Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Pizza! Pizza!


I wanted to learn to do it myself. I tried many dough recipes looking for one that had a yeastiness and baked through in my oven (pizza ovens cook at an intensity rarely found in home ovens, especially rental ovens). I found a basic recipe I liked and then kept making pizza until I got consistent results. Confession time: I have a problem with doughs. I'm working to improve my technique. The first big step was buying a digital food scale which I am learning to trust. (I always think the dough is too wet and keep adding flour, resulting in brick hard breads). Dough needs to hydrate on it's own (part of what's happening during rising/resting phases) and you must trust the recipe! Maybe you don't have this same hang-up, buoy for you.

Pizza Dough
2 1/4 t. yeast (1/4 oz.)
1/2 t. brown sugar (2 g)
1 1/2 c. warm water (110 deg. F)
1 t. salt
2 T. olive oil
~5 c. flour (400-600 g)

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast the brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 min.

2. Stir in the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 c. (300 g) flour.

3. Sprinkle counter with flour, turn dough out onto a clean surface and knead in more flour (100 g - 300 g) (about 2/3 c.- 2 1/2 c.) until the dough is no longer sticky. (Trust the numbers!)

4. Let rise until double in a well-oiled dough and covered with a cloth (about 1 hour). Punch down the dough, divide in 2+ and form tight balls. Allow the dough to relax before rolling out.

5. Preheat oven to 425* deg F. (I actually do 500 deg. F, but my oven runs cool). When heated, bake rolled crust for ~5 minutes. Remove from oven and add toppings. (Tip: you may not need as many toppings and you think). Use pizza sauce (I like to make homemade and let it simmer throughout rising), a few toppings (artichoke hearts and shallots) and a light sprinkling of cheese. Cook with toppings until cheese is bubbling (about 10-15 minutes). [Internal temp should be 160 deg. F].

6. Remove pizza from oven and let rest for about 5 minutes before cutting and serving. Bon appetite!

Yield: 2 large pizzas (8 servings). Dough can be kept in the fridge for a few days or frozen.

*Time and temps will differ depending on your cooking method. If you use a heated pizza stone it will cook faster than if you use a cookie sheet.

Monday, March 22, 2010

flan

Last week, a friend held a tamale making party (it's a lot of work and easiest to have help!). Everyone brought some snacks and I decided to make my first flan. I found a recipe that seemed pretty simple and set about to make the flan. The recipe requires so many egg yolks, that I'm going to make an angel food cake as it's counterpart (with early strawberries). The flan is steamed on the stovetop, so you'll need a pie plate that fits into the top of a large pot.

Flan
10 egg yolks
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
12 oz. evaporated milk
3 T. butter
3 T. brown sugar

1. Whisk together egg yolks, condensed milk ,and evaporated milk. Set aside.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar. Keep stirring until the brown sugar has dissolved and 'burnt'. Evenly spread the sugar over the bottom of a pie plate. Then pour in the custard.
3. Fill a large pot with water (about 3/4 full) and bring to a simmer. Cover the flan with foil. Set flan in pot and cover with the pot lid. Cook flan for 65-70 minutes. Remove flan from the boiling water and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes.
4. To serve, run a knife around the edge of the flan. Invert onto a serving plate. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

vanilla pudding


Vanilla Pudding

2 c. milk, scalded (heated to 185 deg. F)
2 eggs separated
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. corn starch
1-2 t. vanilla flavoring
pinch of salt
2 bananas, assorted berries, or nilla wafers if desired

1. Scald milk on medium high heat until it reaches 185 deg. F (85 deg. C) which is nearing a boil. Stir constantly to prevent skin from forming and sugars from burning.
2. Mix sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch together. Beat to a smooth paste. Add paste to scalded milk mixing constantly over medium heat until thickened. (Be sure to mix it in throughly at first so you don't get egg-y bits!)
3. When thickened transfer to another dish (or dishes) and over with plastic wrap (press to surface to prevent formation of a skin, if preferred) and keep in fridge until cooled (two hours to overnight).
4. Serve with sliced bananas or nilla wafers or assorted berries. Enjoy!
Serves 4 (1/2 c. servings)

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Broccoli Romanesco



Lemon Dijon Broccoli Romanesco
1 head broccoli romanesco, trim & wash as you would broccoli
2 T. butter, melted
1 t. dijon mustard
1 1/2 t. lemon juice
1/4 t. salt
1 t. sugar
2 T. parmesan, grated

Steam the broccoli romanesco for 7-9 minutes, being careful not to over cook. Toss to coat with dressing. Sprinkle with cheese. ~2-3 servings

* These names might be confusing. Most sources make a distinction between green looking cauliflower and the conical looking broccoli as broccoflower and broccoli romanesco respectively, but broccoli romanesco is frequently called broccoflower as well.