Prosciutto = Happiness

When I was in college at University of Rhode Island my (now) husband (!) and I had our first vacation together. It wasn't just anywhere - we were lucky enough to snag a 10 day trip to the Amalfi Coast of Italy for only about $1300 a person. The cliffs rising from crystal blue waves, towns climbing up their craggy corners and roads racing through narrow crevices redefined our ideas of beauty. And I don't need to tell you how amazing the food was! Italian ideals of simple food cooked with respect from the finest ingredients made every dish unforgettable.

We had always planned to be married in Positano, at a little church on the very top of the cliff, looking out over the water. Unfortunately that was not feasible, since the Euro is now putting the dollar to shame. Not to be outdone, we picked a place just as special to us - the site of our first date - Colt State Park in beautiful Bristol, Rhode Island. We got our ocean views, mild weather and a little taste of Italy (yes, I did about 1/2 the cooking!), but it still leaves us just a little "homesick" for the place where our souls reside. This pizza has helped to bridge the gap - pulling Amalfi flavors into our American existance.

Arugula Prosciutto Pizza


Prepared Pizza Dough
6 oz pesto (try this one or use storebought - but first drain off excess oil and reserve for another use)
1 lb fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

2 1/2 cups arugula, rinsed and dried
2 Tbsp good Italian dressing
1 lb prosciutto - sliced paper thin


Preheat the oven to 500 degrees with a 16 inch pizza stone on the middle rack.

Roll out the dough to a thin 16 inch round. Remove the pizza oven from the oven and rest on the stovetop (with burners turned off!). Drape dough over the stone. Let the dough cook on the stone (still on the stovetop) until the bottom is no longer sticky. Flip pizza so the cooked side is up. Spread with pesto and top with slices of mozzarella, sprinkle with parmesan.

Return pizza to oven and bake until cheese is melted and crust is crispy - about 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, toss arugula with dressing.

Remove pizza from oven and top with arugula and little piles of prosciutto. Cut and enjoy!

In Search of the Egg

When I was a child Easter was a magical holiday. My father was the master of the Easter Egg Hunt. Now, I'm not talking close your eyes and i'll hide some eggs, then you scuttle around trying to find them before your bratty little brother. I'm talking personalized clues for both of us, made weeks in advance, hidden in candy filled eggs. We had to decipher the clue in order to find the next one, and hours later eventually find the treasure trove in a basket somewhere we never would have looked. The hunt began in an Easter egg suspended by ribbon just above our pillows, so when we woke up it we couldn't miss it.

To this day my dad insists that it was just a ploy to buy him a couple more hours of sleep. And although God knows a man who commuted 2 hours each way every weekday and traveled several times a month needed all the sleep he can get, I know it was a lousy excuse. He loved how happy it made us, how we felt like pirates searching for lost treasure and seeing our beaming faces all day long, straight through church service and on through dinner, even with the dreaded brussel sprouts. I think Easter was the one holiday my father actually enjoyed. His parents divorced over the winter holidays and so his memories are not so pleasant. But on Easter he would arise to our cheers and looting of our baskets and make a plate of deviled eggs and leisurely read the paper before we got dressed up and prepared for the day's festivities.

Now that we've all grown up and gone, I hope he still lingers in the window seat with his morning coffee and his thoughts drift back to days gone by, as mine have this morning. I hope it brings a smile to his face. Here's to you dad, and here's what I would cook for Easter.

BRUNCH


Bacon Cheddar Scallion Quiche
Quiche is the perfect brunch dish. Here's why: 1 - you can make it with almost anything, any leftover meats and veggies you can scrounge up. 2 - It reheats beautifully (not to mention it's also good cold), making it the perfect make ahead dish. This was always a favorite of my dad's, although on easter, it would have been deviled eggs, probably with the hard boiled ones we dyed the day before. The ricotta may sound out of place, but it lends a delightful creaminess to the quiche, especially when left in small chunks. If this one doesn't suit your mood, try Cajun quiche instead.



