Pizza from scratch!

I was perusing foodie websites looking for something interesting to recreate, when I came across a very simple recipe on GiltTaste for fresh ricotta cheese, the perfect topping for pizza dough, which I've also been dying to attempt.  Turns out both recipes are much simpler than I imagined and so low maintenance, given you have an hour+ to let them both rest.

The experiment was an utter success!

Honey wheat pizza dough
(makes 2 pizzas, or 1 pizza and 1 dough to freeze for next time)
This was so light and fluffy on the inside with a slightly crispy crust


1 T honey
1 1/2 cups warm water (less than 115 degrees as to not kill the yeast, aka, less hot than a shower)
1 T active dry yeast or .5T instant yeast
1 T olive oil
1 t salt
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
1/4 cup chopped, pitted olives (optional)


Dissolve honey in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture.  Mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together.

 

Tip dough out onto a floured surface and add enough of the remaining flour so that dough is soft and kneads easily, but not sticky, then knead until  the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 
[This is when i started the ricotta].

When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces.

 

Form each into a tight ball.  If freezing, double wrap in plastic and freeze for next time.  Knead in olive pieces (or any other mixing) for 2 minutes.

Let rise for about 45 minutes until doubled.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll out with a rolling pin to form the general shape and size, then,drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward evenly, while rotating the crust until the center is about 1/4 inch thick. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well oiled baking pan or stone.

Bake crust for 10 minutes.
Add toppings and bake for 15 to 20 more minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top. 



Homemade Ricotta - Makes 1 cup fresh cheese

Ingredients:
1 Quart whole milk (or low fat, but while is tastier!) (Important: You cannot use ultra-pasteurized or UHT (ultra-high temperature processed) milk. The container will say this clearly on the label.  Otherwise it will just say Pasturized - which you can use. 
1/2 t salt
1/8 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (gives a delicious lemony taste) or distilled white vinegar, or ½ teaspoon of citric acid dissolved in ¼ cup of water, or other similar acid

Heat milk and salt.  Pour the milk with the salt into a large pot over medium heat, stirring every couple minutes. Using a thermometer, heat the milk to180°F, not more than 185°F; the milk will be steaming on the surface and just about to start simmering. This is the temperature where the milk’s proteins start to break down and will easily form curds. The larger your pan, the faster it will heat up, so keep an eye on it.  Should take less than 10 minutes for this quantity.

Drop the acid.

 

When the milk has reached 180°F, shut the heat off, move the pot to your countertop and immediately pour in half of the acid while gently stirring. The acid makes the now-loosened proteins in the milk bind back together, forming “nets” that trap moisture and fat. As you stir, you will see the milk start to chunk up and curdle. After about 20 seconds, add the rest of the acid and continue stirring for 1 minute. Let the pot sit undisturbed for 10-15 minutes.

Drain and rest.  Set two layers of fine cheesecloth, or a nut milk bag in a bowl or mesuring cup.

Gently pour the contents of the pot through the lined colander. All the whey will drain, and you’ll be left with a cloudlike mass of fresh cheese sitting in the cheesecloth. (If you’re Martha Stewart, you’ll save the whey for other cheese making projects.) Set the colander over a large bowl and put it in the refrigerator to allow more whey to drain for at least 1 hour and presto! you’ve just made fresh ricotta cheese.

It's really that easy!

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Sweet Tomato Tart

Our friend Amy surprised us all when she uncovered this sweet tomato tart at our recent potluck campout (do we know how to camp or what?!).  I consider myself a pretty adventurous baker but I gave Amy major props for pushing the limits of culinary creativity to create the subtly sweet, perfectly acidic masterpiece that I've described below.  Have fun!

Amy's Sweet Tomato Tart

8-10 large roma tomates

1/2 stick butter

2/3 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

sheet frozen puff pastry

preheat over to 425

Score the bottom of the tomatoes with an 'x'  and blanch until the x starts to peel back (like 3-4 mins) remove w slotted spoon and put in ice bath. When they are cool, peel the skin and cut in half and scoop out all the seeds. Put cast iron pan on medium heat with butter and sugar and place the tomato halves inside part down in circles, trying to get them in a tight spiral and cook until the butter/sugar turns into a thick bubbling syrup. 

Remove from the heat and drizzle the vanilla over the tomatoes. Cut the pastry to the size of the pan (maybe 1/2 in bigger all around to tuck under - and do this while the pan is cool before yous tart cooking or it will stick!) Put puff pastry down on tomatoes and tuck the edges in. cut a few slits in the top and throw in the oven 20-25mins until its golden brown!

Cut around the edges as soon as you pull it out of the oven, let it cool for a bit then flip onto a plate. Best if eaten with Nichole's basil ice cream!!

Sorry...It was practically gone by the time I could pull out my camera!  But doesn't it still look delicious?

Pescadero, CA

Pescadero, CA has become my home away from home.  Just off of Highway 1, 1 hour south of San Francisco, it is a tiny coastal town with the most amazing public beaches, Redwood hikes, and pie!  I love it as much for its remoteness as its proximity to the city, and just a weekend here feels like a vacation!  Most of the land is protected and/or farmed so the rolling hills and 360 views are as plentiful as the fresh, local veggies. 

We always have such a good time down there using the same basic recipe for the weekend: gather as many friends as possible, pack a potluck “family” dinner, find a map to plan a bike ride, hike, trail run, drive or just explore Pigeon Point Lighthouse (known for its nearby seal population), tidepools or beach.  There's something for everyone to enjoy during the day, and great company and food (and tents) to share at night.

Most recently we all met down there on a Saturday afternoon, walked along the beach and spotted seals 20 feet offshore, and even whales much farther out.  Once everyone arrived, we carefully forded Highway 1 and took a hike around through a 5000 acre ranch owned by the local land trust, POST, complete with operational farm, small reservoir, and sprawling ocean and hillside views [note: you must request written permission from POST prior to accessing the property].  Alternatively there are many public trails, most notably within the Pescadero Creek County Park, or my favorite, the Candelabra Tree Trail!   

In the evening we broke out our potluck that magically complemented all of the other dishes, not the least of which was Amy's Sweet Tomato Tart and my soon-to-be-famous super easy basil ice cream (ice cream recipe to follow soon)