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!

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. 

Farm to Table: Mixed It Up Fruit Galette

We co-opted the Sand Dollar Sable recipe and used it to make a sweet buttery cookie like crust.  It works like a charm except when it comes to halving amounts.  The math gets tricky.  Freeze what you do not need and save it for another gorgeous day.  Same holds true of the almond filling. 

Cookie Crust

• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl.  Set aside.  In another bowl cream butter.  Add sugar and beat until light.  Whisk eggs and add to sugar.  Beat to combine.  Stir in vanilla.  Combine wet and dry ingredients.  The dough will be quite stiff - use hands to knead.  Wrap dough in plastic and chill 8 hours or overnight.  

Almond Filling

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups ground almonds
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons brandy

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Stir in ground almonds and flour.  Mix well.  Add eggs and mix to combine.  Stir in salt and brandy.  Filling can be made a day in advance and refrigerated until needed.

Fruit

Use what looks the most beautiful to you - apricots, peaches, berries, currants, plums etc.  

To Assemble Galette

Heat oven to 425.  Butter a standard muffin tin and line bottom with parchment paper.  Divide dough in half.  Wrap and freeze one half.  Divide remaining half in half again and return to refrigerator.  Roll remaining quarter dough on a well floured surface and cut into 4 rounds - large enough to fit in muffin tins with some excess crust coming up sides.  Place lined muffin tin in refrigerator and remove reserved quarter dough.  Repeat process with this dough and return whole lot to refrigerator to chill, about 20 minutes.  Fill muffin tins with almond filling - enough to come just half way up.  Freeze remaining filling - so to go with your frozen crust.  Cut fruit into bite size pieces.  Toss with a smidgen of sugar and place on top of almond filling.  Gently fold in crust to partially enclose fruit.  If crust is feeling fragile return to refrigerator to chill.  Brush outside of crust with cold water and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake until crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 375 and continue baking until fruit is juicy and almond filling hot and set, about another 15 minutes.  Tent tarts with foil is the crust starts to go too brown.  Remove from oven and let stand several minutes before removing from muffin tins - run knife around the edges of the tart to loosen if needed.  Serve with whipped heavy cream as desired. 

Farm To Table: Mustard Roast Chicken

From farm to oven to table to carcass to stock pot.  Let me count the ways we love thee chicken.

Mustard Roast Chicken

• 1 fresh whole chicken, about 4 pounds
• 2 lemons, thinly sliced
• 6 shallots, halved
• 1 head garlic. cloves separated
• Several sprigs fresh herbs
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat oven to 425.  Rinse chicken under cold running water and pat dry with paper towel.  Strew roasting pan with lemon slices, shallots, garlic cloves and fresh herbs, creating a nice bed for chicken to rest and reserving some of each ingredient for chicken cavity.  Season inside of chicken with salt and pepper and stuff with reserved ingredients.  Nestle chicken in roast pan.  Combine mustard and olive oil in a small bowl.  Slather mixture over chicken, covering all exposed skin.  Truss legs. Season outside of bird with salt and pepper.  Roast until chicken is golden brown and thigh juices run clear, about 75 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand about 20 minutes before carving.  Serve with all the delicious roasted lemon slices etc and gorgeous pan juices. 

Farm to Table: Buratta with Tomato Garlic Bread

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Thinking we could eat  this absolutely everyday all summer long. 

Buratta with Tomato Garlic Bread

• 1 loaf toothsome rustic bread, such as ciabatta
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 ripe red tomato, halved
• Extra Virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• 3 balls Buratta
• Mixed fresh basil leaves

Slice bread and toast until crisp and golden.  Rub toast with garlic cloves, leaving a nice thick garlic layer.  Rub toast with tomato.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place buratta in a serving bowl.  Douse cheese with a generous amount of olive oil.  Scatter fresh basil leaves over buratta and serve with prepared toast. 

Vintage Plate from Rural Residence in Hudson, NY.  

Farm To Table Dinner: Roasted Apricots With Ricotta And Honey

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It all started at our little house with a big barn just outside of Hudson, NY.  The farmers market on Saturday mornings in Hudson is so inspiring that we had to make a meal to end all summer produce meals.  Starting with these yummy roasted apricots……...

Roasted Apricots with Ricotta and Honey

• 12 fresh apricots, halved and pitted
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Several sprigs fresh oregano
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup fresh ricotta
• Honey

Heat oven to 425.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange apricots on baking sheet, cut side up.  Strew apricots with sliced garlic and oregano.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast until apricots are hot and juicy, about 15 minutes.  Be careful not to overcook as fruit will begin to fall apart.  Spoon ricotta over apricots and drizzle with honey just before serving.  These are delicious hot, room temp and even leftover/out of the fridge.