1 store bought refrigerated pie crust
8 oz shredded sharp 2% cheddar cheese
5 slices bacon, crisp cooked
1/4 cup ham chunks (optional)
5 small scallions, white and green parts sliced thin
1/2 cup fat free ricotta
8 eggs
1/4 cup 1% milk
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 F, with a rack on the lowest shelf. Roll out pie dough and press into a greased 10 inch tart pan. Spread half the cheddar over the bottom of the crust. Sprinkle on bits of the bacon, ham and scallion. Dollop the ricotta in about a tablespoon at a time. Top with remaining cheddar. Beat the eggs with the milk until well combined, then pour over the fillings. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper.

Bake on the bottom rack until crust and top is slightly golden and filling is set, about 45 minutes.

DINNER


Root Beer Baked Glazed Ham over Carrots
I can't believe that a glazed ham has not yet graced these pages, since it's one of my standybys, especially for large gatherings. However, upon making it I can see why, it's not very photogenic. It is darn tasty though. Buy a ham that actually looks like it came off of a pig, with the bone in, and not one of those pressed monstrosities. I prefer the shank end, and try to make sure it doesn't have water added if you can. Do not bother with spiral sliced - they dry out easily and it's really not that hard to slice a ham.

1 small bag baby carrots
10-15 pound half ham, bone in
cloves
1 1/2 cups root beer
1 1/2 Tbsp whole grain mustard
1 Tbsp vinegar from a jar of hot pickled peppers (or white vinegar)
1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp bitter orange marmelade (British if possible)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
1 tsp soy sauce
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1 tsp chile powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 325 F.

In a 13 x 9 glass baking dish, line the bottom with a layer of carrots. Trim the ham of any hard rind and place flat side down on top of carrots. Use a clean utility knife open to the second click (you can use a regular knife, but be really careful about the depth of the cut) to cut a diamond pattern into the ham. It should cut through the fat without cutting much of the meat. Stud the corners of the diamonds with cloves. Pour 1 cup of root beer into the dish and bake on the bottom rack for 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting every 15 minutes.


Meanwhile, make the glaze by combining the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce liquids to a thick syrupy consistency over medium heat. Remove cinnamon stick and bay leaf before using.

After the first round of baking, remove the ham from the oven, insert an oven safe thermometer - I like the probe kind that has a digital reader outside of the oven - and brush on the glaze (you won't use it all right away). Return to the oven and bake, brushing with glaze every 15 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before slicing. Serve any leftover glaze on the side for guests to brush on individual slices if they choose.

Serve with the carrots (which take on a fabulous flavor from the pan juices) and corn bake.

Return to Emilia-Romagna

It's been a while since I had the time to post a Daring Baker's challenge, and for some reason I was still struggling with the whole make a vegan dip and cracker thing. However, there was no way I could pass up a lasagna challenge, and I was curious to see how it would measure up to my own ultimate recipe. The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge. Lasagne is one of my favorite foods and I've traveled through this region of Italy and miss it incredibly. I was so looking forward to the memories I thought this would bring back.


Sadly, it was deeply disappointing. While my recipe may be less authentic, its layers of flavor are richer and more crowd pleasing. L and I agreed that while the meat ragu would have been fabulous on some pappardelle, its complexity was lost when mixed with the spinach of the noodles and the creaminess of the béchamel. Most surprising was how strikingly different it was from my usual version, even though I make my own fresh noodles and a béchamel in mine as well!


So my verdict is, if you want to experience the pleasures of slow cooking demanded by a traditional lasagne, give it a try. But for my time, it was not worth the 6 hours when 1 hour yields a better result!

Lasagne Verdi al Forno


Serves 8 to 10

1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna (recipe follows)
1 recipe Parmesan Herb Béchamel (recipe follows)
1 recipe Country Style Ragu (recipe follows)
1 cup (4 ounces/125g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 3 quart shallow baking dish.


Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of about two long overlapping sheets of pasta over the béchamel. Spread a thin layer of béchamel (about 3 or 4 spoonfuls) over the pasta, and then an equally thin layer of the ragu. Sprinkle with about 1&1/2 tablespoons of the béchamel and about 1/3 cup of the cheese.


Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with béchamel sauce and topping with a generous dusting of cheese.


