Deep Dish French Bread Pizzas

Last week over on Pine Tar Press I created a simple version of deep dish pizza for the Royals series with the Chicago White Sox. Instead of laboring over a crust, I used club rolls and hollowed them out to create "bread boats" to fill with the hearty pizza toppings. These were so good I plan on making them again and again (but be forewarned: they are gut-busters!).
Deep Dish French Bread Pizza

Tomato and White Bean Tartine

I have been out of school now for almost eight years. Yet somehow, every time May rolls around I start to feel that hopeful zeal of summer approaching. Out in the real world my schedule doesn't change once summer hits, yet I still experience that light, exciting rush as the seasons change. It's the promise of days in the park lounging in the grass, cook-outs, weekend trips, outdoor concerts and movies. The smell of the leaves and that something warm in the air. Especially enticing are the foods that come along with it--the overflowing gardens and farms that will spill their way into the greenmarkets. How well we will eat!

Though tomatoes haven't yet made an appearance, I needed to eat a summer-like meal and it came together in this simply rustic tartine. The ingredients (the freshest you can find!) piled on top of crusty halves of bread and broiled until it all just barely comes together. A summer full of flavors in every bite.

Tomato and White Bean Tartine
serves 2

1/4 c. ricotta cheese
1/4 c. small white beans, like cannelloni, cooked (or from a can, rinsed and drained)
2 TB chopped rosemary
2-6" halves of good quality, crusty bread (an Italian loaf, perhaps)
3/4 c. spinach, chopped
1 c. tomatoes, chopped (perhaps chopped cherry heirloom tomatoes)
extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c. gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat the broiler.
In a small bowl mix together the ricotta cheese, white beans and rosemary. Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary.
Spread the white bean mixture onto the halves of bread. Top off each with half of the spinach and half of the tomatoes. Drizzle each with a bit of extra virgin olive oil (I would probably add a bit of salt and pepper here, too). Sprinkle the gruyere cheese on top. Now place the tartines onto a baking sheet and place under the broiler until the cheese has melted and the toppings are just barely warmed through, just a minute or so. Allow to cool for another minute or so and then enjoy!

(maybe you serve these alongside some barely blanched asparagus topped with hollandaise and bottarga. I wouldn't fault you for this)

Food Book Fair

Many days I have to pinch myself to make sure it's all real that I am here and living well and happy in New York City. How lucky am I to live in this place with such a bounty of opportunities. Especially with an abundance of food culture. Not only are there countless restaurants of innumerable cuisines, but there are a large, growing number of food artisans and specialty shops. There are also many food conferences. Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending one of the days of the Food Book Fair, held at the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg.

Straight from the website, The Food Book Fair was "the first ever event bringing together food publications from around the world alongside a dynamic set of events celebrating food writing, reading, and activism." There was a small bookshop set up in the lobby of the hotel filled with cookbooks and food publications, along with a table set up for book signings. Then there were series of panels occurring all weekend long with food personalities discussing everything from food and science to food and art to food and technology. I was able to attend three of the panels. The first discussed food studies with four food studies professors/teachers. This was a very interesting discussion, but unfortunately it covered such a broad spectrum of topics that I never felt like we were able to delve in as deep as I would have liked on any of them. I left feeling intrigued and excited, but wanting more.

Next up I sat in on a conversation with April Bloomfield and the co-author of her new cookbook, A Girl and Her Pig, JJ Goode. This was such a great talk about how these two worked together to write a book that was truly from April's voice and heart. I was excited about the cookbook before, but once the panel was over I really couldn't wait to get my hands on it. And, thanks to the bookshop, I didn't have to! Not only could I pick up a copy of the book, but I also got the opportunity to meet April and JJ and have a short chat while they signed it for me. Looking forward to spending lots of time curled up with this one!

The final panel of the day featured Harold McGee (author of On Food and Cooking) and Maxime Bilet (co-author of the tome Modernist Cuisine) discussing food, science, and modern gastronomy. This is another conversation that I wish could have gone on much longer. How can you discuss all of this plus the process of putting together Modernist Cuisine in just one hour! I was definitely disappointed to not get more time to listen to Mr. McGee speak but grateful for the short opportunity, as well as the chance to also get his autograph in my own copy of On Food and Cooking.

Overall I felt like I had an inspiring, thought-provoking day in my food life. And on top of it all, I was in Williamsburg on a Sunday which meant some time wandering around the Brooklyn Flea (and all of the yummy food vendors), an afternoon snack at Bakeri, and dinner at Marlow and Sons. Not a bad way to end the weekend!

Lately, Over on Pine Tar Press

Chive Deviled Eggs

Peameal Bacon Sandwiches

Porcini Hot Dish

Italian Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches

Garlic Mustard Pesto and Gnocchi

In April I spent part of one day wandering around off the trails in Prospect Park gathering up a few wild edibles. I go through a phase almost every spring where I want to go out and round up the free bounty in the park and use it to create dinner, but never actually get around to it (besides picking a bit of wild garlic here and there). This year, driven I think mostly by the belief that I would for sure stumble upon a patch of ramps, I went out and spent an hour or so finally carrying out my plans. I never did find that patch of ramps I was hoping for, but came across some other greens for dinner.

I decided to take the garlic mustard and wild garlic bulbs and blend them together to form a pesto. Since the garlic mustard was pretty young the flavor wasn't terribly strong, but I hear that as it gets older it gets much more intense. I think that is why it is often cut with parsley in pesto recipes. I took this sauce with a kick and tossed it with one of my favorite ricotta gnocchi recipes from Steamy Kitchen (it includes lemon zest and chopped parsley in the recipe to give it a bright bite and is fried before tossing with the pesto so it is nice and crispy).

