HHDD #17: Here, have a slice!

I have become a crazy-person about making pizza at home. With a few simple ingredients, anyone can make their own. Using either store-bough dough or home made (and its really not that hard to do), you can toss anything you like on your pizza. You can make it all one flavor or half-n-half, or one-thirds green pepper because you're mate doesn't care for them... and I'd like to see Pizza Hut make a one-thirds green pepper pizza!

You can imagine my delight when I read that Joey of 80 Breakfasts chose pizza as this round of HHDD's theme! (For those of you that remember, HHDD = Hay Hay it's Donna Day! is a fabulous event created by the lovely Barbara, honoring the much-adored Donna Hay. Each round's winner hosts the next, starting us off with a Donna Hay recipe that fits the new theme.)(For those of you that really remember, I was lucky enough to host HHDD #12: Caesar Salad. Totally fun!!)

Okay, enough with all that link-action - back to the pizza! I saw this pizza on an episode of Giada's Weekend Getaways.... she was in Boston and went to Sonsie's for an amazing-looking lunch of pizza... White cheese pizza with grilled corn and wood smoked bacon! As if that doesn't sound delicious enough, the cheese was cheddar and brie!! Chedder and BRIE!!

Sure, I go on and on about my love of goat cheese... but me and brie go waaaaaay back. When Dave has hockey games, I sometimes just have brie and toast for dinner... and this morning, I worked brie into our breakfast sandwiches (bacon, egg and brie on a bagel, if anyone is interested).

I saw the episode long before Joey announced her round, so when she did, I knew that this pizza would be it! I cooked the bacon first and used the bacon drippings to grill the corn. I don't know which is better: the brie or the corn cooked in bacon fat! My super-clogged arteries took one for the team, I know, but I'm a giver. :)

My thanks to Joey for such a fun choice and for giving me a good excuse to make this delicious pizza! Pop over to Joey's site for the roundup and a chance to vote!

White Cheese Pizza with Grilled Corn and Wood Smoked Bacon
Seen on Giada’s Weekend Getaways: Boston, Food Network TV
Recipe courtesy Chef Bill Poirier of Sonsie's in Boston
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_89142,00.html

8 ounces pizza dough, store-bought or home-made
1 tablespoon semolina flour
3 slices sharp Cheddar
5 (1/2-inch) cubes brie cheese
1/4 cup grilled corn kernels
3 strips cooked smoked bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon freshly flat-leaf parsley, no stems
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon grated Pecorino Romano

Preheat oven with pizza stone to 475 ° F for 30 minutes.

Gently stretch dough to 11-inches in diameter. Place dough on pizza peel dusted with semolina to prevent sticking. Top dough with the Cheddar and brie cheese. Scatter corn, bacon and parsley leaves. Sprinkle pizza with olive oil then Romano. Slide pizza onto hot stone in oven. Bake 6 to 8 minutes until golden, cut into 6 slices and serve on warm plate.

See the recipe...

Pan-Fried Chicken with Oregano-Buttered Beans

It kills me that I made this at the beginning of July and am only posting about it now. Kills me!!

This is such a simple meal to prepare, and the ingredients work something like magic. Seriously. Magic. The chicken roasted happily in the oven, the beans heated on the stove and turned into a creamy, lemony, oregano happiness. I have a thing for arugula, too, and its pepperiness lent beautifully to the chicken and beans. So simple, I don't even know how to better describe it all... creamy, friendly, bright, peppery.... does that do it?

This has been our dinner only the one time, but I know that its something that's going to make it into my Recipe File for Life. Seriously.

Pan-Fried Chicken with Oregano-Buttered Beans
Donna Hay Magazine, Issue 32

4 chicken breasts (7 oz. each)
olive oil for brushing
sea slat and cracked black pepper
3 ½ oz. unsalted butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup oregano leaves
14 oz. can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch (3 ½ oz) arugula leaves, trimmed

Brush the chicken with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the butter, lemon juice oregano and beans to the pan and cook for a further 2 minutes or until the beans are warm and the butter is golden brown. Slice the chicken and arrange with the oregano-buttered beans and rocket to serve.

Serves 4.

See the recipe...

Hay Hay its Donna Day 12: Caesar Salad

All craziness of this past week aside, I still have to pinch myself about this. I could barely contain myself when I got the email from Helen on Tuesday, sharing my win with me. Anyone I work with will tell you, I squealed (seriously) and bounced up and down the halls. I called my husband and squealed at him. Called my mom and squealed at her. I think all the nearby dogs heard me squeal in pitches unheard by man.

Why all the giddiness? Because I've only been blogging a month. Rookie luck? Probably. But I'll take it! I'll take it and I'll tell you why. I've always felt awkward: I never know what to say, strangers freak me out, yadda yadda... but talking about food? With other people that love food? Totally my element. And winning this event, to me, is kinda like not being picked last in gym class. My heart is all filled up and I thank you for that. (Could I be ANY lamer??) :)

Once the bouncing passed, I got to wondering what my theme would be for HHDD #12. I quizzed Barbara, creator of these lovely HHDD events, on how this process works. Without her, I think I'd still be brainstorming and pouring over recipes.

Then it came to me, with the last two months of fantastic, mouth-watering sweets, that I could really really use a salad. You know that feeling? You glut your way through a weekend, and you really just want some nice crunchy lettuce? Mind you, this caesar has bacon... but its crunchy, too, so... yah. :)

So, ladies and gentlemen, send me your salads, your wraps, your pizzas and your stuffed things. Anything with the main elements of caesar, and I want to see it. You all are a crafty bunch and I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Fine print:
Please post your caesar salad recipe by May 27th. Once posted, please email it to me at otherpeoplesfood AT gmail DOT com, including your name, name of your blog and its URL, title of your recipe and the URL to your post, and a picture of your caesar. (Whew!) I will post the round-up on June 3rd, winner declared June 10th. To the winner goes a copy of one of my favorite cookbooks and the hosting duties of HHDD #13 (lucky!)