Cover the baking dish lightly with foil, taking care not to let it touch the top of the lasagne. Bake 40 minutes, or until almost heated through. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until hot in the center (test by inserting a knife – if it comes out very warm, the dish is ready). Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the lasagne rest for about 10 minutes. Then serve.

Pasta Verde


In my opinion - this was the least tasty part of the lasagna - I recommend using a plain fresh egg noodle recipe, like the one I have here, but cut for lasagna

3 large eggs
6 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry - btw, the easiest way to do this is to stab the plastic bag all over with a fork, then squeeze so the water goes out the perforations - mess free!
3 1/2 cups all purpose unbleached flour


I used a Kitchen Aid mixer to make the dough, and its pasta attachment to roll it - however, the spinach was not about to mix in, even though it was finely chopped. I had to take it for a whir in the food processor.


Even after that, the dough did not roll out nicely. As soon as it got thin, the small bits of spinach would cause it to develop small holes everywhere, and it looked very lacy. When it cooked up, it was not very tasty and the texture was offputting.



Parmesan Herb Bechamel - my version

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small shallot, minced fine
4 tablespoons all purpose unbleached flour
2 2/3 cups 1 % milk
3 Tbsp dried italian herbs
1/3 cup freshly grated parmaggiano reggiano
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste


Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat and quickly saute shallot until softened. Add the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth, then add the herbs. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with cheese, salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.

Ragu alla Contadina


This sauce was incredible on its own and would have been better if its flavors weren't masked by everything else. They called for grinding up the meat - but I left it in small 1/2 inch chunks and it braised to gorgeous melt-in-your-mouth pieces! I thought the slow addition of stock and the milk was odd, but it came out incredibly rich and flavorful because of it. This part I will definitely make again!

Makes enough sauce for 1 recipe fresh pasta or 1 pound/450g dried pasta)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces, finely chopped (a slice about 1/2 inch thick will do nicely)
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium stalk celery, minced
1 large carrot, minced
8 ounces boneless veal shoulder
4 ounces beef skirt steak
2 ounces Prosciutto di Parma
2/3 cup dry red wine - I used Shiraz
2 & 1/2 cups chicken or beef stock (homemade if possible)
2 cups 1 % milk
1 can San Marzano crushed tomatoes
Italian herbs, Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Browning the Ragu Base:
Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and minced vegetables and sauté, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 10 minutes, or until the onions barely begin to color. Stir meats into the pan and slowly brown over medium heat. First the meats will give off a liquid and turn dull grey but, as the liquid evaporates, browning will begin. Stir often, scooping under the meats with the wooden spatula. Protect the brown glaze forming on the bottom of the pan by turning the heat down. Cook 15 minutes, or until the meats are a deep brown.


Reducing and Simmering: Add the wine, lowering the heat so the sauce bubbles quietly. Stir occasionally until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Scrape up the brown glaze as the wine bubbles. Stir 3/4 cup stock and let it bubble slowly, 10 minutes, or until totally evaporated. Repeat with another 3/4 cup stock. Stir in the last 1 cup stock along with the milk. Adjust heat so the liquid bubbles very slowly. Partially cover the pot, and cook 1 hour. Stir occasionally to check for sticking.

Add the tomatoes and herbs. Cook uncovered, at a very slow bubble for another 45 minutes, or until the sauce resembles a thick, meaty stew. Season with salt and pepper.

Working Ahead?
The ragu and the béchamel sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The ragu can also be frozen for up to one month. The pasta can be rolled out, cut and dried up to 24 hours before cooking. The assembled lasagne can wait at room temperature (20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit) about 1 hour before baking. Do not refrigerate it before baking, as the topping of béchamel and cheese will overcook by the time the center is hot.

Ringing in the New Year

2009. A year that promises big things for me. One of which, probably the most important, will be my wedding. After 8 years together, L and I are taking the plunge on a summer Sunday in an outdoor chapel in the bayside park where we spent our first day together and had that first, surreal, cinematic kiss. He knows me well, and the proposal came at my favorite time of year, renewing and emphasizing what is so special about the holiday season, surrounded by family and great food.

