Prepare and bake a pie or tart crust according to recipe and blind-bake.  Allow crust to cool completely before continuing.

2. Preheat oven to 350˚F.

3. In a large saucepan combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt and water with a whisk.  Turn the heat on to medium and bring to a gentle simmer whisking occasionally at the beginning. As the curd thickens, whisk more constantly. 

4. In a second smaller saucepan, add the white chocolate and melt gently on low while the curd is thickening.  Whisk during the melting process.

5. When the barely simmering curd is thick and translucent, whisk in egg yolks, 2 at a time very quickly. Make sure not to cook higher than a simmer here, otherwise you'd need to temper your eggs to ensure they don't curdle the filling.

6. Quickly whisk in zest, juice and combine.  Then whisk in the butter. 

7. Bring curd to a good simmer, whisking constantly. Lastly, slowly pour the melted white chocolate into the lime curd and whisk to incorporate. 

8. Immediately remove from heat, and pour into your crust. Bake at 350˚ for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

9. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and press the plastic directly onto the surface of the curd.  Refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours, overnight is better.  (If you're not using right away you can store the curd in the fridge for up to 3 days with plastic wrap on the surface before the final baking step.)

10. After tart is thoroughly set, bring it out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving to come to room temperature.  Garnish with lime zest, chocolate shavings and serve!

"Almost" Ultimate Chicken Pot Pie

Mr. Scrumptious told me once that he loves chicken pot pie and that he had the "best" of his life at a restaurant in Chicago.  Since that day, I've been on a quest to beat it, outdo it, make one that he qualifies as the Best.  Unfortunately, he doesn't have the culinary memory that I do and can't tell me exactly how it was made and what about it was so sublime.  He also doesn't remember the restaurant.  If any Chicagoans are reading this and you know the place that's famed for its Chicken Pot Pie, please enlighten me.  I'll fly out just to sample it.  And then promptly, try to re-create it.

While this doesn't surpass his ultimate favorite, this one is apparently a VERY close runner-up.  He gave it an 8 out of 10.  (No one ever gets a 10 by the way).  Here is my variation on the "Almost Ultimate Chicken Pot Pie".

Ingredients:
Makes 2 pot pies

Kosher salt
1 1/2 c. cubed cooked or roasted chicken
6 T. unsalted butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 medium carrot, chopped
2 purple fingerling potatoes, chopped
2 baby zucchini, chopped
2 fresh asparagus spears, chopped
1/2 celery stalk, chopped
2 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
1/3 c. frozen peas
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. dry white wine
3 oz. Stilton or other mild bleu cheese
3 T. all-purpose flour
1 c. chicken stock, best with leftover baking juices
1 bay leaf
1/2 T. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 recipe Cream Cheese Pastry (see below)
1 large egg

Method
1. Prepare the Cream Cheese Pastry (below) and refrigerate.

2. Meanwhile, prepare all the vegetables and cooked chicken and stock.  Preheat oven to 425˚F.  In a large frying pan, melt 3 T. butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sweat until soft, about 4 minutes.  Add the carrot, potato, zucchini and continue cooking another 4 minutes.  Next, add the asparagus and celery and stir together.  Season with a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper.  When vegetables are becoming slightly soft, add the mushrooms and thyme. Cook until the mushrooms turn brown and begin giving off their liquid.  Add the peas and 1/4 c. white wine and scrape any bits that may have carmelized.  Add the Stilton cheese and stir to incorporate.  Taste again, adjust seasonings (remember you'll be adding stock though, which has varying degrees of salt.  Go easy on salt here).  Turn off heat when vegetables are softened but still have some texture and set aside.

3. Melt 3 T. butter and the flour in another large saucepan to make a roux.  Cook the roux about 2 minutes, until you smell a good nutty aroma and not the raw flour smell.  Whisk in the stock and another 1/4 c. white wine, bay leaf, parsley and salt or pepper to taste.  Simmer until sauce has thickened, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the cooked chicken and stir through to incorporate.  Remove the bay leaf.  Add the cooked vegetables and stir to mix thoroughly.  Transfer to a baking dish to let the filling cool while you roll out and prepare crust.

4. Roll out the dough to a size 1 inch larger in diameter than the baking dish, to a thickness of 1/4".  Pour the filling into your vessel.  I like using individual French onion soup crocks, they're perfect!  Press the pastry dough over the top of the baking vessel and crimp around the edges.

5. Beat the egg with 1 T. cold water and brush the egg wash on the surface of the pastry dough.  With a sharp knife, put a few slits in the dough to vent the steam.

6. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the dough has risen and begun to brown.  Turn down the heat to 350˚F and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the dough is a deep brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

For the crust I used a dough recipe from Mitchell Davis in his cookbook Kitchen Sense.  While I rarely cook with others' recipes, I do often bake with them since I'm not nearly so accomplished a baker.  This dough was terrific and very light, flaky and delicate.  It is similar in texture to those you get with lard or shortening but without that pure animal-fat or greasy taste.  I found it much better than others I've tried and it was also extremely easy to roll-out.  I had nearly perfect-circle-Food-Network-dough whereas usually it looks like a kindergarten project.  For the pot pies, you use half the recipe.  I froze the other half and used it for a lovely tart you'll see in my next post.

Here's Mr. Davis's recipe for his Cream Cheese Pastry.  Full recipe here, for pot pies use half!

Ingredients:

Makes 1 lb. dough for two 9-inch tarts

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 c. (6 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Method:

1. In a bowl, blend the butter and cream cheese until combined. 

2. Add the flour and work to a smooth dough. 

3. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or until firm enough to roll out.

Note: The dough will keep in the refrigerator for three days or in the freezer for up to six months.  Defrost overnight before using.

Cherry-Chocolate-Almond Bread

I think I'm still in my "nothing-sweet-post-holiday-rebellion" and am coming out of it in stages.  I had some beautiful fresh Bing cherries in the fridge, that were on the verge of being too ripe.  The challenge was what to do with them that didn't involve drowning them in syrup or sugary coverings.  Catching an idea from overripe banana bread, I decided to make up a similar bread with my cherries.  Thinking about what flavors complement the fruit, I ended up creating a wonderful "Cherry, Chocolate and Almond Bread".

Although it still had a little sweetness, much like banana bread, the sweetness isn't the foreground and isn't overwhelming at all.  Sure, there's chocolate in it, but I used dark chocolate which is actually somewhat bitter and of course, is good for you in moderation!  I tasted all the nuts in my pantry with a nibble of cherry to find the perfect match and almonds were it! Pecans were a close second, but the cherry and almond flavors just worked beautifully together.  Since this was neither a bread I'd made before nor eaten anywhere else, I am pretty proud of the results.

You could use dark chocolate like I did, or bittersweet chocolate.  Or, if you ARE craving something sweet, you could even use milk chocolate.  It's all up to your whims, your pantry and your cravings.  I found this fantastic with both coffee or teas such as green tea or chamomile.

Here's how I made it:

Ingredients:
Makes 2 loaves

4 c. unbleached flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. iodized salt
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 c. milk
1/2 c. fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
1 c. (about 5 oz.) dark or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 c. whole raw almonds, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚ F.  Prepare 2 5x9" loaf pans by greasing and flouring. 

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar into a large bowl or the bowl of a mixer.  Mix gently to incorporate all the dry ingredients.

3. Add the vanilla, egg and milk. Stir to incorporate but do not over-mix.  If using a mixer, remove the bowl to add the last ingredients by hand.

4. Gently add the cherries, chocolate and almonds.  Fold in to make these last ingredients evenly distributed but do not mix further.

5. Pour the dough into the two loaf pans and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes, depending on your oven.  Check at 50 minutes and when a toothpick inserted in the middle of each loaf comes out clean (except for the beautiful melted chocolate) remove from the oven.  Let cool on cooling racks.

6.  Slice a piece immediately and eat.  The best piece is the first, straight out of the oven.  For subsequent pieces, I'd suggest warming in the microwave for 10 seconds or briefly in the toaster.  Just melt the chocolate but do not dry out the bread.  Its moistness is incredible.

 

Pizza on the Stone

For Christmas, my best friend bought me a wonderful pizza stone and peel that I'd been eyeing up for a while.  For so many years, I eschewed the pizza stone because of lack of storage space.  And, also because I tend to like tools and equipment that I use very frequently rather than silly or single use tools. 

Let's just say, I'm really thrilled that she bought me the stone and peel and even though I won't use it every week, the results are so spectacular that it's absolutely worth the extra space and storage creativity I need because of it.  I wrote a post over on one of the other blogs I write for, The Cook's Kitchen, and there you can read all about the stone itself and how much it's seduced me.  In a word, the difference?  Crust.  It's crispy, fully baked and delectable.

