Spring Pizza with Asparagus and Prosciutto

This pizza can either be a fun project or quick dinner - depending if you go with homemade or store bought dough. Either way it is delicious.

Spring Pizza with Asparagus and Prosciutto

• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

• 1 3/4 luke warm water

• 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

• 2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more for sprinkling

• Cornmeal

• 1 pound thin asparagus, tough ends trimmed and blanched until just tender

• 4 eggs

• 6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

Combine yeast and water in a large mixing bowl and let stand until yeast is nice and foamy, about 5 minutes.  Stir in flour and salt, turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead to form a soft slightly elastic dough.  Place dough in a well oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover loosely with plastic and refrigerate overnight - the longer the better.  

4 hours before you wish to bake pizza (and remember you can buy dough or use a pre fab crust if this is all getting too much - in which case skip to topping) remove dough from fridge, punch down and divide into quarters.  Shape each quarter into a nice tight ball.  Cover with plastic and return to fridge for another 3 hours (longer is OK too).  

Remove balls from refrigerator and preheat oven (and pizza stone if using) to 475. If not using pizza stone place a baking sheet in the oven to heat.   Let balls come to room temperature while oven heats - they should stand about 30 or so minutes.   Dust pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal.  Stretch and pull one ball of dough to form a nice thin crust.  Set on hot stone or sheet.  Place a 1/4 of blanched asparagus over dough.  Arrange 1/4 of prosciutto over asparagus. Create a shallow dent in dough and crack one egg directly into dent.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons grated cheese. Sprinkle with sea salt.  Set in oven and bake until pizza dough is crisp and golden, asparagus is nicely charred and egg is set about 20 minutes.  Repeat process with remaining dough and toppings - keeping the hot pizzas coming!

Yogurt with Roasted Dates, Persimmon and Pistachio Butter

Yogurt with Roasted Dates, Persimmon and Pistachio Butter

• 8 Medjool dates, pitted

• 2 ripe persimmon, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Generous pinch flaked sea salt

• 2 cups plain full fat yogurt

• 2 tablespoons Pistacchiosa or pistachio cream

• 1/4 cup pistachio nuts, roasted

Heat oven to 4oo. Arrange dates and persimmon slices on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with one tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with a a bit of salt. Roast until fruit starts to caramelize, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven. Slice dates into small pieces.

Divide yogurt between pretty bowls. Top with roasted fruit, a spoonful of pistachio cream and a few pistachio nuts. Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt before serving. Eat for breakfast lunch or dinner.

Berry Salad with Shiso and Umeboshi Plum

End of Summer has us feeling a little black and blue!

• 1 pint blackberries
• 1 pint blueberries
• large handful purple shiso (opal basil makes a good substitute) 
• 2 tablespoons umeboshi plum vinegar
• 3 - 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Combine berries and shiso in a serving bowl.  Douse with vinegar and olive oil and season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Serve at once. 

Mango Lasse with Kaffir Lime

Mango Lasse with Kaffir Lime

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and flesh chopped
• 1 tablespoon honey, more or less to taste
• 1 handful ice
• 1 fresh or dry kaffir lime, zested

Combine all ingredients in the jar of a bar blender and blend until smooth and frothy.  Divide between serving glasses.  If using fresh kaffir lime - add a dash of juice as well. 

Yogurt Honey Bar

The world of flowers and honey is as complex and magical as grapes and wine.  Here we have gathered some of our favorite varieties - from comb to creamed.  We included bee pollen for immune bolstering crunch and gorgeous Boules au miel just to be French and fancy.  Use a thick rich decadent Greek style yogurt.  Our vote is full fat but ultimately that is your call.  

Bohemian Rapsody Seeded Yogurt

We could happily eat this everyday - a little tamari and miso mixed together - folded into plain yogurt and topped with toasted sunflower seeds, radish sprouts, pepper flakes and ever so bougie Moon Juice crackers - crumbled so to resemble savory granola. Then yoga! And a sauna. 

Yogurt With Turkish Delight, Pomegranate Seeds And Rose Water

Wanted to create a yogurt extravaganza full of hope and renewal - two themes inherently linked to Spring.  Just the colors alone make us happy.  The gorgeous vibrant cranberry powder and candied almonds are both available at sos-chefs.com - a shop worth exploring!  Bet you could find rosewater there too. 

Candy Crush Cocktail

Crush candy not hearts!  Select an array of pretty pink sweets that range in flavor from bubble gum to passion fruit, smash to smithereens, mix with vodka, gin or bubbly and garnish to your heart's desire. 

Moorish Lamb Tagine with Couscous

Forecast suggests yet more snow on the way.  Quick - to the market before there is a line around the block.  Starting to think that Whole Foods and Weather Underground may be in cahoots.   Get this soup on the stove and leave it to simmer while you read, ski and/or shovel. 

Moorish Lamb Tagine with Couscous

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 lamb shanks
• Flaked sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 preserved lemon, flesh removed and finely chopped, peels reserved
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon Ras El Hanout
• Pinch saffron
• 2 cups red wine
• 1 small bunch parsley
• 1 small bunch cilantro
• Couscous
• Radishes 
• Radish sprouts
• Caramelized onions

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy bottomed dutch oven over medium heat.  Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper and brown them on all sides,  about 5 minutes per side.  Remove shanks from pan and set aside.  Add remaining two tablespoons olive oil, preserved lemon flesh onion, garlic and all spices and cook until onions are translucent and spices very fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Return lamb shanks to pot.   Add wine and enough water to just cover shanks.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Bundle herbs together and add to pot.  Cover pot and bring mixture to a boil. 

Transfer pot to a 300 degree oven and let cook until meat is so tender it easily falls from bone, adding reserved lemon peel after an hour.  

Remove from heat.  Remove shank bone, gently peeling away any meat and returning meat to pot.  Discard herb bundle.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  Serve with prepared couscous, sliced radishes and radish sprouts and caramelized onions.