So it was hard to choose a dish that was worthy of such an announcement. In the end, it came down to something that represents our lives so well. This is classic us, simple but perfect, unpretentious,a little polish, a little hungarian, heart-warming, clean yet resounding flavor. It's made even better with homemade noodles, brought to you via my mom's christmas gift of KitchenAid pasta rollers and cutters.

This may seem less glamorous than other celebratory foods, caviar with smears of sauce or flashy meticulous layer cakes. But anywhere I've brought this, tucked into microwaveable containers for a hearty lunch, the tantalizing smell causes bystanders to beg for the recipe. I only hope it won't be disappointing in its simplicity and ease of preparation. Making your own noodles is of course optional, but so worth the extra 20 minutes. And I hope you, as everyone else I've shared this with, will return with rave reviews.

Cabbage and Noodles


fresh or homemade egg noodles, cut into fettucine according to manufacturer directions
recipe below

3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium sweet onion, sliced
1 medium head savoy cabbage, shredded with thick parts and core removed
2 Tbsp caraway seeds
1/2 cup white wine vinegar (use the good stuff- here it really matters!)
12 oz ham steak, (precooked) cubed (this is also delicious with sweet turkey or pork italian sausage or brats)
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste

Put the pasta water on to boil.

Meanwhile, melt the first 3 Tbsp of butter in a nonstick pan and saute the onion until softened. Add cabbage, reduce heat to medium-low and cover, stirring occasionally, until cabbage cooks down in volume and softens. About halfway through add vinegar and caraway and stir well. Meanwhile cook and drain pasta. When cabbage is tender, add ham and remaining butter and warm through. Toss with pasta. Adjust seasonings and vinegar to taste and serve hot.


Homemade Egg Noodles - modified from the recipe that ships with KitchenAid attachments

4 large eggs
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 Tbsp water
1 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on lowest speed until combined, then increase speed to 2 and knead for 2-3 minutes or until it starts to come together. Knead by hand for 2 minutes, then split into 8 pieces and flatten into 4-5 inch squares.

Roll out dough according to manufacturer directions. I like to roll it to a thickness of setting 5. Cut into fettucine by hand or with an attachment. Try to keep noodles separated because they want to stick together. To cook, place in heavily salted boiling water about 2 minutes. Noodles should float to the top of the pot.

Slow Cooker BBQ Pork For A Crowd

Yes, it's another pulled pork recipe. Only supersized. And on uber-cheesy bread. So, in case you didn't get enough with this Latin / Asian take or my Char Sui Bao, here's a more traditional, All-American version.

I'm sure I've told you all about MOLDOW (Munchies On the Last Day Of the Week), but just in case I'll give a refresher course. MOLDOW is a lovely tradition at the high school where I teach, where everyone in the math and science departments take turns to bring in some home cooked food on Fridays (or sometimes wednesdays or thursdays) for breakfast and lunch. A former department chair started up this tradition over ten years ago, when he won a free turkey and made everyone turkey sandwiches for lunch. It's been gaining in popularity ever since and is a weekly ritual that has, quote " gotten way outta hand." [Sidenote: I may be the reason it's gotten way out of hand. I'm not sure I'm upset about that.]

Pulled Pork is perfect for MOLDOW. It's easy to make ahead, actually tastes better after a couple days, and reheats quickly in a crockpot. Not to mention it feeds a huge number of people for relatively little cash. Please feel free to scale down this recipe. It is sized to feed 30+ people. This is fantastic on the cheesy bread recipe below, but also awesome with some sour cream, scallions and tortilla chips.


Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

15 lbs. pork shoulder (about 20 lbs if bone-in)
hickory smoked salt
chile powder
brown sugar

1 tsp butter
1 large sweet onion, grated
1 1/2 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped fine
2/3 cup dry vermouth
1/3 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 Tbsp dark molasses
1 Tbsp orange blossom honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup worchestershire sauce
1 Tbsp liquid smoke
2/3 cup orange pinapple concentrate
1 Tbsp dijion mustard
1 tsp chile powder
1 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp cinnamon chipotle rub
1 Tbsp pork rub (McCormick)
1 tsp crushed oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 cup water

Rub pork with brown sugar, chile powder and hickory smoked salt. Grill over high heat until caramelized and lightly charred on the outside. Let rest while you make the sauce. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Saute onion and chipotle until soft. Add remaining sauce ingredients (I know - it's a lot, but it's good!). Simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm.

