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Bacon Cabbage Pizza

17 March 2015

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Yes, we’ve gone a bit batty for St. Patty’s day, but in truth, the pizza really is quite good. Given our low supply of pantry staples yesterday, Jason did a quick search keeping in mind a few things that we did have in our larder and this cabbage bacon pizza from epicurious popped up. We tweaked the recipe quite a bite, starting with the dough. Rye and graham flours give an earthy tone to our crust, a nice cheddar mornay sauce for the base, fewer pieces of bacon (we like bacon, but 8 pieces seems excessive), a dash of sherry vinegar over the cabbage, and a light touch with the gruyere cheese is all that is needed—no mozzarella necessary. A little Irish, a little Italian, and a little Swiss. This multicultural pizza is a perfect substitute for the usual corned beef and cabbage. However, Guinness is a must!

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Pizza Dough (adapted from Mark Bittman)

1 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more as needed
1 cup rye flour
1 cup graham flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1 – 1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a food processor. Turn the machine on and add 1 cup water and the oil through the feed tube.

Process for about 30 seconds, adding more water, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch. If it is still dry, add another tablespoon or two of water and process for another 10 seconds. Process until the dough forms a ball.

Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand for a few seconds to form a smooth, round dough ball. Put the dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let rise until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours. (You can cut this rising time short if you’re in a hurry, or you can let the dough rise more slowly, in the refrigerator, for up to 6 or 8 hours.) Proceed to Step 4 or wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap or a zipper bag and freeze for up to a month. (Defrost in the bag or a covered bowl in the refrigerator or at room temperature; bring to room temperature before shaping.)

When the dough is ready, form it into a ball and divide it into 2 or more pieces if you like; roll each piece into a round ball. Put each ball on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle with flour, and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rest until they puff slightly, about 20 minutes.

Cheddar Mornay Sauce

1 cup whole milk
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
salt & pepper
optional: ground mustard, cayenne, and/or Worcestershire sauce

In a small sauce pan, warm the milk with the bay leaf. In another sauce pan over medium heat, add the butter and melt until bubbles form. Add the flour and whisk for about 30 seconds or until flour is slightly tan. Add the warm milk, minus the bay leaf, and whisk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat and add the shredded cheddar cheese, whisking until smooth. Set aside.

Bacon and Cabbage

3 strips of bacon
1/2 medium cabbage head, cored and shredded
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
salt & pepper

Add the bacon to the skillet, over low to medium heat, and slowly render the fat from the bacon until it is crisp. Flipping and turning as necessary. About 15 minutes. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel. Pour off bacon fat, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the shredded cabbage and sauté until wilted and slightly brown. Make a hot spot in the center of the pan and add the caraway seeds. Toast for 10-30 seconds then stir into the cabbage. Remove from heat and season with sherry vinegar, salt and pepper.

Assembling and Baking the Pizza

1/2 pizza dough
cheddar mornay sauce
bacon and sautéd cabbage
1 cup shredded gruyere cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Roll the dough or toss to form a circle.

Par bake the dough for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and smear half to all of the cheddar mornay sauce; bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and crumble the bacon over the top, then add the sautéd cabbage, and top with shredded gruyere. Back for another 10-15 minutes or until top is slightly toasted and pizza crust is also toasted and crisp.

Mad about Madeleines

14 February 2015

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France has given us so many wonderful things: French Fries, the Eiffel Tower, and berets—just to name a few—but one of the things we love most of all from France is the madeleine—and Champagne, of course. These soft little cake-like and shell-shaped cookies are truly a god send—probably from Eros or Cupid—because after one bite you too will be in love. The cookies were created somewhere in France and Spain but how the cookie got it’s name is still undecided. However, it seems they were brought into vogue by, of all places, Versailles, by Louis the XV and his bride Marie. For Valentine’s Day, what could be more romantic than France, Versailles, and madeleines?

I twisted the traditional madeleine recipe with two different flavors—lemon and raspberry. My inspiration came from a few different sources. First, my good friend Ingrid started blogging at Sweet Comfort Kitchen and Madeleines were her first post, then there’s Rachel Khoo’s Little Paris Kitchen with her raspberry lemon curd interpretation, and finally while googling I stumbled across Coffee and Crumpets’ Red Strawberry Madeleines.

If you’re making dinner for your loved one(s) this Saturday night and don’t want to serve the ubiquitous chocolate lava cake for dessert, but want something easy, light, and a little fun in the kitchen, give these a go. The batter should be made in advance and allowed to rest in the fridge, which means these are ready to go when you are. The only special equipment you’ll need is a set of cute Madeleine pans which you can find at most kitchen supply stores or Amazon, because they have everything. You can also use a mini muffin pan if you’re in a pinch.

Raspberry and Lemon Madeleines

1 1/2 cups plain or all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 stick of unsalted butter, 8 tablespoons melted and cooled
2 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup raspberry puree (1 cup raspberries with 2 tablespoons dehydrated raspberries, 1 tablespoon sugar and a pinch of salt, pureed in a blender and strained)
1-4 drops of red food coloring (optional, but necessary for dramatic contrast)

Lemon Glaze (optional)
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Whisk together flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Melt the butter and honey together, add the salt and cool.

In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment add the eggs and granulated sugar; whisk on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5-8 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift flour mixture over the top in 2 additions, folding in after each addition. Add the melted butter and honey mixture and stir until all flour is combined.

Divide the batter in two; add lemon zest and juice to one and raspberry puree to the other. Pour the mixtures into two zip lock bags and refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Let batter stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Generously butter 2 standard-size or 2 mini nonstick or aluminum madeleine pans using a pastry brush and dust lightly with flour; tap out any excess flour.

Snip off a very small corner of the zip lock bag. Pipe some of the raspberry batter into molds   and then some lemon in the same molds. Being creative in the process and filling each about three-quarters full. Bake on middle rack until pale gold, 8 to 11 minutes (6 to 8 minutes for mini madeleines). Immediately shake madeleines out. Wash and rebutter molds. Repeat with remaining batter. Dust baked madeleines with confectioners’ sugar or cover with a simple lemon glaze.

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