Garlic Mustard Pesto and Gnocchi

3-4 servings

1 recipe ricotta gnocchi*

1 c. parsley

1 c. garlic mustard

3 wild garlic bulbs

1/4 c. almonds

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnishing

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

extra virgin olive oil

*Make the gnocchi based on Steamy Kitchen's recipe. I find that after cutting the gnocchi into pieces it will hold up better during cooking if you place them onto a parchment paper covered sheet pan in the fridge for an hour or so. After frying you will not toss the gnocchi with chili flakes as in her recipe, instead you will toss it with the garlic mustard pesto and then top with a bit more Parmesan before serving.

To make the pesto: place the parsley, garlic mustard, wild garlic bulbs, almonds, Parmesan cheese and lemon juice into a food processor. Process briefly and then add the extra virgin olive oil in a stream as you process until the mixture comes together and is just barely loose (you want it to toss easily in the pasta). Taste it and add salt and pepper as needed. Toss the pesto with the fried gnocchi to serve.

Mini Ice Cream Cakes

The husband's birthday was this week. As is tradition, we had a pork-centric dinner (pork shank ravioli, roasted baby leeks, sauteed ramps, good wine). Since Joe and I both love ice cream cake, I decided to try my hand at making them on my own. I was a little spent from making homemade ravioli, braising the meat, pickling ramps, cleaning and blanching the leeks, and cleaning up the apartment to make homemade ice cream and frosting, so will admit I went with store-bought this time around, but feel more than free to insert your own recipes for these if you have the time and patience. The best part about this recipe is that these are so simple to put together and there are countless flavor variations by just switching up ice cream or frosting used. In my version I went with straight chocolate across the board.

So Happy Birthday, Joe. So happy I get to celebrate another year with you. I look forward to every moment!

Mini Ice Cream Cakes

4 servings

8 Oreos

3 TB butter, melted

1 pint chocolate ice cream

1/2 c. dark chocolate frosting

Bring the ice cream out of the freezer and allow to soften slightly.

Put the Oreos into a food processor and blend until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse a few times until the mixture comes together.

Divide the Oreo crumb mixture into 4 small (3/4c.) ramekins. Press the mixture into the bottom of the dishes to form the crust. Place the ramekins into the freezer to set up for about 5 minutes.

Divide the ice cream among the 4 ramekins and smooth the top. Place in the freezer again and allow the ice cream to set up and harden, about an hour.

Divide and spread the frosting on top of the ice cream in each ramekin. Freeze again until ready to serve. I like to pull the ice cream cakes out for about 5 minutes or so before serving to allow them to soften up just a bit.

Smoky Roasted Eggplant with Pita Crisps

One afternoon last year the husband and I met up with an out-of-town friend at a little Italian joint on the Lower East Side. This place has some killer gnocchi, delicious fried zucchini and wood-fire roasted pizzas. We ordered an array of food (really far too much for 3 people, but we are a group that loves their food) including pastas, pizza and vegetables. Slowly items started hitting the table and we dug in as the conversation and the wine flowed freely. After everything else was in front of us and partially consumed, out came our final dish: the roasted eggplant. It had been roasted whole in the wood fire oven. It was presented to us by our server, not unlike a whole fish would be, before he placed it in front of us and cut it in half, allowing the creamy interior to come bursting forth. He drizzled it with both an extra virgin olive oil and a roasted chili oil and told us to enjoy. Already impressed, I dug in, unprepared for the pure joy that was about to enter my mouth. This simple dish remains to this day one of my favorite bites in the city and rarely does a week go by without me craving it.

I have tried to recreate this scrumptious offering in my home a few times. It never quite gets all the way there as I don't have my own wood fire oven (yet--one day I promise myself I will out in my backyard!), but it at least satiates my cravings and is still wonderful in its own right. This last time around I decided to boost up the flavor and richness slightly by adding a good dollop of creamy, thick Greek yogurt and a good sprinkling of chipotle chili flakes, which helped give it a smoky edge. Served up with crispy pita it makes an ideal light, easy dinner or the perfect dinner party appetizer.


Smoky Roasted Eggplant with Pita Crisps
serves 1-2 as entree or 3-4 as appetizer

1 large or 2 medium eggplants
3 garlic cloves, chopped into large pieces
olive oil
zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 TB Greek yogurt
chipotle chili pepper flakes
fleur de sel
extra virgin olive oil

4 pieces flatbread or pita
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Clean the eggplants and pierce the skin in multiple places with a sharp knife. Place the garlic pieces into some of the holes (in my photo you see the garlic sticking out of the skin--you don't want to do this or the garlic will burn. Push the garlic pieces all the way in so they are flush with the skin of the eggplant).

Rub the eggplants all over with a bit of olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Place into the oven and roast until it is soft and starting to collapse (time will vary drastically on this depending on size and freshness of eggplants. It will probably take at least an hour, but check after 45 minutes for the first time and every 15 minutes or so until they are ready). Remove from the oven and allow to sit for a couple of minutes while you prepare the pita crisps.

Cut each piece of pita/flatbread into 6 wedges. Brush on both sides with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Place under the broiler to toast, then flip and toast the other side. Remove to a plate.

Finish off the eggplant: Place on a platter and cut in half (leaving the bottom part of the skin that touches the plate intact is fine and recommended). Sprinkle with the zest and juice of the lemon, then dollop on the Greek yogurt. Sprinkle with chipotle chili flakes, fleur de sel, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve. To eat, scoop out some of the eggplant filling with the toppings and eat with the pita crisps (this time around the eggplant skin will go unconsumed).