Pour sauce down over pork. At this point you can cook or refrigerate overnight. Braise in a slow cooker set to low for 10 whopping hours (low and slow, baby!).

Remove pork to a bowl and shred with a fork, discarding pieces of fat. This should be super easy, as the pork has a tendency to almost melt by this point. Bring liquid to a boil, and reduce by at least half, or until slightly thickened. Blend with a boat motor (stick blender) until emulsified. Toss pork back into sauce.

Serve immediately or refrigerate overnight. Reheat in a crockpot on high heat for one and a half hours. Keep warm until serving (mine has a lovely setting for this too).



Cheesy Bread for Pulled Pork Sammies
Makes 4 loaves - perfect for the full recipe of pork above. Halves easily.

Leave out the chiles if you're not a fan of the heat (or cooking for people who aren't). You can use white cheddar, but the yellow lends beautiful color to this loaf.

2 2/3 cup warm water
2 packets active dry yeast
4 eggs
4 Tbsp rendered bacon fat (yeah, I know - but it's for 4 loaves of bread people!)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 tsp hickory smoked sea salt
4 tsp sugar
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp chile powder
1 chipotle in adobo, minced (optional)
1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar
11 - 12 cups flour

4 cups crumbled sharp cheddar
smoked paprika
freshly ground black pepper
chile powder
garlic powder
hickory smoked salt
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Combine water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and let sit 5 minutes, or until foamy. Whisk in eggs, bacon fat, butter, salt, sugar, spices and cheddar. With the mixer's dough hook, slowly knead in flour in small additions until a soft, not sticky dough forms. Knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 4 minutes, then place in an extra large oiled bowl covered with plastic wrap. Let rise one hour, or until doubled.


Spray four 8 x 4 inch loaf pans with nonstick spray. Separate dough into 4 pieces. Roll each out into an oval on a floured surface. Top each with cheese crumbles and sprinkle with spices. Roll each up like a jellyroll, tuck ends under and place seam side down in a prepared pan. Spray with nonstick spray and let rise one hour.


Preheat oven to 375. Place pans on a large baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes. They should be golden. Top with shredded cheese. Bake another 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Cool in pans 15 minutes, then unmold onto wire racks to cool.

I Wonton Some Soup Please!

I've been dreaming of wonton soup for weeks now. Not just craving, or wanting or wishing for, it is literally haunting my dreams. So when a cool Sunday night provided the perfect opportunity, I seized it and made some velvety wontons bathed in rich buttery broth. I don't have much to say about this dish, except that it is the most perfect wonton soup I've ever had. You must try this as the seasons change and the air gets cooler!

Shitake & White Corn Wonton Soup


Wontons
Makes about 3 dozen wontons.

3/4 pound ground pork
1/2 cup minced shitake mushrooms
2 Tbsp Chinese black vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sriracha
1 small scallion, sliced thin
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
ground pepper

36 - 40 square wonton wrappers
water

Combine all ingredients for wonton filling in a small bowl and use your hands to mix it well. In each wonton wrapper, place a generous tsp of filling in the center. Dip your finger in water and use it to moisten the edges of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper diagonally over the filling, forming a triangle. Press edges together, then fold two side flaps down and seal with water. Repeat until all the filling has been used.


Wonton Soup

1 tsp unsalted butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups sliced shitake mushrooms
1 cob of white sweet corn, kernals removed (cob reserved)
1/2 cup cream sherry
2 quarts chicken broth
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water
1 porcini bouillon (see pantry essentials sidebar for sources)
1 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp lemongrass paste
2 tsp salt
wontons and additional wonton wrappers, torn into strips
2 large scallions, sliced diagonally
2 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

In a stockpot over medium-high heat, melt the butter with olive oil. Saute the mushrooms and corn kernals until slightly softened and mushrooms have absorbed most of the fats. Add sherry to deglaze, then broths, water, boullion, mirin and corn cob. Bring to a boil. Add ginger, lemongrass, salt, wontons and extra wrappers and boil until all wontons have risen to the top and wrappers are translucent. Turn off the heat, remove corn cob and add scallions, spinach, and sesame oil. Serve immediately with large spoons.

