“The Pizza”

It’s been months since I first made this pizza (I’ve made it several times since since then too), but I’ve held off on posting it for two simple reasons: it is too damn good to describe and too delicious to name.

I just can’t wait any longer to share this little miracle with you all though, so I’m simply going to refer to it as The Pizza.

How does it taste, you ask? Let me paint you a word picture.

Every ingredient, every part, every bite in The Pizza is positively bursting with delicious flavor. The sauce alone is something to marvel at; with some bread, it would be a noteworthy appetizer in its own right. It’s full of finely diced sauteed mushrooms that melt into the tomato sauce as it simmers, creating a whole new meaty depth of flavor. The shallots and sun-dried tomatoes add another layer of zest and complexity.

But The Pizza hardly ends at the sauce. The cheese trifecta of mozzarella, parmesan and mascarpone brings creamy, sharp, and nutty notes together over each slice. That richness is punctuated by earthy fresh basil, spicy arugula and tart balsamic vinegar. And there’s extra sliced mushrooms as well – because why not?

So the next time you have a free evening go ahead and dim the lights, light some candles, crank up the smooth jazz and make yourself The Pizza. It’s a culinary imperative.

Deep Fried Waffle Salad

“You cook adventurous things? So like, a waffle salad or something?”

I do now. Culinary Challenge accepted.

The star ingredient in this dish, the deep fried waffle ‘croutons’, are absolutely delicious; delightfully crunchy on the outside with tender interiors. They’re sweet and doughy and buttery – honestly, they’d make a pretty perfect dish all by themselves.

But the challenge was a waffle salad, so I contrived a supporting cast to make the pairing of waffle and mixed greens less awkward. The balsamic vinegar, maple syrup reduction takes the place of dressing in this recipe, giving the dish tartness tempered with sugar. The walnuts provide texture and neutral notes to give context to the other flavors. Finally, the chèvre provides a perfect counterpoint to the sweetness of the other ingredients with it’s saltiness and creamy texture. All these different elements help bridge the gap between waffle and mixed greens.

So, does it work?

Considering that it’s a waffle salad – Yes. Yes it does. It tastes delicious, and the sweet elements of the dish actually pair well with the spiciness of the argula and other greens. The oddity of what you’re eating does interject at times, but that doesn’t make it any less tasty.

Make this dish for brunch and blow someone’s mind.

Deep Fried Waffle Salad

• 2 freezer waffles, lightly toasted (I recommend blueberry)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup cooking oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 4-6 walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup chèvre
• 1 1/2 cups mixed greens

1. Cut or tear the waffles into 1/2 inch squares. Break the egg into a wide bowl and beat until mixed together. On a plate, combine the flour and brown sugar and mix until evenly distributed. Add the oil to a cast iron pan and heat to medium-high.
2. Add the waffle sections to the beaten egg and toss until evenly coated. Remove and dredge in the sugar-flour mixture until lightly coated. Drop each waffle section into hot oil and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove from heat and set on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
3. In a small pot or sauce pan, combine the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and corn starch. Bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce by half, roughly 6-8 minutes. The resulting mixture should have a syrupy viscosity.
4. Pile the mixed greens on a small plate and top with the deep fried waffles, walnuts and chèvre. Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the top and serve.

Plum and Balsamic Grilled Cheese

Do you remember loving grilled cheese as a kid?  Sitting at the lunch table holding a sandwich with American cheese between two buttery slices of Wonderbread.

Have you grown up since then?  Have your taste matured somewhat?  Do you still love grilled cheese?  Of course you do!

Welcome to the grownups grilled cheese section. And no, that doesn’t just mean using cheddar instead of American. There are hundreds of unique combinations to explore.

This dish is a play on the classic combination of blue cheese and pear, weaving salty and sweet flavors together.  Instead of a more subtly sweet pear, I opted for a softer, more sugary plum.  It still works hand in hand with the blue cheese, but also provides the perfect counterbalance to the third component: raspberry balsamic reduction.  All three are roughly combined so that each bite offers a different combination of sweet, salty and tangy.

The plum, cheese and balsamic reduction all rest between two lightly buttered, well toasted slices of fresh sourdough that offer the perfect crunch to round out the dish.  This is a great way to take a childhood classic and make it into something you could serve at a friends dinner party!

Plum and Balsamic Grilled Cheese

• Loaf of sourdough bread
• 3 tablespoons of blue cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoon of feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 plum, sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup raspberry balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of butter

 

1. In a sauce pan, combine both balsamic vinegars, water and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, then remove from heat.  Allow the mixture to cool until it achieves a syrupy consistency.
2. Combine the two cheeses and mix until evenly distributed.
3. Cut two slices off the load of sourdough, approximately 1/2 inch thick each. Cover with a layer of the cheese mixture, then a layer of plums and another layer of cheese.  Drizzle the balsamic reduction on top and place the other slice of bread on top.
4. Butter the outsides of the sandwich. Heat a small pat of butter in a pan to medium heat. Place the sandwich in the pan with a plate and weight on top to compress it. Cook until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown on each side, approximately 3-4 minutes on each side.
5. Remove from heat.  Allow to cool briefly and serve.