To get you started, I picked Donna Hay's Caesar Salad from her Modern Classics Book 1, posted after the jump.

Good luck, and happy caesaring! :)


Caesar Salad
From “Modern Classics Book 1” by Donna Hay

6 rashers bacon
1 large cos (romaine) lettuce
sea salt and cracked black pepper
¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese
croutons
1 thin baguette, sliced (32 slices)
olive oil
1 clove garlic, halved
dressing
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 anchovy fillets
¼ finely grated parmesan cheese
½ cup (4 fl oz.) vegetable oil

To make the croutons, preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F). Place the baguette slices on a baking tray, brush with the olive oil and bake for 10 minutes or until crisp and golden. Rub each slice with the cut garlic and set aside.

Place the bacon on a baking tray and cook under a hot grill (broiler) until crisp. When cooled, tear into large pieces. Trim the lettuce leaves, reserving the smaller inner leaves and roughly chopping the larger ones.

To make the dressing, process the egg yolk, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, anchovies and parmesan in a food processor until combined. With the motor running, gradually add the oil and process until smooth and creamy. To serve, toss together the lettuce, two-thirds of the dressing, the bacon, croutons, salt and pepper. Spoon over the remaining dressing and top with the shaved parmesan.

Serves 4.

See the recipe...

HHDD # 11: Mousse!

About a month ago, I went to dinner my girlfriend Jessica to a lovely restaurant I'd been dying to go to. I liked it so much, I convinced my husband to take me there the very next night. Both visits, Michel’s Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Bars were ordered. I'm assuming that Patrick Bazin is pals with Michel Richard. (Lucky!) I have a girlfriend that has been to Richard's Citronelle in DC, and she's also had these yummy little bars. We were delighted to find the recipe in his book.

This recipe is wordy, no doubt about it. But don't be scared, it flows pretty easily, and before you know it, you're done. The first time I made these bars, I skipped making the sauce - and they were still great. This second time, I went ahead and made the sauce, and man-o-man, its well worth it. The nutty goodness that is left in the strainer is sooooo good, you should save it. I would have, but Dave came out (ok, ok, I called him out to taste it), declared the goo "highly edible" and proceeded to smear it on his ice cream. I might have helped. :)

This is my first month participating in Hay Hay Its Donna Day! and I hope you like it!

PS: O yah! Go to Tartelette and vote (ends 4/29)!!

Le Kit Cat
From: Happy in the Kitchen: The Craft of Cooking, the Art of Eating
By Michel Richard

Bottom Layer
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons peanut oil
7 ounces milk chocolate, melted and at body temperature
1 ¼ cups crushed cornflakes

Top Layer
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
5 ounces 60% semisweet chocolate, melted and at body temperature

Hazelnut Sauce (makes ¾ cup)
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon water
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
½ cup (about 2 ounces) roasted hazelnuts, skins removed

Unsweetened cocoa power
1 pint raspberries
Whipped cream

Line an 8-inch square pan with plastic wrap, letting it overhang on all sides.

For the bottom layer, place the peanut butter and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium to medium-high speed until thoroughly combined and light in color, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Reduce the speed to low, add the chocolate, and mix for a minute, or until thoroughly combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the cornflakes.

Pour into the prepared pan. Using a small offset spatula, spread the mixture into an even layer, being sure to reach into the corners. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

For the top layer, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Place the chocolate in a medium to large bowl. Working fairly quickly, fold half of the whipped cream into the chocolate. Fold in the remaining cream.

Pour the mixture over the bottom layer and spread into an even layer, being sure to reach into the corners. Bang the bottom of the pan against the work surface to eliminate any air bubbles in the top layer.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the top layer is set, at least 4 hours. (At this point, the dessert can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

For the hazelnut sauce, stir the sugar and water together in a medium heavy saucepan over medium-high heat just to moisten the sugar, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, without stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until the caramel is a light amber. If any sugar crystals cling to the sides of the pan as the caramel cooks, brush them down with a damp pastry brush.
Meanwhile, combine the cream and milk in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until warm (warming the liquid will help to keep the sugar from hardening when the liquid is added.) Set aside in a warm spot.

When the caramel is light amber, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the hazelnuts, coating them in the caramel. Return the pan to the heat, add the cream mixture, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes. The nuts should be thoroughly coated and the caramel liquefied, without any solid pieces. Transfer to a large blender (be careful, the mixture will be hot.)

Cover the top of the feed tube with a towel and process until the nuts are finely ground. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. (The sauce can also be refrigerated, covered, for 3 days.)

One hour before serving, remove the pan from the refrigerator. Using the plastic overhang, remove the block from the pan and place on the work surface. Peel off the plastic. It is best to cut the bars with a warm large knife. Have a deep container of hot water nearby; dip the knife into the water, and dry with a kitchen towel before each cut. Cut into sixteen 4-by1-inch bars.

Using a tea strainer, or a fine-mesh sieve, dust the tops of the bars with cocoa powder: Brush gently so the cocoa fills in any small holes. Let the cocoa sink in for a minute, then dust a second time for a smooth finish.

Arrange 4 bars on each serving plate. Spoon the sauce around the bars, and garnish with the whipped cream and raspberries.

See the recipe...