Montmartre Memories

As a teen, I was blessed to have a father who believed that traveling broadened children's horizons and made them learn to think beyond themselves. This resulted in what was probably the best experience of my life thus far, a summer between junior and senior years of high school, spend studying in Cambridge, England and Paris. Along the way I made some incredible friends, all of whom were well-educated and interesting youths in the same program as myself, and who were simply more interested in sports, friends and academia than drinking and recklessness. I had previously thought I was the only teenager who felt this way, so it was a refreshing experience to meet so many others.

We studied things like art, quantum physics (I got an A!) and British cultural history during the day, followed by some punting on the backs and getting dressed up as characters from the Bond movies to dance the night away. It was good, clean, wholesome fun and I tend to think of it as my college experience. My real college years were fraught with hard-work (both in and out of school - at one point 3 separate jobs, and I graduated with a 3.9), very few friends (since I didn't drink- no one felt the need to hang out with me), and strained relationships with both L and my family.

I have so many pleasant memories of that summer that I could never fit them all in here. Recently I was thinking of our time in Paris, a whirlwind trip of museum after historic site after museum. Home base was a little hotel tucked away into a corner of Montmartre, with day trips to Versailles, Monet's gardens and the place where Von Gough painted his greatest works. I can only recall one meal I had in France that summer that did not include crepes, and I'm pretty sure it's because they were not on the menu. I was, and am, obsessed. One of my favorite crepes has always been a simple, slightly sweet crepe stuffed with paper-thin sliced ham and cave aged gruyere. I must have eaten this upwards of 10 times while we were there, although once my french was so poor that I received a crepe almonde instead of crepe jambon. This makes the perfect breakfast, and they freeze well, fully assembled and wrapped tightly in plastic, waiting to be popped in a microwave or toaster for a quick treat on the go.


Crepes au Jambon et Fromage (or ham and cheese pancakes for the rest of us)

Fragrant Sweet Crepes
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup milk
4 eggs
4 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup sweet marsala wine, lukewarm
1/4 cup water, lukewarm
1 tsp almond extract

Combine all crepe batter ingredients in a blender. Whiz, alternating between low and high speeds until completely homogenized. Let sit at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 48 hours. This resting time is essential, as it not only lets the air bubbles escape the batter, allowing you to make perfectly thin crepes, but it also allows the flour to soak up flavor from the batter.

Indulge me with a little discussion about pans. I don't think you need a crepe pan. In fact, I used to have one, but I found that, number one, it was too small for the crepes I like to make (and the ones in Paris are probably double the size of the ones I make), and two, it was extremely hard to keep it properly seasoned and flip the crepes without tearing them. I think any large (I'm talking 12 inches or more) nonstick skillet or well seasoned, shallow, curved edge pan will do. I use a 14 inch Calphalon One skillet (not nonstick) that does not really get used for much else than pancakes, french toast and the like. Repeatedly melting butter in it has resulted in a lovely surface that crepes stick to enough to cook properly, releasing completely for flipping. I imagine a well seasoned cast iron pan would act in a similar manner. If you don't have such a pan, nor the funds to invest in one, just go with a large, inexpensive nonstick. But don't try to make crepes in an old nonstick that's been scratched up. The surface must be smooth.

On that note, preheat your pan over medium heat. I keep a stick of butter alongside, to rub the inside of the skillet with. I do this between every other crepe. The butter should sizzle slightly in the pan, indicating it's hot enough. Pour about 1/8-1/4 cup batter (depending on your pan's size) into one side of your tilted pan. Rotate the tilt around the pan, so that the crepe batter runs down and out to each edge. Keep swirling the batter until it's no longer liquid, then place the pan on the heat. Let cook 30 seconds - 1 minute, or until underside is golden brown. Use your fingers to pull up the crepe at the edge, slip a wide, flat rubber spatula underneath and gently flip the crepe over. Cook for another 30 seconds, then remove from pan to a cooling rack.