I didn't make the pizza dough myself this time around, I must confess I was feeling lazy and getting too many weekend chores done to spend the whole afternoon in the kitchen.  So, I walked around the corner to the local pizza shop, we have one on every corner in New York, and bought the dough from one of the cheery neighborhood pie makers.

We had half veggie pizza and half with prosciutto and cheese and both kinds were just wonderful.  The stone bakes the crust so evenly from the bottom, while the sides and toppings are also cooking and bubbling away.  Here's the basic recipe:

Ingredients:
Serves 4

1 small pizza dough
2 cups homemade tomato sauce
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
6 cremini mushrooms, sliced
12 kalamata olives, pitted and halved
3 oz. fresh proscuitto
1/2 lb. grated fresh mozzarella cheese
3 T. chopped basil

Method:
1.  Place the pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven while the oven is cold and then turn on the oven to preheat to 500˚F.

2. Roll out the dough on a flat countertop space using a little extra flour and heavy rolling pin.  Make sure to get the dough even.  Dust your peel with a little cornmeal and place the dough on top of the peel.  Crimp the edges of the pizza upward to try and contain some of the sauce and toppings.

3. Layer your toppings as desired, in our case we used tomato sauce on the whole pizza, then a handful of mozzarella cheese.  Then, we layered the veggie side with mushrooms, olives, artichoke hearts and more cheese and the meat side with mushrooms, prosciutto and more cheese.  Sprinkle the top with fresh basil.

4. When oven is fully preheated, open the door and slide the pizza onto the stone by sliding the peel forward to cover the stone and then quickly jerking the peel backward toward your body, leaving the pizza on the stone.  If it doesn't fit properly, try to adjust the pizza to be centered on the stone.

5. Close the oven door and let the pizza bake about 20-25 minutes or until the pizza is bubbling and the crust is a light golden brown.  The last 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 475˚F.

6.  Lay out a cooling rack on the countertop and remove the stone with the pizza on top and place on top of the cooling rack.  I chose to leave the pizza on the stone so that second and third serving pieces were still hot.  If you do this, however, you should not use a pizza cutter directly on the stone.  Instead, use a pair of sharp kitchen shears to cut the pieces after the pizza has cooled slightly.  If you want to use a pizza cutter to make  uniform slices, then use the peel to slide under the pizza and remove it from the oven, placing on a cutting board.  Make sure to let the stone cool gradually at room temperature.

7.  Cut, serve and enjoy this delicate and crispy yet airy crust!

The only thing about the pizza stone that isn't optimal is that it's nearly impossible to keep it 100% clean.  Even from the first use, it's normal for the stone to get stained.  Clean it with water and a scouring pad and a little baking soda, to remove all the food itself.  But, it's pretty certain you'll not get any tomato or cheesy oil stains out of the stone completely.  That's okay, it's worth it!

Scrumptious Tea Time

Some Sundays, I make a full-on feast and other days I just want to relax and spend quiet time with Mr. Scrumptious. On those days, one of our favorite rituals is late afternoon tea.

This weekend after cleaning up the brunch dishes, Mr. Scrumptious came into the kitchen to find me busy with the bowls and pans and pulling ingredients from the pantry.  He smiled gently and asked "What are you making?" I replied, "Mini Banana Pecan Muffins" and he laughed, saying "The smell of overripe bananas got you, didn't it?"  Indeed.  I spied two ripe and browning bananas and knew they were bound to be the snickey snack for our afternoon tea. 

I used a pretty standard banana and pecan bread recipe but added a couple of my unique touches.  We bought the tea set you see in the photos at a great store here in New York called Subtle Tea and since the set is so festive and whimsical I decided to do mini muffins instead of a bread.  Actually, I did 24 muffins and a small loaf of bread since I still had some extra batter after filling the cups.  I used the mini silicone baking cups for the first time and loved them! I should have bought 36 of them, however.  I'll be writing them up over on one of my other blogging gigs.  If you happen to live in New York, I heart this tea shop! They have incredible quality and mixes available.

Here's my recipe for the "Mini Banana, Pecan and Ginger Muffins".

Ingredients:
Makes 36 mini muffins or about 18 small muffins

2 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1/4 c. whole milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 c. sugar
1 medium egg
1/2 c. salted butter
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. pecans, toasted and chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 360˚Farenheit.  Place the bananas in a medium bowl and mash.  Add the milk, vanilla extract and ground ginger and continue mashing and stirring until thoroughly mixed and the consistency of very thick soup.

2. In a large bowl cream together the sugar, egg and butter making a smooth and even consistency. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and baking soda.

4. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and mix evenly with a wooden spoon, stopping as soon as the flour is incorporated.  Add one-half of the banana mixture and stir gently.  Repeat with the remaining flour and banana and stir only until it's all incorporated.  Do not overmix this batter or the muffins will be dense and chewy instead of light.  Add the chopped pecans and fold in gently. 

5. If using the silicone muffin cups, you don't need to prepare them, you'll simply fill them and place them on a baking sheet.  If using regular or small muffin tins, grease thoroughly.  Fill the muffin cups of choice to a level just below the rim, a little over 2/3 full.

6. Bake the muffins until golden brown, springy to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean.  The length of time will depend upon your muffin cups.  My mini silicone cups took 16 minutes.  Small muffin tins would take about 20-25 minutes and large muffins would probably take 30-35 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven when done and set the baking sheet on a cooling rack for a few minutes.  Move the muffins to the rack directly and let cool completely before removing the silicone muffin cup.  Serve and enjoy!

These are delicate, moist and the classic combination of bananas and pecans works so well as always.  The vanilla and ginger give them a more balanced flavor but I promise I haven't used so much  that they taste of ginger.  They do not, it simply has a deeper flavor and it goes extremely well with the light and floral flavor of the rooibos tea we drank.  Sunday tea is such a treat when it's done with love.

Mango and Ginger Scones

I like a little brightness and punch in my food during the cold winter months and one of the ways I do this when baking is to use dried variations of my favorite fresh fruits and produce.  When they aren’t available fresh, the dried variation will give the flavor and zip I’m seeking.

Craving the taste of mangos, my very favorite fruit, I created scones this weekend with just enough flavor and brightness to satisfy the craving.  Here are my “Mango and Candied Ginger Scones”.  The basic scone recipe is a variation on the recipes in Once Upon a Tart.

Ingredients:
Makes 12 scones

4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 T plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. table salt
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
¾ lb. (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch cubes
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 fresh clementines, 1 zested (use zest) and ½ c. juiced
½ c. candied ginger, chopped
½ c. dried mango, chopped
¼ c. shelled pecans, chopped

Method:
1.    Position your oven racks so that one is in the center and preheat oven to 400˚F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.    Put the dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the metal chopping blade and pulse to mix.

3.    Add the butter all at once to the processor and run for about 10 seconds in “on”.  Then, switch to “pulse” and process in bursts until there are no more chunks of butter and the ingredients look like moist bread crumbs.  Stop immediately and dump the mixture into a large bowl.

4.    In a small bowl, whisk the eggs to break up the yolks, whisk in all the other ingredients and incorporate completely.

5.    Pour the wet ingredients on top of the dry mixture and quickly stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is fully worked in.  Stop there, do not overwork the dough.

6.    Use a ½ c. measuring cup or your hand to scoop out the batter and set onto the baking sheet.  Leave about 2 inches between the scones.

7.    Bake the scones in the center of the oven for about 20-25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the scone.

8.    Remove the scones from the oven and place the baking sheet on a cooling rack for a few minutes.  Then, life the sheet off the rack and transfer the scones directly to the cooling rack.

9.    Serve when cooled slightly, otherwise they’ll crumble apart too much. 

Choose whichever condiments you like, with this recipe we used butter, and orange marmalade or my favorite Wild Blueberry-Ginger jam.  They were excellent choices, the Clementine juice and zest played off the orange marmalade or the ginger pulled out the ginger in the blueberry jam.  These are hearty and deliciously bright scones for a wintry day.

Happy Birthday Mr. Scrumptious!

My darling husband, Mr. Scrumptious, had a birthday yesterday!! We were so busy celebrating I didn't get to let you all know about it until a day late.

My husband is the most wonderful, kind, gentle and brilliant person I have ever met.  We have an extremely deep and powerful bond which makes us much more than husband and wife.  Each and every day I am so very grateful, thrilled and profoundly awestruck that I am married to the greatest person I have ever known.  I love and cherish him with my entire being and our three years of marriage have been the best years of my life.  Every day is better than the one before. His birthday is a special day to shower him with all the love and spoiling I can muster.

Last year before our Christmas party, I discovered a decadent and very rich recipe from Food & Wine magazine for a Fudgy Chocolate Cake by Andrew Shotts.  This three-layer beauty is unique, dreamy, intense and scrumptious.  Just like my husband.  So this year, I made this luscious cake to match him, my darling Mr. Scrumptious.  Happy Birthday, my love.

P.S.  I used Jacques Torres 70% bittersweet chocolate. Wow.