Assembly
5 crepes
4 oz very good quality aged gruyere (should have little crunchy crystals that develop in a properly aged cheese)
10 paper-thin slices best-quality honey ham

Use a vegetable peeler to make thin slices of gruyere, a little under an ounce in total for each crepe. Arrange gruyere in one quarter of the crepe. Fold half of the crepe down over it horizontally, then fold vertically to make a little sandwich wedge. Toast in a buttered pan or toaster to melt the cheese and warm the crepe through.



P.S. I hope you will bear with me, as I have a feeling I may be a weekend blogger for a while. I always forget how much work it is to get back into teaching at the beginning of each year, and even more so now that I have master's classes running simultaneously. Monday the invasion begins! Wish me luck!

Go Ahead - Sop It Up!

I was watching Jamie Oliver this morning and he make the most beautiful rustic tomato and sausage dish. I've been dreaming of it all day. It was basically just some simple roast tomatoes cooked with the sausages and sopped up with bread. But it looked divine, and let me tell you - it is!

I've also been eyeing Kris's Cheddar Bubble Bread for a while now, and I thought - why not make bubble bread with Italian flavors instead? One thing this bread has plenty of is flavor! This was also a great way to clean out my fridge of all the odds and ends of cheese I have stashed away, and I bet it'd be good with just about any cheese.



Italian Herb & Cheese Bubble Bread


Sponge
1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1/2 packet)
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Stir together yeast and water and let bloom about 5 minutes. Mix in flour. Let sit at least 1 hour. It should be mushy and bubbly.

Dough

1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1/2 package)
1 cup warm water
sponge
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 - 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese

Mix together yeast and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Let set 5 minutes, or until mixture is bubbly. Add sponge and olive oil and mix well. Add remaining ingredients, including 3 cups of flour and mix on low speed until combined. Add more flour as needed until dough is soft and only slightly sticky. Knead on medium-low speed for about 5 minutes. Let rise 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Mix-ins

2 cups mixed italian semi-soft to hard cheeses (such as asiago, parmesan, provolone, fontina, romano, etc)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 large scallion, sliced thin
5 large cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1/4 cup smoked sundried tomatoes, minced fine
3 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp crushed dried oregano
2 Tbsp pesto
1 Tbsp white truffle oil
2 Tbsp olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a shallow bowl. Mix well with your fingertips, breaking up any chunks.

Assembly
Grease 2 loaf pans or pie plates or pans of your choice.

Roll dough out on a floured surface until it's between 1/2 and 3/4 inches thick. Use a pizza stone to cut the dough into small squares. (Don't bother being fussy - they don't need to be the same size). Roll the squares into balls and roll them in the mix-ins. You may have to press the mix-ins into them a bit.

Pile the dough balls into the greased pans. Sprinkle any leftover mix-ins over the bread (there should be very little left). Let rise at least 1 hour, or until doubled in size.















Preheat oven to 400 degrees in the last 30 minutes of rising.

Drizzle tops with olive oil. Bake bread 25-35 minutes or until browned and crispy on the outside. Best served warm.



Roasted Sausage & Tomato "Sauce" (deconstructed!)


2 strips bacon
6 sprig fresh oregano
2 bay leaves (preferably fresh but dry will work)
2 sprigs rosemary
handful of thyme sprigs
6-8 large heirloom tomatoes
5 large pork sausages such as bratwurst
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F. Saute bacon until it has rendered most of its fat. Add herbs and let them flavor the fat. Add tomatoes, bake on top rack until skins burst - about 20 minutes.

Remove skins, trying your best not to burn your fingers! Top with sausages. Roast 40 minutes, until sausages are browned on one side. Turn sausages and roast another 20 minutes, or until sausages are browned and a thin sauce has formed in the bottom. Remove stems of herbs and bay leaves. Mash up the tomatoes a bit. Serve with bread or over pasta.